OT: Do you crave or seek out 'whats new ' ?

[Winston Psmith]

there has been a huge resurgence in duplicating certain analog keyboards/synths into the digital domain. Been going on for 10 years , give or take.

 

It may have helped reduce the price of the digitized product. Lots of buyers are nostalgic/sentimental about synths they owned in the 70's/80's where the preserved analog version is scarce and stupid expensive.

 

@GregC - exactly right, the retro revival is in full swing in the Synth world, where you can find both Digital and Analog reissues of pretty much any famous, or infamous, Synth or Drum Machine from the 70's & 80's, alongside entirely new designs, based on classic concepts. I have two current Analog MonoSynths that aren't re-issues of previous models, but modern takes on old-school designs.

 

IMHO, the excesses of the Vintage market drove companies like Boss, Ibanez, Dunlop and others to reissue long-extinct product lines. At this point, it's not hard to assemble a pedal array that would have been right at home in 1983, or even 1977, and have most of the rest of the band outfitted with similar retro gear. And, as d=halfnote points out, some of that old-school gear will seem 'new' to players who haven't gotten to try it out before; I hope they enjoy it as much as we did, the first time around . . .

[Dannyalcatraz]

And lets not discount the efforts of builders to recreate & improve upon old designs. Sometimes they actually succeed.

 

For example, I have a nice old EHX Russian Big Muff I bought used. I also have pedals that are based on it (or other Muffs) that I use preferentially because they give me everything the original did...plus.

[Winston Psmith]

And lets not discount the efforts of builders to recreate & improve upon old designs. Sometimes they actually succeed.

 

For example, I have a nice old EHX Russian Big Muff I bought used. I also have pedals that are based on it (or other Muffs) that I use preferentially because they give me everything the original did...plus.

 

@Dannyalcatraz - you should also know that those old, green Russian Big Muffs and Small Stones are now collector's items. Leave that one at home.

[Song80s]

there has been a huge resurgence in duplicating certain analog keyboards/synths into the digital domain. Been going on for 10 years , give or take.

 

It may have helped reduce the price of the digitized product. Lots of buyers are nostalgic/sentimental about synths they owned in the 70's/80's where the preserved analog version is scarce and stupid expensive.

 

@GregC - exactly right, the retro revival is in full swing in the Synth world, where you can find both Digital and Analog reissues of pretty much any famous, or infamous, Synth or Drum Machine from the 70's & 80's, alongside entirely new designs, based on classic concepts. I have two current Analog MonoSynths that aren't re-issues of previous models, but modern takes on old-school designs.

 

IMHO, the excesses of the Vintage market drove companies like Boss, Ibanez, Dunlop and others to reissue long-extinct product lines. At this point, it's not hard to assemble a pedal array that would have been right at home in 1983, or even 1977, and have most of the rest of the band outfitted with similar retro gear. And, as d=halfnote points out, some of that old-school gear will seem 'new' to players who haven't gotten to try it out before; I hope they enjoy it as much as we did, the first time around . . .

 

thats good knowledge. Fx are big deal for my originals

 

I didn't realize the resurgent old school synth niche drove the pedal makers back to retro.

 

Sort of related to my quest- as a song writer relying on Kronos [Korg] the authentic guitar tones are somewhat minimal. And maybe 10-15 Fx which isn't much.

 

I am experimenting with some new samples to see if I can get closer. There are literally

1000 guitar tones that are worth having IMO. Going back to the 60's etc.

[Dannyalcatraz]

And lets not discount the efforts of builders to recreate & improve upon old designs. Sometimes they actually succeed.

 

For example, I have a nice old EHX Russian Big Muff I bought used. I also have pedals that are based on it (or other Muffs) that I use preferentially because they give me everything the original did...plus.

 

@Dannyalcatraz - you should also know that those old, green Russian Big Muffs and Small Stones are now collector's items. Leave that one at home.

Leave home? I almost never plug it in!

[Winston Psmith]

I didn't realize the resurgent old school synth niche drove the pedal makers back to retro.

 

Sort of related to my quest- as a song writer relying on Kronos [Korg] the authentic guitar tones are somewhat minimal. And maybe 10-15 Fx which isn't much.

 

I am experimenting with some new samples to see if I can get closer. There are literally

1000 guitar tones that are worth having IMO. Going back to the 60's etc.

 

@GregC - Sorry, I probably didn't phrase that well. My impression is that the excesses of the vintage pedal market drove companies to start re-issuing old product lines; in the Synth world, the RI craze came on much later.

 

Addressing the latter part of your post, I use Synths extensively - I have more hardware Synths & Modules than Guitars - and I have never heard a convincing Guitar sound from any Synth or Sampler? Too often, they wind up sounding much like Piano samples, and the dynamics are lacking. The Kronos may be an exception, I haven't gotten to try one personally.

[Song80s]

I di

 

I am experimenting with some new samples to see if I can get closer. There are literally

1000 guitar tones that are worth having IMO. Going back to the 60's etc.

 

@GregC - Sorry, I probably didn't phrase that well. My impression is that the excesses of the vintage pedal market drove companies to start re-issuing old product lines; in the Synth world, the RI craze came on much later.

 

Addressing the latter part of your post, I use Synths extensively - I have more hardware Synths & Modules than Guitars - and I have never heard a convincing Guitar sound from any Synth or Sampler? Too often, they wind up sounding much like Piano samples, and the dynamics are lacking. The Kronos may be an exception, I haven't gotten to try one personally.

 

I agree. . Many keyboard players are not familiar with the dynamics of guitar playing.

esp if they have decades of piano experience.

 

Simply, Kronos and/or other keyboards can only go so far. And the player has to 'get ' guitar. And Fx are also a big deal.

 

I have some 3rd party samples that might help- but its an experiment and too soon to say I am satisfied.

[d halfnote]

Re: the absence of gtr dynamics by kb players.

In one way that's surprising since the piano was so much designed for dynamics that the idea became it's very name !

 

I think there are simply too many factors that go into the timbre of stringed instruments play for that to consistently work, despite what players from Jan Hammer to cats like these try...

[video:youtube]

.

 

Mostly it results in the kb synth emulating a heavily processed gtr that itself is tryna sound like a synth [say it w/me, Class---"circular circularity"]

 

Even an attempt like this---which is a great deal more realistic---does it capture the possibilities ?

[video:youtube]

[Song80s]

Re: the absence of gtr dynamics by kb players.

In one way that's surprising since the piano was so much designed for dynamics that the idea became it's very name !

 

I think there are simply too many factors that go into the timbre of stringed instruments play for that to consistently work, despite what players from Jan Hammer to cats like these try...

[video:youtube]

.

 

Mostly it results in the kb synth emulating a heavily processed gtr that itself is tryna sound like a synth [say it w/me, Class---"circular circularity"]

 

Even an attempt like this---which is a great deal more realistic---does it capture the possibilities ?

[video:youtube]

 

a keyboardist so inclined, even myself, can play basic guitar strums and some straightforward leads, as I see in your above YT's.

 

There are a few keyboardists that work very hard to go further.

 

The challenges I refer to is the Clapton solo in While My Guitar Gently Weeps,

any Hendrix song. Possibly any SRV guitar part.

 

Don't go literal, if you please, on this.

 

The challenge and the context I refer to is getting in the ball park, such as capturing 80%

of the tone/expression of my Clapton example, etc etc.

 

And guitar is not the only instrument, where a keyboard or keyboard player might fall short on ' 80% realism'. Sax is extremely hard to duplicate. Same with trumpet.

 

We could reason that reed instruments and horns , by their breathy nature,

are obstacles for a keyboard person

[d halfnote]

Well, though most don't realize, wind insts, esp brass, are the most difficult to play anyway b/c of their embouchure but, yeah, it's tough to imitate gtr or otherwise & many (like in the 1st vid above) make only superficial attempts.

[Winston Psmith]

@d - Jan Hammer was one of very few KB players who could get a Guitar-like attack from his Moog Synths, although he wasn't trying to imitate the sound of an Electric Guitar.

 

Have to agree with GregC, Sax is another sound that most Synths just can't quite manage; I suspect it's the complex overtone series, too much to process. The old Korg M1 had a passable Sax sound, but 'passable' isn't exactly the same as 'convincing'.

 

Now, let's see if someone can grab the wheel and steer this thread back on course . . .

[Song80s]

@d - Jan Hammer was one of very few KB players who could get a Guitar-like attack from his Moog Synths, although he wasn't trying to imitate the sound of an Electric Guitar.

 

Have to agree with GregC, Sax is another sound that most Synths just can't quite manage; I suspect it's the complex overtone series, too much to process. The old Korg M1 had a passable Sax sound, but 'passable' isn't exactly the same as 'convincing'.

 

Now, let's see if someone can grab the wheel and steer this thread back on course . . .

 

You are right- Jan Hammer was a god on the Mini Moog- he would successfully trade riffs with the great John McLaughlin and Jerry Goodman

 

There are stories that Jan would pick up guitar and get teased by guitarists. The dude was a helluva talented player.

 

I forgot the original thread topic- I think it was about music

[d halfnote]

I forgot the original thread topic- I think it was about music

"The New"....which we'll soon get a whole year of, be we lucky, Mateys !

"Arrrrgh !"

[Song80s]

I forgot the original thread topic- I think it was about music

"The New"....which we'll soon get a whole year of, be we lucky, Mateys !

"Arrrrgh !"

 

:LOL

 

thats one night I stay home, fer sure !

[whitefang]

You are right- Jan Hammer was a god on the Mini Moog- he would successfully trade riffs with the great John McLaughlin and Jerry Goodman

 

There are stories that Jan would pick up guitar and get teased by guitarists. The dude was a helluva talented player.

 

I forgot the original thread topic- I think it was about music

 

Sho' 'nuff. And this tune here is the first I heard where a synth got that "gee-tar" sound. Gotta wait a li'l bit for it...

 

https://youtu.be/V-YA1Hhi3Q4

 

'bout 1:25.....

 

Whitefang

[Eric Iverson]

As to the question of seeking out new MUSIC (as opposed to equipment, though of course that's RELATED):

 

At work I check out different artists all the time on the net, and listen to the radio a lot and of course regularly hear people I have never heard before - both performers and composers/songwriters.

 

But I don't buy much new music (as in CDs) or go out and hear music live. This spring I plan to get out more.

 

Most of the "new" stuff I hear sounds rehashed to me; very few new ideas. Not that some of them don't sing or play well, and sometimes excellently. Or write well crafted tunes. I'm certainly not trashing anybody, or claiming that I've invented anything revolutionary, LOL.

 

These days I'm more about QUALITY than NEWNESS just for its own sake.

 

Doubtless there are very creative people out there that most of us don't really get a chance to hear. God bless you and keep up the good work!

 

PS Maybe I'm just suffering from OFD (old fart's disease), LOL.

[d halfnote]

I forgot the original thread topic- I think it was about music

"The New"....which we'll soon get a whole year of, be we lucky, Mateys !

"Arrrrgh !"

 

:LOL

 

thats one night I stay home, fer sure !

 

I hope yer plannin' further than that "one night"...

[Song80s]

As to the question of seeking out new MUSIC (as opposed to equipment, though of course that's RELATED):

 

At work I check out different artists all the time on the net, and listen to the radio a lot and of course regularly hear people I have never heard before - both performers and composers/songwriters.

 

But I don't buy much new music (as in CDs) or go out and hear music live. This spring I plan to get out more.

 

Most of the "new" stuff I hear sounds rehashed to me; very few new ideas. Not that some of them don't sing or play well, and sometimes excellently. Or write well crafted tunes. I'm certainly not trashing anybody, or claiming that I've invented anything revolutionary, LOL.

 

These days I'm more about QUALITY than NEWNESS just for its own sake.

 

Doubtless there are very creative people out there that most of us don't really get a chance to hear. God bless you and keep up the good work!

 

PS Maybe I'm just suffering from OFD (old fart's disease), LOL.

 

Its not OFD. We are in the demographic where wisdom has accumulated for several decades. Our sense for detecting tangible value is heightened.

 

My objection is pointed at what I call mindless consumerism in search of the shiny new thing.

Similar to my ex wife going to Nordstroms, jewelry stores every week end, likely returning stuff, buying more new stuff. Like getting a new car every 2 years, because 10 of my neighbors do the same. Like several thousand people queuing up at every Apple Store, for the latest Apple iPhone . And yes, the keyboard guy who buys 5-10 new [ expensive]

keyboards every year, likely re-selling them a year later on eBay.

 

I think controlling impulses to constantly buy stuff can be beneficial.

I have 2 friends who don't analyze their important/large purchases - they simply grab the first deal for whatever justification. I don't try to change them. Usually, down the road , there is a discussion on making good choices.

 

I am fairly sure companies and their marketing depts crave the impulse buyer or the quick decider. An old fart like me , is not on their radar. I am boring as watching paint dry.

 

Stay with me on context, if you please. Context is king. Do buy a new set of guitar strings.

D/L the CD of your fav guitarists. Buy your wife that book or knife set for Xmas. If you like more expensive coffee, treat your self. If your tires are getting old, buy a quality new set. Etc, etc.

 

We live in a country of fantastic abundance. I think we can be discerning and cut thru the hype, and not simply take our place in following this or that herd.