Where has the fun gone in keyboard music ?

[CyberGene]

On some of the modern reissues of Wendy Carlos albums there are commentary tracks added at the end where she explains how she recorded it and she also plays some initial and intermediate versions of some of the tracks. One thing that is probably not apparent for the modern listener is she didn't have a DAW with MIDI automation 😀 She explains how she had difficulties with keeping the Moog in tune, rushing to record it before it drifts away again. There was a track with a click on it to serve as a metronome. And because it was a 4-track recorder (if I'm not mistaken, might have been a 6-track one or even an 8-track one but I believe in the very beginning it was just a 4-track one) she had to bounce and mix the tracks to free tracks. She also demonstrates different variants of patches until she settles on the most suitable for the composition. And remember it's a modular synth, not the now ubiquitous "pre-patched" synth layout and she was a pioneer with no other people to tell her how sound synthesis works. It's why it's called a patch: you have to connect cables between modules. For every single voice in a heavy polyphonic piece such as a Brandenburg Concerto there's a separate patch. And you have to find working combinations on a monophonic synth. You only know it works when you record each track one by one and hear the final result. It's unbelievable how she was able to basically nail down almost every synthesis technique that we now take for given without any prior know-how. Apparently it has been both an excruciating experience to record those arrangements but also a result that is an absolute masterpiece in every possible way.  At least to my ears and taste. I think she's vastly unparalleled in her patches and the way she approached Bach through synths. She's been a long time inspiration to me and I have recorded a few SOB-inspired Bach arrangements, for instance this one:

 

Or this:

 

[LarsHarner2]

I am getting back to where I should be that i lost during the early pandemic- of course we could still be in a pandemic and maybe denial- but am having fun with my Mackbook and some 80's sounds CZ and DX- recording songs from that era I wrote on original instruments I would have dreamed of having.

 

- I do however miss the days when a music store would have 30 different keyboards- i.e. Ensoniq/Korg/Roland/Yamaha/others. Miss my Keyboard magazine.

However, I like my DAW and being able to record something that has some quality to it vs. my 4 track caseette

[jazzpiano88]

 

[Tom Williams]

On 9/15/2022 at 7:19 AM, Baggypants said:

 This is why I was so dissapointed with "Switched On Bach" they set the synths and just played them.

 

On 9/15/2022 at 7:35 PM, David Emm said:

I have to refute that "set the synths and just played them" part. Wendy Carlos fiddled with the knobs like crazy,

Correct.  Walter Carlos did a fantastic job with a monophonic synth and lots of overdubs.  I think it was on Brandenburg Concerto #3 that he recorded successive measures (8th notes) with more and more weird filter and envelope settings, to great effect.  He really blazed trails with that album.

[Anderton]

Frankly, the only reason I play keyboards is to have fun. So that's on me, not the instruments or samples.

 

Even when doing music-for-money projects I have fun. Also, programming and tweaking patches is part of the fun for me (although I know it's a PITA for others, which is also cool - they want to get to where they're going without any distractions). 

[obxa]

I think some of it's gig related for me.  Sadly,  I often don't get to play just for fun sake.   But reading this thread, I know I should.   I usually don't walk out of a pit band or heavy church gig with 30 pages of tree killing charts saying "boy, I really enjoyed that.."    But that's how I make a living.  When I do a bar gig that's loose -fun. Studio session that's creative-Fun.  Jazz Cocktail hours where the band is just musical wallpaper and we can get away with murder...FUN.    Playing around with Synths for no good reason= really FUN.

 

After not playing bass since jazz band in HS,  been doing bluegrass gigs couple times a month.  Also playing harp.   The pay is low, but load-in is delightful (versus keyboard rig...) and the gigs are a ton of fun.    I think analogous to Craig's post above-  because it's not my main instrument, I don't have the baggage, and can  enjoy it for playing sake.  

 

That posted, now  I've got to go learn songs for Sunday, and program Abelton. 

[jerrythek]

We’ve all long accepted calling her Wendy regardless of the date of the release. I would ask you show her that respect. 
 

Jerry
 

7 hours ago, Tom Williams said:

 

Correct.  Walter Carlos did a fantastic job with a monophonic synth and lots of overdubs.  I think it was on Brandenburg Concerto #3 that he recorded successive measures (8th notes) with more and more weird filter and envelope settings, to great effect.  He really blazed trails with that album.

 

[bill5]

On 9/12/2022 at 12:59 PM, Docbop said:

For Bach his twenty-one children and three wives show how he like to have fun and a keyboard was not involved. 

Like hell. Every professional keyboard player who ever existed has at least some credit to give to that keyboard for scoring. And when I say "scoring" I don't mean jotting down stuff on a piece of paper.

[Theo Verelst]

Apart from strange derailings concerning an areas of life that surely should be fun IMO, I myself had fun playing Bach at I guess age 14, as a bit of practice on my self made keyboard with a girlfriend. In fact in that time I borrowed a guitar, which I think also was a girls', at sailing camp to figure out notes from chords which I knew on an acoustic, which was very good fun as well.

 

Later on (halfway the 80s) the increase of the price of the pieces of the electronic and digital equipement I used were justified by making quality sound that was much better, and therefor much more fun.

 

Latest developments do not sound as fun to me.

[Baggypants]

On 9/16/2022 at 12:35 AM, David Emm said:

I have to refute that "set the synths and just played them" part. Wendy Carlos fiddled with the knobs like crazy, building everything on a Moog modular at that time. She always treated the studio like one giant instrument, so that applied to her careful use of filters and effects as well. It can be hard to discern exactly what someone did at this or that exact moment, especially in synth matters. Half of the glory resides in the fact that she had to keep Bach's notes going while she tweedled. I believe she had a brief whiff or two of Mellotron at certain points, but it wasn't one of her bedrocks. Computers have made it ultra-rare for someone to just sit at a modular and go at it with such craft.     

Damn, you're right. I think I was confusing it with "Bach To Moog" from a few years back. 😞

[Theo Verelst]

21 hours ago, Anderton said:

Frankly, the only reason I play keyboards is to have fun. ..

 

Also, programming and tweaking patches is part of the fun for me (...). 

It needs to go somewhere where I like it, if the sound before tweaking is sh*tty, and after tweaks is different sh*tty, I don't fall for it. Maybe if a preset is ok quality and I can tweak it into still ok quality but fitting for a purpose, I'd consider it a job. But I would prefer going from some form of sound to clearly a class above, which is seldom possible. Identifying reasons  and finding exceptions to the everything sucks course of events hasn't been much fun. I can now start to make sounds again which I like and can appreciate as progress, but that's more a tour the force than something else.

 

T

[KuruPrionz]

Theo,

Since you make no mention of your budget, your gear, what items you've specifically been disappointed in and which seem to hold out some hope of satisfying your desire for great sound, how is anybody supposed to respond? 

 

Honestly, your posts come across as "I hate everything!!!!" That may or may not be true but we'll never know without more information. 

It could be that your speakers are terrible, not uncommon. Poor speakers or a bad sounding room will make everything sound bad.

 

Maybe your interface is not modern and has that "digital" sound? Sub-standard conversion caused by older digital gear will ruin everything too, what are you using? My new SSL 2+ sounds WAY better than the MOTU 896 I started with in 2003, WAY better. 

 

Perhaps you have hearing damage or are simply cynical?

 

Berating the keyboard Universe because, because, because leaves the impression that you are simply cynical, which certainly triggers a certain, narrow type of response. 

 

Be specific, maybe we can be helpful! 😇

Without eliminating gear, room and hearing problems it is impossible to parse what you are on about.