Expensive hardware - what keeps us buying it?

[NewImprov]

On 8/14/2024 at 9:39 AM, Jim Alfredson said:

It's I like walking into my studio and being surrounded by cool toys. It's better than drugs.

I feel that every day when I enter my studio! It’s probably cheaper than drugs over the long run, as well. 

[kpl1228]

12 hours ago, Sundown said:

Hi Dave,

 

In a composition, no one can tell whether I’m using a virtual instrument or hardware. So I simply don’t buy any (not with any frequency at least) … I have to be choosy with my resources and if a piece of gear doesn’t help me finish projects, it doesn’t get purchased. 

 

I drooled over the Moog One when it first debuted and I certainly drooled over the OB-X8, but liking something and parting with hard-earned money is a big difference. Most people can appreciate the look and feel of a fine sports car, but very few take the leap and commit real money towards one.

 

If I were to buy a synth right now (particularly an analog offering), I would be drawn to a Rev 2 16-voice. It’s got plenty of polyphony and good value for the money, with enough knobs to satisfy the immediacy and tactility of hardware.

 

Todd

I'm in the same place with the sportscar analogy, as in any bar band, 99% of the time having an OB-X8 will have no effect on the gig or the patrons, and the drool factor would be solely mine, because I would get the subtle difference between a Rev2 and an OB-X8, but most romplers etc could cover much of the tone to be serviceable.

I think in original compositions is where the OB-X8 would truly shine, though live the thing would be amazing also.

The Rev2 is a solid lower cost (if $1500 can be called lower cost) analog synth, and when the earlier Prophet 08 came out, many reviewers called it more of an Oberheim than a Prophet, due to the Curtis filters.

Let's face it: all of it, hardware or software (and especially the software peripheral apparatus, computer, connectivity, etc) is all a giant money pit if you let it. Hard not to do.

[Tusker]

5 hours ago, Al Quinn said:

I've mostly used hardware on my gigs but have used software on a few. I never felt an advantage using software. It would be different if I was touring musician; there I can see  a huge advantage to having my sounds with me wherever I go. That's an awesome advantage!

 

As long you are loving it, it's the right tool. 👏

 

Like Robert, I pay for better keyboards because I like the better quality actions and knobs. 

[eric]

I am a hardware kind of person. High quality hardware keyboard gear floats my boat. I am occasionally drawn into some of the more boutique options, though most of my gear is vintage and I just have newer items for playing gigs.

[Dave Bryce]

10 hours ago, stoken6 said:

Yeah, SOS is a strange outlier. They focus not so much on musicians, but on engineers/producers - which if anything is a narrower niche. (Yes there are instrument reviews, and interviews with artists - but more often with producers). But they seem to run the whole thing as a cottage industry - they are their own publishers.

 

Yep.

I’m a big SOS fan/supporter.  their book is most definitely an outlier.  Still a thick book, packed full of all sorts of useful content. 🙌🏼

 

dB

[GovernorSilver]

On 8/13/2024 at 7:31 PM, Dave Bryce said:

So, what is it that keeps us drooling over things like Oberheim OB-X8, or Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave, Arturia PolyBrute or Moog Muse?  Is it mostly the sound?  How much is the physical presence a factor? Or…?

 

Same with expensive guitars and amps, processors or microphones.  How many of you guys own/dream about expensive audio gear, or is your hardware lust restricted to synths?

 

Mics are a good place to poke around here, I’ll bet.  I’m guessing just about everyone here owns at least a few mics.  How many are inexpensive utilitarian choices like SM58?  Do you turn towards modeling mics for sonic variety, or collect the Real Thing? Or…?

 

How about guitar tone?  Real amps and pedals (and mics, of course), or the convenience/power/portability of Line 6 Helix/Kemper Profiler/etc?  I sure love my Eventide H9/Strymon Iridium combo, especially when I toss them into my bag for gigs….

 

 So far I've managed to avoid buying what I consider to be truly expensive gear.  I don't have a synth that costs over $3000 new.   I'd love to have a nice piano, but I don't play the piano I have often enough to justify the upgrade.  

 

I knew a guy who told me he thought the sampler I bought for $1100 was too expensive.  I told him "Sure you have samplers and synths that you consider affordable but you spend more than $2000 total for all those $100-$300 devices"

 

I somewhat recall what level of mics and mic preamps you've owned.  I do have a couple of mics but none in your league - no $1000+ preamps and my most expensive mic cost under $200.   My buddy has a way better mic collection than I do but then again he does record his own band and other local musos regularly.

 

My most expensive guitar is the Kiesel Holdsworth which is cheap compared to a Collings which typically goes for $7000+.  I'd previously owned a Carvin Holdsworth Fatboy and liked the neck and tone of that one but had to sell it when I needed some cash, so this Kiesel is basically a replacement.  #2 most expensive is the Fender Cory Wong Strat which I picked up at our favorite local gear pusher - just really liked it when I tried it in the store, and they gave me enough of a discount off of it to take it under the price of the Kiesel.  Actually the Cory Wong might be tied with the D'Angelico Melanie Faye semi-hollow.  At this point I've spent more money on guitars than synths, partly because I've come to enjoy the variety of playing experiences offered by different types of guitars.

 

I used to take interest in guitar pedals. That came to an end after I bought and started using the Line 6 HX Stomp XL.  There isn't any guitar sound that I want that isn't already inside the Line 6 - just a matter of exploring the settings and learning from peeps who share Line 6 knowledge like John Nathan Cordy and Craig Anderton.  My desire for more guitar related gear such as amps, effects, etc. seems to drop as I spend more and more time playing guitar.  

[Sundown]

The other thing that keeps me from buying big expensive analog is that I find myself playing predictable things. I know that a Minimoog (for example) can do a lot of things, but the minute I’m in front of one, a long sparkling cape appears and I’m playing lines that Sir Rick invented fifty years ago. It’s great that he did (and he certainly plays them better than I ever could), but I don’t want to go where folks have already been, and I find some of the analog boards pull me there.

 

Todd

[mcgoo]

10 hours ago, Sundown said:

... I don’t want to go where folks have already been, and I find some of the analog boards pull me there.

 

That to me is the beauty of the Polybrute. Such an inviting front panel, such a world of discovery. Your cape would stay safely in the closet with this one. 

[TommyBoy]

I'm a studio guy for my keyboards, and an accordionist professionally.  I have roughly $30K in accordions now, as one has appreciated quite a bit.

 

My last synth was a Yamaha S90ES many years ago. This year I bought a Yamaha M8x. Compared to accordions it was cheap. I don't have any accordions that cost less than $5K. It will be probably another decade before I upgrade the M8x, and then it will probably be the newest-released Yamaha workstation. I've dabbled in software and really don't like it. I like to hit one button that turns on everything and start playing, sometimes for only 10 minutes or so. 

 

I do love reading about all the latest equipment which is why I still frequent this forum after all these years.  The Moog Muse looks interesting. The OB-X8 looks incredible to me as a kid that grew up on the Pet Shop Boys.  But I understand I'd be like a 16 year old kid with a Ferrari and not be able to approach the capabilities of the machine. Thank God space is a limitation for me at this stage of my life.

[Sundown]

5 hours ago, mcgoo said:

 

Your cape would stay safely in the closet with this one. 

 

😂

[David Emm]

12 hours ago, mcgoo said:

That to me is the beauty of the Polybrute. Such an inviting front panel, such a world of discovery. Your cape would stay safely in the closet with this one. 

 

Rick certainly wasn't the only player to have a stack of different instruments, but he's the one I picture when I look at my beefy circle of software synths. I think it was the added balls conferred by his generally having a pair of Minimoogs up top. Only Keith's modular was more dazzling.

 

Yeah, flagships... when I bought a Korg 01W, the manual became my new bible. The synth was just a dark slab, but it felt like a personal flying saucer. You should always buy at least one mega-synth, so you suddenly know what it feels like to be jacked into the Big Amp In The Sky.

[Geoff Grace]

"This used to be my playground..." as the song goes. Back in the 20th century, I was very much into the hardware. I bought a lot of keyboards and rack mount modules. I  played in clubs five nights a week for more than a decade. Even in the early days of this forum, I read DJDM's posts about "going soft" and wondered how that could be a viable way of working.

 

Today, I have more soft synths and sample libraries than I can keep track of, not to mention a great abundance of effects software. If they were all in hardware form, they would fill a warehouse (... or two ... or three). I haven't bought a professional keyboard in ages, and I use my old QS8 to play my virtual instruments. My rig looks unimpressive but it blows away anything I ever had in the past, at least as far as I'm concerned. YMMV.

 

As a result, I have less in common with The Keyboard Corner than I once did; but I still find plenty of interest, especially the online friendships I've formed here over the years (not to mention the virtual instrument threads and sports talk).

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[mcgoo]

4 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

Today, I have more soft synths and sample libraries than I can keep track of, not to mention a great abundance of effects software. If they were all in hardware form, they would fill a warehouse (... or two ... or three). 

 

I hear ya. I'm in the same boat. For me, the convergence of hardware and software is where I'm hoping things keep moving. Polybrute's Connect software and the Sound Force controllers are huge steps forward in making software more hardware like and vice versa. Now if someone could make a dedicated hardware controller for Omnisphere... 

[cphollis]

There's also the rotation factor to consider. 

 

I went pretty deep on stage performance boards, hit the mark -- and now just play mine vs. pine for others.  Same thing goes for modular synthesis in software -- went deep, scratched my itch then backed off.  I bought a few synth hardware toys, but never played with them much.

 

All my discretionary music $$$ now go to sound systems, lights, microphones, etc.  For me, the keyboard component is pretty much complete.

[nadroj]

The way my brain is wired, I need a tactile experience when I’m performing. I need something that feels like an instrument and can take a beating like an instrument. 
 

I’ve yet to get that with any software+controller rig. I also don’t get it with cheap budget boards. 
 

My whole life revolves around screens and computers. Gigs are a little break from that. I’ll probably buy hardware forever, or until my body gets old enough that it’s not worth it. 

[octa]

This forum and others keep me buying hardware for one! It's super engaging and entertaining to research information online a couple of days to a couple of weeks before making a purchase.  

 

Maybe I should but I don't fully trust my MacBook or iPad on a gig. Haven't had problems to speak of the few times I've used them, but at home there are occasional hiccups. They're great for recording. I guess this must be why many professionals I see on YouTube rig rundowns and interviews (most recently Thomas Dolby on Keyboard Chronicles comes to mind) have a backup MainStage running onstage. 

 

Hopefully nothing appealing comes through the pipes soon, as I have bought too many keyboards since the Covid reset and like 'em all.