For discussion about setting up your studio and advice on the gear and equipment within it.
By Peccary Sat Aug 01, 2020 12:38 am
NearTao wrote:Hah... my wife is mildly supportive. I've actually got this setup in our bedroom and am told frequently I am making too much noise. Also why I haven't setup my monitors here, because they'll just add more to the noise. Going Eurorack did allow me to squeeze more space into the types of FX and sounds I wanted by going up... but it's expensive and not for everybody. I'd still like to squeeze a Waldorf Iridium into the setup... and I know I *can*, but given the space I decided to commit to, I'd trying to keep room for a notebook or iPad or laptop for when I need it, instead of just dropping something on every possible square inch.



I only recently got in to synthesizers, about a year ago. After I got the Microbrute I had CRAZY fun playing it. I found myself just getting lost in the wildness and weirdness of it.

The eurorack stuff is appealing because of the flexibility and crazy stuff you can get. But I've just started my synth journey and the buy in for it is a lot, like you mention.

I'm still wrapping my mind around sound design so most of it would be lost on me right now, but I'd be a liar of I said I wasn't a few drinks away from buying just about anything in the Behringer synth lineup. One of these days, probably around my third or fourth Manhattan, I'm sure I'll find myself playing Behringer roulette on the Sweetwater site :lol:
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By NearTao Sat Aug 01, 2020 12:51 am
The Behringer stuff looks decent enough... so definitely a price conscious way to get into synthesis more. Fresh breath has a thread you can look for if you’d like to really dig in on this site.

For me, synthesis really clicked when I got into Moog’s style of subtractive synthesis. If you’ve got an iOS device I’m pretty sure you can still get the Minimoog app for free. Having hands on controls is way better, but it is hard to pass up on free if you have the ability to get into. It is pretty much one for one control to the sound you hear, and there is not much “hidden”. The version I cut my teeth on was the Arturia Minimoog emulator, and the manual was flipping amazing. I’d suggest seeing if you could find a pdf version of it kicking around, because it is quite well laid out and what you can learn there applies to many other synthesizers.

EDIT: just adding... it is super easy to go crazy buying gear. Focus on what you’ve got, and what you think you need. Ask for advice and explain to folks what you’re looking for to add, you’ll frequently get good advice, and you may find that what you have is way more capable than what you thought. Remember, for a lot of folks like myself, I’ve been doing this for twenty+ years, so the investment over time hasn’t been so bad, and some devices I have sold off have sold for a lot because I have taken good care of my gear and made sure it is in good shape. So don’t hold on to stuff forever, and don’t be afraid to try something and flip if it if it doesn’t click. It’s better to stick to a budget, flip what you don’t need, and keep what actually is special to you in your process.

I always shake my head at folks who jones after older Akai gear like the S950 or MPC 60/3k. Yeah, they do get you a distinct sound, but you also need to be willing to commit to them. A lot of gear is not plug and play, you need to really dig deep, read the manuals, and think about how it will work for you. Nobody else is going to be able to give you the whole recipe for your success but you. That said, a lot of us are here to help!
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By Lampdog Sat Aug 01, 2020 1:41 am
Yep, that moog model d ios app is still free, someone just downloaded it a few minutes ago.
By Peccary Sat Aug 01, 2020 1:48 am
NearTao wrote:The Behringer stuff looks decent enough... so definitely a price conscious way to get into synthesis more. Fresh breath has a thread you can look for if you’d like to really dig in on this site.

For me, synthesis really clicked when I got into Moog’s style of subtractive synthesis. If you’ve got an iOS device I’m pretty sure you can still get the Minimoog app for free. Having hands on controls is way better, but it is hard to pass up on free if you have the ability to get into. It is pretty much one for one control to the sound you hear, and there is not much “hidden”. The version I cut my teeth on was the Arturia Minimoog emulator, and the manual was flipping amazing. I’d suggest seeing if you could find a pdf version of it kicking around, because it is quite well laid out and what you can learn there applies to many other synthesizers.

EDIT: just adding... it is super easy to go crazy buying gear. Focus on what you’ve got, and what you think you need. Ask for advice and explain to folks what you’re looking for to add, you’ll frequently get good advice, and you may find that what you have is way more capable than what you thought. Remember, for a lot of folks like myself, I’ve been doing this for twenty+ years, so the investment over time hasn’t been so bad, and some devices I have sold off have sold for a lot because I have taken good care of my gear and made sure it is in good shape. So don’t hold on to stuff forever, and don’t be afraid to try something and flip if it if it doesn’t click. It’s better to stick to a budget, flip what you don’t need, and keep what actually is special to you in your process.

I always shake my head at folks who jones after older Akai gear like the S950 or MPC 60/3k. Yeah, they do get you a distinct sound, but you also need to be willing to commit to them. A lot of gear is not plug and play, you need to really dig deep, read the manuals, and think about how it will work for you. Nobody else is going to be able to give you the whole recipe for your success but you. That said, a lot of us are here to help!


I've been playing bass about 20 years now and it's been in that time that I've collected the instruments I have, so it's been a slow build with the exception of the Arturia pieces and the MPC within the past year or so. I also don't have any iOS devices, unfortunately.

The Behringer stuff appeals to me because it's inexpensive, but I'm self-aware enough to know that another piece of gear isn't going to change what I'm actually capable of.

My focus in the few weeks since I've had the MPC is getting my hands on it every day, even for a little bit, and working through the Bible. I started putting together the bones of a song I want to cover to help me learn how to build a song for m scratch. That's how I intend to teach myself once I have a better handle on the MPC. My intention is to make kinda 90's lo-fi indie music. Maybe a bit out of the norm for the MPC but it's more than capable, so I only have myself to blame if I can't get it done.
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By Lampdog Sat Aug 01, 2020 4:48 am
Not out of the norm. MPC can do it.
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By bees80 Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:03 am
Peccary wrote:I'm still wrapping my mind around sound design so most of it would be lost on me right now, but I'd be a liar of I said I wasn't a few drinks away from buying just about anything in the Behringer synth lineup. One of these days, probably around my third or fourth Manhattan, I'm sure I'll find myself playing Behringer roulette on the Sweetwater site :lol:


I have a ms-1 and i love it. It's super fun to program because there are no presets and the only thing you can do is push, rotate and slide the buttons. In comparison to something from elektron that requires a lot of menu diving (which is no problem, but sometimes you just wanna fingerbang something). Sound's crisp too, turn op that resonance filter. Get a little bit of acid in that indie stuff ;-)
By Peccary Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:10 pm
bees80 wrote:
Peccary wrote:I'm still wrapping my mind around sound design so most of it would be lost on me right now, but I'd be a liar of I said I wasn't a few drinks away from buying just about anything in the Behringer synth lineup. One of these days, probably around my third or fourth Manhattan, I'm sure I'll find myself playing Behringer roulette on the Sweetwater site :lol:


I have a ms-1 and i love it. It's super fun to program because there are no presets and the only thing you can do is push, rotate and slide the buttons. In comparison to something from elektron that requires a lot of menu diving (which is no problem, but sometimes you just wanna fingerbang something). Sound's crisp too, turn op that resonance filter. Get a little bit of acid in that indie stuff ;-)


The MS-1 is interesting for sure. The Cat also jumps out at me. I like the physical buttons, switches, and sliders, learning the MPC has me on menu dive overload, currently, so smashing buttons for immediate gratification has been helpful :)

Just got a Sonuus G2M (first version, since it was cheap) and while it has a lot of issues it was really nice to play an instrument I feel competent with (bass) to control the Microbrute. It really opened it up for me since keys are a weak point for me. I wish there were a more reliable bass to midi pickup/controller/whatever that didn't cost am arm and a leg. That would open up something like the MS-1 for me big time.
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By Smackdee Mon Sep 21, 2020 6:14 am
NearTao wrote:Been doing some serious house cleaning over here... considering the Waldorf Iridium, but I'd have to figure out what I'd sell off to make space and get enough cash to pick it up. Which probably means either the TI2 Darkstar or the Moog Voyager, neither of which I really want to flip.... on the other hand the Iridium probably overlaps the most with the Darkstar... life choices, right? And yeah... those dinky Bose speakers are getting the toss, but I have to free up my Yamaha monitors from my daughter's keyboard she uses for piano practice... getting where I want it though :D

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Your pedal game is crazy bro, looks like a ton of chase bliss stuff too, nice!!!!!!
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By bees80 Mon Sep 21, 2020 7:27 am
Smackdee wrote:
NearTao wrote:Been doing some serious house cleaning over here... considering the Waldorf Iridium, but I'd have to figure out what I'd sell off to make space and get enough cash to pick it up. Which probably means either the TI2 Darkstar or the Moog Voyager, neither of which I really want to flip.... on the other hand the Iridium probably overlaps the most with the Darkstar... life choices, right? And yeah... those dinky Bose speakers are getting the toss, but I have to free up my Yamaha monitors from my daughter's keyboard she uses for piano practice... getting where I want it though :D

Image



Your pedal game is crazy bro, looks like a ton of chase bliss stuff too, nice!!!!!!


Wow, indeed! Patch galore.

But.. i wonder how he uses the racks on the bottom. Can't be good for your back :(
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By NearTao Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:59 pm
bees80 wrote:But.. i wonder how he uses the racks on the bottom. Can't be good for your back :(


I was hoping to optimize space, but it has turned out, and I am sure others are imagining... to be a real buzz kill, since programming is already a pain on the 950/1000 already. So, that rack placement is a bummer, and moving them up to the top of rack hasn't really helped any either.

I am probably going to box up the pedals (or move them to the floor), and kick the Virus to the curb so I can move the 950/1000 back up to the table. Haven't committed to the action yet, but I am sad that they are sitting there unused and unloved.
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By NearTao Mon Sep 21, 2020 9:04 pm
Smackdee wrote:Your pedal game is crazy bro, looks like a ton of chase bliss stuff too, nice!!!!!!


Yeah, all Chase Bliss, sold off all my other pedals (had some crazy boutique stuff that sold for a great profit and allowed me to afford those)... only other pedal now is a Cooper FX: Arcade. Favorites by far are Blooper for insane looping, Mood for really crazy micro granular effects, and Generation Loss for some sexy bit crushing and tape effects. Close fourth is the Dark World... the reverbs there are sick as hell... it really wants to be a stereo pedal though. Or is it that I want it to be a stereo pedal?

I just need to get off my ass and push those pedals harder and make an MPC Expansion pack with them.
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By Lampdog Mon Sep 21, 2020 10:29 pm
NearTao wrote:I just need to get off my ass and push those pedals harder and make an MPC Expansion pack with them.


I’m interested.
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By Smackdee Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:06 pm
Definitely want the Cooper Arcades myself and just get the Generation Loss card for it!!!
Do wish they came in stereo though and that keeps me looking at the Strymon Mobius as well...
Anyways Overdope setup!!!!!
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By NearTao Thu Sep 24, 2020 8:50 pm
Got off my butt and moved the S950 and S1000 back to top shelf. Having a blast rolling with them again.

Boxed up the z8, Voyager, and Darkstar... but I think I'll manage for now... got plenty of synth madness in euro. Also nice to be able to sit down when I want to again... having to stand all the time was getting to be a bear.

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Lamp... any patch requests to auto sample and post up while I'm buzzing over here :D
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By Lampdog Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:26 am
Those are some pretty lights. I’d be lost with modular, never got into it.
The virtual modular and virtual pedals inside Kronos2 are my first & only entrance into that world.

Request, I can’t think of anything at the moment.