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I'd like to preface this with an apology if I'm kramering in here like the overenthusiastic rookie that I am, but this synthesis bug has me very excited. It was sparked by my wife buying me a midi keyboard for xmas. I have next to zero training, knowledge, practice, or history with making music. But, I'm very curious, and have been watching many a youtubery in an effort to learn, and expand my musical tastes. The Bad Gear episode on the Korg DS-10 pinged a lightbulb in my head, and I realised I have a copy of it on an old flash cart kicking around. I made this with it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEqn-Tx8YwU I'm not really interested in critique, because it brings me joy, and was great fun to make. I hope it brings you joy too. I used to be strictly a metalhead, now I'm walking along, bobbing my head to Suzanne Ciani, and have a clutch of pocket operators on the way. At least the sticker price of anything above them made me balk, and think, "I'd buy a new laptop for that money first." Do I need an early intervention?
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Feb 27, 2021 00:23
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Ok Comboomer posted:nah. get yourself a copy of Arturia V Collection when it goes on deep discount. Maybe some iPad or iPhone apps if you do that sort of thing. Hainbach, audiopilz, alex ball, true cuckoo, look mum no computer, andrew huang, red means recording, bobeats, dawless jammin, anthony seeha, and aquarium co-op have been the rotation of late. I'm already a ways down the android path, so I'd be looking at actual hardware synth money to do anything ios. beepbox.co has been pretty great for me so far. eta: I really enjoyed this documentary called "Bright Sparks" about the history of synths: Side A Side B. It introduced me to what Alessandro Cortini has to say, and I appreciate his style. B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 02:29 on Feb 27, 2021 |
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Feb 27, 2021 02:25
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pretty sure there's a thread for ableton specifically. Yep, thought so, here it is: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3148880 Please don't take this as any kind of discouragement. I'm super new here, so I don't have an opinion about what conversations should happen where, it's just meant as a helpful link.
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Feb 27, 2021 05:56
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Here's something I'm noticing, and not enjoying, while attempting to get a view of pricing and availability: It's tough to filter things down, at least by categories, to find synths that don't have keyboards. It's like, I'm interested in just seeing what's available without a keyboard, at what price. But, all the instrument retailer websites I've been to lump everything in under "keyboards". I don't have the first clue how to play a keyboard. I'm interested in synthesis, and what might be possible without a keyboard. I think I might be one of those weirdos that is just into strange sounds, the experimental stuff, and maybe down the road, become a musician after learning how to control a synthesizer. I'd like to see if there's something on the more affordable side of things, compact, battery or USB power if possible, that I can make strange sounds on the go with, but I have to scroll past a bunch of keyboard equipped stuff that cost more than my car. Is there anywhere out there that focusses on what I might be looking at? net work error posted:You may want to check out Loopop on YouTube as well. He does similar no non-sense not played up reviews and stuff. B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 02:39 on Feb 28, 2021 |
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Feb 28, 2021 01:43
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Ok Comboomer posted:your car costs $300? I hear what you're saying, but I'm not really expressing what my actual frustration is. I apologize for my poor communication. The thing that is frustrating me, is not being able to narrow down my search with local retailers' websites to specifically target the kinds of products you mentioned. I'm having to scroll past many things that will likely never be in my range of use cases. A prophet certainly goes for more than a '97 mercury sable. I don't really have any clearly defined goals, apart from being able to pack most everything into a bag, and bring it with me to the park, or a friend's place whenever that's something I can do again. The idea of not wanting a keyboard attached is also coming from the fact that I already have a launchkey mini. What I was trying to accomplish was to get an idea of what might be available locally, and for what price. It's one thing to read a price on here, then have to add x% for the fact it's being sold in Canada, then do a currency conversion. It's another to look at the local retailer's website and get a real idea of what it might cost me. I was just sharing my minor frustrations. The korg nts-1 kit looked appealing, and I was interested in seeing if there was one near me, and if there was anything else similar on the market. eta, I re-read your post, and thank you very much for giving me some lines to research. That should help narrow down the search. B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 02:51 on Feb 28, 2021 |
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Feb 28, 2021 02:48
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm not actually shopping to purchase, more to just learn aboout the market. I should be well enough set up to be able to do what I'd like for the foreseeable future soon enough. I'm aleready way beyond my depth with a midi keyboard, cakewalk, and a handful of soft synth vsts.
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Feb 28, 2021 11:11
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Achmed Jones posted:re: chromatic keyboards or whatever they're called, i made a plug-in that turns your white keys into whatever scale you want and your black keys to chords in that scale. it's at spacepoodle.net. it is free That's a great idea, thanks! And it's not useless for me, since I'm not buying ableton 11. I've still got a lot to learn before I'm done using cakewalk, so free plugins are wonderful for me.
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Mar 1, 2021 07:19
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In homage to my fine tfr pals, and many a photo of a goon's first mosin, check out my first instruments
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Mar 9, 2021 06:57
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First thing I did with them was figure out sync and volume. Then my wife and daughter played along with me, as we just fiddled around with them. Super fun so far, and I know we've barely figured out how to scratch the surface, so I will have plenty more to explore and experiment with.
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Mar 9, 2021 18:17
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I'm only just dipping my toes into listening to a lot of these different kinds of music. I've found that the more ambient kind of stuff is nice for walking around, blocking out street noise, and having a soundtrack/soundscape going in the background. Mostly just Suzanne Ciani and Alessandro Cortini so far. I like it for the kinds of situations where I might have played some Burzum or Darkthrone previously. I absolutely understand being bored by a lot of it. If I try to just listen intently, it can be very difficult to chill out down to the pace where I can enjoy the music. If it is something that's just happening in the background, I like it a lot more than whatever nonsense sounds are coming from the built up environment. That said, I listened to Stambecco on some big headphones while pulling a toboggan, walking through the snow, up on the mountain recently. A cloud had settled over the area, and was dumping snow on me. The song felt to me like the perfect reflection of how it felt to be there at that moment. Also: DragQueenofAngmar posted:i think as long as you're not going around like "ambient isn't real music, its for boring no-talent people" there's no shame is just saying "its not for me;" no need to force it. and maybe sometime in the future you'll come across a piece that's really affecting to you. but you've only got so many hours to do stuff you like and as long as you're not closing yourself off to any exploration or trying new things imo its fine to just know what you want to spend time on This is great advice to apply to any style of music, and it took me a shamefully long time to grasp this concept myself.
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Mar 14, 2021 19:27
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rickiep00h posted:Alessandro Cortini is one of my favorite people. Not just musicians, but people. ETA: I was googling to find more artists that used a Buchla, and came across Cortini dunking on a rando on gearsloots. https://www.gearslutz.com/board/showpost.php?p=10322943&postcount=9 B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 21:02 on Mar 14, 2021 |
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Mar 14, 2021 20:59
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I find myself getting super distracted every time I go near my volca FM. Oops, where did the hour go? Just noodling around, making little ditties and what would have sounded like outer space sounds to child me in the 80's. It's just so easy to open the case, turn it on and play with.
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Mar 15, 2021 08:59
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I need to do a Ok Comboomer posted:(snip)Hainbach’s last album is arguably ambient, but it’s anything but “mellow”. (snip) The video you mention was what inspired me to bring the gear into the kitchen and mess around while I cooked! Also, just listening to his latest album while I read the forum. Strange coincedences! Schwebungssummer makes me want to headbang.
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Mar 16, 2021 03:56
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I think this thread might get a chuckle out of a quick clip from this long video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BaxUwf5fHY&t=927s Important to start at 15m:27s.
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Mar 28, 2021 07:28
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stillvisions posted:Here's your obligatory April 1st synthesis release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SuM3Yhnc-4 Hear that sweep at 5min24s ?  :chefkiss: dangit, you know what I mean.
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Apr 3, 2021 15:22
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I'd like to share something for the benefit of other beginners that might be reading. If you're looking to mess around with a few different types of synths in one place, and have an android or windows device, Caustic is great. I've been fiddling with the modular in the windows version (totally free), in an attempt to better learn what the different components do, and how they can work together. It's got a pretty simple interface, and good tutorial videos on youtube, which go module by module. I put this patch together, and if I just hold one note, it plays a repeating percussion sound, with all kinds of other craziness in the background. With a little bit of fooling around, I found I could play a simple tune to the beat just by twisting a knob! Great fun.  
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Apr 22, 2021 18:27
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I have the impression that Rutibex may be just starting out, and if so, maybe free DAWs and VSTs might be worth looking into? I know I'm out of my depth with cakewalk and caustic.
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May 1, 2021 15:24
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Chainclaw posted:Capcom put out video packs for the OP-Z, and I really like them, especially the Mega Man one. Heck yeah, Cuckoo made that one! https://youtu.be/5sW9JjQpzTo
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May 1, 2021 19:30
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Do any of y'all use cakewalk? I got frustrated early with ableton lite limiting my track count, so went in search of another free daw. Seems pretty good, but I don't hear much about it. Eta: use case is I find midi files of Dutch nursery rhymes, or classical music, and assign instruments to each part. A lot of midi files have more than 4 parts. B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 19:31 on May 22, 2021 |
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May 22, 2021 19:27
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I play with my sub and tonic all the time, but they are still pretty new to me. I plan on learning and using my speak a lot in the next 2 weeks. I haven't had the chance to really dive in to it yet.
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May 27, 2021 16:42
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I'm working away from home at the moment, and when I got out of the shower this morning, I found a minilogue xd on my bed! A colleague's friend is trying to sell it. Talk me out of it please. https://youtu.be/lS5gPAHomK0
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May 30, 2021 02:55
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Kraven Moorhed posted:Snip https://youtu.be/_mUiwIPXXFE
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Jun 4, 2021 19:45
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Wow, Erica synths makes some wild stuff. I've been fooling around, taking first steps in vcv rack, trying out free stuff. I put the black wave table vco in, with what I thought was a simple lfo into the wave cv input. Then I wondered what kind of waveforms were coming out of this lfo? I put it on the scope, and had a look at what was putting out, while cycling the wave knob. The black octasource is 
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Jun 7, 2021 03:30
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Rutibex posted:He said they don't come with power adapters, so I offered him $50 for the lot and now the old keyboards are mine quality toots right there 
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Jun 8, 2021 00:34
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They are kind of gross and worn out but no serious damage. Lucky for me all of these things take batteries so I was able to test them and the SK-1 is working as intended:
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petit choux posted:You little shits just made me buy a synth. 200 for a new Crave I lost all willpower. I know this is from a while back, but yeah, this thread is as bad as TFR for making me want to buy all the cool toys.
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Jun 11, 2021 17:57
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toadee posted:TIL Ken Marshall (mixing/mastering/arrangements for Skinny Puppy among other things), has a ridiculously well produced but barely watched YouTube channel. His demeanor is a bit uhh hyper, but, he's definitely a wealth of knowledge on production, especially tidbits about industrial/electronic production other places might not cover WOW thanks for that. TIL some of the vocal distortion in FLA tracks is done by using a vocoder with a noise source as the carrier. I'm stoked to learn how a lot of the signature sound of the genre is created.
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Jun 14, 2021 15:54
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Well poo poo. That's not a good thing at all. Still holding out hope for Bastl and Buchla, though.
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Jun 16, 2021 14:23
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havelock posted:Just in case you aren't familiar already, Red Means Recording is great on YouTube.
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Jun 19, 2021 13:35
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NonzeroCircle posted:Possibly weird question, following my 90s sample pack odessy. It's complicated, and still to be fully determined.
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Jun 27, 2021 17:52
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Imhotep posted:Just get max/msp or vcv rack
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Jul 8, 2021 23:56
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Anybody else got a cryptocurrency modulated poly drone synth? https://youtu.be/Qn7Gqv9vIgQ
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Jul 14, 2021 19:25
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Does not ship to Canada. In other news, I picked up a midi controller with16 knobs from tindie. I wanted to be able to have abunch of twisty controls for vcv rack, but when I go to map them, all the knobs end up mapping to the same control. They all apparently output the same cc. Are there any simple utilities I can use to get this sorted? I tried to contact the maker, but the internet in Belarus seems to have gone down. B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Jul 29, 2021 |
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Jul 29, 2021 15:13
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I figured as much. Glad it wasn't pricey, and it has a stellar wood box. I figure a korg nanokontrol2 should do what I need right?
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Jul 29, 2021 17:26
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petit choux posted:I don't think you said what the MIDI controller is yet have you? Do you have a picture of it? Oops, it was actually from reverb.
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Jul 29, 2021 21:49
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Flipperwaldt posted:Yeah typically. But in reaper you can translate anything to anything, cubase has a midi translator plugin etc it's often not insurmountable to do whatever you want with that in DAWs. Thanks. I picked it up, just so I could have a little something more than the knobs on the top of my launchkey mini for messing around in vcv rack. It's really just for fun, so I don't want to splash out a bunch of cash. For me, it's a nice to have, rather than anything approaching necessary. A translator of some kind might be just what I need.
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Jul 30, 2021 00:51
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Lead out in cuffs posted:
Thanks for the suggestions, but the launch control XL is a touch pricey for my use case. I will keep it in mind for some day, down the road though.
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Jul 30, 2021 00:55
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I was looking to pick up something to start with, as part of my mid-life crisis. I thought a modern take on an 80's synth would be better than a modern take on an 80's sports car. The Volca FM hit a lot of highlights for me. It can make a lot of the sounds of my childhood. It can load presets / patches from a very successful synth that's been around for a long time. It's compatible with a free patch editor / library software (Dexed). Compact, portable, and low cost. Takes batteries, and can use an external midi controller. Sure, there is plenty that it cannot do, but there is so, so, much it can do. The controls have been simplified, and made more user friendly, as compared to Yamaha's offerings from the 80's, but there is the ability to dig right in, and change all the parameters for every part of each envelope for every operator. A NTS-1 plays very nicely with it for effects and bass line. It's a lot of fun, but I'm certainly not doing any serious music making. At this point, for me, they are complex toys, and something for me to learn about / with. They would likely work as competent instruments in the hands of an actual musician.
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Jul 31, 2021 19:00
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Ok Comboomer posted:no synthesizer is gonna take the place of a miata my dude True, but a volca won't hurt more than ears and feelings if I fire it up hammered.
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Jul 31, 2021 23:25
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Rolo posted:Does your brain get better at remembering melodies with practice?
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Aug 3, 2021 04:30
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Welp, I've ordered an NTS-1. are all gravy. I got mine used, and it already had a handful of custom oscillators loaded. What a steal!
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Aug 4, 2021 01:27
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