tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17231804321902958452024-03-12T20:48:56.160-07:00TJ Xio 25Talking about synths & other stuffTJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-69672586102439557982012-07-15T01:29:00.000-07:002012-07-15T01:30:48.800-07:00New Album: Back to Nowhere<iframe allowtransparency="allowtransparency" frameborder="0" height="100" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1902380925/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" style="display: block; height: 100px; position: relative; width: 400px;" width="400"></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/A9K03HywmDw" width="420"></iframe>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-48978063488963873292012-03-01T00:07:00.003-08:002012-03-06T11:37:22.286-08:00Akai MiniAK Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e1b9luGpw7VBURWlnoPAFH-ZMiT47QTjnethfleEi-1UzGHGKQaA0FmomM8rgXEzSOosMo_7djzWj4MjLUdk4ZvlGcaTzFnC1Zam0k7ZC3b992lnsLHNc0OUzW_Q9sNUZEUfWaeycXsN/s1600/miniak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e1b9luGpw7VBURWlnoPAFH-ZMiT47QTjnethfleEi-1UzGHGKQaA0FmomM8rgXEzSOosMo_7djzWj4MjLUdk4ZvlGcaTzFnC1Zam0k7ZC3b992lnsLHNc0OUzW_Q9sNUZEUfWaeycXsN/s320/miniak.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Akai MiniAK is a budget VA synth. For some people, “budget VA synth” is the musical instrument equivalent of the bubonic plague. For others, such as those of us on a budget, we have to get by with what we can get. And, in this price range, there are basically four new synths to choose from: the Novation Xio25, the MicroKorg, the Roland Gaia, and the MiniAK. I’ve only had limited exposure to the MicroKorg & Gaia, so I’ll try to not stick my foot in my mouth. Still, I’m going out on a limb right from the start: the Akai MiniAK is the best of this group. So, now that I’ve established my position, I better defend it.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sound: You have a wealth of choices. Two aspects separate the MiniAK from the rest of the pack, the modulation matrix capabilities and the filters. The Mod Matrix is versatile: one full page in the manual for sources, two pages for destinations: endless hours of fun to be had here. Sonically then, the other three VAs cannot come close to the programming possibilities offered by the MiniAK. Then, you have 21 filter options (you can use two in series), including Oberheim, Moog, Arp and Roland (303 & Jupiter8) emulations. Now, how well the MiniAK emulates the different filters it tries to mimic is irrelevant - what does matter is that each of these filters has its own distinct characteristics. Also, you can go nuts with your filter combinations and create unique/bizarre sounds. On the other hand, you can recreate classic sounds (fine, you won’t fool a Minimoog owner, but you can create better sounding patches than Arturia’s Minimoog emulation), and if you join the Yahoo Ion/Micron Group, you’ll find some exceptional Polymoog patches that will have you playing Gary Numan covers all night. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, what does it actually sound like? Well, the MiniAK excels at basses and pads. I’m getting close to vintage 70s Tangerine Dream / Klaus Shultze sounds out of the MiniAK (an unexpected yet pleasant surprise). At the same time, it will do contemporary; at least judging from the presets that I subsequently deleted because I personally can’t stand 303 Acid lines and such. I’ve read some complaints that the MiniAK sounds flat, and to a small degree it does, but since I’ve started running it through a Hardwire Delay, flatness is no longer an issue. On the other hand, I’ve yet to hear undying praise for the sound of a Xio, MicroKorg, or Gaia. Hell, people complain about Nords that cost twice as much as these synths. Some people don’t even like Moogs, so what can you do?</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ease of Use: This is where the MiniAK loses ground. Those who hate menu diving will hate the MiniAK. Mind you, those who hate menu diving typically appear to be those who can afford more knobby/slider synths, and many of these folks still don’t care much for the Gaia, so it really is a no-win situation. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Anyway, one of the biggest complaints about the MiniAK is its lack of USB. Furthermore, Akai really missed the boat by not coming out with its own editing software. For some people, this is a deal breaker. For me, programming through the keyhole isn’t that much of a big deal once you get used to it (which in my case wasn’t very long), especially since the rewards can be so great. However, because of its programming layout, I wouldn’t recommend the MiniAK for a total noobie, which helps explain why the MicroKorg is on its way to becoming / already is the best selling synth ever. And yes, the Xio has knobs, but they have the tendency to come off in your hand (more on that later). Also, I can’t stand the MiniAK’s arpeggio – why did they have to make something so standard into such a pain in the ass? Another bit of weirdness is the fact that when you write a sequence, no matter which notes you write, the first note will always be C, regardless of where you play it: if you write a G-A-D sequence and then play a G, it will be a C: you have to transpose your sequence before you write it so that the first note is C. Not a big deal if you know before hand. So, now you know.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">A question that came up regarding an earlier post was can the MiniAK hold a chord. Yes, it can in two different ways. First, patches in the Comp bank are somehow different than patches in other banks in that they will arp latch, and yes, you can use them to hold chords. If that doesn’t work, set up a single note sequence (assuming that the patch has a long enough sustain) and latch that.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Versatility: This is the main reason why I own a MiniAK. In Multi (performance) mode, you can perform a 4-track (drums, bass sequence, pad, & lead) song. Not that you were likely to, but 8-note polyphony allows for serious jamming fun. Anyway, setting up splits is dead easy – splits, you know, something you can’t do on a Xio, MicroKorg or a Gaia (although it is possible on the MicroKorg XL and the much-maligned SH-201). Also, parts One and Two of the Multi receive on midi channels 1 and 2, so they can be used with an external sequencer (in my case, an Electribe EA MKII). For a typical song, I’ll have three different sounds mapped across the keyboard: bass and pad/counter melody sequenced in the Tribe, plus a lead or arp/sequence. The MiniAK has allowed me to expand my sound considerably: its Multi Mode leaves the other three dead in the water. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Construction: Simply, the MiniAK is built like a tank. If you dropped a MiniAK on a glass table, the table would shatter. If you dropped a Xio on a glass table, the Xio would shatter. Furthermore, you could use the MiniAK's vocoder mic to beat someone to death - try doing that with a MicroKorg mic. Also, I still refuse to deal with the MicroKorg’s mini keys, never mind its horrible colour scheme. I’m still divided about the Gaia – just seems too plasticky, like something will break off of it if you looked at it too hard. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion: The MiniAK is niche synth – a serious VA for those who can’t afford a more serious VA/Analogue/etc. Yet, I can safely say that it would be a decent addition to anybody’s (live) set-up. Akai has already discontinued the MiniAK, so prices have dropped dramatically. Get one while you can.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">March 6 Edit</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">A couple of things I discovered last night.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Bad: I’ve long wondered why patches sound different when they are used in the Multi Mode. Now I know: the patch’s effects do not transfer over to the Multi Mode. You have to set the same FX parameters in the Multi Mode to get the same sound. Problem is, if you have different patches that have very different FX assigned to them, something will suffer. The Manual says nothing about this: rather annoying.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Good: Create three or more sequences with slight variations, using the same sound. In Multi Mode, split the keyboard for each sequence C>B (or as you see fit), so you have: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Seq 1: C0>B0, Seq 2: C1>B1, Seq 3:C2>B2, etc. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, transpose Seq 1 up two octaves, Seq 2 up one octave, leave Seq 3 alone. Go nuts.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><iframe width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="http://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F38906090&show_artwork=true"></iframe>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-39606811451154918412012-02-23T00:37:00.000-08:002012-02-23T00:37:30.697-08:00New EP: The Future is ColdEnjoy<br />
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<iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=2027050362/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="http://tjporter.bandcamp.com/album/the-future-is-cold">The Future is Cold by TJ Porter</a></iframe>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-54742353369086137022011-12-08T03:48:00.000-08:002011-12-08T03:50:22.938-08:00In Praise of Delia Derbyshire, Pink Floyd and Krautrock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuKQBpSNZHnBxn7bCq8AkumDEEeSFE49gRUeTAiUSKAj5nQPK02Za1OZr88GGncafzFz4Gw7cacfVsrvT2xFGg-etU7hlDSspIj1OXyjCPPxIAt8cXPsz8_ejsTtZg69ljLDpqXi-1zsI/s1600/delia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuKQBpSNZHnBxn7bCq8AkumDEEeSFE49gRUeTAiUSKAj5nQPK02Za1OZr88GGncafzFz4Gw7cacfVsrvT2xFGg-etU7hlDSspIj1OXyjCPPxIAt8cXPsz8_ejsTtZg69ljLDpqXi-1zsI/s320/delia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In 1963, the music world changed. I don’t mean with the release of “She Loves You,” the breakthrough single by The Beatles. No, what transformed everything was the “Doctor Who Theme”, written by Ron Grainer and realized by Delia Derbyshire. Delia’s work on the theme represents a seismic musical shift, in that she took electronica out of the confines of academia and brought it into peoples’ homes. As important, the theme had elements that had been noticeably missing from electronic music up to that point: rhythm and melody. In other words, an actual “song” that people could relate to. Sure, Stockhausen, Schaeffer and others were hugely influential at the time, but you can’t actually hum along to one of their tunes. Experimental and avant-garde music have a place, but most of us do not listen to music while stroking our beards and nodding approvingly through clouds of pipe smoke at the use of:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(1) a scale of twelve tempos analogous to the chromatic pitch scale, (2) a technique of building progressively smaller, integral subdivisions over a basic (fundamental) duration, analogous to the overtone series, (3) musical application of the concept of the partial field (time fields and field sizes) in both successive and simultaneous proportions, (4) methods of projecting large-scale form from a series of proportions, (5) the concept of "statistical" composition, (6) the concept of "action duration" and the associated "variable form", and (7) the notion of the "directionless temporal field" and with it, "polyvalent form" (Stockhausen Texte 1:99–139). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(If anyone can translate this into a comprehensible form of English, I would be appreciative.)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Now we have a song. Unfortunately, for many, there were limited means to create anything similar because commercial synthesizers were still in their infancy. So, it is back to playing with conventional instruments. However, as the Sixties progressed, a number of groups began to use conventional instruments to create unconventional music. Of these, one group in particular provides the vital link between Delia and Krautrock: Pink Floyd. For those of you unfamiliar with early Floyd, start from album 1 of <i>Ummagumma</i> and work backwards. Then listen to Tangerine Dream’s <i>Electronic Meditations</i> (the first album to emerge from the Berlin underground). Actually, don’t, because at this point TD sounds like a third-rate Pink Floyd cover band. As further evidence, Mason’s drumming on “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” gets lifted almost in its entirety by Chris Franke on <i>Atem </i>and Part 1 of<i> Ricochet</i>. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Furthermore, two Floyd songs lay the groundwork for what will become an essential part of the Berlin School. The first of these is “One of These Days” (<i>Meddle</i>, 1971), which not only borrows heavily from the Dr. Who theme for the bassline, but also directly quotes from theme at several points The second is “On the Run” (<i>Dark Side of the Moon</i>, 1973), probably the first song to be sequenced using a VCS3, more specifically the AKS. Conveniently enough, the first ever VCS3 was used by Delia, who was a good friend of Peter Zinovieff, the creator of EMS. The VCS3 was the first relatively cheap (retailed for £330 in 1969, but don’t look at the prices the originals command today unless you are prepared for the ensuing heart attack) commercial synthesizer: not surprisingly, it shows up most electronic Krautrock records from the early 70s. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">These two Floyd songs are proto-Berlin School: simple, repetitive sequences over-laid with soloing. However, these Floyd songs and early Berlin School all lack that vital element that made the “Doctor Who Theme” memorable: melody. We had music, but we still didn’t have tuneful songs. What was needed was marriage between sequencing and melody; or, perhaps, melodic sequencing. What we needed was Kraftwerk’s masterful “Europe Endless” (<i>Trans Europe Express</i>, 1977). Granted, by 1977, the technology to achieve such beauty was finally available: the synth revolution had, by this time, started to gain ground. Yet, synth music was still a novelty on the Pop Charts. Gary Wright’s Moog-heavy <i>Dream Weaver</i> reached #2 on the charts in 1976, but, in essence, the songs were just conventional pop that featured synths: it wasn’t synth-driven pop. Explains why Gary Wright is hardly ever referred to as a synth pioneer. On the other hand, every keyboard player from the first generation of British synth-pop was a Kraftwerk fan.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Before being accused of narrow-mindedness, another song from 1977 needs mention, and who better to describe it than David Bowie: </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">"One day in Berlin ... Eno came running in and said, 'I have heard the sound of the future.' ... he puts on 'I Feel Love', by Donna Summer ... He said, 'This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next fifteen years.' Which was more or less right."</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Giorgio Moroder, conveniently for this conversion, started his music career in Berlin. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Bless you, Delia. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</span>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-40107878400928169092011-11-18T09:35:00.000-08:002011-11-21T00:48:49.817-08:00The Progress Report: Or, A Guide to Creating a Budget Synth Studio in Istanbul<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjvVwfqx9s9wgHuuRFyGrTLoyjFZTtYa6oKRmuGZfkSW0h7PAqbbGBPKgx11dvJEIhvepPsljx7_YTUAoL92hCn2QMtnC3yLaVATLllXsDkSwB__fKkJL4AEAGnCjqpmBxkmaCQh36ahX/s1600/Studio+Now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjvVwfqx9s9wgHuuRFyGrTLoyjFZTtYa6oKRmuGZfkSW0h7PAqbbGBPKgx11dvJEIhvepPsljx7_YTUAoL92hCn2QMtnC3yLaVATLllXsDkSwB__fKkJL4AEAGnCjqpmBxkmaCQh36ahX/s400/Studio+Now.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Months have past since the last post for one good reason: I've been playing music instead of talking about it. As you can see, much has been added. Someone in a Gearslutz thread said that VSTs are a gateway drug to hardware synths. I couldn't agree more. I love the way they feel, look and sound. Besides, I spend all day at work staring at a computer monitor - I no longer want to do the same in the evening. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The purchase of the Roland Juno-Di in January touched off a spark: specifically, the Di's arpeggiator. I don't know if there is a ranking of the synth world's slowest arps, but the Juno-Di would likely be near the top of such a list: 1/4 notes at 5 BPM. One and a quarter beats per minute. So, you may well ask, how could this be of any use? Well, drone lovers and those with an affinity for slowly evolving pads, the Juno-Di is your dream machine. Find a suitable sound (not particularly difficult), pick from any of the over 100 sequence patterns, play a chord, adjust the attack and release until the notes blend into each other, turn the arp speed down and latch it, and you are in ambient paradise. For sonic doubleplusgoodness, the Juno-Di is midied out to the Roland JV-1080 (in Performance mode), with two parts (at the moment, using the same patch for each part, but further experimentation lies ahead) panned hard left/right, one channel an octave higher or lower, one or both detuned to taste.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Things Not In the Manual 1</b>: In performance mode, the lower split of the Juno-Di transmits on midi channel 2, the upper split on channel 1.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">...and while I'm here...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Things Not In the Manual 2</b>: To delete a Juno-Di user performance, save it with no name.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">For about 6 months, I worked with a combination of hard and software. Also went on something of a effect pedal buying spree. But most importantly, I started seriously listening to early Krautrock. Here, I found kindred spirits and a sense of direction. For electronic music, the Germans did it first and they did it best.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">In July, my sisters arrived from Canada, bearing the Korg Electribe EA MKII, the Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-3 (granted, not the most interesting of drum machines, but capable and user reviews are generally positive) and the FM3 Buddha Machine 2 (finally, a cheap noise toy that makes something more than an annoying buzz, and with a better effort-to-result ratio than the Monotron). Conveniently, my mother had sent with my sisters $500 CDN in birthday money - a sum that covered the price of the gear. Happy Birthday to me. Getting the EA MKII was another turning point. First, any VST sequences/arps I had been using got transcibed into the EA MKII, taking the computer out of the mix. Second, any sequences/arps I had been using on the Xio or the Juno-Di got transcibed into the EA MKII, freeing them up to make more interesting sounds (see above). </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Electribe Aside 1</b>: I am glad I purchased this without first listening to it - Laura got it from e-Bay months before I received it. The presets on the EA MKII are, to put it politely, completely useless to me (I've kept only one). Also, it is not easy to get a truly decent sound (as in, something that doesn't sound like a third rate TB-303) out of the thing - useable patches have often been the result a lucky tweak. This is less of a problem now, as I'll discuss after. On the other hand, it is dead easy to sequence and it has something of great value: a start button. The EA MKII now functions as the command centre: midi-out to the Akai Miniak, midi-through the Miniak to the DR-3. Rhythm section perfectly in sync, which brings me to...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">(<b>Rant on</b>) The biggest problem with the Xio is that it doesn't play well with others. It is impossible to tempo sync it with any other hardware synth (confirmed through e-mails with the Novation tech department). There is NO MIDI IN. Midi out will not sync with other devices. USB is useless. And this sucks, because one of the great things about the Xio is its arp: I've gotten wonderfully TD-like sequences out of the Xio which are often useless to me because I CAN'T SYNC THE DAMN THING with any of my other gear. (<b>Rant off</b>)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Things Not In the Manual 3</b>: With the Xio in the "as played" arp mode, hold the first note, quickly hit the second and third notes a couple of times before you hit the fourth note, as in (1 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 3 - 4) or (1 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 3 - 2 - 3 - 4). With a square-based bass patch and the proper delay, you'll soon be Ricocheting across the Rubicon.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Things Not In the Manual 4</b>: The Behringer XENYX 1002 is sold as a 10 input mixer. However, you can easily add two inputs by using the CD/Tape RCA input - simply push the CD/Tape to Mix button in. Only downside is that you have to control the volume at the source. As the DR-3 also has RCA jacks, I have it plugged in to CD/Tape when using unprocessed drums (see below).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Akai Miniak vs. Yamaha DX-7</b>: The Miniak came about three months ago from Lafa Muzik after the sale of my old Ovation acoustic (took over a year to find a buyer, hated to see it go after owning it for close to 25 years, but I just didn't play it much anymore, so I hope it is now getting the love and attention it deserves). From the reviews and Youtube vids, it was clear that considering what was available in Istanbul for the money (there aren't a wealth of options here anyway), the Miniak was the best choice. As I had bought the Xio at Lafa and been stopping in occasionally to say hi and take a look, they sold it to me tax free, which saved about $100. Now, some knowledgable readers may be disturbed to hear that I choose an Akai Miniak over a Yamaha DX-7 (which had been sitting in Lafa being ignored for months). However, in terms of practical functions (especially in Multi mode), the Miniak blows away the DX-7. The way I'm working involves having everything creating as many textures as possible in real time. I need a synth that is conducive to the way I work, not an old, slightly beat up, notoriously difficult to program synth famous for its electric pianos and bells (two sounds that I typically avoid). </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I said above, the Miniak is midied to the EA MKII: in Multi mode, Miniak Part One receives Part One/Midi Channel One from the EA MKII: this is the bass sequence. Part Two receives Part Two/Midi Channel Two from the EA MKII: this sequence depends on the song. And, I can still add a number of Multi parts on the Miniak, such as sequences/arps, pads, lead, and drums. Dead easy to split and arrange the keyboard. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Electribe Aside 2</b>: Volume from Part One of the EA MKII is zero or minimal, and I may eventually use that jack on the mixer for something else. EA MKII Part Two is usually balanced in the opposite channel to Miniak Part Two and run through a Boss HR-2 Harmonist (octave down/detune), a Nux PH2 Phaser (I had never heard of Nux either before I bought the pedal, but it ain't half bad), a Digitech X Series Turbo Flange (some truly wacked settings available on this, including "Step", which is essentially sample & hold), and a Boss DD-3 Digital Delay.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Things Not In the Manual 5</b>: In an effort to dirty up the Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-3, I've started running it through the Miniak's filters (there are a number of Ext In presets in the Vocoder/FX Bank on the Miniak, find something close and start tweaking - it is worth it). However, if you do this, you may experience a substantial stereo-separation loss: not a big deal with a kick/snare/hat pattern, but anything with panned toms is seriously affected. I will continue to experiment and hopefully find a solution, but until then, any pattern using toms has to played clean (see above).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Things Not In the Manual 6</b> (this was unlikely to appear in the manual, but anyway...): When duplicating a Arturia Minimoog patch on the Miniak, you'll get fairly accurate results if you open the Miniak filter about 150-200 Hz more than the Arturia setting, while cutting back on the resonance and envelope/contour amount. A little time consuming, but a great source for bass patches, and I even closely copied two of the pads Klaus Schulze programmed for Arturia - like having a private lesson with the master.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Two weeks ago, I added my classic synth to the set-up: the Roland JV-1080. And found it at a price that is closer to generally accepted market value, not inflated Istanbul value. Yes, many of the presets are dated. (Dear Roland, please let users delete your precious presets. Thank you.) However, for creating ambient pads, this is a beast. The JV-1080 had also been sitting in Lafa being ignored for months: it was literally in the corner with a few other rack units, with other gear in front of it obscuring the view, and the guy I deal with had forgotten it was there - I had to show him it existed on their website. Now, the fun part: I used a Microkorg to play the JV-1080 in the store (it was just sitting right there, and fit on top of the Roland.) Now, I'd only previously played a Microkorg briefly once, before I had anything to properly compare it to and I must say that the keyboard on the Microkorg is something I would rather not touch again. The vocoder mic is also somthing of a joke: you could use the Miniak's mic to beat someone to death; you could possibly use the Microkorg's mic to strangle someone. And ugly. How a synth with wooden ends could be so hideous to look at is a mystery to me (actually, I think it is the beige/green combination that puts me off).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">A note on gear shopping in Istanbul: The music stores I generally deal with here are privately owned, not part of a franchise chain: the people there are always there, with minimal staff turnover. So, they tend to remember you after your first purchase, especially if you are a foreigner and natural blonde (not many blonde men in this city; not many natural blondes in this city either). The secret is to be a repeat customer, and you'll often get better deals on subsequent purchases. The JV-1080 was listed for $300. I got it for $250 without even trying to haggle.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Things Not In the Manual 7</b>: Despite the 15 year age difference between them, two of the Jupiter 8 string patches on the Juno-Di are identical to those on the JV-1080. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's enough. Time to get back to playing.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Peace</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-68712888104830352442011-01-20T07:55:00.000-08:002011-01-20T07:55:40.478-08:00Gakken SX-150 Review: Taming the Beast<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">(Editor's Note: I finally deleted my Myspace accounts, but I wanted to save this review. So, you're getting a recycled post instead of something new. I've been busy learning the Juno and falling in love again with the Xio.)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">When I accidentally discovered the SX-150 in late summer, 2010, I felt compelled to own this handful of cheap analogue goodness. The first thing you notice is the size: yes, it really is a handful, and not much more. (<i>Note: I wrote that sentence before my Monotron arrived</i>). The DIY part of the project takes about 15 minutes and fills you with the vague satisfaction that you have understood some Japanese. (Yes, they still ship it with the magazine). And you also have now created an analogue synth: a cheap, plastic synth that you play with a stylus smaller than an IKEA pencil. Oddly enough, the SX-150 is also capable of creating some very lovable low end. What you’ve got sounds good, but is a pain in the palm to play in a meaningful way.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I doubt that anyone has that has owned a SX-150 for more than a week has left it stock. Much of what has been written about the SX-150 concerns modifying it in order to impose some control over what notes you play, taming the beast using whatever means available. Indeed, the SX-150’s popularity appears to be directly related to how easily it can be modded / hacked. Honestly, some of these mods (especially the midi mods) are way beyond me, but then I have trouble telling the difference between a circuit board and a billboard. At the same time, some mods cost more than the SX-150 itself, which seems a little self-defeating. Most SX-150 owners have probably seen the Novation BassStation sequencing video (<a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnN5bnRodG9waWEuY29tL2NvbnRlbnQvMjAxMC8wMS8wNi9zZXF1ZW5jaW5nLXRoZS1nYWtrZW4tc3gtMTUwLw==" target="_blank">http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/01/06/sequencing-the-gakken-sx-150/</a>). However, it has also been pointed out that it is a little silly to have a $400 piece of gear driving a $40 synth. Still, the BassStation video demonstrates best what needs to be done with a SX-150: plug it in to whatever you’ve got, or plug whatever you’ve got into it: I plug it into a SansAmp GT2, crank the bass and get an amazing tone. With the Monotron and the Punk Cosole, you have the Poor Man's Modular. Connecting the PMM to the Electribe promises to be great fun.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinn3MCQP_-x2ynkghvHd4jXlwn1GTjitcA_s0nmqyQsUAjNCIwSMNr5e5eklpTuKmr543HedIWgl8bV-2DraBAuNg-pwkGZ4Yayx_FqOBMYH9dfa4FCtiJMLGr2IcJtBGXTsfLrEAREHlT/s1600/SX150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinn3MCQP_-x2ynkghvHd4jXlwn1GTjitcA_s0nmqyQsUAjNCIwSMNr5e5eklpTuKmr543HedIWgl8bV-2DraBAuNg-pwkGZ4Yayx_FqOBMYH9dfa4FCtiJMLGr2IcJtBGXTsfLrEAREHlT/s400/SX150.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">My Mods</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">As you can see from the photo, I haven’t done much: the main thing was removing the original speaker, which really should be the first mod everyone makes to their SX-150 – it is a piece of crap that does not do the synth justice. With the extra space, I was able to install a ¼” jack (which is a much hotter signal than the stock 1/8”) and The Big Black Knob. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">i. Terminal A to the left of the ribbon </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">ii. Terminal B to the stylus connection</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">iii. Terminal C to the right of the ribbon</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Advantages: </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">- Don’t have to play with the stylus: instantly less geeky</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">- Can set a note & leave it: drone, excellent with tremolo or flange</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">- You get to play with a Big Black Knob</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Disadvantage: </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">- Sound is constant, thus making Attack and Decay redundant. And as the Pitch envelope barely works and the Cutoff only works from 12:00 to 5:00, you are really only left with the LFO Rate/wave to shape the sound. However, if you ask me, that is enough: get the LFO and the pulse-wave working together and you’ll understand.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">I promised myself not to cover this synth in stickers, but I really messed up the resonance switch hole: I wanted to replace the switch with a pot, but while trying to remove the switch (which was solidly soldered in place) I made a right mess of the circuit board and had to abandon the idea. However, I had already made the hole big enough for the pot, so I had to cover it up somehow, and if you have an eight-year-old daughter, Hello Kitty stickers are easily available. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Peace</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">TJ</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-65276217822458999582011-01-10T08:27:00.000-08:002011-01-10T10:05:03.639-08:00Roland Juno Di Review (OR: How I released my GAS )<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><i><span lang="EN-US">(Editor's note: this review was written after only two days of ownership. Please forgive the over-exuberance.)</span></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Price (new): $820 US, tax included, from Zuhal Müzik, Istanbul. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Well, that was quick.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">1. Does it do something that you can’t do now? __Yes__</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">2. Does it have lots of flashing lights and knobs and/or sliders to play with? __No__</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">3. Can you afford it? __Yes__</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Buying the <a href="http://www.roland.com/products/en/JUNO-Di/">Juno-Di</a> was a new experience for me: I actually planned this purchase. I read the manual and reviews <u>before</u> buying it. I was even ready to compare it with another similarly priced keyboard. I really did try to use my head. In the end, though, it was the same old story: I followed my heart and my ears.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-Z68qhPz7CWUuE7jLin-EIBRxtj-sFlFWFcS7x6sBGmEJyowC6qeAFw6xfwFiR9CTK45WMjKmMbmxe3qRitYz6Su7f7oSonQBI4srW-ezp0aB4Dg_jUeT79M6JjzoGWyHoZj5DMbV8T3/s1600/juno_di_top_gal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-Z68qhPz7CWUuE7jLin-EIBRxtj-sFlFWFcS7x6sBGmEJyowC6qeAFw6xfwFiR9CTK45WMjKmMbmxe3qRitYz6Su7f7oSonQBI4srW-ezp0aB4Dg_jUeT79M6JjzoGWyHoZj5DMbV8T3/s400/juno_di_top_gal.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">The Juno-Di is a hybrid: it is loaded with presets like a home/school keyboard, but all parameters can be edited like a real synth. Apparently, Roland is trying to cut into Yamaha’s profitable home/school market, while at the same creating an affordable board for gear heads. You’ve never heard me say this before, and may never hear it again, but this my kind of “Middle of the Road.” </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Where to start? From the top left, of course. Under that little door is one of the features that first got my attention: the USB memory port. Think of it as bringing the concept of midi files on floppy discs (remember those) into the 21<sup>st</sup> century. In typical Roland fashion, they don’t include a USB device, but this is hardly a deal breaker. Anyway, you can load wav, mp3, or midi files onto your flash, and access the files with the very easy to use song player on the right hand side. Everything comes up on the huge LCD screen. This set-up is brilliant, and certainly a huge step up from plugging an mp3 player into an external source jack. The sound quality of the playback is excellent, with no coloration from the Juno. So, basically, you can have the backing tracks at your finger tips. Doubleplusgood. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing this feature become commonplace. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Moving along, we come to the D-Beam. Meh. Cool for about 30 seconds. If I want a Theremin, I’ll buy a Theremin.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Next, the volume. Self-explanatory. What is handy, however, is that with a quick global edit, you can increase the output by 12db. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Mode/Mic: Haven’t even touched the Midi controller or Preview buttons yet, though I guess they do something. The Menu button, however, let’s you do all kinds of wonderful things. Well, actually, it only allows you to see the Menu, and then you can do all kinds of wonderful things. Trust me, we’d be here all day if I started listing all you could do. But this is one of those points that sets the Juno on a higher level than a home/school keyboard – the Menu is so gear heads can go nuts. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Unlike the volume level, you can’t adjust the global level of the Mic. However, it does have its own dedicated reverb. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Ahhhh, the Keyboard section. Lovely bits here. Especially those top three buttons: Split, Dual, & Super Layer. Split does what you think it does – splits the keyboard. Simply pressing the button automatically assigns the split at keyboard C3. However, you can also easily assign your own split by holding the Split button and pressing any key on the board. May not sound like much, but I’m impressed. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Confession: when trying this out in the store, the Dual was THE BUTTON that pushed me over the edge. Dual, here, means layer, or two sounds at the same time. Okay, fine, we have a 20-year-old Yamaha PSR-38 at home that can do the same thing, big deal. BUT, we are truly into tons of fun territory here. Let us take a brief detour, and consider some sounds. More specifically, some synth sounds. Oh look, a saw preset. And over there, a square preset. Gee, wonder what they sound like together. A familiar scenario? Yep, basically a two oscillator synth. And yes, you can adjust the levels of the two layers/oscillators. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Super Layer is a fancy name for unison detune. You can stack up to five layers of the same sound and detune to your hearts content. Clearly designed for gear heads. Unfortunately, you can’t use Dual and Super Layer at the same time, but you can’t have everything (at least, not in this price range). </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">The Arpeggio requires some Menu work to get the most out of it, but it is nothing special. Chord Memory I haven’t bothered with, and the V-Link (to control video/images from the keyboard) requires another investment I’m not ready to make. Transpose, Octave, self-explanatory. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">The poor next section, it didn’t even get a name. Battery indicator – you can run it on batteries for your next techno busking gig. Numeric – something to do with numbers, haven’t been bothered yet. Favorite – oh, yes please. Okay, I haven’t mentioned this yet, but now is the time to get a little fact out of the way: the Juno-Di has over 1200 sounds. Naturally, there are hundreds of these sounds that I will listen to once and never want to hear again (most of the natural sounding Brass immediately come to mind). However, that still leaves several hundred more that I will want to use at some point. And, like all lazy bastards, there are some that I will want to use again and again. Favorite lets you organize up to 127 of your, well, favorites.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">The Middle: good bits here too. First, big thumbs up on the LCD screen. Big, bright, legible, the only negative thing I can say about it is that it is orange (a hideous color). The Dial is even better, mostly because it is black. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Under the screen are the Banks: Rhythm, Piano, Organ/Keyboards, Guitar/Bass, Orchestra, World, Brass, Vocal/Pad, & Synth. Again, I could spend all day here, but I won’t. Suffice to say, if you can’t find something useful among all these sounds, you probably already own higher-end gear. Personally, I wanted the Juno to replace the computer/VSTs while playing. So, I was mostly looking at the Vocals (See my previous Mellotron post), Pads, and Strings, all of which are of a high quality, though not always particularly useful (the Vocal bank starts with two Jazz scats – why?). </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">In the Vocal Bank you will also find three vocoder settings – the other is in the MFX section which I haven’t fully explored. As someone with a severe Kraftwerk obsession, I have wanted a vocoder for ages. Now, this is one area where the Juno is kicking competitor butt. Forget about the e-Bay price, in Istanbul a Microkorg will cost you 1000 TL / $630 US. The new Mini AK by Akai/Alesis is 1200 TL / $755 US. So, to get a vocoder, I could by something with miniature keys – no, if I want to play miniature keys, I’ll get out my Casio VL-Tone or my Monotron. Or, I could by something that wants to be a Novation Xio 25 – no, got one already that I’m madly in love with. Or, I could buy something that costs a little more and get 61 keys and tons of features. Bit of a no-brainer.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">The next no-name section is where you do a lot of the Menu stuff, so I don’t know why the Menu button isn’t located there, but anyway. I haven’t written anything yet either, mostly because I am not sure what I’ll be over-writing, but I’ll get there soon enough. Looks easy. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">I’ve already discussed the Song Player section, so let’s skip over to Sound Modify. Again, this is a point that sets the Juno on a higher level than a home/school keyboard. The Attack, Release, Cutoff and Resonance are all amazingly responsive – you almost want to sit there doing filter sweeps all afternoon. Okay, so there’s no decay or sustain – but you can’t have everything (at least, not in this price range). Déjà vu.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Moving down now, the Pitch/Mod wheel is alright – haven’t seen if you can modify its parameters, but I’ll keep looking. And the finally, the keyboard. Alright, so I’ve not played a lot of high-end boards, but it feels good to me – light, responsive, good sized keys. When discussing the keyboard velocity settings in the manual, you see how Roland is thinking about the home/school market: </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">"LIGHT: This sets the keyboard to a light touch. You can achieve fortissimo (ff) play with a less forceful touch than MEDIUM setting, so the keyboard feels lighter. This setting makes it easier for children, whose hands have less strength." </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Roland is right – my nine-year-old daughter has no problems achieving fortissimo. She even knows what fortissimo means: comes from having a music teacher for a mother. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Right, that’s about it. Just a few more things:</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">a. You can plug in just about anything you need to in the back.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">b. You can modify any parameter via the computer using the Juno-Di Editor provided by Roland. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">c. Dude, it’s a Juno.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">Conclusion</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span class="verdictcontainer"><span lang="EN-US">The Juno-Di is serious value for your money. <a href="http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/keys-synths/synthesizers-compact-synthesizers/synthesizers/juno-di-215862/review">Music Radar</a> said it well when they called it “definitely one to check out if you're on a budget and need a workhorse keyboard.” </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><embed align="middle" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" flashvars="enablejs=true&config=http://www.sonicstate.com/video/hd/hdconfig.cfm?id=1595" height="300" name="flvplayer" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" src="http://www.sonicstate.com/video/hd/HDplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480"></embed>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-17588209507766427572011-01-07T11:41:00.000-08:002011-01-07T11:46:25.422-08:00On the Causes and Effects of G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">A quick look at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gear_Acquisition_Syndrome">Wikipedia article on G.A.S.</a> revealed a shocking fact: I am a narrow-minded bigot. Really, I thought only musicians suffered from this condition. Although it only took seconds to say, “Yah, well, of course photographers too,” it took a few minutes to understand how fishing enthusiasts could have G.A.S. But then you have to consider that anyone willing to wake up in the middle of the night so he can go stand waist deep in water <s>is insane enough to have</s> will naturally develop G.A.S.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">The Primary Cause of G.A.S.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">No one, except the filthy rich, starts playing music with great gear. Instead, we typically begin with cheap pieces of crap: guitars with horrible intonation, M-Audio keyboards*, whatever. Because we start at the bottom and work our way up, musicians are, by definition, incredibly wonderful people. Now, as we begin to progress as musicians, we naturally start to think that we deserve better. So, we want to buy a better instrument, which, in our minds, will make us sound better. In these early stages, buying a better instrument will, nine times out of ten, actually make you sound better. Unless you are filthy rich, in which case you are forever cursed to sound like a third-rate Richard Clayderman.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">However, the problem starts here: there is always a better instrument out there. And, even if the next instrument is not inherently better, it sounds different from what we currently own. Maybe it is a vintage classic. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmOeARvmOoz8_XU-Z_Azzumo4NDf413tZHApECP4i21M8BLAsrsKIw8if_TSR457zzz4lIzSBk02MHhOq0fHm7lwP_tGjrGPPoW6Uu2w-WvfWuNgwBOfiI0qkxMPdbl1u0egtG2_dAxt5/s1600/mini72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLmOeARvmOoz8_XU-Z_Azzumo4NDf413tZHApECP4i21M8BLAsrsKIw8if_TSR457zzz4lIzSBk02MHhOq0fHm7lwP_tGjrGPPoW6Uu2w-WvfWuNgwBOfiI0qkxMPdbl1u0egtG2_dAxt5/s320/mini72.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Maybe it is new and red. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOG_RbRrg4ipJornL0ikLkeC9ae585K15lCHnxew8FRw0BQt00_px2VQCQhzb5IbMqbfmnfh8q9k2HyO6fSXQFd6_dqRIvZ8j9kDrR2rdvO5UYmSRQB7CDapooOCJ-Tw4HuTHv6zfzT8sL/s1600/Nord.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOG_RbRrg4ipJornL0ikLkeC9ae585K15lCHnxew8FRw0BQt00_px2VQCQhzb5IbMqbfmnfh8q9k2HyO6fSXQFd6_dqRIvZ8j9kDrR2rdvO5UYmSRQB7CDapooOCJ-Tw4HuTHv6zfzT8sL/s320/Nord.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"> Or blue. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmTzKMvo-Qh5Ti90KsaTI2njG-PG7uo6MtKLfB_zNj5qVAumkbCEb_DWKHWksYECJ3WtlEfLj2votVJAG9Zy5gZ8u2ZaFK7dhKERABY2ihIVHAeWs2KQ1Toj4PDpgbD0Owas3NgE_ALfz/s1600/ultranova-keyboard-synthesizer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmTzKMvo-Qh5Ti90KsaTI2njG-PG7uo6MtKLfB_zNj5qVAumkbCEb_DWKHWksYECJ3WtlEfLj2votVJAG9Zy5gZ8u2ZaFK7dhKERABY2ihIVHAeWs2KQ1Toj4PDpgbD0Owas3NgE_ALfz/s320/ultranova-keyboard-synthesizer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">At the very least, it has lots of flashing lights and knobs and/or sliders to play with. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsx2x6y0EVNDR-_-e9wcGVULi8avKg4c0ntmz1CA7AhO7QQhZH-wvmgw8X4OIZqujY_Apa2rYnjXv_iRd0htB5GM78MrSmF9HiZICcWCK3gLOlswsm9zwAimQwRqq6rcboRAr14YWE3Yz/s1600/roland-gaia-sh-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsx2x6y0EVNDR-_-e9wcGVULi8avKg4c0ntmz1CA7AhO7QQhZH-wvmgw8X4OIZqujY_Apa2rYnjXv_iRd0htB5GM78MrSmF9HiZICcWCK3gLOlswsm9zwAimQwRqq6rcboRAr14YWE3Yz/s320/roland-gaia-sh-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">(<i>Editor’s note: the Gaia is causing serious G.A.S. pains these days, but is likely to lose out to a Juno-Di, which has some terribly appealing features</i>). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Whatever the reason, we must own it. We deserve it. We even have a chart.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauKJJMDVsuzM_4WJ8krAv19wpcRy0oj0zkEqic16wLbBT6wS4-gpOgNig-OAP2aJ9HuM2E6MFlQYdSrJJ72zbAIToNCPyvDn_Aff8MXG-A3LH0d7mWcA15ONnLzHyu9kMF2Kpd9bd5DLR/s1600/Dialectic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauKJJMDVsuzM_4WJ8krAv19wpcRy0oj0zkEqic16wLbBT6wS4-gpOgNig-OAP2aJ9HuM2E6MFlQYdSrJJ72zbAIToNCPyvDn_Aff8MXG-A3LH0d7mWcA15ONnLzHyu9kMF2Kpd9bd5DLR/s400/Dialectic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Dealing with G.A.S.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">As was conclusively proven by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_Combustion_%28South_Park%29">1999 Nobel Prize winning research into the subject</a>, the complete suppression of G.A.S. leads to spontaneous combustion. While this would be an awesome stage effect, it suffers from an extreme limitation: you can do it only once. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Now, there is a concept called hedonic adaptation. In general, hedonic adaptation refers to how people quickly become used to changes, great or terrible, in order to maintain a stable level of happiness. For consumers, hedonic adaptation means buying something new because they stopped getting pleasure from a previous purchase. It has been suggested that one way consumers can deal with hedonic adaptation is to buy many small pleasures instead of one big one. So, instead of buying a big new synth, you buy a Punk Console (which finally arrived after three months), a Monotron, a drum machine… Guess what – that doesn’t work. I want a new synth.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Questions that Need to be Addressed</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">A more detailed list of questions can be found <a href="http://guitargear.org/2008/02/05/manage-your-gas/">HERE</a>, but I believe it can be boiled down to the three basics: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">1. Does it do something that you can’t do now?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">2. Does it have lots of flashing lights and knobs and/or sliders to play with?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">3. Can you afford it?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">If you have answered yes to <b>any</b> two of these questions, get thee to a store immediately.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Shopping in Istanbul </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">In one way, Istanbul is a very Asian city: in the Western world, a store that sells something would not open right beside a store that sells the exact same thing. I first noticed this while living in South Korea, where I would see strip malls that had only bridal shops. Across the road from where we live now, there are six pharmacies within 500 m. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Now, this set-up isn't really helpful when buying medicine, because you don't need to </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">compare </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">prices. However, if you want to buy a new musical instrument in Istanbul, it is easier than looking on the Internet. Istanbullu know I am talking about Tünel. And yes, Tünel is the Turkish for tunnel. In this case, a tunnel built by the French in 1871 for what is possibly the world's shortest subway system - the tram goes it goes up the hill, and then it goes back down the hill. A one way trip takes 90 seconds. For this discussion, it is the top of the hill that matters because this is the home of Istanbul's music stores. Nice place, you really ought to visit. I'll be there sometime within the next two weeks, relieving my G.A.S. pains.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Peace</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">TJ</span></span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-27093315413033606442010-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:002010-12-31T08:30:29.304-08:00Happy New Year to All<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PJM9xpvMbJ0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PJM9xpvMbJ0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NyXeJZJUFHE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NyXeJZJUFHE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-90205626865711563122010-12-21T10:35:00.000-08:002010-12-21T10:35:52.237-08:00On Musicians and Depression<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">NOTE: The following was written in response to <a href="http://waveformless.blogspot.com/">THIS POST</a> on Waveformless, but the contents are based on observations and conversations.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The perceived wisdom that a true artist must feel pain is rubbish. It starts with the Van Gogh Myth - the poor, struggling, misunderstood artist who is posthumously recognized for his genius. Nine times out of ten, you are not misunderstood. Instead, you are not a genius and you wouldn't be poor and struggling if you were in a different line of work.</span></span></div><div> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Next came the rock and roll / working class myth. For this, I blame the Americans, and, to a lesser degree, the British. The birth of this myth seems to coincide with the rising stardom of a former truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi. The idea that rock music is for / a product of the working class and is therefore born out of a desperation sounds great if you are looking for street cred, (or writing a Springsteen song) but it conveniently overlooks the fact that some of the most influential bands ever (oh, just to pull a few names out of the air, like the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk) were formed when their members meet at university. Life does not have to be crushingly hard to create brilliant music, but the myth prevails. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Finally, rock music and its offshoots are firmly based upon the myth of manliness. Manliness, of course, has nothing but disdain for the weak. And, for many years, depression was seen as a sign of weakness. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The existence of these myths has meant that within the music community, people have been too slow to fully recognize depression as a medical condition. Now, I don't know what causes your depression. Me, I lived through several black years until I was diagnosed as a diabetic. However, I do know these myths have caused great damage to many people. Screw the myths, go see your doctor.</span></span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-72132855756672675052010-12-20T13:18:00.000-08:002010-12-20T13:25:48.258-08:00An Incomplete Guide to the Mellotron<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">(NOTE: Instead of embedding all the links in this post, there is simply a list at the end for the curious.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Even if you don’t know what a Mellotron is, you’ve heard one. If you know what a Mellotron is, you probably want one. If you own a Mellotron, don't waste your time reading this.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">How could something so lo-fi become such a classic? How could an instrument that included sounds recorded by the Lawrence Welk Orchestra be embraced by __________ (fill in the blank with the name of any worthwhile band from the past 45 years)? How could something musicians’ unions on both sides of the Atlantic objected to become something many musicians would <s>kill</s> love to own? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Let us start with the basics. This is a Melodica.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiww_j7lC4MAesZaJMrIdYhcl0xLnVx6apB5jRbmM0-0LpWDMOiJA5pCOgGmJAaR6F-9PjryiGAx3F6EyeDEVy70BwHX1koa47EatAAZu71-rajmbLpXw9i1YxfcvE7S37h88BTcDjdAz7/s1600/Melodica_red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiww_j7lC4MAesZaJMrIdYhcl0xLnVx6apB5jRbmM0-0LpWDMOiJA5pCOgGmJAaR6F-9PjryiGAx3F6EyeDEVy70BwHX1koa47EatAAZu71-rajmbLpXw9i1YxfcvE7S37h88BTcDjdAz7/s1600/Melodica_red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiww_j7lC4MAesZaJMrIdYhcl0xLnVx6apB5jRbmM0-0LpWDMOiJA5pCOgGmJAaR6F-9PjryiGAx3F6EyeDEVy70BwHX1koa47EatAAZu71-rajmbLpXw9i1YxfcvE7S37h88BTcDjdAz7/s320/Melodica_red.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Not to be confused with a Mellotron (MK400 to be precise), which looks like this:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTKiDz6dGr8rlfOKln9Dr7sxJX2nOnZyxl2Tp4Z2zWZymPNHUuY7vDQtIvo5fuhlgJ5qFGbH-uP8oRCHW84RT6_AV6AloNx1edjsv3RrG-uZpfZ0WRPAyO3VOWs2StViYJTZjzZQsNd36/s1600/M400-Mellotronfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTKiDz6dGr8rlfOKln9Dr7sxJX2nOnZyxl2Tp4Z2zWZymPNHUuY7vDQtIvo5fuhlgJ5qFGbH-uP8oRCHW84RT6_AV6AloNx1edjsv3RrG-uZpfZ0WRPAyO3VOWs2StViYJTZjzZQsNd36/s320/M400-Mellotronfinal.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">The birth of the Mellotron</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">In the late 40s, an American named Harry Chamberlin developed a mechanism that allowed a keyboard to playback short pieces of recorded tape (thus inventing sampling). The recordings were produced and supervised by Lawrence Welk in Harry Chamberlin's house: all Chamberlin recordings performed by members of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra in the late '40s and throughout the 1950s. In the early 60s, one of Chamberlin's salesmen, a rather unscrupulous fellow by the name of Bill Fransen, takes a Chamberlin keyboard to England where he claims to be the inventor and sells the idea to some unsuspecting Brits, namely the brothers Frank, Norm, and Lesley Bradley. Harry, who has had no idea where his salesman went, gets a phone call one day from the American distributors of a new British instrument called a Mellotron. I think we can all agree that Harry had every reason in the world to be pissed off. After a business chat with the brothers and a few choice words for his former salesman, Harry agrees to let the Bradleys produce the Mellotron. One of the conditions was that the Mellotron used the famous "3 violins" that was created in 1952 for the Chamberlin. This violin sound became the Mellotron's main sound used on much of the output of British Mellotron music beginning in the mid-1960s.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.keyboardmuseum.com/v_teach/mellotron.html"><span lang="EN-US">How a Mellotron Works</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;"> - Give it a few seconds to load... </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Mellotron Fun Facts</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">- Welk was impressed with Chamberlin's idea of a tape playback instrument and offered to fund its manufacture if it was called a "Welk" machine. Chamberlin refused Welk's offer.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">- In 1975, Tangerine Dream had to pay a £2000 fine to the British Musician's Union in compensation to three chamber orchestras which they had allegedly made “redundant” with their Mellotron.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">- Harry Chamberlin pulled one of his keyboards from production because of fears that he would upset the American Federation of Musicians.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">- The choir sounds on Kraftwerk's Radioactivity and Trans Europe Express are NOT produced by a Mellotron, but instead by Orchestron, manufactured by Mattel. Yes, that Mattel, as in Barbie and Ken. The Orchestron attempted to remedy the instability of the Mellotron by using a disk instead of tape, but the instrument flopped and few were manufactured. Kraftwerk would later show their allegiance to Mattel products by using a Bee Gees Rhythm Machine on Computer World.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhiV8XLD2zJwzYofAy0hzguq39yFWD2U4EnTOOkjgJwnQ0DvC35VHkQBkxD7TTT4NyWXrxjGXyljvIdLFwXwL7FFWs4A9zlFnZus4A0YNAeRjTKegTJ7XXjswJNsXalUZ36YxlCrk_790/s1600/Mattel-BeeGeesRhythmMachine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhiV8XLD2zJwzYofAy0hzguq39yFWD2U4EnTOOkjgJwnQ0DvC35VHkQBkxD7TTT4NyWXrxjGXyljvIdLFwXwL7FFWs4A9zlFnZus4A0YNAeRjTKegTJ7XXjswJNsXalUZ36YxlCrk_790/s320/Mattel-BeeGeesRhythmMachine.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">What a Mellotron Sounds Like (Or; We finally Get to the Purpose of this Post)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Here's where you get to have your fun: there are two free VSTs available that use actual Mellotron samples (sampling a sampler, how post-modern can you get?). First is the very excellent Redtron 400, available <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/artifakelabs/%20">HERE</a>. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, for my Turkish friends, the link might bring up this familiar sight:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdMoE5HzIBq-PxC_jhOTuSjp76DZdcHbaJ48IssbNdw6XAH55sI_CKgS7k0Dw9-yVAYOJ8y84-U6hyphenhyphenQRGX3JCdikKRlkhhhPCHgiku3AnPjDkBiJwG7EWx4-_9ZX-FF_N8FZ32r_9zMZS/s1600/Blocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdMoE5HzIBq-PxC_jhOTuSjp76DZdcHbaJ48IssbNdw6XAH55sI_CKgS7k0Dw9-yVAYOJ8y84-U6hyphenhyphenQRGX3JCdikKRlkhhhPCHgiku3AnPjDkBiJwG7EWx4-_9ZX-FF_N8FZ32r_9zMZS/s400/Blocked.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Google sites remain blocked by the main service provider in this country - I had to check the link at work to ensure it was still valid. Anyway, enough politics, the Redtron 400 looks like this…</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNaVD2LkMEI1JqHYsSdLvNmbRj55bTfjOSZytggUu25h97CqdbM5A1kTiDAAMeZWMN51ykGzdsd1IYnO6AeTndiRPY30D2fiUlZXa7gVQy-WTMLc0Wy0sofO6miWhNTTkd5Drg4-vJddo/s1600/redtron_400a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNaVD2LkMEI1JqHYsSdLvNmbRj55bTfjOSZytggUu25h97CqdbM5A1kTiDAAMeZWMN51ykGzdsd1IYnO6AeTndiRPY30D2fiUlZXa7gVQy-WTMLc0Wy0sofO6miWhNTTkd5Drg4-vJddo/s320/redtron_400a.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;"> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">…and it sounds even better. Clicking the On/Off switch brings you here…</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8aIYjPw14cEDyRUfZA7kx_NOvE8SMSIgosQGLdA07KSC4azg2uuG6UrzvDiFZz3DrPwAHR_xMPZQDCTShukf8tf46MS__mzTqZ5egRpmyk7n6ugjMAq1g7YGwdCmbh6dbYPSJgU8azYM/s1600/RedTron_400b.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie8aIYjPw14cEDyRUfZA7kx_NOvE8SMSIgosQGLdA07KSC4azg2uuG6UrzvDiFZz3DrPwAHR_xMPZQDCTShukf8tf46MS__mzTqZ5egRpmyk7n6ugjMAq1g7YGwdCmbh6dbYPSJgU8azYM/s320/RedTron_400b.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">…where you can mess with the sounds to your heart's content. For authenticity, don't click the LOOP buttons so the sound only plays for eight seconds. Likewise, go back to the first screen and put the ABC dial in-between any two of the letters and the sounds will overlap, just like the original. I can and have played this for hours. The quality of this VST is amazing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Less amazing, definitely less versatile, but still quite functional when I need a more lo-fi Choir sound, is the Nanotron, which is available <a href="http://www.dreamvortexstudio.co.uk/">HERE</a>.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU66kbhPQbEaUb7jxQD6GLILrtZQ4L_OmhZiPIPF_AYwHiZHnvEtIEjfSRqrLd3HeeHhtsKVoy5Apd0hd4GgkvagSUAXXUamRjEKIGPApr9cQyvoNH407Qg3g_yh-w1r_1wufjaviNBFPr/s1600/nanotron.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU66kbhPQbEaUb7jxQD6GLILrtZQ4L_OmhZiPIPF_AYwHiZHnvEtIEjfSRqrLd3HeeHhtsKVoy5Apd0hd4GgkvagSUAXXUamRjEKIGPApr9cQyvoNH407Qg3g_yh-w1r_1wufjaviNBFPr/s400/nanotron.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;"> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Knowing that there are people out there who create and distribute instruments like these for free helps restore my faith in humanity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">Peace</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">TJ</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Links:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellotron"><span style="font-size: large;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mellotron</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestron"><span style="font-size: large;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestron</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamberlin"><span style="font-size: large;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamberlin</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_World"><span style="font-size: large;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_World</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.tangerinedream-music.com/discography_long3.php"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.tangerinedream-music.com/discography_long3.php</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://egrefin.free.fr/eng/mellotron/chamberlinE.php"><span style="font-size: large;">http://egrefin.free.fr/eng/mellotron/chamberlinE.php</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://egrefin.free.fr/images/Chamberlin/HCInterview.pdf"><span style="font-size: large;">http://egrefin.free.fr/images/Chamberlin/HCInterview.pdf</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://blog.room34.com/archives/3559"><span style="font-size: large;">http://blog.room34.com/archives/3559</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/BeeGees.htm"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/BeeGees.htm</span></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><object height="390" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zZt64_XOflk&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zZt64_XOflk&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-59907649814095484962010-12-07T11:12:00.000-08:002010-12-07T11:12:07.154-08:00Be Back Soon...<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">...I want to play for a while instead write.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I'll leave you for the moment with something old:</span></div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NHa0mK3GcO0?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NHa0mK3GcO0?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-50758216960640933212010-12-04T05:05:00.000-08:002010-12-04T07:35:32.916-08:00VST 101<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">PRE-READING NOTES: </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- This is a tutorial for absolute beginners. If you have any previous experience with VSTs, move along, there is nothing for you to see here.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- If your computer does not have midi installed (which is odd, because it is pretty standard, but I have seen one laptop without it, so there you go), stop reading now and go do something useful (because, as we know, all art is quite useless).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- For the rest of you, get ready to spend an enjoyable half hour. I know you have time to kill: you are reading this blog.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">INTRODUCTION</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">As some of my readers have no idea about synthesizers (hello, Dicle), this post is designed to remedy the situation. I will not ask you to buy a synth; instead, we'll work with something easier and considerably more accessible: a VST. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">VST stands for:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"> a. Venezuela Standard Time</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"> b. Very Sexy Tights</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"> c. Vancouver Steel Trees<br />
d. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Studio_Technology">Virtual Studio Technology</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">If you chose “d”, you are already well on your way to synth-pop stardom. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">If and when VSTs (also called “plug-ins”) become widely known to the general public (and not just music geeks), they could change the way we make music in much the same way Napster changed the way we acquire music. Even better, many VSTs really are free. However, with technology, there is often the fear of the unknown (I blame sci-fi writers & Hollywood). Well, by following the following the eight easy steps described below, you will see that playing with VSTs is easier than operating a mobile phone. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">THE EIGHT STEPS TO SYNTH-POP STARDOM</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step One: Download <a href="http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm">VST Host</a>, possibly the best music-related freeware available (You want "</span><a href="http://www.hermannseib.com/programs/vsthostx86.zip">vsthostx86.zip</a>"<span lang="EN-CA">.) I am not afraid to call Hermann Seib a genius. The zip file is 1.25MB. You only have to extract the contents; there is no installation - the blue diamond named “vsthost” in is an exe. file which opens the program. You can delete “VSTHostBridge32.” Put extracted contents into a new folder and give it a clever name, like "VST Host" or "Fred".</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step Two: as the name suggests, VST Host needs to "host" something. You will now download that "something". I decided to share with you <a href="http://www.vstplanet.com/Instruments/VST_Synthesizers2.htm">Prodigious</a> (scroll down the page, the zip file is 2.11 MB), a good all-round synth that has been a favourite for over a year. Extract the contents. Put this and any subsequent VSTs in the same folder to make your life simpler.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step Three: Go back to "Fred" and click on the blue diamond named “vsthost” to open the program. If you don’t see a piano keyboard at the bottom of the screen, click on the icon in the top right of the menu bar. Next, go to "Devices -> Midi -> Midi Input Devices" & click on whatever name appears (if nothing appears, you don't have midi installed; sorry to have wasted your time). As for the rest, go with the default settings & don’t worry for now. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step Four: Click on "File" (top left corner), go down to “Set PlugIn Path” and tell VST Host which folder contains Prodigious.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step Five: Your VST folder is loaded into VST Host’s memory, so now click "File" & go down to “PlugIns,” follow the arrow & click on Prodigious.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step Six (Optional): In the little box that has appeared, click on the dial icon (circled). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">(Click to enlarge)</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j1zgJM2eQ3mEKFUps7RzyHittqvV8AZTrxoob0dpeiJgCPCKh-WGTdLnWBHcPwNxGto5i9AbEfd_9ONBqo9drFjbe_xlp40svs8p2l8PgUO48HmvDoAC3osCiHl1bbVmq_z35vsUnKyv/s1600/VST+Host.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6j1zgJM2eQ3mEKFUps7RzyHittqvV8AZTrxoob0dpeiJgCPCKh-WGTdLnWBHcPwNxGto5i9AbEfd_9ONBqo9drFjbe_xlp40svs8p2l8PgUO48HmvDoAC3osCiHl1bbVmq_z35vsUnKyv/s320/VST+Host.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Prodigious will appear like this. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-CA">(Click to enlarge)</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloUpPARMQoGOmHzk7QnGkG12xufNsLj8kFDmM0Z_rydP03PCSYtF11Mg2ltHU1ef51BjkL7yjEjYGFyKtYcl8WItLR9k2hwGxAQYGfLXO1FZRupwljos-kYmTw37NCxuen78cCuxrBTd0/s1600/VST+Host+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloUpPARMQoGOmHzk7QnGkG12xufNsLj8kFDmM0Z_rydP03PCSYtF11Mg2ltHU1ef51BjkL7yjEjYGFyKtYcl8WItLR9k2hwGxAQYGfLXO1FZRupwljos-kYmTw37NCxuen78cCuxrBTd0/s320/VST+Host+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Do not be afraid to adjust the knobs with your mouse - that is why they exist, to be turned (or, to use the geek term - "tweaked").</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step Seven: Play. You can use the piano keyboard at the bottom of the screen with your mouse, but this is an inefficient method. Instead, you want to use your computer keyboard. If you get no sound, click on one of the piano keys, and then use your computer keyboard. If you want to change the "preset" sound, use the big blue arrows in the menu bar (you can’t miss them, they are big & they are blue – you’d have to ask Hermann), or you can click "PlugIn," go to the bottom to "Programs" and choose from the list (for Floyd fans, find preset 58 "To Mr. Rick Wright" and go nuts. I also strongly recommend presets 83-85, the Solina Strings). Remember to click on the piano keyboard again if you have no sound.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Step Eight: Repeat Step Seven until you are addicted & want to buy your own midi controller keyboard, which is a reasonably inexpensive purchase. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">CONCLUSION</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">If just one person out there starts playing music because of this tutorial, I'll be happy. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Many more free VSTs can be found at <a href="http://www.vstplanet.com/">VST Planet</a> and elsewhere. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Peace</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">TJ</span></span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-4498788738624912662010-12-01T10:14:00.000-08:002010-12-01T10:14:11.553-08:00And I made the News on VST Planet - Cool<div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Click to enlarge</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy9ygFdYz9G6iCasaL40raoi_-YP71kqESI3Mjax4-xPPbBSnFQXzosLf-gOCExFPMusQE4J01eEdE1FyqpGVXQYU2vFyzSOjabMK2QvbxIYZmJIlbGj_9L1MA6mBKkOx1HKSEDs7_gO4/s1600/VST+Planet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy9ygFdYz9G6iCasaL40raoi_-YP71kqESI3Mjax4-xPPbBSnFQXzosLf-gOCExFPMusQE4J01eEdE1FyqpGVXQYU2vFyzSOjabMK2QvbxIYZmJIlbGj_9L1MA6mBKkOx1HKSEDs7_gO4/s640/VST+Planet.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-85780504939523039182010-12-01T10:05:00.000-08:002010-12-01T10:05:25.028-08:00Prices<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Right, so my sister just bought me a second-hand Korg Electribe EA-1 MKII from <a href="http://myworld.ebay.com/gear_maestro/">gear_maestro/</a> on eBay for $200 US. Perhaps I over-paid, but I wasn’t going to ask my sister to get into a bidding war, so I went for a “<span class="s-grayza">buy it now” from</span> a reputable <span class="s-grayza">dealer </span>(<span class="s-grayza">100% Positive feedback). </span>It will be 7 – 8 months before I actually get to play with it, but it is on its way. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Now, let us do some comparative shopping. Oh look, you can find a MKII <a href="http://www.canelektronikltd.com.tr/asp/brands.asp?brand=Korg">here</a> in Istanbul, for €300 + tax. A quick search, however, reveals that the MKII originally retailed for <a href="http://www.korg.co.uk/images/dance&dj/ea1%20mk%20II%20review.pdf">£200.00</a>, or €237.596. We need to also consider that the MKII has been discontinued. In fact, Korg has released not one, but two subsequent models since the MKII, but never mind, they are still charging more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price for six year old + piece of gear. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Now, let us do some math:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">$200 US is about 300TL (Turkish Lira)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">€300 equals 587 TL + tax comes to 694TL</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Even their “Havale ile” </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">(bank transfer)</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"> price is 611TL</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Twice the price. Lovely. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Peace</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">TJ</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ICKErJvjfMc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ICKErJvjfMc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">And because I found it:</span></span></div><br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9JRhCsWfndI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9JRhCsWfndI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-33550092713646984252010-11-30T03:40:00.000-08:002010-11-30T05:22:10.857-08:00Xio Thing 1<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today’s tempo: 100 BPM</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now the basic introductions are out of the way, it is time to move on to the main purpose of this blog: demonstrating the abilities of the Novation Xiosynth 25. I will not call these posts “tutorials” on purpose, so I decided on the charming name, “Thing.” Today’s Thing is a metallic Devo-like rhythm.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I: Start with a three saw Moog-style bass patch, with the portamento at 25. Very 70s.</span><br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538433&secret_url=false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538433&secret_url=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter/thing-1a-1">Thing 1a</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter">TJ Porter</a> <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">II: Bring in the Arpeggio, with a short gate time, 2 octaves, Up-Down 1, sync’ed to 16ths.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538463&secret_url=false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538463&secret_url=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter/thing-1b-1">Thing 1b</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter">TJ Porter</a> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">III: Sounds crap, so now add the X-Gater. I will keep coming back to the X-Gater (a wonderful feature, not found on many synths), so let me introduce my Gate Pattern notation system: each “block” (there are two rows of 16, giving us 32 blocks) of the X-Gater is made up of seven turns of the knob. So, I will notate from 0 (zero) to 7, so an X-Gate row might read like this: 5720 3434 5720 3434. Clear as mud, but anyway…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">X-Gater Pattern:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">7770 7373 7770 7373</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">7770 7373 7770 7373</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Level full, no delay, Edge and Decay 100, keysync on, and again sync’ed to 16ths. Considerably more interesting.</span><br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538499&secret_url=false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538499&secret_url=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter/thing-1c-1">Thing 1c</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter">TJ Porter</a> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">IV: Now for the metallic edge: the Boss DM-3, with the repeat rate and echo set full, and the intensity at zero. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538526&secret_url=false"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7538526&secret_url=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter/thing-1d-1">Thing 1d</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter">TJ Porter</a> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This effect will not work with the on-board delay in the Xio. If you do not own an analogue delay, the time to ask yourself “why?” is now. Actually, the time to buy one was last week, so get on it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Peace</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">TJ</span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-33826930022186741282010-11-28T05:05:00.000-08:002010-11-30T00:00:01.448-08:00Photos I<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spartan: 2. austere, rigorous, frugal (Oxford)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>(Click to enlarge)</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LWBl4s862_XdB4iNLdlVTOZAMCiNys7zTph4FCvQghczOMLUi1MBJzd72Rj_w3eXB2RVKIEuHDT0WfZZC6MXP9SOIbYtVCwWS2nCNpJPmXYkVoCBe3Q1m6OgzqaM8eYZzZOylodb2LtV/s1600/StudioAngle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LWBl4s862_XdB4iNLdlVTOZAMCiNys7zTph4FCvQghczOMLUi1MBJzd72Rj_w3eXB2RVKIEuHDT0WfZZC6MXP9SOIbYtVCwWS2nCNpJPmXYkVoCBe3Q1m6OgzqaM8eYZzZOylodb2LtV/s400/StudioAngle.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">By most standards, including my own, there is not much gear in this photo. You can guess why I’m so excited about getting the Xio. I’m new to the world of synths, forgive me. In fact, I’ve been selling off my guitar collection (I had five) to pay for new gear. The sale of my Telecaster paid for the Xio and several other toys in the photo below, while the sale of my Les Paul Studio will cover an Electribe EA-1mkII (my sister got it) plus a few little other toys, perhaps a Small Stone. What I will buy once my Ovation sells, I have no idea. Still pictured though, is my 1968 Mustang bass, and in the red case in the corner is my 1966 Mustang guitar, the two axes I will not part with. The classical guitar belongs to my wife, Esra. She’s the real musician in the family and head of the Music Department at her school. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>(Click to en</i></span><i><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;">larg</span><span style="font-size: large;">e)</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rL_HfKGraaHoPJIJ166hoQAyRGNMO0PaWC9mwtXfJyPBNEEW_Qlsf1kU_7qj0olqwOlHl7uM4cUDIT2RYGW9-7Dj0Hq5sRsSLUbTLWqAavczF1GLw7afWtJg1VOtl6K7hqwIBrdul-i-/s1600/SmallFriends.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rL_HfKGraaHoPJIJ166hoQAyRGNMO0PaWC9mwtXfJyPBNEEW_Qlsf1kU_7qj0olqwOlHl7uM4cUDIT2RYGW9-7Dj0Hq5sRsSLUbTLWqAavczF1GLw7afWtJg1VOtl6K7hqwIBrdul-i-/s400/SmallFriends.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here are my small friends gathered round the kitchen table for an evening mini-session (just out of the picture, a can of Efes Pilsen). Yes, that is a Casio VL-1 in the foreground: the King of Cheese (Da Da Da). Found it in a junk shop here for $25 – the shopkeeper didn’t realize just what a treasured classic (?) this is (or the outlandish prices some people ask for these things on eBay.) I use it mostly on picnics, but trust me, the high octave flute run through some serious delay is almost Mellotron sounding. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of delay, above the Casio is my <a href="http://www.bossarea.com/loadpage.asp?file=boxes/dm3.xml">Boss DM-3</a>. We have been together for 25 years. I will be buried with this pedal. Enough said.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Above the DM-3 is the Gakken SX-150 (you can read my review of it <a href="http://www.ihavesynth.com/review/gakken-sx-150/gakken-sx-150-taming-beast">here</a> or <a href="http://www.myspace.com/elegancedecadence/blog/539817999">here</a>). I’ve dispensed with the stylus and control it with the Big Black Knob™. Run into the Sansamp GT2, the SX-150 is excellent for drones and sweeps.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beside the Casio is a Yamaha RY-9. It is piece of crap, but it is my piece of crap. You can read my true feelings about it <a href="http://www.ihavesynth.com/review/yamaha-ry-9/yamaha-ry-9-don%E2%80%99t-bother">here</a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Above the Yamaha is a Behringer MX400 4-channel mixer. Yes, that teeny-tiny thing is a mixer. Damned handy too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, beside the DM-3 is the Korg Monotron: best thing ever while riding the bus to & from work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">(Also pictured: Boss HR-2 Harmonist, Boss HF-2 Flanger & a pair of Panasonic RP-HT260 headphones)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tour.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Peace</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">TJ</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-18376433296640403962010-11-27T08:20:00.000-08:002010-11-29T04:17:26.590-08:00On Being a Musician in Istanbul<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Western-style music in this city is played almost exclusively by those in the upper strata of society. There is a very good reason for this: gear is vastly over-priced. For example, a Microkorg, which sells for $399 on Amazon, and considerably less on e-Bay, goes for $673 here. There is a single second-hand guitar shop in this city, <a href="http://www.srvmusic.com/">SRV Music</a>, run by Özlem, a very cool lady. One second-hand guitar shop in a city of 15 million people. Also, Özlem does not sell keyboards, but she does have an Alesis SR18 – for $100 more than you would spend at Musicians Friend. Every musician I know complains about the prices in this city.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ordering gear form e-Bay is not a realistic option: anything that costs more than $100 or is too big to be carried by a postman immediately goes to the Customs Office. This is a place you do not want to visit: took a friend three months to get some posters. Posters, which we all know are a serious threat to national security. (Well, they are Kramer posters, which could be considered subversive, if anyone at the Customs Office had an idea who Kramer is). Personally, I’ve been waiting two months for a Punk Console from e-Bay to arrive, and have little hope of ever seeing it. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is this description bleak enough yet?</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">One option, available to few, is waiting for someone from overseas to visit. This is fine if you want a relative/friend to bring a guitar: you don’t have to plug it into the wall. However, with synths, you have to think about different electrical currents. As I write this, I am also constantly refreshing Hotmail in hope that <a href="http://www.spacemanmusic.com/Keyboards/Synthesizers/">Spaceman Music</a> in Ottawa will tell me that their Roland XP-30 at can be switched to run on European 220V. (Just found a current converter kit for $35, which could mean that this is less of an issue than I thought). I am also failing to pay attention to the seven hour time zone difference, which means they are just opening shop & haven’t turned their computer on yet. One of us is an idiot, & I think it’s the blonde. I would dearly love to have my sister bring me something bigger than a piece of cheddar cheese when she visits this summer. I still want the cheddar, though.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Peace</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">TJ</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">UPDATE: Due to Air Canada regulations, the </span><span style="font-size: large;">Roland XP-30 is off. Always someone raining on your parade.</span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-57654417103303996222010-11-25T23:53:00.000-08:002010-11-28T09:43:36.088-08:00On Creating Patches<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">Having spent much of the past thirty years beating the hell out of guitars and basses, I am fairly new to programming synthesizers. I did briefly own a cheap, monophonic synth back in the late 80s, but in those pre-Internet days, I really had no idea what I was doing: the only thing I got out of it was something that sounded like a Lancaster bomber. Today, the availability of online resources makes the programming process considerably less intimidating.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">Despite having a long love for synthesizer-based music (I had Tangerine Dream’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratosfear">Stratosfear</a> in 1978 – I was 16), I only seriously began creating electronic music a little over a year ago. Blame age, disillusionment, or Cipralex, but I no longer have the anger to play punk. Anyway, I started with a midi keyboard and free VSTs (things that didn’t exist in 1978) and began experimenting and reading everything I could get my eyes on. OK, so it doesn’t take long to grasp the concept of ADSR, but if you show this abbreviation to most people, they will stare blankly at you and quite possibly tell you to go away.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">The first VST I felt comfortable to program my own patches on was <a href="http://y0u-file.narod.ru/Polyvoks.htm%20">Polyvoks Station</a>.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEUzF-i8-fI0AyKhmIivgpacjt-1rf9gl3WPEFhbTZUXQYGpDeXOvrQt_A03atAL4FZxZV6UIYT4d4k80jpIA8djQ4PUfBrS5ZBn85xObZzyTB_dVsTBgQPbf2WPiv6n9roJdGqkj6OOl/s1600/Polyvoks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEUzF-i8-fI0AyKhmIivgpacjt-1rf9gl3WPEFhbTZUXQYGpDeXOvrQt_A03atAL4FZxZV6UIYT4d4k80jpIA8djQ4PUfBrS5ZBn85xObZzyTB_dVsTBgQPbf2WPiv6n9roJdGqkj6OOl/s400/Polyvoks.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">As you can see, it has a straight-forward GUI, which helps as it does not have a manual. Don’t understand why this VST doesn’t get more love and attention, but then again I also have a long-time fascination with the Soviets. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">Enter the Xio. So now, I have real knobs. And menus. Menus are new. Unlike VSTs, you have to look for things. Not good for a visual learner. Plus, the number of parameters that can be tweaked has risen. A lot. Mathematically, there has to be limited number of permutations, but more than most of us will get to in a lifetime. And, naturally, some of them will suck. The trick, of course, is to find the ones that don’t. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">I started creating simple patches (one unison saw is about as simple as you can get), but soon wanted to get deeper into the Xio. So, like many before me, I turned to the Minimoog for inspiration. More specifically, the <a href="http://audiotrok.eu/download/MOOG%20Minimoog/MINIMOOG%20PATCH%20BOOK.pdf">Minimoog Patch Book</a> and Arturia’s Minimoog V. Sure, there is probably something odd about using a 2-D virtual synth to help comprehend a 3-D real synth, but I need graphics. On the other hand, I now know that the secrets to getting Minimoog sounds out of a Xio include:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">1. Generous amounts of portamento</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">2. Tweaking the Mod Env Depth to get the squelch</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">3. Serious Unison detuning</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">Try this <a href="http://jeriqo.free.fr/files/minimoog%20patch%20theremin%20portishead.gif">Portishead</a> patch on your Xio. Go nuts with the pitch/mod joystick.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://jeriqo.free.fr/files/minimoog%20patch%20theremin%20portishead.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://jeriqo.free.fr/files/minimoog%20patch%20theremin%20portishead.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">I leave you today with a song recorded pre-Xio, give you an idea where my head's at.</span></span><br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7410006&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=000000"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F7410006&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=000000" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter/kervan-caravan">Kervan / Caravan</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/tj-porter">TJ Porter</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">Peace</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Arial;">TJ</span></span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723180432190295845.post-36935112760428311092010-11-25T09:09:00.000-08:002010-11-28T09:42:20.178-08:00Welcome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic21o7vcb7I51dbBestksLuOZwhh-cys36memEphnuHDvWB0daQB0il_cswKVRekjy3LCi8WZ0VJjGOvWUAEQ034x32te5myVqaIzmVTdNoSfdqgSmDwMnGCqj-ACY3fqmHWM4vXBYPlvJ/s1600/XioSynth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic21o7vcb7I51dbBestksLuOZwhh-cys36memEphnuHDvWB0daQB0il_cswKVRekjy3LCi8WZ0VJjGOvWUAEQ034x32te5myVqaIzmVTdNoSfdqgSmDwMnGCqj-ACY3fqmHWM4vXBYPlvJ/s320/XioSynth.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is a stock photo of a Novation Xio 25. Not mine, that's missing three dials and has a small dent on the front left (yes, you can dent plastic). <span lang="EN-CA">Finding retro/interesting gear in Istanbul is difficult-to-impossible. Likewise, finding reasonably priced gear. Finding the Xio was pure chance (it was the first time ever I visited this shop), and I just happened to have enough money with me. Circumstances dictated that I buy this synth immediately. </span><span lang="EN-CA">I have not been disappointed. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The Novation Xio Forum is a dead zone, so this blog. And, to start, a revised version of the review I wrote for <a href="http://www.ihavesynth.com/">I Have Synth</a>.</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Novation XioSynth 25</span></span></div><div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Bought second-hand for $275</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">If you have Googled, you know that the Xio (pronounced <i>zy'-oh</i>) has received mostly positive reviews (see <a href="http://emusician.com/elecinstruments/novation_xiosynth25/">emusician</a> or <a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan07/articles/novationxiosynth.htm">SOS</a>). Who am I to disagree? Basically, the Xio is an analogue modelling synth that can also function as a midi controller, or be used in a hybrid-mode. In the midi controller mode, it has templates for about a dozen major soft synths, meaning that you can quickly turn your Xio into a Bass Station if you wish. However, as I have a midi keyboard, I don’t bother with these functions, so I won’t comment on them. Instead, I will just focus on the Xio as a synth. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The Xio comes with 2 banks of 100 presets, with another 2 banks containing an additional 150 sounds freely available from <a href="http://www.novationmusic.com/">Novation</a> (only the first 50 patches of the “Jamiroquai” soundbank are new, the rest are copies from one of the factory soundbanks; the second bank, “RDyt's Xio patches,” can be found in the forum, and there are some individual patches available in the library. The Korg Polysix patches never worked for me, but maybe you’ll have better luck). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Working with the patch editor (also freely available from Novation) is fairly easy, though not particularly quick. While slightly time consuming – 2 separate evenings – I went through all 350+ sounds, selected what I liked, grouped the patches and created two new banks – if you are going to spend any time with this synth, I suggest you do the same.The existing patches do a great job of demonstrating what the Xio can do (which is, after all, what presets are supposed to do), but the real joy comes later.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">While creating my banks, I left many patches blank, inserting the Init. Patch (a single sawtooth) from the factory bank instead: when you write your own patch, you have to over-write an existing one, so you might as well over-write something useless. You might want to create your own Init, especially if you like sine or triangle waves.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The Pros:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- It is a Novation. As in technical director <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Huggett">Chris_Huggett</a>, who designed the <a href="http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/edp_wasp.php">Wasp</a> and the <a href="http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/oscar.php">OSCar</a>. As in the company that brought us the <a href="http://www.vintagesynth.com/novation/nov_bsk.php">Bass Station</a>. Sure, it is not one of the big three Japanese, nor is it American, but this UK firm its own place in synthesizer history.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- Yes, this synth is quite capable of both contemporary and retro sounds. No mistake, quite capable.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- It is easy to use: anyone who still complains about sub-menus shouldn’t be allowed near any kind of modern electrical device.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- There are many choices (maybe too many), both for the oscillators (sine, triangle, sawtooth, square/pulse, plus NINE “digitally sampled waveforms to help construct more traditional instruments or percussive sounds”) and the LFOs (over 30 waveforms). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">The Cons:</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- More than a few words have been written about Novation’s poor choice of colours on the front panel. Yes, it is difficult to read, even in good light. But, after owning the Xio for only a month, I can tweak in the dark. You get used to it, or you don’t.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- The On-Board Effects do nothing for me at all. They completely lack warmth. Started using some of my old Boss pedals (including the DM-3, the last analogue delay pedal made by Boss.) Much better. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">- Build quality, especially a few clacky keys and knobs that come off too easily. Made in China, not the UK. However, if you contact Novation, they will send replacement knobs.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA"> </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Okay, so the Xio won’t be replacing your MiniMoog any time soon. Or maybe it will, but that is a subject for another blog. On the other hand, not many of us can afford a MiniMoog, or indeed, any Moog. Considering the other synths in this price range, you really can’t go wrong. And, if you don’t feel like being part of the herd (hello, MicroKorg users), the Xio makes an excellent alternative. And, before the MicroKorgies form a lynch mob, let me clarify several things.<br />
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1. On the same day that I bought the Xio, I also played a MicroKorg for about half an hour. Allow me to make two observations. Subjectively, I found the Xio to be a more intuitive synth - I was tweaking within minutes. Objectively, while the Xio has fewer keys, it has full size, semi-weighted keys. Yes, Micro folks, read it and weep, full size, semi-weighted keys. And before anyone thinks I have something against Korg, let me state that a) I would probably not buy an Alesis Micron and b) I love my Monotron.<br />
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2. Still, there is something about the MicroKorg that just screams "newbie" to me. Evidence that many people quickly tire of / outgrow their MicroKorg can be easily found on eBay. Admit it, you want something bigger & better.<br />
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3. In no way did I mean to imply that MicroKorg users are sheep. Indeed, it is well documented that sheep are piss-poor synth players, while all of you are amazing musicians who make Keith Emerson sound like a troll.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">Peace</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-CA">TJ</span></span></div>TJ Porterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115161172366714675noreply@blogger.com0