A Few Of My Favorite Things...
From the original Analog Industries archive. Some links and images from that era no longer resolve.
Compared to some people, I don’t really have that much gear. I have, at points in my life, had as many as 18 keyboards (with keys, never mind rack mount units) and twenty-odd guitars. Now I’m down to seven guitars, a bass, six hardware synths, one drum machine, and two controller keyboards. Now that I’ve typed that out, it does seem like a lot, and perhaps I should thin the herd even more. Ironically, in my advanced age I can now afford more gear; I suppose I could conceivably buy a Buchla 200e or Oasys should the fancy strike me. (My wife might have some thoughts on that subject, though.)
But I seem to have entered a post-gear phase. What I’d really like to have is a real piano and a better storage system for the shit I already have. DSP-based synths are experiencing this convergent evolution thing where there are very few that are unique (the MonoMachine comes to mind), analog is what it always was, and, well, you only really need three guitars (an archtop electric, a solid-body electric, and an acoustic.) So I think I’m gonna thin the herd further before we move.
In that vein, I’m sitting here pondering what it is a multi-instrumentalist that makes electronic-based music actually needs to enjoy the music-making experience. Here’s the list I’ve come up with:
1. A good polyphonic analog. I have my MKS-80, and provided it doesn’t break, it is deep and competent. I would be sadface ftl if I had to swap that out, but I could deal with it.
2. A good monophonic analog. Anyone that knows analogs knows that a monosynth and one voice of a polysynth aren’t really the same thing at all. I currently have three mono analogs: The Source, the Mopho, and a CS-5 which is getting repaired by the fine folks at Synthwood. After having the Mopho for a while, I think it’s safe to say that I can probably get rid of the Source and the CS-5. The Mopho may not have the mojo of the Source or the filtering of the CS-5, but it is a fuck of a lot more convenient, and it is under warranty.
3. Something for the digital sounds. The MonoMachine is a weird, quirky, balky, noisy little bitch. And it gives me all the digital I need. Keeping that.
4. A drum machine. One single drum machine. I have, in my past experiences, been guilty of having far too many drum machines. Take it from me: nobody needs more than one. I currently have and love a MachineDrum, but I would trade it in a heartbeat for a 909 in good working condition. Which should tell you everything you need to know about that.
I would like to have a Wurlitzer 200a, a Rhodes, a Yammie CP-70, a Steinway baby grand, a 57 Gretsch Duo Jet, a Hi-Watt half-stack, a 12-panel Serge modular, and a warehouse to keep it all in. But do I need any of that shit to make music? No, not at all. All I really need is a laptop.
There was no real point to this post except to put my thoughts on this subject out in the open for criticism. Am I losing my mind? Has the shiny lost its luster? What are the instruments that will be buried with you?
10 comments
Hmm, agreed on guitars. I have an upright but this doesn't diminish my thirst for a real piano. Oh and saxophones ... (I've two but would not mind a few more) ...
But as much as I want decent hardware analogs, I guess I don't really need them (I do get by with sw atm).
k
I haven't even owned 99% of the shiny and it's lost its luster for sure. I have my (zips up flame suit) Korg X50 and Kontakt and that's pretty much what I need. And a slightly grotty amp to crank it all through.
But I'm curious, if all you really need is a laptop why do you even "need" the other synths?
"need" is a fairly hazy word in this day and age. Let me put it this way: I could get by with just a laptop. The experience would be work and not enjoyable. Don't forget that I'm not a hobbyist. I do this shit for a living.
-CR
It's not just the sound, it"s the feel. I just sold my Wurly 200A and got a Nord Electro 2 rack to cover it and all the other stuff it does. It sounds great (to my ears, and I've owned several Wurlies) but it just doesn't respond to touch the same way when using the K2000 that is my master keyboard. I'm going to have to investigate semi-weighted keyboards to make it feel the same.
I entered this whole side of things after being a cellist for 15-20 years... so I never went through various phases with keyboards (ok- I did have a few Casio toys back in the day, but no real synths per se), samplers, drum machines, etc.
Even now, my kit is primarily in the virtual world: a couple laptops and desktops, a couple midi controllers, a few mics & a minidisc (primarily for field recording), and a Bugbrand Postcard Weevil. Then of course I have my cello, a mini Glockenspiel, a melodica, and various percussion instruments. Now that I have been learning about gear and various synths, modules, and other kit... sure, there is a lot I wish I had. But, having limited income and entering the game late, a lot of it is out of my budget. Same goes with acoustic instruments- I would love to have a concert grand piano, a beat up upright piano for me to 'prepare', a few guitars, various basses, etc...
...so in terms of- what are my absolute bare essentials? If I were being sent to a remote cabin for 18 months, what would I bring along? Probably just my cello, a laptop, a mic & a portable recorder ... (could probably upgrade to a fancy hard disk, but if we are only including gear we already have, a minidisc will do).
All I need is my cello, the ability to record myself and my surroundings, and a laptop and I can create more universes than I know what to do with.
Yeah, I'm a bit synth heavy at the moment. All that stuff can get in the way of making music. But there are some boxes that have a certain sound that's nice to have sometimes. When I think about the Super Jupiter and Andromeda there's a lot of overlap, but I couldn't bear to part with either of them. (Or the Jupiter programmer ;) )
I need a better way to "sort" my studio, so that the things that are rarely used are farther away. Of course there is no farther away, my place is packed to the gills. Maybe I can rent one of those foreclosed houses from the bank that no longer exists.
Of course, as soon as you have all the instruments you need, then you start gassing for outboard processing, microphones, a console, amps, acoustic treatment... there's always something more to buy it seems.
"But do I need any of that shit to make music? No, not at all. All I really need is a laptop."
richard devine pretty much said the same thing (scroll at link for the feature and mile long gear list)
http://www.elektron-users.com/
i think most people would agree with you though i'd find it a lot less fun to make music w/o some hardware and at least one elektron in my life not to mention some real analog oscillators/filters and some way to route everything into everything else to make some spontaneous no LCD included weirdness. i need some hands on things to get anything done. though audiomulch is sort of analogous to that for me because it's so streamlined and simple.
but yeah a laptop + software and some decent monitors and DA to converter and you're in business.
@ chris:
'swhat I figured. I'm mostly a hobbyist and wouldn't want to work on a laptop alone unless I had to.
and what is it that makes people still want CP-70s? aren't they the '70s equivalent of a Fantom -- something you don't want to use but that's (relatively) easier than schlepping a Bosendorfer?
If it came down to choosing one, it would be my Yamaha C3.
Probably going to get flamed, but I have an epi dot, a lawsuit Les Paul, a Korg SDE , triton studio and a macbook. For what I do, its perfect.
I finally found what works, after getting rid of upwards of 15 keyboards.
Oh and a few analog pre's. Those are a must. haha
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