I Fear My Summer Musical Instrument Budget Will Be Spent On…

Quantum Strummer · Apr 25, 2019

I Fear My Summer Musical Instrument Budget Will Be Spent On…

…this insidious sound-generating powerhouse: https://www.moogmusic.com/news/introducing-matriarch. You may not be hearing much from me for awhile after it comes out.

-Dave-

Guildedagain · Apr 25, 2019

Oh man, I'd be a goner...

I had a Mini Moog once... I hear they're like crazy money now? Got it from a guy who had one too many keyboards (is that four? ;-) while roadie-ing back in the day. He was downsizing and only used it on Tom Sawyer, sorry for that musical memory ;-)

It was pretty amazing, you could not play the same thing twice for a long time... Sessions with it were usually just pure sonic exploration.

Sold it to a buddy in Seattle back the grunge days, probably for the $50 I paid for it ;-)

Cougar · Apr 25, 2019

Quantum Strummer said:
…this insidious sound-generating powerhouse: https://www.moogmusic.com/news/introducing-matriarch. You may not be hearing much from me for awhile after it comes out.

Did you go ahead and pre-order it? It could be very cool, but for that kind of money, may I suggest looking into a used Yamaha Motif XS7? Would cost less than that new Matriarch, and the XS7 is rather beyond awesome. Not sure what kind of sounds you're looking for, but....

Quantum Strummer · Apr 26, 2019

Guildedagain said:
Oh man, I'd be a goner...

I had a Mini Moog once... I hear they're like crazy money now?

I had an early one back in the '80s…they were pretty cheap then 'cuz digital synthesis and polyphony were all the rage. It was really temperamental, though, so I eventually moved it on. I've got one of the 2016 reissues now. Sounds terrific and stays in tune.

If I'd been smarter in my mid/late 20s I could've picked up a Roland Jupiter-8 and an Oberheim OB-X (IMO the best sounding analog polysynth ever) for a fraction of what just one of 'em would cost now. So it goes…

-Dave-

richardp69 · Apr 26, 2019

This sounds like Martin speak to me but then again, I'm just an ignorant, back country, low life, ex hippie turned redneck.

Quantum Strummer · Apr 26, 2019

Cougar said:
Did you go ahead and pre-order it? It could be very cool, but for that kind of money, may I suggest looking into a used Yamaha Motif XS7? Would cost less than that new Matriarch, and the XS7 is rather beyond awesome. Not sure what kind of sounds you're looking for, but....

No, I haven't ordered one yet. I'll hold off 'til they're out & about and reviews start showing up. I'm mostly in, but not 100%.

There are a number of super-capable über sound machines, like the Yamaha, on the market. They all offer far more than I could ever make use of. But I'm after something more specific, something more likely to reward experimenting and accidental discovery. "If I plug a cable into this output and stick the other end into that input and crank the input's gain, what happens?" Stuff like that.

-Dave-

jp · Apr 26, 2019

The Arturia Minibrute 2 is also quite a temptation. I like the modular aspect of it. I used to have a MultiMoog which was soooooo coool! Unfortunately, it got stolen in a move once. Arrggh! I also had a super cool Roland SH-3, which was an amazingly versatile single oscillator analog synth from Roland's early catalog. I sold it off when I needed cash one time, and I still get the itch to get another one.

What you say is true. If you get one, you'll be incommunicado for months on end. :C)

Quantum Strummer · Apr 27, 2019

Yep, the entire Arturia Brute series synths are very cool. Mostly compact too. Roland Jupiter-6s are still around at not insane (not cheap either) prices, but I'd be concerned that maintaining one would be like trying to keep an old and complex amp up & running. (Like the Magnatone Custom 280 I've got that no-one local wants to work on.)

-Dave-

txbumper57 · Apr 27, 2019

Congrats if you get it Dave, That looks like the Toy that keeps on giving!

richardp69 said:
This sounds like Martin speak to me but then again, I'm just an ignorant, back country, low life, ex hippie turned redneck.

"Where the Bikers stare at Cowboys, Who are laughing at the Hippies, Who are praying they'll get out of here alive...."

David Allan Coe "Long Haired Redneck". LOL!

TX

dreadnut · Apr 27, 2019

"Where the Bikers stare at Cowboys, Who are laughing at the Hippies, Who are praying they'll get out of here alive...."

David Allan Coe "Long Haired Redneck". LOL!

TX[/QUOTE]

I love that song!

Cougar · Apr 28, 2019

Quantum Strummer said:
....I'm after something more specific, something more likely to reward experimenting and accidental discovery. "If I plug a cable into this output and stick the other end into that input and crank the input's gain, what happens?" Stuff like that.....

Ah, understood. I had a Sequential Circuits Prophet V that really let you play around with the sound. Nowadays I'm more into just hitting the presets and playing, with minimal tweaking. I haven't forgot about it, but lately I'm more into my guitars than my synth.... :tiger:

Guildedagain · Apr 28, 2019

I'm realizing that I want to play synth on the guitar. The stuff I can do with a polyphonic octaver (TC Sub 'n Up) and the eBow is just scratching the surface... Roland guitar synth?

Nuuska · Apr 28, 2019

I have just found a Roland VG99 with FC300 pedal + all what's necessary to convert my Strat - hope the deal comes thru. VG-series is not synth guitar even though the same hex-pup is used as in GR-series. It is more an effects system with minimal latency AND option of open-tuning presets etc. Tickles my Joni Mitchell admiration . . . She used the earlier VG8 version. Naturally - even if I would get nuclear-powered-Tesla-Apple-processed system - I would never sound the same, because I'm not her. But I will have fun fooling around.

Guildedagain · Apr 28, 2019

I think I just solved it, for now. EH Micro Synth ;-)

I really like the old Roland synths, if only I'd had the vision to hang on to my last one...

A guitar that could go from Piezo acoustic to Roland synth crazy at the flick of a switch, can you say versatile? Got it on a trade, for a Sho-Bud pedal steel. Good trade for me at the time, but the Sho-Bud is probabably worth $2500 now...

Quantum Strummer · Apr 28, 2019

Cougar said:
Ah, understood. I had a Sequential Circuits Prophet V that really let you play around with the sound. Nowadays I'm more into just hitting the presets and playing, with minimal tweaking. I haven't forgot about it, but lately I'm more into my guitars than my synth.... :tiger:

Me too re. guitars & synths, but I want to balance 'em out better. One digital system I've played with a bit is Roland's System-8. You can get way into it or just use it as a preset sound machine. It features a really good Jupiter-8 "plug out" emulation and a control panel with lotsa knobs & sliders and very little menu-ing. The J-8's feature set maps onto the control panel pretty well. I wish it were built a little less light and plasticky, though. The Moog should be rock solid in that respect.

Actually Dave Smith's (Sequential) Prophet Rev2 is in the mix too. It's pretty deep and sounds good.

-Dave-

Default · Apr 28, 2019

Quantum Strummer said:
Yep, the entire Arturia Brute series synths are very cool. Mostly compact too. Roland Jupiter-6s are still around at not insane (not cheap either) prices, but I'd be concerned that maintaining one would be like trying to keep an old and complex amp up & running. (Like the Magnatone Custom 280 I've got that no-one local wants to work on.)

-Dave-

Why? "It's not a Fender"?

Quantum Strummer · Apr 29, 2019

Default said:
Why? "It's not a Fender"?

Basically that, combined with a reputation for being wired up such that replacing components is difficult. There are a couple folks who'll work on the amp, but they're both 90+ minute drives away and I'm not motivated enough right now to get it done.

-Dave-

I Fear My Summer Musical Instrument Budget Will Be Spent On…

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