The Hardware Megathread

#6058

It’s certainly real Korg announced it in January 2021, then it’s been silence since
Maybe it’s been shelved for now due to chip shortage?

#6059

On making tracks on hardware only I think there is something to be said for being able to construct a piece that can be reproduced live on hardware only. I’m not the best at doing that, in fact, far from it. But getting a dialog going with some gear that makes some semblance of sense in the context of a piece of music is a really fun and satisfying thing to do.

I mean sure, you can get everything exactly where you want it compositionally and sonically in the daw but figuring out how to communicate something to a listener in real time is a journey worth taking, I think. Maddening to be sure but equally satisfying when a thing comes together.

#6060

Oh absolutely. And I know we have talked recently about my wanting to perform remixes live that only live on my sampler, but beyond that I think I’d rather just have printed tracks to play along side other artists’.

Edit: part of this is simply about time for me. I can muddle through a DJ set w/o practice, so if I suddenly get a gig I can play my own tracks w/o worrying much about getting my chops back up. Or if I suddenly get the urge to record a DJ mix, same deal, basic beat matching is kinda like riding a bike.

#6061

I totally understand that.

My own situation is different from that in that it might be impossible (ok, let’s be fair)… it would be EXTREMELY expensive to create a track of of my upcoming record or for any of my techno tracks without multi tracking.

I’m using soft samplers and MAX midi automation to do things that would require loads of EuroRack or Elektron sequencing to achieve. I work a lot to create chaotic bits that I then re-sample and edit to “reign in” and compose with.

Additionally while I consider myself a musician, I’m no virtuoso at any one instrument, sure I can hang in a jam on guitar, bass or keys but in no way an impressive way.

My process is very producer/composer minded.

#6062

Got some hardware. Don’t miss hardware. Glad you guys still get something from it. That said, the hardware I’ve got I like a lot. Just not got GAS or in a hurry to get more. Think about it at times and then nope.

#6063

I think I’ve arrived at a similar place. Updating my CDJs is the last for a good while.

#6064

Reading back through this thread, it’s occurred to me that all my hardware is really secondary stuff or ‘sound toys’. Like I don’t own anything that can sequence (well technically the KeyStep and JP-8K can, but I don’t mess with it). I don’t own a drum machine (though some of the modular stuff can fake it). The only ‘legit’ pieces of gear I have hooked up are the Roland 8K and a Neutron. There’s a matrix mixer, an Axoloi, a Zynthian RaspPi, a bunch of modular stuff that’s mostly homemade that works/sounds better when I whack it hard, some control surfaces, tape decks and a slew of effects pedals.

For me, the wonder of a hybrid setup is having all the things talk to one another. MIDI feeds out from the DAW to everything that can take it, everything is wired to record at any time, and the DAW can output CV via the MOTU slave to all the stuff that likes it. I think what I really like about it is none of it is crucial - if something dies, it’s not “well there goes all the drums” or whatever.

I guess I’m with @Roo_Stercogburn on this one, the GAS is all cleared up. Take away my Hardware Megathread card :stuck_out_tongue:

#6065

I’ve been buying and selling gear for the last 4 or 5 years on a pretty regular rotation. I think though with my current setup I’m fairly satisfied. Time will tell though and I’m leery of saying that given my history. The sequencer was really the key to bringing it all together. I’ve tried a crazy amount of different ones trying to find one that would really, really work for making music on the fly. Many promised that but none of them delivered like the OXI One has.

The last thing I bought was a Lexicon MX400 19in rack reverb / multi efx unit. I’ve been really interested in rack effects and wanting to see how they stack up against pedals. The MX400 is actually a dual stereo effect unit so I can run both my synths through it in stereo. It sits nicely on my desktop synth rack right under my JX08 & 1010 Blackbox.

I haven’t had a chance yet to put it through any paces but I have high hopes it’ll deliver on the reverb front. I nearly bought a Quadraverb but it was the dual stereo capabilities of the Lexicon that won out.

Now all I need is a warning solution and I’m set….lol.

See?

Talks about not buying gear, mentions a new piece recently bought and “just one more” thing to complete the setup all in the same breath.

Seriously though, point being, I do feel I’m zeroing in, at least for a while.

#6066

My tour schedule is pretty intense until near Xmas -time. Once I’m settled in I intend to make a spreadsheet of all the things, post it to local friends in hope that I can avoid Reverb’s fees, do a bit of craigslisting in order to minimize.

My last few releases have had me looking around the room going, this is unnecessary. I’ll be keeping a core of things I use as “daily drivers” but I’ve collected so much shit in fits of “ooh shiny”

#6067

I’ve been planning a serious downsizing for a while, the plan would be to keep only the Mpc Live plus an additional all rounder synth.
The main problem is that I like what I have:

  • Microfreak: a fun odd synths which really shines as soon as you add some effects;
  • Syntakt: an amazing source of sampling materials for the Mpc;
  • Sp-404 just super fun to use and usb sampling is great.

Currently I only have the Mpc on the desk and an empty space that gets filled as needed, the rest is on a shelf.

#6068

@RFJ I had a Lexicon MX200 or MX400 at some point. I remember everything being at least useable–but even with the Lexicon name I wouldn’t expect the quality you got from some of the pedals you’ve owned. Unless I’m mis-remembering.

#6069

Honestly, that doesn’t sound like a ton of gear, to me anyway. And I’ve totally justified keeping the M:S to feed loops into the SP:16. While it is more immediate than at lot of Elektron, its power is still in the deep programming/CTRL ALL. That is to say–I can see owning the SP404 to make loops on and doing the heavy lifting on the MPC.

#6070

Interesting.

I would be curious to know exactly what it was that you had. The MX200 was rather popular at least from what I ascertain from reading gearspace and related forums. But there were soooooooo many different revisions and M this and M that with Lexicon during that time and before it would just be interesting to know which one you have used.

And yeah, I don’t think the mid tier Lexicon circa 2006 will trump what I’ve had from Meris, Strymon or Empress. But the draw to the rack unit over the pedals is it gets something off my desk and integrated more with the system. Basically it’s one less thing I have to have out on the dinner table when I decide to pull the gear out. lol.

#6071

Man, it was sooooo long ago. I want to say I’m pretty sure it was an MX200, I do know that it could be stereo with one FX, or dual mono with two FX? Maybe that was all of them. It was that time period when I had the stupidly large setup, was buying absolutely anything and making zero music.

And yea, I absolutely get why you went that route. I wasn’t trying to poo poo the decision or quality. My guess is it will probably work for you if you give it a chance and find the sweet spots. For electronic music I kinda feel like the boutique pedals are overkill and more of a flex when a lot of people buy them.

#6072

you are correct.

#6073

This sounds pretty tidy and smol though.

I really don’t have a lot of synth GAS and haven’t for a while. It took me a while but I like where I am. I might actually even sell the S2400. But I’ll see where development on it goes for a while yet, probably. But I could get more than I paid for it so there’s that. That was a BIG reason I jumped on the preorder, easy recoup of my money if it wasn’t my thing or getting much use.

I do, however, have GAS for bass and guitar-related things still, though I’m pretty well sorted there, too, now. I just want a red bass to play in my band since it’s called Rush of Red and the singer’s on-stage persona is red-themed. My Zoom B6 is now my bass preamp and DI for plugging into a PA, and for guitar I just plug my cheap distortion pedal into a Darkglass Element to use a cab IR, and it sounds killer.

I’ve been good about selling things I’m not using lately, it’s rather refreshing when I used to be too depressed or ADHD-addled (new diagnosis, now medicated) to do so.

#6074

I’d say I’ve crossed all the big things off my list. There’s a few littler things around I’d like to try, and I have a bit of space to move stuff in and out and see if I find any winners. It will give me a chance to keep things fresh if I ever get bored with what I have (which feels unlikely right now buy hey let’s give it a few years). For instance, when I say little, I’d like to try a Bass Station II, an SH-01A, a MegaFM, that kind of thing. I don’t really use my Microfreak much, so I think I’m going to sell that one on and try one of the others in it’s place for a bit. Rinse and repeat (unless I completely fall in love with one of them and can’t live without it). Not there with the Microfreak though and it’s been like 2 years now, I think it’s had a fair shot.

Beyond that, though, there are still things I’m thinking about. I’ve had more paid mastering work this year than in like the past 5 years combined. It’s the one music thing that makes me money, not necessarily profitable with the amount I’ve spent on software over the years, but it is some amount of extra income. I played around with the idea of marketing that side of my music more earlier in the year (in fact, I posted everything I was doing on IG, got a linktree-type thing functioning as a portfolio, keep a separate email, etc). That traction hasn’t continued into the latter half of the year, but I have one more release coming with my stamp on it that could be a doozy for all I know.

In any case, I say all that because it had me looking into analog mastering gear. Very expensive, doesn’t fit with my workflow, I don’t have any clients yet that are saying I am unable to get them the sound they are after (nor do I feel that way) with the software stack that I’m using, but it’s an idea down the road. I wouldn’t call it GAS though, more like a 10-year-plan.

#6075

Lol, maybe I should have just got a Quadraverb after all. Going to give the Lexicon a rinse this weekend and report back.

With the Quadraverb, being as it only has two inputs, I’d have to run it on a send and if I do that I’d lose the ability of multitracking my synths with the Bluebox. I think I value multitrack capability though over perfect reverb. Not that the Quadra is perfect but I like that it has that iconic Warp Records sound. I don’t know why that alone hasn’t pushed me to try it.

If it’s not as good as the verb though on the Bluebox I’ll just send it back and try a Quadra.

#6076

Oh yeah, the other thing with the Quadraverb was that gargantuan power supply. That alone would add 15 pounds to my rig and would destroy any space I had left on my power strip, lol.

#6077

I think I have a nice balance of hardware and software at this point. Though, somewhere down the line I do want to replace my MU50 with an MU90 and my Boss DS330 with a more “substantial” sound canvas, but other than that I think I’m in a good place. The one thing I’ve always wanted, though, is a Roland VS2480 with the meter bridge. Right now it’s just to say that I have it, but I’ve always been curious as to how I could make out with one.

(edit) almost forgot… I do want a Novation Nova, just haven’t found one at a price I’m willing to pay.