i'm not saying whats gonna be the next big thing or not. i don't actually care.
i'm just saying for deep vibesy electronic music. modular is where it's at, and the sounds / expressions are new. this was the attraction of the Roland machines in 80s/90s I believe?
i work a low paid job and i live in my bedroom. i've had some things lucky, but i'm not exactly high profile or loaded with money.
Roland
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oblioblioblio
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oblioblioblio
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the flight of harmony 'plague bearer' module is one of the greatest designs to ever grace this planet. bandpass filter/comb filter/ distortion / noise generator.
it's hard work to get it right, and to find the sweetspots. but this thing is literally one of the most inspiring machines i have ever used. It costs $95 . It is lovingly and carefully built and has a lifetime gaurantee against mechanical failure.
it's hard work to get it right, and to find the sweetspots. but this thing is literally one of the most inspiring machines i have ever used. It costs $95 . It is lovingly and carefully built and has a lifetime gaurantee against mechanical failure.
i still love my 303 and 909, and there is no doubt that those two machines + the 808 virtually defined electronic dance music especially in the early years, and without them i even wonder if it would have happened and be what it is today,
but... compared to what is possible now, these machines are very limited, and i cant imagine why Roland would ever want to revive them.
considering that the TB303 is a bass synth, it's not very good at producing bass, hence why it became more popular as a sort of lead instrument really, and its very much a one-trick wonder, using that sound now is about as cliche'd as it gets. (it was even already cliched by the early 1990s).
saying this, its an amazing machine, theres just something about the whole way it grooves and its timbres that make it unique and trippy, but we cant go on just repeating the same old sounds forever, w ehave to move on.
the 909 is similarly limited, by the late 1990s most house producers were only using the kick and snare in their tracks, and only the banging-est techno producers were using the toms. the rimshot and claps had become so cliche'd that everyone was sick of them, (of course theres been a revival with everyone going retro recently, but it wont last, if you're using them now, i guarentee you'll hate them in two years time)
the hihats are samples anyway, so theres not much advantage to having them in a box.
its so easy to get emulations which are fairly close to the originals in software (albeit lifeless in comparison, but totally useable in todays cut and paste environment), so whose going to buy them ? only dedicated (and fairly wealthy) producers who know the difference between a real analogue machine and an emulation, and wont stand for anything less.
its not going to happen.
but... compared to what is possible now, these machines are very limited, and i cant imagine why Roland would ever want to revive them.
considering that the TB303 is a bass synth, it's not very good at producing bass, hence why it became more popular as a sort of lead instrument really, and its very much a one-trick wonder, using that sound now is about as cliche'd as it gets. (it was even already cliched by the early 1990s).
saying this, its an amazing machine, theres just something about the whole way it grooves and its timbres that make it unique and trippy, but we cant go on just repeating the same old sounds forever, w ehave to move on.
the 909 is similarly limited, by the late 1990s most house producers were only using the kick and snare in their tracks, and only the banging-est techno producers were using the toms. the rimshot and claps had become so cliche'd that everyone was sick of them, (of course theres been a revival with everyone going retro recently, but it wont last, if you're using them now, i guarentee you'll hate them in two years time)
the hihats are samples anyway, so theres not much advantage to having them in a box.
its so easy to get emulations which are fairly close to the originals in software (albeit lifeless in comparison, but totally useable in todays cut and paste environment), so whose going to buy them ? only dedicated (and fairly wealthy) producers who know the difference between a real analogue machine and an emulation, and wont stand for anything less.
its not going to happen.
I think everyone knows that, its obvious. Discussing the why nots is what is being talked about.dubgil2 wrote:you know this is like asking Nissan to remake the Datsun 240z from the 70's just because to some it's a classic. It just ain't gonna happen folks.
@obli. Im not sure about that personally, its quite a timely consideration to buy modular and those roland machines were one trick pony's. Modular by its very definition, wouldnt give you 'that' sound. Too many ways to use it and too many personalised systdems for it to develop into a 'classic'.
That's by no means putting it down, I just see it as something personal to the musician. Incidently, do you need a psu per module? If so, what are your electric bills like?
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oblioblioblio
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i guess i'm looking at it from the musicians perspective rather than the social phenomenon thing. Overall I guess it was a unique combination of social, technological and chemical circumstances.AK wrote:@obli. Im not sure about that personally, its quite a timely consideration to buy modular and those roland machines were one trick pony's. Modular by its very definition, wouldnt give you 'that' sound. Too many ways to use it and too many personalised systdems for it to develop into a 'classic'.
That's by no means putting it down, I just see it as something personal to the musician. Incidently, do you need a psu per module? If so, what are your electric bills like?
I'm just looking at this in terms of availability of technology and potential creative growth from this. To me, it's already a 'classic'. For real.
Yeah, modular is certainly different... the scope for personalising it is very different, much to it's credit! Modular has this really beautiful expansiveness that requires dedication, just like it should do.
Depending on the size of the PSU and the size of the system, you will probably need 1-3 PSUs altogether. Just looking at the PSU on this laptop, and my whole modular system requires less than half the total number of Amps of the laptop to power it.
Electricity bills will be the least of your concern if you get bitten by the modular bug!