ebay makes me angry

[AK]

Yeah, good points. Personally, I'm prepared to pay decent money for decent gear but there has to be a cut off point. Like the sh101 for example, I have never had a synth since which is capable of such tremendous clarity and weight in the bass as that and I would buy it again for the current going price simply for the fact that I absolutely loved it and knew my way around it so well. The envelopes are as fast as f-ck and it makes some bad ass kicks too because of it. I actually prefer its cleverly sequenced acid sound over the 303, it doesnt need a distortion to be agressive, it can come right off the synth. Anyway, better move on all it will be a 101 topic.

But yeah, im in my mid 30's now and grew up listening to early electro like, hashim, planet patrol, cybotron and all the soul/funk with the 808 like loose ends etc. In fact the first drum machine I ever heard was at a youth club as a wee kid in the Heath Town council estate of Wolverhampton. It was being played by Goldie who was the local 'hero' of the break and graffiti scene (now mega famous) and I was blown away and actually got to play it. They also got an sh101 and people used to make electro beats and basslines and the whole experience had a youthful magic to me.

Up until that point, id been into breaking and art, in fact art may well have saved my life. I'd have probably gone to jail and crime due to local inner city poverty and violence. But I got spotted for my art via grafitti and went through college and uni and a cad designer course but that sound and memories of those machines never left me and I knew I longed for a different art. Those sounds and making rhythms with them.

After abandoning fine art and design, I got bits of gear and it was more satisfying than sex, bliss. Of course the 101 was there, got involved with bands and learned a fair bit about music etc and then drifted away from it due to kids and mortgage.

Got back into it when you could do it all on your desktop and ended up coupling up and shooting out some breakbeat stuff but Ive always wanted to get that magic back that I heard in my youth from analog synths and the experience of hearing all those electro tracks.

After a few years of pc based softsynth composition, I havent felt that excitement and mind rushing creativity whilst staring at a screen and whilst the sounds and development of the software are pretty genius, I cant get excited about it. I have tried to convince myself and others that it's all good, but the other week I got to play a voyager and a single saw osc said, 'this is what its all about'.

Its a 'back of the neck hair-raising' experience that you can explain when you have recent memories of software but long term memories of analog. The best way I can describe it, is that the former feels alive, where the latter feels comatosed.

Anyway, the reason for my long post to give you an indication of my love for music and vco's. I could have said, 'i just like the bass' but for me its a lot deeper than that, it's (dont laugh) almost spiritual. Im on about resonating frequencies but totally dif subject.

Anyway, now you know my reasons behind the sound of analog synths, it should go someway to explain my anger at the prices going through the roof. I intend to abandon the pc altogether and invest in a set up that I know I will be in sonic love with and that will fill that empty spot. Ebay jerks are not helping.

Btw, the sh101 isnt the only analog ive had or used, that would be stupid based on that. I also need to avoid posting on Internet forums whilst smoking weed co's I have too much to say and tend to go off in tangents. Lol.

[agodi]

My first bit of analog was the 101 (a few months ago) and as soon as I plugged it in a whole new world opened up. If your longing to rediscover that sound than go get one!! It will only annoy you otherwise. One thing to remember is that you can treat alot of the older gear as an investment, the initial price you pay might be high but it may not have depreciated if you ever decide to sell.
Try the boards on sound on sound rather than ebay

[oblioblioblio]

enjoyed that post.

i think digital synths is quite interesting. THey were exciting to me when i first started properly trying to do music. When i look back i remember very happily the first experiences playing around in ableton and simple soft synths. I think somewhere along the line they got a bit stale for me without me noticing.

I definitely thought analogue was just a purism thing, but it's totally not. There's no easy way to describe it, but the sound and the experience of using those kind of devices are really natural and somehow click in a way that I haven't really experienced wih digital. Modular even more so (i don't mean to go on about that, sorry!)

Some people seem happy using computers.

[AK]

Oh I know about the sos forums and gearsluts, I post under diff names depending on time joined as I have been involved with other musos and had diff names at the time. I tend to post on jazz forums and here at the moment. I get a lot out of here because there are a lot of guys who are passionate about music but also music in my taste and level of musical undestanding.

Some places are literally flooded with 18 yr olds who's only experience of music is dr dre, a year with cubase and all the warez they can get from torrent. I'm old enough to see where to take knowledge and experience and when to ignore.

[agodi]

Oh I know about the sos forums and gearsluts, I post under diff names depending on time joined as I have been involved with other musos and had diff names at the time. I tend to post on jazz forums and here at the moment. I get a lot out of here because there are a lot of guys who are passionate about music but also music in my taste and level of musical undestanding.

Some places are literally flooded with 18 yr olds who's only experience of music is dr dre, a year with cubase and all the warez they can get from torrent. I'm old enough to see where to take knowledge and experience and when to ignore.

I think you misunderstood me, I mean't that you could try to find analog gear on sos rather than looking on ebay, as the prices may not be as high.

[AK]

Oblio, you must have posted that whilst I was typing mine out. No, the sound of a vco isnt as shallow with me as a software/analog comparison. It's much deeper seated than that, it's musical history and the sound links me to happy times. I just dont feel the rawness go through me with a va/softsynth that I do with a good vco. As you know its a diff experience.

Dont get me wrong, i like digital too. The good stuff that is. You can get some great percussive sounds out of FM that contain 'track tuned harmonics' . I actually want a dx200 myself because I think FM does percussive sounds really well in a mix of analog sounds. Programmed well they have clarity and definition that can 'bite' through a mix full of analog type sounds. Personally, I think it's a good combo.

Often overlooked is the Ensoniq SQ8O. The ESQ1 would do me to. Gems mate but now I said that, the price might rise.

[AK]

Oh I know about the sos forums and gearsluts, I post under diff names depending on time joined as I have been involved with other musos and had diff names at the time. I tend to post on jazz forums and here at the moment. I get a lot out of here because there are a lot of guys who are passionate about music but also music in my taste and level of musical undestanding.

Some places are literally flooded with 18 yr olds who's only experience of music is dr dre, a year with cubase and all the warez they can get from torrent. I'm old enough to see where to take knowledge and experience and when to ignore.

I think you misunderstood me, I mean't that you could try to find analog gear on sos rather than looking on ebay, as the prices may not be as high.

Sorry bro. Im on my mobile/cellphone, you can appreciate it's difficult to be 'on the ball' as it were. But I'm hearing what's being said minus some confusions lol

[oblioblioblio]

Oblio, you must have posted that whilst I was typing mine out. No, the sound of a vco isnt as shallow with me as a software/analog comparison. It's much deeper seated than that, it's musical history and the sound links me to happy times. I just dont feel the rawness go through me with a va/softsynth that I do with a good vco. As you know its a diff experience.

Dont get me wrong, i like digital too. The good stuff that is. You can get some great percussive sounds out of FM that contain 'track tuned harmonics' . I actually want a dx200 myself because I think FM does percussive sounds really well in a mix of analog sounds. Programmed well they have clarity and definition that can 'bite' through a mix full of analog type sounds. Personally, I think it's a good combo.

Often overlooked is the Ensoniq SQ8O. The ESQ1 would do me to. Gems mate but now I said that, the price might rise.

i think genetic history as well. being stuck in a computer isn't as compatible.

analogue fm with very accessible interface is much more interesting than digital fm with lots of voices but no proper method to alter parameters in real time.