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My former partner Lance and
I built a small home studio together. We bought a lot of used gear.
Lance was great at combing the classifieds and finding deals. We broke
up amicably at the end of 1997, which left us with the problem of splitting
up the stuff. He’s supposed to get most of it, but meanwhile it’s
all still in my house. I’m still toiling away, trying to learn what
goes into a good ambient piece.
Synthesizers are the core. Here’s our list:
- Clavia Nord Lead
This is a digital synthesizer that was a first in the current
synth trend: the software model of an analog synthesizer. It sounds
great. Most importantly, it has more than 20 wonderful knobs and buttons
on its face. You can change its sound just by reaching out and twisting.
- Access Virus
This is a more recent example of the virtual analog trend. It’s got
way more processing power than the Nord does, two filters, a ring
modulator, more sophisticated software. It’s got external inputs, for
example, which allows you to process external signals through its
amazing filters and vocoder algorithms. This one is all mine.
- Novation Drumstation
This one’s mine, acquired post-breakup. It’s a clever blend of
modelling and sampling that reproduces the sounds of Roland’s
classic drum machines, the TR-808 and TR-909.
- Oberheim
Matrix-1000
The one synth to have if you need analog sounds with modern digital
stability and MIDI control. Fat sound. Thundering bass. Amazing
modularity with an external editor. 1000 great presets if you don’t have
an editor. $300 used, but they’re still being made if you demand new.
- Novation Bass Station rack
This was supposed to be a bit of an imitation of the famous and
unobtainable Roland TB-303. It isn’t, but that isn’t bad. It’s a modern
take on an analog synth, like the Matrix-1000. It has two oscillators
(the 303 had only one) and a switchable 12db/24db filter (the 303 had
its cheesy 18db filter, responsible for its characteristic sound).
I often find myself wishing it was ballsier, whatever that means. Phatter.
Nastier.
- Emu Pro/Cussion
I feel like I should like this more than I do. But I can’t. It’s one
of the genre of synths whose users never make their own patches. It’s
a sample playback machine. It has great sounds in it. If you want a rock
drum kit, this is the place to look. But I prefer the Roland artificial
sounds. Still, I do use this when I need marimba or mallet/bell sounds,
though I usually warp it beyond recognition by running it through a filter
box.
- Emu Emax II
A sampler. An old sampler. Unfortunately, currently a non-functional
sampler.
- Korg DW-8000
I’ve heard this called Korg’s answer to the Yamaha DX7. Really? Hmmm.
It’s a strange transitional fossil, in between the pure analog synths of
the early 80s and the sterile sample-playback synths of the early 90s.
It doesn’t have oscillators. Instead it has digital sampled waveforms.
But it sends those through a genuine analog filter stage. And it has an
onboard effects unit, a rarity in those days. I use it only rarely these
days. I gave it to Lance.
Effects and processors:
- FMR Audio’s Really Nice Compressor
This is not advertising hyperbole. This is one very nice, very cheap
stereo compressor.
- A cheapo Alesis comp-limiter 3630, Lance’s birthday present. r.a.p says this gives you the most
blinky lights for your effects dollar.
- Digitech StudioQuad, upgraded to something or other. Nice reverb and multieffects.
- Yamaha analog delay: amazingly useful, distorts nicely.
- Another analog reverb, from Roland, with stereo springs!
- A Roland tape echo: God’s delay device.
- Peavey Spectrum analog filter: midi-sweepable filter, cool!
- An older Digitech harmonizer, chipmunk harmonies but OK pitch-shifting.
- various stomp box effects
- A dbx dual noise gate.
Computer gear:
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