dubdub wrote:Mono-xID wrote:Actually I'd prefer he would come up with something new than copying the shit out of vintage gear.
I feel like making these machines available again to a broad audience will actually help to curb the vintage hype long term. Destroys the whole myth around them.
Totally agree about the myth, 200%.
But on the other hand, once in a while I'm still in doubt...
I just had 2 subsekt members over in the last 2 weeks,
and, as is usually the case when I have guests in my studio,
they went straight for the vintage gear in my studio,
not even leaving me the chance to let them listen to some of the marvelous VST's that are being released nowadays, but hey, I would have done the same if I was them, so yeah...
but that did kind of forced me out of my usual "production comfort zone",
making me constantly run HW gear I barely use through HW or SW FX.
I mean, I hooked it all up through patch bays to make it all easy as fuck,
but yet somehow you always get all into stubborn habits that make you patch very little, you know ?
Anyway, I had this 303 for about 3 or 4 years now, and every track I used a 303 on,
I just used some SW replica and I was more than happy with the results (and especially the ease of use).
I absolutely
HATE the interface of the 303...
I mean, if you want to see me flipping out, yelling at shit for no reason whatsoever,
just force me to program patterns on the 303, and you'll get me at my worst in
no time...
(I just want to be able to play my 303 via MIDI and then add accents later on)
So... my current plan is to get myself one of the proper clones, do an A/B test, and then sell my 303.
Same plan for my 101.
I have totally
had it with the current day myths.
I had more than enough "original" vintage pieces here, and I heard more than enough modern day replica's.
I got a JX-10 here, and I see no reason to keep it,
except that it looks great and has an awesome keyboard action.
I got a Juno-60 here and I literally did the A/B test with the TAL-U-NO after SHIDZO loved it so much he was seriously considering saving up for one, and yes, we agreed it was so god damn close it was useless getting the original when the TAL VST was
freeware.
And yet... The last night SHIDZO was here, I switched on my Xpander...
(just to show him a proper antidote for the shitty 303 interface)
Paid full current market value for it a few years ago (that hurt!!), and got 1 of the 6 voices not working.
I call it my "high maintenance bitch", since most of the times when I switch it on,
it starts producing a sound even if there's no MIDI note command sent to the unit at all.
(obviously I consider this to be a nice extra you won't get from the VST replica's,
though of course the results aren't always that great as they could possibly be)
It literally took me like 1 minute or less to explain how easy the interface of the Xpander was,
and SHIDZO was drawn into the bitch for ages.
I controlled my outboard FX, and he jammed on my Xpander,
and the result was the longest clip (1000+) I ever recorded in Live in all those years.
So anyway...
I do not want to sound as if I am defending the utter greatness of the old vintage synths.
There is always the huge price to consider, the
cost of maintenance,
(hell, my XV88's keyboard just broke down after 15 years of
very loyal service,
and that's not even vintage at all),
and even if you consider it as some form of investment,
it's only worth it's current market price if it keeps on working perfectly till you sell it...
but yeah, hearing my 303 run through my setup (proper EQ, proper distortion/delay/reverb),
I couldn't help but thinking I hadn't heard the same sound from using my SW clones.
And I am absolutely
flabbergasted that no company has ever considered using the interface of the Xpander on their modern day HW synths. This is easily considered to be the deepest analog synth ever made,
and yet programming it is as easy as a walk in the park...
Let's put it this way, 4 weeks ago I would have said :
get some SW emulation, when used in a mix, nobody will spot the difference any way !
Right now I'll say : you'll get there for 80% with most SW plugins,
and in the case of some you might even get to 90%,
but fuck me, did my guests ever show me how that last 10 to 20% can make all the difference in the time they were here...
When SHIDZO was leaving, I asked him what he thought about the whole gear thing,
and I was
very relieved he was saying "not so sure if I'll get HW",
because it became very obvious to both my guests what the downsides are with using HW
(the whole recording process, the lack of total recall, a "magic moment" can be gone in no time unless you record it immediately,...)
but yeah, it did show me a proper reason to still hold on to some of my vintage stuff.
There's shit I'll hold on to just 'cause I paid very little money for it compared to what it is worth today,
like my Juno-60.
but with the 303, it better be some hell of a modern replica before I do decide to sell mine
(which I'm actually hoping for since I do need the cash at the moment)...