Grain Bastard

A few more from me.

I can’t compete with the talent on this board but i got an Apple Pencil for Christmas and been doodling with Procreate app.

SS Death Camp Criminal Battalion Go to Monte Casino For the Massacre.

I think it’s more MC-303 than JV - it was marketed as a ‘Groove Keyboard’ along with the other ‘Groove boxes’ at the time (the 303, 307, 505 etc) but I guess it has some crossover. The 1080 is a better synth by far. it’s a little sentimental to me as I bought it new with some money I got when my grand father passed away. It was also at the time when soundblaster sound cards where the thing and Neon was the only VSTi in existence ? - I had a Phatboy controller which hooked up with it and might have been using NNRP’s for best integration and you could get at the envelopes etc that weren’t accessible from the front panel like the 303 had. The filter and reverb are a little basic but ok. The sampler is terrible though in my opinion. Soundfonts on the sound blaster was way better even though they are a massive fuck about to use. Things have definitely moved on for the better. A cheap one at a yard sale would be ok for a laugh but whatever you do, don’t give a lot of money for one!!

? D-Beams - nuff said!! seriously though, it’s basically an MC-303 with a SP-202 Dr Sample built in. Hook up a midi controller and you can get at the synth engine for 90’s rompler goodness.

Yeah, kinda. It’s my mates. We have a jam session most weeks and he brings it to mine now and then. Great synth imo. It works great with the 0-Coast and these semi modular boxes are a fantastic for preventing euro-crack addiction ?

Did someone say cables ?

I like a nice tidy setup ?

I’m a UAD user so I use their offerings mainly. The EMT140 plate and the Lexicon 480 are my go to ones. I buy the UAD stuff when they have the big sales and you can make a custom bundle of any 4 plugins for £259 (with the £40 voucher you usually get) - works out at £65 per plugin which for a lexicon 480l is decent buy imo. I’ve also got the Eventide Blackhole plugin/app for iOS recently and it’s really nice. Borderlands thru Blackhole is something to behold ?

Avengers: (Bell)Endgame

A Field Guide to Evil springs to mind. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt6688354/

I loaded the MachineDrum patches they released from the live stuff and it sounds amazing but nothing more complex than excellent programming and sound design. They really know what they are doing with the synth for sure but breaking it down it’s nothing more than 2 bar 32 step patterns triggering sounds they have created from the onboard synths with automation (p-locks) and some clever choke groups. I guess the MonoMachine stuff is basically the same principle, so nothing more ‘complex’ than programming step sequencers, triggering sounds they have crafted from the onboard synth engines - it’s not a load of effects or custom software for this era of their output just good old fashioned knowledge of the gear they’re using and a great musical vision. I would guess at the Max/MSP patches they use are are extensions of the same ideas, so they have programmed their own sequencers (to get greater controls, more ways of manipulating etc) to trigger their own created synths/samplers that have the level of control they require and the real ‘complexity’ is in there musical vision. Unless you program/play the max patch as they do, I don’t imagine it would sound any more ‘Autechre-y’ than using the Elektron boxes. just MHO

Crimson Peak

Mine was in my main Bleep account not the Ae webstore one. Doesn’t show up in that one. I have bought physical releases tho. Thanks Sean and Rob!!

It’s a good synth. It’s not expensive and got a decent amount of features to justify ‘another analog mono synth’ such as the patchbay and euro rack mounting. Knob more or less per function and sounds good. Can sound smooth or gritty depending on what you want. Obviously if you already have a bunch of mono analogs you might not really need it but paired to the 0-Coast with a bunch of cables you get a lot of modular fun for about £700. Way more fun than a £700 of Eurorack modules starter kit. I heard the Neutron is Paraphonic is that true? Looks really dope!!! It is - obviously that means only a single oscillator per voice but still a cool feature. Don’t be put off by the brand, it’s a good synth.

It’s a good synth. It’s not expensive and got a decent amount of features to justify ‘another analog mono synth’ such as the patchbay and euro rack mounting. Knob more or less per function and sounds good. Can sound smooth or gritty depending on what you want. Obviously if you already have a bunch of mono analogs you might not really need it but paired to the 0-Coast with a bunch of cables you get a lot of modular fun for about £700. Way more fun than a £700 of Eurorack modules starter kit.

MD, 303, Neutron, 0-Coast and Particle....

It stressed me a little bit in 2016 as i was determined to make all weeks. Not sure I want to put my OCD thru that again. Looks like I still have an account though so you don’t need to resign up.

I'm actually pretty psyched to get it, although I'd never have bought one. The person who gave it to me says she has some "old analog gear" and she might have more things for me later (serious hoarder who is finally getting proper therapy and unloading stuff) but I assume in this case "analog" actutally just means "hardware from the 90s/not a computer" which is still fine by me. The 909 snare sample is maybe the worst sample I've heard on a professional piece of gear, though. There's a fairly high noise floor on it and then they apparently didn't bother to trim it to a zero crossing, because there's an audible click at the end of it. Haven't dug in deep enough yet to know if you can adjust the decay time on the drum samples to get rid of that. I'm mainly interested in it as a stripped down step sequencer/arpeggiator though, I probably won't even use the internal sounds at all. I have an EG-101 which is a 303 and 202 DR Sample sort of hybrid with a keyboard and D-Beam :) The amount of control on the synth is limited to a few knobs for filter etc but you could edit more synth options on them with a suitable controller - back when I used mine a lot I had a Phatboy controller which could send the necessary NRPN midi. However, I don't think you could edit the drums in the same way as they are just rom samples AFAIK all mapped GM channel 10 style. Anyway, I'll stick up for them (the EG & MC) as at the time I had it a Pentium II 350mhz was a pretty high end pc and the VSTi options were Steinbergs Neon and a little synth from Muon (Tau???) - while there is plenty of crap in the Rolands by todays standards they delivered at the time for certain duties like pads and synth strings etc. The 303 sounds wasn't great ironically and of course they sound nothing like the vintage analogues either but the price had already gone up on those. Cubase VST, Rebirth, Soundblaster Live with the EMU ASIO hack and the 101, I was happy :)

+8 idm - nice!!!

Looks like the soundboards are paying well judging by Seans fancy new coat :- They ain't no NorthFaces!! You ain't bagging one of those beauties for £70 at TK MAXX!!!! http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?country=gb&language=en&gender=Mens&category=Insulated_Jackets&model=Ceres-SV-Parka Upping the game in every way :)

I will make all 52 weeks :) I miss the Auxien stuff......

My cool as fuck girlfriend has bought me a 0-Coast for Christmas!!!

Sean still rockin' that pilots hat.....