Folktek Mescaline

The Lounge Other Gear
#41

@TobySD - I know, I know…I’m probably not being honest with myself…

@djd_oz - Thanks!

Care to elaborate on what the pot calibration helped with? I’m interested to know what you were able to get sonically, before and after the pot adjustments.

&, are the pots in the back for tuning of each synth voice?

(regarding it’s limited range. I am going into this with this assumption that it will be limited…but as I mentioned earlier, I love it’s raw and distorted sounds…
It seems to capture something that I’ve not been able to make before…and I’m still a huge NIN fan :slight_smile:

#42

Im the opposite , trying to give noise a pop sensibility. I still cant beat taylor swifts pop noise style . Its a best seller https://theindustryobserver.thebrag.com/taylor-swift-once-released-a-song-of-white-noise-that-hit-1-in-canada/

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#43

Thinking to put on sale my Folktek Mescaline - an experimental modular system.

Wondering which price should I ask, since they are out of production and probably will never show up again. Can’t find it for sale, out of stock everywhere. It’s quite unique and more like an art object, so I guess will grow in price sooner or later. And I’m not in a hurry.

What do you think? What would be fair rate?

#44

I’ll give you sixteen, but you have to accept before midnight. Whadaya think?

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#45

It’s already far after midnight here…

Other opinions?

#46

I’ll go seventeen

edit: I’m hoping that’s dollars

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#47

What do you feel its worth selling for?

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#48

It “feels” like it should be around 900$ or more. Just by comparing it to other modular systems I have… It offers a lot - sequencing, drums, effects, touch pads, “poly synth”… It’s a complete instrument with super unique sound and approach. But if I look at it from “rare art object” perspective, probably it should go for much more, and will for sure as soon as the time pass by.

Dont’ know… What’s why I decided to ask community for some thoughts.
Don’t want to let it go, but I’m not a collector…

#49

When I read about, how people experience the customer service and general build quality of Folktek stuff, ‘expensive art’ is not the first thing, that springs to mind.

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#50

Just the ones at the back of the panel. It really takes sometime to experiment to get the correct settings. I can send you a picture of my settings if you like, just shoot me a PM.

#51

Customer support is terrible, however I still have mine, If you also have some Eurorack gear, the Soundmachines NS1 Nanobridge is a great converter which will open up the system and will be able to do all sorts of crazy stuff with it.

In regards to the prices, checking the recent sold prices it is around $600 - $850 USD

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#52

This raises an interesting question about what you consider the purpose of the mescaline to be. I have no doubt that you could keep it for a couple years, list it at a high price, and sell it to some one with more money than time who would sit it on a shelf, occasionally utilising it to about 30% of it’s full potential.

I’m equally certain you could offer it for a price more in-line with what you yourself paid for it, and thus give people from a wider demographic the potential to explore it, more likely utilising it’s potential to create unique and worthwhile music. This in itself could be considered to be of an equivalent value to the extra financial gain you would personally make from selling it as a “rare art object”.

The question is, in what context do you yourself see the most intrinsic value of the mescaline? As an aesthetic object to be passively appreciated, or a unique interface to be actively interacted with?

1 Like
#53

Agree with you. It all is not that obvious.

First of all, what would be “better” out of those two scenarios is quite clear to me, as I mentioned I’m not a collector or synth trader who is looking for a profit. I have no intention to gain money, but just consider to get some granular gear instead of Mescaline, something that I would definitely use more at present moment for ongoing recordings. The only reason why I asked this question here is that I want to test the waters and decide if I want to keep it “that” much, and if I really could get what I believe I need for the price of it.

And I really want to keep it : )

Since I’ve seen it for the first time, it was instant feeling that it’s not just a sound tool to get certain result (let’s say a track or a bunch of experimental loops for a sampler ), but more a kind of concept that need to be experienced. And it won’t be an easy experience, it’s obviously not “plug and play” machine, you have to tune it, find tripots on the back, find your balance with options, learn how to overcome some imperfections (there are quite few ), find your way thru all the wired details, fight with crazy small patch cords and at the end this all is what the Mescaline is: a kind of trip with elements of electronic music, weird interface design and special artistic vision behind it.

I consider Arius Blaze (and all the Folktek crew ) as more artists than synth company, they consistently build machines with a very certain sonic qualities and interfaces, quite useless for “normal“ music production, but instead with very special vibe and their own place in this world. It’s definitely something that I respect, support and simply like.

Time with Mescaline for me usually looks like this: take it out of the box in the middle of a sleepless night, put it all together, slowly spend hours patching and tuning with tea breaks and finally maybe having it playing in the background while reading a book till sunrise (and yeah it could be generative enough to live his own life ). I like the unique texture of the sound itself, raw and organic, but definitely not frightful.

As for passive appreciation, well, I think this is also the case. Maybe as soon as years or decades will pass by ( I’m more than 20 years in electronic music so I know how this happens : ) it would very nice to get it out of the box and show to someone or just experience it again. Hopefully it can survive those decades as the build quality is let’s say questionable : )

So this all together for me represents its value and definitely more than just another modern sampler or… well, I hope I explained the idea, and what is even nicer- clarified something for myself : )