I did not need to hear this!
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Hit: Model: Cycles. Second time buying it, just love the sounds and how easy it is to use.
Miss: Polyend/Dreadbox Medusa. Loved the demos and videos I watched while researching it, but it is not for me. Might check out a hydrasynth instead. I’m looking for something that’s immediately fun, has lots of presets, is tweakable, and intuitive.
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You, sir, are a hot candidate for the Happy NoGear New Year! thread. Just saying! Thanks for those valuable insights, highly appreciated! 
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This year I bought:
Moog grandmother (Hit)
Elektron Digitone (Hit)
Korg minilouge XD (Hit)
Waldorf iridium (Miss)
Access virus TI polar (Hit)
Moog grandmother was/is a hit for me because I really wanted that Moogy sound, something that lots try to replicate but never quite get 100%. Over the years I’ve owned a few vintage Moogs (Prodigy, Source and Rouge) but parted ways with them in the 2010s when the 2nd hand prices started to really get to the ridiculously high points vintage synths go for these days. After a while I felt like I was really missing the Moog tone so I tried replacing it with a Moog little phatty but ended up really hating the tone of it then I got a voyager and felt the same way, the tone was just really off, nothing like the vintage ones. Then about a year ago I demoed the Moog grandmother and it just hit me immediately “Ah THERE is that old Moogy tone I love” so I knew I had to get one and the fact that it was easily able to interface with eurorack was a plus as well.
Elektron Digitone- I love Elektron I love FM all the demos sounded good seemed like a no brainer especially after parting the the Monomachine, the FM engine was the machine I used the most the entire time I had it. When I got it I was very pleasantly surprised, I hadn’t used any of the newer small box Elektrons yet (I have the MDUW, AR, A4, OT and owned the MnM for years) but it feels really solid, I like the rubberized metal kind of feel of it, the screen is nice and the smaller form factor isn’t bad.
Korg minilouge XD - was not on my radar at all, mostly because of its specs and the few demos I heard of the prologue were kind of underwhelming but when I went in to buy the Moog grandmother they had an XD so I figured I’d check it out while I was waiting and immediately I was blown away at how good it sounds, especially at its prices point. How it sounds genuinely analog and how good the envelopes react. The filter sounds very vintage Korg which was a big plus for me and then icing on top is that the effects actually sounded good too. I realized that it had four lanes of knob recording which more than makes up for only having one LFO. I love that it’s almost entirely knob per function (at least for like 80% of the editing) I love that it’s just a nice simple synth that also has a decent amount of flexibility and then the fact that you can add user created oscillators and effects is really cool too.
Waldorf iridium- this one was a tricky one. I wanted a quantum since it launched so when the iridium came out I was pretty stoked. Specs look amazing on paper (and are pretty amazing) I love how it incorporates various types of synthesis methods as well in addition to the ability to do samples. But after a few months with it I had to really think about should I keep it or not. It wasn’t because it didn’t sound good because it does sound excellent which made the decision more difficult, a very flexible synth that also sounds great…what’s not to love. Well I only had a few complaints 1. You can’t cross modulate the oscillators unless you use kernel mode (then it turns one oscillator into 7 oscillators and you can cross mod them any way you want FM, AM, Ringmid what have you and while in kernel mode you can still select wavetables and assign them to whatever so you can add modulation to the modulators or operator etc etc and that’s all amazing and there’s an absolute ass ton that can be done just in Kernel mode to which you can have three of. BUT kernel mode just wasn’t fun to edit for a synth with so many knobs when you are using kernel mode you are relegated to the touch screen and soft knobs to create which wasn’t spontaneous and fun in my opinion. It would have been so much better if the quantum/iridium were designed with kernel mode already rolled out and not added after because then there would have been presumably more dedicated controls for it. I would have loved the ability to just cross mod oscillators of different synth types and then the addition of deducted controls for kernel mode would have been perfect.
2 There weren’t enough envelope stages for a wavetable synth. Even the Blofeld had extra stages in its evelopes. It can be worked around especially using the komplex modulator but still kind of a weird omission coming from a company like Waldorf.
3. It was pretty buggy especially when working with samples. (Though I did have faith they would work most of them out)
4. There were a LOT of features I felt like needed to be added or that were just missing, like polyphonic sequencing
5. The touch screen. It worked fine it looked very impressive but having a touch screen that size just kind of skeeves me out on a hardware synth I kept just thinking man how long until this thing breaks.
None of these are deal breakers, not even close. Overall the iridium is an extremely flexible capable and excellent sounding synth (the filters are fantastic and there are so many)
I would actually highly recommend getting one to anyone who is into that kind of sound. So what it actually came down to was something that I have had trouble coming to terms with several times with other gear and that is simply when a piece of gear doesn’t “click” with you then you won’t use it.
I can’t really pin point it but for whatever reason the Iridium just didn’t click with me it just didn’t vibe and I have no good reason that I can put into words why, it just didn’t. This has happened to me in the past with a few synths that also were nice and deep and sounded good and those are the ones I’ve sold only to buy again years later and then sell again and I really didn’t want to repeat that again. So I think that was a big takeaway if a specific instrument doesn’t vibe with you even after you’ve learned it in and out and have spent tons of hours with them it’s just not for you.
Access virus TI polar- this one was a surprise. After selling the iridium I had a bunch of ideas on where to put that money, maybe more modules maybe this synth or that synth but then I found myself revisiting virus demos again and again so I figured what the hell and I grabbed one. I had a virus C in the early/mid 2000s and didn’t love it I remembered feeling like the oscillators were a little thin when compared to other VAs like the Nord 2 and 3 and I just didn’t remember too much of it being that great other than the FX. So when I bought the TI I figured okay I don’t have any virtual analog synths and I know the effects sound amazing and I know it can get those kind of typical virus sounds that I find so appealing from the demos plus it adds more oscillator types it can do a fantastic super saw and it’s multi-tiberal so that should be fun. Then I got it and holy shit I was completely blown away at just how good it sounds the raw oscillators are not thin at all and the filters are great the wavetables sound great the routing options are decent and of course the effects are top notch. I was very pleasantly surprised but the overall sound quality and even how analog like it can get although that’s not what I plan on using it for it certainly is a plus. And like all the other hits on this list the polar just instantly clicked with me. That’s why I wanted the polar as opposed to the much less expensive rack version. Having a connection with a synth is apparently very important to me, more so than it’s specs.
So yea those were my hits and misses from what I’ve purchased this year and adding so much to my studio I really don’t think I’ll be buying much more for years…with the exception of maybe more modules because even at 9U I still don’t feel like my system is quite ‘there’ yet.
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Woah, this is utterly amazing… but that much gear would stress me out. I just can cope with my guitar some decent pedals and now I am trying to learn A4 mk2. Your reasons for enjoying this are definitely well justified… all the best
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For what it’s worth I am stressed out a lot. It’s a lot of money, buying and selling, juggling, guilt about owning so much gear and knowing realistically I could spent a lifetime learning half the amount of instruments I own.
But I keep going back to what I do for a living and seeing how horrible life gets for certain people (and how it was for me during the worst of the drug abuse.)
I also constantly think about “the opposite of addiction is connection” and look around at all the gear I bought…
I really enjoy reading this thread either way! It’s nice to read such a wide range of opinions on gear!
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Gonna update and say two more hits are:
- Blokas Midihub, so cool, programmable midi routing is so useful
- Nord Drum 3P, quite special.
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An update.
Hits
SSL Six, So useful in many ways, love it.
SubH You need some patience with it, but a lovely corner of inspiration.
Strymon Nightsky & Dig They just sound so good and work with synths and guitars.
Collission Devices, Black Hole Symmetry Modulated delay into fuzz, nice and gritty sounds.
Miss:
Boss RC 500 Looper Demands you adapt to its idiosyncrasies, sold it.
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This is what keeps me on the fence about buying the MicroFreak. I love the concept, and the amount of functionality that they’ve added with new sound engines in firmware updates is amazing, but I know that I basically have to price in a decent reverb pedal, which effectively doubles the price.
NTS-1 is pretty nice for adding effects to microfreak
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I can’t say any more, I promised on the first day this thread was active in September not to post until the year was actually finished.
Both Korg NTS-1 and Zoom MS70CDR add a lot to the Microfreak sound.
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With you on the Microcosm. First two demos I watched, I was like wow, game changer, then Secret Weapons did one of his marathons, and I slowly realised that for something with the huge range of pre-settings to tame the complexity, it’s kinda had the outcome of making it a one trick sonic pony. Great trick tho!
Hit:
Novation AFX Station
XOR NerdSEQ
1010 music Bitbox Micro (latest firmware rocks!)
BugBrand DRM2
Miss:
Sequential Prophet 6
MI Beads
QuBit Databender
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may I ask why?
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I had one before and I loved it but sold it when I got out of music for awhile. I got another one because the vintage knob update but it really only made a significant difference to me when using unison mode. I don’t know, I felt the whole thing was boring sounding compared to how I remembered my first one. The reverbs aren’t to my taste either.
The “hit or miss” is such a personal thing and shouldn’t reflect the usability or greatness of a piece of gear but more a reflection of what does or doesn’t work for an individual.
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You and I are in a similar boat, so I sympathize. Fortunately, I have kept my gear purchasing to a lesser extent than you so I am not in debt–but I am also not paying down my Mortgage in time for retirement as planned (I spent more on music gear this year than ever before, but feel no GAS for the foreseeable future and do plan to buy no new gear in 2022, and maybe a few years after that). I am a therapist as well, but in private practice. I used to work in Child Protection, and then worked for several years in the prison system, so I totally know what you mean by seeing the hardships in life. I too am sober (just celebrated 40 years this past week). Even though its been a long time, I don’t have to think too hard to remember how crazy I was, or the fact that several of my friends from then are long since dead due to all the craziness. I am perpetually grateful to have the opportunity to experience both the frustrations and the joys of getting to know, again and again, all the synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines I have and making sounds with my stuff, especially when compared to the hardships I still see people suffer in my professional life. I have a lifetime of learning ahead of me just with what I already own and I do my best (with mixed results) in making time to do this–I find it very calming and way to stay centered in the maelstrom of providing mental health care for the clients I see.
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We live in a world that is becoming increasingly complex from year to year and is now tending towards more chaotic conditions, for example in terms of the social, the climate and the financial world. In these modern times we now have to justify all our decisions, actions, convictions and beliefs in most cases to ourselves … I can say of myself that I often endure this world just by making music. Maybe that’s escapism … it doesn’t matter, I can understand everyone who finds sanctuaries in whatever form of music-making. Some play one instrument, others need several …
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Another hit for me this year: Korg MS-20 FS
I missed having a MS-20 around after selling the Mini I had 5 years ago but did not miss the build quality of it. The FS feels solid (maybe that’s what FS actually stands for), even compared to other quality synths I’ve used. Very glad to have it in the mix again, and I’m even more excited by its sound this time around.
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I bought a shit ton of gear this year, basically starting again from scratch after a long absence from creating music. Long-term plans to move abroad had to be abandoned due to the… ahem, “pandemic” and I needed to put my focus on something else to compensate for the loss, hence…
roughly in order of purchase. mostly hits
OB-6. What can I say?. A dream synth. It sounds absolutely wonderful and I can’t see myself ever selling it. I got a good deal on a secondhand but virtually new intrument, still within warranty. It is a bit expensive considering the build quality, some of the knobs feel a bit loose, the cutoff knob surprise surprise, which is annoying but I’m not gigging it so hopefully it won’t develop into a problem.
AR2. Slightly used but only a few months old and in near-mint condition. It took me a few days to get to grips with the Elektron sequencer… I didn’t even manage to program a beat until day two and lost some work along the way whilst learning to use it which I think happens to everyone. I reckon I could use this machine for years and still be only scratching the surface. I haven’t even tried using performances or scenes yet or parameter slides and have barely dipped a toe into what’s possible with trig conditions. Pads aren’t the greatest but in practice it doen’t affect things too much.
Behringer Neutron. If i had a young son I would buy him one of these for Christmas. It reminds me of one of those chemistry sets with a bunch of experiments that you can do with it. It even looks like a toy. It does kind of run a bit hot but the distortion circuit can be bypassed. I intend to use this a lot more in future, especially for bass and sfx.
Nord lead 3 and Novation Nova
Two synths that I used to have back in the early 2000’s. I know the Nova inside out and still have my old patches. One of the best bang for the buck synths ever made.
The NL3 was probably the greatest of the leads in terms of what it’s capable of. I don’t know why people rag on the filters, I can’t hear much difference from demos of the NL2 on youtube. I think maybe a lot of people were thrown off by the additional filter types and the fm aspect but I could be wrong. Sounds fine to me, I love the cutting sound of the Nord.
Modor NF1m. I bought this after watching a demo on yt and I had to have that sound. It’s a bit of a bugger to use… it took me a very long time to work out how to save and rename patches which seems unnecessarily convoluted imo and it takes some effort to program but it’s capable of some really beautiful and very cold, creepy and disturbing sounds. I’m hoping that Marcel does a bit more to develop its capabilities. Oscillator panning would really make it twice as good and morphing between filter types would be nice. Definitely worth persevering with this one.
Digitakt X2. Bought a used DT after I decided to send the AR2 back to Elektron for repair as a couple of the pads were less sensitive than the others and producing sudden jumps in velocity output relative to how hard the pads were hit. It was still within warranty so I thought it was best to get it looked at… Fell in love with it and then we got the massive update and I loved it even more, even considered selling the AR2 for a while which was boxed up for a couple of months. I bought another secondhand DT when the first one lost its eye when the NL3 fell on it. DT number 2 is currently in its box under the bed.
Behringer Pro 1 and Model D. Bought secondhand. No complaints. Haven’t used very much but they have the sounds that the originals are famous for and I will use them more.
NI Maschine Mikro3. I got this for finger drumming and haven’t used it much yet but it’s perfect for the job except for the annoying USB only lack of midi outs aspect . Very responsive to nuances in velocity. I tried using it with the Maschine software but the pc struggled with the workload and I didn’t want to get into learning another program just for the sake of it.
MISS
Presonus 1824C. I realized I needed more inputs and didn’t want to buy a mixer due to space constraints so got one of these after reading / watching good reviews. I noticed something lacking in the sound as soon as it was set up. Music I was currently working on didn’t sound the same, some of the things I was expecting to hear just weren’t there anymore. Put my old soundcard back in (Audiophile 2496) and the sounds were back again. Sent it back the next day and bought a Delta 1010lt. I won’t go near Presonus again.
HIT and MISS
Meris Polymoon. Bought secondhand. Love the sound but hate the interface. So many annoying aspects to this pedal, the lack of visual feedback… is the patch saved?, the inaccessibility of the Midi aspect and the incredibly stupid unplug it and plug it back in again to access the settings functions with the speaker shattering thud that entails. I would have happily paid another £50 for an lcd screen and a switch. Why, Meris… why?
more hits
Behringer MS-1. I got a refurb from Behringer on ebay. It’s got that early Autechre sound and more besides with the filter fm ability. Absolute bargain and surprisingly well built and heavy. I was expecting it to be all plastic like a Casio but it has a metal base and it feel solid throughout although the keybed is very light which is nice too, in its own way.
OTO. Bim, Bam, Boum. An extravagant purchase but I had to have them and have no regrets. Going to use on everything.
Behringer Deepmind 12d. Bought secondhand in excellent condition. I’m blown away by how good this is. Absolute bargain.
I don’t plan to buy anything like this much gear in 2022. I’ve pretty much got all I need now.
On a side note, I really wanted to love the UDO Super 6 but I’ve watched every demo I can find and don’t get the hype and it isn’t exactly cheap. Sure it’s premium quality but It just sounds kind of too flat and normal to me… there is a kind of airyness about it but it lacks something somehow, it doesn’t seem to squelch. … likewise the Hydrasynth, there is something squared-off about the sound, maybe they both come to life in the right hands but so far I’m not feeling either of them.
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