Props to you. I think of myself as an FM lover, and you have FM synths I didn’t even know existed …
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I might have a little FM problem. Chasing my Sega nostalgia to relive my childhood.
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Nah. You just know FM is beautiful.
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FM = Frequency Modulation = Freaking Magic.
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Yes, because in 95% its phase modulation in disguise. I guess.
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I’m down for both
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And funny enough just to add to my thought above, last night I didn’t feel in the mood for Move (but there’s a caveat coming.) I had a spare hour but I was also shattered, and in that moment i actually reached for the Tracker because it has the fun generative stuff that Move doesn’t. On the other hand, Move is great for playing things in or giving Live tactile feel, and after a stint on the Tracker I enjoy that type of workflow.
The kicker is that even if you didn’t use Move to make a song, there’s a pretty big chance I’m using it to develop it in Live. So yeah, def not in the jamming sweet spot you mention for YouTube. But also for me that feeling that it’s got utility even when you don’t use it to make the song on it that makes it worth having.
I think it’s also like your Minifreak where this merging of hardware and software is just super convenient for workflow.
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I believe you must have meant Microfreak 
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Whoops! You right!
Thanks. Fixed!
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Yeah in principle I love the hybrid workflow. I could definitely see myself exploring the Move at some point. The Minifreak is amazing at the hybrid intersection!
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Think I’m the only one that bought stuff this year that doesn’t require power to play…
Hits:
Cymbals! REAL cymbals!
After years of not playing my acoustic drums and having to deal with mistriggering or not even triggering triggers, I’m so glad to be back into the super delicate and dynamics of real acoustic drums. Fuck it’s good to be home.
Kick drum practice pad
Now I can get in pad work at night AND footwork. Dancin’ on them blastbeats! Well…not really, but gettin’ there!
Misses
My JP-8000 finally suffering from the capacitors failing. I’m pretty handy but not sure if I trust myself enough to replace them all myself. I’ve been tempted to sell it and get a Syntakt or Minifreak. I have the Minifreak soft synth and a Microfreak, but IDK maybe I should invest in some synth courses because I just can’t get usable sounds out of the Micro and I have a really good as delay/reverb pedal (Earthquaker Devices Avalanche II)
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Yes!! I’m thinning down my instruments, trying to decide what I would choose to play in a band again and I keep coming back to drums. I love my acoustic drum kit. Picked it up a few years ago for a one-off gig and I so miss playing it. It’s the one instrument I can play without thinking. It’s all feel and there’s no greater pleasure than being in that flow state.
All I have to do now is find a shoegaze band that needs a new drummer…
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Fucking FORREAL!
My favorite thing is that they are such a great outlet for so many different kinds of releases. Want to get technical? Want to bash the shit out of something? Want to sweat and run a 100 yard dash?
Want to just be in the pocket and groove? Want to be subtle and play with super dynamics and nuance? I can do all of those on drums.
I wish I could on piano or guitar too, but oh well.
Hope you can find a band. I just want to play Sumac types songs with someone playing synths and using samples/samplers.
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Yep. Nothing like it. I appreciate using electronic drums and DT/MPC, but also love wailing on an acoustic drum set; it’s an elemental experience.
And there are so many sounds in one good cymbal, just hitting different parts of it, riding it, crashing it, playing it loud and soft.
Ah, drums.
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YES! I spent so many weeks looking for a pair of crashes and a ride, but even just one really goood crash or ride is all you need. So SO much you can do with one.
Edit: * Forrest Gump Voice * Sorry to crash you hits and misses party with drum talk. Unga bunga brain only think about drum.
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Hits:
Digitakt II/Digitone II - The Elektron way finally clicked for me as I was taking an online course for Syntakt. I sold my OG Digitone early in the year with hopes of an update with more polyphony and that paid off. I’m really happy with the updates to Digitakt II and Digitone II. I find that I am now spending more time with my Digi trio than I do with software or my Eurorack. These units now set the standard for me in usability and value.
Oxi One - This thing has so many uses for me. Eurorack sequencer. Sync it to my Digi’s and sequence other boxes like the MC-101 or Jupiter Xm. Support and updates are great. Accessories are spot on useful. I have the Eurorack module and the MIDI splitter box. This took the place of my Keystep Pro.
On the fence:
SP-404mkii - Sounds great. Makes other things sound great. Way too complicated for my casual needs. Not sure I want to really invest the time and repetition to fully learn this device.
Novation Circuit Tracks - I took the time to learn this device. It is easy to use. The sound is fine for the price. But when I start creating on it I always feel like I need a second unit so I will have enough parts. I also wish it had a little screen. When I put it away for a couple weeks and then try to use it again I feel like I am guessing at command combinations and I don’t have a screen to tell me if I guessed right or wrong. Still, it is the best of the cheap groove boxes. (Well, no. Second best, right after the MC-101).
Misses:
Teenage Engineering 133 KO ii. I had such hopes. Finally, a step up from my complete collection of pocket operators. In some ways it ended up being a step back. Easily my biggest disappointment of the year.
4MS MetaModule. I ordered this after watching the announcement video. Started reading the manual which I downloaded, updated VCV Rack and started making patches. Then it hit me. This thing felt more like work than a creative musical instrument. Returned.
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Hits:
Buchla Music Easel Retro: Beautiful Instrument, intelligent workflow, well thought out. and the full sound is something I cant get with eurorack (dont know exactly why). Delivery time was a bit more than 3 months. But it was worth the wait.
Verbos Sawtooth Stack: What a sound!
Soma Terra: This is incredible sensitive for skin contact, it reacts and behaves just like an acoustic instrument. Wonderfull playfull. Huge Sound.
Misses:
Verbos Real World Interface: Had lots of disturbance because of the high gain, could not get a clean signal out of it, replacement had the same problem. First time I had to return a verbos module.
AI Music Apps (aka Suno, Udio): Just stealin creativity.
still undecided:
Ableton Move: Good workflow but still missing some important features (MIDI, Note control). So I have to wait for some patches and upgrades.
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Let’s see…
Huge Hit- Digitone 2. Lovely sounding, versatile. very inspirational.
Hit- MPC One+. Also have a Live2, but it’s too big for my live setup. Strange caveat is I rarely sequence internally and almost never use the instrument plugins, so even though I don’t use it to nearly its full potential, it’s a great sounding sampler with fantastic audio quality and a large variety of pro sounding fx. I use it in my live setup and it works a treat.
Sorta Miss- IK UNO Synth Pro X
It sounded nice, but nothing made me want to actually use it much…UI maybe? Not sure, but it was just sitting around, so I sold it.
Miss- Liven Ambient 0
I can’t describe how much I hated that thing. Goofy UI, mediocre sound…not terrible sound, but I can get better results in software and actually have more fun doing it. But, it didn’t cost much and I didn’t lose much on it.
Incoming- Zoom L-6
We’ll see
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Hits:
Opsix
Great poly for a FM-holic. Goes very deep and once you learn to use it it’s not so bad navigation-wise. I even like the keyboard.
Model: cycles
I was skeptical at first due to having sold M:samples earlier, but this thing bangs. Admittedly, I dont like samplers that much. Bought to use it as a drum machine with Digitone and no regrets. Wont sell ever.
Miss:
SP-404 mk2
That frigging UX. Killed my creativity for months while I was trying to like it. Also, the confusing japanese FX names and how you always lose access to the params. Didnt even care for the effects quality.
TR8-S
Suboptimal sequencing, buggy external pattern change. Also, I’m too OCD about drum pitch for that tune knob twiddling.
Neutral:
Electric guitar, les paul
Nothing wrong with this one except I suck at it. Still, I will most likely keep it as you dont learn to play guitar instantly (duh) and it’s pretty fun to play generally. I have some unrelated hand problems currently, so learning is on hold.
Or well, G string intonation is sharp and the bridge is maxed out. But I read that maybe it could be fixed by flipping the bridge around. Hope for the best. Doesnt really matter that much with my level of playing at the moment.
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Hit: Opsix. Really like tweaking it, how it sounds and even how it looks. Shame it has no aftertouch and is fairly easy to crash - but I’m learning what not to do in that respect. Makes FM a real blast.
Hit: Line 6 HX One. Liked it so much I bought a second one. Stunning value for money.
Hit: Behringer Grind. Lots of options in a great, affordable package. Wish there was a way to quantize the pitch knob to octaves, like was added for Plaits. Maybe it’ll come.
Miss: TE Calculator KO thing. Disliked it so much I promptly forgot all about it, until I saw someone else mark it down here too.
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