A workflow question on sound vs coherence

I’m still struggling with my priorities, though, or so my wife says :blush:

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A few days (about a week) with my Sub37, I’ve made a few observations.

I sorely miss just sitting down by the instrument and writing a song. Like the Analog Keys, or even budget gear such as the Circuit would’ve allowed, just working with a piece of music as a pure composition, is something I constantly reach for as I play the Sub37. It doesn’t help that the Moog itself is a wonderful piece of gear, and inspires so many ideas that having that option at hand, would’ve yielded results most likely at once. It’s frustrating, to say the least.

However - it’s the sitting down and playing, that I’m appreciating all the more, just because of it. Working with the Sub37, playing it and recording stuff into the sequencer, is in itself such a rewarding experience, the instrument such a beauty, that I know I’d miss this even more, despite the functional strengths of other gear in the same range. Everything begins with just playing and working on something, and it’s that first step that the Sub37 gets right on all levels. In my eyes, it is flawless in this regard.

The pure experience of just playing is the single most important one for me, if I have to choose. And my current situation dictates that I have to. In that regard, the Sub37 is the perfect instrument, the synthesizer equivalent of playing the piano - a complete and satisfactory experience in itself.

By capturing the essence of this into pieces that I can later record into the Octratrack, during a few concentrated sessions, I imagine that putting together compositions in the Octatrack will be equally rewarding in their own way. I actually much prefer working with a longer piece in the Octatrack anyway, since it takes you to places you’d never expect. The more traditional approach of composition than the Analog Keys, or any other sequencer-based keyboard follows, yields results accordingly.

So while the choice is partly forced, I do think this actually is the best way to get interesting stuff done and enjoy the entire process while I’m at it.

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I think you know what your up to, but if you can ever muster the nerve to sit your OT right next to that moog, and start a composition from scratch, it will approach the functionality of an analog keys… Even just once in awhile…

Yes, you’re right, I’m definitely gonna try this as well. I used the Reface CS like that every once in awhile, and it was very rewarding.

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How are you getting along with that moog these days?

I understand where youre coming from as I’ve been there before. I would personally get a Virus over both. You get flexibility of a workstation with a much wider palette of sound, great keybed and best of all? 16 channel multi timbrality… !

No brainer in my view. And for anyone saying the Virus cant “go there” or sounds “thin”, they just dont know how to use it to its fullest capacity.

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Very well, thanks. It just keeps giving. It’s such a quality piece of gear.

I love the Virus. I just love the Moog more :slight_smile:

Tho people tell me, the Virus C was the best one, even more awesome than the current polars, snows and dark stars.

Nice, moogs are just so creamy and good…
Funny story:
I call moog tech support and rap with them for 10 minutes or so about some questions I had. The guy says something that made me laugh. I have (many) very distinguishable laughs, the guy says “wait a minute, who is this?” Uh, my names Mike… “Open Mike?, No way, this is Taylor…” And it was a friend of mine from a place I lived over 5 years ago, opposite side of the country from moog headquarters even!

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There’s just no end to the love that’s coming from Asheville, is there? :blush:

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The best part, besides the novelty of the situation, was when he said:
“If you ever have a problem, don’t worry about your warranty, you’ve got a friend at moog!”
Apparently a few of my friends including an ex girlfriend moved there, I’m pretty happy with where I’m living but I’ve daydreamed about moving there, I here lots of good things…

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I have a friend who goes there every year, from Sweden. That’s like half across the world. He says the beer’s worth it, though, and the music. Man, life sounds great and simple when you sum it up like that.

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Lol i know what you mean…

But when I watched this guy… i knew i had just scratched the surface of the Virus:

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Virus or Perfourmer?

You cant really compare because they are completely different but here goes:

OP is a kb player and had mentioned wanted a keyboard… thus, Virus is more useful if you are after keys, more versatile if youre looking for a gazillion recallable patches and… has a higher number of multi-timbral channels (16).

Superb build quality but some people diss it from time to time because they can’t accept its been around for 10yrs and is a VA synth arguing software is better… theres a reason its been around this long - its an awesome awesome synth…

However… if you are looking for true, sweet, analogue roundness, with four independent, harmonically lush singing filters… packaged in a well crafted, sexy looking box with a shitload of knobs and no screen, or memory…

Then step into my office… :heart_eyes:

there is something so damn rewarding about twisting knobs on the Perfourmer which, by virtue of its design, takes you to harmonic heavens you couldnt go to using conventional transport. :wink::sunglasses:

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Hi Nikarga, Its probably off topic for this thread so sorry for the derailing question. I am considering a few options at the moment so couldnt resist getting your opinion. Not many people own the perfourmer so hard to get opinions on it. I know they represent a completely different approach and sound, but are also within the same price bracket, I could go either way for different reasons.

I don’t know what it is. But I really don’t care for the sounds of the virus. It sounds too sterile to me

YEAH THIS VIDEO IS SO LOUD HONESTLY DONT LIKE THE PATCHES OR THE MUSIC

BUT THE VIRUS AND THAT STERILE SOUND AS YOU NAME WAS USED FROM RICHARD DEVINE, GARY NUMAN, DEPECHE MODE, JEAN MICHEL JARRE TO NAME A FEW. IT DEPENDS ON HOW YOU USE IT BUT SOUND REAL BIG AND FAT WITH TEXTURE WITH 16MULTI PARTS IF YOU WANT. OR VERY CINEMATIC… FOR ME SOUNDS AMAZING AND THE KEYBOARD IS REAL GOOD.
HOW IT SOUNDS AND HOW IT WORKS FOR ME IS TOP QUALITY ITS A GREAT TOOL :robot:

I’ve always been curious about the Virus. My pal Eric Lanham used one to great effect and the Bear In Heaven dudes used it heavily in some of my favorite albums of theirs. They did complain that it was buggy and fragile - too fragile to take out and tour with.

Still, a lot of potential with the Virus for sure.