Not to mention The Pipe: all the intimacy and immersion of vocals for those who can’t sing.
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This is something I thought about last night. I do not have any gear suggestion to contribute with because I haven’t come across ‘that’ electronic instrument yet.
I believe someone can and will create a truly expressive and organic electronic instrument sometime, perhaps in the near future. I think the key aspect here is organic. Meaning something imperfect. Now that i think about it the Theremin is pretty close. But the sound is lacking and the air control is gimmicky tbh.
What about something with reeds? A harmonium or pump organ.
Moog DFAM and Subharmonicon.
I also haven’t felt the same connection to my electronic instruments as I do to a piano or cello. The closest I come is with the Digitone Keys, which is also my best keyboard. I imagine the Hydrasynth keyboard would be even better. That could just be tapping into my years of piano experience, it’s hard to say. I think the quality and complexity of the sound and being able to feel vibration in one’s fingertips plays a role. I can certainly get lost in sculpting an evolving electronic sound (even on something as tiny as the NTS-1) but it’s not the same in terms of feeling a connection.
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Piano is and always will be my first instrument. There was one in my childhood home and I’ve been playing it (at times sporadically) since I was probably three years old - never studied it though. But I could say it’s in my blood.
I’m not a good player but I know enough to be able to express myself with it. The incredible immediacy is obviously another thing that the piano has going for it.
I can definitely get lost in playing the piano but I don’t actually remember a single time that I’ve managed to write anything worthwhile in that state. Maybe the bliss ends when I press record and perhaps become too conscious of what I’m doing. Listening to recordings from such sessions on the following day usually makes me go ”was this really it!?!” Once the notes are stripped of the euphoria I get playing them while I’m in the zone, they’re usually not that special.
Anyway, I don’t expect any other instrument to get even close to the piano in this regard. However, while I’ve felt a connection to some pieces during a honeymoon period, I feel that a true connection between myself and an instrument can only be born through time spent together. The only electronic instrument that is starting to get close to that territory is the Machinedrum. Since the past spring I’ve sat down with mine at least five nights a week. It’s only been about half a year (compared to more than 30 years with the piano) so it’s not really a comparable but for me that’s the closest I’ve got in my little over two years of electronic instruments.
Edit: Another musical experience I’ve got lost into is playing droney/feedback-y stuff with the guitar through a couple of pedals. Those sessions are awesome and really immersive but the musical results (if I even end up recording them) as such are usually nothing to write home about.
Another edit: For some reason I find it particularly difficult to connect with a sound module type of electronic instrument, even something as knobby and wonderful as a Perfourmer or OB-6 desktop. I mean, I just don’t have the space for more than one bigger keyboard (Matriarch) in my setup but for me desktops and modules are always a compromise.
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Maybe try a Yamaha Reface CP or CS…small Keyboards to get lost in jam…
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+1 for the expressive e osmose, though I don’t think you can actually get one yet. In a general sense I would say MPE is where this is at.
I wrote a bad master thesis on the subject a few years ago and tried a bunch of different controllers. My favourite was the linnstrument, but a roli seaboard with the built in synth engine might be better if you’re a keys man.
But keep your eyes on that Osmose, it seems beautifully tactile and expressive.
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Just want to point out that a piano is quite limited in terms of expressive control. It’s a percussion instrument. Once the hammer drops, there isn’t anything else you can do with the sound except cut it off by lifting the sustain pedal.
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I just hope they will make enough units for everybody in a short time.
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Force yourself to record all the time. Leave it setup so it’s easy to just hit record every time you sit down. You’ll soon forget about red light syndrome.
I love your piano stuff on the current sounds thread. Emotion beats technicality every time!
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yeah Eurorack by itself is a bit techy, often resulting in liking something for a few minutes, being techy, finding another sweet spot and so on….
but, something that is really expressive and musical and mesmerizing is the combination of the Analog Keys and the OCoast connected to the CV track feeding into the FX track.
this is such a great combo, it is so deeply musical and drifting 
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Some relevant quotes from Lyle Mays’ final interview. Despite his access to great synth gear (Oberheim Four Voice, Prophet 5, Synclavier, etc.), he generally preferred to play his solos on acoustic piano - I think only musos who have put the time and effort to express themselves on a nice grand piano can relate:
I viewed synths as a way to express my orchestrational visions, not as a way for me to express my personal performance aspirations. In that way I think I differed from most of my colleagues who tried, and mostly failed, to use synths as tools for personal expression. I thought synths were too primitive to be used in that way and was not interested in soloing on them.
I came at synths like a classical conductor trying to make an ensemble of children sound adequate, I asked them only to play their parts adequately and not get in the way of the adults
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I’m looking into the Soma Dvina (preorder and wait for months), always wanted to grab a violin or sitar, hope i can get some good soft-to-sharp drones out of it.
Anyone tried these once? Experiences?
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Yeah, the production seems to be going slowly, not surprisingly. I’ve recently started making enough money that it might be an option for me, but I don’t want to be a part of a waiting list if I decide to pull the trigger on something that expensive.
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It’s actually a very precise way of putting it. Maybe replace quite with relatively, and everyone should be content.
I didn’t say people couldn’t be expressive with a piano; obviously they can be highly expressive. The long years of development of both technique and the physical aspects of the instrument make a big difference. But the player really only has gate and velocity. Aftertouch, poly aftertouch, MPE, all these things being brought up are different dimensions and are not direct substitutes. That was my main point.
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He said control of expression to be fair. But I think we both get what he meant and will just end up hijacking the thread with a semantic argument if we go on 
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