Oh goodness me. I’m happier with this year’s NAMM than the last (but happy that last year brought us Digitone). There’s much more embrace of the odd and unusual sides of synthesis from larger companies and I’m happy with that. I’m happy with Korg’s Volcas and Minilogue announcements. I don’t care about Model:Samples but I don’t care about Analog Rytm either. I don’t have to love everything a company does. I’ve also learned not to expect groundbreaking things year after year.
But I’m also of the belief that people underappreciate just how good the Digitone is - it’s barely a year old and it feels like it’s forgotten as the rush and clamor of ‘yeah but what have you done for me lately besides revamping your entire product line and producing a beautiful new synth that is fairly distinct from just about everything else on the market? huh? DO MORE!’
So my attitude of “there should be more explorations of what’s possible with audio synthesis” feels like it WAS listened to by more than one major manufacturer. I’m happy with recent or upcoming releases from Korg, Modal, Arturia, etc. It was enough to keep me from even looking at what Eurorack folks are doing (because that area has had good synthesis ideas and tools, but is not a road I’m eager to go down again).
I have no need of the TE Pocket Operator modular stuff as currently shipping, but damn if I’m not impressed by the PO-3x series from last couple of years and I still want an OP-Z. Yet people seem to be writing TE off as blundering idiots who can’t make anything good just because people who already have too many useless synths lying around have no real need for yet-another-analog / (pseudo) modular synth. Other people do. Other people will get them as their first synth and have fun.
Some seem disappointed that there weren’t more ‘flagship’ level synths this year. I don’t care. Once synths start costing over $1k, I start to think “dammit, I should just buy myself a Macbook Air and write my own shit in Reaktor and Max” (that’s the story I tell myself to keep myself away from chasing down Yamaha FS1R auctions anyways). I don’t have that kind of money to spend so…
Yeah… More low cost things that are fun. I like it. I’m reminded how Tatsuya Takahashi responded to criticism of the Volcas and Monotrons as toys by basically saying “that’s a compliment - toys are fun.” And many of this year’s offering that excite me keep that spirit of fun while embracing some of the stranger sides of synthesis. Something folks like Bastl have been doing for a long time, to my delight. I’m happy to see Korg and Arturia getting into that realm.
It sure beats, for me, the “Uli and the Clone-a-saurus” matinee feature (mostly because nothing that they’ve cloned has been of any interest to me). But if the rumors of an EMS Synthi inspired clone are true, then I’ll get on board, so I’ll not come down against all Behringer clones. Just that I’m so bored of basic subtractive analog synths and have never been particularly drawn to old Roland sounds anyways so… pass… On to new things! Or forgotten things! Or cheaper things that are less conventional! Away from 808s and 909s and 303s and 101s, unless doing something weird with them like the Volca Kick did with MS-20 technologies.
But Elektron - so many samplers now, and not one with grain envelopes? That would be killer.
