I feel ya. Thanks.
Cool
A few quick pics of my basement. Ugly carpet and ugly walls courtesy of the landlord (we rent). No, the acoustic panels don’t do a lot - they are left over from the control room in my old place. As you can see, I’ve begun painting the panels with the Famous Monsters of Filmland. The Soundcraft 22 MTK is just temporary until I finish restoring the TAC Scorpion seen in the background of the first photo.
You’d think I would have more than enough gear down here. And yet… I can’t help thinking a Machindrum would put the finishing touches on the room. 
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I really dont like the carpet
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I know. It is simply awful. Somehow, though, I hardly notice it when I’m down here…
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Nice Akai Recorder. How do you find it in real life usage?
A real Synth Cave … WoW … and a real vault of treasures too … I only miss some patch cables on the modular 
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Too much a ‘cave’ really - I wish I had some windows. I almost never leave the modular patched up - I always make new patches for each sound on each track as I need them. Really complex patches might get left up over a day or two as I tweak and tease them into shape.
I can’t believe you have that Boris Karloff poster. He sits in a commanding position too, almost as if Boris looks over your shoulder while you’re writing and recording, gently nodding in approval.
Seriously though, you have impressive pieces there in your work space.
Is that a strobe tuner to the right of the OBX-a? Sweet tape delay on the desk too!
What are your thoughts on the Pacarana? I’ve always been intrigued by Symbolic Sound but I’ve not taken the plunge because I’ve never heard one in person before.
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Actually, that Karloff portrait is hand-painted (by me - I do a lot of art) on one of my acoustic panels. I used an airbrush so that the finish was absorbed into the fabric and would not affect its acoustic properties. I intend to do Lugosi next, followed by Karloff’s Mummy, Elsa Lancaster’s Bride, etc.
The thing to the right of the OBX-a is an old waveform generator. I have quite a number of them around my basement.
I have been using Kyma for well over a decade, first using a Capybara 320 (below the Pacarana in the desk). Kyma is as much a part of my work as the big modular system. I love it. It’s not for everyone - it is anything but immediate - but it is incredibly powerful and flexible. The only thing that sometimes lets new users down a bit is its library of existing ‘Sounds’ (that’s what Symbolic Sound call a patch, a file and, well, anything). Most modular environments (Reaktor, Max, etc) have libraries full of complex, complete pre-rolled instruments and effects that can be called up and used like a complete synthesizer or effects device. Kyma’s library tends to individual tasks, rather than all-in-one devices. So there’s no, say, complete virtual analogue, additive, FM, or wavetable synths with all the trimmings, though Kyma is perfectly capable of being used to make them. Some users (like myself) have built things like this and contributed them to the user library, but for the most part, Kyma is intended to make entirely new things as you need (or imagine) them. I can’t imagine getting along without it. I am no codehead and those who can code can get lots more out of it than I can, but thanks to its vast library of prefab expressions, I can drag bits of code in as I need them and muddle through. That isn’t to say one needs to be able to write code to get their money’s worth out of the system - there is a lot to explore. It’s been growing for three decades, after all! And the Symbolic Sound people are absolutely brilliant, kind and helpful. Some of the best support I have ever experienced.
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Thanks Scot_Solida. I’m speechless. I hope you find a way to sneak in some new images once you’ve completed the other panels. You are clearly a talented painter.
Thanks for the comments on Kyma too!
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Thank you, that’s very kind. I gave up art when I had an accident that severed the tendons in my right hand back in 2002. I’m slowly getting back some of my former skills. The Karloff panel was good practice for that.
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Nice half-size continuum.
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This - along with my first Elektron unit - has been the most revelatory thing I have bought in recent years. It profoundly changed my music for the better. I love it so very much. If I had the space and the money, I’d get the full-size.
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No setup here. Have a Soundcraft M8 and some other tiny gear, but have no room to set it all up.
So i only use the Rytm, the A4 and the OT to do my stuff. Put them out of the cabinet when i need them, put them on my desk, jam my stuff and put them back into the cabinet when im done - to use my desk as intended again
It helps maintain focus. I use a computer DAW also. I record to the Akai first and then if I want to do anything else with what I recorded I may use Logic or Ableton.
Look out working that Poly 61!
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It’s pretty flaky. I bought it from a pawn shop in non-working order for $40. As might be expected, the battery had burst. I cleaned it all up and now the synth works, but it doesn’t save any sounds. That doesn’t really bug me, as I always make new sounds on every synth every time I use them. However, I will eventually fix it just for my peace of mind.