Future studio plans

On some related notes (further up the scale if you will), maybe it would be a good moment to say something about how I see the inevitable studio expansion project proceeding. Heheh, that's right, all you nerdbrained synth freaks finally get to geek out about gear with me after months, if not years! of what might have seemed like a bid for becoming some kind of techno-primitive sage wisdom-channeling diviner that only occasionally made or discussed actual music or even said anything intelligible to anyone who hadn't also had their insides rearranged in a life-saving, ghastly Cronenberg-style medical operation. Which is basically what happened to me several years ago. Not to worry. Rest assured, I'm not trying to start a cult, unless that cult involves a continual quest for what pale sliver of understanding, coherence or truth might be gleaned from that bottomless basket of horror, pain and meaty grief we call human exis...  

Whoa whoa! Wait a minute there, hang on! I thought you said you were just going to talk about gear this time!? 

Ah, right. Yes.

Sorry.

All right then, *Let's Go!*

 

 

...Which is the welcome screen text I programmed into the Yamaha TX81Z at startup! Welcome indeed, because the TX81Z is almost identical to the first synth I ever owned, its keyboard-sporting cousin with slightly different features released earlier, in 1985: the Yamaha DX-21. Just like the TX, it had four operators (oscillators really), no filter, one LFO and a breath control interface, but compared to the rack module it was more limited in the sense that it could produce only sine waves as operators. Doing FM synthesis with waves other than sines is actually one the best things about the TX81Z, and I'm always amazed at the subtleties it can offer. It can also sound quite analog on occasion. 

But what about that silly breath controller? Looking back on it, had I somehow aquired one it could have been a greatly more expressive and satisfying musical experience overall. Yamaha pushed (blew?) the breath controller hard during the 80s (especially in manuals) for their smaller, less expensive FM synths, and it's not actually difficult to understand their thinking. If a keyboard synth lacks velocity control (like the DX-21) or real-time controllers (aka knobs) and there aren't 6 operators for added depth or complexity, the design engineers probably thought adding an extra expression controller (proprietary, of course) would make up for any perceived deficiencies in its attractiveness to musicians. Who knows how many people ended up buying one, but without a doubt having a real-time controller that doesn't tie up the synthesists's hands with the added benefit of actually resembling the interface of a traditional instrument sort of makes a lot of sense. Almost. I'd like to find one of these breath controllers (hope it's not too gross from everyone's breathing into it!) and really start to rock out on the TX81Z, possibly producing some of the most far-out solos you've heard in the process. It would likely send CC data over MIDI too. Would my life finally be complete?

It's a neat idea, anyway.

But (I can almost hear someone asking) what's with all this cheap digital crap, yo? MIDI? Pff. Where is your MiniMoog, ARP2600, Obie Four Voice...? Yes, that IS something I've definitely thought of and of which I am quite well aware. The closest I've got so far is my beloved DSI Pro 2 which, despite having an analog signal path and filters actually uses a digital waveform generator in place of VCOs, sort of like the signal path of the Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000, which is technically a sampler. Now, the Pro 2 is not a sampler, ROMpler or workstation; it is a true monosynth that to my thinking embraces the best of all possible worlds. It maintains the analog filter, VCA and even analog feedback, overdrive and delay most beloved of classic instruments while using CPU-based oscillators as sound sources for added stability, programmability and waveform options. Underneath the hood it's essentially modular.

I really love the Pro 2: I think it's one of the best things Dave Smith ever designed, and while it's tempting to explore the seemingly more common Pro 3 someday I also feel that I'm definitely not done pulling some truly cosmic tones from this one. I'll probably continue using it as my lead synth for quite some time, but that's far from the end of the story. Still yet to explore on the back panel are the CV / Gate Ins and Outs that will soon enable the use of real analog oscillators (or anything else with CV) alongside its internal signal generators... as if four isn't enough already. It's time for a rendezvous on Moonbase Alfa Chip!!

 

Just a lonely unused CV / Gate interface...

I'm finally getting on the EuroRack train with a small Pod 40X from 4ms. In the bag you see a couple of Alfa 3340 VCOs

Part of the rationale is cost: like most working musicians these days, I don't happen to have a spare One Million Dollars or know of any disused bank vaults to store my slice of vintage euphoria in, so a lot of actual 70s- or 80s- vintage gear is out of the question. Euphonia. Euphoria. Whatever. You get it. The point is, instruments with real analog oscillators tend to cost more, and up until this point I've simply used the best gear I could afford but that also sounds incredible, and to be honest a lot of that stuff is actually digital. None of it is very new either, most of it being rack stuff from the 90s or late 80s. People move on to new stuff too quickly I think. I really like the Korg Wavestation, which is just this immense edifice of a synth with so much untapped potential. And it's from 1990. I feel I've only barely scratched the surface of it so far, but I've already taken the time to program my own sounds, many of which you can hear on my releases. In some cases they are custom variations on presets (I have the SR module), but either way, everyone can certainly look forward to more Wavestation from me!

Yeah, I get how having lots of hardware and racks and wires running around looks amazing and sci-fi and hands-on and all... I remember a slightly different perspective from an influential source, however. As a kid I somehow had a copy of "Secrets of Synthesis", a cassette from the mid-80s with Wendy Carlos on the heels of her success with the "Tron" soundtrack. "Good analog can be good," I remember hearing her say on that tape, almost as if it was yesterday, "but good digital is better!" This, from the woman who until that point was largely synonymous with the big, modular analog Moog featured on the famous cover of Switched-On Bach. Not only that, but as amazing as the Synergy and the Fairlight were, digital audio technology in the mid 1980s was not even anywhere near as advanced as it is now when she said that! Just dial up some of the more recent generations of software instruments accessible to musicians and it's tempting to agree with that sentiment once again. One doesn't wish to abandon entirely the possibility of real-time control or hands-on tangibility, so in the end I've found a hybrid approach centered on (what a surprise!) stuff you happen to like is better than being some dogmatic purist who won't touch anything unless it's certifiably approved museum-grade vintage analog, or some other criterion that (at least to anyone who has studied a sufficient amount of physics) is in the end somewhat arbitrary anyway.

Yes, just had to sneak in that little nugget of nihilism at the end there, didn't I? 

Ha, well enjoy your weekend from me NONE the less!

Sedimentary, dear Watson!

Sepia is a species of ink sac-bearing cuttlefish.

Umber, on the other hand, is a type of seafloor rock.

(for the previous)

For "train", substitute "nation-state", "global economy", "democratic freedom"... etc.

As the world burns

"A social organism of any sort whatever, large or small, is what it is because each member proceeds to his own duty with a trust that the others will simultaneously do theirs. Wherever a desired result is achieved by the co-operation of many independent persons, its existence as a fact is a pure consequence of the precursive faith in one another of those immediately concerned. A government, an army, a commercial system, a ship, a college, an athletic team, all exist on this condition, without which not only is nothing achieved, but nothing is even attempted. A whole train of passengers (individually brave enough) will be looted by a few highwaymen, simply because the latter can count on one another, while each passenger fears that if he makes a movement of resistance, he will be shot before anyone else backs him up. If we believed that the whole car-full would rise at once with us, we should each severally rise, and train-robbing would never even be attempted." 

            

           - William James, "The Will To Believe"

Prophet 2000 update!

So, my main keyboard controller / sample-based instrument, the mighty Prophet 2000 from Sequential Circuits (happy birthday, Dave!) has sadly not been functioning properly since late last year. It appears to be suffering from an electronics issue of a kind that could only surface in a weirdo digital / analog hybrid wunderbox of this vintage (circa 1985). The good news is that the underlying sound generation circuitry is intact and in good working order: that's not where the problem is. Not only that, but it is still currently plugged in, turned on and still capable of selecting among presets and all parameter settings. That means the CPU still works as well.

But it won't make any sound.

Boo! But why? Well, (adjusts propeller hat and weighty collection of pocket pens), fairly early on I surmised it must have something to do with the concurrent lack of response from the Parameter Value knob. You know, the one adjustable universal parameter value knob that was supposed to make programming synthesizers easier by simplifying the interface; the one famously introduced on the Yamaha DX-7 in 1983 and much derided by many actual synthesists since... Yes, that one! Well, it stopped making parameter value changes, but bafflingly (and this really threw me at first) the Parameter Value *buttons*, both increment and decrement, were still 100% operational! You can only imagine my confusion.

Not only this, it turned out the circuitry associated with the knob was also operational, and the knob control itself was fine. Nevertheless it wasn't sending a changing train of pulse widths to the CPU according to the instantaneous knob position per the design spec. This involved long hours staring at the schematic and carefully poking around the boards with a voltmeter and a homemade logic probe. What I eventually discovered was that certain control signals from the CPU were not reaching their intended destinations due to corrupted logic circuitry further downstream. Repairing the issue will involved carefully tearing the bad chips out of there and replacing them with new ones. Fortunately the old Proph is mostly standard CMOS and TTL logic with only a few custom chips; none of those are thankfully at fault here. Once the chips are finally replaced the remaining front panel controls multiplexed on the same lines will again become operational and the machine will begin to work properly again.

So why exactly doesn't it make any noise if it's plugged in, turned on and the sound generation circuitry is intact? Essentially it's because the volume control which, like the parameter value knob, is not an ordinary volume pot but a voltage divider sampled by an ADC, is stuck at "0" and can't be moved. That's why I said this was a problem somewhat unique to 1985. The balance control is stuck permanently at 100% left map also, which means half the sounds can't be heard even if (as I eventually did) you change the volume back to some value other than "0" via MIDI. Unfortunately, and likely due to space constraints in ROM, the Prophet 2000's left map / right map balance can't be changed via MIDI. I know because I tried! It was a good idea though...

I'll keep everyone informed of course.

SIDAKA & Weary Woodsman

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the man himself down at Shuga Records earlier in the week. It's difficult to imagine meeting a friendlier, more down-to-Earth, more humble or hardworking human being than SIDAKA. I hope you enjoy this fuzzy, crackling ambient odyssey through roots, shoots and stars as much as I did, as it serves also as a "stellar" introduction to his sound and style. It's immensely satisfying to bring this music to a wider audience, as there is so much interesting electronic, ambient & experimental music going on in and around the Chicago area these days that doesn't fit into any established tradition. Shame I missed this live event (typical for me sadly); here's hoping there will be many more such opportunities!

PS: with all my gardening projects getting underway outside the city, I am now indeed A weary woodsman in my own right, but of course not THE titular Weary Woodsman. Just wanted to clarify 😏

WARPed opinions, part 2

Well, ok. They're not ALL that bad, really. The Plaid album from a few years ago was solid, as have been certain reissues (exceptng the massive and overhyped retooling of Selected Ambient Works Volume II: what was wrong with the original CD?). Danny Brown continues to impress. It would be unfair to say they aren't relevant anymore, but in a way they've become a victim of their own success. So many other labels have followed in their footsteps and found ready audiences in all kinds of niche areas (think of Musique Pour La Danse, Editions Mego, Ghost Box, Houndstooth, and others) that it's likely be somewhat difficult for a longtime stalwart like Warp to stand out as much as they might have used to.

So yeah, perhaps I'm being slightly vindictive in the wake of my latest album being something of a runaway success, combined with the fact that one of my favorite labels (seriously, you know I love you, right?) has never taken anything I've done at all seriously as far as I'm aware. Is that allowed? Am I permitted to ask such unaskable questions in the face of what appears to be a situation in which I am becoming the ironic, bratty (and possibly more virtuosic) stepchild to Warp's carefully orchestrated mayhem?

I think I could get used to that.