2/10/2003: Forehead advertising

[xoxoxoBruce]

Speaking of being paid for doing virtually nothing, Friday is Valentines Day.

[Elspode]

Originally posted by smed
aahhh......moog.
We got one in high school, circa 1983.
32 keys, whole lotta slides and levers.
You had to program the entire sound envelope prior to playing.
very low-tech by todays standards.

Yeah, but that's the fun part...in reality, if you are programming a unique sound, an old analogue is much quicker, easier and more intuitive to use. Proof of this is the fact that more and more new digital synths are being produced with numerous knobs, etc, which allow real time programming of various functions.

One of the reasons these old analogue beasties have become so popular is the 'hands on' usability, something that was greatly lost in the advent of digital, sample-based synths. You can't spontaneously do a varying rate filter sweep with a digital synth whose filter function is eight layers deep in some postage stamp sized LCD display.

I miss my MiniMoog. That's why I keep this picture around.

[slang]

Originally posted by Elspode
I miss my MiniMoog. That's why I keep this picture around.

What happened to it Ep, the Smithsonian come by and claim it?

[MaggieL]

"Slides and levers" would have been an Arp, not a Moog. And the analog sound and knobology have made a comeback; my Yamaha CSX-1 has a set of six knobs that can be used during performance; some of their fuctions are assigned with a digital synthesys matrix though. http://voicenet.com/~maggie/mslmusic.htm

I want one of these though:

http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?A_PROD_NO=KARMA

There's a *boatload* of historical Moog information, data and images in the Wendy Carlos "Switched on Boxed Set".

[smed]

No....I'm quite certain it was a moog.
and it did have slides and levers....as well as knobs and dials.
I can't prove it, since I'm sure it's way gone by now....but it was a moog.

Originally posted by MaggieL
"Slides and levers" would have been an Arp, not a Moog. And the analog sound and knobology have made a comeback; my Yamaha CSX-1 has a set of six knobs that can be used during performance; some of their fuctions are assigned with a digital synthesys matrix though. http://voicenet.com/~maggie/mslmusic.htm

I want one of these though:

http://www.korg.com/gear/info.asp?A_PROD_NO=KARMA

There's a *boatload* of historical Moog information, data and images in the Wendy Carlos "Switched on Boxed Set".

[Elspode]

Later Moog products did use sliders, notably the Radio Shack Moog, PolyMoog (which was probably marketed to institutions such as school music departments as it was an early polyphonic analogue) and the Opus 3, but ARP's most popular products did indeed use sliders in much greater proportion to knobs.

The ARP Odyssey (the direct competition to the MiniMoog) and the ARP 2600 (nothing else quite like it in the day, that's why I kept it and sold the Mini) are loaded with sliders for most of the major functions. When they work right, they're fine, but they are much more prone to damage from environmental contaminants than are rotary pots.

Originally posted by slang
What happened to it Ep, the Smithsonian come by and claim it?

I was forced to sell it during a period of abject poverty last summer. I now regret it deeply. It is second one I've had to sell under similar circumstances. Damn it, what good is it to have a collection of expensive toys if you can't *hold on to them*?!

I have found some solace in Virtual Synths running on my computer, but they suffer from the same sorts of shortcomings as older digital synths. It is difficult to work all the virtual knobs with a mouse, and I can't justify the expense of a MIDI knob box quite yet.

For maximum synth porn content, go to http://www.synthmuseum.com/ . Tons of pictures and lots of great info for those who have no lives. I think there's even a couple of pics on that site that I took of a friend's Odyssey and some other stuff.

[Elspode]

Originally posted by MaggieL
"http://voicenet.com/~maggie/mslmusic.htm
There's a *boatload* of historical Moog information, data and images in the Wendy Carlos "Switched on Boxed Set".

Some nice theme work there, Maggie. The web page piece had an intro that sounded familiar...I think I may have used the same Yamaha intro, or a very near variation of it, on a song my partner and I recorded for a contest several years ago! :-)

You and I seem to share some similar tastes in music, particularly with Larry Fast's work. Man, that guy did some killer synth albums. His rendition of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" from the first Synergy album is still my overall favorite piece of synth music, although it has to compete in my head with the entirety of Tomita's "Snowflakes are Dancing" album. I'm also a Zappa fan (Frank was one of the first and most innovative users of the Synclavier, the forerunner of all current computer based digital synthesis).

The people you cite are *not* strange bedfellows. The common thread running through all of their music (with the possible exception of John Tesh...sorry!) is a creative and original use of synthesis in their music. Two or three synth notes from any of these people's albums, and you know who and what you are listening to.

Lots of people use synthesis, but only a handful have done truly creative, and more importantly, *musical* work with them. Like Pete Townshend, for example. Anyone heard any more on his kiddie porn situation?

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by Elspode

Some nice theme work there, Maggie. The web page piece had an intro that sounded familiar...I think I may have used the same Yamaha intro, or a very near variation of it, on a song my partner and I recorded for a contest several years ago! :-)

Wouldn't be surprised. Unless you record a custom intro, it's what you get when you press "intro" on that particular accomp style on a PSR-510

But which track are you talking about? There's two on the page.

I haven't recorded anything new in ages, just been busy doing other stuff. I won't apologize for Tesh...I was never exposed to him as a professional TV asshole, and thus was able to enjoy some of his musical stuff which is just plain nice, so there. :-)

[quzah]

Originally posted by 99 44/100% pure
Sheesh, if I wanted my kids to be walking billboards, the companies should pay ME for them to wear the clothes!

Says the person whose name is "99 44/100% pure".

It is to laugh.

Quzah.

[Elspode]

Originally posted by MaggieL
Wouldn't be surprised. Unless you record a custom intro, it's what you get when you press "intro" on that particular accomp style on a PSR-510
But which track are you talking about? There's two on the page.

The track you noted was done for a friend's web page.

And I was just ribbing you about John Tesh. He is indeed talented, if a bit mainstream for my tastes. Hell, I'm the least talented musician in musical history, far be it from me to criticize someone who has sold millions of albums and swooned thousands of women.

For undeniable proof of my musical inadequacy, you can go to

http://www.lunalushede.org/Who%20But%20an%20Idiot.mp3

and hear a work in progress, unavoidable (and uneditable) finger squeaks and all.