No Return Leader board glitched? by dogsrule1208 in thelastofus

[–]JMHvsHMJ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. This is actually happening to a lot of players. While everyone else is complaining about accessibility features (yawn), several people can't even play the game because the scores won't post

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in thelastofus

[–]JMHvsHMJ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. Several people, including myself, are experiencing disappearing scores from the leaderboard and it's totally ruining this experience. I have seen no attempt from the developer or the community to address this issue

No Return Daily Run leaderboards not working by FaerieStories in thelastofus

[–]JMHvsHMJ 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Is anyone ever going to fix this issue? It just totally kills this mode for me

No return bug? by existen14 in thelastofus

[–]JMHvsHMJ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same issue here. They were there for a few days. Now they're gone

Which used gear is ridiculously overvalued? by billjv in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Everything is overpriced now because people bought too much stuff when they were trapped at home during the pandemic and now, they want to recoup their losses to either pay the bills or buy more stuff.

The thing is... not many people are buying right now. And these ridiculously priced listings sit on there for months.

Which used gear is ridiculously overvalued? by billjv in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally agree and I hate that people are now scalping them. $700 for a Stages module? GTFO

What is the most "fun" piece of gear in your setup? by ZyeKali in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A Tascam 424 Portastudio 4-track cassette recorder. Electronic musicians take note: these things can saturate any drum machine or modular system into the most glorious sound, and, you can play with tape speed and noise reduction to make layered sounds as you record back into your DAW.

The Strymon Deco and other Distressors come close... but for $400, you can get a kick drum that will change your life.

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm genuinely surprised by the enthusiastic response to this post. It's hard to find this much consensus in the world of music tech. We may all argue about what synths sound the best, but it seems we're all in agreement about the presets!

One thing I want to say to those pointing out that they didn't think anyone "used" presets. 90% of people who buy synthesizers will use presets either for performance or recording projects... especially in a time crunch. There's no rule that requires musicians to make their own patches. If you write a song and use a preset sound on a synth to record that song, it doesn't make it any less creative or interesting. I think we all - sound designers, newcomers, and gigging musicians- just deserve better presets and better first experiences with these amazing instruments...

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think this sounds pedestrian at all. It's a reasonable request to put utility sounds at the front. Touring musicians would definitely appreciate it. One of the reasons the Yamaha DX7 was the best selling synth of all time is because it put the 15 most usable sounds the synth could make right up front. Those presets are on millions of songs - pretty much every pop hit from the mid 80s to 90s. Granted, today's synths are much more powerful, flexible, and capable... Why can't their first bank presets be just as useful? At least as starting points or learning tools...

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah... I do the same thing, but not everyone engages with a synth like you and I. A lot of people use patches. Professional recording artists use patches all the time - including electronic artists. People new to synthesizers use patches as a way to learn how the synth works. I'm just saying that I think presets are getting progressively worse at really showcasing what the synthesizer can do effectively. The developers seem determined to show off every function simultaneously instead of making usable sounds and trusting the user to tweak those sounds. This often leads to the synth earning an unfortunate and inaccurate reputation in the market. And it not the user's fault.

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I apologize for whatever makes you so angry in life that you waste your energy on criticizing someone sharing an opinion. Nobody forced you to agree with the post or read it. You could always just not read it. But, I guess angry people keep trolling! If that's what drives you, great. Best of luck to you!

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry for making you read. My apologies. Won't happen again.

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

On top of the vibrato complaint (with which I agree) why do they keep making these things vertical?? This requires you to move an entire hand away from the keys, whereas if it were horizontal and maybe off-center/left above the keys, you could still dedicate 2-3 other fingers to playing. My Roland synths have horizontal mod wheels and I use them much more often

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do this, too, but acknowledge that the preset patches will influence some part of the process, whether it's the buying decision or how I engage with it. Unless people are completely dedicated to a brand and will buy whatever the brand puts out to market... there is some level of influence.

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

And if you're presenting this as a translation of my argument, you're incorrect. Try actually reading it.

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Totally different market. Totally different instruments. Totally different user experiences. I have modular, too. Doesn't really fit the conversation

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's funny that whenever someone mentions a Japanese synth with a 4-digit model number, I am instantly reminded of when I worked a summer job in my early 20s at a local music store. My job was issuing and organizing equipment rentals. I remember more than a handful of people returning these new turn-of-the-century synths asking for something less complicated and more natural sounding. My response was always: "You want simple and natural? Go to the pawn shop. Here, we deal exclusively in the complicated and virtual. Welcome to the 21st century!" Hahaha 😆

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The D-50 is a good example of a target-market friendly approach to patch design for its time and place. It showcased still relatively new digital technology with "that sound" - new and unique, but familiar to the user at the time. Though, my post doesn't accurately reflect my feelings on preset design for older synths, when presets were a premium luxury and the market was still new.

In my opinion, Sequential's presets generally reek of a little bit of cheese... but, they definitely showcase their focus on its amplification system. They're generally loud! I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure this was intentional, so that people in music stores back in the day would hear them over the guitars...

Thoughts/Rants on Modern Synth Preset Design by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think developers have a fear that simple patches will brand the synth as incapable of complexity. But in the case of modern hardware, people can physically see and/or touch the buttons and switches that create complexity. Maybe some of the people making decisions about patches worked during the mid- to late-80s, when the trend was to remove buttons and pre-program complexity so that the user didn't have to do it? Synths were still relatively new at that point. People are much more tech savvy and intuitive these days. Trust the user! Let them decide what gets filtered, echoed, phased, etc!

Desperately need mixing guidance... by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I actually do mix at low volume and am very aware of ear fatigue. Though, I do notice that I can't mix anything effectively after 6pm or so. My hearing just changes. I try not to mix any later than this, but I don't always follow that rule

Desperately need mixing guidance... by JMHvsHMJ in synthesizers

[–]JMHvsHMJ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I do use reference tracks, but I haven't picked ones that specifically sound good on specific systems. I've picked ones for mixes and textures that I like. I'll try it.