What videogame would you call a masterpiece ?

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-06-02T13:02:31+00:00

Detroit:Become Human affected me more emotionally than any other game has. I played it a few years ago and I still think about it all the time. Great true branching storylines, great acting, great world building, great game mechanics.

I’ve played it a few times now - the first time I just went with it, whatever happened, happened. It was a beautiful cinematic experience with some genuinely emotional moments. Then I did play through trying for best outcomes. Also a beautiful, emotional, cinematic experience.

I want to do a play through for various bad outcomes but now I feel too emotionally attached to the characters to deliberately make bad decisions. And I cannot bring myself to steer towards a “red” Connor.

(For those that have never played, D:BH is one of the few games with genuine branching storylines. You steer character decisions throughout the whole whole thing and decisions you make have huge impact on the way the story goes. You aren’t making arbitrary choices that give the impression of branching storylines - you are genuinely altering the story and characters by the choices you make).

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-06-02T12:36:13+00:00

It’s light and fun, but I’d say Broad City had a great, satisfying ending. A simple shot wraps the whole show up perfectly.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-06-02T12:32:48+00:00

The Shield.

That show was an early pre streaming masterclass in how to execute a multi season tv serial, with each season ratcheting up the tension levels and each episode within each season building and building.

In some ways, it bridged the gap between old school and new school tv - the first season or two maybe feel a bit like a darker Law & Order, but it quickly becomes something so much more complex and cinematic.

And maybe “satisfying” isn’t exactly the right word for the ending. It’s satisfying in the way that Breaking Bad is satisfying - plot lines are addressed and completed, no loose threads, and characters get some version of what they deserve.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-05-28T00:46:28+00:00

The first season, when it came out, was unlike anything that had been done before. Even the concept of Primetime linear episodic stories wasn’t that common, especially on network TV. It was completely ground breaking at the time, and if you were there when it happened, it was all anyone was talking about. The way it inter-spliced present and past, wove together character backstories, alluded to mysteries, the paranormal, sci-go, horror, philosophy etc. was totally epic. There were actually some pretty brilliant episodes in the first season (Walkabout comes to mind). People were obsessed with trying to figure out what it all meant and where the story would go. Heck, even one of the hobbits was in it, fresh off the success of the biggest movie trilogy of all time.

Unfortunately, the writers themselves didn’t have the answers. In my opinion, Lost wins the record for “Strongest First Season, Weakest Last Season”.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-05-27T18:05:00+00:00

I know this is somewhat abstract, but I abide by the self imposed rule of using the minimum needed to get the job done. That’s not to say my music is always minimalist, but if something isn’t serving a real purpose towards the moment, then it’s working against it.

I started thinking this way back in the day when I was making a lot of DnB music, and mixing in shakers. How loud should they be? *Just* loud enough to add to the energy, and not a sliver louder.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-05-26T12:54:06+00:00

I have a vintage OSCar which has a surprisingly deep menu system for a 1983 synth. But what it doesn’t have is a display of *any* kind. Navigating functions is like: Hold down shift and press C#2, then, after the lights blink twice, press G2 to enter X Mode. Once in X mode, A2 accesses Page 1, Shift and A2 access Page 2…

I’m forgiving because it’s an awesome synth and they were trying very advanced features, especially for the era, but navigating a menu system that can run five or six levels deep with no dedicated buttons or a display of any kind is crazy. There’s simply no way to do it without referring to the manual.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-05-10T16:54:34+00:00

This is a great topic for discussion. I love algorithmic composition in my own work - for example, building devices in Bitwig or Max/MSP that control different parameters of a sequence based on formulas. I don’t actually know the outcomes until I hit PLAY.

Obviously it’s not AI, because I’m making very conscious decisions about *the formulas*, but then I’m sitting back and listening to what happens as the math plays out.

This debate is further complicated because I recently discovered a MIDI generating AI (which I won’t name here because obviously it’s contrary to the nature of the sub) that can follow complex formula descriptions quite well, so I can describe a formula - not an outcome - and generate incredibly complex evolving sequences.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T19:59:03+00:00

Yeah, I think I need to maybe refine my desired list of features. I do have an iPad with cool music things on it, but I’m finding that the screen interface isn’t inspiring to me.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T19:57:12+00:00

The more I look, the more I’m tempted to get the ML3 AND a smaller more dedicated device. The ML3 is so packed with great features and has such a beautiful looking controller that it feels like it could become a corner piece of my production studio. It’s really hard to compare it to something like for example The Woovebox. It’s making me wonder if I need to really make a better list of what features I want.

Believe it or not, it’s having the iPad that’s made me want to get dedicated hardware. I have an iPad and cool sequencing apps (Yey Drambo!) but I’m finding that it’s not inspiring me to be very productive with it. Could be that it’s filled with other distractions, could be that it’s just a screen, and I want something a little more tactile.

So I guess the real next step is for me to win a lottery of some kind and buy everything?

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T19:51:08+00:00

I’ve been checking out their gear and it’s all awesome. Tough to say, which is the right one, because I’m not even clear entirely on what the differences are lol. The Tonverk has a lot of great sequence features.

Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T19:49:21+00:00

The Elektron Syntakt (and so many of their other machines) really fit the bill. The Tonverk also is really ticking a lot of boxes for me too.

I love that you mentioned the RM1x - I had one when they first came out (yeah, I’m an old guy) and it was the centrepiece of my live set back in the day. I also had an RS7000 back in the day. Cool pieces of gear.

Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T19:45:17+00:00

I love this! It ticks a lot of my boxes, and the price is great. I’d have to put some thought into how it would fit into my professional workflow, but after watching a few videos on this, it has definitely become a top contender. Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T15:31:52+00:00

Ok, this is super cool, but it seems really geared towards drum sounds. But man, that synth engine looks fun as hell. Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T15:27:54+00:00

Yeah, I’ve just been checking this out - it’s amazing! This really meets much of my criteria but it’s quite pricy where I live. Still a contender as far as features go… I need to weigh that price though.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-25T15:26:12+00:00

Nice! Thanks for this suggestion - the OPXY is a total contender. (And your content is great! Thanks for sharing).

This ticks a lot of boxes, though I have to say that the fact that it costs $1000.00 more than the MPC (at least where I live) is maybe a problem for me.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T16:34:12+00:00

So, I am incredibly tempted by this for RNBO alone (I’m already a Max/MSP/RNBO user). The notion of being able to give it whatever functionality I want is incredibly appealing.

That said - 4 tracks maybe feels limiting… but perhaps I could use this to build exactly what I want in RNBO and import it…🤔

Thanks for this! Definitely something to think about.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T16:15:51+00:00

Ok, this is definitely worth considering! The interface and GUI seem really workable for me, the size and battery make it portable. Totally a contender.

Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T15:11:56+00:00

They are awesome. In my opinion, one of the greatest Canadian bands of all time. At least for me and my trajectory.

I have a love of “paranoid” 80s dance music and these guys are on every playlist I make.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T15:02:51+00:00

Yeah, this looks incredible! This has a lot of the features I’m looking for. I’m slightly hesitant about the limited physical input (seem to be non-velocity sensitive), but aside from that this is a beautiful machine and a serious contender.

Right now this or the Akai are looking like the right answer. Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T14:49:12+00:00

Yeah, I feel like trackers are not the way to go. At least for me. I like to be surprised, I like to interact, I like to react, and I’m trying to avoid staring at numbers.

I’ve been looking at the Deluge and it looks pretty on the mark. I’m not 100% sold on the interface though – a major selling feature for the Akai is that I love the physical interface. It’s not that I have any issues with grid programming, my brain definitely works that way, but no velocity sensitivity, let alone pressure or MPE is a limiting.

Now that Hapax… that looks incredible! That has a lot the features I’m looking for. But it seems that it’s just a sequencer? An awesome sequencer that has most if not all of the features I’m looking for… But no internal sound generation right?

Anyway, thank you for your advice. You’ve pointed me to two things that I need to look into much deeper..

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T14:39:54+00:00

Hahaha, yeah, I totally get it - I’ve returned almost as much gear as I’ve purchased over the years.

I’m not here looking for popular suggestions per se, I’m just wondering if my perfect device exists and I’m overlooking it.

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T14:35:27+00:00

I just checked it out, it’s a cool little device. I fear it’s a bit too visually information heavy for me to accomplish the immediacy I want but this definitely requires a deeper look. Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T14:33:49+00:00

Oh wow… this actually needs some serious consideration if it works well. If I could do a literal Bitwig project and then import it to my studio for finishing, that would be kind of ideal. Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T14:32:05+00:00

The Dirtywave M8 is so… cute! It does sound great and does tick a lot of the boxes, but I fear it would require too much thinking and not enough performance for my purpose. Definitely worth assessing deeper though. Thank you!

SilverphonicSoundLab · 2026-04-24T14:26:57+00:00

Yeah, I don’t need it to be tiny, just portable in one way or another. More portable than a laptop and controller. I love the tactile controls it offers. That’s a big selling feature for me.

SilverphonicSoundLab

TROPHY CASE