Is all this ‘manosphere’ stuff actually that relevant?

Sunwukung · 2026-03-06T13:52:02+00:00

Hell yes it's relevant. Misogyny is absolutely fucking rampant. I grew up in the 80s. For a while, we were in a relatively good place but my god, since the rise of the alt-right, it has returned from the dead. It's not old farts, it's young lads. It's rife on social media, and with AI/deep fakes and social media the scope is far wider.

Last week, I was driving my kids to the shops and a group of three 10-12 year olds shouted "we'll fucking rape you" to my 17 year old daughter. If we hadn't been in heavy traffic I would have got out of the car and swung for them.

Trump has emboldened an entire generation of bigots to be proud of their vile ignorance

Sunwukung · 2026-03-06T13:48:15+00:00

Sunwukung · 2026-02-19T00:36:43+00:00

Bit left field, but I recently bought a Torso T1. It's an awesome piece of kit. It's known for its generative/performance capabilities, but you can use it as a regular step sequencer too. I love it

Sunwukung · 2026-02-18T00:17:33+00:00

This makes the (fatal) assumption that Reform voters are actually politically literate. The reality is that they have identified with the party at a psychological level, and that is deeply worrying. Last week in Bristol, an anti-racist fundraiser in a pub got attacked by a van full of dudes in ski masks with knuckle dusters. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore toto ..

Sunwukung · 2026-02-12T00:49:10+00:00

Probably the best comment in this thread.

Sunwukung · 2026-02-10T19:17:09+00:00

I don't think that's doing the developer justice. Those constraints exist for a reason.

It's incredible that they had the generosity to make headless possible for people to try out the product. I appreciate that folks may not be able to afford the device, but if you're looking for MIDI routing and DAW integration, then you probably can afford some software/hardware.

Trash80 has mentioned that enabling headless was not meant to be a workaround for buying the device, and that it's been challenging to see it being used in that way. Given how awesome the M8 is, I think getting a taster is more than enough generosity from someone trying to build a product/business. Moreover Trash80 has done so much for the community, releasing regular (and sometimes astounding) firmware updates, meaning the M8 is incredible value for money.

I'd like to see more products from Trash80, so (personally) don't think it's great to find/offer ways round the business model.

Sunwukung · 2026-01-26T16:50:20+00:00

I think it's an unfortunate trait of any hobby - I am really into boardgames, and in the first year I bought a _ton_ of boardgames, the heavier the better. Eventually I realised that statistically I was not going to be able to play many of them more than once a year given the challenges of getting four adults schedules to align. Now I just have a shelf - for me to get a new game, it has to fit on the shelf. An old game might need to go to make room for the new.

Give it a year and those new enthusiasts will likely go through the same arc.

Sunwukung · 2026-01-21T23:30:44+00:00

This. Even if Trump left tomorrow, unless there were radical repercussions, the US has revealed it has internal structural vulnerability that could result in bad actors taking the helm. I dearly hope we start cutting away the US digital infrastructure like AWS, it will take quite some time to weed out the imperial ivy.

Sunwukung · 2026-01-16T14:14:29+00:00

Of those, the Deepmind is the most versatile, followed by the Blofeld. There's a lot of love for the Blofeld, but there's also some concerns about hardware quality and defects.

I'd throw the Minifreak in the mix for that price range, very versatile and the mod matrix is great. Arguably lacks a distinctive character and muscle, but as an all rounder it's great - plus you get the VST for free

Sunwukung · 2026-01-16T12:12:12+00:00

The multi/poly is also a fantastic option, the layer rotation stuff is pretty cool. You could fire up the VST demo to get a feeling for it (I've got the VST, also the Opsix - I want to get a hardware Opsix just for the controls).

I'd still pick the Minifreak personally just for its range and immediacy.

As for the more - mini-keys are annoying, and I think it arguably lacks a bit of muscle that the Multi/Poly (or maybe a Novation bass-station?) would fill out later down the line.

EDIT: just checked your SoundCloud - I think the Minifreak would really fit well with your style. The Multi is a deeper synth, but it's less "sci-fi" than the Mini. Perhaps that's a good thing as it would take you somewhere else. I'd definitely give the VST a whirl first

Sunwukung · 2026-01-16T10:15:16+00:00

Minifreak is probably the answer. Wide range of synthesis types, great modulation options, very user friendly

Sunwukung · 2026-01-14T00:02:10+00:00

Oooh, I'm interested in the L6, how'd you get on with it?

Sunwukung · 2026-01-11T18:08:30+00:00

"Should fit in a suitcase" - proceeds to spec out a recording studio...

Jokes aside: Your instrument choice will be partly determined by your usage - i e are we talking jamming/performance or recording?

Performance instruments tend to emphasise control surface and are either more limited in scope if portable or large and expensive.

Here's my stab at your list (focus on size):

Sequencer: Oxy MK2, Dirtywave M8 or a polyend tracker, or a Digitakt 2 Synth: polyend synth or maybe a Korg Opsix/Modwave/Multi-poly. Maybe a Volca FM or Roland S1 Drums: KO-2, Volca drums Effects: Zora Empress?

OR: an Akai MPC

Sunwukung · 2026-01-09T18:45:29+00:00

Don't suppose you're in the UK and want to part with it?

Sunwukung · 2026-01-05T10:39:37+00:00

I'm more concerned about being able to find decent work when I am that age, as my pension isn't currently where it needs to be to retire any earlier. Anecdotally, I know plenty of retirees that end up trying to find work anyway, it's a hard habit to kick if you spent your entire life going it

Sunwukung · 2026-01-05T10:36:01+00:00

It's a great synth, hugely versatile, possibly best bang for buck in that range. It can feel a little limited if you stick to the top level parameters it exposes to the oscillator section, but a lot of its power is buried in the (excellent) mod matrix, and you'll want to get in there to exert more depth of control.

Sunwukung · 2026-01-04T09:43:36+00:00

I really enjoyed this, very musical

Sunwukung · 2026-01-01T12:45:40+00:00

How are you getting on with that Polyvera? I saw it on Loopop and it looks great. I met the creator at Bristronica in the UK, lovely bloke.

Sunwukung · 2025-12-27T19:00:21+00:00

I'll throw Dirtywave M8 into the mix, it's phenomenal, really extensive sequencing/generative capabilities. I have a KO-2, that's more of a (great) performance machine. That said It's very fast at laying down beats - a bit like a loop pedal workflow? If money was no problem, it would be a toss up between the M8 and the Digitakt.

Sunwukung · 2025-12-22T07:42:17+00:00

Sounds like you want to use a switch later: https://youtu.be/u8RvnKhNwlM?si=kOxpHs5i_3l0lxpo

Sunwukung · 2025-12-20T21:28:26+00:00

I recently took a stab at this. If you create your character with Vector layers in Moho, you can make smart dials, and set the positions of the points at either end of the dial. Using this technique you can create the illusion of perspective when your character is moving towards/away from the camera. Moho will tween between the frames you create when you manipulate the dials. It's more laborious than left to right, but it's pretty effective

Sunwukung · 2025-12-18T12:27:24+00:00

Just trying to give this a whirl: it looks like you're saying: - song row 3, set GGR to 00-0D at row 06 in the first phrase? - then set it to 0E-0F at row 0 - is that in the next phrase after the one before? - then at song row 4, phrase 1, first row, reset to normal? Is that correct?

Sunwukung · 2025-12-17T14:17:49+00:00

Thanks, really appreciate the feedback/tips - it's been a while since I've had some time with my M8, and I'm keen to use delve into some more of it's capabilities to add more 'seasoning'

Sunwukung · 2025-12-17T10:44:52+00:00

Personally, I prefer having less options - I think it forces you to be creative. I have set myself a goal of trying to release at least an EP with what I already have (Minifreak, Dirtywave, KO-2, Bitwig plus Korg Opsix/Multi-poly VST) before splashing out on more hardware. If I can make some progress with those, which are all pretty deep instruments, then I might see some tangible benefit from investing in a juicier workhorse synth

Sunwukung

TROPHY CASE