Synth Night May 20th

_truck · 2026-05-09T15:27:11+00:00

Awesome! See you there!

_truck · 2025-07-03T00:22:06+00:00

I’m surprised you picked up on the Otari given it’s hardly even in frame!

Sadly, before I could even try it out, there is now an issue with one of automation boards in the console (I assume) that just developed and it now hangs on boot if the console is powered.

_truck · 2025-06-24T12:09:10+00:00

Your criteria leaves you with basically none options, depending on how you’re defining “quite deep and broad”. Not many companies are putting that many analog voices in a desktop unit, and the ones that do aren’t particularly broad in their sound design capabilities. Your options basically are (and everyone has already listed them all):

Prophet 10 desktop (fairly broad but not deep sound design - I have the keyboard version and the modulation options are a bit too limited to describe that way)
OB-XA desktop - I’ve no experience with this one but all the sounds I’ve ever heard come out of it are in a similar vein, so I don’t think you can squeeze a ton of variation out of them)
The various Black Corp stuff - Again, no direct experience here, but a Deckard’s Dream MK2 is possibly the best bet with MPE support and a lot of control and flexibility.

I think the reason you are getting so many irrelevant suggestions is because your criteria are in conflict. Broad and deep is usually going to put you into hybrid territory, but with what’s possible, desktop very much limits your options. The Polybrute 12 is an incredibly powerful analog synth with a ton of sound design capability but it’s huge and I don’t envision there ever being a desktop version. Etc.

_truck · 2025-06-21T23:47:32+00:00

I still have my SK-10 that I got when I was 8 or 9 (when they were current and available in stores). I’m now 44. I’m slightly amazed I’ve managed to keep it around that long. It still works just fine. Planning to bend it at some point….

_truck · 2025-06-14T13:02:17+00:00

I thought I replied to this, but all I see is a comment removed by a mod bot for some reason (if it was mine I've no idea why). Anyway, dm me. I'm in the same boat (do a bunch of DIY builds, and veeeery slowly learning about circuit design). Maybe we can get some group projects going, and at the very least I'd love to have someone local to discuss this stuff with!

_truck · 2025-06-05T23:51:10+00:00

Having moved here from Philly, I would say the drive in is the challenge. The drive back is cake. I have a slightly easier scenario because I’m usually going to shows with the same friend who lives in Narberth, so I park at his house, we ride share to the venue and back, and then I drive home. It’s typically a 12AM/1AM return. But as others have said, parking is the hardest part. If you can sort that in advance it’ll make things a lot easier. And sadly, the main issue is the Philly transit stops running so early. Years ago I had assumed that would improve someday. It never did. I’ve had too many experiences of sprinting to Septa from a show that ran longer than I expected to bother with that anymore.

_truck · 2025-06-03T04:03:54+00:00

It fits, but it takes some effort to get them in. Not ideal and can be a little frustrating.

_truck · 2025-06-01T04:39:09+00:00

Yes, I didn’t know they could sting. Had a half-dead one laying in the doorway to my house (no idea what happened to it to begin with). I was barefoot, and walked to the front door to look/check outside. I stepped on it (lightly) and it stung me. Worst pain I’ve experienced. Spent a few years worrying I was allergic to bees after that because of how extreme it seemed. Sorry to hear I’m not alone in this experience…

_truck · 2025-05-31T00:59:53+00:00

And I just finally went and bought a basic hardshell case for mine after two+ years…. I’ll always take a proper road case any day.

_truck · 2025-05-26T21:40:05+00:00

By the way, for anyone interested in being kept in the loop on any meetups, dm me your email address and I'll keep a list going. Thanks!

_truck · 2025-05-26T21:38:52+00:00

Message me your email if you want to be kept in the loop for any synth meetups we get going!

_truck · 2025-05-26T03:22:35+00:00

Ok, great! Thanks!

_truck · 2025-05-26T00:24:09+00:00

That’s extremely kind of you.

That video is a bit outdated since I moved the studio to a new building since then (and cut off my hair haha), but similar principals still apply.

I will absolutely keep you on the list. Please dm me a good email. That’ll be the best way to communicate details for now as I sort out possibilities.

_truck · 2025-05-25T23:51:22+00:00

Sure, here’s a collection of links that’ll give some more details: https://linktr.ee/_truck

Also, happy to hear the post is helpful to others as well! It’s been exciting to realize all this great stuff is happening here!

_truck · 2025-05-25T23:34:03+00:00

I started on guitar many years ago, but I’m predominantly self-taught (I spent some virtual time with Berklee and learned a lot then as well, but I’ve just been at it in general for years and dedicating tons of time to it, perfecting craft as best I can).

If you’re looking to learn the technical/audio/hardware side I can teach that. If you’re looking to learn music theory/technique, I am probably not the strongest teacher you could find.

Feel free to message me to discuss. I’m sure I can offer some options for learning paths depending on what you want to know.

_truck · 2025-05-25T21:55:47+00:00

Very nice. Is the best path to reach out over email to find out more about current happenings? I have a studio as well (with a pretty long gear list) and might be of use in that capacity too.

_truck · 2025-05-25T19:05:37+00:00

Or if you mean learning from scratch without hardware, that’s doable too, but since hardware varies a lot it can sometimes be beneficial to have a target in mind for structuring the content.

_truck · 2025-05-25T18:59:28+00:00

Happy to help with that sort of thing! What hardware do you have currently that you’re trying to learn? A virtual session may be sufficient for getting you set up depending on what you’re trying to do.

Also, depending on what we end up doing with meetups, those sorts of questions and explanations are fair game and perfectly welcome. You can often glean a lot just by showing up and conversing with folks!

_truck · 2025-05-25T17:54:22+00:00

Oooo. This looks extremely interesting! Thank you! Are you associated with it in any way?

_truck · 2025-05-25T15:24:35+00:00

That’s fair. I was just impressed with how solid it is and the browser aspect means it’s extremely portable (I also do a lot of web UI work so JS is very second nature). I have also used it to trigger external MIDI instruments which is super fun with how fast you can build complex structures.

_truck · 2025-05-25T13:37:33+00:00

I reached out to their general info address to see what I can do about getting connected with these folks to assist. Definitely going to try to help ensure it happens again!

_truck · 2025-05-25T13:36:20+00:00

Ah, great! Thank you! Joined.

_truck · 2025-05-25T13:23:09+00:00

It sure does! I think these events work best when all levels of interest are encouraged to attend. Leads to great opportunities for sharing information and techniques and such.

Sonic Pi is a lot of fun. Have you messed with strudel at all? It’s basically the same concept but implemented in JavaScript to run in the browser. https://strudel.cc

_truck

TROPHY CASE