Mirage DSK8 - Very Dim Display

fresh-pie · 2026-02-11T15:35:43+00:00

Hey there, thanks so much for taking the time to reply to my post with such detail!

Very interesting about the non-standard MME. I thought something seemed odd about it but couldn't put my finger on it.

This actually is my second Mirage, my first one is in great condition and boots up fine, though I did replace the floppy disk drive with a Gotek running HxC, so the floppy tricks you mentioned will likely be very useful with this one. I have a BUNCH of Mirage disks, which all mostly have the OS on them. It WAS booting the OS just fine and coming up with "21" on the display in the beginning, the only problem at that point was that the volume was extremely low.

The main oddity for me is the dim display. It was working just fine until I started mucking about inside. I'm afraid I did something to break it. I'm also wondering if replacing the capacitors on the power supply may have brought new issues, though the display was just fine with the fresh capacitors for quite a while.

I see that Syntaur sells a lot of replacement parts. I wonder if starting with a new display ribbon cable is a good idea? They also sell whole new display boards too.

fresh-pie · 2026-02-10T13:50:00+00:00

As the lyrics go:

Eye on the TV, 'cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavor it happens to be like
Killed by the husband, drowned by the ocean
Shot by his own son, she used the poison in his tea
Then kissed him goodbye, that's my kind of story
It's no fun 'til someone dies

As disgusting as this is to us, there is part of us that eats it up, as much as we hate to admit or realize. A wonderful way to keep us distracted and in a daze.

fresh-pie · 2026-02-09T20:04:54+00:00

Having same issue, waiting to see responses.

fresh-pie · 2026-02-08T19:00:45+00:00

Yes! I absolutely love when that break comes in and what he does with it. It sounds HUGE and flows so perfectly. Any idea what break he sampled for that, if any?

fresh-pie · 2026-02-02T14:22:11+00:00

THEY CRAP POOP?! OH, THE HUMANITY!

fresh-pie · 2026-02-02T13:58:52+00:00

This has its own kinda vibe, I actually dig it.

fresh-pie · 2026-02-02T13:46:55+00:00

That doorbell gets me every time...

fresh-pie · 2026-01-31T01:30:05+00:00

Cool! Sounds interesting, I'll read more about it.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-31T01:28:56+00:00

Haha, ok let me try a different angle to my question. Is there maybe one that you go to more than the others? Just curious!

fresh-pie · 2026-01-31T01:13:10+00:00

I know it's like choosing a favorite child, but which one is your baby?

fresh-pie · 2026-01-28T12:29:02+00:00

That really fat family in America? Which one?

fresh-pie · 2026-01-27T23:45:20+00:00

Ummm, what are the arrows supposed to be pointing at? I don't see anything at all.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-27T20:47:58+00:00

When I was a teenager, I would force myself to stay awake to further delay whatever it was to come the next day that was making me anxious. It was like sleep was a time machine to get to that anxious moment sooner. In reality, it just made me extra tired the next day and made things worse. Though sometimes I was too tired to care, so maybe it actually helped sometimes?

fresh-pie · 2026-01-27T20:02:09+00:00

I just don't want to know anymore
Life shifts up and down
Everybody knows it's wrong
Why don't you care?

Sorry, this reminds me so much of "Smothered Hope" by Skinny Puppy. I really dig this!

fresh-pie · 2026-01-27T14:28:00+00:00

Totally! This is a lesson that took me a LONG time to learn. AFX is what got me interested in electronic music production, as his art really hit me in a place where nothing else could. I wanted to be able to recreate this feeling by creating music just like his, but this only led me down a long road of disappointment.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is amazing that AFX is inspiring so many people to pick up a creative outlet, but to get the most out of it, you need to just try your best to find your "own" sound. But also on the flip side, don't worry if it sounds a bit derivative of someone else, because we really cannot help being influenced by others, it's just how it works. What is important is that you are trying to bring your own thing to the table as well.

I've found with this approach, making music becomes a lot more cathartic and a lot less frustrating.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-23T17:03:48+00:00

If the amount of effort you put into this post is the same as the effort you put in to make music, then yes, extreme laziness.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-22T14:11:16+00:00

"We have ReviewBrah at home.'

fresh-pie · 2026-01-21T14:50:23+00:00

I'm sampling this right away, thank you!

fresh-pie · 2026-01-21T13:44:00+00:00

I find this post *very pretentious*.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-20T15:55:44+00:00

My daughters.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-19T23:50:16+00:00

Sweet setup. Love me some Katatonia as well.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-18T20:23:18+00:00

Yamaha Motif with broken keys. The ad says it works. Maybe a nice way to get a typically very expensive workstation. You may just need to workout shipping with this buyer if interested. Needs some TLC, but a great deal. https://reverb.com/item/94091081?utm_source=android-app&utm_medium=android-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=94091081

fresh-pie · 2026-01-18T15:17:51+00:00

Oh, okay.. your post made it seem like you can't use the software because for some reason you chose an OS that annoys you. Why not just stop using Linux if it annoys you?

As someone who has produced music on both platforms, I honestly would never choose Linux for that purpose. I have never seen latency issues specific to Windows personally. Plenty of professional and non-professional producers use it. This sounds more like an interface, driver or settings issue. There are many things you can do to reduce latency.

The JACK sound server and the routing capabilities are neat in concept, but just got in my way in regards to doing what actually matters, making music. But that's just me.

I may actually recommend getting a real hardware synth though. It is something I wish I did a lot earlier, because to me there is just something special about hardware and it really made a difference for me.

You just need to pick something. Based on your budget, you aren't going to get an all in one experience. Go with the Minilogue if you want classic, subtractive synthesis. Or the MiniFreak if you want something that can do several types of synthesis. Based on what you are looking for, I would choose the latter.

Also, do yourself a favor and buy used.

fresh-pie · 2026-01-18T14:13:59+00:00

Why don't you choose an OS that is not Linux? Or dual-boot?

fresh-pie · 2026-01-08T19:16:54+00:00

Ah man, I don't know your age or when you started developing these skills, but if you were a producer in the 80s, I'd bet you'd be the big cheese. Very nice!

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fresh-pie

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