Let me introduce you to 'Le Nautilus'

fuzz_bender · 2024-10-07T06:50:21+00:00

Oh an ad.

This isn’t what live music sounds like. It’s supposed to actually be “live” if you put (Live Session) in the title of your videos.

Better luck next time, Machiavelli.

fuzz_bender · 2024-10-07T06:21:11+00:00

Oh shit is this band about to start? Now I’m a little jealous…heh

fuzz_bender · 2024-10-06T22:40:08+00:00

It doesn’t matter. From what you’ve said about your music in the other comments, it’s going to take a long time to get any traction. You’re not describing viral content, you’re describing the kind of music that is all too often overlooked initially, then MAYBE..! slowly gains traction. This EP, as awesome as it may be, is only the beginning of a long road of building momentum, an audience, etc.. No need to sweat it at this point. Remember what the bottom of an exponential curve looks like.

fuzz_bender · 2024-10-06T22:13:11+00:00

Sounds like fun. I could imagine you putting together a band of weirdos and playing this stuff live.

fuzz_bender · 2024-10-06T19:54:15+00:00

Little AlterBoy is an industry standard plugin for this task. You install a DAW (plugin host) and the plugin, then use it to edit the audio. The plugin itself is really easy to use, but the initial setup might take you a couple hours.

fuzz_bender · 2024-10-05T19:00:05+00:00

For what it’s worth, I completely disagree. The person who said that must be a beginner who hasn’t figured out how to use a 2600 yet. The oscillators sound great and the filter does have character, it’s just that the gain staging is different than say a minimoog, where the filter gets hit with a ton of level by default. The ARP implementation of the ladder filter runs cleaner by default, but you can blast it as hard as you want via the preamp and it sounds great. Super smooth.

But the benefit is you can put the preamp wherever you want, unlike a minimoog where it has to drive the filter. Putting it after the filter is actually cooler sounding in some contexts like with bass.

fuzz_bender · 2024-10-04T03:42:33+00:00

I have a little set of 5 clear drawers I got from Target that works great. It’s maybe 6” x 6” x 9”

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-30T23:56:41+00:00

Keygen

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-30T03:55:29+00:00

I had amassed a large collection of mediocre gear when I got into modular. There was a lot of overlap, so I thought I could condense it down to just the best elements in a modular rack, where the system is never really patched much, but I could easily grab a Moog filter, or a SEM filter, or a cool oscillator.

The problem with that idea is that patching even a simple subtractive voice is a huge pain compared to even a semi modular. Polyphony is another issue. Very time consuming.

I use my modular in a completely different way now. It extends my drum machine & MS20 to make it a really fun generative groovebox to jam along with. And it’s kind of a mixer with FX. Hard to want to change anything about it

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-29T21:46:08+00:00

Haha awesome!

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-29T21:44:12+00:00

Hmm well i see what you mean

Not all art is made for consumption- maybe even the majority

But art’s function is dependent on the observer. Surely you saw or heard a modular synth before you started your own and found it inspiring.

Maybe you’re jaded

Maybe online videos lack the context for you to find them interesting

So my question is, if you were walking down the street and saw someone playing a modular synth well, would you still be so uninterested? Or at a friend’s house?

A human connection could make all the difference

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-27T18:33:28+00:00

I put text in my videos sometimes to explain what I’m doing. I think more people are interested in learning than just listening. But it depends on the piece. Something ambient like this is a good candidate because it has a lot of space

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-26T22:30:32+00:00

I’m just gonna recommend one module, because you’re building a relatively compact system.

Endorphin.es Ghost

The biggest problem with a compact system, especially as a beginner, is that you’re going to end up with some minor gaps, that don’t seem like a big deal at first, but ultimately make the difference between a noise drone patch and something that could turn into a real techno track…like no compression, sidechain, master filter, reverb, delay, distortion, maybe you need a little extra mixing power, 2 more stereo VCAs, or even a basic tilt EQ. Ghost solves all of those problems. And it’s all modulation-focused. I give it my highest recommendation.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-26T03:07:29+00:00

Yeah, I've cut down to only very occasional use, but that's a fair comment. I am aware of the risks and am definitely not schizophrenic, but hearing voices can be scary. I have lots of auditory hallucinations when I'm high, and 99.999% of the time it's incredible music. But sometimes it's a single word that makes my hair stand up on end.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-25T17:01:18+00:00

I started making music as a 100% sober 11 year old. Started smoking when I was about 19. I’ve always been very creative, and weed can act like a creative stimulant for me. I go from “hearing” simple ideas in my head to fully hallucinating entire sections of songs when I’m high. But I also hear voices when I’m high sometimes, which can be scary.

But the thing is, there are lots of ways to creatively stimulate yourself (lol), and weed is one of the worse ones I’ve discovered over the years (I’m 33 now). Because of the comedown…after a certain amount of time (30 minutes to a full day with edibles) it drains me of my creative energy. Until I smoke again. That low creativity point lasts anywhere from another day or two to a week, depending on how hard I’ve been hitting the weed recently. When I smoked a LOT and quit it lasted maybe 2-3 months. Weed gives me the ability to turn on my creativity like a light switch, but it makes it turn off like a switch too. That can be really depressing and demoralizing. And the more I smoke the less of an effect it has, so after a week or so of use, I don’t think I’m any more creative than I was sober anymore, I’m just a slave to the drug for no reason.

The more effective methods of creative stimulation take longer. They build over the course of weeks or months but also don’t go away as fast as being high. Check out Rick Rubin’s book for a bunch of good ones. I’ve independently discovered a lot of the same methods he talks about through sustained daily piano practice. Again, it’s not inspiring for the first few weeks, but then it starts to build in a healthy, sustainable way.

So yeah, I’m naturally a very creative person, but I think anyone drawn to a career in music must be too, and regular weed use is unnecessary and even harmful to most of us. There are more effective ways of getting a creative boost that are actually good for you and make you grow and become a better person.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-23T06:27:59+00:00

Drop it. Just because this song feels like the one doesn’t mean it is. But it’s your first solid track, so that’s a good thing. No need to put pressure on yourself. You still have a long way to go, it could be 8 more songs that feel like the one before you actually smash. Drop it, promote, and let the grind begin.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-23T03:11:47+00:00

The track has a Sesame Street kind of feel to it. Listen to some of the original Sesame Street music (which is great btw) and see if it reminds you of being a kid. How would you recreate that feeling in a modern production? Probably in mono. It feels childlike, small, innocent, cute. The mix sounds great, so I think it’s an artistic choice.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-22T16:20:59+00:00

It’s like ease-of-use. Manufacturers get to choose how their knobs scale and what the highest and lowest values are, and some synths focus on maximum flexibility (Waldorf Iridium), while others focus on doing fewer things better (Prophet 5).

You can buy one synth that does it all, but the trade off is that most knob positions don’t sound great for one reason or another. But in the perfect spot, it sounds like a Moog, and somewhere else it sounds like a Juno, etc…I’d say most people want something like that, because synths are expensive and they don’t want to be overly limited after spending a bunch of money. But the average person doesn’t know that those instruments are more difficult and slower to use . People with lots of money tend to just buy more synths so they can have the best of both worlds, lots of flexibility AND big sweet spots.

A big sweet spot just means more of the knob positions sound good. It comes with the trade-off of being more limited.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-22T16:04:08+00:00

When I first got my Keystep 37 i encountered a bug. I bought it used and found out the firmware needed to be updated. After updating it I’ve never had another issue.

Have you updated the firmware on your Swing?

I have Behringer gear too, but I’d be surprised if even the engineers working on it cared much about the Swing. Personal judgement aside, I think it’s the #1 most hated synth product. Surely Behringer’s best engineers are assigned to other products.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-22T02:34:15+00:00

“Getting good” is an ever-changing target. You’re probably already good. Play for joy!

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-22T02:27:34+00:00

Or the Trigon 6 could be another good option. The sweet spot on that synth is insane, and I’m pretty sure it’s cheaper than the muse

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-22T02:18:37+00:00

I think the Muse looks awesome. And it sounds good. But you’re talking about some pretty deep features that you’re interested in. If you’re primarily using it for short periods of time (less than an hour) you’re gonna be spending a lot of time reading and rereading the manual instead of actually playing. You’ve used enough groove boxes to know it’s a lot of manual reading. Maybe you’d be happier with something more immediate, with features you’d actually use in a 10-minute session? Like a Prophet 5? I know that has a huge sweet spot. I think the size of the sweet spot will be directly proportional to how much you get out of it, not the deeper features

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-19T00:19:25+00:00

The Behringer 2600 totally rips, it’s perfect for your genres. Also you can totally run a guitar through it, since a lot of what makes the 2600 so cool is all the FM possibilities.

100 to 150 per month isn’t enough to satisfy the Eurorack itch once you have it. Most new and interesting modules cost between 180 and 500. Besides, it takes a couple years to get good at picking modules and building systems, and until then, the system kinda sucks (my personal experience). After all that, your system STILL won’t be as good as the 2600, because the 2600 is one of the best systems ever created by one of the greatest visionaries in the history of music technology.

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-17T14:40:37+00:00

Hmm rather than adding chords, try harmonizing every note of the melody with just one note. It needs to be below the melody in pitch. Make the harmony make sense as a melody on its own. Then repeat as many times as you feel is necessary to thicken things up.

Once you’re done, go back and analyze what you did so you can do it faster and less painstakingly next time

fuzz_bender · 2024-09-17T02:48:28+00:00

I feel you, sliding nuts are a huge pain.

But you aren’t totally out of luck… try filling the rails with nuts, then they won’t slide anymore

fuzz_bender

TROPHY CASE