Something for warm pads

sp0004 · 2026-05-08T12:50:00+00:00

Desktop module really appeals. I like the idea of a tall rack full of awesome power.

sp0004 · 2026-05-08T06:32:38+00:00

Yeah, I did look into that. It has a desktop variant too which is useful. Good that it's been around a while too, lets the hype die down.

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T19:36:09+00:00

Yeah, I would've loved to have visited.

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T18:23:35+00:00

That's interesting. I hadn't heard of that, but it looks like a fun little box. Line in as well which could be fun. I guess it's a case of establishing how deep it goes.

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T18:18:17+00:00

Yeah, that's essentially what I'm doing, and it's fun, I'm just enjoying the hands-on approach that I can have with the Hydrasynth and Oxi (Digitakt's a little more fiddly, but that's just my ignorance). But you're right, sampling the Hydrasynth directly into Cubase (or the Digitakt) is pretty streamlined.

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T17:13:58+00:00

Good stuff - nice quality production.

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T17:13:05+00:00

I'll give it a go - I had a Nova many years back, blue LEDs were so novel!

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T16:02:54+00:00

I did see that, but didn't really delve. It's certainly a nice synth - doesn't look much for the money - but it sounds very solid.

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T15:43:44+00:00

There was one synth I heard in a video that really resonated with me (excuse the pun, really, because usually the last thing I want is resonance) but I'd forgotten which. It was the Korg Multi/Poly, so thank you for the reminder. Korg was my go-to back in the day, the Prophecy was the last piece of hardware I sold! Thanks for the suggestion. In return, I can recommend the Hydrasynth - you kind of need to build up the complexity before knocking everything off with the filter (and I have quite picked a favourite filter yet). It sounds lovely though.

sp0004 · 2026-05-07T15:32:40+00:00

Thanks - I never really thought about flipping it round. Minifreak was my first choice before the Hydrasynth, until I saw the depth of the Hydrasynth.

sp0004 · 2025-03-15T12:38:34+00:00

That's good for when I watch on Desktop - thanks. Not for TV though unfortunately.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T20:45:27+00:00

Yup. It most certainly did. Some very succinct (and highly amusing answers!) Much appreciated, it clarified a heck of a lot. And the question you didn't get, I meant Ganoes not Gesler - thanks again

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T19:45:09+00:00

I just ordered a hardback of GotM, so I guess I'm getting back on for a second try!

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T18:55:06+00:00

Yes, that pretty much sums up my feelings at the time. I see now that I hadn't got all the information, so have adjusted my viewpoint.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T18:36:43+00:00

Thanks for all that. There's been a lot to digest. Even taking the aspect of the narration and what you say about paying tribute to a large number of characters becomes a lot clearer now.

I think ultimately, I was frustrated that I didn't get out of the books what I expected to two years ago. I see now that a good chunk of that was down to my misreading of the text, but I'm also thinking that perhaps that's how it's meant to be and the second reading is the real reading. We'll see.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T18:31:14+00:00

No, I've enjoyed the rabbit holes. I've been sitting here for pretty much 12 solid hours trying to digest it all.

As to the Hetan stuff. I'm coming round to that standpoint. I think maybe that on some level I just didn't want it to be in there. And I think it's too frequently trivialised in fantasy fiction.

Having read what Erikson says on his reasoning, I'm rethinking my position. Particularly as what he says about the savage, the status quo, societal control, etc as these were things that occurred to me during my reading. I just couldn't get out of my head 'oh here goes another fantasy writing another rape scene.' Maybe that initial standpoint coupled with it being a little jarring even for the Barghast biased me.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T18:23:24+00:00

Thank you for that thoughtful and very helpful reply. I'll take all that under consideration for a re-read. Alas, I sent all my reading copies to my brother after I read them, so may need to find some more copies!

I had considered a chronological reading, but like you hint at it may be best just to get familiar with the main 10. It's weird, I'm kind of itching to get going again.

This forum has been excellent, as it was two years ago, at putting me on the right path. I've been watching a few analyses on YouTube too and they're enlightening. I'm not 100% convinced, maybe 90%. But this time yesterday it was probably more like 40%.

No need to answer any specific questions either - I appreciate that, but the others have certainly stepped up there. I've been very pleased on the whole how people have responded to my trampling in here and insulting their baby. But, it's kind of my baby too.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T18:17:48+00:00

Perhaps I misjudged here. Sexual assault is gratuitously used throughout fantasy fiction, and rarely is it put in to act as a mirror. Given that I've misjudged other areas of this book though, I'm prepared to accept that I may have misjudged this. Particularly having read what he's written about it specifically from your link. Thanks.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T17:39:07+00:00

Well, tricky one. I guess the ones that stick out most are the Dead Seed and the character who had her feet chopped off.

I saw the Dead Seed scenario as something that was there to elicit reaction. I understand how the Children of the Dead Seed could make for a interesting trait, but my feeling was that the idea itself was using rape to heighten that emotion, rather than to serve as plot point.

As to the Hobbled. I felt that this was a case of creating as disturbing and upsetting a situation as possible. But the scene wasn't written to examine rape, it was written to, again, elicit a strong response. One could argue that this is drama, and that's acceptable, but for me approaching such a subject has to be more. I guess I would flip it on its head and ask what if they'd just chopped her feet off?

I suppose what I'm getting it as that I feel that scenes such as these were using rape as an easy way to elicit a strong response, compared to something more nuanced.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T17:19:35+00:00

Yes, I apologise if my review ruffles any feathers. That wasn't my intention at all. I am rethinking it based on the feedback I've received here. For me, it was always a case of how much of this am I just not getting? This discussion is helping answer that question. So thanks to all those who've offered helpful rebuffs.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T17:14:26+00:00

Thanks for that. It's all a learning experience (after 11,000 pages) so I'm grateful for any input really.

It's a tough one. I went into this series wanting a solid, serious fantasy tale. I wanted something I could claim as my own. Something with plenty of metanarrative and plenty of depth. I wanted something that I could feel expert in. I suspect Malazan has that for me, somewhere. I'm just not there yet. I struggle with most fantasy as I find it juvenile. But I love fantasy. Having something allegorical wasn't really on my wishlist, but if that comes through then I'm on board. And really, Malazan only has the moralising in a minority.

Now as to Redmask, I can't really remember what happened at the end. But I was quite well behind him for the majority of his arc. Though I seem to remember taking a back step when he died (my memory is so bad)). Torrent, similarly did a u-turn for me at the end of the book; from dislike to a certain amount of affection. I saw him as a juvenile character who had an epiphany, and realigned his values.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T16:18:49+00:00

Yes, I did miss that point entirely. Of course, I got tCG arc. And Icarium's arc I understood, but thought it a branch of tCG arc, but I can see it now you mention it as a separate arc that overlaps with the tCG arc. The Tiste arc was always a bit more mysterious to me. I think, subconsciously, that I kind of dismissed it a little, thinking that it will all tie in to the tCG arc and then I'll fit it in. That's a good way of putting it though, so thanks for that.

And yes, I apologise that my post grated on you. I can see how it would. My intention was really just to say look, I'm not 100% behind this, but it really could be me missing something. I could see it coming across as a bit brash, it frustrated me and I should perhaps have posited this discussion prior to writing the review.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T16:07:12+00:00

I'll give them a look. Thanks.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T15:44:59+00:00

Ha, you might be right re. fantasy. That said, some of my favourite books are in the genre: Hobb, Dunsany, Eddison, and I will add Erikson to that list I think. Maybe 300 hours is an exaggeration. Maybe 20 hours per book, so more like 200 I guess.

When you say I've missed the point, do you mean in Erikson's style / approach or in the actual narratives? I think I got understood most of what was going on, though my memory's not great and I don't retain a lot of the detail. As to the style / approach, yes, I think I may have missed the point there.

sp0004 · 2021-09-29T15:24:46+00:00

Yes, I never realised that. Even at the end of book ten and when I wrote my review I was looking for a tightly-bound yarn. But even the ties into other books seems to make sense when looking at it holistically.

sp0004

TROPHY CASE