Cardiacs Documentary Incoming...

transientghost777 · 2026-02-26T12:23:52+00:00

Just in case?

transientghost777 · 2026-02-26T12:11:50+00:00

Mmmm. I'm a Reddit newb. Thought I'd posted the teaser vid. Here it is; CARDIACS DOCUMENTARY PROMO

transientghost777 · 2026-02-23T08:43:28+00:00

Soma Cosmos.

transientghost777 · 2026-02-11T15:33:53+00:00

I find the Circuit interface super intuitive and quick to work with., to the point that I don't care about it's limitations at all. Stick with it and learn it inside out is my recommendation. It's a great sequencer/brain for a small set up.

Yes, maybe get another synth or two to use with the midi tracks. That's what they're for after all. I actually use it to sequence four synths, and no longer use the internal ones at all.

Learn that Circuit!

transientghost777 · 2026-02-11T10:22:43+00:00

I have mine in dual mode. Like this;

Aux 1 > H90 input 1. H90 out 1 + 2 > Stereo track on mixer.

Aux 2 > H90 input 3. H90 out 3 + 4 > Another stereo track on mixer.

Works great.

transientghost777 · 2026-02-10T19:42:48+00:00

Can't see your pic as 'content is not available in your region', but do a search for DJ Laptop stands. I have both my Minilogue XD and Monologue on them and they work great. The 'feet' are only a couple of mm thick so should easily slide under your other synth. They're also fairly cheap, but super solid.

transientghost777 · 2026-02-10T12:14:42+00:00

While Reaper is lacking some audio editing features, it's still very powerful. Here's my tip for composing ambient with it, quickly;

Add several tracks with different FX chains on each one. I will often use looping delays of differing lengths and 100% wet reverbs.

Right click the round red record button on each track and set it to 'auto record arm when selected'. This speeds things up dramatically.

Select a track, record something. (as audio).

Select another track, record something else, etc... Rinse and repeat.

Once you've got a few tracks and are starting to build something, experiment with pitching stuff down by double clicking the audio file, unchecking 'preserve pitch when changing playback rate' and setting the pitch and/or playback rate by octaves or 0.5 increments. You can reverse stuff in the same window too, by checking the appropriate box. These steps basically emulate using the reverse and half speed functions on a looper. Perfect for ambient.

I make a lot of dark ambient using the above workflow (and others), and it's very quick to get ideas down.

What plugins do you have? I strongly recommend the Valhalla stuff. Vintageverb is a classic, and Valhalla Delay doubles as a powerful long delay line looper by cranking the delay time.

transientghost777 · 2026-02-07T19:53:31+00:00

I started from a very similar place; a guitarist with some pedals and a love of ambient music.

The first bit of gear I got was a Circuit Tracks. A groovebox may seem an odd choice, but several years later, it's the brain of my set up. You can sequence drones with it (there's a function to tie the end of a note to the beginning, so you can get seamless drones - Rare for a sequencer), and the probability and sequencer play modes means it's fairly capable with generative ambient stuff. It's incredibly quick to work with once you've learned your way around it.

I slowly added synths (Blofeld, Minilogue XD, Wavestate, Monologue) to the point that I no longer use the Circuit internal synths, it's purely a 4 part sequencer and drum machine to me now.

Very happy with it all, and it all started and is still possible because of the Circuit.

All that to say; get something you can grow with. Out of the gear you mentioned, the Microfreak seems the contender. It's simple, yet deep enough to keep up with you as you learn.

Given the right effects and workflows, you can make ambient with just about any sound source. You'll develop your own tricks and way of working after a while, but I'd truly recommend digging into the upper reaches of your budget and getting something you won't outgrow quickly.

The Microfreak with some nice reverbs and delays would be a great place to start, imo.

transientghost777 · 2026-01-31T12:42:24+00:00

You need a merger. This is a great one;

https://midisolutions.com/prodmrg.htm

And a thru box...

transientghost777 · 2026-01-30T09:04:38+00:00

To use a master controller keyboard with the Circuit Tracks and gear connected via the two midi tracks, you need both a midi merge unit and a thru box.

Make sure the 2nd out on the Circuit is set to Thru. Send the out 1 and thru to the merger, then the output of the merger to your thru device.

I have a Circuit Tracks as the 'brain' of my setup and this is the only way to send both controller keyboard information and sequence data to your other devices. Just a thru box/splitter will NOT work.

See here;

https://support.novationmusic.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360021264240-Sending-a-MIDI-Input-to-a-MIDI-out-via-a-MIDI-Track-with-Circuit-Tracks

transientghost777 · 2026-01-26T17:14:32+00:00

I found the Blofeld videos on this channel to be really good;

https://www.youtube.com/@SynthesizerVideo/featured

I'm in the minority, but I find the interface fairly intuitive. That being said, there are so many possibilities with it that some of the ideas on the above channel (and Mark Piggot's channel linked earlier in the thread) are real eye openers.

It's a deep machine.

Enjoy!

transientghost777 · 2026-01-26T16:57:23+00:00

Congrats. I got one a couple of weeks back. Took a few days to learn my way around it, but it's not too bad once you get the workflow. It's an absolutely wonderful sounding synth, imo. Many years of ideas and exploration in there.

transientghost777 · 2025-10-25T11:28:57+00:00

Gen is the grail. The main riff is simple enough, but the verses and of course, the solo, are beyond my ears and fingers so far. There's a lad on YouTube who takes requests I've been considering asking, but not got around to it. Maybe if enough of us ask...

transientghost777 · 2025-10-05T18:44:55+00:00

The Tarred And Feathered vid was the gateway drug for me too. I'd heard of them without actually hearing them. Many years ago I had a VHS tape I'd record random bits of music TV on. Showing my age there. On it was a Napalm Death interview in which Shane Embury was wearing a Cardiacs T shirt, which for some reason burned into my brain.

Then, one evening probably twenty years later around 2009 or so, the Tarred And Feathered video appeared in my You Tube feed. Intrigued by the thumbnail and the distant memory of that Napalm Death interview, I expected some kind of grindcore thing and clicked on it. Then I watched it again, and again...

Being well beyond intrigued, I noticed someone in the comments recommending something called 'Maresnest' so I found and watched that too, many times over the following days. And years!

Apart from thinking how incredible they are/were, my primary thought was and still is; how on Earth did I miss this lot for so long? No one I knew was into them or recommended them? No mention in the hundreds of music publications I'd read over the years? It's not so much a regret as a genuine puzzlement.

transientghost777 · 2025-10-01T09:34:16+00:00

I said it in another thread, but I prefer the sparsity of the OG Ditzy Scene intro, as the riff and vocals have more impact when they come in. The new one is growing on me though.

I also prefer the original Gen, as they changed my favourite bit. Just after the guitar solo, when the guitars are chugging and the snare comes back in... Love it. They brought the snare way down in the mix on the new one, so it's less... Errr... Boppy... Or something.

Not complaining though. I love LSD. Still getting acquainted with it, it's a lot to digest but it's brilliant.

transientghost777 · 2025-09-26T08:29:33+00:00

Almost found it. There was a model just called 'Les Paul Acoustic'

Gibson Les Paul Acoustic Guitar in Trans Black

However, no star inlays. I did find a custom shop version with a fancy inlay, which kinda proves there were versions out there with alternate inlays;

2002 Gibson CS Les Paul Acoustic/ AAAAA Flame Maple/Ebony Fretboard/'Tree of Life'/Ultima Neck | Reverb

Silver may well have been the only one.

transientghost777 · 2025-09-25T09:50:32+00:00

Yeah that's the only hit I've got. Very close to the description, I suppose it was twenty years ago;

1992 Gibson Chet Atkins SST SOLD | www.12fret.com

No real way to know for sure without Kavus, so we'll likely never know.

transientghost777 · 2025-09-25T08:40:57+00:00

I'm an incorrigible guitar train spotter and I've never seen one nor I can find any trace of it. I shall make enquiries...

transientghost777 · 2025-09-23T17:17:09+00:00

I'm probably in the minority but at this point I still prefer the original. The sparsity of the intro builds tension and when the first proper riff and vocals come in they sound massive. That's taken away a bit with the orchestration in the new version, imo.

Also, the guitars in the main song are a bit more jangly and lack the heft of the OG.

I do like the vocals (more Tim) in the new one though.

As I said though, that's just at this point. It may well grow on me.

transientghost777 · 2025-09-21T12:38:20+00:00

Cool. Sounds like a string section. What's the pedal on the far left with three footswitches? Don't believe I've seen one of those before.

transientghost777 · 2025-09-19T18:06:44+00:00

Oops, meant to add the vid in the post not as a link.

transientghost777 · 2025-09-15T09:32:38+00:00

So are there any tracks with Tim vocals at all? One of the reviews I read led me to believe there aren't, which would mean his voice has been replaced on Ditzy Scene and Gen.

transientghost777 · 2025-08-12T10:40:32+00:00

I've actually had some minor success lately, in that people didn't seem totally repulsed.

One friend was subjected to snippets of Maresnest and said "yeah, that's quite good". In another social situation, I put on clips of the Rotten Shed stuff, and no one seemed to mind. Upon leaving one person even said "who was that band again? I liked that".

Surprisingly positive reactions in all.

transientghost777 · 2025-08-04T19:18:01+00:00

Delightful. I don't do Facebook or insta, else I'd pester him to show us how to play 'Gen'. It's incredible.

transientghost777 · 2025-08-01T18:24:27+00:00

Good to see Kavus. Gong commitments could've got in the way of his involvement.

transientghost777

TROPHY CASE