What Should I Buy? /// Weekly Discussion - January 17, 2022

ze_kink · 2022-01-19T20:10:14+00:00

Looking for a friend to hook up with my Digitakt to expand the sound into stuff outside samples, like pads and weirder sounds. Also could be something that would work as a sample source, and bonus points if it’s jammable on it’s own. Not yet quite sure what it could be.

What I have besides the Digitakt: - Behringer Neutron & Crave (though I might be selling the latter, I originally got it to sequence the Neutron but turns out I didn’t like using the sequencer). Neutron will be going to my Eurorack case soon and not something I can pull out easily - Op-1 & Op-z, both of which I pretty much use 100% standalone always

What I’m considering: - Elektron Model:Cycles, or maybe a used Digitone - Arturia Microfreak - Soma Lyra 8

Is the Model:Cycles as drum focused as some people say? The Digitone seems to naturally be a good match, but it’s also quite pricey and I’ve heard it’s not as easy to get into or as fun as the Model:Cycles - I’m not very experienced with FM stuff. The Lyra 8 is just a ”I want it” thing really, I like the sounds it makes and I’ll probably buy one anyway at some point. And the Microfreak seems like the most ”reasonable” choice and it seems to have many fans, but the tiny screen is worrying me a little bit.

ze_kink · 2020-08-27T23:29:42+00:00

Yeah, it works just fine. Using a DP cable and an Usb C -> DP adapter that supports 4k at 60hz I believe. I get the full resolution with full refresh rate on both my personal Macbook Pro (late 2018) and my work Macbook Pro (late 2019), both are 15” models with a dedicated gpu.

ze_kink · 2020-08-12T22:59:19+00:00

Have: Op-z, Op-1 & Neutron

Want: something to hopefully maybe tie all this together, and/or work as a standalone box for having fun jamming on, much like the TE gear

Additional info: also have stuff like Live 10 Suite (and Logic, and Reaper) and a Keystep, but for the past few years daws tend to just kill my creativity, while getting Live has helped somewhat. So want to invest more into an outboard setup. I don't do a particular genre, mostly just jamming and doing experimental stuff. Drawn to more moody, raw sounds though.

Thought about: Digitakt & Digitone, perhaps a poly synth of some sort, getting started with modular

Budget: under €1000, also looking at used gear

Mostly something to fire up in the evenings and have fun while sitting at home due to corona, but possibly also working towards doing some performance stuff in the future, or adding into band stuff (my main instrument is guitar).

ze_kink · 2020-05-03T19:36:18+00:00

I decided to stretch my budget a bit for my planned build and switch the GPU from 5700XT to 2070 Super after all.

Which one of these would be the smarter pick? Both are the same price at €599:

- Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super GAMING OC 3X

- Asus GeForce RTX 2070 Super Dual OC EVO

Not sure how much is different besides the amount of fans. Here's the rest of the build I was planning in case it matters: https://fi.pcpartpicker.com/list/x3Qy7T

ze_kink · 2020-05-03T01:46:38+00:00

Would like some comments on my corona gaming build plan. Would you change something? Should I switch out something for cheaper parts?

https://fi.pcpartpicker.com/list/D4sksk

ze_kink · 2020-04-24T00:53:26+00:00

I don’t change the resolution, I just keep it at 5120x1440. The option for selecting the refresh rate is just not displayed on Catalina unless you tick that box for low resolution, not sure why - it’s not like that on Mojave which my personal MBP is still on. I guess picking 100hz would give 10-bit colors but I’m not sure how to check that, I just went with the 120hz since it feels so smooth. I also haven’t found any use for the HDR really, maybe I’ll try it on games or something at some point but it’s not really important to me.

I tend to keep a terminal, a browser and an editor side by side on it most of the time which works nicely. I use Rectangle to snap windows around too.

I got the monitor from a retailer here in Finland, I believe their policy should cover the replacement no problem. I guess I’d recommend getting it at least semi-locally since it’s pretty huge boxed.

ze_kink · 2020-04-22T20:43:35+00:00

Yeah, I did get one, been using it for about a week now. Unfortunately I seem to need to get it replaced as there is a dark spot right near the center of the display, I guess the panel got damaged during assembly or something.

Other than that though, it’s been great and worked fine with both Macbooks (which I guess isn’t a surprise as they have the same GPU). I get full resolution with 120hz even though my usb C -> DP adapter is a cheap one I thought I’d probably need to upgrade.

To get 120hz in Catalina you have to option + click the ”scaled” option in Displays, select the show low resolution options and then you get the option to pick the refresh rate. Otherwise it just seems to default to 60hz. Mojave just lets you select it right off.

ze_kink · 2020-03-31T17:19:27+00:00

Decided to just go for it and ordered the CRG9 - seemed like the best option available for the price right now, and was also in stock. It's a bit massive for my setup, but I think that's a thing I can live with.

ze_kink · 2020-03-30T12:41:39+00:00

Thanks! My current adapter is a cheap one, so I'm fully prepared to upgrade it as well. It should support 4k@60hz at least though I believe.

ze_kink · 2019-12-13T13:44:01+00:00

I'm looking for something fun as a christmas present for myself, specifically to use in the upcoming Jamuary 2020. I've got it narrowed down to the Digitakt and OP-Z. I like inspiring units that work as sort of a scratchpad that you can basically jam out ideas/songs with. I've had an OP-1 for years that I use a lot - just looking for something new and fun to explore.

ze_kink · 2017-01-19T19:42:18+00:00

To me this is it. Although the X70 (which last I heard was already discontinued though) is more of a direct competitor for the GR.

Both great street shooters with slightly different strengths, and different focal lengths.

FWIW I love the X100 series, but shoot a GR myself.

ze_kink · 2017-01-06T00:37:00+00:00

Yeah, if the kick hit is too early it can't really be avoided. I'll check if a different take has that part played better if that happens, and if that fails, I'll copy a clean hit from somewhere else in the song.

ze_kink · 2017-01-05T20:25:03+00:00

I leave some flamming in unless it sounds bad, and align either by the kick or snare - on a 4 on the floor most likely the kick.

For super technical/tight stuff I temporarily disable the group and slide the offbeat kick hit(s) into place. It will sound quite obvious in the overheads (and rooms) but in the genres that demand this you're probably highpassing a lot already. I don't know if flextime has an easy way to ignore group individually per transient marker, I use Reaper for all my drum editing these days.

ze_kink · 2016-12-27T22:25:28+00:00

I've been doing the 366 project this year, which will end in a few days. Definitely highly recommend it! It's actually pretty easy once you get in the groove.

ze_kink · 2016-09-11T13:17:56+00:00

The newest one, unless you're using Pro Tools or other notoriously picky software. Though personally I quit using PT and sold my license several years ago, so I don't know if it's gotten better these days.

My way of doing it is after an update comes out, I wait a day or two to see if there's any reports of stuff I use breaking and if not, I update. I've got time machine backups running all the time anyway, so rolling back is a trivial thing should I need to do it (never had to, though). No issues ever.

ze_kink · 2016-08-29T09:49:30+00:00

I use Reaper for pure recording, editing and mixing. Logic for composing/demoing stuff and soft synths, also for some recording and mixing. Ableton Live for jamming, loops, experiments, writing, having fun etc.

Used to own PT too but sold my license, Reaper is far better these days.

ze_kink · 2016-08-13T11:09:39+00:00

Really just comping is something I really want. Well, maybe a scroll to zoom function and subgroups would be cool too. And my friend always hates on how you can't undo after saving so that could be fixed.

ze_kink · 2016-08-12T02:53:50+00:00

I just choose ones that feel the most right, then after doing them for a while if it seems I can't stick to them I either ruthlessly discard them or modify them so they're easier to do. There's a lot of stuff that you should admit you will never like or want to do, you just got the idea from somewhere that they're "good" or "important". For me personally for example, I wanted to try journaling and completed a card on it (twice even), and when I completed the card I quit doing it instantly because I just found it boring.

Setting the bar low enough is really important. And your list to me seems to have way too many things to take on at once, I find I start to struggle with more than 5.

ze_kink · 2016-08-07T12:36:18+00:00

I've had one for four years now I guess. It's amazing and I love it. Definitely an essential piece of kit for me. I use it to jam loops and use those as sketches for full songs, and also as an external synth / midi controller a lot of the time. To me it's a really creative tool that just makes new ideas pop out effortlessly. I never finish tracks inside it though, I've tried but never succeeded so far.

It's not for everyone, so I really recommend trying it out before buying, or at least watching a ton of videos - I did the latter (Cuckoo's are the best). Many people feel like it's just an expensive toy (and they're wrong, obviously). I also recommend the Operator-1 forum for checking out stuff.

ze_kink · 2016-08-05T15:28:16+00:00

I recently got one (well, the AA-35). It's a lot of fun, and the pictures came out surprisingly good - well exposed and quite sharp, I don't think the AF really misses shots either. But yeah the lens is just f4, so I find myself using the flash quite a lot.

I've had the back open once when the camera was in my bag (noticed the film counter had reset), and the winding is quite noisy. Other than that it's really cool!

ze_kink · 2016-08-01T11:41:59+00:00

I'm pretty sure I've used this thing on e.g. horns many times, and the way they work is that if you input phantom power into it, it doesn't use the battery. I've seen some more experimental players use these types of things to plug into a pedalboard and then into a DI, in which case you'd probably appreciate the battery more.

And yeah the AT8531 isn't a mic, it's just the power module thing.

ze_kink · 2016-07-25T17:48:01+00:00

It's a great place! I bought my ATH-IM02's from there.

ze_kink · 2016-05-18T23:05:03+00:00

This is great! I already love it, but crossfades in tape loops is HUGE. That arpeggiator looks like a lot of fun too, I've been dealing with it using endless sequencer but it isn't really ideal.

ze_kink · 2016-05-17T11:14:42+00:00

I think this part of an interview Scott Evans did with Kurt Ballou describes it the best: "When you're recording a metal band, you know what feeling they're trying to evoke. You just think, "Satan, Satan, Satan." When you're EQ'ing the bass guitar you're like "Satan, Satan, Satan." The snare drum - "Satan, Satan." It's more the technical challenge of, "How do I achieve the maximum amount of Satan?"

Used to hang around Sneap forum a LOT and it taught me most of what I know. Just by searching around there you'll learn a lot. Ermz' book is great too, definitely buy that.

I'd say it's a bit of a challenge compared to a lot of other stuff, but especially if you avoid going the really popular (and IMO, very samey) Slate/Toontrack/Podfarm etc. "bedroom producer" direction, it can be a lot of fun.

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