Commodore Remix

Yes... my synths is kind of like my kids

I have long been waiting for an FB-01 FM synth (Yamaha) to come up for sale, and finaly it happened. I've had quite a few FM synths over the years, as I like that rubbery FM bass sound, but unfortunately they dont all of them have "that sound"... The FB-01 which is the best in my opinion, is strangely enough also the cheapest you can find these days. it's got the YM2164 FM chip in it (like the KORG DS-8 keyboard synth). I'll post a few samples soon of this beast so you can hear what I mean ... If you want an FM synth, this one is worth checking out.



Also invested in a revision 1 Smallstone Phaser from Electroharmonix. It dates back to 1973/74, and is the one that was used on Jarre's "Oxygene" and "Equinoxe" albums which is exactly why I bought this one... price was a bit steep, but that's just how it is



And then the last thing which took the bottom out of this month's economy



Now I just need to get some music done with all that gear... that seems to always be the problem

Sweet gear, looking forward to hearing what you will make of these

The problem is always that while you're filling in your credit card details, your head is filled with the sweet sweet sound of the music you'll make, and the cheers of the audience in response to your awesome work... and the reality hardly ever matches up to that (without some damn hard work and a lot of time)... (kind of like buying exercise equipment or gym membership)...

I think the FB-01 is an ok synth to own but for my money, I'd rather get a Yamaha TQ5. Its got a sequencer, a clock, 8 part multi with the bonus of effects. Best of all now in the 21st Century you can get "under the hood" of its architecture by using your PC to program patches and it roughly costs the same price!

Oh well done Razmo. That really puts my new inspirational wall display in the shade!

Now I just need to get some music done with all that gear... that seems to always be the problem

The obvious thing we all overlook - composing music in readiness. And how long do we have between first sight and final payment/delivery? A week... a month... years?




Just doodle man!

Chris Abbott wrote:The problem is always that while you're filling in your credit card details, your head is filled with the sweet sweet sound of the music you'll make, and the cheers of the audience in response to your awesome work... and the reality hardly ever matches up to that (without some damn hard work and a lot of time)... (kind of like buying exercise equipment or gym membership)...

I've given up on the "star dream" a long time ago, so that's not it for me though... it's a sheer passion for hardware analog gear that I simply cannot let go of... believe me I've tried, but everything in the studio just seems to grow, and honestly it seems overwhelming to an extend... I'm close to calling it gear-aholic to be honest, and just like an alcoholic, you actualy end up missing a lot of stuff that normal people would consider "normal essentials" in everyday life, just to buy this "shit".

Do I need it?... not at all.. I could make just as good/bad music with just ONE synth, it would not make a hardware difference...

I know some of you might find my gear posting as "bragging", but actualy it's not... I just simply love to talk about hardware synths and effects... just like Commie User is constantly talking about old gaming equipment... it's basically the same I think.

But I keep saying to myself, that I'm going to use all this gear for some cool remixes, but in the end there are a long way between I make a finished remix... most of the time I just sit at play the machines, and don't record anything. It's an obsession, nothing more, nothing less.

Doddsy wrote:I think the FB-01 is an ok synth to own but for my money, I'd rather get a Yamaha TQ5. Its got a sequencer, a clock, 8 part multi with the bonus of effects. Best of all now in the 21st Century you can get "under the hood" of its architecture by using your PC to program patches and it roughly costs the same price!

I've never had the TQ5... but it has the same chip as the TX81Z, which is actualy my no.2 FM synth... really nice FM sound from that as well, but it does not have the same warmth as the FB-01 in my opinion... if this is different with the TQ5 I don't know, as I've never experienced it.

I've had the pleasure of owning KORG DS-8, 777, Yamaha FB-01,FS1R,TX802,TX7,DX7II, TX81Z, TG77 and TG33... the best was the KORG DS-8 that has the same chip as the FB-01, but it's with keys, and I don't have the room for it. So I'll keep the FB-01 for the warm fuzzy FM sound, and my FS1R for flexibility.

One key importance for me in FM synths is the feedback parameter, and how it sounds. If you let one operator FM feedback into itself, you will hear great differences from chip to chip, and that's where all the FM bass magic is if you ask me. It should have the ability to come as close to a bright and shining sawtooth sound as possible, but many chips actualy sound a bit muffeled, even though just a bit more feedback turns into noise.

Here is a small demo of the bass patches I made with the FB-01:
The first sound you hear is just a single operator with feedback producing the brightest "sawtooth" waveform you can get with the FB-01. The following bass sounds are what I like this unit for... rubbery, punchy and "in your face" bass sounds, typical of 90's techno music.

Anyways... has just recieved my MOOG Minitaur today, and HOLY SHIT! ... I thought that the MOOG Slim Phatty was good at bass, and stood up quite well to my favourite bass synth; Waldorf Pulse, but this little devil of a Minitaur wiped them both of the table!

That bass sound is just amazing... I'm not even sure it would translate fully into a digital recording to be honest... I'm really pleased with this little unit I must say. warmly recommended... price not though... you tend to pay for the brand name here.

Samples! Gimme gimme gimme! Thanks thanks thanks!

Not that far off from the SID to my ears. I can hear that 'rubberiness' you're talking about though, that smooth backing sound to juice it up.

Would you like some of my samples in return? Would anyone?







I must say you've got some really really great gear here. Nobody would blame you if you were just flashing them around. (I know I would. I just did it with record sleeves didn't I.)

... most of the time I just sit at play the machines, and don't record anything. It's an obsession, nothing more, nothing less.

Join the club. It's as much the joy of having 'em as churning out tunes. Youtube says I only got maybe 6,000 views tops on a music-tracked video. But it's the pleasure in working the kit, making even my little crowd happy with something new as well as having a little 'portfolio' of mine to leave behind in the future.

And think of the pleasure in picking your kit, making sure each is its own sonic piece for your jigsaw and keeping them in networked, apple pie order. If you're like me, think of all the music in your dreams or in the bath or coming to you on the road. Isn't it great just to switch on a machine and get them all down?

@commie user

Funny that you mention samples, cause actualy I very very rarely use samples anymore, but when I started with music on hardware, samples was basically all I used, and had an enormous sample library from bought sample CD's (don't even care to think about how much money that cost me back then... it's rediculous to be honest).

I like the organic sound of synthesizers... you have dynamics in the sound, where samples is more static... samples has their own right, but when it comes to samples of synthesizers, I find (today), that it's just a bad representation of the real thing... if I want the sound of FM, I use real FM, not samples of it... that's the backside of gear hoarding... you get so darn choosy... good is not good enough

Right at the moment, the only thing I use samples for is actualy drums, but this is because I find analog drummachines extremely unflexible... the sounds they can produce are good in it's own right, but they never give me the percussion I want, and as such I've dissed analog drums alltogether now... and yes, I've had quite a few... even the late bought Vermona DRM1 MKIII I posted about in another thread I actually sent back and exchanged it for the Minitaur.

There are only ONE analogue drummachine out there that I'd consider getting, but it's darn expensive, and that's the Dave SMith Instruments TEMPEST.

I also use samples for effects, and spoken/sung words of course... and plan on using it for exactly stuff that you cannot do with a synth instead... Also the horrible amount of work you have to put into sampling and organising samples... I get tired just by thinking about it

So I tend to use only samples when absolutely neccessary.

I hear where you're coming from all too true. Simple on-off stabs of sound are fitter for sampling whilst even drums can stumble a little given the treatment. Stutter seemed a key ingredient of 80s pop tracks anyway, so I think producers managed to get away with it back in the day.

But we've got samples in the 21st Century now, with modelling and Kontakt and libraries. Software like Addictive Drums actually sound like real sets with your MIDI pads patched into the system. Multi-gig piano romplers mean you've not just got a sound but hundreds of different ones playing to match your keyboard wizardry.

You really have got your own orchestras now.

Yup, I think samples have made a comeback. Especially as it's always best to make your own samples during a recording session and to match your own instruments with a complementary sample in your rack. And given the quality of even magazine samples now, I can never say I can't make each track with 'new' instruments.

Razmo wrote: I know some of you might find my gear posting as "bragging", but actually it's not... I just simply love to talk about hardware synths and effects... just like Commie User is constantly talking about old gaming equipment... it's basically the same I think.

I don't find your posts on new gear bragging at all, I'm actually glad for you and I think its cool you have a hobby that makes you happy and you get joy out of it. I say more power to you

yeap I 2nd analog's statement, I think its great that you have a hobby that you enjoy and that now and then we get to hear the labours of love.

Same goes for commie too and for anyone else that has something to show us, its all good and theres always someone that appreciates it just as much (if not more) than you do im sure chris's statement wasn't meant in a bad way anyway I would imagine he's the last person in the world to depreciate people following hobbies, look at how far his own went and just how much of himself he put into it .. we ALL get to glean the satisfaction out of that either via the DVD or our own personal memories of actually being at these events... can understand why he isn't quite so enthusiastic as maybe he once was though, bit of a bank breaker from what I understand.

Still .. memories, all 64k's worth

I agree, keep on posting the news and pics of new hardware, and get some bloody tunes done.