{"id":227,"date":"2007-09-06T01:42:58","date_gmt":"2007-09-05T22:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kimjohnsson.com\/?p=227"},"modified":"2021-08-31T20:08:03","modified_gmt":"2021-08-31T17:08:03","slug":"the-analogue-age-2005-and-onwards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kimjohnsson.com\/?p=227","title":{"rendered":"The Analogue Age: 2005 And Onwards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The year pretty much continued as the previous had ended. I was by now an eBay regular. Noteworthy acquisitions for the beginning of the year would be the Waldorf Microwave I, which I bought by accident. I put in an low bid, and ended up winning. I really should do that more often, since every now and then I see that an item I might have wanted, but didn\u2019t bid on because of the price usually being too much, actually had gone for quite a low price. Oh well. One learns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The studio barely had room for anything more, so I had to build an extra shelf to sit on top of my keyboards in front of me. The shelf didn\u2019t have to sit empty for too long. I decided I would start building a modular synthesizer, and I opted for the Doepfer variety, since they had quite a nice selection of modules, plus the price was right. I thought I\u2019d put it together in a manner previously alien to me: wisely. Meaning one module at a time, and really learning that module before getting a new one. I valiantly ordered an empty 6U case, an oscillator and an LFO and sat down and waited. While I waited, I happened to place the winning bid on an entire full 6U system from eBay. So much for going slowly. Even the \u201cwisely\u201d become quite questionable, as I almost immediately sold the thing to afford a slightly bigger modular, as a part of a larger facelift in the studio, described below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a computer can\u2019t by definition provide me an analog signal path, and as digital synths can by nature be replaced by software, I decided that my gear henceforth would consist of analog synths (which would also by necessity have a \u201cgood\u201d user interface), and the digital ones would either be replaced by software, or just dumped, unless there was a good reason not to. So the virus, Machinedrum and Microwave had to go. The K2600, JD-800 and Nord Modular stayed, however. Also, since the BassStation only served as a MIDI-CV -interface for the Odyssey, that one had to go as well, but only after I had bought a Doepfer MCV-24 interface to replace it, and to provide further ports for stuff to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Doepfer modular, while nice and all that, was really, ahem, ugly. I did not want to end up with a wall of something I simply don\u2019t want to look at, so I decided to focus around some other manufacturer instead. The fact that the mini-jacks felt flimsy and unreliable and that the small module size felt crammed and unergonomic are also factors. Quite a few times, with my hand deep inside the patchcord spaghetti, I pulled out a patch cord by mistake, only to have absolutely no idea where it came from. Oh well. One learns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I chose Synthesizers.com. I sold a total of 22 rack units of stuff, and got some of them good ole Texas dotcom modules, and oh boy was it worth it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is something magical about a large modular. There is also something childishly fun about patching in all your other analogs into it; for example, using LFO\u2019s and envelopes to control the filters of the MS-20, Odyssey or Pro One. All of my previously acquired analogs benefit from the modular, and it\u2019s just a completely new world to me, and I\u2019m absolutely thrilled. MIDI was never this fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CV is pretty hardcore. <\/p>\n\n\n

Musical Output From This Period<\/h4>\n