After all my attempts to fool myself via the dedicated thread, I bought an LXR. Again. My TR-8S, Model:Cycles, DFAM, Digitone are giving me dirty looks.
i got fairly close to some of the pulsar sounds with Plaitts and Bastl Waver. the cool thing with pulsar though is that you can modulate anything with anything (except maybe 2 or 3 pins)
its really awesome at feedback patching, which when you introduce the delay and/or reverb you can get some groovy feedback swells. that is something that is really hard to do on modular since the patching usually isnt in and out like on the pulsar.
with that said im selling most my euro and keeping only pulsar and a little sequencing skiff.
That is the most convincing argument in favor of the DFAM Iāve heard.
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If the Octatrack has taught me anything, itās that Iām not really as into sampling as I thought I was. Turns out I was spoiled by the immediacy of the Digitakt and Iām actually finding sampling on the OT incredibly tedious, as Iām just not that bothered about making or using samples that much.
Part of the decision to sell the DFAM was based around the fact that I just canāt be bothered to sample it, which limits itās use to basically being a monosynth with a mad sequencer, which my other modular gear kinda has covered in spades really.
I dunno, Iām a fickle twat, but Iām keeping @brucegill close at hand, put it that wayā¦
Model:Cycles was probably the best drum machine I owned, even if it took a lot of work to get a half decent hat sound out of it. LXR looks good, just donāt think I could be arsed with the interface, Iām going right off looking at screens.
Iām gonna spend the next year or so dicking about with modular to figure out what it is I actually want to do, then Iāll probably end up selling a lot of it. I think modular works best when itās used sparingly, at least in terms of what I want to achieve with it. I just donāt know yet what it is I want to achieve reallyā¦
So if you all thought my old tracks were shite, just you wait for the next 12 months of trial and error tracks with a bunch of stupid gear I donāt really understand.
Then Iāll probably be back here with DFAM No.3 rocking the same one bar bollocks Iāve been throwing about like bad ideas in a beer hall.
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Iām gonna spend the next year or so dicking about with modular to figure out what it is I actually want to do, then Iāll probably end up selling a lot of it. I think modular works best when itās used sparingly, at least in terms of what I want to achieve with it. I just donāt know yet what it is I want to achieve reallyā¦
if you have the monetary means to do so, i think its solid. that is basically what i did. i spent 2 years trying modules ive been GASing for and seeing if they were for me and realizing what it is about modular i enjoy and what i dont.
for instance the generative aspect of modular i find really joyful. tuning oscilators not so much.
Iām going right off looking at screens.
its dawning on me that this might be the exact reason why i dont seem to get along with tracker and specifically nerdswq and polyend tracker. i think both machines are great but i just cant gel with them.
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If thereās one thing Iāve learned from my DFAMs (and Lyra) itās that I really donāt care about tuning oscillators. Which might be a problem for listeners that care about that sort of thing.
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And youāre one of the few people Iāve seen that can do generative stuff that isnāt complete shit.
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ātechno 8 step loopy shiteā (Ā© Darenager 2021)
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I never tune mine either. It doesnt matter for that type of music, its not like Iām playing a tune is it?
That stuff you did with the digitakt as drum machine was pretty good man, inspired me to get one. I didnāt really like the digitakt in the end. Couldnt see what all the fuss was about. Sounds nice though.
I dont think it matters what gear you have. It really doesnt. So long as it makes you happy when you play it, the rest is irrelevant.
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This thread revival is making it hard to wait for this new table that comes in on Friday. No room for industrial until that arrives. New apartment, new setupā¦ ughh
Havenāt touched them in a minute because I have been focusing on learning Bitwig and learning how to mix synthwave, but itās starting to get cool at night/mornings again and cold is the best for industrial. Itās science.
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Iām not sure thatās the best description of what it can doā¦ itās pretty specific.
Thatās impressive
Really? How so? Being semi modular and with midi youād think it was versatile.
Well honestly I donāt own one, nor have I ever used one.
So maybe I wasnāt best placed to comment. I blame the ācall of the internetā for my comment.
ā¦anyway I thought that Tim Shoebridge did a pretty good job of explaining why it is a fascinating synth (I would love to own one) but certainly not what anyone would call a āworkhorseā, or particularly versatile (it seem to me out of the box to be quite a niche application)
Itās clearly pretty idiosyncratic. However, Iāve used my DFAM and a cv.ocd to great effect - turns the DFAM into a very versatile monosynthā¦
Itās quite possible that using that same approach external midi-cv it would be possible to create a very versatile monosynth with the subharmonicon as well. I donāt know.
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You can extend it by using the patchbay and external modules (the oscillators are great, and you can do fun stuff taking the oscillator outs and processing them separately with other gear), but that takes a bit of work. It really excels at being Subharmonicon-y. I donāt think Iād describe the SubH as really a very versatile synth but it certainly is an interesting and fun one.
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I made this ambient album just for fun recently, itās just a collection of patches between the DFAM and the Pittsburg Modular Microvolt. Mostly modular blips + reverb from cubase, nothing fancy , but it shows the DFAM is very capable of subtle atmospheres. DFAM is panned to the left and the MV39K to the right. I really love how these two interact.
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So i just put my DFAM up for sale. I just donāt make enough beat shit to justify keeping it. Give it 6-12 months and iāll buy it back, probably.
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About to do the same for my DFAM. Iāll wait for yours to sell first on the Finnish forum though! My WTB ad for something is right below yoursā¦ 
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Hah, my cover is busted! And thank you, very considerate.
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Iām a fucking trailblazer mate.
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