Do you have a synth that makes you sad?

The Lounge General Discussion
#41
  • Jupiter 8 : Because it’s not even conceivable to have one.
  • Buchla Command : Because a few years back i could buy it, but i wasn’t into synthesis.
  • My Digitone : Because it’s the love of my life but… actually back in it’s box for a future intervention, “thanks” to a faulty encoder.

Nonetheless

  • I have the Jupiter 8 Vsti and it’s better than nothing.
  • I have the Buchla Easel Vsti and it’s better than nothing.
  • I’m using this hiatus with the DN for a better learning of my Synths plugs, adding what the DN taught me about synthesis.

So it’s all good and i’m not really sad.
But i’m pissed for sure.

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#42

Cyclone TT-303 and Analog RYTM. Not sad, exactly, just sort of detached; I can’t find my voice in either of them yet. So far it always feels like I’m visiting someone else’s place and the vibe is a bit off.

I hope it’s just a self-fulfilling prophecy that I need to consciously work through in either case. They both have lots of potential, obviously in very different ways.

#43

I sometimes have sad’s that make me synth.

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#44

Doepfer Dank Energy Mk1 (you read that right). I’d been interested in a Dark Energy for ages but wasn’t keen on the changes to the filter character in the Mk2/3. Saw a used Mk1 seemingly in good condition for a low price and nabbed it. When it arrived it REEKED - every time I powered it on the odour would just get worse and worse. Maybe the previous owner smoked a lot in the studio? I took the thing apart and gave it a thorough clean inside and out, even left it in a tray of baking soda after reading that was supposed to help, but to no avail. My partner at the time suggested leaving it by an open window for a few weeks to air out and finally the aroma cleared. Despite all the hard work, with great sadness, after this experience it just felt somehow tainted and I sold it. Safe travels smelly Dank Energy, this was a few years a go and I hope the flavour didn’t return for the new owner :sweat_smile:

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#45

Lol I’ve owned 3 different Korg monologues, which I always end up selling, and I swear that 3rd one smelled like cat pee even though it was new shipped right from the warehouse.

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#46

It’s a mystery right? The Dank Energy didn’t look particularly dirty and when I opened it up there wasn’t much inside. Maybe the wooden panels absorbed something? Wonder why your third monologue was so stinky :laughing:

#47

Jupiter 6. I bought it from a friend at a great price but never really loved using it that much. It takes up so much space and I was all set on selling it.

That friend died 18 months ago from alcoholism. The synth still has a lot of his patches on it. I still don’t love the synth but I can’t bring myself to move it on. Makes me sad just thinking about it.

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#48

You could make some tracks using the Jupiter 6 patches, release a little album dedicated to the memory of your friend, and this could help you move on, perhaps.

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#49

Most synths makes me sad because they rarely find a place through the final mix and I end up selling them all. I had Junos, 101’s Odyssey, Micromoog… and I sold them all. Right now I only have a MicroFreak and I’m not sure I will keep it.
I sometimes miss my SEM but I can’t be sure if I would really use it in my music. Though I think it could blend nicely with concrete sounds.

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#50

Right now, all of them. Carpal tunnel flare up has been going on for weeks and I haven’t been able to do any music. Saw a physical therapist yesterday but it might be a while before I can safely play anything again.

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#51

Eventually the SP16 made me sad. It sounded great and loads of potential but I found I ran out of road with it. Then they took all the suggestions from the feedback and released the squid. I have been poised to get one cheap several times but that lingering sadness stays my hand.

#52

Same here. I keep my OT because I know that if I sell it, I will wonder if I should have. I just rewired much of my studio after having purchased a desk to put behind my main keyboard controller. The only two pieces left to fill are the Octatrack and the Analog Four. I love the Analog Four and keep it in my living room with headphones for immediate fun. The Octatrack sits in a gig back in my closet so I don’t have to remember I am not using it every time I fire up the music studio. Sad. So much potential, so many frustrations to overcome whenever I try remember how to use it.

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#53

Yeah, I’ve had something like that in the back of my mind for a little while now. Even if I sold the synth after, it would feel like it had served me well.

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#55

Back in the day of $400 Juno 106 there were no new analog synths coming out. The Arturia Minibrute was the first new analog released in a sea of digital synths. They had marketing vids and were sold out everywhere.

I traded a guy a mint JX3P ($200 trade value)+$250 cash for one. I like their aesthetic, but the sound leaves a lot to be desired. Certainly doesn’t sound as good as a JX3P.

It was a stupid trade and as much as I don’t like the Minibrute I can’t seem to get rid of it cause it would be such a huge loss. Could get maybe $150 for it. I probably keep it around as a reminder of not to make stupid deals.

I sometimes wonder how that JX3P is doing and who has it…makes me sad that it’s not me.

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#56
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#57

Nice reminder. So it is from High Fidelity no from Clerks. :grin:

#58

My first real analog synth was a SH 101.
I bought it from an ebay shop in Japan.
Back then it was still cheaper (including shipping to germany)
than the average price here in europe.

I immediatley loved that synth (soundwise),
but the battery compartment looked terrible (leaked batteries)
I opened it to calibrate the tuning and things looked even worse.
Rust, full of leftovers of insects (spiders i guess) and also signs of moisture and mould.
The white keys looked yellowish and the whole synth stinked.

So I sent it back and ordered another one from Japan.
That one was much better than the first, but it was terribly out of tune.
It took me ages to get the tuning right, I calibrated everything by ear.
But finally I had my first proper working real analog synth and I´ve spent
endless hours with it having lots of fun !

A year later or so I checked ebay for a SH 101 again, just because I heared
that prices went up rapidly.
Well, there was a blue one for dirt cheap here in germany, no bids, only a few minutes time left over and without thinking much and to my own surprise I got it.

What I got was a mint condition, super clean and perfectly calibrated blue SH 101, with a broken Pitch wheel. Opened it and tried to repair it but no chance…
I decided to send it back, because I already had a perfectly working SH 101.

So I put it back in the parcel it was delivered in (a bit to small I thought)

At the same time I found an original sh 101 pitch wheel unit on ebay australia (still packed in plastic foil, like brand new) and got it for 10 bucks or so (plus shipping - 10 bucks more, good old times)

So I changed my mind and tried to get the synth back.
Unfortunatley the casing of that nice synth didn´t survive (because of the poor packaging) - a big part of the plastic broke away.

After a while I also sold my grey SH 101 to fund a “better” synth.

Long story short. I don´t have a synth that makes me sad !

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#59

Not a synth, but my Marshall JCM800 that I bought almost 20 years ago when I thought I was actually going to do something with guitar.

It’s definitely had some love and use, and been on a couple of friends bands recordings, but it’s just too much amp for me to use.

I’ve tried selling it a few times at a bargain basement price and no one really wants it (I think this is mostly due to living regionally). I don’t need the money from selling it but the space would be nice.

So it just sits looking cool in the corner. Maybe one day I will get it serviced and retubed and live far enough from neighbours that I can crank it regularly.

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#60

Last year I started acquiring eurorack modules and put together a small skiff for sample processing and manipulation. It was my first venture into eurorack, so I got really excited and consumed a lot of media about modular concepts. After having my skiff for over a year though, I’ve come to realize that I really don’t like playing it. It just isn’t very fun or intuitive to me. Also, my specific set of modules feel pretty redundant, as I can approximate most of their sounds with my Octatrack and Norns, and with way less effort. Maybe eurorack could still be for me, but it seems like I should’ve put together something more “playable” like an analog monosynth. Now my skiff just sits on my table untouched. It looks pretty, but it makes me feel like a sucker.

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#61

Damn, that sounds lonely. I have a general rule that I won’t buy anything (synths, clothes, games etc) unless I’m in a positive place. I hate the feeling of sadness associated with an item.

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