Registered: 01/02/04
Posts: 7305
Loc: Lexington, Ky, USA
Brian, I bought a Martin Sigma 12 string for one recording in the early 80's. Only used it the one time out, because I use an Ovation double-neck with a 6 and a 12 when I need acoustic. Last year, when bored, I put in a pick-up and use a Sans Amp pre-amp around home.
You're right: for the money, they are pretty neat guitars.
Registered: 06/01/98
Posts: 6484
Loc: Ventura CA USA
Originally Posted By: Mockie
Korg MI synth 1991-2003, liked it very much,
Frank
I agree, I liked the M1 a lot and am sorry I sold it off. Sure it had a lo res digital grittiness to its sound but I think that gave it a great character that I miss.
This is one of the things that worries me from time to time at SZ... Do we often mistakenly move on to newer gear at the expense of gear we later recognize for its subtler qualities?
There is so much about moving from one arranger to the next that is far more a question of 'content' (newer styles and the odd sound) than with anything to do with, does it really help you to be a better player?
Groundbreaking new FEATURES are the only thing that can tempt me away from what I have, and even those, sometimes a decade later, I realize I didn't really use them as much as I might have expected, and what did I lose from moving?
There's a lot to be said for old school multi keyboard rigs an lo-fi sound. You got a bit of 'bite' you don't tend to get now unless the sample itself has attitude (something the majors still feel a but uncomfortable with) or you use a bunch of outboard. You also didn't have all your eggs in one basket, so to speak... If the sax on one keyboard didn't work, you had one in another that might. Or you could combine the two for a less homogenized layer sound.
Couple of old synths I really wish I hadn't let go were the Yamaha CS60 (smaller cousin to the behemoth CS80) and an old ARP Odyssey. Never played anything that could do the same tricks those could...
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An arranger is just a tool. What matters is what you build with it..!
Registered: 06/01/98
Posts: 6484
Loc: Ventura CA USA
You are right Diki. But at the time you don't realize that the lo fi qualities and distortion characteristics are indeed desirable qualities. Like Joni sang "You don't know what you've got till it's gone".
Even though people dismiss the old Yamaha FM synths like the DX-7 because at that time they were weak at playing realistic sounds that samplers could nail much closer, when it came to non realistic sounds the expression and playability of many FM patches still can't be beat. And a little FX processing that they didn't have back then makes them shine.