Getting to Know You (Introduce Yourself!)

[Unsound Practices]

Hi All,

Now registered and adding KSS to my haunts along with Keyboard Corner (where I'm Unsound Pratices). Can't add the es to my User Name for some reason here...

[Edits to see how Editing works here]

39, living in Asia, play keys in a classic rock/dance rock cover band, and am a gear whore. No recording or composing yet. Still having a hard enough time playing other people's songs...

[dafduc]

Originally posted by geekgurl Hey all, I'm also among the new wave of immigrants from MP, following dB's lead. I've known DafDuc (virutally) since, what, VS Planet? Or was it HR?

I was at VS Planet before HR, but I wasn't geekgurl-aware ™ until HR, IIRC.

It is only my inherent cheapness that has prrevented me from following you into KT-80 land. Maybe I need to do some drunken gear-surfing, LOL.

Daf

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by Dave Bryce I am the voice of four aliens.

Now there's a sig line!



Best,

Geoff

[The Pro]

My name is Esh (a lifelong nickname) and I go by the online handle of "The Pro". My wife and I have been married for ten years. I am nearly 49... next month will mark my 35th professional year as a musician, and I am a fulltime solo musical performer today. My primary instruments are piano and digital keyboards. I took nearly ten years of private organ lessons and studied theory and composition. I am a MIDI specialist and I have written freelance for many music publications and lectured on music technology; but today I focus my attention on live performance, playing 28 gigs a month on average. I also compose electronic music for commercial applications. More info can be found on my website.



My studio consists of the Yamaha Motif ES w/mLan, (2) 9000 Pros (one is dedicated for stage use) and the Novation X-Station 49. I also use Reason 3.0 and Sonar. I recently bought a cargo van for doing gigs in that I am customizing (good tax deduction).

My wife and I live on an island just off the East Coast of the US and we enjoy bike riding and working out in our home gym. We also love driving trips so whenever we have free time we like to explore backroads and go for interesting go-see-do's. Our goal this year has been to go meet and hear as many other like-minded musicians that I've met through the web and forums as we can on short trips... too much fun!

[hockywierdo]

Hi, im hockywierdo [yes i know its spelled wrong but its called Unique ]

My real name is Alex p. and im 16. I live in The OC fo' sho'! I am a violinist at one of the better high school orchestras in california. I am currently teaching myself piano from some circa 1970's books that my mom learned from. We have a Kurzwiel Mark 10? Digital Piano and I own a M-Audio midi controller (radium 49 version) and a demo version of Reason 3.0. I am currently working as a ice hockey referee to save up for the full version or reason and an Alesis Ion. (Altho my mind may change based on what i want to do, or do with reason )
I play ice hockey, and iam a straight A student at the high school with the #1 varsity football team in the country, Mission Viejo High School.
Um...
I was inspired by the likes of the Postal Service, Joy Electric, The Cure, Figurine and friends who do little home recordings and trade them.
I would like to learn the guitar, and piano in the coming years and hopefully start a band with a few of my band friends and create something really different. A combo of electronic keyboard/synth as well as wind/string instruments.
I am currently barely scratching out some ideas for a duo of me and my friend, purely on the demo version of reason and jotting it on sheet music, with some prewritten lyrics.

I come here seeking advice for recording and obtaining the best synths to fill my needs and I hope you all can help me! Just with one or two threads ive already learned so much and i hope to continue to.

~Alex p.

[WFTurner]

I'm William F. Turner, one of the immagrants from Music Player. For five years I've been participating in the SSS, Project Studio and Keyboard Corner (lurker mode only) forums.

I'm 51, basically a guitar player and a lifetime aspiring country/rock/pop type of songwriter.

The last five years a slew of health problems, which I won't get into, have pretty much changed me into a home bound invalid. Singing is almost impossible along with guitar playing.

I've managed to keep my fire for music alive by becoming possessed with digital recording, MIDI and composing classical, new age, jazzy, orchrestral types of music using softsynths.

I expect my experience here will be as a lurker due to the fact I'm not and will never be a keyboard performer, but , I wanted to say hi.


Hi.

[Dreamer]

Sorry to hear about your health problems; you have all my sympathy, for what it's worth...

[Birdienumnum]

Originally posted by geekgurl Through school, I got hooked up with the Gamelan (Indonesian orchestra) there, first taking classes and then being invited to play in the professional Gamelan of Lou Harrison, who was the college program's founder (the class teacher was his music director in the pro group). That resulted in my getting to play a bunch of concerts, perform a national live radio broadcast, and record a couple of CDs with them. The coolest gig I ever did was with them: we played in a telescope (the dome, not the tube aiming at the sky )

That is absolutely fantastic. I have the greatest respect and love for the music of Harrison and also for gamelan. I met him once at college (Cal Arts). Have you ever been to his straw-bale house in the desert? That guy was an original.

[MuzikB]

Hello, I'm a 33 year old enlisted electronics technician for the United States Air Force. I exploit my worldly travels by performing semi-professional jobs in music.

The current mission is to introduce the people of Boise to House music as this place appears to be the area that time forgot when it comes to diverse music styles, so DJ may soon be added to the things I do.

Favorite Hardware: Clavia Nord Lead 2X

Favorite Software: Native Instruments Kontakt 2

Favorite Label: Naked Music


Current Kit list (Pertaining to KSS)

Polyevolver KB
Nord Electro 2 73
Nord Lead 2X
MS2000B
Oberheim OB-12 (Pending Modification)
SE-1X
D-Station
Electribe-R MkII

Logic Express 7.1
Garageband 2
Kontakt 2
Legacy Collection
Minimonsta
Tau 2

[Mintbeetle]

hi everyone. my name is James Preiss and I'm 18 years old at the moment. I've lived in raleigh, NC for almost all my life but this fall will go to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. could REALLY use the change of scenery. the word "wanderlust" is an understatement.

been messing around with synths for about 3 years now. still can't actually play worth {censored}. these days I make mostly hip-hop beats on a woefully old and slow computer using free software. I'm interested in the textures of noise and everyday sounds so i will probably do some ambient work in that vein eventually.

i have also been into visual arts pretty much my whole life. i have a photography gallery at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesp (link in my signature). There's a mixture of fun snapshots and serious work on there but it gives an idea, i guess. i hope to do some installation art in the future too, which could involve sounds and synthesis.

Oh, and I don't really give a {censored} about sports

[Mintbeetle]

btw, just wanted to say hi to BluesKeys. It's nice to hear from another synth guy from around here. I've heard about Slowhand and i think my brother maybe saw one of your shows. welcome to the forum!

[donaldcrunk]

Hi. I'm Jason Degelman, i'm 20 and i hail from miserable Peoria, IL. i wandered in one day representing my band (scenic square) to ask some questions, and i thought it would be funny to have a synth forum to call home, so that's where i'm at now. scenic square is an electronic rock outfit, we sound similar to Radiohead/New Order/Postal Service/Depeche Mode. We just released our second CD, it seems to be doing well. you can listen to us at www.scenicsquare.com.

I also work at our local guitar center, i have since this one opened.

Scenic Square uses 3 G4 Powerbooks, a suitcase rhodes 73, 2 ms2000s, an Alpha Juno, a Vsynth, farfisa, Akai S3200, ER1, and various pedals. We've also got two guitar players with their own pile of gear.

I've only been into synths for about a year now, but when i got into them i really got into them. i've learned a lot from a combination of this forum and some friends who are into that kind of thing.

I'll be sticking around here for a little while, we're going on tour through some of August in a little bit here, but i drop by when i can.

Welcome to all the new folks.

I hope you don't mind if i call you the "Swindon Lot"

[John B NYC]

Hi all im John B and i live in NYC believe it or not though original from palm beach fl... I study math and physics here in NY and work in a biology lab part time doing research..

 

Ive been playing instruments since i was 11 starting with alto sax, then basson at 12, then at 17 i moved to guitar and at 22 i have been playing piano a little over a year... My playing ability sucks, but my knowledge of music allows me to get by.

 

I have been into electronic music far back as i can remember. Pretty much anything with a wierd unique sound i like.. These days im mostly influenced from artist such as brian eno, BT, Thievery Corporation, Solvent, m83, postal service and numerous dance music artist....

 

My current setup up loops like this

 

Gibson les Paul studio

Mesa f30

Kurzweil pc2x

oberheim xpander

roland jupiter 6

+ lots of software on a apple g5....

[NewSc2]

Tony from Southern California. Just started getting into synths/samplers/sequencers a couple years ago after I heard an Underworld track (Moaner I believe). Been journeying through a few pieces of hardware and working through my college budget.

I play okay guitar (couldn't gig with my guitar skill, but I can solo a bit and strum chords). The reason I'm here is because my parents stuck me in piano for 10 years as a kid and well, piano is all I know heh. If I didn't have the piano background I don't think i'd be as serious about music but now it's nice to be able to record good first takes

I'm a student at UCI, currently a Chemistry/Economics double major.

Looking to Live PA and produce in general. If anybody's interested in semi-serious work and if you're in Orange County PM me

[Yoozer]

Almost going to 27 here (2nd of August) and not married, no kids, with a girlfriend (for 7 years already and counting).

Started with an electronic organ which I got for my Communion (ah well, Catholicism has its virtues). Had formal lessons (bo-ring) for 1 year which mainly taught me my way around the keyboard. Halfway I started to rely much more on memory and my ear instead of reading the score, and I ended the lessons myself.

During that time my uncle gave me tapes from Jarre, Vangelis, bands like Saga, Rainbow, Mike Oldfield, Kitaro, Gandalf etc. I was annoyed that the organ couldn't make those sounds, and that our Commodore 64 didn't offer me any options to make my own melodies (games were easily available, tracker software wasn't). So that same uncle took me on a trip to various music stores, to look for a synthesizer.

He decided the Juno-60 would be nice. So while he was bargaining with the salesguy, I got a pair of headphones. There was a button called "arpeggiator" on the machine which was switched on, a preset was chosen, and I experienced the pure bliss of a synthesizer sound all magically playing by itself.

500 guilders (back then probably $200) and half an hour later we returned home. After a year I sold the Juno (stupid stupid stupid) but last year I found one for a nice price and got it back - and it still sounds as gorgeous as back then.

In highschool I joined the band. Lots of brass, and unusual - 4 keyboard players. We did a lot of Blues Brothers tunes, as well as pop classics. After trusting my ear for so long and relying on memory I did get a binder full of transcriptions but never actually read 'm (okay, I read the chords but didn't rely on them).

A more experienced and formally highly trained keyboard player who was in the same year taught me how to improvise on blues lines. We spent the tuesday afternoons after the repetition playing the Yamaha grand and trying to figure out the DX-7 and JX-3P.

After highschool it was a while until I had anything music-related. I did a jazz improvisation course for 3 months which took the perception of the keyboard (which was still rather rigid) to a whole new level. All those great extra notes and progressions... if I only knew 'm earlier.

In 1998 I got in touch with someone else making music on a more professional level. In that same year I did a performance with my W5 (Yamaha workstation) with a Faithless-like song. He saw my performance and was very impressed. We eventually gathered the gear together (first a Korg N5 which I traded for an XP-30 not long after) and got to work. In the summer of '99 an 8-track demo CD was made which we sold to our friends, who thought it was really neat.

In 2000 we started working on new tracks with a mission - score a record deal. Which worked - we got signed to Combined Forces (part of EMI) for 3 years, no strings attached.

After that the other guy moved and I stayed here, hoarding gear, building up my studio, learning about synthesis, mastering, effects, sequencing - but not really making music. Since the other guy had a nice headstart and a complete studio plus a place of his own I made it my goal to have at least an equal studio.

We got signed to do trance, but the market for that collapsed pretty much. Hard trance (influenced by hardcore house) was on the rise, and he had enough history on that, so he could pump out records.

In the meantime I sort of lost the goal on what music I wanted to make. I started listening to IDM - Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Autechre (BoC hit the nail on the head) and started to fiddle around with sounds - much more than actually building and finishing tracks. The studio grew and grew and new gear got added while my time and the drive to enjoy it diminished - running a studio requires discipline and needing half an hour to set everything up right plus a noisy DAW drive you completely nuts. So individual synths were picked out, played on for a while, and I kept my jazz/improv/playing skills up on my XP-30, the workhorse.

In September I will finally have finished Comp Sci and then I'm going to look for a place where they can use my skills. I don't want to make music to earn a living with, because I don't think I'm creative, assertive and ambitious enough for that - hence going through with CS instead of dropping out and making music.

My W5 is currently borrowed by a friend of mine who built a very modest little studio where he does his singer-songwriter thing. Ditto for my old audio interface. For the rest I've got the following:

Roland XP-30 (w/ Vintage Synth, Keys of the 60's and 70's), Juno-60, Alesis Ion, Ineko, Access Virus, Waldorf Q, Nord Micromodular, Akai MPC-1000, Yamaha A4000, TX81z, E-mu ESI 4000, Vintage keys, Digitech DSP-16, TC Electronics M300, DAW with an E-mu 1212m running Cubase SX3 + 2 Midex 8's, all through a Mackie 24-4 VLZ Pro and a Yamaha 01v via ADAT.

Yeah, you could say I'm a gearjunkie. But, I know how everything works! And apparently rather well too .

I'm not that fond about software, but the included Monologue synthesizer in SX3 surprised me pleasantly. Synth1 isn't that bad either, and FM7 and Absynth are very pretty, too.

I've recently tried Ableton Live (3) and I could kick myself for not doing this earlier. Very intuitive and inviting. I also plan to give Reason a whirl soon.

Planned purchases for the future are a secondhand iMac purely as editor for the Micromodular, a pair of active monitors, and maybe one of those CME UF-controllers so I can dive a bit deeper in the world of software.

(edited : augmented for those who have no idea what I'm talking about - click the links!).

[ohtar]

hi all

I am rudy. I also come along from the keyboard corner, I followed Dave, so here I am.
I am 20 years young, a physic student, and live in the netherlands.
12 years ago, I started playing on our old GEM keyboard, and really enjoyed it. then 2 years later, I switched from keyboard to church organ, which I still have lessons in.
I also play in a band. We make progressive rock/metal.
greetz Rudy

[Rauzi]

Hello, I'm rauzi.

I live, like ohtar and yoozer, in The Netherlands (nice weather right now). I am 16 years old. I started keyboard lessons when I was 8 years old. when I was 10 I started lessons in piano. And this year in september I start on pre-conservatory lessons (mainly learning the more in-depth classical music theory).
I currently love playing jazz and blues on the piano.
However, my interest in electronical instruments grew exponentially when I was 13 or 14. Because I liked those trance and dance tunes and wanted to recreate those sounds.
At that time I had one of those arranger keyboards, which couldn't really help me with recreating that sound.
My first real synth was eventually a Novation KS5 (sold it for 370 euros though ) and now my rig consists of:

- clavia nord modular G2 (no I can only recreate substractive synthesis and a little bit of FM, though I'm not done with learning yet)
- roland rd-300sx (very new, needed it for the schoolband that I'm currently playing in, though we're still in search for a guitarist)
- yamaha motif-rack
- motu 282mkII (very proud )
- windows XP computer with
-- cubase loaded with
--- lots of free compressors, limiters, reverbs, delays, phasers, filters, flangers, overdrives, ...
--- superwaveP8 (very cool free jp8080 emulation)
--- demo of Kontakt 2 (I intend to replace the motif-rack with kontakt2)
--- demo of impOSCar

My interest in music became naturally, my interest in keys became because of my father, who had lessons in classical organ, and played the piano later on when I was around. My father also played in a band.

[eminor9]

Almost 37, married with 2 kids.
While I enjoy my latest acquired toys: Machinedrum, NL2x, and Sony DPS-V55 processor to make spacy instrumental pieces, I also love to decipher and play simple piano music from Bach, Beethoven, Satie, Glass, Nyman, Tiersen and sing or hum along what I consider pop classics on my acoustic Yamaha U-3 piano.

Started playing guitar early nineties (who didn't) and only discovered the KSS world about 4 years ago.

Learned a lot thanks to this forum while keeping the musical intruments economy alive

[The Audacity Works]

Profile: audacity works

Story Behind Profile: Name of production studio-- The Audacity Works, est. 1992

Misconception Regarding Name: Anything at all to do with the audio editor software.

Age: 31

Occupation: Producer, composer, product designer, tech writer

Instruments Played: Guitar, bass, keyboards, drum programming

Hardware Synths: Access Virus B, Generalmusic S2 Turbo, Korg MS2000B, Roland JP-8080, SH-32, V-Synth, XV-5080 with cards

Software Synths: Access Virus TDM, Apple Logic synths, Arturia Moog Modular V, Buzzer 2, EastWest Stormdrum, GMedia impOSCar, Green Oak Crystal, Native Instruments Absynth, Battery, and Reaktor; reFX Claw, PlastiCZ, Slayer, Vanguard; Spectrasonics Atmosphere, Stylus RMX, Trilogy; Tascam Gigastudio, USB Plugsound Plugbox and Charlie

Brief Musical History: Classical piano lessons (age 5-13), cello (age 9-11), dad's a composer/choir director, mom's an organist, dropped out of EE to pursue music production

Hobbies: Rock climbing, cliff jumping, caving, road trips, architecture, remixing friends' bands' material

Favorite Artists: Autolux, Bjork, Curve, Failure, Massive Attack, Mr. Bungle, Sigur Ros

Favorite Producers: Ken Andrews, Timbaland, Butch Vig, John Zorn

Favorite Movies: Aliens, Brazil, Fargo, Fight Club, The Jerk, L

[HuskerDude]

My name is Corey, I'm 23 years old. I play keys in a band called Radio Cure (yes, after the Wilco song, no we sound nothing like The Cure or Radiohead). I'm fairly new to the whole synth thing. I played piano for years as a kid, and it's slowly coming back to me now that I'm playing again. I was primarily a drummer for about 10 years, but since we couldn't find a keyboard player who could also convincingly play rock guitar, I ended up moving over to fill that role.
Right now my "rig" consists of an Edirol PCR-50, a Korg DW-8000 with a busted keyboard, an Oberheim OB-3, a Roland JV-1080 (in the mail at the moment), and occasionally a borrowed Fatar Studio 90. I also have a Hammond M-101 and (also borrowed) Rhodes 73, but those live at the practice space for now. I have a bunch of free/shareware softsynths and a soundfont collection, but that does me little good, since my computer is on the fritz.
In the band I mostly play piano, EP, and organ stuff, but I'm moving into more synth-based sounds. Being only part of a 5-piece band, I can't get away with the big, whooshy pads and such, but I'm having fun making unrecognizable noises that compliment vocal parts and counter guitar solos.
On my own, I write odd, orchestral pop/folk. Think Tom Waits and Brian Eno covering Jon Brion and Jann Tiersen. It's only beginning, but it's a blast.

[danatkorg]

Hi - I'm Dan Phillips, currently 37 years old and Product Manager at Korg R&D in California.

I graduated from UC Berkeley in 1989 (BA Music), started writing freelance articles for Electronic Musician just before graduation, and began working at Korg R&D a few months later. (It's been 15 years now - that's something like 143 years in Silicon Valley time.) At Korg, I've worked on the Wavestation line, the original OASYS keyboard, the 1212 I/O, the OASYS PCI, and now the new OASYS. I started off doing testing and writing manuals; currently, I participate in generating product ideas, specifications, UI design, and manual-writing, and to a lesser extent in various other aspects of making synths, such as sound design.

I'm not a programmer, but I've released a few small projects, such as a couple of the librarian modules distributed with the now sadly abandoned Opcode Galaxy, and a set of freeware effects plug-ins for OASYS PCI.

I play keyboards and percussion (used to play drum kit; now DrumKat), and sing. I started writing songs in 4th grade, doing tape-to-tape overdubs with two cassette decks; first synth was a Roland SH-2.

I've never earned all of my living making music, but I've worked occasionally in various small and sometimes strange ways, including drum programming for Vietnamese pop records, composing music for soap operas, technical consulting for artists, and most recently mixing/mastering a half-dozen solo piano CDs for my friend David Leon. I also do my own singer/songwriter music and satirical versions of Christmas songs, some of which can be downloaded from my website.

Some musicians/composers I'm listening to currently, in no particular order: William Orbit, Thomas Dolby, Mouse on Mars, the Beatles, Michael Hedges, Superchick, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, J.S. Bach, Steve Reich, Wendy Carlos, Kevin Gilbert, Marc Cohn, Bjork, Jane Siberry, Nickel Creek, Dire Straits, Thievery Corporation, Dada, Frank Zappa, Geggy Tah, Randy Newman, XTC, Suzanne Vega, mid-career Rush, and my brother Glen.

- Dan

[Mike Conway]

Hi, I'm Mike Conway. I'm 41, married with two kids. I graduated from the University of Arizona, in 1988.

I'm a semi-professional filmmaker and musician. My last indie feature, TERRARIUM , was bought by Mainline Releasing and retitled WAR OF THE PLANETS (something about loosely associating it with some Tom Cruise movie ) . It should be out, this November, under the Lions Gate banner.

I'm currently in post-production on THE AWAKENING, which will also be out, this fall. Like TERRARIUM, I will be scoring this project, as well.

After four years, of so so luck with finding musicians to score my short films, I took a cue from director, John Carpenter, and decided to score my own work. In 1984, I bought a Yamaha DX7. Shortly after, I bought the TX816 (8 more DX7s in a rack) and realized I loved synths as much as filmmaking.

Aside from scoring numerous shorts and 5 indie features, I did some sampler programming for Old Tucson Studios, as well as scored local commercials/industrials, in Tucson and Las Vegas.

My favorite band is Depeche Mode (especially the Alan Wilder days). Most of my influences came from film music - Carpenter, Tangerine Dream, Giorgio Moroder, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, etc.

[Spectre84]

Well...yea since im pretty new here and im bored, might as well

The name's matt paulson, and im a 20 year old art student. I never played music my whole life until about a year ago. Basically i got to the point where i loved music so much i couln't just listen and be happy. I needed to play it. But what to play? For a year ago i was a metal head, but i am to this day completely guitar illiterate.

But in March of 2004 i believe i was introduced to my now favorite band: The Faint. It was at this point where i became hopelessly in love with synth hooks. I then began absorbing New Wave....everything from New Order to Human League to the Epoxies, and of course, the Faint. So then i wanted to upgrade and actually get my own synth instead of dicking around on my roomates psr-whatever. So i got my Micron and worked on playing principles and basic synthesis.

Then i realized i wanted a master board to compliement the diminutive but powerful micron. I settled on a used Yamaha cs2x from ebay, and i have just started scratching the surface of its editing matrix.So as i near one year of playing, i couln't be more happy with my instrument choice, and I'm really appreciating all electronic music now. ...ive already said too much, so yea.

[Boom]

Guh-Guh-Guh-Goddy!

[Geoff Grace]

Originally posted by Mike Conway: Hi, I'm Mike Conway. I'm 41, married with two kids. I graduated from the University of Arizona, in 1988.

 

 

Hey Mike, it's good to see another Arizonan here. (I'm an Arizona State University alumnus, class of 1980.)

 

Do you by any chance know my brother, David? Like you, he went to film school and graduated from the U of A in 1988. He works in film and television here in LA now.

 

I suppose it's also possible that you might know my sister, Beth - she also graduated from the U of A in 1988, but with a degree in creative writing.

 

I realize the University of Arizona is a big school, so I guess the odds that you'd know either one of them are small; but then again, maybe you do.

 

Best,

 

Geoff