Members ggm1960 Posted December 28, 2015 Members Share Posted December 28, 2015 I'd recently made some new purchases in my continuing effort to scale down my live keyboard rig but I'd still like to replace that sad 'ole Venom synth with something like a King Korg or maybe even a 61 key Kronos. Also in 2016 the live rig will inherit the year old MBP I'm currently typing on. Actually though all purchasing is on hold as I suddenly find myself moving and in fact, I've been selling music gear like a madman! The good news is that I've found a nice new house I'll be closing on in mid-January and I'll use the family room for a recording/practicing space until I can get one of the basement rooms prepared. So despite an unexpected turn of home life events, the majority of my 2016 goals have already been met: I bought a new 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan in October, these are great gig haulers! I replaced my 54lb Korg TR88 with a new 36lb Roland Fantom FA-08 for my main gig board. With the introduction and set up of the new keyboard I scaled down to two keyboards from three (I only have two arms!). With the new keyboard I'm also connecting with USB and have nearly eliminated DIN MIDI, I pulled the MOTU MTP AV and the rack mount Roland Fantom XR MIDI now connects to the MOTU 828mk3 interface. Losing the MTP AV allowed room for my wireless guitar and headset mic units in my top 8 space rack so I eliminated my bottom rack also. Although it would have been a good New Years resolution it was more a result of my impending move that I eliminated a lot of music gear I'd likely never use again. For example I got rid of my large P.A. speakers, feedback destroyer, cables and power amp. The band I'm in uses in-ear monitors and hires sound done. I'll never ever put myself in a situation where I'd need to haul all that stuff around again! This and a lot of other stuff was just taking up space. I sold at rock bottom prices so it went fast and if you're not using it what is it worth anyway? As far as projects and studio upgrades, I really intend to get back into some recording again, it's been way too long! I can use all the same stuff I gig with plus other things that never leave the house. I'll continue to use Reason (recently upgraded) and Digital Performer (I'll upgrade to ver 9 soon). Sometimes I also like Logic but I'm still on ver 9. Otherwise I've got more software synths and effect plug-ins than I'll ever be able to fully utilize so I just need to zone in on something and stick with it. It should be a lot more accessible for me to get to it when I get into the new place and have my main setup right there in the family room off of the kitchen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted December 29, 2015 Members Share Posted December 29, 2015 A couple months back, I bought one of these for $44 (shipped to my door)... and now they dropped the price almost 10% to $40! LOL I've been delighted with mine -- but I didn't have great expectations from a $44 half-size guitar from Hohner (last purchase from Hohner -- a set of inexpensive harmonicas -- I got a refund for [from Best Buy] because they were utterly crappy. Really, unplayable.) Anyhow, it's far from perfect, of course. But the unit I got I wouldn't call a toy -- but the two MF reviewers whose reviews follow my own pretty much did. Whether a difference in expectation (this thing cost about as much as my first two sets of strings combined, adjusted for inflation, let's be real, here) or perhaps variation in assembly line quality (a real possibility at t his price point), their crits of the git were fairly withering. Anyhow, I've been generally quite pleased. It's pretty well completely satisfied my not entirely faint craving for a playable uke (I have one of the other kind and it's much cuter than the Honer but indeed pretty much unplayable). There are some intonation issues -- but the worst of it seems directly related to string size of the third string -- the other strings are more 'proportional' and intonation up and down their course not so bad. But the #3 string is just too fat and displays a nasty inharmonicity that gets pretty nasty around the 7-9th frets. One thing, while actually bigger than 'half-size' vis a vis a standard Spanish classical body/neck, it's still pretty small -- and it gave me a couple more frets of reach. Where I can just barely go 5 frets (starting from 2nd, so 2-7, index and pinkie) on my Spanish classical, this little guy gives me 7 frets (2-9, though it's really a stretch). http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guita...coustic-guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members veracohr Posted December 30, 2015 Members Share Posted December 30, 2015 I've been designing a line mixer to replace the little Soundcraft one I'm using now. Unfortunately I don't quite have the money to do it properly at the moment, finish it nicely, especially since it'll have some features that increase the cost a lot. Hopefully I can finish that soon. This project actually satisfies my electronic side as much ad my musical side. I've also got an idea for a synth design I'd like to work on after the mixer. I'm getting a series of synth modules from Synthesizers.com as a Christmas gift. That'll be cool! Although, honestly, I've barely worked on music in the last year, and not because I was busy with much else. Simply a lack of inspiration & motivation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlamoJoe Posted December 31, 2015 Members Share Posted December 31, 2015 I've been designing a line mixer to replace the little Soundcraft one I'm using now. Unfortunately I don't quite have the money to do it properly at the moment, finish it nicely, especially since it'll have some features that increase the cost a lot. Hopefully I can finish that soon. This project actually satisfies my electronic side as much ad my musical side. I've also got an idea for a synth design I'd like to work on after the mixer. I'm getting a series of synth modules from Synthesizers.com as a Christmas gift. That'll be cool! Although, honestly, I've barely worked on music in the last year, and not because I was busy with much else. Simply a lack of inspiration & motivation. It's hard to keep the Muse energized at times, isn't it? Sometimes...A new gadget or instrument can turn an ember into a fire. Sometimes it's simply a bump or bubble in our journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted December 31, 2015 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2015 It's hard to keep the Muse energized at times' date=' isn't it? Sometimes...A new gadget or instrument can turn an ember into a fire. Sometimes it's simply a bump or bubble in our journey.[/quote'] Yeah, especially if you write by yourself like most of us do here. When I was in a band, we all brought ideas to rehearsals and would jam. Some ideas led to others. Some ideas were combined with another persons ideas. At the end of the day, a song consisted of ideas from some or all or all of us which really led to good tunes. Occasionally, one of us would bring an entire song that worked but song production was higher and better when we all collaborated. Now as I write mostly alone, ideas are still plenty but sometimes I fear the ideas lack creativity. I miss having a band full of writers… However, you`re correct, a new piece of gear like a guitar or synth can rekindle that creativity. I purchased a Prophet 6 in June this past year and even though I have not used it to write anything yet, I am using it to add flavor to my previously written songs. I know I will write some songs on that synth for my next record and its timbres will lead me in new directions. I`m very excited about 2016 musically. Also, I purchased Ableton Live and am slowly starting to build songs with it. I find that workflow in each DAW encourages me to start in different places and leads me where I would normally not go with Digital Performer… which is my go to 75% of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beck Posted January 1, 2016 Members Share Posted January 1, 2016 I'll be moving this year, so I'll be building a new studio from the ground up. Looking forward to that, as I'll be using everything I know to build the best studio space I've ever had. As for little projects I've still got the new Epiphone Prophecy SG I'm Modding. Some of you may remember a while back I was looking to put a pick-guard on it and Phil was a big help in figuring out what would fit. I ended up getting a custom made metal guard from Christiane Ertmer in Germany. I'll also be doing the 18-volt mod for the pickups, but my own design, different from what I've seen out there. I have to move a knob and also will be adding a third knob for some nifty functions I've got in mind Here's a stock pic and a pic of what it will look like when I'm done. Other than that I would like to launch an analog forum... all things tape and related... either here or somewhere. I haven't run it by anyone here yet, so not sure when or if it will happen. But that's my thing, so I'd like to share that expertise somewhere and help people who are interested, and draw some sponsors like RMGI and ATR, etc, in the process. Anyway, Here's my guitar project: Before: After: Happy New Year my friends!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted January 1, 2016 Author Members Share Posted January 1, 2016 Nice work Beck. I`m hoping you`ll take some photos of your studio build and share them here or on FB. Love stuff like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted January 2, 2016 Members Share Posted January 2, 2016 New mixer ORKORG Kronos 61 ORFender Classic Player Jazzmaster (MIM) Probably 2 out of 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nat whilk II Posted January 2, 2016 Members Share Posted January 2, 2016 Plans for new year..... enter some songwriting contests write and record, write and record, write and record..... gear stuff: I'm hotso for a lap steel. Been doing the homework, gettin' ediccated. Lots of old ones, and I mean old (late 30s, 40, etc.) are available - I'm favoring a Rickenbacker bakelite model so far from the vintage units. Just check the tone on this little toy-looking unit: [YOUTUBE]a2jLPfsZ-Ws[/YOUTUBE] But there are some very interesting ones being currently produced - one by Asher Guitars that sounds like this: I'm also considering getting an Epiphone Casino - yes, a Beatles fan, but they are super-versatile guitars, and I prefer to buy instruments that can do multiple duty. I bot some fibreglass rigid insulation, now to cover and frame them and get them into my mailbox of a home studio to tame the bass - Other than that - gonna sell stuff not being used. Anyone want a Korg Kaos KP3 barely used? Not for free, y'understand.. nat whilk ii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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