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Showing posts sorted by date for query MIDERA. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query MIDERA. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Saturday, March 23, 2024

The rising dead | Waldorf Kyra Space Ambient


video upload by MIDERA

"Picked up a Waldorf Kyra and have been exploring it. Here is the outcome.

No external effects used."

Friday, March 22, 2024

Ensoniq EPS ambient pads


video upload by MIDERA

"Sampled in a sound from the Sequential Prophet 10. Realized only tonight how to layer multiple sounds that could play simultaneously. Was about to give up on the EPS, but I think there's a lot of stuff it can do that is interesting. This was one of those things."

Spectralis 2 Tutorial: Sending drums to analog filters tips and tricks


video upload by MIDERA

"I've been spending a lot of time with the Ensoniq Mirage and sampling drums (which come out sounding so good) and wondered whether I could beef up the drums within the spectralis itself. I realized that I could send the drums to the analog filters and then do all sorts of things with it.

Note that this doesn't have any melodic stuff in it and it's using a simple drum beat, but I figure that will help you understand what it is that's happening with the sounds. Hope it's of use to any Spectralis user or potential Spectralis users.

This WILL work for both Spectralis 1 and 2 units equally. There will be no difference in sound (unless you haven't yet performed the filter fix on your Spectralis 2, then it will sounds much darker on your unit).

LFMX: 24db LP Filter exponential FM
LFML: 24db LP Filter linear FM
MMFM: 12db MM Filter Exponential FM

0:00 Introduction
1:00 Stock drum sound
3:42 Drums through the 24db filter
4:38 Digital to Analog feed (Drums)
5:58 DRUMS
7:29 Drums through 12db then 24db filter
10:25 Left and Right panning of filters
12:29 MM to LP to Fixed Filterbank
14:10 Sequencing the filterbank
16:15 Adding delay FX
18:37 Using oscillators to FM the drums
22:30 Sequencing oscillators to add melodic FM
27:00 Sending hybrid monosynth (L) AND drums (R) thru different filters
31:29 Concluding remarks"

Monday, March 18, 2024

Scrambled messages | Ensoniq Mirage drum and keys


video upload by MIDERA

"Hey - what more do you need? It's the Mirage. It sounds better than any other sampler out there. It's not really a sampler though is it? It's like an 8 bit FX processor that turns everything into something better."

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Feels like forever | Ensoniq Mirage downtempo track


video upload by MIDERA

"I guess I didn't really realize what day it was, but when speaking to my brother he reminded me. It was 3 months ago that my mom passed away. It's kind of fitting that the piano sound that is in this track sounds just like our old out of tune piano at my old house (the piano is now gone, I don't know what happened to it). Every Sunday I still get this "oh, I gotta get ready - Mom's going to call me." moment, before I realize that I never will get those Sunday night calls again. I think for the rest of my life I'll at least think to some degree that she's going to call me. Of course, I've certainly realized just how quick time goes by. It doesn't feel like more than a week ago, and yet, it feels like forever ago. Our brains must have the hardest time processing time. At least mine does.

Well, as you've guessed - I re-bought my old Ensoniq Mirage. And wow it took me hours to remember how to use the thing (still can't quite figure out how to select upper and lower patches). I compared the Mirage to the EPS as well - and geez, it's almost no comparison. The Mirage sounds like way better than the EPS, but the EPS is way easier to use. I kinda think if one thing had to go it would be the EPS. I like what it can do, and the ease with which it can do it, but if the end result isn't entirely inspiring, I'd be reaching for the Mirage 90% of the time. But... maybe the EPS has some tricks up its sleeves. What I find the Mirage does is somehow manage to sound broken, out of tune, and at the same time have this nice hi-fi sound. The EPS sounds muffled in comparison (I actually re-wrote this track sampling into the EPS the same way, but decided not to include it in this track... maybe that was a mistake).

Eventide Blackhole VST"

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Gone | MIDERA - Downtempo IDM


video upload by MIDERA

"I have been debating selling my Roland JX-3P (well, trading it for my old Virus kB, because I just love that keybed, even though I've got the TI). So of course I brought my JX-3P out and tested it out. Then I tested it against my System 8. Doing that made me just appreciate the JX more. Sigh. I don’t know why it is so difficult to part with this stuff. But when I played this sound (that you hear at the beginning), it just sang to me. I loved the noise that seems to become additive with more notes. It somehow helps create the tone I’m going for, especially when sent through the Strymon Volante pedal. It’s not that the System 8 doesn’t sound similar (in fact, I think I created this sound on the S8 first and then ported it over to the JX), it does, but it doesn’t impart any noise, or what I would call “character”. It just sounds lifeless in comparison. And so I’m left with what I’m always left with. More gear, because I find all my stuff useful and fun.

Well, I’m sure I could just do the trade. I bet any number of synths I have could make this sound. It didn’t even use ‘that famous Roland Chorus’. I probably spend more time trying to tell myself I can sell my gear, and then don’t, than I do playing the gear for music.

But I guess this time I used it to my advantage. I made a song of it.

Gear:
Radikal Technologies Spectralis II (Drums, sequencing)
Virus TI (Pad parts and keys)
Roland JX-3P (intro part and similar sounds throughout)
Sequential Prophet 10 (synth part)
Strymon Volante (delay for JX-3P)
Eventide Blackhole VST (reverb)"

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Ensoniq EPS as a synthesizer | Sampling the Spectralis 2 monosynth


video upload by MIDERA

"One feature of the Mirage I’ve always liked was bringing in a simple wave and using it like a synthesizer. I think the Ensoniq EPS is actually a little more interesting because of how easy it is to edit the sample loop start and end to create completely glitched out sounds that can basically be played in real time, if a little awkward to manage at times with the buttons versus sliders/knobs. This is what I’m doing towards the end of this patch I made.

Eventide Blackhole VST used for reverb."

Friday, March 08, 2024

Black Corporation ISE-NIN versus Roland System 8 Jupiter 8 plug out


video upload by MIDERA

"A friend of mine was very generous and loaned me his Black Corporation ISE-NIN so that I could compare it with my Roland System 8.

My main thoughts: they’re almost identical. The small differences felt extremely nitpicky. The ARP on the ISE-NIN is much nicer, with a longer gate time, and it just sounded richer? Hard to describe, but you can hear it in the video.

Honestly, this is a horrific comparison video, I freely admit it, but I felt pressed for time and didn’t want to spend too much time on it. So if you’re wondering why this is so crude, well, just don’t let perfect get in the way of awful, that’s all I have to say.

I talk towards the end about what my thoughts are - but really, the video was made just so you could hear the differences, not because I think you should buy either one.

Truth be told, I think the Prophet 5/10 is a better synth than the Jupiter 8 (or System 8, ISE-NIN). Different flavors perhaps. I think it’s reasonable to say that the System 8 and ISE-NIN are great alternatives to the Jupiter 8. If I could grab a Jupiter 8 for under $10K, I probably would, but I also think, based on the sounds out of these synths, I actually don’t think I would necessarily love it.

I’m impressed with the System 8, being completely digital, and seemingly able to compete with more accurate representations of the Jupiter 8. I also worry part of the differences could have been chalked up to my lack of skill, so you must take what I’m saying with a grain of salt.

Well, hope you enjoy the video anyway."

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Weatherstruck | Ensoniq EPS sampler downtempo electronic somberwave


video upload by MIDERA

"Today, I traded something small (Polyend Tracker) for something big (Ensoniq EPS). I kind of don't know what I was thinking. I knew I was overwhelmed with gear. But I've been debating buying an Ensoniq Mirage again and wondered if this (EPS) would suffice. I'm kind of thinking... yeah, maybe. It's doing everything I felt I did with the Mirage, only in an easier way. It's a higher bitrate, but it's still pretty chunky. I'm liking it. This is after digging around on it for one night, so I don't know if what I did sounds any good. I guess I like it, so that's good enough for me. I have no disks to save the sounds on, so I think this will have to say goodbye and be gone forever.

Still - I'm pretty impressed. The Ensoniq EPS gets dumped on. Not as much character as the Mirage, not as good as the EPS16 plus, and definitely not as good as the ASR10. To me, it seems like it's actually the worst one of the bunch. In no way did I find anyone recommending the EPS over the others mentioned above.

Well, I like it. It was pretty easy to make this and I think it's got some character, in a very similar way as the Mirage. One thing that didn't make sense was that it appears to be stereo based on the outputs, but I'm not sure it actually is.

Eventide Blackhole VST used for reverb."

Sunday, March 03, 2024

Between | Roland JD-990 controlled by the JD-800 space ambient


video upload by MIDERA

"Today I figured I would test combining the JD-800 as an editor for the JD-990 and quickly decided: I hate it. You just can’t edit enough to make it worth it. Yes, you have access to all of the front panel controls, which is nice, but you really can’t do it very seamlessly. Imagine you are editing Tone 1 and want to switch to editing Tone 2, but you don’t want to hear Tone 1. Normally you can shut off Tone 1, but you can’t do that via the JD-800, you’d have to use the 990 to do it. And the only way to access card data on the JD-990 is by ensuring both the JD-800 and 990 have cards in them (obviously the JD-990 needs a card if you want to use it, but it’s frustrating that the 800 also needs a card for you to switch to the JD-990’s card). You can’t edit the FX or really anything embedded in a menu.

As Don Solaris and others on Gearspace suggest – they really are two separate synths. Using the JD-800 as an editor for the JD-990 is just not efficient or fun. The whole point of all the sliders is for ease of use and speed – things you begin to lose when using the JD-800 to edit the JD-990 because of all of the gotcha’s.

I don’t know if I want to keep the JD-800. The JD-990 is just so much better for what I want that I think I can live with the worse interface in exchange for the better sound. I’ll keep them for a while perhaps and see what I create that I like more with each. I think the conclusion will be that the JD-990 will be more useful and take up less space. Hard to give up such a great UI, but I have other synths. And actually, something nicer about the 990’s interface is that you can independently turn on and off Tone’s AND also turn on and off the ones you wish to edit. On the JD-800, you have to press a button to switch between ‘layer/active’, which is an extra annoying step.

Such a shame that there is no Roland JD-900. If Roland tried making it today, they’d use zencore and it wouldn’t be the same thing. Again, huge shame.

No FX added."

Friday, March 01, 2024

Leap soul | Roland JD-990 mellow ambient progressions


video upload by MIDERA

"Yesterday I received a Roland JD-990 and was completely unimpressed with editing it (compared to the JD-800). I thought 'Why would I want this???' even though I knew it wouldn't be as good to edit. But... wow, I guess folks were right who championed the 990 over the 800. It IS better, in pretty much every conceivable way, except the interface, and the interface itself isn't really that bad once you know what you're doing. Now I will sit here and wonder, knowing how much better the 990 is... do I keep the 800? I could use it as an editor I guess, but that seems unnecessary for the most part. I guess I should try it first and see what I think.

FXM (crossmodulation?) adds some character.
'Structures' on how the tones interact is nice.
Tone panning
Better FX (I can go up to like 3 seconds for delays). Somewhat trivial.
Analog feel (cannot be overstated how much this adds to the sound).

I'm actually considering the 990 to be better than my D50, not too sure about that yet, but I like how the 990 can get much more grit than the 800, through the different tone structures, that it can start being more D50 like.

The biggest problem? The JD-800 ISN'T the JD-990. Roland could have made the ultimate digital synth if they made a keyboard JD-800 that had the 990 guts. I guess I can see why folks own both.

Of course - take all of this with a grain of salt. I did JUST get this synth yesterday and there's a honeymoon phase to every purchase. The only difference here is that I'm fairly familiar with the internal synth engine and I truly expected to be disappointed. But to everyone who bought a 990 and sold their JD-800, I get it.

No external FX used at all."

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Slowfall | Spectralis 2, Prophet 10, Virus TI downtempo IDM


video upload by MIDERA

"I feel like I haven't written any real music in months. I try and then I give up. I wrote something recently and hated it. Then I wrote this piece. And also hated it. But I felt like if I didn't just finish it, record it, and post it, I'd keep this cycle up and make nothing new.

I'll keep trying. That's about all I can do.

Eventide Blackhole VST for reverb"

Friday, February 16, 2024

Sequential Prophet 10 | The Disaster. An FX-soundscape


video upload by MIDERA

"This whole sequence of sounds just... was not good. I actually made part 2 first, but then started over and that's what you hear first. Part 1 I just got up and shut it down. But hey - maybe you'll find something inviting and interesting in this moor.

Eventide Blackhole VST used for reverb"

It's all about timbres and how you play them. Interesting as a follow-up to Prophet 5 - How does the Poly-Mod Work?

Monday, February 12, 2024

Burial Kingdom | Roland JD-800 dark ambient soundscape


video upload by MIDERA

"My offering to you. Please enjoy.

Roland JD-800. No external FX."

Thursday, February 08, 2024

DSI Prophet 08 (the better one) night time melodies


video upload by MIDERA

"I had no interest in recording anything tonight, but I feel like any time I sit down with the DSI Prophet 08, I enjoy it, so I recorded this. Sorry about the crackling. I don't know what it is about the P08, but it seems to distort more easily than other synths. Maybe I just have the levels all wrong.

I had been comparing the P08 to the P10, side by side, and I still have to say to myself 'WTF - I like the P08 more.' In almost every sound I create, the P08 feels more melodic. I don't get it. There's something almost 'boring' in the P10. Or maybe it can just go too wild at the 'same settings'? I don't know what it is, I am sure the P08 is more tame so in a way it more easily makes things sound pleasant. I can usually get them super close (which speaks highly to the P08 I think).

Also - I call it the 'better one' because I absolutely hated the REV2, after owning it once and borrowing it from a friend to compare to the P08. I concluded that the P08 was better then. And it's still one of the best synths I have. I like it more than the P10, PE, P12 (easily), Jupiter 6... Not sure about the Chroma Polaris, which itself is wild, but in a more "Bladerunner" sort of way.

On a personal note - I'm one week into being bald. It's weird. Most people don't say a word and I wonder 'Does that mean they think it looks terrible or does nobody care?' One person did stop me to say they thought I looked good, but I felt like maybe they said that just to be kind, knowing I must feel pretty bad otherwise. Truthfully, it's hard to get used to. I think 'great, I'm just another bald dude...' and think a bit less of myself, but part of me loves the idea of not having to think about my hair after I have a hat on or bike somewhere.

And finally, today I got my final gift from my mom. It was new indoor slippers. She bought me a pair about 10 years ago and I wore them beyond the point that they had holes in the soles. I asked her for a new pair for christmas, but she didn't make it to then, and so I bought myself a pair. I'm wearing them now. It will be sad to throw the old pair out, but I should lay them to rest. They've served me well.

Prophet 08 with Eventide Blackhole VST"

Friday, January 12, 2024

Roland Jupiter 6 lamentations


video upload by MIDERA

"Exploring the bandpass filter. I actually wrote this immediately prior to 'ambient arpeggiations' but didn't like this as much, so I posted it afterwards (now, that is).

I don't have much else to say. I'm still working through the junkyard that is my 'studio', wondering 'do I even need this piece of junk?' (not in reference to the Jupiter 6. I just have so much stuff that I got back in 2014 when I thought I would be some great big photographer or musician, hahahaha. I laugh - because it was silly. I don't really care about any of those things, I'd have had to sacrifice being with my kids, and they just mean more to me than the success I could have had. But that's just what I like to tell my unmotivated self.

Also - somehow my JP6 got out of tune while I was playing. I pressed the TUNE button and it all went back to good, but sorry about that. Whoops.

Strymon Volante and Eventide Blackhole VST used for FX."

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Roland Jupiter 6 ambient arpeggiations


video upload by MIDERA

"I went to my studio to lament over how messy it is. I haven't wanted to be in here at all. I just want to sit and do nothing. 2023 was awful. 2024 feels like more of the same. Health worries come and stay. Maybe I'm just getting old and my body gave up fighting for me.

Well, my studio IS a disaster. I sit here WANTING to sell my Jupiter 6, but I feel I'd regret it. I don't know how to clean this place up to make it worth keeping these things. Worse, the things I do have listed don't even get people interested. Nothing like "Hey, I want this but would you knock this much off?" No, just no interest. Can't tell if the gear is crap, if the money's gone, or what - but all my gear sits. Useless in its current spot, hardly any interest in it, but I guess I had more interest in playing my Jupiter than cleaning my room, so there's that, right?

If you're curious how I've been holding up - every day I want to talk to my mom. I want to tell her about what's going on in my life. Sometimes instead I just write a note to her on my phone with what I wanted to tell her. It's not the same, but I guess it's something. I did get the desk that she used her whole marriage. That was nice, I like that desk. Turns out it was my Great Grandma's on my dad's side (We got a lot of stuff from his side, but nothing from my mom's side, weird). I like having all these antique heirlooms. They're probably not worth anything, but they're worth something to me. I am documenting them for my kids so they know where these things came from. We also got my parent's vintage Sears Silvertone Radio Phonograph. I think it was made in 1966. We've been listening to old vinyls and it's been great. I did buy a new needle. I doubt the old one was ever changed. And I'm pretty sure I have to fix a speaker, the right side doesn't play. I'd have thought these would go for some money, but I guess they weren't great. I dunno. I love how it sounds. I love how it looks. Reminds me of my parents. It's all I have left of them."

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Mutable Instruments Ambika (Xena) soundscape


video upload by MIDERA

"I finally found my PSU for my Ambika. I've been very tempted to get the Michigan Synth Works Xena synth... My unit has 3 4P voices and 3 SMR voices (if you see a note activated on the left side of the LEDs, that's a 4P filter, if you see a note activated on the right side, that's an SMR filter.

Well - there's probably no real reason for me to buy the Xena. But maybe this video will help you decide...

Used Eventide Blackhole VST for reverb."

Monday, November 13, 2023

Into the Depths | Moog Minimoog and Rhodes Piano improvisation downtempo track


video upload by MIDERA

Moog Minimoog
Rhodes Piano
Eventide Blackhole VST

Wednesday, November 08, 2023

Whispers of the end | Moog Minimoog and Rhodes Piano somber instrumental track


video upload by MIDERA

"I was not ever looking forward to posting about this. Our dog Pepper, that we adopted in May, will need to be re-homed. It will be the third pet that I have to say goodbye to that I deeply love within this year. When 2023 started, I wondered if I would lose any pet friends this year, and I think instead of whispering in my ear, life just decided instead to punch me in the stomach instead.

Pepper is a beautiful 9 year old black German Shepherd. Our resident dog, Blue, attacked Pepper back in June, causing $1200 in emergency vet visits, and from that point on, we had to keep the dogs completely separated. A trainer came in and after wasting $500 on them, they told us that we should consider re-homing pepper. Great.

I didn’t want to give up on her. I love this dog so much… but after consulting with a lot of people, we decided that it would never get better and that Pepper should be in an environment where she didn’t have to be near a dog that attacked her out of nowhere. Sure - between gates they will lick each other, but it’s that 1 time we have no warning where it becomes an issue. We don’t want the dogs harmed and we especially don’t want our kids or us harmed.

I write this as Pepper is next to me, sitting peacefully… unaware of what we’ve decided. I hate to do this to her, she is family to me… I wanted to be there when she passed away (hopefully many years away)…

All I can do is hug her as much as I can before we have to say goodbye.

Eventide blackhole vst used for reverb
Strymon el cap used on minimoog
Strymon dig used on Rhodes

#minimoog #strymonelcapistan #strymon"
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