Only grief weathers time | Downtempo electronic synth instrumental

video upload by MIDERA

"I think I have never sat here longer, not knowing a thing to write about, or how to title this track. I've thought about the day, the week, and all my music ever makes me think about is just how fleeting time is - I don't normally feel that way towards anything I listen to, just my music. I wonder if that's how others view their work? Or maybe it's just the focus of what I do? Which reminds me - when I ask if my music invokes 'sadness' I'm often hearing that, no, it doesn't sound sad, which is bizarre, because that is almost always the mood I'm going for.

Ok - I guess that helped me figure out my title. Now I wonder whether I need to add a string of instruments in there... It's what I always do, but I don't like it. So, I guess I won't.

But I better list out what I had because I recently went back to a track and masterfully did not include everything and now I've forgotten.

Roland Jupiter 6 - pads at the beginning and throughout
Roland SH-101 - bass
Sequential Prophet 10 - Arp
DSI Tempest - Druims
Squarp Pyramid - Sequencer
All sounds routed to AUX to Strymon Volante then to Eventide Space"

Afterglow | Downtempo electronic jam with Jupiter 6, Prophet 10, SH-101, DSI Tempest, and Pyramid

video upload by MIDERA

"I finally got my studio reorganized. I had spent about 3 weeks fixing up my Jupiter 6, but everything else became disheveled. I realized how much time I spend 'noodling' and how it's just not rewarding, not like writing music. I realize for the most part, my 'noodling' videos tend to do better - probably because people are specifically interested in what the instrument does.

But I don't really get much out of those videos... except it keeps my channel 'active.' I'd take a written song any day over the nothing videos that I post. It feels good to get back into it.

Track uses the Roland Jupiter 6, Sequential Prophet 10, Roland SH-101, and DSI Tempest. Eventide Blackhole VST for FX."

Exploring the Roland Jupiter 6

Exploring the Roland Jupiter 6 | What did I get myself into? video upload by MIDERA

"I spent too much money on this. I told myself I shouldn't get it. I knew I didn't need it. I knew it wouldn't add anything to my setup. I knew it would be a project... And yet, I bought it. The Jupiter 6.

The Jupiter 6 belonged to someone I know and have bought other things from. When we started our discussion, only 2 issues were known. The Master 2 knob and the ENV2 keytracking weren't working. I figured I could fix this. Then VCO MOD ENV-1 tracking wasn't working. Then, the unit wouldn't power on at all. They managed to get the power working again (the switch itself wasn't working). So I decided to go ahead with the purchase.

I drove an hour to pick it up.

I got it home and, yes, those issues persisted, but I tested it out and decided right then that this was indeed a mistake. My Prophet 10 is a better synth with less issues. Anyway, a few days passed and I decided it was time to open it up. I replaced the power switch. I tore out the 2 faders that weren't working. I cleaned them and fixed them. I cleaned out a few others that seemed to have intermittent issues.

All seemed well... until I made this video. It was at the very end of this video when I realized that Oscillator 2 has one voice that isn't working correctly. The Pulse wave is silent. Digging deeper into this, I've found that IC36C pins 4 and 5 are not receiving any voltage. This is voice C (or 3). Unfortunately, so far this is beyond my skillset to fix, but it seems something (hopefully common between these two pins, both related to Pulse wave and PWM) is not working. It's not a bad chip, because I swapped chips and the issue persists on the same location, i.e., it didn't follow the chip. One possibility is that this location is not soldered properly, and those two aren't receiving any information. I'm not sure. I'd have to delve deeper, but again, I'm just out of my depths here.

So what are my thoughts now? I'm frustrated that I put so much money into something that really needed more work than I originally thought... But then again, I've also learned a lot, like how to repair faders, how to do some basic IC chip testing.

I am shocked by people saying it's 'cold'. I don't know what that is about at all. Doesn't sound cold at all to me. It sounds like a proper Roland synth. But wow it has a ton of range. I didn't properly capture it here, but a few sounds I have made sounded like hitting a stringed instrument... it's like you can feel the electricity, where I don't often feel that way with the Prophet 10. It's really a great sounding synth. To me, it retains everything I liked about my Juno 6 and added a lot more. The only thing I really miss about the Juno 6 is the better feeling faders and the smoother cutoff when modulated.

All I can say is - I can't wait to have this thing back to 100%.

Happy New Year!"

DSI Prophet 12 | The Xophen Soundbank, a bank of 99 patches including pads, leads, brass, FM bells

video upload by MIDERA

"Included is a series of patches I have made since July 2021. I recorded everything here within one run, so you will hear whatever mistakes I make as I go through all of the patches to give you a feel for how they all sound. There is no reverb on these sounds (as much as I would have preferred how they sounded). Anything you hear will sound the same on my unit as it does on yours. Small amount of master limiting was used.

A few notes though - you are advised to turn your Master Volume up. This is because there is a strange behavior on the Prophet 12 where if you lower the Master Volume, you may hear very strange differences in panning of voices, hence, my Master Volume is at Maximum and my VCA values are much lower to compensate. This has worked well for me. I actually had sent my unit in for diagnostics for fear that something was wrong. Sequential informed me that this was normal behavior.

To read my review of the Prophet 12, go here: https://www.midera-artist.com/dave-sm...

To purchase my soundbank, go here: https://www.midera-artist.com/synthes...

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sequential OB-6 | Inside (ambient demo)

video upload by MIDERA

MIDERA OB-6 posts

"I have honestly stared at this synth more than any other synth for the last three years, online that is. I watched videos upon videos and thought "it sounds good... but what is it that people *love* about it?" I wasn't going to spend $2000+ on a synth without testing it. No, I only do that with everything else (like the Prophet 10 and Prophet 12). Ok, so I do do that.

I managed to play one locally. Twice. The desktop version. I walked away from my first experience thinking "Wow, their Virus TI2 sounds amazing." I own the TI1, so obviously I didn't need that. But the point was, I didn't really think the OB-6 was that great.

Then, I managed to go back, this time with my own headphones. My opinion didn't change. However, this time they had an Oberheim OB-Xa, which sounded incredible, I could hardly believe my ears. I left, again, disappointed by the OB-6.

Fast-forward, I was going to do a trade, my JX-3P + cash for a friend's OB-6 keyboard. Well, they took the JX-3P but needed the OB-6 for a show, so I let them bring that later. In the process, they decided not to keep the JX-3P, but did let me borrow their OB-6, for a few hours, just to sit and play, which was awfully kind of them. What you hear is my time with it. Or rather, the first half of that time with it. I knew nothing about it, but I *DID* tune it prior to starting recording - and it managed to get out of tune by the end.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Korg Polysix: Inner workings

video upload by MIDERA

"Pulled out the Polysix - Always wonder whether I like it more than the Prophet 10. I'm strange. Something so simple about the Polysix that's just lots of fun. Relax - I probably don't like it more than the P10...

I guess the synth I like most is the synth that's sitting in front of me. Except the synths I don't have fun sitting in front of. I'm looking at you Roland D50."

Exploration | Sequential Prophet 10 REV4

video upload by MIDERA

"You wouldn’t know it but I already wrote a description. Only, YouTube does this wonderful things on phones where if you pull down to refresh, it’ll delete everything if you hadn’t saved (no warning splash screen). So that’s fun. Here we go again.

Ok, so I dismantled my studio, ripped everything down, frustrated that I have too much but can’t figure out what to part with. Part of its fear that I’ll never get it back, part of its fear that it’ll just go up in price to ridiculous levels (Juno 106 for one, I bet my Roland SH-01a (blue) I sold for $300 is fetching more than my real SH-101 these days too) so I can’t get them back. Part of it is that I genuinely enjoy using the gear and writing weird things with them (my Hapyness patch on the D50 for example).

My studio is small. 11x12’, which just isn’t very much room. But I don’t want a lot of gear hooked up to sequencers as it get difficult to manage. But I want to make good use of everything… constant disarray, rearranging, dissatisfaction, etc.

As for the P10, I don’t like where it’s seated, but I sat down anyway, plugged it in, and just recorded the process. It might start out pleasant, but it soon hits a cacophony of disharmonious sounds. Hard to say whether it’s interesting. I had fun exploring anyway.

Eventide Blackhole VST for reverb."

Myrtis | Downtempo acid || Spectralis II, Machinedrum, Prophet 10, SH-101, System 8, and Virus TI

video upload by MIDERA

"Another attempt at 'acid' with the System 8. This time using the System 8 engine itself. I had some trouble with the Prophet 10 during the recording and had to tune the synth as I went along. Anyway - enjoy.

Reverb added with Eventide Blackhole VST."

Roland System 8 does acid: A TB-303 style adventure

video upload by MIDERA

"I don't have a Roland TB-303, but I guess I always wanted one. Somehow while messing around with the Jupiter 8 plug-out tonight, I made this sound that felt like it could have come from a TB-303... well, maybe not? I don't know. Seemed close enough to me.

Then I decided to throw a beat on top of it. Then I decided to add another bass line with the SH-101, and then I just decided to make some other things to go along with it and well - this is the boring track I came up with just to show off the Roland System 8 doing acid.

Spectralis 2 - Sequencing
Elektron Machinedrum MKII - Drums
Virus TI - Pads
Roland SH-101 - Bass
Sequential Prophet 10 - keys
Roland System 8 - TB-303 ish sound

Eventide Blackhole VST on most parts."

Fender Rhodes Mark I Electric Piano and Sequential Prophet 10 ambient

video upload by MIDERA

"This last month has been full of so many frustrating moments. The last week felt like the magnum opus. I never feel like producing any music now. I just constantly rearrange my studio.

But here is something."

The shores of broken tears | Chroma Polaris, Hologram Microcosm, and Emotional Cello

video upload by MIDERA

"I started off wondering whether I wanted to keep the Polaris. I use it so infrequently, and I have a Prophet 10, which must be better. Right? And then I thought maybe I should try it out with the Microcosm again and maybe try out looping on that thing. So I did that. And then it was done but I felt like it could use something else. So I then added to it with Emotional Cello VST... And yes, it felt blasphemous to use the Prophet 10 to control a VST, but it had a simple USB connection and 5 octaves so I used it. The Prophet 10 was not used for audio in this track at all. It wasn't needed.

Also - for the record, the Polaris has some girth under its belt. There is a sound there that is certainly lacking in the Prophet 10, which is polite beyond a doubt comparatively."

Is this all there is | DSI Prophet 12 Ambient track

video upload by MIDERA

"It came today, even my daughter was excited, 'A synthesizer???' She and I ran downstairs and opened it up. She was interested, and then she saw it, and went to do something else.

I was impressed by a few things: 1) The keybed isn't quite as awful as people think. I would say it's in between the AN1x keybed and the TP/9S. It's not great, but it's ok. I agree that the velocity on here is not excellent. It's hard to control. 2) I find that despite all the knobs, it's actually somewhat difficult to navigate. I'll chalk this up to my inexperience with it. 3) It sounds like it distorts way quieter than other synths that I own. I wonder about the D/A converters. 4) For all the modulation capabilities, I sense that the P12 can't go the extra mile. It hits a wall and the sounds become clangorous (as opposed to an FM synths which just keeps going, beyond its obvious boundaries).

My first day with the Prophet 10 was similar. I was underwhelmed. I'll give it more time and learn more tricks before I settle down with an opinion.

Eventide Blackhole VST used for reverb."

Passage of life | Ambient soundscape with Korg Polysix, Roland SH-101, Strymon Volante

video upload by MIDERA

"This morning my daughter pleaded with me to work from home. It was really cute, and sad. I told her that even if I stayed home, I wouldn't really get to play with her. She insisted, 'You can work. I won't bother you.' I still left for work. I need the exercise (I bike to and from work and just won't do cardio if I don't have a reason to do it).

I got home, ate dinner (but was on my phone), gave her a bath (and was somewhat on my phone), then we watched TV together... I missed it. I missed the day with her, even when I was with her. All she wanted to do was to be with me. I was 'there' but not really.

All I can do is try again, to do better.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gear used:
Korg Polysix (sent through Strymon Volante)
Roland SH-101
All tracks sent through Eventide Blackhole VST"

---

If this could bring you back | Rhodes Piano and Prophet 10 | Tribute to my father

video upload by MIDERA

"Eleven years today, July 22nd, 2010 - that sounds like a long time. It feels like no time, once you've gotten there. It's been 11 years since I watched the last breath leave my father. The sense of sadness, but relief - his pain was over.

I still have dreams about him - he always has stubble on his face (which he never had prior to cancer, he always kept his face clean) and I'm always shocked that he survived. "But... how did you survive??" Although normally I don't even ask him that anymore. I think I'm just happy to see him again, and my brain knows not to tempt it by asking those questions.

One time, after I'd gotten into a car accident and he was yelling at me over the phone, I found the words that dug into him and hurt him. I said to him, "You were never there for me." Apparently that ripped right into him and - I always regretted saying that. It reminds me of the lyrics from a Pearl Jam song, 'Some words when spoken, can't be taken back.'

I wrote him a letter, a few weeks before he died, apologizing for having said that back in 2003... He read it, I think, or I hope. My mom recently gave me the letter I wrote to him. Three pages of how proud I was of him, how I'd always regretted saying that to him, how I hoped he'd still be with us for a long time... After that - I don't think I actually saw him conscious, he was basically in a coma the next weekend and never woke up, except for some strange bouts of strength and alertness (although I wasn't there for that).

I ended my letter to him, saying that I'd love to read anything he'd write back to me. But there was nothing there. I never heard back."

Moog Matriarch: The Tenth Passing - coming back around

video upload by MIDERA

"Tonight I sat in my studio, making patches on my Yamaha AN1x (and getting a bit bored of the tedium of trying to make patches). I decided to switch on the Matriarch and just mess around with it. If there's one thing I love about the Matriarch, it's the strange types of arps and sequences you can come up with the independent oscillators that can independently be switched to different octaves. It's just so easy to come up with interesting sequences with it. The ratchet feature is also one that cannot be ignored - really, more sequencers need a 'ratchet' feature. The only other sequencer with this feature that I own is the Toraiz Squid.

Anyway, this is long over-due. I had originally planned to record 10 videos of the Matriarch by itself, but stopped for some reason after the 9th (on October 6th, 2020). Why I stopped then, I don't really know. Ah, yes, I remember. The Prophet 5/10 reissue came out around then and I started wondering what I should part with to make room (hint: I parted with nothing).

Anyway, Eventide Blackhole VST was used for reverb."

Matriarch & MIDERA

Still motion | Rhodes Mark I Piano, Prophet 10, Machinedrum

video by MIDERA

"Sometimes things just come out of nowhere - reminding you that life changes, constantly. There is no normal, no stable, no constant. The river flows, sometimes it's slow and you don't notice it moving, but it is moving all the same, aging you, making you change whether you want it or not.

And so we go down that path again."

Quiet moments | Ambient Rhodes Mark I Piano and Sequential Prophet 10

video by MIDERA

"Tonight, I told my daughter (3 yo) that she shouldn't keep calling us from her room. She often calls out and when we get to her she makes up something she needs, that isn't a need at all. Like, 'I need you to pick up that stuffed animal.' Although normally it's, "I need you to cover me up." I had already gone up once to help her go to the bathroom, which, surprise, she ended up not needing to do.

When she called a second time, I knew it was to cover her up. So I didn't go. She called out and called out and I knew that going up there would just reinforce the behavior. Eventually, her calls died down and I looked at the monitor, at her just laying down without blankets. So I went to her.

I decided that I guess I just don't really care if she calls me again and again. It gives me a reason to see her just one extra time. I sat next to her, covered her up (which she said "thank you for covering me up," and then hummed her songs (she asked). There's honestly nothing better, nothing more important, in this world than your children, at least - that's how I feel. Hopefully, if you read this and feel any regret - make it up tomorrow."

Primordium | IDM - Virus TI, System8, Moog Matriarch, Prophet 10, Spectralis 2, Machinedrum, DIG

video by MIDERA

Gear used:
Access Virus TI (keys/pluck)
Roland System 8 (soft pads)
Moog Matriarch (Bass)
Sequential Prophet 10 (Drone/pads)
Radikal Technologies Spectralis 2 (Sequencing, Filterbank)
Elektron Machinedrum (Drums)
Strymon DIG
Boss MD500
Eventide Blackhole VST

Experimentation | Ambient IDM (Prophet 10, Roland System 8, Machinedrum, Virus TI, Spectralis 2)

video by MIDERA

"A few things I'm working on here:

1) Still deciding whether to keep the SLR Magic 40 1.33X anamorphic lens. In my second part of the video, I left my lens wide open, I thought it looked ok, but it's obviously very soft. I think stopping down to f4 is ok (as the first portion of the video was filmed there. In my previous video - I used the 2.39:1 aspect ratio with no bars, but that actually makes it difficult to add things to Youtube because it's not an approved aspect ratio, funny enough. So I've gone back to desqueezing the video and leaving the bars.

2) Sequencing: I have been trying to find the best, quickest way to write music. I'm starting to realize that I had what I worked best with all along - the Spectralis. I've tried a bunch of different ones, but nothing ever seems to work in the way that I work very well. The downsides that I have noted are fading away as I begin to adventure into other MIDI capable patchbays (visible in the video).

What else is there to say... it's a journey that's left me confused - the lenses, the look of the film, the sequencers... Just trying to enjoy the process of jumping into things I don't know and just trying it out.

Gear:
Prophet 10 REV4 (pads)
Radikal Technologies Spectralis II (sequencing, FX)
Elektron Machinedrum (Drums)
Roland System 8 (Arp)
Strymon DIG (For P10)
Boss MD500 (For P10)
Eventide Blackhole"

Dream Weeper | Sequential Prophet 10 and Rhodes Mark I Piano somber ambient

video by MIDERA

"The Prophet 10 really does start to shine when mixed with FX. Here, I use the Boss MD500 (only stereo tremolo active) going through (in stereo) to the Strymon DIG. I think this is a fantastic pairing. The Prophet just really sounds great when stereo FX are used. I had been missing my REV2 because I came up with some great pad sounds that I just didn't think I could replicate... but it wasn't the REV2 that was so great, it was the implementation of the FX (which, admittedly were internal mixed with reverb). Of course, the REV2 was good and because it used internal FX that was indeed part of the sound - so the REV2 is great. My issue with it was the filter just didn't sound that great to me and the oscillator bleed was really too much for me (listening back, I think I overestimated its annoyance). But I do kinda want that synth back. But I have the Matrix 1000 which I think is a bit better.

Now - what really needs to be said about the Rhodes piano? It's just awesome. The sound from the Rhodes goes through the Retro Flyer Preamp and then into the Strymon El Capistan and then to the Eventide Space.

Sadly - one of the angles of video was overblown - whoops. I noticed it while I was filming, but I just wasn't going to stop recording. So - enjoy an overblown video.

Cheers

#Prophet​ #Rhodes​ #Ambient​"

Rhodes piano and Sequential Prophet 10 Ambient mood

video by MIDERA

"I had filmed using another angle, but apparently I didn't actually hit 'record'. With 2 minutes left I heard the shutter snap as the unit shut down and I realized there would be no 'overhead' shot. I wasn't going to re-make the video. So this is what you're stuck with. Shot #2.

I used the Sequential Prophet 10 which went through the Tomkat Super Day Dreamer pedal, into the Boss MD500 and had some Eventide Blackhole VST on it.

The Rhodes Mark I Stage Piano 1977 went through the Avion Studios Retro Flyer preamp and then through Eventide Blackhole VST."