Analog (Mis)information

[Matt Haines]

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>   Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 23:47:12 -0800
>   From: haines at quick.net (Matt Haines)
>
>   >       Hello, fellow analoguers -
>   >           I was browsing the web, and found this poor misguided
>   >      chap saying things like " The filter has little to do with the
>   >      "sound" as that word is normally used..." (in reference to
>   >      the MiniMoog).
>
>   We all did this conversation about a month ago. Where were you?
>
>I *think* what happened was that we had this conversation on AH a
>while ago, DBALVAGE independently posted this to SYNTH-DIY, and you
>just replied to that but sent your reply to back AH instead.
>

You're right, I musta hit the wrong macro. And I was just being crotchety
then, so don't mind me. I've taken my medication and am much better now. :)


>But really, it's not a big deal.  While he's written the text in an
>inflammatory manner, Hinton's got a very important point: When you're
>treating the synth as a Musical Instrument, the total effect of all
>the little things that contribute to the soul and the spirit of the
>playing experience is far more important than how much third harmonic
>distortion is present when the filter is being overdriven.  So in that
>context, a solid feel of the keyboard, a hardwood case, quality pots
>that respond to the touch, the right controls doing the right things,
>all that stuff is far more inportant to him than the specific circuit
>used in the filter because he's treating the beast holistically as a
>Musical Instrument.
>
>I can't disagree.
>

Same here. Before that thread started, I often wondered how much the effect
was on myself. I know there IS some effect of user interface and
ergonomics, but it's not the ONLY thing either. Fr'instance, does an MKS30
sound better/worse than the JX-3P? They're the same circuitry (I
think...pick another example if I'm wrong) but one's a keybord with a
slider and flashing lights, and the other's a rackmount version. These
factors could easily lead one to find differences where there aren't any.

Here's a personal example: I'm not fond of the sliders on the Odyssey. So
when it comes time to mess around with synths to find a sound, I turn to
the Odyssey lastm because it's a pain. That negative feeling, if I'm not
careful, can be converted into a feeling of "the Odyssey sucks, including
the sound". Which is definitely not the case!

Since I've now made this part of two lists, I'll cc DIY.

>(Some of his stuff is dead wrong though.  The line about 4-pole
>filters not lending themselves to theoretical analysis for instance.)
>
>  -- Don

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Matt Haines  haines at quick.net       .       .       .       .
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Official Warning: The opinions expressed above are not necessarily my own.