[sdiy] OT: How would you define "cheesy" ?

[J. Larry Hendry]

For me, "cheesy" is a description that describes synth, organ or other
keyboard sounds that were serious attempts at something and they just kind
of fell short due to technology or other technical glitches.  There was so
much of this just prior to sample based playback synths, that it now seems
to mark a manufacturing era.  Of course, some instruments sounded cheesy not
because of technical reasons, but budget problems.

Some era examples of stuff I remember:

Korg CX-3 = balsy
Roland VK-09 = cheesy

MKS-20 piano module = robust
MKS-10 piano module = cheesy

Vox continental = smooth
Farfisa VIP series = cheesy

Korg Poly 6 = lush for its limits
Korg poly 800 = cheesy

The list goes on.  Any number of electric pianos belong on this list.  And,
in this age of retro, cheesy is not always bad.  The Cars had a way of
getting a lot of mileage from "cheesy" stuff and somehow it didn't sound
cheesy.

Of course, this is just one perspective. I don't think there are any "wrong"
or "right" answers to your inquiry.
Larry Hendry
(who at times could only afford cheesy stuff)



----- Original Message -----
From: Glen <mclilith at ezwv.com>
To: <synth-diy at node12b53.a2000.nl>
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 12:04 AM
Subject: [sdiy] OT: How would you define "cheesy" ?



Okay this is not totally on topic, but it *is* related to synths, and they
way they sound. I keep reading one adjective over and over, and this is the
word "cheesy." Perhaps it's obvious to everyone here except me, but just
what is the definition of "cheesy", as applied to the sound of synths and
other electronic keyboards?

The word usually has a definitely negative connotation, but then again,
some people actually *like* an instrument that they consider "cheesy."
Also, I've yet to find any consensus on which instruments are "cheesy" and
which aren't. The only trend that I can spot is that a higher percentage of
younger people seem to use this word.

Is being "cheesy" at least in part a function of an instrument's age? Some
people seem to think that anything built 3 years ago is not worth having
any longer, it's simply too "cheesy." The same has been said of synthesizer
patches as well. Sounds that were popular 3 years ago, are simply "cheesy"
by today's standards.

So I ask one last time, what *is* "cheesy" - exactly?


Later,
Glen