1970's again? (was Re: [sdiy] pro EQs)

[Scott Gravenhorst]

This is sounding way too reminiscent of AH.  

Does it even matter why individuals do DIY?  

I do it because I can't afford vintage analog, and I can build things that
produce sounds that aren't being done with off the shelf equipment.

The Peasant <ecircuit at telus.net> wrote:
> 
Unknown wrote:
>> Buying a CD of music instead of composing and performing new music isn't at
>> all an equal analogy here.  And an artist that paints a picture is hopefully
>> creating something new.  I was pointing out that going the DIY route to do
>> something that's already been done many times seems rather wasteful.

Wasteful?  I think that may apply to you, however, many of the bits of DIY I have
are not things I could have purchased.

>As I stated before, you don't seem to get it. My primary motivation to DIY 
>electronics is NOT to produce a complete commercial music CD. I suck at 
>composing music, I don't think that you or anyone else would enjoy music that I 
>composed and recorded myself. So when I want to listen to some music, I buy a 
>CD, instead of "wasting" my time creating my own similar one. But I do greatly 
>enjoy designing, building, modifying, repairing, and playing around with music 
>gear. And although this may make me a total failure in your eyes, it works just 
>fine for me.
> 
>> I've also always considered being into synthesis meant first and foremost
>> people wanted to use synths.  

I think you are placing artificial boundaries on this.  Most people are
multitalented.  Just because you are interested in synthesis does not preclude
interest in other related activities, such as DIY.  And all of us will have a
random and diverse proportion of any one related sector.  Some here are
interested in the electronic end of things far more than making "music".  So be
that, but there are others of us with different mixes of these aspects.  Some
artists still make their own pigments.  Pigments can be purchased, is making them
"wasteful"?

For me, I am a musician and a technician with respect to electronics, enough so
that I can design and build much of what I come up with.  I do make music, but
not all of it gets recorded, I think that's true of many/most of us.  

>Well, you know what assumptions can do for you. Besides, there are a lot more 
>ways to use a synthesizer than to just make CDs.
>
>> Spending lots of time building yet another
>> oscillator because you don't want to buy one takes away from that first
>> goal.  

I think that you attempt to oversimplify the reasons why people DIY, making a VCO
for me isn't about not wanting to buy one.  If I were rich beyond counting, I
will still do this.  It's pride in doing it myself, then hearing MY music come
out of the speakers being produced by the VCO I designed and built.

>>That might explain why I've never heard a single composition (or
>> sound or note) from most of the DIY community.  Building yet another
>> wavetable oscillator may be fun to some, but isn't that supposed to lead to
>> actually using it?

For those DIYers who are musicians, it _could_ be, but the fact is that all of us
have varying amounts of musical talent and limited time to perfect the talent.  I
know at least one DIYer who really doesn't do that much music if any at all, he
really just enjoys coming up with a new way to do things and he implements his
ideas in hardware.

>Well, to name just one, have you not heard any of JH's excellent music? He has 
>3 CDs of incredible electronica, and is one of the top DIYers on this list and 
>probably in the entire world.

It takes more effort than a single google to find it, but it's there.  I've heard
(probably because I am interested) many clips of DIY members' music.  It's there
if you are inclined to find it.

Just my opinion...

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-- Scott Gravenhorst | LegoManiac / Lego Trains / RIS 1.5
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