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Playing Serge Live

Playing Serge Live

2002-08-22 by noisefag

I played a three panel serge with an electronic music group for
about a year. the key is building it into a shock protected case. I
had no problem using it while live on stage -- it was the packing
in and packing out that proved hazardous.

As far as playing the thing live -- you are not going to have the
latitude to "free associate" as you are able to do when alone in
your studio with the instrument. The best idea is to build your
patch in your own time, and then figure out a way to safely
transport the instrument to your gig. Again, this is where the
importance of a safe enclosure comes in.

Take my advice!!! One false move will cause horrible damage.
This happened to me -- someone placed an amp too close to
the front of my serge (before I had it built into a safe enclosure)
and the amp crushed the banana plug cables into the front of the
instrument. I had to replace 7 plugs and 4 pots, which was not
cheap.

Re: Playing Serge Live

2002-08-23 by Chris Whitten

I can't add anything to the chat as far as Serge specific experience is
concerned. I once used my Fenix live but copped out by solely generating
noise and fm weirdness. Tunes or even being in tune was not a requirement.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> The best idea is to build your
> patch in your own time, and then figure out a way to safely
> transport the instrument to your gig.
This seems to be the consensus.
But what about the original guys......back in the 70's.
Joe Zawinul took two 2600's on tour and recreated patches to match the album
sounds throughout the gig. I saw The Tubes a few times and Mike Cotton
extensively used the 2600 for bass patches, synth percussion, in fact all
kinds of sounds.
I think it has been documented* that the most widely recognised modular
user, Keith Emerson, did not use his Moog that much (live) and also
practised the pre patch method (in a Mini Moog stylee).
Anyway, this art of programming with one hand while vamping on a rhodes with
the other has been sadly lost!
CW
* See 'Vintage Synthesizers' by Mark Vail

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