MOTM

At 09:44 AM 8/6/02 -0500, J. Larry Hendry wrote:
>I think it would be great to hear from MOTMers who own both to tell us why
>thay "must keep" the Mini or why they are considering selling it at today's
>inflated prices to finance more modular.  Sometimes I don't know what is
>right.  I know for me, I have come to a point that I know my modular habit
>will have to change somewhat before the end of the year.  Most of the time I
>used to spend using my synths has been replaced by building and wiring
>cabinets, doing metal design work, converting Blacet modules, running a web
>site, and the list goes on.  I hope as I finish my cabinet this fall that my
>modular construction time will fall back to building that ocassional new
>MOTM module that shows up ready for a no hassel assembly job.

OK, I'll bite on this one too.  I will admit to a certain problem with too 
many synths... Paul remarked to me that "I can't make up my mind" when it 
comes to preferring one synth over another, particularly when it comes to 
modulars.  That said, I really enjoy the "quirks" of different 
synths.  They tend to force me to think differently when interacting with 
them and I like that.  Some synths respond well to specific direction while 
others can take you on a journey to someplace you didn't expect, it all 
depends on where you want to go at the time.  I find that the MOTM falls 
somewhere in between.  You can get a specific sound in most cases but it 
will often show you some interesting tangents that can be interesting to 
explore on the way.  To me the Serge/Buchla/Wiard school of synths are the 
ones to take you on the strange trips.  So, when I interact with them, I 
usually am in an exploratory frame of mind.  I certainly don't go after 
them for "a quick sound" when approaching them.  Most pre-wired synths and 
the Moog/Arp/MOTM/synth.com school are more deterministic and can go where 
you want them but modulars in general allow for much more exploration.

When it comes to the Minimoog, it is just plain fun to play because of the 
user interface, response, and *that sound*.  That said, my Mini is in 
storage waiting to move into a new house while my MOTM is still set up.

I agree with Elhardt that folks shouldn't approach the MOTM with the intent 
of "imitating" a specific synth.  There are certainly the flavors of other 
famous synths in the MOTM but not exact replicas.  I'm still formulating my 
opinions on the MOTM 490.  It is certainly *like* a Moog 904A but it isn't 
exact.  I haven't figured out exactly what it is but there are certainly 
some differences in just the "knob feel" that may be affecting me right 
now.  More on this as I work with it.

         Eric