MOTM

hello all,

i had a bit of a satori moment earlier today while thinking of the vemia
(www.vemia.co.uk) auction.
the thinking behind my moment is this:
in the recording industry (my background), in the future only the very
biggest studios, and the very smallest (ie no overheads) or niche (ie a pile
of QUALITY vintage gear) studios will survive - everyone else will go belly
up due to Logic Audio and the wonders of software plug-ins. already, in my
experience, major labels are becoming happy to accept CDROMs instead of 2"
reels as finished session masters (no mean feat here in the uk at least),
so...
this is begining to happen in the synth world - the question i put to this
list is:
1) does this mean the price of second hand analogue synths will gradually
decline..?
2) or more importantly, will the middle ground in synthesis will be pushed
out of "the market", ie, the lower ground being software synthesis which is
here to stay, the middle ground being the bulk of second hand analogue
monosynths (but including stuff like the juno 106), and the higher ground,
the niche market, being to quality (specific wording) modular and semi
modular synths..?

the same could also be said in terms of outboard equipment - who needs a
quadraverb, multiverb, vortex, sde2000, 201 space echo, h949 harmoniser -
when all they need is the h949 & vortex (both voltage controllable :->)

if this seems like obscure musings, then sorry for the rant - but i know a
few of you out there work in studioland, and in the back of your minds
you're wandering just when your majestic outboard rack will turn into a
CDROM of pirate plugins...

cheers
paul b - just a few monday night posers / in no way slating the latest
technology...

> you're wandering just when your majestic outboard rack will turn 
into a
> CDROM of pirate plugins...
> 
> cheers
> paul b - just a few monday night posers / in no way slating the 
latest
> technology...

h3y paul, 
i've been usin' cubase for 2 and a half years now, i love it, and 
more importantly it's bloody convenient as all hell.  i don't have 
the space for a 2" tape deck.  my room is 10x12 with a 4 foot 
ceilin'.  a cave more or less(or opium den as my friends used to 
say).  at first i thought plugins were beautiful, and plentiful if'n 
you know where to look.  however, they're not (nor do i believe they 
will ever be) as satisfyin' as turnin' a knob or flickin' a switch.  
they glitch if'n you try to automate them.  half the time you can't 
seem to set the parameters you want correctly.  routin' will never be 
as flexible as one would like either.(yes i want my cake and to eat 
it too)  some have gui's that are wonderful, others a nightmare to 
deal with.  some of them are bloody awful or useless(regardless of 
how much they are praised)
 they lack the distinct characteristics one can seemin'ly only 
achieve through outboard gear.  some of them are great and i use them 
religiously, but my outboard gear will grow to greater proportions 
than my plugin list ever will. 
 analogue recordin' gear can be quite beautiful, but i am too inept 
to give it the proper respect and care it deserves to make and keep 
it beautiful.  i can't say i'd be bummed if'n most of the world went 
completely digital, makin' all those cool physically tangible toys 
come down in price, but i don't see outboard as ever really goin' 
away.  it feels too bloody good to hold somethin' in ones grubby 
little paws and make it sing...
just my wooden nickel...
peace,
doc

>1) does this mean the price of second hand analogue synths will
gradually decline..?

I don't think so, at least not yet. According to the Vemia auction
prices things are still on there way up. But its history people are
after and 'perceived' quality. For example, the well complemented
Novation Basstation keyboard is cheaper than say a Moog Rogue. And
prices for the ARP Oddysey, around 480UKP, are just ridiculous when you
can get the better Roland Sys100-101 for 150UKP less. So I think its all
about perception as opposed to performance. A keyboard is always more
cool than some plug in, and if non-musical people have heard of it then
the better it is. 'Wow, you've got a TB303 in your studio... '

The price of that Roland System 700 exceeds that of a new MOTM...
history not quality.

But, when push comes to shove... I want that system 700 too!

Regards,

Tony Allgood  Penrith, Cumbria, England

Oakley Modular Synth and TB3030:
www.techrepairs.freeserve.co.uk/projects.htm
My music: www.mp3.com/taklamakan