GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome (Part 1)

wellbi · August 23, 2021, 12:28pm

Ok, I give up. I really hesitated to sink almost a grand into a Behringer product. Deepmind 12 analog/digital hybrid synth. But as I have saved some money to buy myself a Rick, which is not a good investment right now, I pulled the trigger on this synth. And …

… I am convinced, Behringer simply delivers absolutely insane amount of music for money. I remember 15 years back all their products were hissing and crackling and overall it was really uninspired. Now I start to view them like a really interesting company. Good job, Uli.

Paul · August 23, 2021, 12:49pm

Yeah the Deepmind 12 is crazy good. I almost bought that one too!

wellbi · August 23, 2021, 1:01pm

After a few hours with that keyboard, it really, really feels like if Massive wavetable synth VSTi was recreated as Analogue Substractive synth. I wanted to buy Korg Opsix, because I like the sound of FM synthesis, but cannot handle fiddling around in a software with that kind of synthesis. … But I end up with Behringer and there’s so much potential packed in that machine I am honestly blown away. This synth will be a classic in 15 years.

howard · August 23, 2021, 1:34pm

Nice!

I really, really prefer wavetable synthesis (or most other types) over FM. It’s just so much simpler. FM synthesis has always been complicated and difficult, ever since the DX7.

wellbi · August 23, 2021, 4:15pm

I’ve read this comment once “If Nazis disguised their communication as FM synthesis, Germans would win the war and Alan Turing would commit suicide after a few days at his new job.” … I can totally relate to that

Old_WannaBe · August 23, 2021, 4:20pm

just found this Ibanez Jet King Bass,

Damn that is sexy.

terb · August 23, 2021, 4:43pm

yeah, a funny little bass. I have done two covers with it so far.

TNKA36 · August 24, 2021, 2:07am

Nice @wellbi ,

cant wait to see you post a couple covers with it
Cheers Brian

terb · August 24, 2021, 1:11pm

About my Ibanez acoustic bass : there is a problem with the electronics ; more precisely with the electric wires from the piezo pickup and the jack input. So I will return it. Not really sure about what I will do after that.

howard · August 24, 2021, 1:15pm

I have been seriously looking at the Artcores. @PamPurrs actually bought one IIRC. They look fantastic. Hollow-body with standard pups.

terb · August 24, 2021, 1:19pm

yeah, also a Höfner could be an option … the neck on the Ibanez was very nice but for some reason I’m saying to myself that a 30" scale would have been even more fun.

PamPurrs · August 24, 2021, 1:20pm

Yes, that is a very nice bass and I loved the sound. I just had a hard time playing it because the body is so huge.

howard · August 24, 2021, 1:28pm

For shorties a Hofner is a classic option for sure, I am always surprised when I hear their sound. Big tone for such a tiny bass.

My short-scale hollow body desire is all about this one though:

I mean… damn… all buttons pushed

John_E · August 24, 2021, 1:29pm

This is why I went with the Gretsch. I sounds about as loud unplugged as an A/E with a much more reasonable body. Killer tones and no pesky piezo (he says as he looks for replacement piezos on the Fender HMT: I’ve had two basses with them and both had piezo issues on low E string. They are brittle and break easily.

terb · August 24, 2021, 1:34pm

yeah, the piezo on the Ibanez was not so bad actually but I agree, I still prefer magnetic pickups. I even think that a magnetic pickup brings a more natural tone on a hollow body instrument than a piezo, where the signal is captured on the bridge but not really on the “living” part of the body.

John_E · August 24, 2021, 2:40pm

On the HMT I’m in the process of swapping out the Fender Lace P with a Fralin as it is very underwhelming, and looking for a new piezo to solve the low volume E (still mixable between the two though with no real issue) to see if I can optimize the two into a very woody thump. I’ve got La Bella nylons on it as well. Would end up to be some super cool tone options.

That said the Gretsch with flats and those two TV Jones I’m buckets are super cool thumping machines.

Barney · August 26, 2021, 4:47am

The Arturuia Minilab arrived today. Apart from being tremendous fun I can see this being a huge time suck

howard · August 26, 2021, 4:50am

Oh yeah. Think of it as adding access to a very broad range of instruments

T_dub · August 26, 2021, 6:50am

Your picture picture reminds me of something, but not for the reason you posted it.
Just seeing your computer reminds me that today was another good news day sort of, in a GAS sort of way.

I ordered my new refurf Imac today.
Decided against the MacMini and went back to the Imac.

I don’t have monitor. My dead Imac, is one or two models too old to be driven by a Mac mini. I have a 30 wide screen hdmi tv I could use, but, need a mic, web cam, and even then, just not as nice and clean.
And if I spend for a monitor, I am right back to Imac price, or pretty close.

It is iMac 16.2 (Late 2015) 21.5”
MK442LL/A
8mb Ram and 1tb HDD
But
Since the ram is not upgradeable, I may go with advice I got from @MC-Canadastan, and get a 256 solid state drive, and load the OS onto it, and make the 1tb a slave.
Then store everything on the slave, and just have the one GB file I am working with, and Imovie file on the master Solid state drive, and move them to the slave and / or my external 1tb HDD, and let the solid state drive be open for virtual ram.
Otherwise, if that cant be done, I will still get a housing for the drive and make it an external, but it appears this model can have both drives inside. I know for a fact it can take the Solid state drive, and those are like $30.
If I got the Mac Mini, I was gonna get the solid state for sure and swap it with the HDD and turn the HDD to an external.

It will do the trick, and its a step up from the late 2009 I had that was patched to run Catalina, so pretty sslow.
Cert refurb from Amazon with 90 day exchange or refund return policy and a 1 year warranty
$390

I see them from refurb mac stores around here that I have been to, and / or are on offer up from those type stores, and best you get for under $400 is a mid 2014 or earlier.
The model I got, with specs are as high as $600 from those stores, and you het a 30 day exchange, no refund policy usually.

If its not working out or I decide it was the wrong choice, I will ship it back and do something else.
Will be here early next week.

Paul · August 26, 2021, 9:38am

Seems like a good decision T! There are a bunch of videos on YT where ppl are buying 2015 Apple products. Apple products just last forever compared with PC imo. Seems 2015 was a good year. In my opinion just the screen is already worth the price alone… Apple produces the best monitors on the market.

I actually gifted my imac to my dad who has some sight issues lately (he was using a old TV as monitor) and my sis is still using my 2013 macbook pro which has a SSD. So yeah, going SSD is the way to go… You should defo put your OS on a SSD. Also 8 GB should cover most tasks unless you are a heavy video/graphic editor. For music it should be perfectly fine imo. They still sell 8 GB computers.

Hope it meets your expectations!