I've had the MOTU ultralite for over a year now, and I can't recommend it enough. Latency is essentially zero - I do live playback all the time. I appreciate the flexibility of its dual XLR-1/4" inputs, and the fact that it has MIDI may negate your need for another midi station. Sound quality is sup...

I'm going to add another vote for the Korg ER-1 . It was my first drum machine, and I had it for several years before upgrading/sidestepping to the MFB-503, then the Machinedrum. It's imminently flexible, astoundingly easy to use, and features a fantastic sequencer with lots of flashing lights. My c...

I'm pretty sure that every member of a site called "Vintage Synth Explorer" gets too caught up in tech sometimes :) Really sitting down to jam and write always helps me get over GAS, for one of two mutually exclusive reasons: 1) I come up with only c**p, leading me back to the realization that I wil...

I'm another vote for the Virus Indigo.

Not that I've gone through many synths in my day...

My favorite iteration of the bass line is the one that comes in around 7:00. I'm also a fan of the melodic xylophone-like stuff that you throw in around 12:00. As for suggestions, I'd like to hear more sub-bass. The mid-range fuzz on the bass is great too, but I want to feel that Moog as it breaks m...

Thanks everyone. I'll take all this into consideration as I keep working on it. "It is possible to do the same thing with more melodic content, but it probably still sounds 'boring' compared to a pop song with a nice tune, because it would have to be a short, consistently repeating part" Excellent p...

I just pounded out a track yesterday evening and tried to get it finished within a couple hours. I tend to make spacier housier stuff but this ended up being pretty straight techno. I've been listening to a lot of Sandwell District stuff lately, and I think it's having an influence. Here's what I ha...

Minimal techno.

Virus! I've got the Virus B indigo (the one with a three-octave keyboard) and love it. Sounds great, good polyphony. The multi-mode is sweet, because you can control multiple synths at once via MIDI. The modulation capabilities are pretty fantastic. The effects are very usable at the least. That sai...

In the US, you usually don't have to wait long until a Mk2 pops up on Ebay, and they're usually only $200 or less, so I would say no. As to whether it deserves to achieve "collector's status," that's another question. The price is killer. You can get some nice weird sounds out of it. The fact that y...

I'm going to jump into the fray and say +1 for Mackie ! You can find the 1202 VLZ for about $100 if you keep an eye on Craigslist. Very solidly built. Sounds great. Inexpensive. What more could you ask for? If your only use for it is playing on shitty PAs, then sure, you may be able to go with a che...

Definitely a sweet groove. I like. Thoughts: - Make us wait longer for the kick drum at the beginning. -Around 1:14, you filter down the main synth, which is good. This feels like a good time to tone the song down a bit more overall - including maybe killing the sample for a while. Then pump the vol...

Dear Virus, I am sorry for all the times I thought you were inadequate. I think that I just got a little too "comfortable" with you for a while - even bored. I know, I know, it sounds so harsh to see it written like that. But that's how it is. Sitting around on the weekends, spending hours on end to...

OK, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it, because nobody else has...*Get the Machinedrum!* Forget the Korg! I haven't used an EMX or ESX, but I ditched my ER-1 for the Machinedrum and haven't looked back. I mean, I did grow attached to the ER-1, but the Machinedrum is basically just an upgraded ...

I have an older Mackie 14-channel mixer, and it sound fantastic. It's got a nice warm analogue sound. I'm not sure what upgrades Mackie has made on their newer ones, but I'd say that if you need those extra two channels, you can buy the older 16-channel one with confidence.