I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
Forum rules
READ: VSE Board-Wide Rules and Guidelines
READ: VSE Board-Wide Rules and Guidelines
-
- Expert Member
- Posts: 1287
- Joined: Sat Jun 02, 2007 7:55 am
- Gear: Octatrack
Bass Station 2 - Band: TBA
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
I have a similar mindset.. are you sure about the 707 though? I tried doing one fixed-tone drum machine (even with some mods), but found it was just too much of a limit to me. Now I use an ESX - if I want to limit myself I just load up one set of samples.
- cornutt
- Moderator
- Posts: 2117
- Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 6:03 am
- Gear: 6th
- Location: Rocket City USA
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?
Switches, knobs, buttons, LEDs, LCD screens, monitors, keys, mice, jacks, sockets. Now two joysticks!
- tim gueguen
- Senior Member
- Posts: 795
- Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:31 am
- Location: the Canadian Prairies
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
That would depend on what you do with the stuff, things like how you record it and whether or not you play live. You can have lots of stuff yet still produce mimimalist sounding music by using each piece in a limited way on a track. Conversely you can take a single instrument and mulitrack it into an orchestral if it's programmable enough and you know how to mix and process it properly..
Keys: Realistic Concertmate 500, Korg K25, Korg Micro X
Guits: '86 Fender Japan '50s Reissue Strat, '80 Aria Pro II TS-300 Thor Sound
Guits: '86 Fender Japan '50s Reissue Strat, '80 Aria Pro II TS-300 Thor Sound
- Automatic Gainsay
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 3962
- Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:22 am
- Real name: Marc Doty
- Gear: Minimoog, 2600, CS-15, CS-50, MiniBrute, MicroBrute, S2, Korg MS-20 Mini, 3 Volcas, Pro 2, Leipzig, Pianet T, Wurli 7300, Wurli 145-A, ASR-10, e6400.
- Band: Godfrey's Cordial
- Location: Tacoma
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."cornutt wrote:Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?
However, it has nothing to do with instrumentation, it has to do with repetition.
The internet electronic musicians started calling their music "minimal" when it was sparse in instrumentation, and while that's a totally valid usage of the word, it unknowingly refers to something completely unrelated which was established firmly before that usage existed.
"I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." -Charles Babbage
"Unity and Mediocrity are forever in bed together." -Zane W.
http://www.youtube.com/automaticgainsay
"Unity and Mediocrity are forever in bed together." -Zane W.
http://www.youtube.com/automaticgainsay
- ninja6485
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2770
- Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:13 pm
- Gear: Virus Ti, Jx-8p, Juno 60, Radias, Maschine, 101,303,606,707,727,808,909, odyssey, mirage, akai s5K/s2K/s1k, drumtraks, E6400ult, M1R, rx5, fizmo,d50
- Band: Subliminal Sea
- Location: Exton/ westchester
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
no, i was going to point that out too. it's not unlike asking someone what style of music they like and getting the response: "hardcore."Automatic Gainsay wrote:I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."cornutt wrote:Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?
However, it has nothing to do with instrumentation, it has to do with repetition.
The internet electronic musicians started calling their music "minimal" when it was sparse in instrumentation, and while that's a totally valid usage of the word, it unknowingly refers to something completely unrelated which was established firmly before that usage existed.
This looks like a psychotropic reaction. No wonder it's so popular...
-
- Active Member
- Posts: 617
- Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:57 pm
- Gear: Micromoog, JX-3P, Minikorg 700, Z1
- Location: Québec - CANADA
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
Automatic Gainsay wrote:I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."cornutt wrote:Here's a curiosity question. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between minimalist gear and minimalist music, or vice versa. If you have a stripped-down setup, do you tend to do minimalist music? If you have a large setup, do you tend to do big dense stuff?
However, it has nothing to do with instrumentation, it has to do with repetition.
The internet electronic musicians started calling their music "minimal" when it was sparse in instrumentation, and while that's a totally valid usage of the word, it unknowingly refers to something completely unrelated which was established firmly before that usage existed.
Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terrey Riley...
Here's a great example:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
i am trying to shrink down my setup as well . the nice thing when you limit yourself to a small setup is that you developp an intimate relationship with specific instruments as you are forced to use them in ways you woulnt have though of otherwise. i have put togheter a small eurorack system and i am trying to make recordings using nothing but my incomplete eurorack . it forces me to do weird things like using a quad enveloppe module as a multi clock source and stuff like that ...
also i guess that sticking to a handfull of devices can help you define your sound
also i guess that sticking to a handfull of devices can help you define your sound
-
- Supporting Member!
- Posts: 1004
- Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 2:55 pm
- Location: Portland, ME
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
EXACTLY what I'm talking about. 'an intimate relationship with specific instruments' is what I'm trying to evoke out of my setup, whatever it may be.druzz wrote:i am trying to shrink down my setup as well . the nice thing when you limit yourself to a small setup is that you developp an intimate relationship with specific instruments as you are forced to use them in ways you woulnt have though of otherwise. i have put togheter a small eurorack system and i am trying to make recordings using nothing but my incomplete eurorack . it forces me to do weird things like using a quad enveloppe module as a multi clock source and stuff like that ...
also i guess that sticking to a handfull of devices can help you define your sound
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
Which is why as of this morning my new 'setup' consists of an 808 and an MPC, and thats it... Im selling/sold the rest...
Come on Bennett.... Let's Party!
- cornutt
- Moderator
- Posts: 2117
- Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 6:03 am
- Gear: 6th
- Location: Rocket City USA
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
You are correct, sir. I was trying to use the word in a more generic sense, but yes, that word often refers to a particular style of composition. Which is not what I was getting at.Automatic Gainsay wrote: I know everyone hates it when I point this out, but there is a very firmly established and recognized style of music called "Minimalism," and those who practice it are "Minimalists."
Switches, knobs, buttons, LEDs, LCD screens, monitors, keys, mice, jacks, sockets. Now two joysticks!
- ninja6485
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2770
- Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:13 pm
- Gear: Virus Ti, Jx-8p, Juno 60, Radias, Maschine, 101,303,606,707,727,808,909, odyssey, mirage, akai s5K/s2K/s1k, drumtraks, E6400ult, M1R, rx5, fizmo,d50
- Band: Subliminal Sea
- Location: Exton/ westchester
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
have you tried flowers and a box of chocolates?tomorrowstops wrote: 'an intimate relationship with specific instruments' is what I'm trying to evoke out of my setup, whatever it may be.

This looks like a psychotropic reaction. No wonder it's so popular...
-
- Supporting Member!
- Posts: 1004
- Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2010 2:55 pm
- Location: Portland, ME
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
Every time I give the girls flowers, the damn cats eat them.ninja6485 wrote:have you tried flowers and a box of chocolates?tomorrowstops wrote: 'an intimate relationship with specific instruments' is what I'm trying to evoke out of my setup, whatever it may be.
- ninja6485
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2770
- Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2009 10:13 pm
- Gear: Virus Ti, Jx-8p, Juno 60, Radias, Maschine, 101,303,606,707,727,808,909, odyssey, mirage, akai s5K/s2K/s1k, drumtraks, E6400ult, M1R, rx5, fizmo,d50
- Band: Subliminal Sea
- Location: Exton/ westchester
- Contact:
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
every time i give the cats girls, the damn flowers eat them. 

This looks like a psychotropic reaction. No wonder it's so popular...
-
- Newbie
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:25 am
- Gear: Waldorf Q & XT & Streichfett
Nord Lead 2x
Roland V-Synth /w VC-1 - Location: Istanbul
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
I agree with simple setup and workflow, I'm content 2 synths for my sonic realm, add a good multi effects and possibilities are more than enough to discover.
- Alex E
- Synth Explorer
- Posts: 2239
- Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 12:07 am
- Gear: Jupiter-6, Juno-60, Polysix, Emulator II, DX7, QX1, Arp Odyssey MKII, ESQ-1, Miami, M1r, Live 9, iMac MC309XX/A
- Location: Anaheim, CA
Re: I enjoy the challenge of simplicity.....
I have a Supernova II Pro-X Keyboard in transit, but aside from that, a 4x4 midi interface, and a line mixer, I don't own any other gear. I write lots of music these days with just Ableton Live running Drum Rack and Analog. I'd like to have at least a few synths again someday, as I used to own a decent chunk of gear before selling it all (at a loss).
soundcloud.com/vectron