Dumbest thing you've ever heard someone say about synths

[tekkentool]

"SOUNDS LIKE NINTENDO"

OH I'VE HEARD THAT ONE, APPARENTLY NINTENDO OWNS SQUARE WAVES

[TrondC]

a little off topic here, but I think refering to people not automatically know that certain synths can't play chords as stupid is kinda.. stupid. a non-musician's natural refence point to a synthesizer is a piano, so when you see something with a keyboard, assuming this too can play chords is not stupid, just not knowing. I think that attitude is quite arrogant.. Synths are complex things, and there is a reason why there are like 100 guitarists for each person with a synth, and and even higher ratio if you exclude those using only presets.

meh, someone else prove my point better, I'm lousy at this :p

[zoomtheline]

yeah your absolutely right! the odd person on here can get abit elitest and assume that everyone should know what they know so some stories are not stupidity just a case of people not knowing which there is nothing wrong with. but most of this thread is describing the same elitest types from other musical groups being knobs about synths and synth players.

I think? ha

[Automatic Gainsay]

"SOUNDS LIKE NINTENDO"

It seems like about every third comment I get on synth demo videos is that one.

No, it doesn't.

[Mr Knesh]

"SOUNDS LIKE NINTENDO"

It seems like about every third comment I get on synth demo videos is that one.

No, it doesn't.

What I dislike about this comment is that it is made to be derogatory. I personally think that Nintendo, whether it be nes, snes, gameboy etc, has had some incredible sound design and musical composers. I can't say that only a little bit of my musical influence has come from Koji Kondo and Kenji Yamamoto.

[Mr Knesh]

a little off topic here, but I think refering to people not automatically know that certain synths can't play chords as stupid is kinda.. stupid. a non-musician's natural refence point to a synthesizer is a piano, so when you see something with a keyboard, assuming this too can play chords is not stupid, just not knowing. I think that attitude is quite arrogant.. Synths are complex things, and there is a reason why there are like 100 guitarists for each person with a synth, and and even higher ratio if you exclude those using only presets.

meh, someone else prove my point better, I'm lousy at this :p

I believe that this observation comes from the musical ignorant in general. The two most common modern instrumentalists are the guitarist and the pianist. Both instruments are designed to play both individual notes ore chords. What most people forget is that both the modern piano and modern guitar are very new instruments. The majority of classical instruments; clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone, tuba, saxophone, and even the human voice, were all designed to only play one note at a time. And this limitation in no way hindered the performance of those instruments.
When you add to this basic ignorance, or absent-mindedness rather, the illusion that the keyboard places in front of most synthesizers, I can understand why some people could be mislead. But hey! That is why people buy Buchla systems. Because they don't look, act, or sound like traditional instruments!

[D-Collector]

I would take it as a compliment. Nintendo music kicks a*s!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go5m608sPzA

[BoxPhenom]

About monophony,
Often I'll describe my passion for older synths, pointing out to people that some are monophonic, the usual reaction from neophytes is like "yeah but what's the use in that"
most people can't distinguish a note from a chord, they just think the more fingers on the piano, the better it sounds or something.
Anything you can hum has to be or can be monophonic but somehow it doesn't register in people's minds.

[cornutt]

About monophony,
Often I'll describe my passion for older synths, pointing out to people that some are monophonic, the usual reaction from neophytes is like "yeah but what's the use in that"

I've been hit with that a couple of times, and I always respond with something like, "What's the use in a saxephone?" I also like to point out that most guitar solos are played as single-note lines.

[BoxPhenom]

good example,

I guess it's not necessarily a dumb reaction, it's just that many people will say : "one note a time?, that's retarded!"
There's a famous journalist in my city that reviewed a prog band's show, ages ago, saying they didn't have any talent because all they keyboard parts were "one note at a time", that's in a major newspaper, and she's now one of their major editorialist and just as stupid.

[zoomtheline]

Next thing people will be moaning about vocalists not being able to sing chords!

to be honest I have never come across that monophonic comment...... yet.

[tyrannosaurus mark]

I've come across the monophonic comment. People say "But you can get ones that sound similar that give you the option of one at a time or many at a time"

Haha, and it's fair enough really. I just love monosynths

[Cumulus]

This is more ignorance than stupidity but it's all I've got right now...

After a theremin gig a woman came up to me and said, "How does it make those sounds? Do you have magnets in your hands?"

[Automatic Gainsay]

"SOUNDS LIKE NINTENDO"

It seems like about every third comment I get on synth demo videos is that one.

No, it doesn't.

What I dislike about this comment is that it is made to be derogatory. I personally think that Nintendo, whether it be nes, snes, gameboy etc, has had some incredible sound design and musical composers. I can't say that only a little bit of my musical influence has come from Koji Kondo and Kenji Yamamoto.

I'm not sure it has been derogatory when I've received it.
Whether it is derogatory or not, in regard to most synths it's just inaccurate.

Next thing people will be moaning about vocalists not being able to sing chords!

to be honest I have never come across that monophonic comment...... yet.

I get that one all the time. "Is it true that the Minimoog ONLY plays ONE NOTE AT A TIME?????"

[RobotHeroes]

"SOUNDS LIKE NINTENDO"

It seems like about every third comment I get on synth demo videos is that one.

No, it doesn't.

That's f**k up. How could someone say that about the Nintendo.