Integration of the MicroWave XTk

Buying new gear can be full of disappointments and pitfalls. For an initial period the frustrations of a new synth not being fully integrated into my studio far out-weighs the excitement. The recent acquisition of my MicroWave XTk has proven this true, but also added the stress of potentially ruining my new toy.

You see I like to do a number of things when I buy second hand gear. The first is to clean it and the second reset it to ‘factory’ standards. Inevitably, old synths are full of sounds created by their previous owners and before I create my own, I like to start afresh. Once I had located the latest factory presets, I also purchased a librarian/editor to make programming easier from my PC. Then I created a MIDI patch script for use in Cubase, as there did not seem to be one readily available on the net. Creating patch scripts is a laborious and maddening process that took me a whole evening. In the meantime, my new toy sits untouched, I really had no time to play the thing.

With modern digital synthesizers, there is also the daunting and potentially ruinous process of updating the Operating System (OS). Having checked my synth, it appeared to be running on version 2.29 of the OS. I then trawled through various web sites and found that the latest OS is 2.33 dating from 2000. A quick visit to the newly reinstated Waldorf website (the company went out of business in 2004 and have only resurfaced at the end of 2007) gave me the latest OS.

The one thing about updating the OS of a synthesizer is that if it goes wrong, the synth could end up irrevocably damaged. If the part of the OS that tells the synthesizer how to ‘boot up’ is damaged it will never work again. Scary when you have just paid a substantial sum. With fingers crossed I loaded the OS into Cubase and played the file to the XTk. The display read ‘Receiving System 2.33…” and all looked great until an error message appeared. Now I was really worried. Having read the manual again I realised Cubase was sending MIDI clock data to the XTk and once I turned this off the system updated without problem (running at about 90bpm it took just a couple of minutes).

Now everything is set I can actually use the machine to create sonic mayhem. And boy does it create mayhem. The bass from this synth is truly astounding and its ability to create a sheer wall of noise is unrivalled. The MicroWave is a truly iconic instrument. Just one look of the red alpha dial and you know what is in front of you. Just one press on the keys and you could pierce you eardrums.

Microwave XTK has arrived

I have no idea what to do with this thing yet. I'm lost. I thought the Korg Triton was difficult to master. After half an hour with this thing I am no closer to getting it to do anything I want it to. Complex. A challenge. I like it aldreay.

But it does look fantastic. And I have been chasing one for a few years, so to actually own one finally is a great feeling.

Just for the record(s)

In a recent post, I praised the box set available for the new Depeche Mode album ‘Sounds of the Universe’. As well as praising this release, I also wished for a nice box set to accompany the new Pet Shop Boys album ‘Yes’. I got my wish. Oh boy did I get my wish. Look here if you dare. It is now SOLD OUT!

 

Now I know what you’re thinking: “£300 in a recession? You must be joking!” Nevertheless, it is obvious this is going to be a highly sought after item and will only increase in value. For a collector such as myself, I think it makes sense as an investment. As a Pet Shop Boys fan I think it is the most awesome release I have EVER seen. I am aware vinyl is not for everybody, but that is kind of the point of a release like this. Only those of us who appreciate good vinyl editions will truly acknowledge the intrinsic value in an 11x12” box set. People who ‘wish it was a CD box set’ have missed the point of this version entirely. The exclusive instrumental mixes are not important (my copy will never be played so I will not even hear them!) they are just a bonus. There is of course a standard LP of ‘Yes’ being pressed (and even that is limited to 1000 copies) but the sheer gorgeousness of this box set makes it the standout Pet Shop Boys ever created. I will even venture the opinion that this is the best release by anybody in a long, long time.

Internet music game

Synthopia have pasted a great game devised by Noise Addicts on their web site.
Here are the rules:

1. Go to Wikipedia and hit “random” and the first article you get is the name of your band.

2. Go to “Random Quotations”. The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page will be the title of your new album.

3. Go to Flickr and click on “Explore the Last Seven Days”. The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Of course I thought I would have a go and was rather pleased with the result:





















The quote is from Miss Piggy on the Muppets (it sounds like a crappy U2 album title to me). The band title is a place in New Zealand. The photo is rather cool.

However, I wouldn't anticipate finding "Never Eat More Than You Can Lift" on Amazon anytime soon.

eBay and GAS

I buy a fair amount of musical equipment (‘gear’ in geek parlance) on an increasingly infrequent basis. Yet recently GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) has resurfaced and I find myself looking through eBay for something interesting almost every day. The one thing that strikes me as I peruse these listings is that the price of vintage gear remains elevated, recession or not.

Around the turn of the millennium, it was still possible to find some great bargains as people offloaded their outboard in favour of software. I can only assume there are an increasing number of like-minded musicians who use the short sightedness of others to acquire bigger studios. Obviously, this has all happened before when digital synths arrived and analogue instruments were dropped like hot potatoes. However, it took many years before analogue became converted and prices inflated. Then some fool went and invented ‘electronica’ ‘rave’ or whatever else you want to call it and eventually everyone wanted a TB-303 (I can’t bring myself to comment on the £1000+ TB-303 phenomenon).

Yet the outboard being off loaded by musicians at the moment is not necessarily iconic or unique and still commands large sums of cash. I will give you some examples:

£300 start price with £40 postage for a Korg 01/W?
It is not 1995 anymore. I want one but only because they should be cheap but cheerful.

£900 for a Jupiter 4 with 24 hours still to run?
Are you people mad or just rich? It says 4 not 8.

£250+ for a Roland SH-101
Back in 1990 I had the choice of a DX100 or an SH-101. Each were £90-100 as I remember. I chose the DX100. I really am stupid sometimes.

£320 for a Korg Trinity
Surely you can find a Triton for less than this?

I am VERY excited about the synth I am currently bidding on. This synth is a long-term target that is very rare and my bids are rather high. Thus, I guess I am as guilty as anyone for pushing up prices. Yet my pulse quickens at thought of owning this one and if I win you’re sure to see it here. Watch this space.

Yes? Well maybe....

I have now heard all but one of the tracks from the new Pet Shop Boys album 'Yes' and the first word that springs to mind is 'pop'. That 'Girls Aloud' chart fodder type of pop. 

Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with pop, I like pop music, but I still long for the 'electro' album they always threaten to make. When you hire Xenomania to produce your album you are obviously going to end up with a 'pop' recording, yet there are glimpses of what could have been. 

The bassline on 'Did you see me coming?' is quite sublime, 'Love etc' is almost pure electro, ' 'Legacy' has snatches of techno, 'More Than A Dream' could be a house track from 1991 and 'The Way it used to be' is crying out for a DFA remix. 

Yet Neil sings his 'X-factor' styled vocals over pure bubblegum pop backing tracks with an unhealthy dose of Johnny Marr guitar. With every PSB release I seem to raise my hopes that they will recreate 'Please' or 'Disco' in a Kraftwerk/eletro style (imagine my near hysterical excitement at the pre-release of 'Psychological' from 'Fundamental') only to be disappointed.  

However I will take 'Yes' for what it is and enjoy it none the less. In reality I should just be thankful that my favourite group still create new music. I guess 25 years of being a 'pethead' is making me selfish. 

Speaking of 25 years, there is a free CD 'Pet Shop Boys Story: 25 Years of Hits' included in the Mail on Sunday today. If you can face buying such a rag. I recommend you take out the CD and throw the newspaper in the bin immediately.

Now that's what I call a 'box set'

Mute records always seem to know what the punter desires. When I laid eyes on the new box set for the Depeche Mode album ‘Sounds of the Universe’ I was impressed. Indeed, I was so impressed I spent nearly £60 on the thing. Mute appear know that if you get the content and quality right, fans will simply ‘have’ to own their latest release. Loading digital files onto your iPod might be cheap and tidy, but you simply do not get the thrill of owning such great physical products such as this.

There is a long history of Mute ‘getting it right’. The Depeche Mode and Erasure singles ‘box sets’ of the last few years are just one example of this. This latest release is packed with goodies for fans and has me almost as excited as the release of ‘Yes’. It also makes me wish that EMI’s other subsidiary, Parlophone would do something similar for the upcoming Pet Shop Boys album (and ‘box set(s)’ for Neil and Chris’s singles/remixes are long overdue). So, as much as the record industry might bemoan the advent of the mp3 they should also learn that the physical product must be of a superior quality (regardless of cost) if they wish to sell CD’s to the hardcore fans that keep them afloat.

Another great Last.fm app

Yet another great last.fm application has caught my eye this week. Open Minded Radio (or OMR) is another statistic driven website that aims to indicate how diverse your music tastes are.

On inputting my own data I found no great surprises. I was pleased to see 'electronic' the top tag in every one of my charts! With an 'open minded rating' of 81 it appears I am quite diverse in my tastes. The website also promises us a statistics page which is 'coming soon'.

At present the data generated is offered in a pie chart which can be pasted onto your last.fm page. There are several similar apps to this one but OMR offers the clearest graphical illustrations by far. Geeky but fun.