Music gear talk

neorev · Jan 26, 2018, 20:55 #100

Behringer does it again?

Introducing the Neutron...

Already got their Model D clone on preorder. Can't wait! I've heard great things about their Deepmind synths.

Wolkenkrabber · Sep 18, 2018, 13:54 #101

Stefan · Sep 25, 2018, 21:34 #102

Does gear for listening to music also count here?
I've made a nice upgrade this year, with a Cowon Plenue D player and Shure SE315 headphones.
They sound fantastic, it's a little bit like discovering my favourite music all over again

Explud · Sep 25, 2018, 21:38 #103

Are you f****** serious?..
Whatever.. You can do anything what you want.

I'm enjoying my Focal Spark Wireless with an iPhone.

UltimatePelmeni · Oct 04, 2018, 17:22 #104

https://habr.com/post/425305/
Explud, is that you?

Explud · Oct 04, 2018, 17:26 #105

Yup.

UltimatePelmeni · Oct 04, 2018, 17:51 #106

Thanks for the article

Explud · Oct 04, 2018, 19:58 #107

Thanks to Ben_J, he has translated it to english, i've translated it to russian adding some info.

inchemwetrust · Oct 04, 2018, 21:35 #108

dumb questions incoming, but at the same time not trying to be an ass

i would think in the future that all this equipment that the bros bring to their sets would become a 'virtual' machine, meaning instead of having all that actual gear on stage (example: the korg or roland) they would have an app or a program installed on the macbook to replicate that same synth or keyboard. wouldn't that be easier to sync with than the actual hardware.

if the gear that's on stage is not being used 'hands on', but is still being used to talk with the computer, then why have it out on stage? why cant it be sitting backstage with the other laptops. the purpose of this question is that (imo) why is the gear out on stage if its not gonna be touched. is it for just stage aesthetics?

just curious about the article but nevertheless i love some of the depth and explanation of the gear being used and those behind the scenes.

Plus I would love to peak into that '4th computer', copy pasta all those recorded sets into my HD!

neorev · Oct 05, 2018, 01:38 #109

Quote from: inchemwetrust on Oct 04, 2018, 21:35

dumb questions incoming, but at the same time not trying to be an ass

i would think in the future that all this equipment that the bros bring to their sets would become a 'virtual' machine, meaning instead of having all that actual gear on stage (example: the korg or roland) they would have an app or a program installed on the macbook to replicate that same synth or keyboard. wouldn't that be easier to sync with than the actual hardware.

if the gear that's on stage is not being used 'hands on', but is still being used to talk with the computer, then why have it out on stage? why cant it be sitting backstage with the other laptops. the purpose of this question is that (imo) why is the gear out on stage if its not gonna be touched. is it for just stage aesthetics?

just curious about the article but nevertheless i love some of the depth and explanation of the gear being used and those behind the scenes.

Plus I would love to peak into that '4th computer', copy pasta all those recorded sets into my HD!

Well, I guess it would be not every hardware synth has a perfect digital version. Plus, they would have to try and recreate specific sounds digitally. On top of that, it is still just not the same. I use both hardware and software, but if I can lug my hardware out to a show, I would. I have software that does a great emulation of a certain synth, but in the end it's still not the same as having the hardware there. I think the Chems like what comes with old vintage synths. They don't want a perfect digital set each night. They wanna introduce a little chaos to the performance. Plus not all synths have a digital version. A lot do, but not all. And it's not always easy to recreate your old classic sounds from scratch unless you're a hardcore expert at sound design. But even if you could, it's not always gonna be a perfect recreation.

I gotta give credit to Orbital, especially Paul Hartnoll. They really put on a live show. They have several hardware synths, all being used and tweaked with on the fly. Orbital has a nice mix of software and hardware live. They have a few tablets with Lemur loaded on it to trigger loops, effects, and sequences live. They can really jam a track live. The tablets are linked to Ableton, which is their main DAW that houses all of their loops/sounds/etc. Sequences are sent out from it to the hardware synths and they are free to tweak knobs and go with it. Paul Hartnoll seems to really, really love synthsand always keeps up on new gear. He does a great job at recreating classic sounds with new hardware. But when he can't do that, he has a loop recording of it set up to trigger.

P.S. The Chem Bros seriously need to open up a live archive ASAP. I'd pay for love shows. Apparently Orbital has tons of live shows recorded and they were asked about a live archive in a recent interview. Paul Hartnoll was actual super into the idea. He said he just needs to set aside the time to go through and sort it all. I really don't know why more bands do this. It's like, you already got paid for the show, so why not make some extra money selling a recording of it and you don't have to do anything. It won't stop people from coming to shows. Many of the people who did go to the show will wanna pay for a copy to have. It seems like easy money. Plus, you please the fans and it gives you time to work on new material since folks will have tons of live recordings to keep them occupied.

ThePumisher · Oct 05, 2018, 06:48 #110

Sounds like the Kraftwerk-Version of "live"

Ben_j · Oct 05, 2018, 08:37 #111

Quote from: inchemwetrust on Oct 04, 2018, 21:35

dumb questions incoming, but at the same time not trying to be an ass

i would think in the future that all this equipment that the bros bring to their sets would become a 'virtual' machine, meaning instead of having all that actual gear on stage (example: the korg or roland) they would have an app or a program installed on the macbook to replicate that same synth or keyboard. wouldn't that be easier to sync with than the actual hardware.

if the gear that's on stage is not being used 'hands on', but is still being used to talk with the computer, then why have it out on stage? why cant it be sitting backstage with the other laptops. the purpose of this question is that (imo) why is the gear out on stage if its not gonna be touched. is it for just stage aesthetics?

just curious about the article but nevertheless i love some of the depth and explanation of the gear being used and those behind the scenes.

Plus I would love to peak into that '4th computer', copy pasta all those recorded sets into my HD!

A few reasons, some of them Before already listed by Neorev:
1. Digital versions of analog gear will never sound the same as the real deal
2. Having this on stage is much more entertaining for the audience than two guys behind a laptop
3. They do "touch" most of the gear that is on stage, at one point or the other during the show.
4. Because of that it is also more entertaining for them on stage.
5. Most of the stuff that is not made by a machine on stage is already on the laptop, on the form of samples. It's better to have a recording of the actual studio session rather than trying to reproduce it with a virtual synth that won't sound the same

Csar · Oct 05, 2018, 08:55 #112

Quote from: neorev on Oct 05, 2018, 01:38
P.S. The Chem Bros seriously need to open up a live archive ASAP. I'd pay for love shows. Apparently Orbital has tons of live shows recorded and they were asked about a live archive in a recent interview. Paul Hartnoll was actual super into the idea. He said he just needs to set aside the time to go through and sort it all. I really don't know why more bands do this. It's like, you already got paid for the show, so why not make some extra money selling a recording of it and you don't have to do anything. It won't stop people from coming to shows. Many of the people who did go to the show will wanna pay for a copy to have. It seems like easy money. Plus, you please the fans and it gives you time to work on new material since folks will have tons of live recordings to keep them occupied.

Exactly. In fact, I'd presume, it would drag more people to concerts. What could be more awesome to re-live your live experience by listening to a recording of the show you experienced or to explore gigs you weren't able to attend?! Sigur Ròs has been doing this for years now, releasing lots of live recordings on an ftp server free for anyone to use. What would I give if the bros would do that! But maybe the reluctance also stems from the fact (other than their stated fear that fewer people would come/ or that experiencing it live is the main purpose of their shows etc.) that they use lots of samples and thus would ultimately have to clear those before releasing any material even if it was for non-commercial use.
I have still not given up on the idea that we might get some of that material in the future as MidiMatt, their most important "roadie", once said he was recording all of their shows.

"Rusher, if you're listening: Please release all of the Chems live recordings"!

WhiteNoise · Oct 05, 2018, 14:47 #113

Quote from: Ben_j on Oct 05, 2018, 08:37
if the gear that's on stage is not being used 'hands on', but is still being used to talk with the computer, then why have it out on stage? why cant it be sitting backstage with the other laptops. the purpose of this question is that (imo) why is the gear out on stage if its not gonna be touched. is it for just stage aesthetics?

Another thing - if you're gonna handle the logistics of shipping $500,000 (or whatever) worth of rare and valuable analog synthesizers all around the world for a tour, what would be the point of then hiding them back stage and using a separate control surface - digital or not - to perform?

They do use digital plugins as backups for some of their synths though just in case one fails. I know the Full Bucket Mono/Fury is used:

https://www.fullbucket.de/music/monofury.html

neorev · Oct 05, 2018, 17:41 #114

I also think...

The Chems have been doing it this way for so long now, why suddenly change it? It works. Don't fix what ain't broken. Changing up your live set up completely means having to relearn everything after you already got it down. I think it's out of habit, comfort, and they're used to this way of performing.

They did swap out the MPC for Maschine and I can see why. It takes something that they are already quite familiar with and allows them to go even further than the original instrument. So there wasn't a real learning curve there. Watch their Red Rocks 1999 or Woodstock 99 performance and you'll see the MPC in action. Maschine was inspired by and built for MPC lovers. So I can see why Tom decided to swap it in.

Wolkenkrabber · Oct 06, 2018, 14:49 #115

inchemwetrust · Oct 06, 2018, 20:45 #116

Quote from: neorev on Oct 05, 2018, 01:38

Well, I guess it would be not every hardware synth has a perfect digital version. Plus, they would have to try and recreate specific sounds digitally. On top of that, it is still just not the same. I use both hardware and software, but if I can lug my hardware out to a show, I would. I have software that does a great emulation of a certain synth, but in the end it's still not the same as having the hardware there. I think the Chems like what comes with old vintage synths. They don't want a perfect digital set each night. They wanna introduce a little chaos to the performance. Plus not all synths have a digital version. A lot do, but not all. And it's not always easy to recreate your old classic sounds from scratch unless you're a hardcore expert at sound design. But even if you could, it's not always gonna be a perfect recreation.

I gotta give credit to Orbital, especially Paul Hartnoll. They really put on a live show. They have several hardware synths, all being used and tweaked with on the fly. Orbital has a nice mix of software and hardware live. They have a few tablets with Lemur loaded on it to trigger loops, effects, and sequences live. They can really jam a track live. The tablets are linked to Ableton, which is their main DAW that houses all of their loops/sounds/etc. Sequences are sent out from it to the hardware synths and they are free to tweak knobs and go with it. Paul Hartnoll seems to really, really love synthsand always keeps up on new gear. He does a great job at recreating classic sounds with new hardware. But when he can't do that, he has a loop recording of it set up to trigger.

P.S. The Chem Bros seriously need to open up a live archive ASAP. I'd pay for love shows. Apparently Orbital has tons of live shows recorded and they were asked about a live archive in a recent interview. Paul Hartnoll was actual super into the idea. He said he just needs to set aside the time to go through and sort it all. I really don't know why more bands do this. It's like, you already got paid for the show, so why not make some extra money selling a recording of it and you don't have to do anything. It won't stop people from coming to shows. Many of the people who did go to the show will wanna pay for a copy to have. It seems like easy money. Plus, you please the fans and it gives you time to work on new material since folks will have tons of live recordings to keep them occupied.

Thanks neorev, for answering part one of my question. I do understand stand now that duplicating hardware into software is not a good solution as somethings will get lost in translation. And since I assume ( could be wrong) Tom is a slight gear whore, I realized that he wont dive into any interest into this idea and stick with the old school showmanship and add more real gear to his studio. Maybe a 70 year old T and E might reconsider when they start condensing their stage setup into one small workdesk ala Kraftwerk.

Quote from: Ben_j on Oct 05, 2018, 08:37

2. Having this on stage is much more entertaining for the audience than two guys behind a laptop
3. They do "touch" most of the gear that is on stage, at one point or the other during the show.
4. Because of that it is also more entertaining for them on stage.
5. Most of the stuff that is not made by a machine on stage is already on the laptop, on the form of samples. It's better to have a recording of the actual studio session rather than trying to reproduce it with a virtual synth that won't sound the same

God these are good responses. I shouldve clarified more a bit earlier in my last post. I know that the chems prefer bringing out their toys whether or not they actually use them. I had a little 'question everything' complex, but in no way i was trying to take away from the live experience whether or not the gear is physically there on stage.

Chems setup > laptops any day! But the way you said it made me smirk in agreement. I guess I enjoy the interaction between the chems and their gear more than the chems not touching or getting close to their gear. I should also add the in the recent years, Ed has been been going to and fro a bit more than usual on the gear on stage than before. That's just my observation from the vids posted on this forum,internet,etc.

As for actually studio sessions being used instead for virtual synth, i can see why now somethings have to stay constant and unchanged. If the chems actually used virtual programs to make it sound like their exact material, it would just sound like that Tribute to chemical brothers CD, but slightly better, but not the same.

ThePumisher · Jan 21, 2022, 10:51 #117

Maybe this is a bit offtopic because it has nothing to do with the gear you peeps have written about in this thread, but i bought a pair of Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 two weeks ago and the left earbud sometimes lost connection while the right one won't stop playing music. Got this twice last week, but at that time it always reconnects within one or two seconds. Yesterday it lost the connection and has only reconnected automaticaly after i put it back in the charging case for about one second. After that i could listen to my music flawlessly for over two hours.
Any ideas? Should i contact Sennheiser?
Firmware is up to date.

Stefan · May 25, 2022, 07:30 #118

Not sure whether we had a thread for the Chems live gear, so posting this here:

https://twitter.com/Midimatt001/status/1529361179512020992

I think the Korg ARP Odyssey and Opsix are new additions to their equipment?

God I hope to see this in action this year

Ben_j · May 25, 2022, 14:00 #119

Quote from: Stefan on May 25, 2022, 07:30

Not sure whether we had a thread for the Chems live gear, so posting this here:

https://twitter.com/Midimatt001/status/1529361179512020992

I think the Korg ARP Odyssey and Opsix are new additions to their equipment?

God I hope to see this in action this year

Yes, so is the SH-01A I think, and I think it is plugged to the distortion pedal above, so that would mean they ditched the Juno 106 for Chemical Beats in favor of the SH-01A (the "JU" on the patch cable going into the SH seems to indicate so) ?

Also, the Dreadbox Hypnosis (that black and purple box above the SFX60) is new. Maybe to replace the Juno chorus (if the Juno is indeed gone) ?

EDIT: also the Dave Smith Prophet Rev2 next to the SFX. Again, could fill in for the poly parts the Juno used to play.