saw this topic elsewhere and it made me think about you guys.. what was the first bit of gear you got?  for me it was an ensoniq esq-1… she’s cheap, built like a tank, and always nags me (replace battery)

It was a Yamaha CS2x synth. I still have it, but these days I pretty much use only softsynths. Would love to use the CS2x more though, but for some reason my midi setup in Cubase is f***** and I can’t seem to fix it no matter what I try… :(

I haven’t used Cubase in a while, but what’s the problem exactly?  No MIDI data being sent/received?  How is your synth connected to the PC - MIDI interface?

MIDI data is being sent/received, but I can’t hear any sound when it’s playing (perhaps that means it’s really just sending…?). Yes, it’s connected via a MIDI interface. Interface out to synth in and vice versa. The setup in Cubase seems ok as well, so it’s indeed puzzling.

What interface is it Shroomy?  Is Local set to Off on the CS2x?  Are Cubase (the track/channel sending MIDI) and the CS2x both set to the same MIDI channel?

This is the interface   . Local is set to on, but i’ve tried setting it to off as well, but still no luck. Yes the track/channel settings are the same in Cubase and on the CS2x. I did manage to solve the problem a while back by following this recipe   , but when i try doing the same thing now it doesn’t work.

It was a Roland U20 for me, absolutely years ago.

An Alesis S4+ - still got it and love it!!

Re: what was your first piece of gear?

[quote author=“ckm000”]  for me it was an ensoniq esq-1…

Heh, funny me too , i was a bit bored of it after a while though.. i remember i bought the Roland SH2 too that day.. That beast cost me a pair of whofers

Hey a fellow Montrealer 8)

The esq-1 is alright, but it’s dead in the water without effects in my opinion… so dry sounding… that and the fact that parameters only change on note on/off messages keeps it gathering dust in my room.  Still a pretty versatile piece of gear for its time though.

Casio CT-655 :D

My first piece of gear is coming :D i have buy a virus C on ebay, coming in 2-3 days 8)

A Kawai K1 II, which I (sadly) inherited from my late uncle. I was in line to inherit a lot of his other items, including guitars, a bass, and loads of miscellaneous recording gear, but sadly my grand parents gave it away to charity before I could get it :(

that’s a helluva first piece of gear! cheers!

That would be Mc-303… we spent some long nights together..

Casio CZ-5000 about 12 years ago, still got it and still use it.

Can’t beat that woolly CZ action :D