Being the gear whore that I am, I always like hearing what everybody uses to make music. If you make tracks, what is your set up like? Here’s my current mickey mouse operation:
- Pentium 2 (yes, i know) IBM thinkpad running Linux and using www.filter24.org/seq24 for MIDI sequencing… I can’t recommend this little app enough. It’s minimal, rock solid, very intuitive, and totally geared towards live use (loops are triggered by the computer keyboard!).
- Ensoniq ESQ-1. My very first synth. The battery is dead so I can’t save patches and it’s been gathering dust for a while.
- Korg MS2000R. It sounds too thin for my liking but I still get some ok distorted leads out of it, and some nice atmospheric stuff. 4 note poly really sucks though.
- Emu XL-1. ROMpler that I use for filler and the occasional subtle acid bass that doesn’t need to stand out.
- Novation Bass Station keyboard. I don’t think it does a convincing 303 at all, but with a bit of distortion and some delay it’s good for leads and acid bass.
- Novation Drum Station. I rely on this box too much and my drums all sound the same because of it. Once I get a decent computer I’ll probably start sampling more.
- Korg Poly 800 (reversed keys model). My friend found this in the dumpster in the alley behind his apartment! The joystick is broken, the battery is dead, it sounds shit, but it still works!
- Mackie 1202 VLZ Pro, MIDISport 2x2, Boss DS-1
For as long as I’ve been into MIDI stuff I really should have a more impressive set up, but I’ve always wanted to try and prove that I could make decent music without buying crazy expensive gear. Not sure that I’ve succeeded but what the hell. I’ve also tried to stick with hardware, mostly because I think it’s more fun and by day I work for a software company so the last thing I want to do when I get home is spend more time on a computer..
