The Song Fight Bulletin Board

I can't be the only songfighter with a bad case of GAS, and I'm curious to know what you folks are drooling over, or what your shiny new toy is, and what's so great about them.

My latest toy is a second hand Roland A-80 midi controller keyboard. The main reason I got this was because it's one of only a handful of keyboards that has polyphonic aftertouch. I love having the ability to assign it to pitchbend, play a major chord and bend the third down so it becomes a minor. But what's really suprised me is how great it feels to play. My first keyboard was a lightweight synth-action type and I've never really spent much time on a fully weighted keyboard, so I was expecting not to like the feel of it much. After having had it for about a week now, I'm just never going to play anything else. There's no point. This is IT. If anyone wants to buy a second-hand semi-weighted CME UF6, let me know :).

What I'm currently drooling over: Roland V-Synth XT. Many, many reasons why I want this bit of kit, but Variphrase is certainly top of the list. I saw a video demo of it and my jaw just hit the floor. It sounds like it was designed with me, personally, in mind. Most other synths/sound modules make me think 'I could do better in reaktor, if I could be arsed'. This one makes me think 'Where can I get my hands on £1250?'.

Tell me about yours.

My newest stuff has all been computer recording stuff. As far as hardware, the only thing has been my FireBox interface.
As far as my wish list, I have had my eye on a new drum kit. I really want a DW Jazz series kit with my own hand picked Zildjian Cymbals.

I've been wanting to get an M-audio Ozone to use as a controller and audio input with my laptop.

Ken

OK, but you're missing out the important part: What's so good about a DW Jazz kit or an m-audio ozone?

Man, you're a stickler for following directions today.

I just like the tone of DW kits and I like their hardware and pedals, so I figured instead of piecing a kit together, why not just buy a matched kit. I've played a lot of great sets, and I just like the thump of the kick and the drive of the toms when I'm playing them. I'm not a drummer per say, but I play.

I'm pretty sure a symptom of GAS is that you don't actually need the piece of gear, but just want it.

I am looking to get the Ozone to complement my old laptop which I used mostly to make Reason tracks and do remote tracking. With this box, I can both have a small, portable controller for Reason as well as two channels of audio input. AND most importantly, it will work with the Win2K OS installed on my laptop.

Ken

I really want a banjo. Any kind will do. 4, 5, or 6 strings would be acceptable. All three would be good. I've been eyeing a bajo sexto forever. And requinto and cuatro look pretty cool, too.

I want a grand piano. I have no good method of using piano in my songs, and it's taking a toll, man.

I've borrowed a synthesizer from a friend. I think I'm going to buy it from him. It's way too much fun not to have. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to use midi to set the arpeggiator at a specified tempo. The analog tempo knob with NO DIGITAL READOUT OF TEMPO is not working for me. I'm hoping I can just run midi cables from a cheap Yamaha to control it. I've never used midi connectivity, ever. So some midi cables would be cool.

I'd like a condenser mic. I'm looking at some super low-end MXL models, as I've discussed next door. I'm just hoping I can get my vocals and acoustic guitar to stop sounding like shithole.

I'd like an at least 16-channel firewire interface. My interface is great, and does a lot of things that it takes way more gear than I can afford to do, but it's two channels at a time. I have no decent way of recording drums. A nice set of drum mics and a big ass mixer, please. Oh, and my drums are garbage. New cymbals, at least. I could have an almost decent sounding set if I get a nice pair of hi-hats and a nice, big, dry ride cymbal.

Oh, and a decent electric guitar. I'm very attracted to Parker guitars, but I've never played one. Do any of the chain music stores have them? I'd like to demo a couple models.

Oh, and a decent acoustic. I'm pretty sure I basically want a Taylor 12-string dreadnought. You know, for studio work. I want a cutaway, I think. So you might as well get me the most expensive guitar you can find. The cutaway, 12-string, acoustic-electric, with the super fishman planet destroyer pickup system with the nuclear-powered preamp, that I'm never going to use. Because acoustic-electrics always sound like shit. Okay, never mind. I've got it. Taylors for the studio. Ovations on stage. Whatever. I kind of forgot about Ovations. Those always sound pretty good plugged in.

Maybe a Fender Jazz bass. Every time I say, "Damn, what a good bass tone!" I do a little research and find out it was a jazz bass. But if Paco del Stinko uses another sort of bass, I'm willing to consider that.

I want a dulcimer. Maybe I'll get one. They're pretty cheap.

Oh, and a marimba. Those are crazy expensive, though.

Sorry if all my gear is instruments. I can't think of what other kind of gear you'd want, other than microphones. Which I mentioned. I guess some nice cables would be cool.

OH! A Whammy pedal! And a sampler/loop station thing. Or just a delay pedal with that functionality! Or a delay pedal at all! Or a chorus pedal! But definitely the Whammy. Those are solid. Oh, and the POG. A solid wah would be cool, but I'm in no rush to own one. I'm going to go look at pedal prices, now.

So hurry up and move to Seattle. We've got a lot of your list in the studio.

SPUD

I want to buy a lot of guns. Does that count? Anyone have any recommendations for a good handgun? Rifle? Shotguns, I'm pretty well-sold on getting a Remington 870, but I'm open to suggestions.

Polyphonic aftertouch? Nice.

To me Gear Acquisition Syndrome is buying gear that you want desperately and then barely using it. I had to make Bass Traps (oh, Ken, by the way: I made bass traps) because I need need NEEDED them, and then I didn't even install them. I had to get a quad core PC with 4gb of ram and a terabyte harddrive, but I typically only use a quarter of that power. I upgraded my main mic (to a AT4040) a couple months ago, but I haven't recorded anything with it. I bought a 5 string active bass, and also haven't recorded anything with that. It's nearly criminal.

One success story was I upgraded to a mesh snare on my V-drums, and I've been loving it. Way better than the rubber pads.

WeaselSlayer wrote:I want to buy a lot of guns. Does that count? Anyone have any recommendations for a good handgun? Rifle? Shotguns, I'm pretty well-sold on getting a Remington 870, but I'm open to suggestions.

Wouldn't it be awesome to shoot a bear in the face?

Sven wrote:

WeaselSlayer wrote:I want to buy a lot of guns. Does that count? Anyone have any recommendations for a good handgun? Rifle? Shotguns, I'm pretty well-sold on getting a Remington 870, but I'm open to suggestions.

Wouldn't it be awesome to shoot a bear in the face?

It's more than shooting a bear in the face, it's shooting that smug 'I own the forest' attitude in the face.
ps, this is strictly for comedic purposes only. I love animals

u guys.

WeaselSlayer wrote:Anyone have any recommendations for a good handgun?

We're gonna see Luke on the news defending himself from his "compound" to the Feds before too long... that said, I recommend a .38 revolver. For some reason I can hit lots of things with one of those, it just feels right.
-bill

Doesn't NYC have a ban on handguns?

I think this was New York, anyway. I heard something a while ago about them arresting and seizing the guns and other luggage of travelers who had a connecting flight in the city, who had complied with the law and declared their guns. They were enforcing their city ordinance outlawing guns, in blatant defiance of a federal law that gave guidelines to travelers who carried guns that had connecting flights in cities where they weren't allowed. Apparently, they'd make you pay a fine, and they'd keep your stuff, and they'd let you off with just an infraction. Or you could tell them to screw themselves, but then you'd have to sit in jail for a couple days. If I understood, two people told the city to screw themselves, and when they went to trial, the cases were immediately thrown out. But hundreds of other people have apparently just paid fines and surrendered their guns. I haven't heard anything about this recently, or ever heard the media cover it, actually. I was told about it by an attorney who said he was representing one of these guys in a federal civil suit against the city. When he went to trial, the judge threw out the criminal charges against him, but the city wouldn't give back his gun or his luggage. Anyone else know anything about this?

Tympani. At least two, if not four.

Oh, and a place to live that's big enough to have them, heh.

Luke, check out Heckler & Koch's USP pistols. They feel damned good.

You guys with the guns-sheesh! There is no practical use for a gun besides mounted to the hood of your car for use in traffic. C'mon!

I am doing my best to refrain from obtaining any more gear unless absolutely necessary. Too many guitars, stomp boxes and even amps to justify any more purchases. Although I may be getting a new used snare for my crappy drum kit. A better pair of hi-hats would be nice too and a better vocal microphone and...who started this?

Rabid Garfunkel wrote:Tympani. At least two, if not four.

Oh, good call on those! I'd definitely like a set...too bad the prices start in the thousands...each.

And one of these:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/xaxvandxvgu.html

Because they are awesome. And cheap.

Ken

ken wrote:And one of these:

http://store.guitarfetish.com/xaxvandxvgu.html

Because they are awesome. And cheap.

Ken

Have you played one? That is really f**king inexpensive, yet has decent quality hardware and electronics from the sound of it. This reminds me of when Ibanez hit the market. If you were lucky enough to get one before they got big, you got an incredible guitar for a fraction of the cost of like guitars.

necrothreading is good for you.

Got fed up yesterday with my mess of MIDI cables that are #@&*in everywhere and rat's nested to boot, so I bought a MIDI interface. While I was on Musician's Friend, I followed a whim and also got a harmonizer. Looks like a lot of fun if misused.

The problem is, now I'm flat broke, and won't have anything to show for it for at least another week.

Oh, I've had this bad lately, and I'm not done. I recently bought a bunch of new cables, a new slide, a new capo, a new SM58 microphone, some new studio headphones, and a new audio interface.

I've got my eye on a weighted keyboard or digital piano with a better acoustic piano tone (This one is mighty tempting), a bass, maybe a better guitar down the line. Also, either some real drums or a decent sounding drum machine. And there's still a few more cables I need to get fully set up. And the Nord Electro that Ken recommended.

There's just so much stuff out there.