Can you break an analog synth by pushing it too far

  On 11/13/2015 at 6:11 AM, sonnyskare said:

 

  On 11/13/2015 at 2:49 AM, RSP said:

One time in college we plugged the speaker output of a 10 watt guitar amp into the composite video input of an analog projector.

 

That's the kind of thing you don't want to do.

wew lad

 

seriously though that's funny as hell

 

I actually mistyped, it was a 100 watt Polytone Minibrute. We'd been practicing with the line out of a mixer plugged into a TV but when the time came to actually do the show all we were getting was a blue screen and none of us knew shit about video (ironic since our drummer was a film major, that's how we got hold of the projector to begin with) so we figured maybe it just needed a hotter signal.

But yeah, don't do it. It killed the projector sure, but more importantly it didn't even look cool.

  On 11/12/2015 at 10:45 PM, BCM said:

all analogue synthesizers have a destruct sequence that is triggered by a certain configuration of the ADSR envelope only known to synthesizer engineers, and to be used in an absolute emergency.

Ah yes, i've heard of this. These are called the "stairway to hell" parameters, right? Every piece of electronic is supposed to have such a set of parameters. Although I'd think that'd be a bit silly, as you can break any piece of electronic equipment by just, ehm, breaking it. Or as a wise man said: drop it like it's hot.

Consumer electronics definitely have self destruct chips inside which blow after warranty. The only way they can get people to constantly upgrade their Jones trinkets at the rate they want.

Synths are made by more moral people so they don't have them. Although I think Akai have started using those chips but they seem to blow at namm shows before they are even sold.

  On 11/13/2015 at 6:24 AM, goDel said:

 

  On 11/12/2015 at 10:45 PM, BCM said:

all analogue synthesizers have a destruct sequence that is triggered by a certain configuration of the ADSR envelope only known to synthesizer engineers, and to be used in an absolute emergency.

Ah yes, i've heard of this. These are called the "stairway to hell" parameters, right?

indeed. typically only used when you're IDMing so hard your synthesizer starts running itself, gains sentience and tries to bludgeon you to death with square waves.

  On 11/13/2015 at 9:41 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

they really ought to put the akai name to rest, it was sold (multiple times?) and is a far cry from what i gather it used to stand for.

didn't akai gear have a rep for being very sturdy and well built? every akai product i have bought in the last couple of years has felt cheap and has found a way to break or malfunction with light use. the 'wolf' line was another nail in the coffin.

I think it's on the third sale in the last decade as of about a year ago. It's funny, you look at old forum posts and people are criticizing the later, blue MPC2000xl's for being less sturdy than the pre-sale grey ones, but comparing them to almost anything that's come since they seem really overbuilt. Even the 1000/2500, which are pretty excellent machines (better in a lot of ways, once you put on JJOS) aren't as solid, and the one MPC3000 I've had my hands on was so sturdy it was like a piece of furniture.

Surely at least a few synths have a Killer Poke or Halt & Catch Fire instruction?

  On 11/14/2015 at 12:42 AM, RSP said:

 

  On 11/13/2015 at 9:41 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

they really ought to put the akai name to rest, it was sold (multiple times?) and is a far cry from what i gather it used to stand for.

didn't akai gear have a rep for being very sturdy and well built? every akai product i have bought in the last couple of years has felt cheap and has found a way to break or malfunction with light use. the 'wolf' line was another nail in the coffin.

 

I think it's on the third sale in the last decade as of about a year ago. It's funny, you look at old forum posts and people are criticizing the later, blue MPC2000xl's for being less sturdy than the pre-sale grey ones, but comparing them to almost anything that's come since they seem really overbuilt. Even the 1000/2500, which are pretty excellent machines (better in a lot of ways, once you put on JJOS) aren't as solid, and the one MPC3000 I've had my hands on was so sturdy it was like a piece of furniture.

 

MPC are established though, all they have to do is keep making them as is.

lol

I actually broke a fader and the tap on the mod/pitch wheel on my juno by pushing them too far, so it can happen.

Stefan betke made a carrer on a broken waldorf's 4 pole filter.

  On 11/14/2015 at 10:33 AM, Chesney said:

 

  On 11/14/2015 at 12:42 AM, RSP said:

 

  On 11/13/2015 at 9:41 AM, Mesh Gear Fox said:

they really ought to put the akai name to rest, it was sold (multiple times?) and is a far cry from what i gather it used to stand for.

didn't akai gear have a rep for being very sturdy and well built? every akai product i have bought in the last couple of years has felt cheap and has found a way to break or malfunction with light use. the 'wolf' line was another nail in the coffin.

 

I think it's on the third sale in the last decade as of about a year ago. It's funny, you look at old forum posts and people are criticizing the later, blue MPC2000xl's for being less sturdy than the pre-sale grey ones, but comparing them to almost anything that's come since they seem really overbuilt. Even the 1000/2500, which are pretty excellent machines (better in a lot of ways, once you put on JJOS) aren't as solid, and the one MPC3000 I've had my hands on was so sturdy it was like a piece of furniture.

 

MPC are established though, all they have to do is keep making them as is.

 

For sure, but there's no way the financial department in whatever holding company owns Akai this week is going to look at the build quality of an older machine and see anything but places to cut costs, since on the electronics side they could make something with comparable (on paper at least) functionality to an old MPC for next to nothing these days but the cost of making quality hardware is relatively constant.

Actually, I've heard rumors that there IS a new hardware MPC on the horizon and that it's going to be built around a cheap, general purpose microcomputer running Linux.

So a Beat Thang knockoff, more or less.

  On 11/12/2015 at 11:51 PM, Brisbot said:

Most things break when they're pushed too far. Except black holes... they just get bigger.

Black holes never get bigger, they just increase in mass, which extends the gravitational influence. They have no volume, though, so it's impossible for them to get bigger.

  On 11/15/2015 at 12:37 AM, drillkicker said:

Black holes never get bigger, they just increase in mass, which extends the gravitational influence. They have no volume, though, so it's impossible for them to get bigger.

that's not true at all, the schwarzschild radius of a black hole is proportional to its mass, so as the mass increases, so does the volume, and so does the extent of the event horizon. in fact, the size of a black hole increases faster than the size of a regular spherical body (a star or a planet say). also they eventually evaporate due to hawking radiation, so they can't get bigger for ever.

Hawkwind radiation?

no that's different, only affects guitars, not synths.

Say what?

  On 11/15/2015 at 12:28 AM, skibby said:

massive .,..

  On 11/15/2015 at 6:47 AM, psn said:

Say what?

 

Yeah, I was gonna say, I saw Nik Turner a couple years ago and they had more synths than band members.

  On 11/15/2015 at 7:17 AM, delet... said:

 

  On 11/15/2015 at 12:28 AM, skibby said:

 

massive .,..

 

Dude that's the equivelant of a gore pic :(

  On 11/13/2015 at 9:28 AM, Chesney said:

I think Akai have started using those chips but they seem to blow at namm shows before they are even sold.

Actual lol

  On 11/15/2015 at 6:47 AM, psn said:

Say what?

 

oh. the only thing I know about hawkwind was my guitar teacher in school was a fan, so I just assumed they were a guitar band. their incredibly lame name always prevented me learning more.

maaaan hawkwind were awesome. super space rock!

  On 11/16/2015 at 5:08 AM, caze said:

 

  On 11/15/2015 at 6:47 AM, psn said:

Say what?

 

 

oh. the only thing I know about hawkwind was my guitar teacher in school was a fan, so I just assumed they were a guitar band. their incredibly lame name always prevented me learning more.

 

You had a cooler guitar teacher than me.