the watmm GAS thread

It should be ready just in time for us all to be replaced by AI music bots.

  On 1/25/2025 at 2:21 AM, auxien said:

yeah this is....not ready for presentation. unless you're a hella fanboy for it i wouldn't waste your time watching this, just a heads up. no shade meant, i'm sure it'll be great in a year or two or three when it's finished (his '2025' ETA is quite ambitious i'm guessing...)

Yes, was super hyped but obviously release is not happening this year (or maybe late 2025) not a bad thing for me since I’m just starting to work with Zebralette 3.

I haven't watched the video yet. My own ongoing experience with the alpha is very different from what you guys express. I trust Urs when it says it'll be ready this year. And it sounds stellar, not your average softsynth at all.

  On 1/25/2025 at 10:57 AM, Nil said:

I haven't watched the video yet. My own ongoing experience with the alpha is very different from what you guys express. I trust Urs when it says it'll be ready this year. And it sounds stellar, not your average softsynth at all.

Yeah, hearing what's possible with just one OSC in Zebralette 3, it's clear that it will be a very deep synth no doubt about that.

looks like an interesting little machine. i don't think it's something for me (spent way more on a Cascadia i'm hoping to use in similar-ish ways, drone and weirdness...) but there's a lot of richness and interest in the sounds it can make. maybe not terribly diverse in its abilities tho...

I like the sounds you can get out of it by triggering the LFOs with CV, and it sounds good, I'm just not really sure I see much I can't replicate in a million other ways with stuff I've already got.

  On 1/31/2025 at 2:17 PM, thejewk said:

I like the sounds you can get out of it by triggering the LFOs with CV, and it sounds good, I'm just not really sure I see much I can't replicate in a million other ways with stuff I've already got.

yeah def had a bit of those thoughts too…i guess the semi-modular nature of it sets it a bit aside from other standard synths, but semi-modular synths aren’t exactly rare either…at this price point tho there’s not many i think (outside of a straight single euro rack module or whatever but that’s opening a whole can of worms)

i guess the price + options for connection might be appealing for a small niche of users. people seem to love these small cheap things, but maybe that’s fading a bit? the volcas and such, the flood of them seems to have calmed over the last year…

just thinking out loud here

  On 2/2/2025 at 4:25 AM, auxien said:

yeah def had a bit of those thoughts too…i guess the semi-modular nature of it sets it a bit aside from other standard synths, but semi-modular synths aren’t exactly rare either…at this price point tho there’s not many i think (outside of a straight single euro rack module or whatever but that’s opening a whole can of worms)

i guess the price + options for connection might be appealing for a small niche of users. people seem to love these small cheap things, but maybe that’s fading a bit? the volcas and such, the flood of them seems to have calmed over the last year…

just thinking out loud here

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I think I'm a little corrupted by my Elektron ways, but when I look at a lot of these sorts of things and compare what's possible from one of my Analog Keys' voices, it's a GAS killer.  I'm also now at a point where I'd rather skip something like this and just wait and save for six months and get something in the same category but with more of a long term appeal like a Lyra 8.

That said, I am still GASing for a Volca Drum.  In my first go around with electronic music before I got distracted with other musical pursuits, I had a Volca Drum and got some earth shattering sound out of it.  At that point I didn't have a competent midi sequencer to overcome the deficiencies of the unit, but as something to control with a midi track on my Digitakt it would be a great little addition to my tool kit.  I've just been waiting and hoping Korg would make an actual instrument with the same engine, individual outs, a fully featured sequencer, etc, but no such luck.

Now that I've got a synth and sampler I probably need more i/o. Anyone recommend anything other than motu m4?

  On 2/4/2025 at 10:21 AM, Crazing said:

Now that I've got a synth and sampler I probably need more i/o. Anyone recommend anything other than motu m4?

How many analog ins/outs do you need?

  On 2/4/2025 at 7:01 PM, xox said:

How many analog ins/outs do you need?

Maybe 4 

  On 2/4/2025 at 7:54 PM, Crazing said:

Maybe 4 

if you don’t mind spending money, i love my apollo setup. the x4 is quite nice

  On 2/4/2025 at 10:21 AM, Crazing said:

Now that I've got a synth and sampler I probably need more i/o. Anyone recommend anything other than motu m4?

for less money: 

Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd gen

EVO 8

for a bit more money:

SSL 12

iConnectivity Audio4c

for more money:

Audient iD44 MKII

Universal Audio Volt 476P

for billionaires:

Neumann MT 48 U

  On 2/4/2025 at 9:24 PM, xox said:

for less money: 

Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd gen

EVO 8

 

for a bit more money:

SSL 12

iConnectivity Audio4c

 

for more money:

Audient iD44 MKII

Universal Audio Volt 476P

 

for billionaires:

Neumann MT 48 U

 

 

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Looks like something an Emirati prince would buy on a trip to London

All useful advice...cheers. 

On the whole gear tip...sp404 is such a fun piece of gear. Only thing I'd like is a filter per pad.. that's mpc level though I think.

Minifreak is also a lot of fun. Sequencer is great and the oscillator choices are super wide. Still a bit of a vst in a box vibe and part of me thinks hydrasynth explorer would have been a better choice as its basically deeper. 

if you mostly make tunes in the box with just headphones what is the point in all the bells and whistles of interfaces?

serious question.

The only purpose of an interface is to get music into and out of a PC with relatively low latency.

If you don't need to have things running super tight between what's happening on the computer and what's happening out of the computer, you don't really need a fancy interface.

If your setup is a synth and a 404, you could always just run the synth outs into the 404 ins, monitor from and record into the 404, and then use one of the stem export features on the 404 to get the audio on to the computer.  If you describe what exactly it is you want to do, someone might be able to suggest something better.

Also, better interfaces usually means better converters and other accompanying analog components = better sound quality while recording external hardware gear and while listening to music on your speakers/headphones

  On 2/5/2025 at 3:51 PM, Crazing said:

if you mostly make tunes in the box with just headphones what is the point in all the bells and whistles of interfaces?

serious question.

It would not really make all that much difference. Latency might be better with certain ASIO drivers compared to built-in audio??? If I was only using headphones I probably wouldn't bother with one. Slightly better converters on the headphone amp wouldn't be enough of a dealmaker for me. Cheap dacs sound pretty good these days.

As far as recommendations I really like the arturia stuff. I have the 16rig but their compact stuff looks cool too.

I'm going to throw this here before everything goes away: I'm looking for two Pittsburgh Modular eurorack modules to complete their Lifeforms Foundation 4 EVO system, if you have either of the modules or know someone who would be willing to let go of theirs, please let me know. The modules are

• Lifeforms Binary Filter
• Lifeforms Analog Replicator

All offers will be considered, hints, links. introductions welcome.

  On 2/22/2025 at 2:50 PM, chronical said:

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nice, sounds very...old. in a good way.

  On 2/6/2025 at 3:52 PM, dcom said:

I'm looking for two Pittsburgh Modular eurorack modules to complete their Lifeforms Foundation 4 EVO system.

I've found both modules I was looking for, the system is now complete.