the watmm GAS thread

Thanks! So far my stereo image experiments are 1) do the Radiohead Kid A way and duplicate the tracks and delay one just a little and 2) "ping pong delay!".

Anyways, to get the topic back on the GAS, that Roland 100m went for around $2000 on Yahoo Auctions. I passed it by, because even though it would have been a fun project, I could not justify spending this amount of money. I did find an Akai S-3000XL with 32MB memory for like $60 that is beginning to seem like a good idea to buy. I should definitely listen to some examples of it today so I definitely will be turned off buying the thing. :)

That is a really good price for an S3000!

Can you live record FX (delay, reverb) parameter locks on the octatrack or digitakt?

bought an S3000XL for 20eu few years back, as the guy though it was a non working amp. Never used it. The interface on those akai sampler is a moodkiller for me.

Funny, I find 90s Akai interfaces faster and more inspiring than anything I've used on a computer.  When I was doing everything OTB with an MPC2000xl sequencing some rack gear I could get half a dozen tracks written and recorded in the time it takes me to do one or two now, and a lot of them were better.  Mostly I just started to feel limited by only having a small mixer and having to repatch stuff all the time because of that, but in terms of actual workflow I was way more inspired by the all-hardware setup.

MPC needs some minor but tedious repairs though, a few of the switches are about to fail completely and THAT is a workflow killer for sure, but I'm really not looking forward to doing it, because I have to take out three different boards to get to them.

s3000xl's have unreliable screens, the s2000 has a more reliable screen but the screen is smaller and harder to navigate. elektron digitakt is where it's at with sampling these days.

  On 7/3/2018 at 9:26 AM, drukqs said:

Can you live record FX (delay, reverb) parameter locks on the octatrack or digitakt?

sure. for OT you have to push play and record simultaneously to activate live recording mode

  On 7/3/2018 at 9:26 AM, drukqs said:

Can you live record FX (delay, reverb) parameter locks on the octatrack or digitakt?

Octatrack has specific pages per track for assignable effects, which can be manually plocked or recorded live.

I'm pretty sure it's just the backlight that fades in the S3000xl, not the actual LCD.  The backlight isn't a uge deal to replace, I've done a few (not on an s3000 though) and you have to be careful since you'll be peeling layers off of the back of the LCD panel and it's possible to break it, or get dust/fingerprints inside, but it's really not that bad.  I didn't even have a workbench when I did it, just put the piece down on my bed and sat on a stool. 

That said, there are drop in replacement/upgrade displays for the s3000 just like there are for the MPC2000 ow, but they're a lot more expensive than replacing a backlight.  Probably worth it, though.

If you paid $60 for the sampler and $160 for a new aftermarket display you'd still be paying substantially less than people often ask for a well maintained s3000xl in the USA these days - they seem to run $300-$400 lately.  So to me, $60 seems like an amazing price, but obviously the Japanese market is pretty different, and obviously this is all assuming that you're someone who actually has a use for a vintage sampler in 2018, which most people probably don't (and if you do you probably know you do).

But it is definitely something to factor in to the potential cost and hassle. 

Thank you for clarifying. I got to finally try out the octa mkii at guitar center the yesterday and I'm undergoing some gas at the moment. I found it very natural and was able to produce a nice little loop in about an hour. The only thing that was difficult about it was the way the samples load, but I was able to stumble through it. That price tag though...

  On 7/4/2018 at 1:26 AM, drukqs said:

Thank you for clarifying. I got to finally try out the octa mkii at guitar center the yesterday and I'm undergoing some gas at the moment. I found it very natural and was able to produce a nice little loop in about an hour. The only thing that was difficult about it was the way the samples load, but I was able to stumble through it. That price tag though...

You won't miss too much if you get a used MKi instead.

Yeah the mk1 is still quite good, and you could probably pick one up for around half the price of the mk2.. just make sure the encoders/keys/outputs are all fine.

  On 7/3/2018 at 7:02 PM, RSP said:

I'm pretty sure it's just the backlight that fades in the S3000xl, not the actual LCD.  The backlight isn't a uge deal to replace, I've done a few (not on an s3000 though) and you have to be careful since you'll be peeling layers off of the back of the LCD panel and it's possible to break it, or get dust/fingerprints inside, but it's really not that bad.  I didn't even have a workbench when I did it, just put the piece down on my bed and sat on a stool. 

 

That said, there are drop in replacement/upgrade displays for the s3000 just like there are for the MPC2000 ow, but they're a lot more expensive than replacing a backlight.  Probably worth it, though.

 

If you paid $60 for the sampler and $160 for a new aftermarket display you'd still be paying substantially less than people often ask for a well maintained s3000xl in the USA these days - they seem to run $300-$400 lately.  So to me, $60 seems like an amazing price, but obviously the Japanese market is pretty different, and obviously this is all assuming that you're someone who actually has a use for a vintage sampler in 2018, which most people probably don't (and if you do you probably know you do).

 

But it is definitely something to factor in to the potential cost and hassle. 

I think the magic for me is in having an iconic instrument, have it take not a lot of room as it is a rack unit, having a nice sound (at least from what I hear on YouTube demos) and having a outboard sound module where I can send all of my MIDI, from synths to drums. I use my Korg MicroX in more or less the same way anyway, so the S3000XL appeals to me a lot (also the price seems unbelievably low).

I think I'll let it simmer for a couple of days and if it is still for sale and I am in the area, I will probably end up getting it. After that I seriously have to sell some gear and stop checking the damn sites.

My latest GAS temptation is for a new laptop; my 2010 macbook pro is starting to overheat more and more easily, and slowly failing bit by bit. Currently a 20% off sale on eBay Australia for the non-touchbar 13" 2017 MBP is very tempting.. Then again I am trying to save for an overseas trip, so.. maybe shouldn't spend that money.

lol

  On 7/4/2018 at 6:39 AM, modey said:

My latest GAS temptation is for a new laptop; my 2010 macbook pro is starting to overheat more and more easily, and slowly failing bit by bit. Currently a 20% off sale on eBay Australia for the non-touchbar 13" 2017 MBP is very tempting.. Then again I am trying to save for an overseas trip, so.. maybe shouldn't spend that money.

Have you got an SSD in it and maxed out the RAM? Also if it overheats maybe go see some dude who will check out if the thermal paste on the CPU could use some refreshing (or just take it apart yourself if you are brave enough). Actually just opening the back cover and clearing out any dust bunnies may work wonders already.

Last year I replaced my 2009 something MBP, and I think it was mostly because browsing the web was getting unbearably slow, which is a ridiculous reason really. I never had any problems with audio stuff.

Yeah good point. It still has a HD rather than SSD, so that could be a good upgrade. And yeah, probably good to give it a cleanout.

That said though, I want something I can take out for the day without needing the charger.. my current MBP is heavy and only lasts around an hour or so. Oh and also the trackpad click and USB ports are starting to fail lol. So maybe it's time I move on..

edit: oh lol just checked and it's actually a 2009 model, guess it's had a good run

If the click is acting weird, you should check if your battery is up for replacement, because I had mine expand and push the trackpad up so it was actually not possible to click anything. I then bought some cheapo battery as a replacement, which worked some time and then failed again (so if you replace it, get the most official replacement as possible, don't be a dumbass like me who orders some rando stuff from Amazon).

The SSD definitely gives a huge speed boost to the thing, so if you can get one for cheaps and also upgrade the RAM to 8GB (which is unfortunately the max) you should get a pretty usable computer actually. I'm not sure if the USB ports are easily fixable though - mine started to be weird as well, but I sort of solved that just by using a powered hub.

So basically, if you can replace the battery, get it cleaned, get an SSD and more memory you can definitely get more life out of it, but the total cost of these fixes can probably be pretty significant as well. 

Yeah it's already at 8gb, which is probably also why I've put up with it for so long haha. It was a good purchase secondhand for $700AU or so back in 2012!

My fan stopped working in mine and would get crazy hot, It's 2009 too I think.

I took it apart and the fan socket clip had broken. It was second hand so had probably been looked at before as there was a bit of tape over it. I broke all the plastic off and soldered the tiny wires straight on the board. Was pretty fiddly. The fan is constantly on now but does not overheat. Weirdly it runs more efficiently now too. Still need to max out ram, anyone got any recommendations on what to whack in it?

I have ordered all my Mac stuff from OWC (https://www.macsales.com/), they do a pretty good job of helping you match your Mac with what sort of components it supports so you don't really have to read through endless support threads or some manuals.

Been longing for some hardware FX.  Delay/reverb etc.  Pretty sure I'm gonna grab a multi-FX unit such as the Zoom MS50G or the likes, they're super reasonably priced on eBay.

Better buy the zoom ms-70 cdr. I have one and itz great

  On 7/4/2018 at 6:18 PM, hautlle said:

Been longing for some hardware FX.  Delay/reverb etc.  Pretty sure I'm gonna grab a multi-FX unit such as the Zoom MS50G or the likes, they're super reasonably priced on eBay.

I'm a big supporter of unloved 90s rack effects, you should totally do it.

Boss SE-50 prices seem to be back down again, they were really overpriced last time I looked ($200-$300) but I see a bunch in the $80-$90 range now and at that price they're absolutely worth it.  SE-70 is supposed to be great, too, but they are both useful.  I've only owned a 50 and it can be a little noisy (but really not bad at all, nothing I've ever noticed in a mix even if I was looking for it, and it's just hiss not hum or anything) but they have a great, raw sound and a very ugly digital distortion.  The SE-70 is a bit more hi-fi and has a different selection of effects (and a much upgraded vocoder compared to the one in the 50), and the distortion is analog so it sounds more like a run of the mill Boss distortion pedal than the weird attempt at digital modelling that the 50 had.  I don't think you could go wrong with either at the prices I'm seeing right now.

It could be Internet legend but I've heard that Liam Howlett from The Prodigy toured with a rack full of at least 4 SE-70s for a long time, for what that's worth.

EDIT: also the battery is really easy to change, so try to find one that turns on but has a bunch of garbled characters on the screen and try to get a low price on it.

Love the plate and the vocoder on my SE70.