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 Forum index » Instruments and Equipment » Modular Synthesis
Try Before You Buy
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phinland



Joined: Oct 09, 2009
Posts: 12
Location: Plymouth, Devon, England, UK

PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:17 pm    Post subject: Try Before You Buy Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Hi there,

A couple of months ago I posted a request to try any modulars in South West England. No replies...

...Which kind of begs the question, *where* in England can you go to hear the modular you might be about to blow several grand on, *before* you commit to do so?

Bob Williams in St. Austall, Cornwall (Analogue Systems) is always very accommodating indeed, but I know I can't afford that system (great though it is).

Doepfer is probably all I can stretch to, but Andy at EMIS, Bristol (the only UK Doepfer dealer) says they "don't have a regular system set up because modules and frames are always going in and out of stock".

And that's all I know of...

Does anybody know any more?

Thanks!

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hogberto



Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 53
Location: scotland

PostPosted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 4:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

i don't really think of Analogue Systems gear as being that expensive. i'd put it on a par with Doepfer. A whole lot cheaper than the likes of Cwejman et al. anyway.

Anyway you'd be best to get a small system to start with - get the feel of it, get to grips with what each module does and how they interact. then you can decide what modules you want to add from time to time.

If you blow thousands on a modular at the start then you may end up regretting your chosen configuration. better to start small and build up gradually. you may decide not to build up your whole system with one manufacturer's modules but to mix'n'match.

i've got a large-ish ASys modular (pic on p.3 of 'My Doepfer Modular' thread). but i've built this up over 6 years. i started out with a little ASys mini-system: current cost new £900. hadn't heard it before buying but it worked out OK!

so in short it needn't be that expensive to start out - one answer for you may be to start with a small, relatively inexpensive system and see if you like it before splurging your wad.

but yeah, it ain't easy to try these things out beforehand. someone needs to start up a mobile modular test facility. maybe i'll do this one day. give me £50 plus petrol and i'll come to your house with a modular so that you can try one out before buying. a niche in the market, i think. Wink
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phinland



Joined: Oct 09, 2009
Posts: 12
Location: Plymouth, Devon, England, UK

PostPosted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 5:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
i don't really think of Analogue Systems gear as being that expensive.


Absolutely, and they are considerably more affordable than others without sacrificing any quality. Nonetheless, for my compositional needs, there would be enough of a price differential to make Doepfer my only viable option (short of the VCOs).

But there of course is part of the problem--I have no yard stick to compare ASys/Doepfer with Cwejman to make a real judgment about the quality-price differential because I've never even seen a Cwejman in the flesh, let alone fiddled with one!

The difficulty is spending hundreds to potentially discover the Emperor has no clothes on, and it's not just whole systems this applies to. Equally, I'm sure the Zeroscilator is wonderful, but I'm not sure I'd risk 500 quid on it without a demo. Youtube demos are of course available in many (but not all) cases but it's like watching a pirate VHS tailor rather than the whole film in HD 1080p.

Quote:
Anyway you'd be best to get a small system to start with - get the feel of it, get to grips with what each module does and how they interact


Well true, but in my case I already have a lot of experience with the modules' function, and I use a large ASys 8500 at work every day. What I lack is a comparison; obviously not every VCO/VCF etc. is the same. In short, I know exactly what I want, just not where to buy it!

Quote:
give me £50 plus petrol and i'll come to your house with a modular so that you can try one out before buying. a niche in the market, i think.


That's a bloody good idea, as are 'synth meets'. Assuming you had a range of modules I was interested in, I'd certainly drive to you--seriously, where are you and what have you got?!! Smile

While we're talking about it, who here would be interested in arranging a 'synth meet'? I have some rareish articles people might like to try--T8, Synthex, EII, Dr. Click, CR78 and an MS20 & Octave Cat, both heavily mod'd.

Is this worth a split thread?

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hogberto



Joined: Mar 20, 2006
Posts: 53
Location: scotland

PostPosted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 6:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

phinland wrote:
… I use a large ASys 8500 at work every day.…


holy crap. Shocked

how does one get a job like that then?

probably not much i can tell you about ASys modules that you don't already know.

phinland wrote:
Assuming you had a range of modules I was interested in, I'd certainly drive to you--seriously, where are you and what have you got?!!


er, i'm in edinburgh.

and i've got an ASys RS 8500. Laughing

few rs95's, couple of rs200's, rs100, moog filter, MMF, comb filter, fixed filter bank, prog scale generator, sampler/delay module and all the other infrastructure and gubbins that goes with it.

phinland wrote:
While we're talking about it, who here would be interested in arranging a 'synth meet'? I have some rareish articles people might like to try--T8, Synthex, EII, Dr. Click, CR78 and an MS20 & Octave Cat, both heavily mod'd.


with a gear list like that i might just make the drive to plymouth to check it out.

a synth meet is a great idea. it ain't going to cater for both edinburgh and plymouth though. Sad

maybe you should start up a South West Synth Meet/Analogue Heaven type thread. that way you might get an idea of the level of interest. you may get some joy over on the Muffwiggler forum too.

http://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/

cheers!

phil
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phinland



Joined: Oct 09, 2009
Posts: 12
Location: Plymouth, Devon, England, UK

PostPosted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
how does one get a job like that then?

Ah, I lecture at a recording engineering and electronic composition facility called Deep Blue Sound, in Plymouth. We're very fortunate to be able to teach with a system like that.

Quote:
probably not much i can tell you about ASys modules that you don't already know.

Oh, I don't know about that; there's always something new to learn.

Quote:
with a gear list like that i might just make the drive to plymouth to check it out.

Would be very welcome, but a very long drive though! (You have a great system by the way--did Bob deliver personally, or ship?)

Quote:
a synth meet is a great idea; it ain't going to cater for both edinburgh and plymouth though. Sad

I fear not, but definitely; UK knob twiddlers unite. SOLIDARITY BROTHERS!

Quote:
maybe you should start up a South West Synth Meet/Analogue Heaven type thread. that way you might get an idea of the level of interest.

Seriously, I'd love to; could UK readers indicate their interest?

Quote:
you may get some joy over on the Muffwiggler forum too.

Many thanks for suggestion, I'll check it out. Thanks Phil!

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hogberto



Joined: Mar 20, 2006
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

phinland wrote:
Would be very welcome, but a very long drive though! (You have a great system by the way--did Bob deliver personally, or ship?)


this is testament to Bob's service - he drove all the way from Cornwall to Gretna with my RS8500 and i picked it up from him there! outstanding guy. Cool
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phinland



Joined: Oct 09, 2009
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Location: Plymouth, Devon, England, UK

PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
this is testament to Bob's service - he drove all the way from Cornwall to Gretna


Wow!! He really is a star--the help he gave with Deep Blue's 8500 was fantastic, and he was so supportive of us as an educational institution. In no small part thanks to him we now have about 300 students who get to be taught real analogue on a real analogue machine, and there can't be many places where you get that kind of experience professionally, let alone at BTec and BA level.

Outstanding service, one of the reasons this is a nice community; we're a niche within a niche! With that in mind, all the more reason we should try to communicate better by meeting up and sharing ideas and sounds.

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EdisonRex
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

If you'd like to try to organise a meet somewhere in the southwest, a thread should be started in the events forum. I don't live in the southwest but I could figure out how to get some stuff there, if there was a place to meet. Maybe a few others could too.
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phinland



Joined: Oct 09, 2009
Posts: 12
Location: Plymouth, Devon, England, UK

PostPosted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 6:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Quote:
I could figure out how to get some stuff there, if there was a place to meet


Many thanks for the suggestion; sorry, I missed that part of the forum. I have started a thread here (http://electro-music.com/forum/post-275739.html) so let's see if there is any interest...

Equally of course, I'd be very willing to travel myself to a meet provided it wasn't too far (and there were lots of synths!)

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