My "MUST HAVE" Equipment List For Media Composition

[@mistervalentin8396]

Lots of references to the Moog Taurus, but I believe you meant the Moog Minitaur ... the Taurus is enormous and discontinued. Minitaur is the brother or sister to the Sirin in its appearance. Thank you for your videos.

[@TheCrowHillCo]

Mister Valentin yes you’re absolutely right I’m mixing up my bovine knowledge with mythical characters.

[@mistervalentin8396]

I can't wait to hear you talk about the Moog Grandmother. Lots of cheap laughs to be explored. @@TheCrowHillCo

[@mrnelsonius5631]

@@mistervalentin8396 what’s the overriding opinion of the Grandmother? I haven’t gotten into modular at all, total synth noob (99% of my synth work is in the box). It looks cool haha, so I’m curious

[@mistervalentin8396]

@@mrnelsonius5631 I am always feeling like a noob myself. You don't need to use it with patch cables or with a modular set-up; it just sounds great with its limitations, it's satisfying to tinker with, the spring reverb really sounds fabulous. What I can recommend is to watch the plethora of videos on KZbin of people demoing the Grandmother, and slowly form your opinion - see which comments people make about its feature set resonate with you. Listen to the sound demos ... I personally have often purchased items that other people use spectacularly only to realise once I was fiddling with it at home that the musicians who master these instruments are far more smart and technical than me and don't seem to mind memorising combination button presses! Elektron are a company that make great instruments, but they require you to buy into their vernacular and way of doing things. I personally like synths and drum machines that are intuitive to use, that let me dictate how to use them, that have a one-knob-per-function philosophy, and that allow you to do basic things easily. To that end the Grandmother is great fun, sounds fabulous, the keyboard feels great, the knobs are great quality, it feels like a proper instrument with it's robust build quality, it's compact, and it's more capable that it appears because of the patching possibilities, and the spring reverb is a legit part of the sonic signature. There is a new all-black version of the Grandmother if you prefer that style to the more quirky and vintage colour-scheme of the funky original. Have a happy new year! Stay safe!

[@Neuri]

ye taurus is the foot beast Adam Jones of TOOL uses

[@RichardLacyMusic]

Christian. One very serious piece of additional advice to add to your list (Never go hungry. Never cancel a holiday. Never deprive your family for equipment.) and that is, NEVER get into debt for it. I am sure that there a plenty of us here with rooms full of gear who will tell you that their highest earning works (that paid for all the subsequent gear), we're recorded on an ADAT, or something modest. There's time for buying stuff later.

[@dancegod1691]

This. I gotta chill out on buying stuff.

[@RichardLacyMusic]

And it's so difficult to do.

[@j.tahtstrauts3049]

I heard the same advice about heroin, mate. Works in theory an all.

[@MM4F]

I don't know any artists who haven't broken at least two of those rules;)

[@psychedelichipsterdog]

I read "never deprive your family of equipment" as a Freudian slip I suppose and immediately wiggled my tail affirmatively. "Honey, it's for all of us!"

[@Mymusicaldream]

*Rude comment*

[@Nullllus]

I disagree.

[@MACEASY2]

Huh? What is?

[@anothercrappypianist]

@@MACEASY2 you have to watch the video to get it.

[@MACEASY2]

I did @@anothercrappypianist, must have missed that bit or forgotten it. I am not about to plough through another 26min to find it, though!

[@chaosme1ster]

@2:11

[@scb1620]

You've missed a very important "essential" investment - your skills. Both as a musician and a sound engineer - most of us are doing both jobs in our studios. You may be the best musician in the world but if you can't record your greatness correctly, it's going to sound like crap. I would recommend investing in personal development as much as investment in gear. If you can't spend the time to do a sound engineering course at college, get a subscription to Sound on Sound magazine - it has a lot of valuable information on recording and mixing techniques as well as great gear buying advice. Another good reason to do a good course is to make contacts in the music industry and with fellow musicians/producers. One of the best resources you can have is a third party that you respect, who can listen to your work and give you constructive advice.

[@edwardpatrickwhite6679]

Absolutely spot on. No point owning kit if you don’t know what you’re doing. Conversely, if you do know what you’re doing - you appreciate having the right tool for the job! Hand in hand. 😊

[@Prexsplay]

This is not a personal development video! It is more of those who want to spend on gear or equipments.

[@wesleyleigh4063]

stfu Steve Bark

[@sagebaggott6071]

Christian, bought my Wurly 200a 10 years ago for the amazing price of $250, and it's hands down the best investment in music equipment I have ever made. It was even $50 lower than original asking price because the guy had accidentally ripped out a speaker wire and adjusted the price accordingly! I would sell a lot of things, but NEVER that wurly. Love your channel!

[@MilesAwayOfficial]

Completely agree with your assessment of Moog. My Moog Matriarch is the single most inspiring piece of gear I own and just oozes quality. Sometimes it's worth spending extra to get that feeling.

[@TheJonHolstein]

There is a phenomenon I’ve seen many times in synth forums, which could perhaps be called “Stradivarius envy”. People playing synths, that wishes there was a real art to building synths, that the making of the instrument matter so much that hand built would mean that it had something extra. That there was a pinnacle of synth building or a holy grail, something that will stand the test of time. Something that would hold its value. Something that is the sound of subtractive synthesis, that everyone else only tries to mimic. And in many cases they try to put that label on Moog products, because the original Moog company came out with the Minimoog that pretty much formed the idea for self-contained subtractive synthesis. The problem is that a Minimoog on the inside is just electronics, there is nothing special there, nothing acoustical, nothing that would be affected by how the product was produced. And modern Moog synths uses mainly imported electronics from china that are only hand assembled in the factory so they not hand built (at best, that is, some seems to be mostly pre-assembled even before arriving at the Moog-factory). That is one aspect of the “Stradivarius envy”. Another aspect of “Stradivarius envy” that some people have a hard time accepting synth modules that then has to be connected to a playing interface (often keyboard), as if somehow having it all in a package would make it any more of a “real instrument”, like the sense one would get from an acoustical instrument where one can’t separate the sound generation from the instrument one plays. That is of course not true either. Having a separate module works just as well as having it built in to a single package. Some goes as far as thinking that there has to be a certain weight, and size to the synth, in order for it to feel like an actual instrument. Whereas in terms of electronics, that is of course not true. This of course also means that some people can’t accept software synths as real instruments, no matter how well they sound. In some cases hardware synths do have a better interface, but there are cases where it is the software that has the better interface, so it can’t even be said that it is the interface of the hardware that makes it a real instrument. It all gets even worse, when considering that vintage synths, had imperfections in their electronics, that resulted in pitch drift, and distortions in wave-shapes. Things that engineers did their best to avoid, but the characteristics that came from those imperfections created a sound that many feel is more pleasing. I will not argue on whether or not it is more pleasing, but what that shows is that the old products that some feel are somehow better, are technically actually worse. And no matter how much skill was put in to the product, they could not perfect it. Today many modern synths have “analog feel”, “analog drift” or similar function, to emulate those imperfections, because synths are technically closer to perfect today, closer to what the engineers always tried to achieve. But some are simply convinced by the “Stradivarius envy”, that the old ones are better made. Pretty much the same phenomenon exists in the electric guitar world. Where people feel that some brands are just more real instruments than others. Sometimes the electronic is identical and sounds identical, but they are still convinced that the “original” is more of an instrument. Even new pick-up designs that are technically better can be bashed upon, for not capturing the vibration of strings as well as older designs that are actually technically worse. Yet again, the matter isn’t what type of sound one might prefer, but that technically the older designs simply weren’t the most perfect way to do it, just the best that could be done at that time, but therefor isn’t the pinnacle of pick-up design either. I guess it can be argued that there is something similar when it comes to outboard gear, where people want there to be a pre-amp, that is the pinnacle of pre-amp design, but the best regarded ones are ones that introduces distortion (often called saturation). Similar thing with compressors. And people that believe in tape over digital recording. It is like there simply has to be something that is clearly the best, something that can be expensive, and hold its value. But I actually think I’ve seen more people accept the distortion (saturation) of emulations when it comes to this area compared to syths, perhaps because many of them has that “Stradivarius envy” in other areas and because of that has no desire to look for a “Stradivarius”-mixer, tape machine or compressor. Or perhaps it is a more progressive field? Or that because mixers and compressors and so on aren’t played somehow makes it easier to accept. Or perhaps because the function is clear, the task given to the hardware is clear and therefor it is easy to measure how it holds up, and see that it is the imperfections that made the sounds of the products, whereas with synths and electrical guitars, no one can clearly say that “this is the target”, since neither product sounds “natural”. But still, it is there among a lot of people in the business.

[@AmourEtRespect]

The most important : get a good desk chair

[@13strigoi69]

Good chairs are pricey. I also seem to have a hard time finding ergonomic task chairs. I don't like arms if I need to pick up a guitar or bass to start tracking.

[@jfo3000]

@@13strigoi69 I know, I haven't found an iconic, comfortable, armless chair. I have an obscure, inexpensive, no-namer that I love and will be very sad when it's life is over. It's not replacable.

[@13strigoi69]

@@jfo3000 I have a cheap office task chair, which doesn't even pretend to be ergonomic. :/ Herman Miller makes some nice chairs that can be ordered without arms but are too expensive for me at the moment.

[@grgbnntt11]

@@13strigoi69 Herman Miller Aeron has removable arms and the second-hand market is affordable. You can find a lightly-used, office owned Aeron for $200-$300. I agree, a quality chair is the most important investment for long mixing or recording sessions.

[@NineHellHeaven]

Good call..

[@fivewattworld]

A college professor friend told me a long time ago, "Only hypocritical cultures are truly interesting." And she listed Japan and the UK at the top of her list. I know this sounds a bit back handed but in fact she was talking about how comfortable we are (or aren't) wearing our contradictions on our respective sleeves. Thanks for sharing yours Christian...repeatedly. You have my permission to skip the Brené Brown Ted talk on vulnerability. You've got that covered mate.

[@getkilted]

Just gone and bought a Moog Grandmother. I’ve been inspired to get ‘out the box’ after watching your amazing videos. Humming and hawing over the last couple of weeks, nearly bought virtual analogue or digital synths with myriad features. I then I heard you again talking about an instrument having a soul. Then I knew what to buy. Just spent a blissful hour playing with the Moog. I felt like a kid again - wonderful experience

[@chrisbartholomew8772]

Really interesting video Christian and Sandy, but... I think you've missed a pretty massive category hear - audio interfaces. Analogue/Digital (and vice versa) conversion is a huge potential bottleneck for the quality of the music we make, and I for one definitely learnt this lesson way too late. Having a pair of 414s (or even Coles) is incredible, but if you're losing detail and clarity in the conversion, it's a big waste. For a long time, I valued input and output count way too much when having two great sounding inputs is invariably more useful. With that in mind, I have to recommend the UAD Apollo Twin - I almost never use their plugins but the quality of the preamps and converters I think is the best value for money at the moment (though I've not spent much time with the Clarett series which I hear are much better than focusrite's usual fare). Anyway, just my 2 pence on the subject!

[@amnesiasounds]

Yup! It was interesting, ever since upgrading my converters from the UA ones to the Merging I find I am making much better choices and decisions even in my writing.

[@BlackMan614]

Exactly. Don't know how many YT studios I've seen w/ all these expensive vintage synths going thru some Behringer A/D converter.

[@vincentrowleyvideophotogra3905]

I love love love your videos. You have the utmost precision in communicating your thoughts and ideas. Your humour is brilliant too. Making fun of yourself communicates such warmth and humanity. You are a joy to watch and listen to. Thank you!

[@icanusernamebetterthanyou3853]

You could have an entire electronic music career using nothing other than a MIDI controller, a DAW and Native Instruments Reaktor. You get tonnes of first-party synthesizers, samplers and effects, hundreds more through the Reaktor User Library, and I think Blocks is the most beginner-friendly modular synthesis software out there.

[@Dolphinstreets]

Hi Christian! I am here after Rick Beato's recommendation. Great work here!

[@TheCrowHillCo]

Thaaaanks!

[@SteveAmadeoMusic]

Your long right leg at 4:38 reminds me of the story I heard on a family holiday in Fort William in the early 80s. ‘The Haggis has one leg longer than the other so it can run away from danger more quickly on the slopes of the mountains.’

[@Larsmannetje66]

Steve Amadeo ‘And the only thing you catch them, is to chase them the other way around the mountain!’ That’s what I was told when visiting Scotland in the 80s’. 😉

[@SteveSZ27]

I love this! But as a guy who's primarily an audio mixer and editor I must say DO NOT sleep on the 414!!! It's the most versatile-but-not-as-costly-as-some-other-high-end-great-sounding-mics-that-you-know-you-think-you-just-have-to-have microphone out there. The sound of a 414 goes with everything. You will generally not feel like you could have done better when you use a 414. The SM57 and the 414 are the yin and yang of microphones. Everyone should have both.

[@WeAreAllAstronauts]

For those of us that can't get a Roland Space Echo, as much as I loooove that on Arnalds stuff, I highly recommend the AudioThing "Outer Space" as a pretty decent recreation for a smidgen of the price.

[@mudsh4rk]

I have a real Space Echo and I get a lot more use out of Valhalla Delay.

[@WeAreAllAstronauts]

@@mudsh4rk yep, hardware can’t be dropped on every channel like vsts can too. My outboard is mostly eye candy these days and for a bit of inspiration now and again

[@Zoesstuff]

Although slightly disheartened as this video has highlighted just how broke I am currently, I really enjoyed and appreciated this info - ever enlightening, and I love your philosophy on making music via hardware even more. Thanks!

[@calebovich]

I have a Mother-32 and is definitely amazing for that classic Moog sound, but it all depends on your workflow. In my opinion, the midi option on the Mother-32 provides the option for performing the device with a midi keyboard while the patchbay enables users to utilize Mother-32’s modular capabilities. Gateway into the modular synth world in my opinion.

[@fuzexi]

...but having lot of beautiful vintage synths does give you inspiration. You don't need all this stuff but it makes it a whole lot nicer. Like those palettegear expression things: they don't work very well all the time but it makes the whole experience nicer, and that's a motivation.

[@Mrjononotbono]

"I haven't been on Grinder for ages". Brilliant! Haha!

[@samuelsmith4335]

Got me as well lol

[@ultrasuffer]

Christian you are a legend. I promote you on every social I can, might not be like much but I'm doing my part. Knowledge has to be shared

[@danield2000]

I have Dynaudio BM15a's and have finally moved to Focal twins with a sub. Dyn's are far too smiley sounding. The BM 6's are better than the BM5's too but Focal have a huge range and pretty affordable. I'd also suggest looking at what Olafur Arnalds is using and not buying that equipment, simply because your job is to create a new sound world and not to copy someone else's. Everything else Christian said is valid and great advice.

[@cosmicwav]

Some years ago I started buying and selling synths just to be able to try as many as I could. I had a Yamaha DX 100, DSI Tetra, Korg Prophecy, Nord Micromodular, Kawai 100F and some FM rack synth I can't remember. My advice is: once you buy it don't sell it; I truly miss some of those synths. Now I have a Nord Electro 3, Arturia Microbrute and Behirnger TD 3 :') Great videos Christian!

[@JMnyJohns]

My first was a Juno 106S I got at Pony's in Misawa, Japan in 1985. Still have it. :)

[@davmar9923]

Having first been introduced to MIDI and electronic music making in the early 1980's, initially using an Amiga 2000 computer, I was a hardware geek for many years. I've lost count of the keyboards and rack mount synths and FX that I purchased and sold over the years. A few years ago I realized that software synthesis and FX has matched or surpassed hardware, to my ears. I now only have one 88 key MIDI controller/ synth (Korg Kronos X) and a 49 key MIDI controller (NI Kontrol S49), a Roli Seaboard Block and a Roland PAD-80 MIDI Pad Controller. I do have a seldom used Korg MPK-130 MIDI Pedal Board. I also have a Korg Wavedrum, which is unique. I now only have, mostly, unique rack mount hardware, e.g., a Yamaha VL1-m Version 2, and a Technics WSA1-r, both physical modeling synths. Also, a Waldorf microWAVE eXT (knob twiddlers dream), an e-MU Morpheus, a Roland V-Synth XT (which allowed me to sell my Roland D-550), an ASM Hydrasynth (one of the few purchased new) and a Roland Integra-7. The only remaining hardware FX unit is a Lexicon Vortex, which I would replace if there were ever a high quality plugin version. For I/O I use a tc electronic Digital Konnekt x32 paired with a tc electronic Finalizer Express as an A/D/A converter only, I don't use the "Finalizer" mastering functions. For all the rack equipment which doesn't have a digital output I have a pair of MOTU 24i/o's and one MOTU 828mk3. Between the latter and an ART TPSII I have four mic pre's. I have a couple of mics but do very little live recording. A Hafler 150 stereo amp (receiving analog audio from the Finalizer Express) feeds one powered sub-woofer via speaker level inputs and the output can be switched between a pair of Event 20/20 monitors at the workstation position and a pair of Alesis Point Seven speakers at the Kronos keyboard position. I do have a decent pair of Sony headphones but only use them for checking final mixes. There is also some MIDI I/O equipment of course. Last, but not least, is the piece of equipment I most credit with providing a low noise signal path throughout the digital and analog domain, which is a Furman It-1210 Balanced Power Isolation Transformer. All equipment, except the PC, is fed from the output of the isolation transformer. This completely electrically isolates everything from the AC mains power. A BPIT is among the first pieces of equipment I would recommend for anyone wanting to assemble a professional grade studio. Speaking of complexity, the Digital Konnekt x32 takes the cake in that department. It took me years to fully grok exactly how it is set up. It can accept digital audio in nearly any connector format and sample rate and output it in any other connector format and sample rate, as well as sending the digital inputs to the PC via Firewire. I suspect the complexity is one reason the product was discontinued, not to mention the price.

[@marksadventures3889]

On Amps I have in the cupboard a DA 15 Vox. Vox for me has the warmth I want and power at 15 watts is more than enough. I like Elektro Harmonix pedals but only two - reverb and delay. If I could earn money at music I wouldn't be a chef working crazy hours, well lie, I can't not be out of a kitchen it's my natural habitat. Like your channel.

[@jennabeeee]

You have some of the best videos on this platform! Thanks for your effort it's really neato

[@Gopher86]

Thanks Christian! One of the most important videos you’ve made thus far. Greetings from Germany!

[@WeAreAllAstronauts]

Excellent, I finally decided on the OB-6 a few months ago... I feel that ridiculous purchase is now justified. Cheers, Christian!

[@PCoyte]

‪before you dismiss it completely I’ve just read that the DS Rev 2 responds to polyphonic aftertouch so really looking forward to trying that out with another master keyboard‬

[@tompoynton]

A friend of mine is friends with Adrian Utley of Portishead, who has been using analogue synths for decades and knows pretty much all there is to know about them. He says he literally cannot tell the difference between his classic old gear and some of the new Behringers, *but* he still could not bring himself to ever buy one, for those spiritual reasons. I however am skint so they’re all I can afford and why I’m starting out with them!

[@timleelegacyartstudio]

I am officially your biggest fan after watching your orchestra programming videos on Spitfire Audio. Get in touch with me, Im a caricature artist and I'd enjoy working with you on a little "different" collaboration than you would usually do. BUT I've subscribed and hit that bell icon! Cant wait to see what else you got! I finished your video series on Spitfire Audio last night and tried out writing an orchestral piece last night and seriously, its the best work I've ever done and I am 100% blaming you and your wisdom. Or lack there-of, saying that you can create awesome music without art classes. You've changed my life and how I produce from here on out!

[@Hextiana]

Chris: was it tinder? His wife: I don't know but please elabourate on that part

[@TheOriginSoundtrack]

Also on modern bucket list, recommend looking at the Sequential Prophet X - it's a hybrid digital synth with sampling/granular - amazing for sound design and very different. Also the GR-1 granular synth, which is a bit more niche too.

[@stephenpressley6877]

I love the education you provide, but I also love your dog!

[@velanche]

“But it’s...it’s Behringer!” That...cracked me up! Mic dropped.

[@Laotzsa]

I’ve been teetering on this Moog Sirin. I’ve dove in now. Will be swimming soon

[@MusicFed]

Couldn’t agree more with the Jupiter 4. It’s a must have. Can be bought for not crazy money (for now). Buy the one with the old filter, add a nice lexicon reverb and tape delay and be in heaven

[@jordoneaton7083]

"I haven't been on Grinder for ages... or was it Tinder"? HA! Don't ya just hate it when you get those two mixed up?

[@alsimonuk]

the lad I'm at work with kept referring to tindr as grindr and I was thinking I'll have to sign up to that... luckily I remembered in time that he was swapping the name over

[@jordoneaton7083]

@@alsimonuk Too funny

[@audiovalhalla758]

i love the mother 32 sounds amazing ..keen for a DFAM to compliment it.

[@damien8577]

I've had risotto today and it was great, by the way, today is Sunday.

[@chemicalBR0]

As far as modular goes I would recommend to get at least one Expert sleepers Disting mk4 quite early when building your rig. the disting has so many algorithms that you can try many techniques before you buy... "Do i need a discrete sample and hold module?" try it out on the disting, "would I use a turing machine?" try it on disting, you can try so many different techniques before committing to buying a specific module to do it. I would place the disting up there with Maths in the must have category, it really is "the Swiss army knife of modular" not as your 1st module tho, for that i would say a semi modular that you can mount in your rack, SV-1 mother 32 0-coast etc which gives you the immediacy and lets you use your new gear from the get go.

[@BrunoMigliari]

Wisdom delivered with a Monty Python vibe. Love it.

[@recycology5468]

Possibly a lot of guitar player watching feel Korean made guitars are of excellent quality. Really like your vids and I'm either learning more or agree with most of what you're imparting.

[@sonicindustries227]

Great stuff as always Christian. My best investment was proper acoustic treatment for my room (GIK traps and panels). All the best gear in the world is going to be a bit bye-the-bye if your space sounds shite. Current items of note? DT880, Dynaudio LYD + S9, Apogee Ensemble, Avid S3, Komplete S88 MKII oh and I've just had a Intellijel Metropolis & we know who I blame for that...

[@johnpaulpatton9786]

I very much enjoy how you have always conveyed how lucky, blessed and fortunate you are to be able to work with the world class equipment that you have earned over the years, but how completely unnecessary this equipment is in order to work in this field. You are much more down to earth and lack the superior attitude that many composers carry with them, which is certainly a strong factor in your success. Great choice in the Jupiter 4!

[@bob-rogers]

My first hardware synth is the Sub 37. It's easy to use to get all the standard Moog sounds out of, but it has incredible modulation possibilities that could take a lifetime to explore. I think there are 2 million possible modulation combinations. That sort of goes against your "simple" criteria though. For an entry level synth, the Behringer model D is really pretty good. By all accounts it's well built. The oscillators drift a little and you have to tune it when you change octaves, but a 3 oscillator synth with CV for under us$300? Hard to beat that. I wish you had given a list of midi keyboards!!!

[@TheJonHolstein]

Sub 37 with Omnisphere 2.5 hardware profiles, makes it even more exciting.

[@LeeGee]

These videos are golden, thank you

[@Aaronlilburn]

Really enjoying your channel. I am a video editor but a musician and have started to compose again after many years. (which I love) Thanks for the inspiration

[@ezraszandala]

Thanks Christian for the insight! I especially Iiked what you said about outboard reverb, that really hit home for me!

[@soundinthesky96]

*moog minitaur - not taurus btw. easy mistake to make. Love the videos

[@duncanthompson957]

And controllers, and keyboard...? The palette ... but your other faves ... would be really great to know!

[@mudsh4rk]

The Moogerfooger delay was a limited run. The BBD chip it's based on was a discontinued, 15v Panasonic, and because of the remaining stock available they only manufactured a few thousand (which was a big part of the marketing for it). Also it cost around $800 new at a time when the rest of the line was more like $300.

[@keiththeodosiou]

That's a big bucket list for a big wallet lol. I think we are probably all the same, if money was no object, our studios would look like music shops. I would love to own vintage synths but my studio (really it's the smallest room in the house) is 6 by 8 so not a lot of room after my desk is in, and I have loads of guitars and 2 amps and stuff so buying vst synths is practical. I do have a few rack synths but no room to have them permanent so I get them out only when needed. My bucket list would look like Junkie XL's studio basically lol

[@Riktenstein]

Couldn't agree more about the Strymon big sky. Anything through this sounds great.

[@ricardodasilva9184]

Its videos like this that give us amateurs a reason to continue making music,thank you very much Christian for your hard work,we definitely appreciate it,kind regards.

[@starsky101]

Interesting to go back to this video as it’s a year old I wonder if your list has changed much over the year. One thing that influences any outboard purchase for me is physical space. Quite often something will have to make way for a new piece of kit and therefore needs a long hard think beforehand. KZbin has revolutionised how we look at and maybe even measure the value of something in my opinion. Something achieving the status of having ‘stood the test of time’ can, in part, be measured by its continued appearance in posts. Late to the party I’ve just purchased a Strymon Big Sky. Cue eyes to ceiling. Possible overused now but I’ve not met anyone with a bad word to say about it. Why did I devote valuable bench space to it? Well there comes a point where I just couldn’t watch any more soft focus ambient videos featuring it, I had to ‘feel’ the experienced. I’m set up ready for it’s arrival, synth string patch ready to receive so much shimmer reverb it makes me just melt into the carpet. Thanks for a great channel.

[@farty555]

You have a really great style of videos

[@jelledittmar]

Really love your video's thanks to you I started making tracks for Production Music companies. Keep up the awesome video's!! Kind regard from the Netherlands ;)

[@StuartRussellsynths]

MS20 was my first synth in 1986- sold it in 1987 and bought the reissue in 2014 - although smaller it was like reuniting with an old lost friend

[@tdijon7]

I love the DT-770!

[@PeteCalandra]

Hi Christian. Good vid! Is there a reason there is no Audio Interface on your list? A very underrated, inexpensive synth is the Novation Bass Station 2. Novation is a great company that supports their gear as they just added 2 amazing firmware updates to the synth so that it is now 2 voice paraphonic and the new AFX mode has amazing possibilities for sound design. Plus it sounds great as well.

[@MACEASY2]

Although Sandy is right, you don't actually need the physical gear - the software equivalents are very good, what is overlooked in this debate is the completely different physical interaction with the devices, as well as the lack of memory on the analogue modules, which leads to a very different approach to making music. Physical modular is much more like having a real instrument, in the way you relate to it, improvise with it, and create unrepeatable moments with it. Just because software can replicate the actual sound doesn't mean you will get the same results at all - quite the opposite in fact. There is no instinct with software, there is with hardware.

[@TheCrowHillCo]

my vids yes the thing I don’t like about computers is I get the distinct impression they don’t like that we have opposable thumbs and are dead set on reprogramming is to think they’re not a fundamental part of the story of evolution. So in the binary world of computers you can only do one thing at a time on off, move from one point to another and input data. Whilst there are many hardware controllers out there that recreate a virtual environment that enables the virtual use of opposable thumbs these are far from universal so most people’s experience of production is point and click with one hand. When working out of the box with my opposable thumbs I find you reach your destination via a different route, not using a combination of visual cues and a two dimensional analysis of sound (because you’re altering a single element with you mouse, more top or less bass for example) you’re often using two opposable functions (via two knobs say) to come to a conclusion that is based on harmony. Sorry if I’ve got deep there but I do find the two worlds virtual and out of the box very different . In the box you create the sense of working in a 3D and harmonious world through thousands of 2D layers and thousands of 2D decisions.

[@MACEASY2]

@@TheCrowHillCo don't ever apologise for going deep! This is an area I find fascinating, having thought about it for a long time, feeling that I am clumsily manipulating beautiful samples in often very crude ways, which doesn't do justice to them. I completely agree that we have somehow accepted computers - business machines - with nineteenth century keyboard input devices and 1970's plastic desk furniture called 'mice' (!) as a way of 'playing' music. I remember when the Wavestation SR, the rack mount version of the Wavestation, came out, which I still have, programming it via a tiny LCD text screen was often compared to trying to decorate your hall through the front door letterbox. An analogy which I think still holds true for the arm's length way we try to mould sounds with our digital robot hands and fingers. Your analogy of trying to render a 3D world with 2D interfaces is also a very good one. Compare to any instrument - the tactile nature of the encounter, muscle memory, the myriad of micro decisions constantly altered by your response to the sound you are yourself creating - trying to programme those kind of subtleties and nuances would probably take longer than learning an instrument. I have an acquaintance who has done a PhD in this subject area, so I know that there is a lot of research into different ways of working with data (which is all computers enable) which might involve more touch and feel (called haptic in their world). Perhaps this is an area you could get your Spitfire boffins collaborating on - I was very interested in your account of the development of the interface for your own sample player, so i got the impression it is an area you feel strongly about. FYI, here is an example of non computer ways of generating fascinating sound, building your own 'modular' instruments: twitter.com/misterunderwood/status/1108118331410780160 and how that and other instruments sounded together: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00048c3 Wonderful, imaginative music, no programming involved! Thanks for an interesting discussion

[@timolebeck6405]

"But it´s.... it´s Behringer!" xD golden!

[@Quark.Lepton]

Although I can make any patch on my Behringer Model D that I could make on my Minimoog (and I’m super happy about that-make no mistake), and it sounds exactly like the Moog, it’s the ‘feel’ of the Moog that makes me love it so and makes me want to beat myself with a chainsaw blade for selling the two I’ve owned. Also, on the mics, I’ve used an SM57 for live vocals for over 40 years, to me, it sounds so much better than the 58 (which the heavy metal screechers love to eat) and is amazingly utilitarian, so I can certainly agree there!

[@nogoogleplus]

Hey Christian love the channel....if you haven’t heard, there’s a update for the Prophet 6 and it adds a “vintage mode” in place of the Slop knob....much more vibe. Cheers

[@DojoOfCool]

Excellent video, educational, and wallet draining. My favorite spot was when you were sitting in the bushes and Oscar walks behind you and suddenly disappears via an edit. Had to rewatch the disappearing dog trick a couple times. LOL

[@conorsimpkins9768]

Why would anyone dislike this he's a genius

[@nielsblume]

Always consider the sound you aim for and consider how unique you wish to become!

[@miikawarsell1923]

I used to diss Behringer too, but have you played the Deepmind 12, VP-440 or the Poly-D? Try them out and then diss them. Behginer of the 90s-2000s is a different company to the present one.

[@LevyCarneiro]

Hi Christian, here's an idea for a next video: some examples of combining strings with synth sounds :) Thanks!

[@LevyCarneiro]

A topic that seems strangely absent from KZbin!

[@TheCrowHillCo]

Levy Carneiro your wish is my command.

[@LevyCarneiro]

@@TheCrowHillCo wow, what an honor! Thanks, man! :D

[@LevyCarneiro]

@@TheCrowHillCo further on this topic: The Martian's Making Water to me is a great example of precisely this idea of using both strings and synths. :)

[@chrishewson5669]

Mate , you are so entertaining... great stuff I used to work with Maggie years ago down at Snakeranch ...thinking of getting back in touch...if I do , lets have a pint of Stout.

[@starboy2013]

Yes I do.Got a Vertigo VSM 2.Everything they say about it is true.

[@DEADLINETV]

Love this video! Some very good points made! And as a Minitaur owner, I can only agree!

[@PupilofSociety]

I was rolling on the Neve Summing comment

[@e.g.systems6146]

Possibly the best piece of advice here is, for want of a better term "the interface", i.e. can you actually USE those clever features? I've gone through a lot of expensive guitar related gear over the last few years until I realised that I was making more music with the gear that was easy to navigate, even if it didn't sound as perfect. The same goes for any other bit of kit. Love your channel because it sits perfectly in the obsessive niche in which we live :O)

[@32herz]

VCV and Aalto pretty much throw you in to the deep end right away if choose to start with those :D Just start with free TAL UNO 62 for basic starters and fiddle with whatever synths came with your DAW.

[@Quark.Lepton]

I energetically disagree about needing to add hardware to your DAW. When my expensive highly recommended and ever-popular set of reverb VSTs began to cause my CPU to start stuttering, I decided to go with my hardware verbs-including my own home-made plate verb-which I still use, along with a couple of vintage synths and sound modules. I just got to the point where I refused to upgrade an otherwise perfectly good CPU and motherboard/chipset. For this reason alone (among others) I will always use hardware with my DAW.

[@DJKeltech]

love your videos, i recently bought my first real synth (moog grandmother semi modular), the sound, response time ,hands on feel not looking at a screen made me realise how far out of touch i had become with plugins.

[@DJLNRoRNLJD]

So true.. I've seen this video long ago. Excellent. Your a genius in your own right.. Your non obvious comedy is extremely good or maybe I just understand your humour too much

[@felixdreiser]

Sandy really has a point here. What hardware really does is the intuitive, haptic use of it, the twist of approach of creating music. This for me is the biggest downside of 'in the box'. Of course it also has many advantages to outboard gear (mostly faster work-flow, mobility, availabilty, wide variety of even free and decent Plugins, perfect to get started, ...) but there is something really inspiring about turning knobs, pressing buttons and plugging patches. As dull as this may sound. This gets me to a question: From a software developing standpoint, what could be ways to achieve this haptic excitement for Plugins and Libraries?

[@TheCrowHillCo]

Felix Dreiser I guess if there is one embodiment (or attempted embodiment) of this is our Evo range which adds a degree of “see what happens” to our process.

[@felixdreiser]

yes they definitely approach this 'inspiring sensation' very well!

[@0tto777]

I have a moogerfooger analog delay if anyone is interested. It doesn’t get the use it deserves and is in great condition. Can only go up in value but I would like the cash for other investments.

[@tompoynton]

You could probably have a whole boutique eurorack setup with what they’re worth these days

[@andrelousada]

The Grindr vs Tinder mention made me laugh so hard!!!!!

[@manoarbol]

Amazing, love the content of the channel, huge thank you. All the best, Christian! PS. Hehe: "Metallica's Mexican Stratocasters"

[@hansdampf4020]

Behringer Vintage Time Machine (kind of an EHX Clone of course) (new 59, now 110 upwards), not to mention the BCR2000. What was the reward for finding again? Thank you very much for your high quality Videos though!

[@freethinkerAUS]

You are such an inspiration mate. Your help and advice is fucking invaluable to my compositional career. Thank you ✌🏽

[@midigek]

A well constructed pretty fair list of gear ✔

[@CuNimb]

We love you Christian!

[@Super-id7bq]

I just spent all day wondering to myself if I should buy a new sample library or replace my old midi keyboard with a Kontrol A49. I'd resigned myself to neither and thought I'd save my cash (we all need to save those pennies during this uncertain times). Then I just watched the intro to this video, hit pause and went right off to Amazon and bought the keyboard. Thanks internet :D

[@caiinperience8722]

I am the one who proudly turned 12999 to 13000 and 666 to 667 ... this is a pleasure to watch and listen to and think about - thanks!

[@physixger]

7:19 I've got to say I don't agree with the "it has to be the absolute maximum durability gear possible" and "reputable brand" mentality. Whatever thing gets the job done most economically and flexibly is good enough - drastically said, that's the mentality which won the US and USSR WWII. For choir and small chamber orchestra recording I've got 8 pairs of Behringer C-2 (one of them is over 10 years old and still works just fine), three Behringer UMC1820 interfaces (instead of two, in case one of them breaks - I don't trust active electronics too much in general). They work fine for the job. Essentially, of course I could have paid quadruple the price to have "reputable" brands. As well, I could easily replace one or more of the things I have now if it breaks. My point is, the probability of expensive things breaking is sometimes not that much lower that it justifies paying so much more for something that essentially does the same.

[@physixger]

Anyhow, in terms of equipment, one should at the very start look around what exists for inspiration, then clearly define what types of functionality one actually wants; and only after that actively search for certain manufacturers or brands that do this job good enough and economically. e.g.: - MIDI controller with 49 keys, semi-weighted, aftertouch, maybe a couple of simple faders, DAW control. My choice: Samson Graphite 49 (129€). A bit plasticky, but does the job. - MIDI controller with 49 keys, semi-weighted. My choice: a Swissonic Easykey 49 (69€). Metal build, sturdy, does everything I need in a second controller. - Headphones with reasonably linear response and some comfort. My choice: Superlux HD668B (29€ a pair). Knockoff of more expensive AKG model. Still a very good reference for editing choir recordings. - APS-C camera for photos and some HD video, ideally two bodies. My choice: used Nikon D5200 on eBay, about 200€ each. Image quality is still on par with current sensors, auto focus in video mode not so much. Still does everything I need for choir promo photos. Even has clean HDMI out and a mod firmware to keep Live view on indefinitely so I can stream with them. - Lenses for the full range of standard focal lengths, on APS-C. Fast, good resolution, flexible, with acceptable re-sale value, somewhat future-proof. My picks: Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 (about 699€), Sigma 50-100 f/1.8 (about 1100€). What I would not buy: - Hardware devices for things that can almost as well be implemented in software. Ergo: hardware synths, effects, analog mixers.

[@2JohJoh2]

If I buy the "Everything Collection" , will you include Oscar ? Absolutely love that dog !!!

[@simondanielssonmusic]

"Who eats risotto on a sunday?" I know some stoner friends who'd have that gladly haha

[@harryspokes]

This is all the justification I need to keep buying good kit rarely instead of crap frequently. I knew I was right.

[@TheOriginSoundtrack]

Think you mean the Moog Minitaur (same as the Sirin but with lower OSC) instead of the Moog Taurus (being the original Moog foot pedal bass synth from the 1970s/80s)...

[@cornerliston]

I can recommend the OB6. And a huge benefit that the do the desktop version as well. Only thing I don't like about Dave Smith's gear is that they choose kind of "bad" pots, being pretty wobbly. For a quality pedantic as me those things matters.

[@svenhegenmusic]

One thing I would add to this list even though (or maybe because) I still know far too little about is a raid system. hard drives are probably the most important pieces ever.

[@MusicFed]

I disagree with the Strymon big Sky. Prefer my lexicon pcm81 which runs circles around it especially in terms of midi and routing. I can only understand using pedals on a pedalboard or for live use or if you are really short of space in a studio

[@galacticecho7027]

Yep, I'm learning this lesson of buying higher quality gear. The RD-8 sounds good but was a nightmare of a drum machine to program...I would be better off learning to use Ableton as my drum machine, which I'm doing.