The Secret For Finding Your Sound - Why I Use Cheap Gear

[@CalebXH]

My approach toward gear is a lot like my approach towards fashion. I have a mixture of nice new things I saved up for, and cheap old things I've stumbled upon. I trust my instincts on what I find expressive with the only additional consideration being build quality. It puts you in the position to explore overlooked quirks in cheap old things, while having the tools to re-contextualize it with nice new things. It's also only rewarded with patience. This video perfectly captures how well that works out.

[@vvundertone]

Completely agree. Knowing where and how to invest when the time is right. But you know we’re secretly always way more excited about the cheapie lil finds!

[@ABizzyBYT]

That $400 effects pedal really makes everything sound great!

[@mickeyratcat]

thank you

[@bordersofelmet]

🙃

[@keefergreen7467]

It’s a cool idea … like using old mics through really high end pre amps and compressors

[@pascaljean2333]

The universe gave it to him

[@ABizzyBYT]

@@pascaljean2333 haha! Bravo!

[@Pyrofries]

tbf that pedal is doing a lot of heavy lifting here

[@brotherjoll1802]

good observation

[@melancholy.-Tunes]

you can just get that effect in the DAW, so it doesn't really matter to me personally

[@The_Sound_Technician]

My Casio collection is immense… do you know what… after years of drooling over buchlas and nords and moog… I’ve realised its effects and outboard that make music kit shine.. put any crud thrift store keyboard through a classy reverb and delay and boom epic loveliness.

[@vvundertone]

That’s right. Dress em up in the right outfit of modulation and its inspiration haven!

[@rachelar]

To an extent tho it depends how noisy the output is

[@elliottorion4235]

I just bought a Casio synth keyboard that came with a bunch of cables a wooden case and was in such perfect condition the styrofoam blocks and plastic were still on it lol. I love the sounds it makes. Once I learned the basics which Is everything mind you lol I instantly realized why all the music on nes and snes games sounds the way it does.

[@ApexLaneProductions]

I've always had a special place in my heart for cheap Casio keyboards. Especially CTK models from the early 2000s. The kick and snare patches sound huge when you slam the tape when recording analog. Feels so good to me.

[@vvundertone]

Been looking for that specific era for a minute.

[@Cinnovations]

Love the lighting, color grading and aesthetic, too!

[@vvundertone]

Appreciate your observation to detail 🫡

[@glencromusic]

Yes exactly what I thought. This video looks really quite amazing 🙌

[@vaaalsongs4867]

I can absolutely confirm the Black Hole Theory. The amount of gear friends, acquaintances and random people from Instagram has been giving or lending me over the years has been pretty wild. All from being active and passionate about the subject

[@vvundertone]

It’s the truth! ✨🕳️🫡

[@digiyak]

i just find fascinating how americans bought so much musical equipment in the late nineties. Most of us in other countries live a shortage of this equipments in thrift stores or even in regular music shops (it's almost impossible to buy a Rickenbacker or a Danectro in Brazil for example, let alone a 4 track cassette tape machine) you guys have it easy in the states 😅

[@freestyleshaver]

Yeah, similar here in central Europe (I can only speak for Germany really), except that we don't even have thrift stores, it's just not a thing. Online second hand prices for the few items that actually are for sale are usually absurd because VINTAGE. Flea markets - which do exist - never have anything to offer except for real junk. Quite a disappointing experience.

[@wanmeireles7182]

No Ricknebacker, no Danelectro, no Reverend and other brands are too expensive. Like, a 500 USD squier is sold here in Brazil for 6000 BRL, which is like 1000 USD. And the minimum wage in Brazil is BRL 1,412.00 PER MONTH for fucks sake. Imagine working four months and saving everything to be able to afford a nice squier.

[@MAGOSAMX]

the casio sk-1 sounds beautiful! Recently I scored a casio from the 80's and I feel it stands out compare to modern stuff, not because it's better, just because it gives you a different sound, it's quite an experience to hunt for this old beautiful treasures.

[@vvundertone]

Which one? Yes so many forgotten unique sounds stored in these machines. And the hunt is the best part. When turning the corner in a shop and seeing those black and white keys…you get closer and realize it’s not even a midi controller 🙌🏼

[@MAGOSAMX]

@@vvundertone true!! The piano that I bought is Casiotone Ct-640 🌐

[@TheREAPERBlog]

Absolutely gotta do the weekly thrift store runs. I got my Space Echo RE-150 from Salvation Army. Keyboards, speakers, pedals, cameras, lights, tripods... I'm kind of addicted

[@vvundertone]

A SPACE ECHO? Ok you beat everyone. You are thrift boss now

[@reedsutter8485]

$24 Crumar Performer. $50 Wurlitzer 200. $60 Teisco tulip. $50 Ibanez 4003 bass. A Silvertone Twin Twelve amp as a gift. Be patient, do what you love. Write and record your heart out. Be kind and appreciative. You too might be blessed like I’ve been. A wise friend one told me “You can get pretty much any musical gear you want for whatever price you want if you’re patient enough.”

[@EvLoutonian]

@@reedsutter8485woh Good shit!

[@derwienernuts]

Wait, please tell me more. Salvation army has that kind of stuff!?!? Where else should I look!? Show me the way I'm ready to learn

[@SMAWA9]

My best find was a Omni Chord mint for $80 bucks 😅

[@EnerieEffex]

Back when my friend and I were 19, we jammed on a near-dead battery Yahama Portasound PSS 470. We set it on an ironing board, plugged into a minidisc player and hammered out some pretty wild stuff. I listen back to the recordings now and then and there are parts that still astonish me. At one point, it sounded as though the keyboard was being plunged under water and pulled back out again.

[@honkytonkdragon]

I'm really just beginning my journey as a musician, but this is definitely how I started, and how I am continuing to grow. Found a Slammer by Hamer short-scale bass guitar at Good Will for $45. I just really liked it, it called to me. Replaced the strings with tape-wounds, which cost a few bucks more than the bass. I bought a new bass to celebrate completing an online bass course. A Harley-Benton fretless violin bass, brand new was $170. Of course with a case and shipping from Germany, it ended up almost twice that, but still, not a high end instrument. BUT, it is beyond functional. Put tape-wounds on it as well, and I think this is as close as you can get to upright tones on an electric bass. Tone is just exactly what I was looking for.

[@DavidJoelMoffitt]

I didn't realize how my love of synths started with an old casio I had in my childhood. I love how they sound running through that pedal. Epic man, thanks for this video, it's inspiring.

[@ringsystemmusic]

Yoooooooooooooooo. I’m a cheap keyboard fiend. My current stable is: - Yamaha PSR-12. FM keyboard with the best keyfeel I’ve ever tried. Lives connected to my mixing board so I can doodle out melodies whenever. - Yamaha PSS-140. Lovely sounds- 86 Transistor Organ is to die for. - Roland VA-3. Not cheap but I got it for free from somebody else’s studio downsize. Cool to muck around with.

[@PatrickMacCready]

Thank you for making me feel better about this truth. I own many a silly keyboard or electronic noisemaker but sometimes around my band mates it can feel like I'm doing it wrong when they have a lot of high quality pedals and amps. I love the way their stuff sounds too! But that feeling isn't always reciprocated. I suppose it would be nice to convince more musicians that a sound that has character is good if not better than the $200+ this or that.

[@vvundertone]

Keep doing your thing mate. Your bringing a beautiful contrast your bands sound i'm sure!

[@solarbabies9682]

I am in the same boat with the cheap keyboards. The key (that i've found anyway) is experimenting with different effects chains and some persistance!

[@vvundertone]

Yup persistence is the key! Also making some documentation of your chains. Nothing worse than listening to old playback and being like how did I turn this Casio into a 1800s demented pipe organ again?

[@nibiay3985]

Oh my GOD I FINALLY a Channel that I adore!! Thank you! 🙂

[@vvundertone]

thank YOU!

[@Nollland]

Forget the haters, I bought myself a $20 casiotone off of market place and I'm so happy you encouraged me to.

[@ezrakh]

I bought a digital Rhodes MK-60 for $100 about 2 years ago, then this summer I bought an ACTUAL Rhodes mk I stage 73 for $200 from an old family friend that heard (he initially wanted to give it to me for free. All that said I agree with things coming to you! The universes conspires and co-creates with us

[@vvundertone]

I love to hear it. People who have these incredible pieces of gear, yet are willing to release them back into the creative pool (reasonably) for the sake of creation!

[@happyphace163]

Great video! The background music was so good I had to pick up my cheap guitar and practice along with it!

[@vvundertone]

Thats the best way to practice IMO!

[@smokespun]

Love it! I'm a big fan of the cheap gear route myself. I have a tiny old Yamaha keyboard I've had for over 30 years and I'm 33 lolol I'm certainly not afraid to invest in certain pieces of gear when I know what and why I want something, but I really love pulling the most out of quirky things that are often overlooked.

[@pawnotdaw4559]

You might be onto something with your Black Hole theory. Over the years ive found so much cool stuff on side of the road and rubbish skips. A select few: sitar, volume pedal, various percussion, massive piano keyboard, just the other week i found this massive weird skin drum in the pouring rain, sounds great. Loving your videos and vibe.

[@vvundertone]

Now a sitar?! That’s an incredible discovery!

[@pawnotdaw4559]

@@vvundertone I saw it sticking out of a skip. Had no strings but got it stringed up and it sounded great .few strings broke now and the tuning is a nightmare.

[@pawnotdaw4559]

@@AC_Martin yeah I need to dig it out or at least sample it.

[@Gekiko7167]

If one truly thinks that the entire universe revolves around their passion then they are either blind to the reality that is before them or just selfish enough to consider such a possibility.

[@pawnotdaw4559]

@@Gekiko7167 Who can tell?....

[@byiton]

I have a good friend that successfully lives by this philosophy. Very interesting perspective.

[@smowmusic3190]

Thank you for this! You are on another level when it comes to inspiring people. Been obsessed with collecting and using vintage synths, never knew cheap gear could sound this good.

[@owntempoltd]

inspiring stuff, thanks for the video! i love your black hole theory and the openness, research and patience it inspires. i always had a hard time thrifting functioning vintage gear in Italy without breaking the bank, and lately i really felt the urge to splurge. what i did instead was revisiting old gear i bought years ago and forgot about: i have this Digitech "Vocalist Workstation", a cheap sounding harmonizer, which i sang into and through guitar pedals. i had a blast and i got a bunch of samples from it!

[@rachelar]

Travelling, yes. Many become musicians as they yearn to leave their boring little town. The gear you find on your journey helps you create your musical travelogue

[@vvundertone]

indeed. I'm happy I escaped my boring little town :)

[@mistahmath5063]

Favorite youtuber right now! You rock :)

[@vvundertone]

Ahh that makes me 🌞

[@euroyen420p2]

Subscribed in the first minute, I'm a sound engineer/musician of 20/30 yrs. Great content!

[@vvundertone]

Why thank you, and thank you for your service 🫡

[@thefeelcompany]

Use what you’ve got! I never got rid of my Fostex 4 track or anything. I use an iPad Pro and I’m about to have a look at your digitising tape. One of my fave channel on KZbin so I watch in bed. Cheers, mahn

[@vvundertone]

means a lot. thank god for never selling things. a wise man once told me "never sell your tools" sadly I have made that mistake too many times to count.

[@thefeelcompany]

@ Wise man! ….I could never have parted with it. Love your channel. You’ve been really helpful in me finishing my recording room at home.

[@theartistcurrentlyknownaszero]

I still mourn my Casio SK-1 that I lost ten years ago. Found it at the thrift store for like $5. Now they go for 100+ on reverb. I'll probably have to buy one. The built in mic and the way the chip samples things was just the perfect kind of instant lofi sampler that I have never been able to replicate.

[@Kyle_Noonan]

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

[@vvundertone]

✨🕳️

[@uselessvideo]

…*Abraham Hicks”…

[@Kyle_Noonan]

@@uselessvideo Paulo Coelho

[@uselessvideo]

@@Kyle_Noonan Yep, that mofo too.

[@marviosantos]

@@Kyle_Noonan From "Bridas", right? or "O alquemista"? I really don't remember anymore, read those books when I was 16

[@schance1666]

Great vid and I hope it inspires kids (who perhaps like me, had no money when my musical interest was rapid fire) to grab some of this gear and get creative. I am convinced that the monetary limitations I had as a teen directly influenced my creativity. In today's world of "Hey Ai, make this song for me", or even the fact that kids today can have an insane 'studio' for free on a cell phone, I think is not helping them develop their creativity, and so, people who have nothing but an RV and a guitar are writing the best stuff. Cuz you can't fake it.

[@vvundertone]

Yup. The early stuff is almost always best. The drive, the limited resources. It’s just recipe for the most innovative and pure work.

[@GingerNinjaJazz]

I do the same! I use my casiotone MT-240 for some crazy warped sounds. Magic Sounds full of character!

[@vvundertone]

The bells especially on this one are out of this world

[@GingerNinjaJazz]

@@vvundertone there’s a great Tape-Flute sounding preset! Budget mellotron!

[@johnterpack3940]

I'm not entirely into recording to tape because of the expense and hassle of the media. But I do like the idea of a more analog signal chain and being creative with the sources of the sounds. My preferred instrument is bass. But my wife does have an old Yamaha keyboard I could use. Probably still need a guitar though. Keyboards do a lousy job of mimicking the transients of plucked strings in my experience. Anyhow, I really appreciate what you do and that you take the time to share it. It is inspiring.

[@vvundertone]

It is a hassle. I get it. Lots of headaches and troubles for sure. Keyboards do a lousy job for a lot of sounds but sometimes you can use it to your advantage. Look at Pharrell. Sometimes I imagine what his production would sound like with real guitar instead of that "cheesy" keyboard strat sound and honestly I don't think it would work as well.

[@johnterpack3940]

@@vvundertone True, you can make things work if you like. But I'm old school. Grew up with AM radio, 8-tracks, and vinyl. I genuinely can't stand the lifeless sound of contemporary music.

[@AlexanderSuppermann]

You have the style. It's priceless. Whatever a price of gear is

[@Two_left_feet_music]

What a nice creative philosophy. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@soloharmonicsrobj8246]

Wow, crazy amount of vintage gear. I once had a Casio SK-1 sampling keyboard. Along with other Casio keyboards like the MT-210 and PT-80. You could get some really interesting tones with the SK-1. Especially running it through a stereo mixer and reverb delay.

[@vvundertone]

The SK-1 inspires me everyday. Such a incredible sound! Warm and gritty. I want to sample other casios with it 😅

[@danielortizdecaracas]

I LOVE THIS OLD GEAR DISCONTINUED AND OBSOLOTE STUFF I pass all of them into plugins, pedal guitars or rack dso fx processor and the results is amazing

[@noahjae7148]

Gotta say absolutely love this philosophy and the videos aesthetic is top notch! Idk if you normally wear suits but i think it really adds to the vibe of this topic, guess you could say it suits you 😝

[@andreedipo6356]

Casiotone MT70 guy, here! Really cool.

[@vvundertone]

Even the drums are slappers!

[@samuelstambaugh2243]

me too! my old room mate gave me one 10 years ago and I've had it ever since.

[@user-wp8gn4zw8d]

lol man, i'm only like 4 mins into this video but i've already heard so much that aligns precisely with my experience. basically all of my gear comes from thrift stores; got a whole rack of like 5 units there, many casios, and even stumbled upon a martin guitar for 15 bucks. black hole theory is real. spending your savings on expensive equipment and knowing exactly what you're getting is no fun.

[@TranquilizedHorsefly]

these people that comment all these negative things.. i wonder if they have actually used the gear they are slating down on, or if they have do they even make any music, i waste money on gear yet i don't even make any music, it's more so external forces like mental state i.e lack of drive and passion etc but back to the gear, every instrument has it's own unique character especially with old gear and anything can be made to sound good , your philosophy is great and i'm glad you shared this with us, lets not forget, how distortion with guitars along with many genres like metal was discovered... a faulty amp... a piece of gear that was unique to itself, had its own character! tbh i feel theres alot i can learn from you

[@ParaaShakti]

love how you play and let us listen to the instruments many times in the video

[@vvundertone]

I'm glad you enjoyed the format!

[@tyler_]

YOU and your videos bring joy and happiness to ME!

[@vvundertone]

Hey! That means ALOT!! 🤝🏼🙌🏼

[@andriisukhariev]

very nice point on one spesific weird sound of particular instrument that you can't find anywhere else.

[@vvundertone]

Yup. Ice Block preset I can never live without now!

[@Jiri-z-Lipe]

This is mindblowing. Thank you for the inspiration, mate.

[@vvundertone]

Thank you!!

[@aturtleattacks]

Great video and you are giving away all the thrifting secrets! Really good point with your black hole theory too :) the cheap equipment of olde is finite and very much worth the hunt now.

[@vvundertone]

Open source all day long. No secrets here!

[@noelsharp]

I enjoyed and appreciate your video but I'd like to hear more of what you can do without the Chroma Console. As other's have stated , that pedal can make any random sound generator sound interesting, even spitting into a microphone.

[@JeredtheShy]

My philosophy is that I want almost a physical snapshot of what gear is available to me, locally, with that gear acting as a filter for my own creativity, hopefully to create a sound that is distinct. This should vary quite a bit from place to place, and hopefully the approach can create the sound of that place. The more you start using things like reviews to find the "best" gear, coupled with using online shopping to summon that to your doorstep, the more you will end up making everyone else's sound. Things like janky guitar pedals found in your uncle's garage are great for this.

[@vvundertone]

Agree mate! My uncle had a lot of janky stuff in his shed but no pedals.

[@easytoassemble54321]

This is exactly (mostly) the way I do things. I love finding cheap or forgotten gear like the Yamaha Portasounds, Boss mini-rack units, or late 90's / early '00's romplers. I like the fact these things often have zero menu diving involved, which makes them very immediate to use. Bonus points if they have some odd function that can't be replicated elsewhere. The Yamaha PSR-36 is an underrated unit, which sounds richer than it should. FX are the secret to getting the most out of them, so it helps to have some decent pedals, to bring them to life.

[@rachelar]

PSR37 was one I found in the (clean)trash and it had good weirdo sounds

[@rachelar]

Romplers would be a cheap option-no one wants them- IF you can program them or at least stick them thru unusual effects

[@TheSactoSmile]

I have had immense luck in finding a perfectly functioning casio sk-1 in a thrift store for 15€ and i love it to pieces, i've done entire songs with almost only the casio and a zoom multi fx. I sometimes play it just to zone out and relax

[@BatteryCoverMissing]

Is your sk-1 song anywhere I can listen to it?

[@vvundertone]

Dang I wanna hear too

[@joshuaphifer1658]

@3:50 I love that little beginning melody

[@NoPipeLeftBehind]

Great content and very well delivered. I'm so glad I found your channel! Keep up the great work and great music!!!

[@vvundertone]

appreciate that. more coming soon :)

[@sovereigncosmicwildman]

Madlib does the exact same using cheap gear. Super dope beats in the background💥

[@vvundertone]

Madlib is a big inspo for me. Thank you!

[@Mancheguache]

You found that Chroma Console on the street - wow!

[@anthonybarrett8778]

Sadly here in Oz, thrift stores rarely accept electrical goods due to the risk of liability. Most of my best finds have been on the side of the road within 100m of my house. Keyboards, guitars and drums.

[@SXTransmission]

Your dad looks cool! Love your work, just found it. I keep looking in my thrift store (they call them "Op Shops" here in Australia. Short for "opportunity", which is strangely optimistic most of the time, given that Australia seems to have far fewer items of music gear out there. We have "hard junk week" where the local authorities have a week where you can put any old trash out to be picked up by a truck. Have found most stuff like that. I think many people just throw stuff away here! Unfortunately they now do this on a house-by_house basis rather than the whole area, so you can't just do a tour when it's on, so I just look on my local strolls.

[@vvundertone]

I'll tell him you said so! Hard junk week sounds like a prime opportunity to find some unique treasures! At least it keeps you motivated to go on walks searching for goods!

[@-whiskey-4134]

I got a number of instruments for free. I knew people who just never used them and were throwing them out. I ended up offering to buy them and was told to simply take off their hands because it was garbage anyway. 2 of my favorites being a keyboard and electric drum kit. One free guitar I got was actually a find. I was walking home one cold January night and saw a guitar gig bag on the curb with the trash. I decided to take a peak and saw it was a 90’s Peavey Predator. It ended up coming home with me. To be honest, the pickups no longer worked and was definitely owned by a heavy smoker. It used to by white but had yellowed and has clear cigarette burn marks on it. A couple of barely noticeable dents on the backside of the neck, and had no knobs where there should have been. I have it taken apart, old hardware tossed, and repainted the body. I’m a bass player and vocalist mostly, but it seemed like a nice project to work on as I had the free time. Idk, I just can’t see otherwise good instruments get tossed. If you dont want it and aren’t going to sell it, send them my way, I’ll learn to play them too if I already dont know how. Then I’ll make weird and fun music of all kinds with them. I found a mini acoustic Yamaha with a brand new road runner case at thrift store for like 50 bucks. I forgot the model rn, but I looked both the guitars and gig bag up, and in any other situation I would have spent close to like $140 for them together used. Years ago, I got 2 fenders $50 bucks in a store. They were there so long they just wanted em gone. They weren’t my thing, so I gave one to my cousin and one to a friend that wanted to learn how to play. Got a few free guitar amps too that I gave away when I got better gear a couple of years down the line and needed to make space. My wife recently bought me an early birthday present and surprised me with my dream bass. I moved from Boston to FL a few years ago, but I’m moving back now. I plan on going to all the thrift stores to look for good deals because a lot of Berklee students tend to sell old instruments to local thrift stores in the surrounding cities. Thrift stores have a lot of good finds for well below a fraction of the price on the typical used market. Why buy 1 instrument when I can spend half of that and get multiple? Lol

[@vvundertone]

Love a good guitar project. Tearing them apart and repainting, a great pastime. Passing the instruments on is the best part. Sharing the music with friends, families, strangers. Pass the inspo!

[@DJ_TideWave]

Just love your approach to how you make music with cheap gear. Great tip about the Salvation army. I collected retro games for a while and visited them daily after work. Got some amazing finds over the years! 😊 Subbed your channel. 😊

[@rekindle]

great video! - you've got something very cool going on with those Casios

[@vvundertone]

Thank you! ☺️

[@bleeknoir]

Wild how much the Casio sounds like the infamous vox organ!

[@vvundertone]

thats exactly what I was thinking. Now if I had them side by side, might be a different story haha who knows.

[@Studio220-beats]

Love the reel to reel - i am on the lookout for one

[@vvundertone]

they are a pure joy to use. I know you will be finding one soon!!

[@micahchambers5096]

Love the Mamiya press and Nikon f in the background!

[@vvundertone]

My dream team!! They are best friends ☺️

[@robjohnson5564]

Awesome video and great advice! I bought a Casio SK-1 new in 1986...that's how old i am :-)

[@vvundertone]

What a beautiful experience that must of been! How much if I may ask?

[@robjohnson5564]

@@vvundertone Yeah, it was great. I think it was about $50.

[@naturligfunktion4232]

I like how that Nikon FM (FE?) is just hanging out there in the background, looking absolutely awesome. Love your stuff man

[@vvundertone]

FM all day! My absolute fav 35mm. Appreciate you!

[@trevenfuger5615]

heeey do you make any music of your own? At this point of watching your videos, Id love to listen to anything you've made.

[@s17ence]

I love that TEAC mixer. Got the same one years ago, and I think it sounds great 🙂

[@vvundertone]

My favorite way to color a recording, especially drums!

[@rachelar]

I have found or been given quite expensive synths (Roland D50, Korg,Yamaha) on the street. I believe I am powerful with your theory

[@vvundertone]

It sounds like you have mastered it. Its time to teach others the way.

[@_Alex_Crystal]

Very useful video! Thank you!

[@FuzzyForties]

Men, amazing content, amazing edit, amazing sounds... I completely agree with you and I'm happy so see more and more conscious people. Creativity is among money and gear. Sometimes limitations is where the inspiration can be found. New sub here.

[@vvundertone]

Thank you very much 🙏🏼🫡

[@bananasandbass]

When you prime your mind to be on the lookout for music gear and unique sounds. You’ll recognise and grab every opportunity that you would have otherwise not noticed. The thing is, you’re not aware of the things you don’t notice.

[@vvundertone]

My mind is primed for sure

[@ddeafner]

Just happened upon your channel man, great stuff! Subscribed!

[@reganovich]

amen brother! and peace from Ireland!

[@maeyer]

You've inspired me to hoard more gear, Im headed to the thrift stores!

[@vvundertone]

Hoard, but USE!

man you should do a video with gregory scott from kush audio and talk about analog gear for hours

[@vvundertone]

I’d be down!

[@Dekutard]

what’s he up to these days? i keep thinking i haven’t seen any videos or updates in a long time

[@PP-bw8ig]

I have cheap-ass GAS too. Trouble is that I have limited room. Keyboards take up a lot of space just for one particular sound.

[@OchreFrame]

I got my Tascam Porta Two through a series of trades, and now I can do analog multitrack field recordings!

[@vvundertone]

Multitrack field! Are we talking music or sounds? Would love to hear

[@OchreFrame]

@@vvundertone Just music for now, but may experiment with sounds if I find a battery-powered preamp. The built-in ones have a nice sound, but they don't have quite enough power for the more subtle sounds in nature. It'd be interesting to use it to make an audio log of my adventures!

[@The_Absurdistt]

You are undeniably inspiring.

[@vvundertone]

That brings me much joy! Lets go forth and CREATE!

[@vadymmedvedenko8634]

as a owner of Yamaha psr-540, I agree with you It's been in service since 90s. I bought it for 100$ from an alcoholic Now I have a broken display, the sound knob is not working and I have to block the pitching wheel cause it was pitching every note randomly. But I will NEVER throw it away. This boy has a soul, not like most of modern trash

[@th_3931]

thanks for your point of view, I like the video look and vibes. north-american thrift stores are really something. Where I live (BR) even old shitty keyboards are sold in the "expensive stuff" section of the thrift stores, because electric music instruments here are seen as "rich kids hobby". even worse a TASCAM tape recorder.

[@rachelar]

Yeah, always been this horrible class perception in the anglosphere that keys are for rich kids, same as it ever was

[@schmoofadoop]

you're doing it right man... bless you and your creative life... sub'd!

[@vvundertone]

Ty so much!!

[@joselarios2571]

Love it bro. I got alot of stuff to share with u

[@tater5229]

This video was so cool and so well done I loved it

[@Thisiscawfee]

I was about to start looking up snare micing videos and different snare mics because I keep wanting to get a sound similar to other artists I listen to (Sports, Tame Impala, Gum, etc.) but this video convinced me that I've got enough already and I should just really lean into the gear that I already have (Using my Shure 516 EQ as my top snare mic which I found and bought because of your, and a 58 as a side snare) which I know is more than enough lol. Anyway, thank you!

[@vvundertone]

Amazing, yes you absolutely have the tools for the job. Remember drum mic’ing is an incredibly complex world where inches are miles and velocity is God. Curious to hear what you end up with! 🫡

[@vicfirth1]

vvundertone: When It Comes To Gear I have always liked waiting for it to come to me. vvundertone: I would go in the Salvation Army every day after work and browse the electronics section.

[@calil_souza]

awesome sounds AND color on the video lol

[@DR.KRYOVAK]

I know what you mean, older synths are build better, the amount of synth gear I purchased and it broke is crazy, so I started no buying a using what I have. Broken gear - OP1, Novation MiniNova, Novation X-Station (Although had until it died) I realised I had my Casio Keyboard for years even though it lacked features I was after, I was still new to the experience and didn't know about Fx and If I still had that Casio which I gave away it wouldn't sound like a Casio at all. Because my Korg Gear sounds like a spaced out granular synth now I understand fx. People often asked how did you break the OP-1, believe it or not it was by downloading a simple firmware from T.E and it bricked it to a point I couldn't even sell it. I couldn't get it repaired as the music store I purchased it from was an online store and the shop itself had closed down. Nobody ever says that's a crappy old sound just because you use an Analog synth in fact I was listening to beats I made back in 2012 and the beat that stood out was from my Korg MS20 it sounded so raw in the world of digital and so aggressive and the bass pumped, I can't get that wow with digital. Anyway I also noticed because you spend less on Synthesizers you put the bigger money on FX and tape machines etc, very smart move, reminds me of how I was able to get better video recorders for the film clips and give better footage to my KZbin channel.

[@danieltmurphy]

Thanks Keanu!

[@nanozani]

I kinda like what you said there. But i was wondering where can i find your songs or recordings, or work! I really like what you were playing there, very much actually

[@vvundertone]

Thank you! I have some music you can find on streaming under Backlit Symphony. I also have a vinyl I should put up on the website soon of music kinda similar to this.

[@nanozani]

@@vvundertone ❤️ thanks. I will check on it when I get back from work

[@Geue556]

found a casiotone MT-140 for $20 at an op shop and it's so cool, feel so lucky to have found

[@vvundertone]

somebody up there likes you ☁️

[@ndubb100]

WHOA that sounds so good with the chroma console... sounds like straight off a beatles album or something haha

[@vvundertone]

Makes me wonder. What would a 1980s Beatle album sounded like? Hmmm

[@sisyfosmusic]

I love your old school text animations! Do you use a template or do you create those custom by yourself?

[@vvundertone]

I am a huge fan of Jamie Windsor. A fantastic artist on many many fronts. Including the creation of these presets. Check his site because he makes several different digital assets that are unbelievable quality.

[@dontcallmebrian5125]

Great video man this helped a lot

[@enricoarielrusso]

Man please tell us how do you set up your lighting and camera for recording! Image looks amazing, warm and soft

[@vvundertone]

I’m a previous photographer so you know the process is a little intense. I plan to maybe do a video on this topic in greater detail but for now: I use only Sony cameras. Main camera is a first generation a7s which is absolutely ancient by now. I use an adaptor to fix my vintage Nikon 35mm lenses. I stack different filters on the lens, 1/4 promist, and occasionally star filter for extra softness. Lighting is where I spend the most time and each shoot is different. I use a mixture of LED modern lights with parabolic soft boxes plus vintage tungsten lights. Small 1ks with barn doors. And of course flagging, diffusing and reflecting. 🫡

[@enricoarielrusso]

@@vvundertone Awesome insights on your process! You should totally make a video about these kind of details for content production, it's enlightening!

[@gnawvy]

That 5% gave me 90% 🔥🔥🔥😊

[@vvundertone]

🤌🏼✨☺️

[@gnawvy]

@@vvundertone thanks to this video I just scored a Yamaha psr-6 for $25 🔥 Thank you for inspiring me to look around my area 🙏🏽

[@rasmusl3668]

Love your vid man😎

[@Jwhdieb]

Early electronic/hip hop artists are probably the best example of this philosophy. The 808, 909, and 303 were nowhere near the status they have now, and were found in second hand stores all around the country. It only took a few (desperate) creatives to popularize them into staples of modern music. Another good example is the gear that Daft Punk used on their first album, Homework. Although they were pretty well off with juno synths and other expensive gear, they also used alot of cheaper, even "bad" compressors, pedals and FX machines (most famously the Alesis 3630) and were able to find each machines own niche to get sounds that pretty much noone had heard up to that point.

[@vvundertone]

Ah yes 808 lore. I never tire of learning more about it. Another saucy tidbit I read is they didn't know how deep the bass really was. While in design mode their speakers could not produce lower than 80hz or so. Also initially Ikutaro Kakehashi wanted to be able to modify the snare shell "depth" amongst many other options. I would say despite the limitations its quite a perfect drum machine.

[@TheMossyTube]

That's a wonderful approach to gear

[@vvundertone]

Glad you agree 🙏🏼

[@TheMossyTube]

@@vvundertone What’s funny about it is that I actually don’t necessarily apply that same approach to my own work as a professional music producer. I just really enjoy seeing how others, like yourself, go about getting character and personality into their work. As you mention yourself it’s all about that passion, I guess no matter how you go about it.

[@kosmo_komputer]

I feel like this video would make more sense if you were using stock plugins with a scarlet 2i2

[@vvundertone]

sounds like my personal hell lmao

[@2rosaryfortv]

Crazy I found this video. I literally just blacholed a Casio CTK-2090 😂🤝🏾

[@vvundertone]

blackhole strikes again. I been wanting a sick early 2000s keyboard like that! have fun creating bangers!