Sherwood

Much appreciated. I like my AirPods Pro a great deal, but largely because they’re small enough to just always have on my person. I sometimes go three days without putting on shoes lately, so my need for “mobile” headphones is not high.

^^ Well, that's some bullshit. Why do I bother living in the future?

This was a great suggestion, Steve. I spent a few blissful hours twiddling knobs on VCV rack tonight and designing monosynths. Tomorrow’s project is figuring out how to wire it into Ableton and sync the clock so I can actually make some music and not just play basslines.

Especially if you're playing back a lot of R2R tapes

Yes, this is what I'm here for.

Nothing says *extreme* like uberamp!

If you like Electrocompaniet but don’t find their name Nordic enough, there’s always these guys: http://abrahamsenaudio.com/

I’m itching to put some modules in a skiff and spend some more money making music I’m not satisfied with. Anyone here into modular?

Weirdly, to get TB2 running to my Presonus Quantum the Apple TB3 to TB2 adapter was a non-starter. The dongle cognoscenti informed me StarTec has the preferred solution, and it works a treat.

Is that an alive snake?

Really disappointing product from Behringer. I have a Behringer Pro-1, and justified it to myself by both deeply wanting the sound of the real Sequential Pro-1, and not wanting to find myself on the banks of Lake Chad or whatever with a busted OOP synth no one on the continent could service. For $300, it was an easy decision, and since the original was long since out of production I felt it was hardly a straight line to taking money out of the pocket of someone more deserving. This is a shitty move that really makes me feel bad about that purchase. I knew deep down Behringer was probably the same assholes that made bottom-of-the-barrel portable mixers when I was a kid, but didn’t want to believe it and miss out on a fun synth. I find it hard to imagine getting anything else from them now.

I’m ashamed to admit I also have 12/9 - 12/11 off. I had use-or-lose leave, and my family and I can’t exactly go anywhere or do anything. The 9th is for my daughter, then all bets are off.

I use the Nomad base station: https://nomadgoods.com/products/base-station-apple-watch I’ve had it for almost a year, I travel with it, and I’m very happy. If I was buying a new one today, I would probably get the Mophie: https://store.apple.com/xc/product/HP7L2VC/A . I like the indentations where things go.

It represents One Whole Freedom.

Did they also beat dudes up for money?

I can't believe I missed Mingus Ah Um. I've never heard Black Monk Time, so it goes on my list.

One constant among all discussions I read on audiophile fora is the back-and-forth between older enthusiasts who have spent $800 on Pet Sounds and younger enthusiasts who have spent $0 pirating video game soundtracks. I think the best way to bridge that gap is to put everyone on a level playing field. If you would, please share some examples of albums you love that were first released before you were born. For my part, here are five to get us started. 1) Ahmad Jamal: Chamber Music of the New Jazz This is a phenomenal recording, showing really thoughtful playing by Jamal. I'm particularly fond of the rhythmic tapping and string plucking he employs throughout, making use of parts of the piano you're not supposed to play. This is from an era of jazz I don't prefer, but it sounds to me far ahead of its time. Roon says I've listened to it 78 times, and I don't doubt it. While writing my masters thesis I would listen to this album every day. That was pre-Roon, so those plays aren't even counted. I never tire of it. 2) Talking Heads: Remain in Light This is for my boy TMoney. Being a millennial, I was first exposed to David Byrne via his solo career. "Sure sounds like the guy on Psycho Killer", I think I said. Working my way back through the catalog I was absolutely floored by this album. Some of my favorites off Stop Making Sense were on here, and to me it represents a turning point for the musical landscape that would lead to a lot of things I enjoy. 3) Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Will the Circle be Unbroken? I inherited my Dad's turntable and his record collection when I turned ten. He didn't die or anything, he just didn't listen to records. I sure as shit did, but didn't want to listen to all the stuff I'd heard on repeat the last ten years of my life, so I went to record shops and thrift stores and picked up things with interesting covers that I could afford on a very finite allowance. This album was the heaviest thing I could get for $0.25, which represented a real value. It was also the first bluegrass/old time album I ever heard, and it was an absolute revelation to me. 4) Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel III (Melt) I'm cheating a little here, as my favorite Peter Gabriel album is "So", but that came out in 1986 and as such is disqualified. Obviously there are some phenomenal songs on here, notably "Games Without Frontiers" and "Biko", but this was also the first album to use gated reverb on drums, ushering in a sound no one would get sick of for ten years. I constantly tell my wife and daughter "this is a Peter Gabriel household", and we wear it on our sleeve like it will get us martyred by the IRA. I don't know if the Collins/Gabriel divide of opinion exists in real life, but if it does we are ready. 5) Frank Zappa: Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch This was another gem from my father's record collection, but one I actively avoided for years. It was the weirdest thing I ever heard, and I thought it might be irreparably damaged. The only song I could even remotely latch on to was "Valley Girl", but I played it dozens of times until I got the courage to ask my Dad what that even meant. The explanation went similarly over my head.

Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn I don't know how this escaped my notice in February, but I'm a sucker for Chinese stringed instruments in old time bands.

RIP Matilda. That’s terrible to hear, Fitz.

Man, this game had better be great. I can already hear the Metacritic rating dropping out of spite.

^^ looks on brand for you, Dusty.

Gorgeous, Marc. That is one monster of a phono preamp.

Happy birthday, Peter!

Sorry to hear the negative impressions of Arturia. I have a Keystep (the cheap little one) and love it. It’s a different niche than a 61-key, but to suss out a chord progression or add a bass line it’s lots of fun. I also have and adore Arturia’s “Pigments” soft synth.

I’m not a doctor, but from the x-ray I’m not certain that ninth one counts as a whole egg.