Chemicals

"All my tubes and wires and careful notes...and antiquated notions..." - Thomas Dolby

Antiquated notions...like working my way back to preferring interesting arrangements and offbeat song ideas vs. trendy, danceable grooves...or returning to an interest in sampling and more vintage synthesizer sounds instead of the latest shiny gadget. Tubes and wires and the trappings of music technology. Random things to ponder over morning coffee flavored with "Cinnamon Bun" creamer that contains God knows what (chemicals).

I've changed things up at Vector Laboratories again. I finally decided to pony up the modest fee to upgrade my Native Instruments Kontakt software to version 3. Kontakt is largely viewed as a software sampler, but its architecture has become so extensive over the last few years that it offers a more potent set of sound design tools than most so-called "synthesizers." It's an amazing sonic "chemistry set" (more chemicals). You can take raw sonic materials and bend and twist and mix and process them in all sorts of cool ways.

In addition to the new sound design tools, Kontakt 3 also comes with an extensive sound library, and of course I gravitated straight to the synthesizer stuff. The real gems (for me) are the sounds sampled from classic Moog synths. I think this is the first time I've played a Minimoog bass or lead sound on a software instrument and actually found the sound completely satisfying, since the sounds are derived straight from the source. Those old, real analog synths just have a power and personality and "phatness" to them that you don't quite get with modern virtual analog synths (software or hardware). Before I knew it, I was digging into using some of those sounds as raw material for programming, and I started picking up some additional libraries for Kontakt to provide even more sonic material (yes, chemicals) to mix and match and transform.

As I was having more fun working with sound than I had in a while using Kontakt, I realized I hadn't even turned my Virus TI on in over a week. So I put it up for sale one evening and it sold and got shipped off the next day (gotta love eBay). To be honest, it's nice to have the hardware "clutter" gone and be back to a streamlined, efficient, software-only setup again. I took a bit of the money from the TI's sale and invested in some additional sound libraries for Kontakt, as well as a more compact 61-note controller keyboard that I could have right in front of me on my desk so I'm not having to reach in two directions constantly (my 88-note controller is too big for the desk).

So, with all that screwing around with equipment largely behind me now (I think), I'm happily working away on a new song. This one uses nothing but Kontakt so far, loaded up with some delicious old Moog and Oberheim analog synth sounds. I also have a sample library of PPG sounds on the way (sounds derived from a real PPG Wave 2.2, not the modern software emulation thereof), which might arrive in time to get used a bit on this song as well.

Now I'm done drinking my chemical-laced coffee and it's time to stop thinking out loud and get on with it. Say hello to Miss Sakamoto for me if you see her around...

DV