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The Sequential where you work for today is not the same business entity that made the famous synths of yesteryear. Which is why I saw the headline and thought

The Sequential where you work for today is not the same business entity that made the famous synths of yesteryear. Which is why I saw the headline and thought “going bust is what happens to synth manufacturers” and this is that part of the cycle. And not to say that it isn’t a bummer. And not to say that today’s Sequential doesn’t make great gear. Just that making synths seems to be a hard business, like most manufacturing and art based businesses.

IAmPym 4y ago
It's a REALLY hard business. Roger Linn repeatedly tells people that the easiest way to lose money is to build a synthesizer and he's certainly right. Then again, I ignored that advice. I think we're all just a bit crazy and hopeful that it will all work out in the end.
- brudgers 4y ago
  If you make synths, at least you don’t have to sell to enterprise. Making synths seems to be more the life of an artist than many other possible pursuits. The standard formula is the best way to make a small fortune is start with a large fortune and do X. In the first version I heard X was build a golf course. It was from people involved in building golf courses. The money was in the lots along the fairways.
pvarangot 4y ago
> The Sequential where you work for today is not the same business entity that made the famous synths of yesteryear. The first synth I ever played was a "vintage" Prophet 5 in the 90s, now I have a reissue Prophet 10 from this "not the same business entity", as you very much are correct to call them. Even if they are not the same business entity, I know a lot of the people involved in making my Prophet 10 are (or where) the same people making the famous synths of yesteryear. When you play the Prophet 10 you can also tell. I am really sad I can't say the same thing about my Moogs.
- KerrAvon 4y ago
  Genuinely curious, I don't hear much criticism of modern Moogs -- are you unhappy with them, or is it just that they don't sound like vintage ones?
  - alfiedotwtf 4y ago
    There was a thread a week or two ago on r/synthesizers about the quality of Moog... lots of people chimed in saying they got shipped broken synths. Also, the Moog One seems to be plagued with problems, which is sad given it's humongous price
    - pvarangot 4y ago
      I had a Moog One for a few weeks! I figured it was so backordered that I could buy it and try it an flip it, which I did after three weeks of utter frustration. Unless you just use it as something like a poly memorymoog, it's rough. I can see how a really virtuoso synth player with the right programming can probably play the score for Blade Runner on it or something without any other instrument, but the programming is a PITA. I think it's kind of like a engineer-designed instrument. For the semi-modulars you can tell they had input from really good players for most of the features and ergonomics, but the One is just "let's do everything we can on a single instrument" and it just doesn't fit. It also really does everything. There's a guy on Reddit that has like just a One and a laptop and that's his studio in a tiny apartment. If you are working in the box but want to record analog sounds and have an ADC that will do the Moog low end justice, I guess it's great. I can't justify that money on something that doesn't give me utter joy when I'm playing it like the Prophet 10 does, the One feels more like I'm playing with an Elektron box, which I do enjoy but when I want to play synth I want to play synth.
      - alfiedotwtf 4y ago
        Damn, yeah that's unfortunate. Yeah, I was going to say, if you were looking for sound, a rev 4 or an OB-X8 can't be beat... But if you're looking for a synth with deep functions but not a One, the Polybrute is growing on me. At first, the SP filter seemed too harsh for me, but their ladder actually does a pretty good Memorymoog sound. Arturia also hired the guy (sorry I forgot his name) that built mod matrix tables to make synths sound more analog, and it really can nail it. Edit: obligatory Jump. It can even sound like an Obie https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1u1qJQMOs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1u1qJQMOs

IAmPym 4y ago

It's a REALLY hard business. Roger Linn repeatedly tells people that the easiest way to lose money is to build a synthesizer and he's certainly right. Then again, I ignored that advice. I think we're all just a bit crazy and hopeful that it will all work out in the end.

brudgers 4y ago
If you make synths, at least you don’t have to sell to enterprise. Making synths seems to be more the life of an artist than many other possible pursuits. The standard formula is the best way to make a small fortune is start with a large fortune and do X. In the first version I heard X was build a golf course. It was from people involved in building golf courses. The money was in the lots along the fairways.

pvarangot 4y ago

> The Sequential where you work for today is not the same business entity that made the famous synths of yesteryear. The first synth I ever played was a "vintage" Prophet 5 in the 90s, now I have a reissue Prophet 10 from this "not the same business entity", as you very much are correct to call them. Even if they are not the same business entity, I know a lot of the people involved in making my Prophet 10 are (or where) the same people making the famous synths of yesteryear. When you play the Prophet 10 you can also tell. I am really sad I can't say the same thing about my Moogs.

KerrAvon 4y ago
Genuinely curious, I don't hear much criticism of modern Moogs -- are you unhappy with them, or is it just that they don't sound like vintage ones?
- alfiedotwtf 4y ago
  There was a thread a week or two ago on r/synthesizers about the quality of Moog... lots of people chimed in saying they got shipped broken synths. Also, the Moog One seems to be plagued with problems, which is sad given it's humongous price
  - pvarangot 4y ago
    I had a Moog One for a few weeks! I figured it was so backordered that I could buy it and try it an flip it, which I did after three weeks of utter frustration. Unless you just use it as something like a poly memorymoog, it's rough. I can see how a really virtuoso synth player with the right programming can probably play the score for Blade Runner on it or something without any other instrument, but the programming is a PITA. I think it's kind of like a engineer-designed instrument. For the semi-modulars you can tell they had input from really good players for most of the features and ergonomics, but the One is just "let's do everything we can on a single instrument" and it just doesn't fit. It also really does everything. There's a guy on Reddit that has like just a One and a laptop and that's his studio in a tiny apartment. If you are working in the box but want to record analog sounds and have an ADC that will do the Moog low end justice, I guess it's great. I can't justify that money on something that doesn't give me utter joy when I'm playing it like the Prophet 10 does, the One feels more like I'm playing with an Elektron box, which I do enjoy but when I want to play synth I want to play synth.
    - alfiedotwtf 4y ago
      Damn, yeah that's unfortunate. Yeah, I was going to say, if you were looking for sound, a rev 4 or an OB-X8 can't be beat... But if you're looking for a synth with deep functions but not a One, the Polybrute is growing on me. At first, the SP filter seemed too harsh for me, but their ladder actually does a pretty good Memorymoog sound. Arturia also hired the guy (sorry I forgot his name) that built mod matrix tables to make synths sound more analog, and it really can nail it. Edit: obligatory Jump. It can even sound like an Obie https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1u1qJQMOs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2-1u1qJQMOs