Retro midi machine!

[Mattias Westlund]

That usb2isa thingy is brilliant! With one of those I guess it would be feasible to actually use an old sound card as an outboard fx processor/synth module without the need for having an entire PC running it. Still... what about drivers? If there are no drivers for the card on the system that you plug the usb into, you won't get it running regardless :/

[Mattias Westlund]

Long time, no updates. It's been almost a year since I used this machine for anything; I've had some plans for it but I haven't gotten around to really doing anything. Partly because the computer itself was incredibly noisy, and partly because I didn't have a dedicated midi controller for it (and using either of my two main keyboards wasn't really feasible due do space considerations and speaker placements).

About a week ago I decided to try and remedy the noise problem, and replaced the PSU and the main system fan. Much quieter now, though still nowhere near a modern computer. I can't believe how I used computers like this 20 years ago and didn't go mad from the incessant humming, whirring and whining!

Then just yesterday I made a rare lucky find at the local Red Cross thrift shop: a Fatar Studiologic CMK-149 midi controller for €30.



It's ugly as crap and I have no idea how old this thing is, but I doubt anyone has made translucent blue casings for hardware since Bondi blue iMacs were a thing, which dates it roughly to somewhere between '98 and '01 I guess. The upper half of the casing also has some sort of dark gray rubber layer on it which is... weird. I would love to hear how the designer motivated the choice of translucent blue plastic and gray, almost faux leather-textured rubber for a keyboard controller. But I digress.

The CMK-149 plays great! Lovely synth-style action; a little bit springy but not too much. It's sturdy despite being all plastic, and it's also very slim for a 49 full size key controller -- which is perfect for my cramped retro corner computer desk. So I took this as a sign. I need to get back into working on some retro midi goodness.

And oh; I will probably be getting rid of the AWE64 card as it picks up interference from inside the computer (and it doesn't do anything that the other cards can't do better), and I will be meeting up with a fellow retro enthusiast next week who has a variety of old sound cards that he might be willing to sell me. So stay tuned

[Mattias Westlund]

BTW, I got a CD with Cubasis AV along with the keyboard. I have no use for it as I already have a copy that came with the E-MU APS card. It's probably not worth anything to speak of as this cut-down version of Cubase came bundled with all sorts of controllers and sound cards back in the day, but if anyone wants it give me a holler. I'd be happy to send it to you if you pay the postage

[Samulis]

Mattias, that is the most perfectly "2000" looking keyboard I have ever seen! Perfect score.

Looking forward to hearing creations from this creature!

I managed to brick my Windows XP machine (long story), so my "old computer build" is on pause at the moment.

[Nayrb]

Looks cool! My first workstation rig was hilariously noisy, too. The fan was just a monster. And that was 2008 to 2013

Might we expect an expansion of the concept explored on your "Valley of Wonders" track? (Great homage to the Age of Wonders music, by the way).

[Mattias Westlund]

(02-24-2018, 12:39 AM)Samulis Wrote: Mattias, that is the most perfectly "2000" looking keyboard I have ever seen! Perfect score.

It definitely looks the part, yes. Good quality too; it's 15-20 years old and has obviously seen a lot of use, but all keys are working perfectly and no other issues that I've noticed either. Whereas my Oxygen 61 3rd Gen bought in '08 or '09 has a couple of keys that are slowly dying and pots that send out random cc values without even being touched.

(02-24-2018, 02:51 AM)Nayrb Wrote: Might we expect an expansion of the concept explored on your "Valley of Wonders" track? (Great homage to the Age of Wonders music, by the way).

You know what, that's an excellent idea! I've been playing around with some orchestral(ish) stuff on the retro computer but TBH it just sounds pathetic. The "real instrument" patches aren't exactly the strength of most GM/GS/XG sound cards. On the other hand there's a lot of very nice synth/hybrid sounds in there so I might very well do some sort of AoW-esque thing instead. Thanks for the suggestion

In other news, I have just bought an old Lexicon verb for cheap. Hopefully it should be arriving before the end of the week.

[Mattias Westlund]

Still waiting for the Lexi to arrive, but I managed to get hold of a Microverb III and a Rane EQ for €10 a piece.



People are basically giving rack stuff away these days. I say get 'em while the gettin's good.

[Nayrb]

That's, like, $12 and some change! That's crazy! You can't beat that.

[Viktor]

(02-26-2018, 05:10 PM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: In other news, I have just bought an old Lexicon verb for cheap.

You got a lexicon for cheap? Thats crazy, around here you have to sell your kidney to get your hands on one. Have fun with it!

[Mattias Westlund]

(03-04-2018, 01:30 AM)Nayrb Wrote: That's, like, $12 and some change! That's crazy! You can't beat that.

I'm pretty sure the guy knew they were worth a bit more than that -- though as for the Microverb, not by a large margin -- but he just wanted to get rid of them.

(03-04-2018, 09:04 AM)Viktor Wrote: You got a lexicon for cheap? Thats crazy, around here you have to sell your kidney to get your hands on one. Have fun with it!

Well it's not a high end model, it's an Alex, and I paid a little more for it (€50). I still consider it cheap though.