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Discussion on: I'm a Teenage Engineering fanboy!

 
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Michael Tharrington • Edited

Thank ya sir! I'm using Ableton mostly, but admittedly, I make lots of jams without any DAW at all and frequently don't save them. 😅

I realize my picture is super zoomed out, but I have an Arturia Keystep Pro and that sucker allows me to jam DAW-less with multiple instruments pretty frequently. I end up setting up multiple sequences (one on my Moog Grandmoth, one on my Korg Volca FM, one on my Korg Volca Sample (then I run a patch cable from it over to Moog DFAM), and eventually plug in my guitar with some effects (delay, freeze pedal, distortion) and make some pretty weird spacey tunes, haha. I think I also love the OP-1 because it keeps me out of the DAW... after a day of looking at screens, I really just wanna play tunes without any computer. It's limiting, but is definitely fun and keeps me focused on what I can do versus all the possible things that I could do; and on that note, I really related to how you described the OP-1 as having intentional limitations that spurs different creative ways of approaching music — I think you're spot on!

The tool you built looks so rad. I'm a self-taught musician and know bits and pieces of theory but am not as disciplined as I should be. This could really be eye opening for me!

I freaking love your idea of an intelligent light show! Too bad you're in Arizona, lol. I'd be inviting you over to jam and tinker with this stuff if you were local to NC... which btw, ever find yourself in the Raleigh Durham area, hit me up (michael@forem.com)!! It's interesting that you brought up the idea of an algorithm that could map colors to properties of sound... I have an amp called a Boss Acoustic Singer that has some really smart harmonizing functionality which can tell if you're playing in major or minor and will adjust your harmony vocals accordingly. Check out this video if you're interested! Anyway, I'm just imagining using similar smart technology to create the correct mood lighting.