Re: the power of limits

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

Your stuff owns you.

-Tyler Durden

max valentino wrote:

> I am really enjoying this thread on the power of limitations (in gear).  
>And
> it is ironic that I am going through on of these "gear-downsizing" 
>periods
> right now.
> Sometime ago I read an interview with Eno where he was discussing he 
>rather
> simple and out-of-date set up.  He said that the tools he uses he knows 
>very
> well, and while they may be limited, he would rather work within a 
>limited
> but known universe than the infinite.  In other words, he would rather 
>have
> a couple of boxes he knew very well, and have just a handful of tricks or
> tones than a gazillion options....
> I found this true with my set up also.  The more processors I threw into 
>the
> mix, the more I used...or should I say tried to use!  This would bring 
>upon
> a terrible state of option anxiety ("hmmm that's cool, but what if I 
>changed
> this, and added that, and then tweaked this other thing?")
> After going through a bunch of rack and floor processors and pedals, now 
>I
> am back to a fairly easy to manage setup: Godin A4 bass, Raven Labs
> Mixer/DI, Raven Labs Inst. Pre, Lexicon Alex, Lexicon JamMan,and 
>sometimes
> tossing in a DL4 just for fun.  The Raven stuff is used mostly for it's
> transparent sound quality, and the two aux loops.  The Alex is way out of
> date: single effects, 16 bit, NON-MIDI...but it has a quality which is
> unique and musical.  And the JamDude...well, we all know about this!  It 
>is
> a simple, albeit limited setup, which challenges my creativity in 
>ingenuity
> (and it sounds better than a lot of  stuff all hoked up!).  I find I am
> creating effects "manually"..that is with my hands: mutes, false 
>harmonics,
> playing drums on the bass,(...alright I am still sticking aligator clips 
>all
> over the bass and using an Ebow, but...) and combining these manual
> techniques with sometimes subtle,sometimes extreme electronic treatments
> (yes, have been able to write some fairly extreme patches with the
> limitations of the Alex).  For loops the JamBoy works superbly, in a 
>simple
> way.  No I can't do crossfades, or undo functions like the EDP, or any of
> the cool stuff on the 'peater, but I have found I can make seamless
> atmospheric loops (no clicks) by just relying on my snse of time, my
> abilities, and this rather simple setup. And I am able to do some really
> incredible "song form" loops without MIDI or a drum machine (just the 
>faux
> drums played on the bass).
> And it is alot easier to cart around (1 4space rack!).
> Since I unburdened myself from all the other processors and pedals my 
>signal
> is cleaner, tone is better, and I am enjoying looping and music making 
>even
> more.
> It's all about creativity...not gear!  But having said that I do envison 
>an
> EDP sometime soon.....
> Max
>
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