Ditching guitar? One man band content.

[psychic vampire.]

So this thread has inspired me to sell some stuff and invest in more synthy gear.

What would people recommend for a fun and fairly cheap hardware drum machine/sampler? I want to be able to sequence drums directly on the hardware without diving into computers, and alter sequences on the fly, and maybe trigger samples as well. I'm a bit of a novice with this sort of thing so user friendly is important! Looking at up to maybe £300? Cheaper is better because I also want other stuff and I'm just dipping my toes into this world but I am willing to pay for something super cool. Soundwise, just want respectable sounding electronic drums, I will probably be processing them with fx for wilder noises.

/hijack

Are you okay with monophonic synth parts? Korg ESX-1. Polyphony necessary? Korg Electribe 2S.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Those both look like the sort of thing I want! EBay engaged.

[psychic vampire.]

I would advise the esx, as the newest ones seem to have a few weird choices (got rid of song mode, MIDI over 3.5mm jacks, the initial firmware had some bugs they have fixed). But you can find either for $250, and they can sequence their own samples/sounds and outboard gear.

[frodog]

I love playing with my "band". We are friends first, and we switch up the instruments, which has allowed me to get pretty good at drums and bass. Also, our space (a little old schoolhouse) is in the middle of nowhere, you have to take a ferry to get there. No road connection, no neighbours, no cops, but there is a pub! It's perfect.

Musically though, I'm not always comfortable with the sludgy, post-metal kind of jams that the other two (and yeah, me) are apt to play. I'm more into skeletal, fast stuff, but that never happens except for rare short blasts of black metal. Sometimes I'd like to take a break from it all and get back to recording lo-fi synth/drum machine/guitar emo at home, like I used to. Performing alone is terrifying, but also alluring. Pretty sure I'd fuck up a lot though, if it was even a semi-complicated setup. Which I would like to have, because straight singer/songwriter performances are super boring to me, usually. Would like a sampler/sequencer, but yeah... potentially too complicated? The biggest thing holding me back right now I guess is the songs; I just don't feel like writing or even singing as much as I used to. Maybe it's the antidepressants, maybe the lack of a steady weed supply or the closenessless (to use a Loma Prieta song title) life I have now... That, and the fear of making solopsistic songs about shit that nobody (not even me) wants to hear about. Better maybe to scream about random things over sludgy, drunken jamz once or twice a week forever.

I dunno... I'd be up for collabs over the internet once I get this machine set up with some proper software, I think. And drums, I need some fucking drums at home, to be able to create live rhythms is just inspiring.

[ThurberMingus]

I would love to learn to drum, but alas, no space, no kit, no talent. I'm so bad at drumming it hurts.

Long term yes. I really want to have a home studio with a fully-miced drum kit when I'm a zillionaire.

[psychic vampire.]

Frodog, where the hell are you? I want to be there. And your band kinda sounds great.

[frodog]

Heh, thanks, and you'd be welcome anytime! It's a place with seven inhabitants including our drummer (I live in a larger town nearby), for some reason I'm too paranoid to disclose the exact location, but it's in a fjord on the west coast.

Nevermind, here's a picture (not mine)

[psychic vampire.]

Hot fucking damn.

[Invisible Man]

Fjord.

[SecretMachine]

I'm really interested in doing this myself, but I'm literally so bogged down with the gear possibilities I have no idea where to start.

I've got a guitar, lots of pedals, an amp, a laptop with soft synths and some monitors.

I'm thinking of maybe buying a mixer so I can send the soft-synths into my effects pedals, whilst also taking the input from my guitar, straight into the DAW, then out to my monitors/PA.

Any recommendations on a cheap mixer? (if I need one?)

[psychic vampire.]

I imagine you would probably need some audio interface to send individual softsynth instances to different mixer tracks, but i don't even own a computer.

Mackie 1202 or Boss BX8 if you can live with si few channels. Mackie CR1604 or Boss BX16 if you need MOAR.

[SecretMachine]

I have an AudioBox USB as my main audio interface, however that's only two inputs, and only really monitor outputs.
I'll have a look at those mixers, cheers!

[ThurberMingus]

I would up scoring a cheap tape 4 track on eBay, stoked.

So my live setup will be SP202, 4 track, SK1 and whatever pedals I can fit on the board. Probably BF2, CT5, and RV3, add a DD7 and modded CE5 if I have room. I can record samples from any of my countless shitty instruments into the 202, bounce them to the 4 track, and record drums/bass/synth onto the other three channels of the 4 track. Add whatever one shot instruments I might need to the 202, and play live melodies and drones/seagues on the SK1/pedals.

Anything goes gearwise for recording samples and backing tracks, but I'm gonna absolutely stick to my guns for the rest of the setup for my live rig. If only to keep my setup all on one board that fits on a keyboard stand. That's more than enough gear to make anything from sweet synthpop to lofi garage songs. If I can't make memorable music that way, I'm just gonna resort to being a hired gun in a shitty bar band.

[codetocontra]

^ Love it. So many possibilities with that setup. All in one case is sort of key to making it work.

[Psyre]

I'vebeen preparing for my band's demise for about a year now, so I've been stockpiling my solo arsenal. I don't have a lot of intentions to play live, so that helps me out quite a bit.
I'm finishing my band's EP now, then shifting to solo, hopefully with my first EP come July.

Here's my solo set up

Guitar doing nothing that sounds like guitar
Bass IV to cover more of a Guitar role
Roland SH-09 for Sub Bass
Drum machines:
Circuit Bent Yamaha RX120
Circuit Bent Yamaha RX17
Circuit Bent Yamaha RX8
Modes Volca Beats
Maestro Rhythm King
Occasional Live tracked kit

Two 4-tracks for pre recorded swells
I've got my iPad and about 6 other circuit bent casio/yamaha keyboards to fill in the gaps.

My biggest recommendation is using different rhythm sources, it will change up your sounds without making you necessarily do anything different.