Wiardgroup

Well, with that sort of prompt, how can I not?

Warning, HUGE rambling message, just dumping out thoughts...long 
post, probably going no-where, fair warning folks....

I'll post a bunch of stuff Grant.  I'll post rambings on a bunch of 
topics.  This is somewhat of a sad message to read, and I am not sure 
what to say, but I'm just going to say some stuff anyway.

It's true that this group is quiet.  Hey, I'm a chatty person (as 
Grant can attest to from many phone calls), but for some reason I've 
always been really quiet here on this group.

Why?  It really *is* quiet here.  And in so many other synth forums 
online, Wiard products are held up as the holy grail of inspired 
synthesizer design (a designation I humbly agree with).  There are 
hundreds of posts at other forums talking about Wiard, discussing 
modules, ideas etc.  But right here, where, as we know it really 
MATTERS, people are quiet. 

This group is really valuable to me.  Going through the archives I 
have learned so much, not just about Wiard modules, but about coming 
to the synth with new strategies.  I have re-read some of the posts 
countless times, literally.  I read a lot of stuff here.  It's clear 
this group was once more active than it is nowadays.

But sure enough, I hardly ever post.  Again, why?  It's hard to 
really put my finger on it - and surely  I cannot speak for any other 
members here.  But I'll tell you something....

This place is kinda scary ;)

Ok, not really in a bad way, but bear with me - for myself, a pretty 
chatty, outgoing person, this group is sort of like church.  hush-
hush!  there is a sort of muted respect here.

for one thing, as soon as I first joined this group a few years ago 
when I was ordering some 1200 series modules, I was so very very 
green about using modular synths (and I still feel like a babe in the 
woods, but I have come a long way.....), and it was immediately 
obvious to me the very high level of skill, intelligence, and even 
wit on this group.  There were/are a handful of regular posters who 
seem to know both Grant personally, and the modules inside and out.

So, coming into an environment like this, and knowing full well that 
the greatly-respected Mr. Richter presides over this group and gets 
an email of anything I say here....

well, no-one wants to seem like a dumbass, so sometimes we just stay 
quiet :)

I have to say I really love the idea of talking to Grant on the 
phone, and the fact that he tries to have a real chat with the people 
who purchase his modules is just such an appealing thing to me.  I 
can tell that it means something deep to him, knowing that the stuff 
he is building is going to people who really appreciate and value 
it.  I *WANT* to buy an instrument from a craftsman who *WANTS* to 
know it is going into loving hands.  This aspect of how Grant runs 
his business is really appealing to me.

But, let's look at this - imagine you are a newbie.  You know that 
you are going to have to phone Grant and talk to him if you want to 
get into some Wiard equipment.  You are worried about posting some 
really stupid question to the group, worried that Grant may not take 
you seriously when you call....  Ok, I am just imagining things here, 
and of course our hypothetical newbie here does not have the benefit 
of knowing what a kind and understanding and incredibly fair person 
Grant is.  They have to talk to him to start figuring that out.

So the picture I'm painting, it's not a good one or a bad one, but I 
wonder if it says something about why this group is quiter than 
others.  Does this make any sense? Have I just had too many Guinness 
tonight?   Perhaps I should not be typing this message.  Regardless, 
I will not be afraid to call Grant in the morning ;)  And I shouldn't 
be afraid to post here.

But out of the very small number of posts I have made here, I think 
only one ever got a reply (discussion about estimating current 
draw....).  So there's the symptom as well of what Grant points out - 
if no-one cares, no-one posts, people post elsewhere.

I *DO* think people care though.  Very much.  At risk of horribly 
embarrasing the humble Mr. Richter, I believe that he is the modern 
day Bob Moog or Don Buchla.  I think many many years from now Grant's 
instruments will be widely regarded as the high-water mark in 
creative analog synthesizer design.  What a horriffic tragedy if this 
productive and unique career was to be brought to a premature end by 
a misunderstanding?  A large, appreciative community, for some reason 
not expressing their interest in Grant's own house.

I do think the "Grant's own house" effect is part of what makes it 
somewhat quiet here.  I can tell you that I am always on my best 
behaviour here in this group!  I don't think it's fear, and it's 
certainly not dislike - I really think the quiet just may be coming 
from a massive respect for Grant and his work... because a lot of 
people ARE talking about this stuff elsewhere.

Anyway, wow I am flogging that one to death aren't I?   Grant has 
said to post something, post anything.  I wonder if anyone is still 
with me at this point?  I most certainly am rambling.  If there's 
blame to place, I feel it goes to Mr. Arth.  Guinness.  At this hour 
on a saturday?  Really I do.  Not that I condone that behaviour mind 
you...

What else can I talk about?  Grant it does seem that you are 
frustrated and burned out.  I don't think it's fair that you should 
feel bad about trying to do something that you love so much.  It's 
not right that you should torture yourself for your art.  I can't 
tell you how to run your business (but I think you do a great job and 
should just follow your heart), and I can only say that whatever you 
end up doing, you will retain the support and admiration of a huge 
number of really cool people, and you have created a peerless legacy 
in the instruments you've given birth to.  However, it would be 
unfair and dishonest if I didn't say that I most desperately hope you 
find a way to balance enough Wiard to keep you happy alongside 
everything else in your life.  That you can arrange your affairs so 
that everything feels 'right'.  If you are burned out and frustrated 
right now, why not take some time away from Wiard, force yourself to 
not even think about it for a week or something like that.  Do other 
cool things.  Maybe you'll come back with a fresh perspective.

Whatever you do we love you to bits, and we possibly love your 
fascinating and beautiful instruments even more.  

Ok, and at risk of exposing my own massive level of synth-newbie-
ness, hey since Grant said 'anything', I'll post some of my bad music 
for you to torture your speakers with.

I do not have my 300 series modules yet, however I have quite a few 
1200 series modules.  This little recording is actually an experiment 
using 4 phases of a Mankato sine wave to modulate the animation 
inputs of an AFG oscillator.

However pretty much everything is running through some Borg II 
filters acting as gates, so there's quite a bit of Wiard plucky 
action happening, which hopefully makes this relevant.  There's a lot 
of Wiard going on in every patch I make.  

Other Wiard influnces in this recording would be the horiffic overuse 
of a Boogie LPF's (usually sweet) resonance.  Way way too much.  
That's one of many ways you can tell I'm a newb, I don't have the 
discipline to hold back on making the filter scream.  I get carried 
away :)  Whenever I play back a recording I'm shakng my head because 
it's WAY TOO MUCH filter resonance.  I gotta be more subtle about 
that, really.  You'll hear what I mean.  Oops!  Sorry.  The Boogie is 
by a LONG shot my favorite sounding filter of all time, EVER.  EVER.  
So thick and juicy and big sounding, mmmm.  Juicy.  BIG BASS.  Oh 
yeah, you'll know I'm manually adjusting the cutoff of that overused-
screeching, because you'll hear how out of time the adjustment is.  
the joys of one-shot live recording!

So yeah, compared to the stuff I'm used to hearing in this group, I'm 
a bit embarrassed to post this, but hey, like I said -  Dr. Guinness.

 (In my opinion this recording does have a few really cool parts 
though - listen around the middle where the AFG modulation becomes so 
fast that it begins sounding like an electric guitar....then when it 
slows down you can hear the different phases of the Mankato sine 
modulating the oscillator....)

http://www.muffwiggler.com/music/pluckythump.mp3 

(about 11mb)

I know this is a really long message already but if anyone wants the 
full details of the patch it is here - 

-----
Mobius sequencer v/Oct out to MiniWave w/Scale Quantizer. MiniWave 
out to AFG's v/Oct in. 

Mobius gate out to multi. Multi to EG1(1), EG1(2), Blacet Seq Switch 
Clock In. 

EG1(1) to Borg II 
EG1(2) to QuadMix VCA CV input #2 

Drum Stuff - 
--------------- 

Mobius Clock out to multi. Multi out to Dual Chime #1 Gate Input and 
Frequency Divider Input. 

Dual Chime #1 output to Mixer/Processor Input 1 

Manual Gate button to Freq Div Reset 

Freq Div /8 out to Dual Drum #1 Gate Input 
Freq Div /128 out to Blacet Seq Switch Input 1 

Blacet Seq Switch output to 8008 Bass Drum Gate Input 
8008 output to Mixer/Processor Input 2 

Dual Drum #1 output to Mixer/Processor Input 3 

Mixer Processor out to QuadMix VCA input 3 

----- 

Non-drum stuff - 

AFG Animated Pulse Output to Borg II Filter 
AFG Suboctave to Boogie Filter 

Boogie Filter 6db out to Quadmix VCA input 2 
Borg II Filter out to QuadMix VCA input 1 

QuadMix VCA output to recording console input 

Finally, 4 phases of Mankato into 4 AFG Waveform Animation inputs. 
Adjust Mankato by hand. 

That's the patch. Hold down the gate button to suppress the FreqDiv's 
counting, hit record, let go of gate button after a couple bars, fade 
in channels on QuadMix VCA, adjust Mankato by hand. That's what 
you're hearing. 

Oh yeah during the really psycho bit the Mankato was running full 
tilt, and I manually opened the frequency and resonance of the two 
Wiard filters, which were normally both right down (for LPG mode) 
during the rest of the recording. 

------------------------------------------

Grant, life's too short to do things that make you unhappy. 

And we think there's nothing on earth like Wiard instruments.  
Nothing.

Cheers & the best of best wishes,

Mike


--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "Grant Richter" <grichter@...> 
wrote:
>
> I wish people would post something here.
> 
> Every time I check the list and there is no traffic, I think to 
myself:
> 
> "If they don't care, why should I?"
> 
> I am still debating ending Wiard after the current orders are 
complete.
> 
> What is the point of killing myself, if the user's can't even make 
the effort to post a comment 
> or some music.
> 
> And as far as the stupid money goes, to quote Bob Dylan "Money 
can't buy back your youth 
> when your old, a friend when your lonesome, or a heart that's grown 
cold".
> 
> If you don't understand that, I pray you never have to learn what 
it means.
>