| EQUIPMENT EVOLUTION You can't make music without atleast some equipment. Here's how one or two things evolved. In the beginning, T:S was called Floodhound and Puppet Xeno was named Heldan Wolf, an anagram of "Dawn of Hell", "Heldan" being an ancient german word for "man" - Floodhound created music based on teenage guitar play and recorded to a 4-track fostex device. Rhythms were initially played manually on a Yamaha DD-11, but soon were replaced by the - much fetchier - programmable drums of a GEM PX-5 keyboard. The only effects back then consisted of the guitar amp's fuzz channel and the internal (analog) reverb of "granny's" solina b200 electronic organ through which external input could be routed (such as vocals and guitar). The organ itself had a "repeat" function, which basically was some kind of primitive arpeggiator. Modulation effects were created manually, by doubling parts with the tape recorder's playback speed pitched up or down a little. An interesting way of learning how to be a creative soundboard experimentalist - it soon proved that better effects were needed: more distortion and real chorus please, especially on the vocals. The nice and lovely zoom 1010 was a budget choice but What a choice. Analog distortion circuitry, wah, modulation and even a delay unit, all at once. The introduction of effects really changed the nature of the music, the ole Hound was renamed Totem Spectre, music began sounding darker, more pressing, driven to an edgier type of living... Some guys at school really picked it up. Some copies of those early tapes were spread, got some turntable time even, and with this the need for better, more sophisticated drums emerged - hence, an Alesis SR-16 was quickly purchased. Around the same time, The Maestro flowed into the goth scene, T:S tracks hitting the turntable more than often, dozens upon dozens copies of tapes and later CDs were handed out (a giveaway) - even a few gigs were done in different line-ups... Apart from a few guitars, no real need for any new equipment had risen thusfar. Still, funds had become a little better, so investments were made in more effects devices, such as a Roland VG-8EX, a synthesis unit controlled by an actual guitar equipped with a special pickup (picks up each string independantly) with which one could mimic virtually every guitar in existance, plus a few physically impossible ones: those with magnetic pickups placed halfway the neck... This REALLY enhanced the sounds of the spectre, and it REALLY was time to get a multitrack device capable of handling more tracks than the ole 4-track fostex. Hence, an analog 8-track device entered the studio now dubbed "The Attic". New songs were made, more CDs handed out, a few nicer gigs followed, until the obvious missing piece of gear finally made it's entrance: an analog modelling synth - the Korg MS2000. And with that, unfortunately, the Puppet had become sadly infected with a serious disease, to which there is no cure. It usurped his attention span, it took hold of his thoughts, it bended his will and emptied his bank account in futile attempts to keep the urges down... The Puppet had been infected... with GAS |
| THE TECH SQUAD |
| Totem Spectre uses: (amongst other gear) alesis sr16 alesis dm5 alesis quadraverbv2 alesis ineko roland vg8ex roland space echo roland tr606 roland pd7 boss me-50 boss dr55 boss dr5 zoom 1010 zoom 607 zoom mrs1608cd+uib02 korg ms2000 korg ampworks korg ampworks bass korg electribe ea-1 korg electribe emx behringer bass v-amp behringer virtualizer pro behringer autocom pro behringer powerplay behringer ulrafex pro behringer blue devil tc helicon voiceprism line6 pod elektron sidstation elektron machinedrum pearl drum-x sessionette 100 digitech vocal 300 digitech talker morley pro series II wah dod punkifier fx76 technics kn2000 novation bass station yamaha md8 yamaha dd11 gem px5 lem fx22 fostex x28h tascam 488 mk II guitars bass guitars microphones headphones custom electronic drum kit bodhran didgereedoo tunesian hand drums drum mics a well filled scrotum and a lot of really phatt groovin' guts |
| update: couldn't help myself... I purchased an Ensoniq Mirage DSK-1... (sat. june 4th 2005) well I HAD to have a sampling keyboard, so why not one co-developed by C64 SID creator Bob Yannes? It's a plain icon, a historical masterpiece, you wouldn't believe. Anyone into the vintage synth scene would agree: spending only 150 euros on a beaut like this is nothing short of a steal. The package includes alternative OS's and PC software for easier operations... |
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