Sunday Synth Jam: This video, via SynthManiaDotCom, captures an improvisation in 80s ‘action soundtrack’ style.
Technical Details:
- Linn LinnDrum: drums
- Korg DW-8000: synth bass
- Yamaha DX7: FM synth
Sunday Synth Jam: This video, via SynthManiaDotCom, captures an improvisation in 80s ‘action soundtrack’ style.
Technical Details:
Inspiring… I like the interesting bass/chord progressions.
*_*
DW-8000…….. Most underappreciated synth on earth. Never have figured that one out. Cool video.
Might I suggest the Prophet 12 as a modern-day tribute to the DW-8000? 😉
I owned two DW8000s at one point. It was one of the first synths to offer an onboard delay line and a good one, too. There’s a reason that DWGS waveform group has been present in almost every Korg since then: it works flexibly and proves the strength of resynthesis. You got good BASIC samples of EP, bell, guitar waves and the like, but processed cleanly so that they became great synth fodder. Resynthesis often means you can stack sounds, choose various levels of manipulation like bit-rate reduction and get some less memory-hungry but still very full patches as a result. That’s one reason you see the function in Alchemy. It can really broaden your palette with a little effort. I use two Korg ‘stations in my rig today and I love having the heart of the DW in there with the more recent goods.
Not half-bad music, either, BTW! The feel is right on the mark. It was gratifying to have the DW8000 paired with a Mirage sampler and an early cheapo Yamaha FM module. It made for a full meal instead of just one chicken leg.
I’d also like to see most 80s music left in the 80s. I still love a lot of it, because its a meaningful plank in my own experiences, but I want to hear more people step up to the Next Thing stylistically. The gear is insanely ready for Bigger & Better. Where’s the next Peter Gabriel? CAN anyone use synths and repeat the impact Tangerine Dream had, when it was all still unknowns to we, the great unwashed? I’d just like to see fewer people doing covers and more of them aiming at old New Orleans-style cutting contests, where the aim is to blow your predecessors out of the water. It can be daunting to set aside comfortable habits, but a mix of risk & persistence is where the rewards are.
I just received a DW8000 on loan from a friend who is moving out of town and is trying to arrange for it to be sold and asked me to hold on to it until she found a buyer. She is asking $250-300 for it. Should I make her an offer on it and keep it for myself? What are the DW8000’s strengths? Would it be worth $250 to just keep it myself? I haven’t really had a chance to explore it much yet.
“I just received a DW8000 on loan from a friend who is moving out of town… She is asking $250-300 for it. Should I make her an offer on it and keep it for myself?”
That depends. Do you specifically NEED a synth of that type and is it in playable condition? I got great mileage from mine, but its 2013 and as I said, the DWGS data is in modern Korgs. The DW8000 is almost vanilla by today’s standards and of course, MIDI-only. It also had a passable but somewhat klacky keyboard. That said, if its fully functional and it adds some clear muscle to your rig, give her the $300. Hardware does rock for general longevity softsynths can’t offer. It has vintage value, but you might mainly find that using it as a controller with onboard sounds is rewarding. Here’s one good way to expand it, too, from a reputable source. http://www.kidnepro.com/KN/Korg/DW-EX8000.html
without a huge gated reverb on the snare, it’s not Really 80’s