I was floored by the D-50s capabilities, but had trouble getting it to work in an ensemble. Ultimately the lack of limitations and button driven interfaces let to me largely abandoning contemporary keyboards in favor of vintage synths and the Rhodes electric piano. I have only gotten back into them in the last ten years or so with the advent of analog modeling and virtual instruments.

“Composition trumps texture, always. Spirit and intent are more important than both of them.”

Making a district sound takes indefinite number of choices to be made / parameters to be tweaked. Too many choices are always paralyzing!

It’s a matter of pride.

But it gets a little old hearing a sound made popular by someone else thrown into dozens of other songs and jingles. At that stage it becomes a “sound of the month” and is not being used so much creatively, but more so being exploited for commercial gain. Am I exposing my socialistic tendencies here? ;)

Now it is thought of as the “Strawberry Fields Forever” sound.

Composition trumps texture, always. Spirit and intent are more important than both of them.

My advice: Don’t be self-conscious about being original. Just follow your instincts and use your imagination. I would hate for John Lennon et al to have altered the sound of “Strawberry Fields Forever” out of some neurotic concern for using a stock sound.

I enjoy this blog quite a bit, by the way. I respect your love of sound. I can understand that, when you put as much emphasis on sound design as you do, the concept of a “preset” is vulgar.

But I still say The Song always wins over The Sound.

- c