1 (edited by Erroraudio 2008-09-28 10:44:42)

Topic: The Ugly Gear Topic

In light of the resent Mopho rant, I thought : What is the worst looking synth or piece of studio equipment ever build???

Show us where you think the designer should have been shot.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/emu/mp7.jpg

Personaly I think this is close to taking the price.

Home is where your hardware is!!!
ErrorAudio SoundCloud

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Ithink anything Waldorf made is ugly, except the Blofeld and maybe the Wave.

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Alesis Andromeda.

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

unicity wrote:

Alesis Andromeda.

I remember reading someone's comment on it looking like a 90's rave flyer.

5 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2008-09-28 14:53:24)

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

+1 for the Andromeda. Hideous piece of equipment.

I have something against these darth vader inspired pseudo futuristic looking synths...

http://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/ys200.jpg

http://www.sequencer.de/pix/roland/jx1.jpg

and this stormtrooper paint job:

http://customsynth.co.uk/assets/images/IMG_1264.gif

The 2 ugliest I have had in my collection:
http://www.synrise.de/newsarch/hound.jpg

http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/sieldk80.jpg

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

The special edition MPC-2000xl from 2001 belongs in this list:
http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM01/Content/Akai/PR/MPC2000XL-SE2.jpg

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

And the Yamaha TQ-5 brings my symmetry-obsessed OCD brain dangerously close to exploding:

http://www.asbro.com/blogger/neatgadgets/uploaded_images/tq5-701556.jpg

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

i think its really cool.. almost like an abstract painting.  also reminds me of the jd800 system buttons

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

I too like the system buttons at an angle on the JD - it helps to visually separate them from the rest of the controls.   I can't handle the Yamaha thing though.  It looks a bit like a Roland MC-4 given a wacky early-90's makeover.   smile

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Moog Modular most ugly modular design (maybe the Technosaurus is more ugly)

i don't need the gear, the gear needs me 
http://www.mono-poly.nl/

11 (edited by no-fi 2008-09-29 00:05:03)

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

I really like the look of the TQ-5.
if they weren't so rare, I'd have one.

@ brian: I'd never heard of the hound before! it sounds a bit like the specs of the ESQ-1. do you know what it sounds like compared to those?

+1 on the three SE versions of the mpc2000xl. ewwww.
here's the other two...
http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/beatbox11.jpg
http://www.broadwaymusicco.com/beatbox12.jpg

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/01/openlabs_miko.jpg

13 (edited by Brian Chinetti 2008-09-29 10:43:05)

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

no-fi wrote:

@ brian: I'd never heard of the hound before! it sounds a bit like the specs of the ESQ-1. do you know what it sounds like compared to those?

I had the Cirko Hound for about 9 months, but it had some voice and midi problems and it was send back for quite a long time, so effectively I only had it for a few months. Perhaps I didn't give it the time it deserved, but I just didn't like how it sounded.

There where different versions available of the Hound, but the only difference was the number of voices, ranging from 2 to 16. I had an 8 voice version. I don't know how many of which version where build but it can't be many because mine had serial number 16 and was already one of the last ones that was build. I don't think they sold more then 20. I bought it (unheard) because it had an analog filter, and because I was charmed by it's size and versatility:

8 voices, 16 parts
4 outputs
4 DCO's
3 LFO's
S&H
A lot of modulation capabilities, also FM and PWM
3 ADSR envelopes
24 dB VCF (with something Cirko called 'fatness', I would have called it 'timbre')
Patch memory for 124 patches, which could be stored and assigned to their outputs in 24 multi's. It came with a patch librarian for Windows 98. There was no editor and not every parameter could be edited by midi.

I always feel bad when I sell a synth and right now I'm again thinking 'maybe I should have kept it, maybe I didn't dive into it deep enough'... It was a pretty nice synth because it was very versatile, but it really wasn't what I had hoped for. I don't know the ESQ1 but it sounded a lot like a Matrix 1000, which wasn't very impressive or usable to me at that time so I got rid of it. I believe Danny borrowed it for a few weeks but wasn't quite impressed by it either.

Because it is so obscure I kept some files that came with the Cirko Hound, including the pdf manual and the awful mp3 demos (rar).

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Hmm, I see mine is up for grabs again on the dutch synthforum, 500 euro (that's 50 euro more then I bought and sold it for big_smile).

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Patch memory for 124 patches, which could be stored and assigned to their outputs in 24 multi's. It came with a patch librarian for Windows 98. There was no editor and not every parameter could be edited by midi.

That was probably the most stupidest business venture ever, already to make an analog synthesizer in the late 90s like THAT (no external control whatso-ever) in a time when companies understood such a thing was mandatory...and not even a computer editor...

I always feel bad when I sell a synth and right now I'm again thinking 'maybe I should have kept it, maybe I didn't dive into it deep enough'...

Nah be happy that you got rid of that thing. It probably can make some amazing sounds, but probably none of the 16 owners really tried...

16

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

unicity wrote:

Alesis Andromeda.

As an owner, I can confirm that the Andromeda is indeed quite the eye-sore.

17 (edited by Dez 2008-09-29 14:58:26)

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

http://www.synthony.com/vintage/vintage.images/FIZMO.jpg

the fizmo

http://akjn.mywebproject.co.uk/music/redlightgo-album/images/RolandJD800.jpg

always thought the JD-800 teetered somewhere between ugly and awesome

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

No way The Fizmo looks cool. FAIL!

+++ Dont be scared honey, thats just the resonance knob +++

19

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

computerdisco wrote:

No way The Fizmo looks cool. FAIL!

Yeah...That blue/purple gradient is the definition of cool tongue

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

I liked it I wanted one = Cool imoho!

+++ Dont be scared honey, thats just the resonance knob +++

21

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

computerdisco wrote:

I liked it I wanted one = Cool imoho!

Oh don't get me wrong, I still want one!...It would look great next to my A6!

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Dez wrote:
computerdisco wrote:

I liked it I wanted one = Cool imoho!

Oh don't get me wrong, I still want one!...It would look great next to my A6!

lol! Agreed.

+++ Dont be scared honey, thats just the resonance knob +++

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

if that mp7 could sample it be a whole lot less of a worthless piece of equipshit

Showing the way for the modern man to become a Model Man.

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Some of you might find it ugly, but the JD-800 was one of Roland's best releases IMHO.

Re: The Ugly Gear Topic

Hehe that Cirko Hound sure does look odd.  It has arrow buttons for up, down, left, and...left? 

The Roland SP-808ex "e-Mix studio" model was certainly an eyesore:

http://www.trashcanlidproductions.com/images/RolandSP-808EX.gif.jpeg