Gentlemen, I love looking at these pictures as much as anyone, and believe me, I'm no prude, but it dawns upon me that someone googling "Macbeth synth" might be directed to this page, and that Ken might not want a potential buyer to see these images associated with his product. I could be way off, but I thought I'd throw it in (it is the guy's livelihood, after all)...
Edit: now I'm going to go have a good look, in case the mods decide to remove them!
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I'm glad they have disappeared, as I check this thread regularly and the last thing I need is Mrs. LoveBot thinking I'm blatantly looking at hot women in front of her just before I spend a lot of our money on a Macbeth synth! Respect!
I'm going to bed early tonight! Gonna wake up at 6:30am, take a shower, get in the car, go grab a triple espresso, head to NAMM, and head straight for the Macbeth booth! I rarely get excited about going places unless it's overseas. But I'm pumped!
First off, Ken is a really nice guy. He's the kind of guy that would have your back in a bar brawl even if you were outnumbered. That's the feeling I got anyway. Some people you just get a good vibe from immediately and he's one of them. Whether he was just some random guy I met or a designer of synths my opinion of him would be the same.
So he mentioned to me that he will take pre-orders late next week. He mentioned that he needed about 4 days to recover from the trip. So I guess next weekend at the earliest guys.
The Vortex sounded sweet. It has a huge sound. And it's very responsive to anything you do. The knobs are solid and feel like there's some meat and potatoes there when you turn them. It's solid. And the keys felt solid as well for those of you interested in getting the full keyboard version. To me the sounds were inspiring and I know they will spark some creative ideas. I will be preordering with no hesitation. And I'm more than happy to support his business.
To me the sounds were inspiring and I know they will spark some creative ideas. I will be preordering with no hesitation. And I'm more than happy to support his business.
Awesome, thanks for the field notes and the interesting insights about the man himself. Guess you were the first among the eager participants of this thread to play the Vortex in person. Any new photos?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sizzlemeister
$1800 for this in the keyboard version? That's...stunning...if I understand the info correctly.
That video shows the Micromac. A keyboard version of the Micromac has not been discussed as far as I know. There is, however, a keyboard version of the Vortex. I think the $1800 estimate is for the 5U Vortex module, with desktop and keyboard variants being progressively more expensive.
I was listening to a bunch of random noise I've recorded recently and came across this recording of the Dual Oscillator module (before I sold it in anticipation of getting the Vortex). If anyone's interesting in hearing the raw sound of some Macbeth oscillators, give this a listen:
I have no idea if the Vortex/Micromac will use the same oscillators as the Dual Oscillator module but I'd suspect that they are similar circuits. This is just the oscillator module itself, nothing else was used.
$1800 for this in the keyboard version? That's...stunning...if I understand the info correctly.
No that's not the price for the keyboard version. I don't want to say because it's not official yet. But the keyboard version will be more than that. But even the price he guestimated at it's still well worth it. I can't think of a mono synth I'd rather have.
I didn't take any photos of his gear because last night I saw that some photos were deleted on this thread so I figured I wouldn't bother.
these should have a similar sound to the 3u X Series and the MK1 5u no? just packaged differently leading to different tones
when i asked him, Ken said they're identical circuits.. in 3U X Series, in 5U mkI series, vortex, micromac.. i mean as far as core sound goes. there are slight differences in features on each, of course.
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when i asked him, Ken said they're identical circuits.. in 3U X Series, in 5U mkI series, vortex, micromac.. i mean as far as core sound goes. there are slight differences in features on each, of course.
Thanks, that's what I had assumed but I didn't want to guess without some kind of confirmation.
But the keyboard version will be more than that. But even the price he guestimated at it's still well worth it. I can't think of a mono synth I'd rather have.
Hey Gringo, thanks for the updates.
Do you (or does anyone) happen to know if the keyboard version will come equipped with MIDI?
so far.. everything i've read about people's impressions of the vortex at NAMM is that it kills everything else in pure sound quality and the price is well worth it.
i have no trouble believing that. i have the macbeth dual vco for euro rack and it is by far my fav sounding analog oscillator (s) and just stands out compared to others.
wish i had the coinage to grab a vortex whenever it is released.
Wow, a nice 8 min video of Macbeth and his synths at NAMM. The Micromac sounds so good with all that fm'ing. Ken says in the video that he's looking to release them around mid to late March...and apparently has plans to work with vendors across the globe. Exciting times!
Wow, a nice 8 min video of Macbeth and his synths at NAMM. The Micromac sounds so good with all that fm'ing. Ken says in the video that he's looking to release them around mid to late March...and apparently has plans to work with vendors across the globe. Exciting times!
these synths sound oh sooo damn good! ken-kicks-so-much-ass!! When i heard the micromac i shit my pants and didnt even care!! cant wait to pair this with my voyager
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