1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?
I think the Rogan knob on my Music Easel is kind of iconic. It’s also very much a “thing” for the old Buchla modules.
Besides the easel i have a few pieces that are inspiring or important for me. First is the “Buchla signal converter” that i have build. It converts euro cv and gates to Buchla format (1v to 1,2v). It uses Cynovatron element pcb’s. It enables me to use the fantastic Frap Tools USTA as sequencer for my Buchla system.
Another pride possession is thge EHX 16 seconds looper / delay. Its just a fantastic delay and looper. And my my PMC monitors are also very dear to my. Normally unobtainable considering the price, but i got them insanely cheap :-). best bang for the buck, so to say hahaha. And my 200 system of course…
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
My perfect piece of gear is the Buchla Music Easel. I have built my Music Easel myself and it was my starting point for getting into Buchla. I love this thing. The picture shows only the 208 module because I have my 218 keyboard currently put in my 200 system set up. The Music Easel is a self contained musical system. It has boundaries and it is in a certain way, maybe even limited in its possibilities. But I love to explore and make music within these boundaries. It is in my opinion also very important to have with the 218 module. It needs tactile input.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?
I commute by bike so I only use a headphones and listen to music. On holiday: during family vacations it’s not really the moment to bring music gear. I get lost… My family members don’t really like that.
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
No idea. I only use Ableton, mostly to record.
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
Yeah enough: I regret selling my TR-909, TR-808, SH-101, Juno-106, Nord Lead, Nord Rack, Nord Modular. Basically everything I had when I had a hardware studio during my studies….
[Editor: Ouch!]
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
I think the moment I started with eurorack. I’m not very good at making tracks / finishing tracks. But I am getting music on youtube, instagram or a bandcamp I manage.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
I don’t know. I think this is the way / was the way for me. Everything has a reason. And I try not to think too much about the things I sold in the previous question 😉
[Editor: Yes, indeed… This is the way]
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
Not really annoying but I think my Korg tuner is very important. Tune your VCO’s folks! Everything will start to sound better.
9. The Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
Not a trick or technique I guess: I’m not a trained musician. Never learned to play an instrument or learned how to read music. It is one of my frustrations, because I like to make “good” music. So reading a bit about music theory helps me make my tunes sound better.
Artist or Band name?
Sendepause
Genre?
Melodic Buchla stuff, techno, beats and modular
Selfie?
Where are you from?
Amsterdam The Netherlands
How did you get into music?
No idea! When I studied in Berlin in the mid 90-ties, I got hooked on techno. Coming back I started collecting gear and built a small home studio to make dance music. Never recorded anything (it was pre audio interface, DAT tape era so to say). Got kids, sold everything. 10 years later I was thinking about a career change. Did a part-time education for sound engineer. Wanted to make music again, started in the box, got frustrated. Did a workshop modular synthesizers and that’s where it started.
Now I make music, i organize modular music events in Amsterdam under the name Voltage Control Amsterdam. I’m one of the organizers of Dutch Modular Fest. The modular music scene has become my family. I made fantastic friends from all over the world. Modular syths has become a very important part of my life. And i’m not talking about GAS / buying stuff. It’s the community for me…
What still drives you to make music?
All the above
How do you most often start a new track?
Sometimes with a structured idea. Maybe I have read something about some music theory I want to try. Or I have some melodies in my head. Or I just set the drum machine to 138bpm, put a kick on, tweak my stuff till I get a tune…
How do you know when a track is finished?
I can make great one minute instagram tracks ;-). Doing real tracks is hard for me!
Show us your current studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
Always do your own thing.
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
Check my Instagram here and my Youtube page… https://www.youtube.com/@sendepause7164
I think the last couple of things i have uploaded sounds like what I had in my head…
[Editor: There are affiliate links to the relevant gear throughout the articles. It helps to support this blog. In fact, should you be needing some patch cables or guitar strings. Then clicking on one of the above links and buying any product that you prefer, will help the blog… doesn’t even have to be the ones in the link. Thx]