fpszky's Electronic Studio Setup
Using the MS-1 as a MIDI controller for Renoise, with the crappy ol' neewer mic on standby to sample object sounds, being run by the Teyun Q22 interface, do not recommend it, pots are scratchy after only a year of using it. Hopefully i'll be able to upgrade to an SSL2+ whenever i move to london as i'm interested in its midi capabilities and how the wires all come out the back of it, since i'm a freak for cable management
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Gear in this photo
Avg price: $389.00
Does the job.
I bought this synth in 2023, still have it and use it quite often. The build quality is nothing special, sub par even (considering the faders dont have foam in them to protect from dust, you can quite literally see the insides of the faders from the outside). But sound-wise, its quite simple, i wouldn't say its a 1:1 copy of the sh101 since i dont have a 101 to compare it against, but i didnt buy it to fulfill 101 roles, i simply needed a subtractive synth with a keybed with full sized keys, and it fulfills that task.
It's sound is warm -- mellow even, i like the FM knob, can get quite a lot of crazy and evolving sounds out of it if you use it properly in conjunction with the filter and envelope -- but dont expect mind blowing sound design, it is a 101 clone after all.
The things i dislike about it is the fact it is quite noisy when you plug in the USB for xmitting midi i/o data, i often had to either EQ the noise out or record the sequence with the step record function and remove the USB cable and THEN record it. Its not TOO noisy, but it is most definetly there. Then theres the problem with the faders i mentioned, i usually keep a towel over it so that it doesnt get dusty because i'm afraid the faders will get scratchy (plus i just like protecting my gear but the faders are a real concern for me).
Aslo the lack of MIDI CCs is a huge bummer, i really wish i could control the filter params and FM knob via CC.
It would get a 3.5/5 star rating from me, but equipboard doesn't let you add .5 increments so 4 stars it is.
TLDR: I didnt buy it for the fact its a 101 clone, was looking for a cheap monosynth and it does the job. Nothing remarkable about it. Build quality could be a little better and could have MIDI CC support but oh well...
Extremely easy and intuitive
I've been making music for a little over 7 years now in my spare time with FL Studio. Purchased this DAW a little over a month ago with the money i got from a side gig and i feel like i already learned how to use it really well. It's really fast and easy to make anything drum & bass related, or even hip hop beats. The only problem that i've had with it is a consequence of its interface, where it's not as easy to edit audio with, compared to something like FL Studio, which is a big deal to me since i make sounds for games and for my own use later down the road (drum one-shots, pads, etc...). And for that, it gets a 4 star from me. If extensive audio editing is not your thing, and you like the tracker workflow, then this is perfect for you.
TLDR: Almost perfect, but it's only flaw is a result of it's workflow.
Mediocre at best, excusable for how cheap it is.
I use this microphone to sample objects around my house and to go on voice calls with a few of my friends when needed. I bought it because i just wanted something cheap to get my setup going as fast as possible. The build quality is average, nothing special to point out. It wont desintegrate in your hands. It's not very heavy (which in hindsight is actually quite good since that means the manufacturers havent put a block of cement inside the microphone to make it feel heavier than it actually is, which is something cheap manufacturers do all the time). This microphone has no bass at all. Zero. It's not very flattering for your voice and I highly advise you to save up more and buy at LEAST something like an Audiotechnica AT2020 (they go for around 100 bucks at the time im writing this), and thats for condenser microphones, you might be able to go cheaper with dynamic mics, although they're usually not well suited for doing voiceovers or singing, since they tend to make you sound like a walking radio station and they dont capture the sound of your voice in a very natural way. The noise floor is really high on this mic, with the gain on my audio interface's minimum, the noise floor is quite noticeable if everything is silent.
TLDR: Built OK, captures no bass, high noise floor, better off saving up to buy something better.
About this setup
This gear photo by fpszky features 3 pieces of gear, including Behringer MS-1 BL, Renoise, and Neewer NW-800. Artists with this kind of gear are most often found in the Electronic, Rock, and Drum and bass scenes.