Old Synth and Module -- Sell or Keep?

[sax_fan]

I have a Yamaha V50 Synth and a Roland SC-33 that I bought too many years ago to admit. I used them for a while (never really learned them very well) and then life got in the way. Now I'm trying to get back into things and do some home recording/midi. Obviously, there has been a huge improvement in technology over the years.

Does it make sense to sell this stuff and replace it with equipment of more recent vintage or, as a relative newbie, does it make more sense to keep it and just add to it over time? Put another way, when do you guys decide it's time to get rid of something or does the equipment just multiply? I know I would get next to nothing for the equipment compared to what I paid, but it would clear up some room.

 

[Atterion]

My equipment just multiplies, and eventually it gets cycled into the boneyard (the closet), to await future resurrection. I'd say learn with it. Doesn't seem to make any sense to go out and blow a bunch of money on new gear at this point in your development (I'm assuming based on what you indicated your level of experience was). You can always add to it as you see fit. Remember old doesnt necassarily equal out-dated, but more often "Timeless". Most of the absolute best synth patches I have heard over the years, came from vintage gear (Way older then the V-50). Don't look at your old stuff as obsolete, but like 2 vintage weapons in your "Aural Arsenal".

 

[mawtangent]

Random thoughts from a Yamaha V50 owner...It's what I could afford at the time, I bought it used over 10 years ago for $850 and I learned how to sequence with it and made a lot of songs on it. The sounds don't blow me away today (especially the drum sounds). I think about selling it sometimes but I have a bunch of songs on disks and I fear I would someday regret selling it. Maybe I have a sentimental attachment more than anything else to it. It seems to have a better-than-average keyboard (doesn't have a cheap feel) so I would think it would be a good midi-controller. As far as its strength or who would be in the market for a V50, maybe someone into FM sound programming (the V50 has 4 operators compared to the DX-7's 6 operator lay-out)...I have seen them sell for around $250-$300 on ebay a while back.

My view is if you are not desperate for money/space keep your stuff around a little while until you get a clearer picture of what you will need in order to make the kind of music you are after. I have sold gear that I wished I have kept. On the other hand, I have kept gear (and hardly used it) until it lost half (or more) of its resell value.

Personally I would like to find the balance between the extremes, leaning more toward a leaner (efficient) and focused approach to making music, having a few things and learning to use them well. I find that having a lot of gear sitting around whose status is in limbo (and having thoughts like: "wow, I've had this a long time"..."am I ever going to get this out and learn how to use it"..."maybe I should admit that I am not going to use this and sell it while it is worth something") is, for me, detrimental to the creative process. I have a thing about clutter and after a while anything that is not being used starts looking like clutter to me and is a distraction (but for people into collecting things this would probably not be a problem).

 

[acidrock]

The rules of selling older gear.

Rule 1.If you keep it,it will end up being worth nothing.

Rule2.If you sell it,within a year it will become a "classic" and be valued at ten to twenty times what you sold it for.

 

[superdee]

kep it keep it keep it,.like he said old is always new.keep it keep it

 

[DavidK]

Keep it. Go for the Rick Wakeman look.

 

[sax_fan]

My view is if you are not desperate for money/space keep your stuff around a little while until you get a clearer picture of what you will need in order to make the kind of music you are after. I have sold gear that I wished I have kept. On the other hand, I have kept gear (and hardly used it) until it lost half (or more) of its resell value....

I find that having a lot of gear sitting around whose status is in limbo (and having thoughts like: "wow, I've had this a long time"..."am I ever going to get this out and learn how to use it"..."maybe I should admit that I am not going to use this and sell it while it is worth something") is, for me, detrimental to the creative process. I have a thing about clutter and after a while anything that is not being used starts looking like clutter to me and is a distraction (but for people into collecting things this would probably not be a problem).

Well, I bought the V50 new, so it has basically lost all of its value at this point, so the money I would get out of it isn't really the issue. I think you and I are similar, though, about clutter. Something about looking around and seeing stuff that I've bought that I don't know how to use well depresses me. It must make me feel like I made a mistake. If I bought the right thing, I wouldn't have gotten frustrated/bored with the thing and would have taken the time to get into it. But like you, I definitely have had experiences when I have sold things and regretted it.

Oh well, live and learn...

 

[DavidK]

It must make me feel like I made a mistake. If I bought the right thing, I wouldn't have gotten frustrated/bored with the thing and would have taken the time to get into it. .

This could happen with another synth as well.

I wish I had two physical keyboards instead of one and modules. Something about the creative process for me, I like having the instant satisfaction without sequencing. I have a piano as well, dont use it as much as I should.

 

[Atterion]

Something about looking around and seeing stuff that I've bought that I don't know how to use well depresses me. It must make me feel like I made a mistake. If I bought the right thing, I wouldn't have gotten frustrated/bored with the thing and would have taken the time to get into it.

I agree with DavidK. You might find yourself in the same situation with a new synth as well. My guess though is if you sit down and really go through your synth (with manual at side), and start discovering the power that lies beneath the surface, the elation that you will probably experience will wipe that depression right away. I'll be the first to admit, that sometimes this process is easier said than done, and often painfull at times, but the ultimate reward of mastering your equipment, and utilizing it to elevate your music to new levels, is worth as many bottles of aspirin you use, and then some (Or not, in which case, you'll probably sell it, and move on, but you won't know unless you commit to finding out). My point is, before you leap to any conclusion, you owe it to yourself (and any resulting music/inspirations), to really put an effort into learning your gear. Chances are you might be faced with equal challenges in other gear (Although FM programming is notoriously harder than most other forms of synthesis), but I think if you grin and bear the learning process, you'll probably end up falling in love with your gear.

 

[mawtangent]

Well, I bought the V50 new, so it has basically lost all of its value at this point, so the money I would get out of it isn't really the issue. I think you and I are similar, though, about clutter. Something about looking around and seeing stuff that I've bought that I don't know how to use well depresses me. It must make me feel like I made a mistake. If I bought the right thing, I wouldn't have gotten frustrated/bored with the thing and would have taken the time to get into it. But like you, I definitely have had experiences when I have sold things and regretted it.

If you do decide to get into the V50 I can send you a page of instructions that goes through the basic steps of saving a sequence to floppy-disk. When I first got the V50 (and although I was spending a few hours a day with manual at hand) I was pulling my hair out for three weeks trying to successfully save and retrieve a song/sequence from floppy.........when I finally focused on this lone "homemade" page stuck in my manual it helped me to make a big break-through. These instructions were put together by a hands-on salesman who I later met (there was a sticker on the manual indicating the origin of the original sale of the keyboard). These aproximately 10 steps cut "to the chase" and tell you the exact buttons to push and in what order to save your sequence.

For what its worth here is a link to a song I made on the V50...the song is "June '96"

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/writePage.cfm?myType=music&bandid=190252&bandnamesave=kanthony

 

[SonicAlbert]

I have a Yamaha V50 Synth and a Roland SC-33 that I bought too many years ago to admit. I used them for a while (never really learned them very well) and then life got in the way. Now I'm trying to get back into things and do some home recording/midi. Obviously, there has been a huge improvement in technology over the years.

Does it make sense to sell this stuff and replace it with equipment of more recent vintage or, as a relative newbie, does it make more sense to keep it and just add to it over time? Put another way, when do you guys decide it's time to get rid of something or does the equipment just multiply? I know I would get next to nothing for the equipment compared to what I paid, but it would clear up some room.

I only keep gear that I am using, or have a reasonable expectation that I might need again at some point in the future.

The Yamaha will always be able to serve as a midi controller keyboard, so it makes sense to keep that. however, if your next purchase is another keyboard, then ditching the Yamaha would be in order. As far as the SC-33, that's a GM module isn't it? Most new synths have a GM bank bult in with the other sounds, so the SC-33 would be redundant if you get a new synth or module.

I'd recommend either getting a new synth or a new module. The sounds on your current synths are very dated have indeed been far surpassed by newer gear.

I think my suggestion would be to keep the keyboard and get a new module.

A couple of Roland modules might interest you, the XV-5050 or Fantom XR. These are great general purpose synths that are a big improvement over what youa re currentlyl using.

 

[sax_fan]

If you do decide to get into the V50 I can send you a page of instructions that goes through the basic steps of saving a sequence to floppy-disk.

Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately, as I was playing with the V50 the other night, I learned that the disk drive doesn't work -- I have also learned that this was a frequent problem with these units. I have no idea why it stopped working -- it was working fine when I last used it and it has just been sitting in a case since then.

In any event, I plan to do sequencing on my computer. I find the small LCD screens very cumbersome.

BTW, I enjoyed the song.

Sonic Albert, as far as keeping the V50 for a midi controller, I was actually thinking about getting an 88 weighted key controller or synth at some point. I also have a little Roland PC-300 that works pretty well as a small desktop controller and will work well for faster passages that might be difficult on a weighted keyboard -- but the Roland has only 49 keys.

Atterion and DavidK -- you very well may be right about feeling the same about other gear. That's why the purchasing decision is always such a difficult one.

I appreciate everyone's input!

 

[mawtangent]

Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately, as I was playing with the V50 the other night, I learned that the disk drive doesn't work -- I have also learned that this was a frequent problem with these units. I have no idea why it stopped working -- it was working fine when I last used it and it has just been sitting in a case since then.

I had a disk-drive problem...One day, out of the blue, I put a disk in, it made noise like it was loading, but nothing was loading...I took it to the music shop (where the keyboard was originally purchased) which was an authorized Yamaha dealer and they fixed it for $50-$100 (I can't remember the exact cost)...I think the problem was a broken belt.

The only other problem (which has just happened in he last month) is that I am getting a low-battery warning (the battery is designed to last 5 years and I'm pretty sure it has had the same battery for 16 years...at least I haven't had to deal with it in the 10 years I've owned it)...I have always kept the V50 plugged up, hoping that would help prolong the life of the battery.

 

[zbert]

I'm mainly a drummer so this may not count but I do play a bit keys. I sold everything except for my korg X4 (I think). I bought fruity loops and I use the soundfont player. There are tons of samples many of them free. More sounds than I could ever get from the keys or modules. Just my two cents.

 

[DavidK]

I sold everything except for my korg X4 (I think). I bought fruity loops and I use the soundfont player. There are tons of samples many of them free. More sounds than I could ever get from the keys or modules. Just my two cents.

Certainly a good idea.

For me, the more access I have to EVERYTHING, the better. I'm a slob, I dont mind clutter.

I have a keyboard controller, Roland JV1010, Alesis Nanosynth and some softsynths plus fruityloops. Its a great rig, but I miss having a bunch of keyboards around me. Even olds Synths like a DX7 or Poly800 can still make viable sounds, and it looks cool for the chicks

 

[sax_fan]

I'm mainly a drummer so this may not count but I do play a bit keys. I sold everything except for my korg X4 (I think). I bought fruity loops and I use the soundfont player. There are tons of samples many of them free. More sounds than I could ever get from the keys or modules. Just my two cents.

I'm basically in the same boat -- I'm a woodwind guy who plays a little bit of keys -- so it does count! I've thought of doing something just like that -- not a bad option.

Mawtangent -- I'm not sure that I'm ready to put any money into fixing the drive at this point. I suspect these days it would cost $100 just to have someone tell me they will need to look into it

 

[Neeps]

Something about looking around and seeing stuff that I've bought that I don't know how to use well depresses me

My advice...

Learn how to use it... it can't be that hard can it!

Then you can decide whether or not to sell it... if you don't know how to use it then you don't know what it is potentially worth to you (not market value)

 

[SonicAlbert]

Sonic Albert, as far as keeping the V50 for a midi controller, I was actually thinking about getting an 88 weighted key controller or synth at some point. I also have a little Roland PC-300 that works pretty well as a small desktop controller and will work well for faster passages that might be difficult on a weighted keyboard -- but the Roland has only 49 keys.

The 88 note controller idea is a good one in my opinion. That's what I use (a Yamaha KX-88). I've found that 76 note controllers are really fine for most purposes, but it's nice to have the full 88.

My setup is one keyboard (the KX-88) along with a lot of rack modules and some soft synths as well. I've got all the midi routing worked out with my midi interfaces, so it's kind of nice to have a nice clean studio with only one keyboard. I used to have big keyboard stands with all the keys out, but that really takes up a lot of space! If you've got the room it's kid of nice to see them all, but rack modules are so space efficient.

So I guess that I'm in the "sell your old stuff and get new stuff" camp. You may also find that getting new gear that sounds great will inspire you to do more. It seems like you are tired and burned out on the old gear, which can happen. It doesn't seem to be inspiring you, and inpsiration is an important factor.

 

[Atterion]

My setup is one keyboard (the KX-88) along with a lot of rack modules and some soft synths as well. I've got all the midi routing worked out with my midi interfaces, so it's kind of nice to have a nice clean studio with only one keyboard. I used to have big keyboard stands with all the keys out, but that really takes up a lot of space! If you've got the room it's kid of nice to see them all, but rack modules are so space efficient.

Lot's of keys are the way for me. The 1 keyboard method is good too (Especially for sequencing and track by track recording), but I prefer to play 99.9% of my stuff live, and prefer to have all the gear setup (At the expense of a lot of space, and a good portion of my gear has no MIDI). Everytime I put something I haven't used for a long time into the closet, I end up needing it again, so now I don't even bother.

 

[sax_fan]

So I guess that I'm in the "sell your old stuff and get new stuff" camp. You may also find that getting new gear that sounds great will inspire you to do more. It seems like you are tired and burned out on the old gear, which can happen. It doesn't seem to be inspiring you, and inpsiration is an important factor.

I have to agree with you here. When I go into a music store and play with the new gear, some of it really grabs me. Almost makes it seem easier to be creative. I've never really felt that way with my current stuff.

The single keyboard route also may be the way for me to go. As I've said, I don't like the clutter. But more importantly, from a practical perspective, I'm not a keyboard player, so I can't imagine I'll be trying to play anything too complicated "live" such that I would need more than one keyboard (or perhaps two -- one weighted and a smaller one unweighted).

It might even make sense to go with soft synths only -- but the hardware vs. software debate is better left for another thread