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Who is Espen Kraft
I suspect that many of you that watch the videos on this site watch the videos on Espen Kraft’s site. Especially when you consider this site has sup 5,000 subscribers and Espen Kraft has 92,000 subscribers.
A couple of weeks back Espen Kraft released a video called the ‘The great synthesiser scam. How they real you in’. Following the release of this video, (which has got over 50,000 views), lots of individuals have released videos supporting, rebuffing or partially supporting/rebuffing Espen Kraft's views. But the video has opened up debate on the whole purchasing hardware to create music and why would you buy the synths that he mentions.
Which synth fall into his spotlight?
So these are the synths that fall within the Espen Kraft's focus
Oberheim OB-X8
Sequential Profit Rev 4 (or another Sequential instrument) but later in the video he mentioned the Sequential Profit X
Roland Jupiter-X
Roland Juno-X
Moog Muse
Arturia Polybrute 12
UDO Super 6 / Gemini
Mayer EMI MD900
Black Corporation clones (no specific synth named)
Melbourne Instruments NINA synth
Groove Synthesis 3 Wave
And then there is a comment that Behringer will not save the day with their re-imagined cheaper clones. These will just break!
So what do I think?
I am not going to comment on any of the synths that Espen Kraft has called out above. But I am going to pick up on a point that he makes that I think is absolutely true.
He makes the point that these high end machines are basically computers running operating systems that produced the sound. In many instances these computers are digitally modelling an analogue circuit.
Let's be frank I have said for years that my Korg Kronos is a Linux computer running software engines that produce the functionality that we know and love as the Korg Kronos.
The Behringer UB-Xa on the other hand is running an operating system that models the Oberheim OB-Xa. The sounds between this UB-Xa and OB-Xa are so close that it takes a trained ear to distinguish between the original and the clone. Which after all is what Behringer set-out to do.
In the case of the Korg Kronos there is no argument that this is a computer, it has a CPU, it has memory chips that can be expanded, if has inputs and outputs, it has a hard drive for data storage and recovery, it runs a commercially available Linux operating system. If that is not the definition of a computer then I don’t know what is.
The Behringer machine is a little harder to define. But it still has a CPU, it has memory, but this is fixed, it does not have a hard drive and although it runs an operating system this is not a commercially available operating system like the Korg Kronos. Behringer have been open that their clones use ARM chip technology to create the modelling environment that they use. Finally Behringer have written software that uses this modelling technology to re-produce the sound scape of the clone.
I have said on my Youtube channel for years that the high end workstations and arrangers that are currently in the market follow the pattern of the Korg Kronos. Nothing controversial there.
Many of the synths that Espen Kraft highlights I think are built following the Behringer route. I haven’t dug into many of these to understand how they have put the synths together, but what I said above about CPU, Memory and operating system, I believe follows this Behringer pattern.
And therefore Espen Kraft makes a point. If Behringer can produce a synth for a $1,000 price point. Why are the other synths costing so much more?
Personally
I am not a fan of the VST. It doesn’t mean I don’t use them. But the reason I use the hardware I do is I like the tactile feeling of my hardware. Espen Kraft calls me a and people like me glorified hardware collectors. And in that respect he is right, I do collect hardware, but hardware that I believe is pivotal to electronic 80’s music and my personal preferences.
I have always said the way you need to make music is by using the tools that help you get the job done. Yes you can get the sounds of many of these icon synths with a VST. In some cases for free but in many cases at fraction of the cost of the hardware alternative. Would I give up my hardware setup. Not bloody likely!
And of course with VST’s and AI why do you need the artist any more, so we are all about to become relics so is this rant irrelevant and I should just stay with my hardware.
Espen Kraft makes the comment that the Behringer instruments will breakdown. I will be honest and say that none of the instruments I have bought from Behringer has broken down. Yes they have required firmware updates to correct functional bugs. But I have been able to work with my instruments both pre and post firmware update.
But the one comment that I didn’t understand in Espen Kraft's video was what he is doing with a high class escort! He must mean the Ford Escort Mk1 Mexico variety.
Until next time....
About the Author
Jon describes himself as a frustrated musician with a passion for the electronic instruments that help him and other musicians be creative. He started playing keyboards in his late teens and re-ignited his passion and built a new studio following his seperation.
About the Blog
The Music Tech Guy UK's Blog, Website and YouTube channel were started to share Jon's experiences and views on the industry at large and how these effect the small musician. Plus technical tips how to configure and maintain the equipment he owns.
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