DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I actually got around to setting up all my gear last week, I spent far too long getting around to this. I currently have a Roland MC-505 Groovebox and a Korg Kaossilator Pro running through a small mixer along with my bass which uses a Zoom B3 for a D.I. I jam on both my synths and my bass, now I can do it collectively through the same rig. I know at least one other TBer rocks out along with his MC-505, I hope I am not outing you here @Duuuuuuuuuude . His questions about the 505 actually prompted me to dust my gear off and do all this. I hadn't fired up my 505 or Kaossilator in some time prior to this.
As far as how I use it all, I mostly use them for drum machines and chords/pads. I will toss out a pattern and start jamming on it or I will lay down some changes and express myself. I have used the drum patterns to jam with others plenty but I have rarely used it in band, only adding pads to jams. The 505 is a groovebox, it contains piles of pre-made patterns along with synthesizer sounds and samples to create your own patterns. Other companies make them, such as Korg and the Electribe, but I don't know what to call them other than a Groovebox. It was a very powerful machine but in today's day and age it is nothing compared to a computer. It does have a quirky feature which uses infrared to give pitch, similar to a theremin. I stumbled upon this hilariously dated promo video, it can probably show you what it does better than I can explain it. If you want to get into programming your own patterns for it there is a somewhat steep learning curve and you need to understand how rhythm works.
The Kaossilator Pro is a touchpad synthesizer. It has built in drums, bass, leads, etc, and you play it with the touchscreen. I have a Kaossilator, Kaossilator 2, and a KaossPad as well but I don't have any of them hooked up. I did get into DJ gear for a while, I had an MPC-2500 for a period but there is a steep learning curve. I have a friend who makes beats for some established rappers, he showed me the ropes of the MPC. The Kaossilator is what got me started with all my synth/DJ gear. It's a cheap and fun little toy, less than $100 used. I do find myself playing bass with my Kaossilator more than anything else but I would really like to have an actually synth keyboard in the future. I have convinced my DJ friend to since pick up his own 505 and Kaossilator setup, they are great tools in the right hands.
Funny side story, I like to take my Kaossilator with me travelling and it does get a lot of questions. I remember one set of airport security guards pulling it out, turning to the other guard and saying "uhhhh.... yup, that looks a 'dynamic phrase synthesizer' to me" before asking me to turn it on.
