OF(F) COURSE Synths: Minimoog
On SINEDRIFTER’s debut album, OF(F) COURSE, founding member Cam Arjent used a variety of synthesizers and drum machines to create the LP’s dark moods and dreamy atmospheres. In a series of posts titled, “OF(F) COURSE Synths,” Arjent talks about the synthesizers SINEDRIFTER used, and why they love these instruments.
Q: So, SINEDRIFTER could have used any number of synths, but you chose a certain lot for all the songs, especially SIDE A, which is the more New Wave and Dream Pop-inspired side, if you could call it that. Why go with the Moog Minimoog Model D?
Cam Arjent: It’s a classic, and its interface makes it special, along with its sound. The fact that the Moog Minimoog Model D was used in so many of my favorite tracks by some of the artists I admire most, from Wendy Carlos to Depeche Mode, helped me feel a certain mood. In OF(F) COURSE, the sound I was going for was partly inspired by classic Joy Division and New Order, along with other music and art that I love, in a sense. Now, pretty much anyone will tell you that I can’t play guitar [laughs], and playing bass guitar, well, yeah, forget it. My favorite part of pretty much every Joy Division and New Order song that I have heard is the bassline, and Peter Hook’s bass has a certain sound… and he plays such beautiful lines. With the Minimoog, I decided to play bass on the A-sides, and I felt that the combination of effects I used with it got me in that “Peter Hook” state of mind, I suppose. Obviously, the Minimoog is not a bass guitar, but I got precisely the bass feel I was looking for while using it.
Q: You mention that the interface was a main reason for choosing it as your bass instrument. What is so special about it?
CA: It’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it is neatly organized. It’s elegant. Then, you actually touch and turn the knobs, and you feel a certain “weight.” Minimoogs produce especially heavy sounds, and the feel of the knobs match the gravity of the sounds you play. The keys feel great, with a smooth action all the way on through. it is an electronic instrument that feels like it wants to work with you, unlike so many instruments out there that feel inaccessible because of shortcuts taken in the design that only add layers of complications to the interface. To me, the interface is the most important part of a synth; It’s how you can communicate with the synthesizer and synchronize your ideas with its capabilities. With any number of effects or processors, you can produce such a broad pallet of sounds with just about any synth out there. Then you have the MIDI and other connections introduced in the reissue that take it to a whole new level. The arguments regarding digital versus analog, vintage versus new, etc. get old very quickly. I don’t care so much about any of that. We just want to make sure the synth feels right, that it inspires us, and that we can communicate freely.
Q: Is there a difference in the sound, though, when you compare its ability to play bass sounds, versus, say, a digital synth?
CA: Well, sure. I would reach for my Minimoog for bass before I go to my Nord Lead 3. Not that the Nord Lead 3 can’t hang, it’s just that I can get the bass sound that I want from the Minimoog a lot quicker than I would with the Lead. The quality of the bass you get from the Minimoog will definitely be different, too, when compared to bass from the Nord Lead 3, and any other synth. There are other synths that can produce some pretty amazing bass – you don’t necessarily need a Minimoog for that. When I perform live, I never bring my Minimoog. Instead, I’ll either use a sampler or another synth that gives me the bass sound I need for that event.
Q: How much of music production is the instrument, and how much is it the musician?
CA: I remember a computer game I played when I was little, where you could dogfight against other planes in historic battles, it was a game featuring ace fighter pilot Chuck Yeager. I don’t remember the title, but anyway, I remember there was a mission I played where his voice said, “Remember, it’s the man, not the machine,” right before takeoff. When it comes to composing and performing, I think it’s a little bit of both, but it’s mostly the musician.
Q: So, in OF(F) COURSE, are there particular songs where the Minimoog shows that it’s just as much about the machine, or perhaps even more so?
CA: Oh, of course! In “Summer’s Stare,” for example, I recall writing the entire drum sequence first on my Oberheim DMX, and then going over to the Minimoog and following the drum line with the bass. I switched on my effects send, routed the Minimoog through it, and as I played the bassline, I found myself hitting the keys with my thumb, as if I was playing a bass guitar! It just felt right, I suppose. The rhythm that followed was done in just a couple of takes, if I remember correctly. The other song that stands out to me is “Reflection.” It’s a simple bassline, sure, but it came naturally to me because the Minimoog made it easy for me. I turned some of those weighty knobs, tried out a few notes and progressions, found a rhythm that felt good, and I rode it through to the end. The Minimoog is capable of much more than bass; in this album, she just wanted that role, and made my decision easy every time. So yeah, the machine is definitely important! It’s just as important to remember that the machine can’t do anything without someone at the controls to communicate with it… and vice versa. The Minimoog is simply one of my favorite synths, and it will continue to play a key role in all of my music for years to come.