Instruments
I make music by engaging my body as well as by using musical instruments and techniques that I have developed over the years. On this page, I’ve singled out a few synthesizers and audio processors that I cherish the most and that form the backbone of my sound signature.
E-MU Proteus 2500
I’ve been playing this synth since 2003. The owner of the store where I bought it said, “Aivaras, you’ll keep it for a few years and sell it because it will be outdated by then.” He’d be happy to learn he was wrong! 20 years have passed, and I’m still fascinated by this instrument. The E-MU Proteus 2500 generates sound by using audio samples, which are small segments of actual recordings, say, of a real drum, an analog synth, or some acoustic event. It then constructs, out of those tiny recordings, timbres suitable for music-making […]
Roland XV-5080
I acquired this synth around the same time as the E-MU Proteus 2500 and have been enjoying it immensely for over two decades now. Technologically, the Roland XV-5080 is similar to the Proteus in that it, too, uses audio samples, called PCM waveforms, for sound generation and synthesis. However, it does so in its own unique way […]
Access Virus TI2
This synth is the youngest in my outboard collection. I adore every bit of it, including its quirks and limitations. The Access Virus TI2 feeds the explicitly electronic aspect of my compositions when I want to add a futuristic or experimental character to the sound. In contrast to the E-MU Proteus 2500 and Roland XV-5080, the Virus generates sound by way of digital oscillation and does not use acoustic samples at all […]
Lexicon PCM 91
Why do I call a digital reverberator a musical instrument? Isn’t it an effect processor instead? Well, it all depends on how one applies it to the creative process. Reverberation is very important to me as a composer. When I lay my hands on the Lexicon PCM 91 for this particular task, I get into the mode of performance, playing along the ensemble, doing manual moves, and hunting for the perfect passage […]
Kurzweil KSP8
Technically, this is a digital multi-effect processor, but, like in the case of the Lexicon PCM 91, I approach it as a musical instrument. The Kurzweil KSP8 gets most of my attention and time when I design sound effects because it is the most versatile. It has it all: reverberation, modulation, distortion, filtering, you name it. I could literally produce a record with this box alone […]
Quantec Yardstick 2496 S
This is the latest addition to my arsenal of digital reverberators. Garsų menė, my recording studio, is a complex system of long-term technological choices. I rarely change it, as it is close to complete for my compositional needs. However, when I heard the Yardstick 2496 S, I knew it would earn a special place in my studio, specifically for the level of realism in its room simulation […]