Evolve or Die - December 1992
Note from 1996: this article is from a newsletter called "The OSCILLATOR." NEMUS - Northwest Electronic
Musicians is the group that Steve and I joined just before he took that trip to to the CyberArts conference.
We wrote for a couple of months in the Oscillator before the new name was adopted and the rest as they say...
Hi!
If you have been reading the Oscillator lately or have attended the last two meetings, you may have
noticed a broadening of the direction of this group. You have heard of new tools for our trade that are
being developed or have recently entered the marketplace. This article is for those of you who may have
joined NEMUS to get some practical help and encouragement from fellow members regarding your
current music and equipment. I'm talking about the stuff you have NOW.
Let's face it, some of us just won't be spending any more bucks on new equipment for a while. Don't get
me wrong. Frugal as I need to be, I still enjoy all the Cybertalk and flash and new toys and all, but I
understand that some of us barely had the money to get that dream keyboard, let alone the bare necessities
to participate in this art form. And I understand the importance of being current on all the new
possibilities, but this group should not be just for those who have the bucks. Even CyberArt is still art, and
art should not be limited to the "special few."
I would like to hear more discussion that ties in the analog years of synthesis. I would like to discuss early
MIDI synths which are very affordable these days. Members who have been collecting equipment over the
years have likely dealt with problems you may be having now with some seemingly obscure, but very cool
sounding synth. Many of us who are entry-level users could gain from hearing that some of their
equipment could be used in the future. I must add here that every new piece of equipment or software that
has been added to my collection lately has greatly increased the use of my old equipment.
Now, most importantly, please don't be intimidated by the growing numbers in this organization. I hope
that we can all learn from each other at the meetings and particularly in sub-groups that we could
potentially form. The larger the group gets, the more likely it is that if you have a problem, someone will
have the solution. Also, it is more likely that you can get good feedback on your music from someone who
is working in a similar vein. (If that's what you would like.) I hope that we can begin forming these
smaller groups soon to discover what bubbles of knowledge we have bobbing around out there.