Mutable Instruments nightmare

#1

I often have terrible Mutable Instruments nightmares - but most of them boil down to receiving a batch of boards/assembled modules that do not work; or a troubleshooting session that never ends.

The one I had this morning was the scariest ever…

A guy comes at my office to show me one of his prototypes - something quite similar to the first Shruti (in terms of bulky size and awkward board split), but with the red+small knob look of a clavia product. And a kind of prism/wedge shape like the Roland VG-8. At first I give him technical tips while we go through some patches/presets stored on the machine… Then another guy, who is uncannily similar to Joe MacMillan in “Halt and catch fire”, joins us and the discussion gradually shifts to the actual when and how the production by Mutable Instruments of this clavized Shruti will happen. At some point I realize that this discussion is taking place because Mutable Instruments is no longer owned by me, but by an older guy in a suit who later joins the table. We discuss many features of the new synth, like having purchasable “add-ons” that would require a USB dongle to be constantly plugged at the back of the synth; and the use of a custom MIDI cable that would allow us to reduce the size of the device. I’m violently arguing against those two features, and say that whatever happens, I’m still in charge of the engineering so they can go fuck themselves. Then the guy in a suit tells me that there are actually two people in charge of engineering and that my decisions can be vetoed by them. Another guy arrives, he’s supposed to be in charge of some features of the claviazed Shruti and approves the USB dongle thing. He tells more stupid things about synths and I ask him what kind of background he has to be in charge of important synth decisions without knowing what he is talking about. He shows me a machine that he has designed, which is quite similar to a DSI tempest, but with a light grey paint job and round pads. At this point the room in which we are has expanded to a full size conference room. A lady enters and tells us that suit guy’s past as a fraudster has been exposed.

#2

Just wow! Are you legaly ablel to drive after having this epiphany? It sounds uncannily like one of those big-business “design by committee” deals where every products turns out into something Microsoft-ish and somewhat bland thing.

That USB dongle thing sounds like the user-friendly “options” you can get for arranger keyboards, Elektron and Waldorf boxes or that friendly Ilok licensing…

#3

Ok so how I can talk about your plans of releasing USB-dongle-based add-ons for the Shruthi without breaking my NDA? :slight_smile:

Anyway… weird dream really. But yeah I’d probably wake up screaming if dreamed things like this. Though in the end, there is kind of happy ending. :slight_smile:

#4

Was this in English or French? Specifically, the “go fuck themselves part.”

#5

For many of us, that is reality, except without the “happy” ending of suit guy’s past being exposed.

#6

I think it´s great to wake up from this and find the real Mutable Instruments!

#7

I don’t remember the language. Really, I wouldn’t know… I believe dreaming happens in deeper latent semantic spaces, and that “remembering” a dream is just making up sounds or picture matching the deeper memories.

#8

Heavy.

#9
  1. YOU HAVE BEEN IN TOO MANY MEETINGS IN YOUR PREVIOUS JOB(S).
  2. YOU ARE YOUR OWN BOSS NOW.
#10

Oh, and in case you want less of these dreams; don’t try to remember them and certainly don’t write them down. :wink:

#11

Actually verbalizing the dreams is a great way to prevent them from becoming real. Even if one is talking to venture capitalists :wink:

#12

Yeah, I get these also.

The one that took the cake was dream that I had where we had two potential investors coming in and I had to give the presentation followed up by a car tour of Detroit. I walk into the conference room and the two investors are Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Osama is rocking the turban and tribal wear and Saddam the with green army uniform and black baret, none of this is strange and I continue with the presentation. When complete, we continue on to the car tour. Osama climbs in the back of my VW bug but I quickly recommend that Saddam take the back seat since Osama is a tall guy and would be more comfortable in the front seat (I dont even know where I read he was like 6’4", but remembered that fact in the dream) and off we go into the hood…

Woke up and wrote that shit down. Those lucid ones where you remember all the details kind of stick with you

#13

That is intense. I guess it just shows how much you care about MI. Your brain is just working through some things that are stressing you out, it’ll smooth out soon - namely, when there’s a peaks in every rack. haha. It’s amazing how much detail you remember. Read up on lucid dreaming, it’s awesome when you recognize a dream and take control. I always end up flying around like Superman / Neo.

#14

This.Is.Scary.
But when i am under extreme stress, i tend to have similar weird dreams.
Happened to me lately, due to having only 3 days off until the end of August. I cannot recommend such stupidity !

#15

man my dreams are boring, just Salma Hayek and a wading pool full of baby oil :frowning:

#16

I would happily trade my nightmares with yours !

#17

Debating with myself whether a Jungian, Freudian or perhaps Lacanian interpretation of your dream would be most appropriate, I pulled a thick volume of Lacan from the shelf. Then I immediately put it back, remembering what drivel it contained. No, a Cartesian interpretation, based on Descartes’ Three Dreams, would be better. Quod vitae sectabor iter?

But really, why look at dreams through the cognitive lens of those noodlers when we have the wisdom of 80s synthpop to guide us? And so, I submit that the true, underlying meaning of Olivier’s dream can be divined through close study of the contradictions expressed in these lyrics (relevant sections in bold), which are commentaries on the struggle between Olivier’s superego and his id, as well as more direct references to data mining and coding, and of course the horrors of supporting DIY constructors:

I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks
Let’s make lots of money
You’ve got the brawn, I’ve got the brains
Let’s make lots of -

I’ve had enough of scheming and messing around with jerks
My car is parked outside, I’m afraid it doesn’t work
I’m looking for a partner, someone who gets things fixed
Ask yourself this question: Do you want to be rich?

I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks
Let’s make lots of money
You’ve got the brawn, I’ve got the brains
Let’s make lots of money

You can tell I’m educated, I studied at the Sorbonne
Doctored in mathematics, I could have been a don
I can program a computer, choose the perfect time
If you’ve got the inclination, I have got the crime

Oh, there’s a lot of opportunities
If you know when to take them, you know?
There’s a lot of opportunities
If there aren’t, you can make them
Make or break them

I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks
Let’s make lots of money
Let’s make lots of -
(Aahhhhh) Money
(Aahhhhh)
(Aahhhhh - Di du da di da bu di ba)

You can see I’m single-minded, I know what I could be
How’d you feel about it, come and take a walk with me?
I’m looking for a partner, regardless of expense
Think about it seriously, you know, it makes sense

Let’s (Got the brains)
Make (Got the looks)
Let’s make lots of money (Oohh money)
(Let’s) You’ve got the brawn
(Make) I’ve got the brains
Let’s make lots of money (Oohh money)

I’ve got the brains (Got the brains)
You’ve got the looks (Got the looks)
Let’s make lots of money (Oohh money)
Money

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuHIRrt5lCI

…or for the more straightforward, there is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsvfofcIE1Q

#18

+1 for the pet shop boys!

I almost never remember anything I dream. If I do, its just within the first few minutes after I wake up. Half an hour later - everything is already gone and wiped out from my brains. Is that good or bad? My dad often tells me about weird things he dreamt and I wonder why I never remember any of my dreams?

#19

If your talking PSB I’d be going with Two Divided by Zero. I had this awesome dream of the perfect, unpunishable white collar crime. Then I woke up and realized that I could probably make it on the straight and narrow.

#20

+1 for Two Divided by Zero. Best first-song-on-the-album tune ever. I even quoted the lyrics in my PhD thesis, I think :slight_smile: