I always hated MIDI! Nevertheless, since summer 2001 a waldorf microQ (Bubbles) syntheziser is utilized for (virtual) analog sound design. I love this piece of harware, for even the warm floors sound dirty enough to me and so I nicknamed it ´KNARZBOX´(Ger.) which means something like ´bad-mooded(sound) box´, of course it´s not all it can do, but I love it most that way :)=).
UPDATE 2009: As time moves on into the digital age it became appearant that it has become trivial to differentiate between CPU based music software and DSP based music hardware. Either way it´s digital, so it´s easier to bring a laptop than bringing 23 pieces of gear.But as the 2nd hand (ebay) prices for the microQ are so emberassingly low I will keep my yellow box until the end of days. It deserves to be loved!

At the beginning of summer 2002 the much wanted doepfer (Blossom) was purchased complementing to the range of external (midi based) equipment applied by N(S)N at this time and Christmas 2002 saw the unexpected purchase of a TL Audio Fatman Fat 1. It was a MUST! It CAN add so much fattness and sparkle, noise and distorsion to even the most lifeless virtual analog synth / plug-in. It also jumpstarts my microQ from being "knarzig" to ablsolute biting power, sinking it´s teeth deep into the analog gear.

And as the world draws closer an essentially "your home is where you are" all gear with a build in PSU have a non-trivial disadvantage on travelling times. For gears with a wall-socket PSU can be easily exchanged. And the gear have to adjust to my life - not vice versa. So the Fat Man, though analogue and a really nice piece of equipment had to go. And the doepfer is being replaced for an much easier to handle Novation Remote ZERO SL, talking Automap here. The second best MIDI Controller Money can buy. But It´s OK, since the Lemure Dexter is 5 times more expensive.

And a dream came true with the utilization a 100% analog Sherman Filterbank 2 (Buttercup), which was due the spring of 2002. I wanted this thing since 1997 but somehow the idea has been shelved, I will never find out why ;->
Excerption from the June 1997 review of FutureMusic magazine (last paragraph/conclusion) which started it all:
"This dirty box of evil electronics will, well fuck-up your sound completely given half the chance. And you will love it for it." This box kicks ass big time! Nothing else to say about that!
For the is true the Sherman Filterbank is still a good investment for the times to come. I will get burried with this device.

2009 has seen the birth of the live project GermanFilterbank, centering around this uncontrollable monster.