die hard hardware fans which fx unit/sampler/synth/mixer/outboard gear you can't part

Wasted_talent

Wasted_talent

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 23, 2006
Messages
719
Location
UK
To be honest I was always fed up of running plugin's, asio, rtas, apples emagic logic.
Fair play, a DAW is a Digtal Audio Workstation, an apple is an apple.
Why would anyone creative hide behind a mouse and a keyboard? It's a form of slavery.
The only device that came about to cure the condition was Novation, they had the crazy notion of using the mouse to point; and anything the cursor was over could be tweaked by 'their' digital potentiometer.
I'm sure they have ironed out the kinks by now, but what else do you need? a mouse and a pot that tweaks?
Back on topic, I have sold my E6400 Emu sampler; upgraded to 16 stereo outputs, 32 midi channels. The reason I sold it... lack of RAM: 128mb. It was a beast but it couldn't stream from the internal HD.
KK, I know probably people will say eventide, lexicon, klark teknik, uri compressors and a host of vintage gear.
What outboard gear do you hold most dear?
 
Last edited:
I had a microKorg that was an interesting bit of kit. I sold it, lack of USB, and saving patches was confusing, but the PC patch editor was really nice and deep. They probably fixed everything with the XL+

Have a Roland Gaia, which is a nice mid range synth, thought about selling it - but for a decent cheap synth it has everything, and more. Very playable live too. Have a Roland BR800 which has some nice effects features, wouldn't sell it for the world. I'd probably buy a Mackie mixer to use with the BR800 to be honest.

That Dave Smith Pro 2 though! Wow, what a beast!
 
I like to remix in real time; to bring older tracks into the 21st century.
My degree was in Audio Engineering, so I work setting up studios; pre-production.
My main gripe is seeing DJ's with their heads burried in Serato, NI Traktor, Ableton; when working front of house it's all about Technics or Pioneer.
I do like the old school gear, but instead of staring into a computer screen; how about making use of the auxillary sends for the FX, and insert's for compressors/limiters and gates.
Treat yourself to a soundcraft ghost, lay down a midi or audio file over 32 channels, hook up your FX over the 12 aux sends, put the lights out and have some fun!
Press record first ;)
Think orbital.
Okay my last piece of hardware is redsound bpm-fx pro. it runs in series or in parallel ( for hooking up to your aux sends )
It's a strange device for working in real time, it's got knobs all over the place (real time controllers that fire out midi)
Panning, Cutter, Delay, Filter/LFO; there is a joystick in the middle to fade in each effect.
The device has an input and output for each effect so it's 4 stereo RCA inputs, and 4 stereo outputs and a master output.
 
Last edited:
red-sound-systems-federation-bpm-fx-pro-447524.jpg

redfederation2.gif
 
Stop drooling, the delay has digital, vintage tape, and grunge. The panning is the main selling point though, SPS it's called.
The 'old school' buttons 1/4, 1/3rd etc have 64 presets. These can be used for irregular patterns on any of the four effects, or can be used to a step sequencer for basslines.
I'd love to try the dark star.
 
Last edited:
that redsound thing looks very nice.

I own a doepfer dark energy II, mfb 503 drummachine and a Korg DSS-1 (that one needs to be repaired though, at the moment I can only load patches from the floppy disks thanks to broken buttons).

I'm looking to buy a hardware sequencer and a not too expensive recording mixer soon, to hook it up together and get some jams going, I am also tired of DAW sequencing and mouse clicking...
 
Doepfer do make solid, reliable equipment. From looking on their site they do have hardware sequencers, CV-midi converters and all sorts of wonderful HARDware.
I was always impressed with Elektorn also http://www.elektron.se/products
These companies tend to charge a premium coz it's not mass market, like novation, NI, korg, m-audio, behringer, mackie, tascam, roland.
Honestly I don't dismiss any of these companies, they make good products, many of them have 'mapping' software to control your DAW.
The main issue with computer based digital audio workstations is latency. This resolved itself with ASIO drivers for audio, or PCI card effects from http://www.uaudio.com/
It comes down to midi though, emagic and steinberg tried to get around the issue of 'wondering midi' through several interfaces.
However people still by ancient atari computers as the hardware, and software was developed with midi in mind, and not having to traverse through layers and layers of code to keep their OS backwards compatible.
I've not read sound on sound, future music, computer music for a long time; so maybe this info is out of date.
I love cubase, nuendo, ableton live, reason, recycle, spectrasonics, NI reaktor, stopped using logic when it went to mac, pro-tools any the amazing RTAS plugs.
It's just so easy to lose yourself in the potential, and the time it takes to learn these systems.
In pre production, why don't we just load up a bunch of loops, hopefully made from scratch, dim the lights down and have some fun.
Orion from synapse-audio is a great sequencer.
Sorry to rant on, but my main point is....
Try not to get stuck on a computer screen, moving around this and that to get the perfect single track. It's all about keeping it clean, simple and minimal; how it's sits in the mix is far more important than just one element.
Real time pitch shifting and time stretch. I know serato makes amazing RTAS plugs for pitch-shifting and time stetch, but their DJ software seems to lack this ability.
I've not looked into this for a long time, so my knowledge is probably out of date.
 
actually I will check out a Yamaha QY-700 for a reasonable price tomorrow (mid ninties midi sequencer / groovebox), which is supposed to be a worthwhile peace of gear. lets see :D
 
Yeah let me know how it goes it does look sweet, I just wonder if midi files have to be installed via floppy discs.
qy700.jpg

enjoy
 
well I bought it (the QY 700), and already hooked up my drummachine with it. it is a very complex piece of gear (manual is ~300 pages), but I'm already having fun with it! getting into writing a pattern comes easily, and jamming around is fun. :)
 
What I'd really like to know is how you load midi files into it; is there a floppy drive on the side?
It's a complex unit indeed, I'm sure the translation from japanese to english won't help much.
Let me just see if sound on sound reviewed the unit, and if it's still in their database....
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1996_articles/nov96/yamahaqy700.html
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/sep97/yamahaqy70.html
I hope these articles make it a bit easier.
*lost in translation*
enjoy.
 
yeah it has a floppy disk drive, but also an internal memory (battery powered) so you don't have to rely on floppy discs, only when your internal memory is full. (internal memory can store 20 songs/projects, containing up to 110,000 notes in total.

I've already read a bit about it on that website (and also on vintagesynth), but thanks anyway. spent some time with it again today, hooked it up to my DJ-mixer, hooked up the doepfer and the mfb via midi, and hooked them up to the mixer as well. the basic things are coming pretty easily, and I don't regret buying it yet :)

I actually got the german manual with the purchase (and yamaha also has the manual in different languages still on their homepage), so I got that covered. it is actually a good manual, very clear and well sturctured, just some odd grammar mistakes, but nothing bad.
 
Last edited:
More power to ya ;)
If you could posts pics of your outboard gear and general setup. You mentioned hooking it up with a DJ mixer.. what are your trying to achieve?
Is it a real-time setup? Sorry I'm just curious.
Happy 'early' Christmas.
 
yeah I set it up like that just to jam around get to know the machine. I will post a picture, but I'll have to borrow a camera from somebody.
 
Hey what to do with this setup, love the ashtray motif.
The Doepfer is on the left methinks, it looks like a Moog, then there's a Men/Dry/Boy box (I'm not sure what this is). A Drumcomputer MFB-503, the mixer has 3 channels with a high and low filter on each channel, the third channel has a line level input also, the first two are to connect your technics 1210's. Is in early soundcraft DJ mixer? Then your QY-700. Your needles seem to be ortofon.
No computer in sight!
The speakers aren't active so there must be an amp someplaces. The wooden design would suggest quality Hi-Fi speakers, if you were in the UK I'd say Mission; but I don't really know.
I could hazard a guess you have a Rotel Amp hooked up to those speakers.
Just suss out that mammoth Yamaha!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top