On 26-Feb-97 Chris Fahey wrote:
quoted 3 lines I've always thought that all of the equipment usually used in a>I've always thought that all of the equipment usually used in a
>techno/idm production studio seemed kind of silly in light of the fact
>that almost all of the functions can be reproduced 100% in a computer.
That wasn't really true until recently. A good analog synth can be modeled on
a powerful computer (as the Propellerheads team have amply demonstrated with
Rebirth), but those sorts of computers were not available at low prices until
the last year or so. Hint: a 486 won't cut it. Also note: even a bitchin'
power PC can only model a few voices at a time. Compare to a lowly $250 Juno
106 which can play a whopping *six* notes at once.
quoted 7 lines I>I
>propose to create a 100% digital studio, with no analog equipment at all
>(except maybe for input devices like a MIDI keyboard and a few
>turntables and of course the monitors). Not even a cassette tape machine
>or a mixing board. Everything can be done in the PC without ever using
>that stupid obsolete rip-off expensive clumsy huge ugly equipment most
>people have piled up in their studios.
I think you're living in a dreamland, but go for it. You may be able to get
rid of the "clumsy huge ugly" factor by putting a few things on specialized
cards in your PC, but in reality those are just the same synth engines minus
the big boxes.
quoted 2 lines Take the sampler for example. What does a sampler do that a fast PC>Take the sampler for example. What does a sampler do that a fast PC
>can't do?
well, my sampler has a serious amount of filtering and modulation options, most
of which are provided by custom DSP chips with very specialized software. i
have seen PC based samplers and while they are good (and convenient) they do
not even begin to approach what a moderately capable sampler can do.
quoted 3 lines With a large fast Hard Drive and lots of RAM, there should be>With a large fast Hard Drive and lots of RAM, there should be
>no point at all in having a sampler. I mean, I can sample from a CD
>going digital-to-digital on a PC without any quality loss.
if you get the right sampler you can pipe in samples digitally. i do it all
the time. my sampler has optical digital inputs, and also can read AIFF and
WAV files directly off a DOS-formatted disk. (you can also transfer samples
in over MIDI and SCSI with the right software.)
quoted 2 lines Until recently, home PC's were too slow to handle doing the kind of>Until recently, home PC's were too slow to handle doing the kind of
>real-time intensive work music entails.
i would say that they still are, except in very limited applications.
quoted 4 lines But the only reason real-time is>But the only reason real-time is
>an important factor in music making is that most people still have a few
>bits of analog equipment in the loop - an 808, some effects processors,
>etc. Also, people like twiddling knobs.
now that is just plain bullshit. even digital gear can benefit
from real time manipulation. plus if you have any sort of rhythmic sense,
being able to hit a button while the song is playing and have it affect
something is critical.
quoted 5 lines The kind of music produced in a purely digital fashion will of course be>The kind of music produced in a purely digital fashion will of course be
>very different, in the same way that illustrations produced in 3D
>modelling programs are different from paintings. Users can't always hear
>what they're doing along the way, or directly work on the final product.
>But I don't think it's an inferior way of working, just much different.
you should check out C-Sound and related products then. you write your songs
in a programming language, then compile them, and listen to the output later.
quoted 1 line The MIDI keyboard is optional because I can't play piano anyway.>The MIDI keyboard is optional because I can't play piano anyway.
get an octapad and "bang" your songs into the sequencer.
quoted 3 lines But I firmly beleive that these days it's>But I firmly beleive that these days it's
>possible to create great music without knowing a treble clef from an "&"
>sign.
absolutely.
quoted 1 line SCSI 4X CD ROM Burner (don't necessarily need no DATs!)> SCSI 4X CD ROM Burner (don't necessarily need no DATs!)
yeah but you'll find that using CD-R is inconvenient compared to DAT. i record
all my stuff to DAT and eventually when i've amassed enough i burn a whole CD
full.
quoted 1 line Logic Audio (the works)> Logic Audio (the works)
why bother if you aren't going to have any midi devices?
quoted 2 lines Anyway, it's dinosaurs vs. propellerheads, Moogers vs. Surfers. Let's>Anyway, it's dinosaurs vs. propellerheads, Moogers vs. Surfers. Let's
>hear it.
good luck.
Jon Drukman jsd@gamespot.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
System Administrator SpotMedia Communications