Husker

A few updates to my corner.

Based on the fairly good rep that Sweetwater has here, I thought I was the only one. My experiences with SW have almost been universally poor, so much that I actively try to not buy anything from them.

Its been quite awhile, but a new firmware (1.1.5.9.7) has recently been released for the Rev2. There was quite a discussion on the Sequential forums about some long standing bugs, and the folks at Sequential dedicated some resources to resolve those issues: Main OS 1.1.5.9.7 Bug Fix: Layered gated sequencers not advancing through steps properly Bug Fix: If just Layer A or B is active, the gated sequencer plays all 16 steps in key step mode (arp on/16th), but in stack mode just 8 steps of the sequence are played Bug Fix: On the Module, arp relatch does not always work Bug Fix: FX doesn't update when changing programs quickly Bug Fix: Change master / slave terminology Bug Fix: Arp/seq on, sequencer only sends note ons Bug Fix: NRPNs still received when Param Rcv global set to OFF or CC See New Firmware 1.1.5.9.7 I've been running several days with no issues.

They are actually the 308s. I like them fine - I'm no monitor expert, but they work for me.

Made some recent additions, and reracked/recabled everything:

Don't get me started on paying sales tax on something that has already been taxed!

Things like this are why I'll never use Apple products. Plug my phone in, copy something over. Android for the win.

What's odd is that I don't seem to have any of the presets again. Kelp, can you look at your Jupiter 8 and let me know what presets you see?

Been traveling, and just got home today. I now see the same thing - my D50 is gone, but now I have the Jupiter 8, TR808, SH-2 and System 8 available for free. I think this is just something Roland does. I'll take things for free for a limited time.

OK. Same as me. Something must have happened on my D-50 install then, as I didn't get any of the presets. It will disappear after sometime though. I had the Zenology Pro for 30 days or so, then Roland took it away.

Are you actually a subscriber, or did you just sign up for a free account?

The D-50 is not actually free. Roland often gives users access to their premium instruments for a defined period of time. The D-50 happens to just be provided at no cost right now, but that will end at some point. (Zenology Pro was available recently for about 30 days). They are only giving one bank of presets for the D-50, and they are not the classic presets. However, you can find sysex files of the original presets online, whith the D-50 will happily accept.

Same here. I had a Focusrite 18i20 that died after only a few months; Focusrite sent me a replacement, but fortunately in the intervening time I was able to use my FA-08 as a rudimentary interface.

4/3/86 Cool. I was 10 miles from you that night. I was a 14 year old living in Nevada...

Guilty....

I know it isn't a popular opinion around here, but I love those cheesy 80's FM tines / E Piano sounds....

Actually good questions. A key metric for me for any system or application is TCO - Total Cost of Ownership. Apple products (Mac, IPhones, IPads) are just simply far more expensive to own and maintain in an enterprise than their counterparts (Windows based PCs and Android) First, Macs on a price/performance standpoint are actually about 70% higher to purchase. But the true costs come after purchase. For example, our enterprise standardizes on Dell computers with Windows 10, just as most enterprises do (can substitute Dell for HP, Lenovo, whatever - they are all the same). On a large support contract, Dell will charge X dollars per computer per year for maintenance and support - AppleCare will be at least 1.5x to 2X. Replacing bad board, hard drive, or other component in standard PCs is fairly easy and inexpensive. Not so in a Mac. The Mac OS is simply not designed to operate well in an enterprise network; for example, it does not support key technologies like Group Policy. Patch management requires expensive third party solutions, instead of free Microsoft solutions like WSUS. They don't operate well at all on Windows domains (which are important in business). Last year, I did an analysis of our help desk hours. On average, a PC based help desk ticket was 32 minutes. A help desk ticket for a Mac was 76 minutes. That is substantial. In our enterprise, the Mac users were predominately in the graphics and marketing departments, and primarily used the Adobe Suite. Obviously, I was the devil incarnate with the Mac users when I took them away. We even had two employees leave over it (which, I imagine now that they regret that decision). I followed up with those users after a few months on a new platform - to a person, I received the same feedback. "Once I'm in Photoshop (or Illustrator, or whatever their primary application), I can't tell any difference."

I'm an IT Director for a medium sized corporation. I just recently removed all Macs from the enterprise. Things like this make it easy for IT groups to dislike Apple. Macs are expensive to buy, expensive to maintain, and expensive to support.

I understand the simplicity of VSTs, and certainly have my share. I really have no need for more keys, my FA does everything I need. I am, however, a big fan of the desktop modules and rackable synths. I stare at a computer all day, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is stare at a computer screen trying to program Diva (though it does sound lovely). Rack units to me are more useful than the desktops, but I'm thankful for both.

My favorite line in the vendor's response was this - "To me, you"re just the kind of guy who asks a lot of stuff and has no care in the world for others" I find that humorous, as Mark spent many hours/weeks/months with me on this forum (and via email) helping me when I got started. He helped with with basic connectivity questions, all the way through detailed Midi routing issues and groundloops. He even once took time to make some cables for me, then sent them to on his own dime. And I am a total stranger to him. Yeah, he cares only for himself.

Interesting topic. I grew up in a super religious household - we weren't allowed to listen to anything other than hymns or classical. I developed a love of classical music as a child, but I was surreptitious in my radio listening, and gained a good knowledge of the pop/rock that was popular form 85-90. As a freshman in college, I was walking down the dorm hall, and heard a racket that I couldn't identify. I popped in, and the guy told me it was "Yes." I mentioned that I knew Yes - they did "Owner of a Lonely Heart." The guy shook his head dismissively, and gave me the tape to listen to. We talked about music for a bit. Later that night, I put it on the headphones - I hated it. I took it back the next day, and told him I didn't care for it. He mentioned that I should give it another listen, and interpret it as a symphony. I took it back, and listened to it again, and again, and again. I finally "got " it. It was Close to the Edge. Still my favorite Yes album.

The album hasn't aged well, but I think ELPowell is a fantastic album

Thank you. The PC is a home built Windows 10 (version 1909) computer, running Cubase. I was using a classic Motu Midi Xpress XT USB, but I ran out of channels, and wanted to move to Midi over USB where able (Prophets, Moog, Integra, FA all support Midi over USB). I had looked at the Mio10 before, but it did not support changing routing without the computer. When I saw the new MioXL did, I jumped on it. The new knob and screen are very useful, and changing routing works well. I have everything connected via USB to the computer, no ethernet for now. If I ever hit the channel limit for USB, I'll look into that, but it is unnecessary for me at this time. Quite honestly, I don't have enough experience to be able to determine if the midi timing is tight. If you could explain a test for me, I would be happy to do so. Everything seems to work well for me. The downside to the Mio is the complete lack of documentation - no user guide exists for the software. It took me a few hours to set up my routings utilizing the "program and pray" method. They have some quickstart videos that are woefully inadequate. Someone with more experience may have more luck. Happy to answer any questions.

No mixer. I have everything routed to the Focusrite and Octopre. I can do everything completely without a computer, though I only have one input left. I really don't know much about mixers, but don't see a need for one yet.

Sure. The desk is a Zaor Miza 88 XL I don't know much about furniture, but this seems to be very well made. The tray is very sturdy, though I do need the mats on the floor for it to slide easily. I recently moved, so I had to disassemble and reassemble it completely. It came back together perfectly. They are pricey (to me), but I was able to find a good deal on one on Ebay. The rack is a Miza Rack 12 Mk II