Daniel Liston Keller

Yes, varispeed was a staple. I've always been fascinated by the subtle changes it can introduce in timbre and overtones. McCartney's voice, for example...between varispeed and EQ settings, there are so many different tonal colors on different tracks. It's a great tool that has fallen to a bit of disuse in the digital age.

I once interviewed the bassist for a very well-known singer/songwriter. They revealed (strictly off-the-record, hence no names here) that one of their two main basses is tuned to Eb, because the artist drops the tuning of their (digital) piano a half-step for certain songs containing high notes they can no longer reach.

I only keep them if they're of some sort of "special value" to me....autographed, out of print, , reference CDs, something I've worked on myself...oh, and a full set of Beatles CDs. At one time I owned several hundred LPs. I also had about 20 boxes of 2-inch masters, about 1000 CDs, and boxes of ADAT and DA-88 tapes. I got tired of moving it all. Now I have boxes of hard drives. Not sure it's an improvement.

Great thread. I'll get my positives in first: Cherry Audio - I too am a huge fan. Full disclosure - I'm friends with some of these folks, and my (PR) company helped them launch theirs. That said, they make great stuff, are passionate about what they do, and they work their butts off on every release. My only complaint is that their stuff is so good, it's now a lot harder to rationalize to my wife when I want to buy a hardware synth. Focusrite - Sure, it's not the Focusrite of old, but their interfaces are rock solid, sound great, and are well thought out. Shure - there are better high-end mics, but for day-to-day use, their stuff is consistent, as close to bulletproof as it gets, and their support is simply legendary. (Full disclosure...I was their European Artist Relations guy for most of the 1990s. But I liked them before, during, and afterward.) Eventide - a company that continues to reinvent itself. Split EQ is nothing short of phenomenal. And since we've delved into cars, etc... Honda - I've owned several over the years. They run for freaking ever. I'm going to pass on slagging music and audio companies, mainly because I still work with so many of them and I never kiss and tell. But as to my non-audio love-to-hates: Volkswagen - (sorry, Craig). I loved, Loved, LOVED them several decades ago, owned multiple microbuses and Beetles, and swore by them. In the mid 1980s I bought a Rabbit that caught fire on the SF Bay Bridge (I learned years later they were aware of the problem and covered it up as they quietly discontinued the model). I've had two "new" Beetles, both had electrical issues. I've rented them twice and had to call AAA both times....battery/starter issues. My daughter had a newer Beetle, it had electrical issues (I see a pattern...) Any and every domestic US airline - Sometimes I get lucky and have an on-time and incident-free flight. It's never with the same airline twice. They all kinda suck. FedEx - I simply won't use them ever again. Too many shipping disasters. I'm sure there are others, but that's enough griping.

Thanks. I'll try to remember that. (snicker....)

While you folks were over on AOL, I was moderating the MIDI Chatroom on Compuserve with Frank Wells and KK Proffit....think it was around 1992 or 3, when the Earth was still cooling. I went by the handle Algorhythm back then. After several years in Europe and a product management stint with Tascam, I started Get It In Writing in 2002. I'm far from quiet and reserved in the real world (as anyone who knows me will confirm), though I try to be a bit more reserved online....emphasis on "try." Daniel Liston Keller www.getitinwriting.net/shows