Gear that exceeds expectations

[dansouth]

Okay, we've had enough moaning about what "sucks"! How about a discussion on gear that knocks your socks off? Extra points if it has pleasantly surprised you in some way or if it outperforms more expensive units.

 

Here are a few of my personal faves.

 

Steinberg FreeFilter (plug-in) - Compare the spectrum of your own mixes to those of your favorite CD. Awesome!

 

Orange Vocoder (plug-in) - warm, rich, cheap.

 

Yamaha 01V - Clean, reliable, easy to use, sounds great, excellent effects. The best of the El Cheapo digital mixers. If it could support three expansion cards instead of one, it would be ideal.

 

Logic Audio - Limitless feature set, remarkable notation, easy to use once you get the hang of it.

 

Kurzweil K2000VPS - Fat, punchy sound that makes most other synths (even virtual analog synths) sound thin and wimpy. Very flexible and surprisingly user friendly.

 

Alesis MasterLink - Does what you want it to do. An extremely low hassle piece.

 

Apple Macintosh - Thank you, Steve!!

 

Lexicon PCM90 - Big studio sound, small studio price (I bought it after the 91's came out).

 

Propellerheads ReBirth - User interface is clunky, but the sound is for REAL!

 

Roland Orchestral expansion board - Much more convenient (and less expensive) than samples, and even the best samples don't sound like real players. The trumpets are phenomenal.

 

Lakland basses - worth every penny.

[Curve Dominant]

Cool idea, Dan. For me the Roland VS880EX daw was a total surprise blowaway. When I picked it out, I was thinking of it as a digital 8-track. But when I started working with it, I realized that you actually have 64 tracks to work with (+ a 2nd bank of 64 to back up to) per song. Some peeps might say "Well, duh, Dude, didn't you read any of the advance literature" and yes, I did, but I didn't "get" the concept of virtual tracks until I actually saw it in practice - it just has a kind of quantum physics weirdness to it.

 

But in addition to that, it's a whole damn studio in one box! Three mixer stages; scene memory that take me from a final mix back to a vocal-record setup - complete with routing & effect settings - at the touch of a button; a huge library of effects, multis, compressors, parametrics, simulators, & sh*t I never even heard of (what the hell is a SDD-320 Ambience Processor?) that you can tweak endlessly - it's as if Roland put every processor they (or Boss) ever designed into the effects library of this thing. Then there's the location markers, the non-destructive editing, the copy/cut/paste/move/insert/etc, the MIDI clock...

 

And if all that weren't enough, it turns out by some happy accident that the box I ended up with has a hard drive that is THREE TIMES LARGER THAN ADVERTISED! YEAH, BABY! This unit boggles my mind every time I use it! I'm getting dizzy just typing this post!

[dansouth]

Originally posted by Curve Dominant:

Cool idea, Dan. For me the Roland VS880EX daw was a total surprise blowaway.

 

I've heard lots of great things about the VS series. By the way, can we call you CD? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

[marino]

Exceeding expectations? Oh yeah.

 

I simply feel a lot of gratitude to those who designed things like the Oberheim Matrix-12, the Kurzweil K2000 or the Korg Wawestation A/D. These machines are a constant source of inspiration,if complex, and the people who invented them clearly understand the needs of creative people.

Thanks guys.

 

marino

[Curve Dominant]

>>can we call you CD?<<

 

No, but you can call me Warmdaddy.

[Faeflora]

I love my portastudio! When I first started recording music, I bought a used Tascam 488 8 track portastudio. I also was suckered into buying some shitty used PA rig for more than what other stores were sellin em for used but anyways... I couldn't afford an ADAT or computer at that time but the 8 tracks allowed me to multitrack and record my compositions on something other than a tape deck. Having use of multitrack recording format allowed me to learn how to create better music compositions. Also, I think that the lower fidelity of the recordings and internal mixer on the portastudio(and monitoring through my crap PA rig http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ) trained my ear to detail. I didn't have low expectations for my portastudio, but it's still a piece of gear I love. Also, the pre's in it are fun to overdrive.

 

Hooray! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Curve Dominant]

I used (and abused) a Portastudio 424 for almost ten sublime years. Don't get me wrong - I luv my VS, but the portastudio will always be like that ex-girlfriend that you wish you could go back to, but you know you can't. But those memories...oh, baby. The way I would saturate that tape, & she'd beg for more...oh, baby...

[Max Ventura]

As for me, the engine of all my productions is the Roland VS-1680 multitracker. I even use it as a Midi master clock and it's dead precise. The editing is superb and the versatility... I hope they'll make a 32-tracker soon. The effects are not adequate, unfortunately.

Ad far as synths, I'd have to say the JP-8080, plus for a kick, the Korg Electribe A. And as far as rhythm modules, I'd be tied between the Ensoniq ASR-X and the small, minuscule, almost bare-bones Zoom RT-123, a drum machine that won't allow you any editing or MIDI feature, but has sounds that will literally rape your speakers, both electronic ones and acoustic ones.

P.S. FOR MARINO:

di dove sei?

[dansouth]

Originally posted by argomax:

P.S. FOR MARINO:

di dove sei?

 

E per Max, dove habita in Italia? Sono andato in Italia in vancanza questo anno per la prima volta. Ho visto Roma e Venezia. Mi piace molto le due. - Daniele

[ST.Morigeaugte.net]

I posted this in the thread started by dansouth... this little Yamaha was money well spent!!

 

My rig is very modest. I purchased my BBGN5, (which has a Violin burst finish), knowing the quality that Yamaha puts into their necks, and with the intent of having the electronics upgraded. I had Mike Lull in Bellevue, Washington do some minor touch-up to the frets and fretboard, and completely rework the electronics. He installed a Bartolini 9V Active/Passive EQ system, with the pots being Treble, Bass, Volume and Blend. The volume is a pull/push which selects the pick-up modes. He also completely shielded the electronics compartment and wiring channels, this give the bass extremely quiet operation.

 

 

Mo

[studiomusic]

Proteus 2000.

WOW!!!

[Guest]

The Nord Micromodular is an amazing box - modular synth, effects box, vocoder - all limited only by the imagination. Add that to the awesome Nord Modular user community out there and it's vast;y underpriced.

[Anderton]

I have a lot of faves, but the gear that has impacted me the most over the past coupla years:

 

Sonic Foundry ACID

Panasonic DA-7

Line 6 POD

ASR-X Pro

[Dembones_dup1]

I was blown away by Acid music that was free (pending mail-in rebate)

 

What great software! What blew me away is that I bought Vegas Pro for $400+ for arranging audio for radio spots w/ volume & pan envelopes etc, and to discover that Acid music does 80% of what I bought Vegas to do is phenominal, and with an audio editor, I can do virtually anything I need to.

 

So, aside from what it is intended to be, Acid is a simple and easy audio arranger and a rudimentary multitrack scratchpad. Outstanding!

 

------------------

Demian Norvell

AppleSeed Studios

Ruch, OR

[Curve Dominant]

I keep hearin' bout that Line 6 POD - yo Craig, russreign told me you smoked on a session w/him using that pedal. Gonna hafta see if I got budget fer one of those.

[BP3]

The 'QuadraFuzz'!

Don't know who makes it, but it crushes drums in an excellent fashion. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

[This message has been edited by TinderArts (edited 11-22-2000).]

[AudioGaff]

Gear the exceeded and blew me away...

 

Tascam 244 Portastudio (1979)

Yamaha SPX-90 (mid 80's)

Eventide DSP4500 (still surprises me)

Manley Massive-Passive

Manley Vari-Mu

Focusrite Red-7

The sound of a SM-57 on different pre-amps.

E-mu DARWIN

 

- Bruce -

[DBENNVAhotmail.com]

Peeps,

 

The Aphex 1100 Mic. Pre. is Hot.

 

Same with the Roland XV-5080.

 

Ditto for the Korg Triton Rack.

 

TC Electronics Finalizer-96K="It's Gangsta".

 

Audio Technica/AT4050CM5. "Gangsta" as well.

 

Quantum! C/O

DBENNVA@hotmail.com

[dansouth]

Originally posted by DBENNVA@hotmail.com:

Ditto for the Korg Triton Rack.

 

Oh, yeah! I picked one up about three weeks ago, and it's the BOMB! That programmable polyphonic arpeggiator is just too cool! Check out Combi A051 :Cruisin' Compton: for a life changing experience.

 

My Triton will have a twin sister very soon.

[Anderton]

>>I keep hearin' bout that Line 6 POD - yo Craig, russreign told me you smoked on a session w/him using that pedal. Gonna hafta see if I got budget fer one of those.<<

 

POD is very DJ-friendly: it has a headphone jack, tap tempo control to put your effects in the pocket, and with a second adapter you can use it on 220V.

[Anderton]

>>The 'QuadraFuzz'!

Don't know who makes it, but it crushes drums in an excellent fashion. <<

 

It's from Steinberg, by Spectral Designs (based on a multi-band distortion hardware box I developed many years ago). I use it on drums all the time, but I'm now getting into using it on bass as well.

[BP3]

QuadraFuzz - I like the way they made the interface similar to their multiband compressor.

 

How much did you work with them on the programming? Is there more stuff to come?

[Max Ventura]

FOR DAN (in Italian):

Bravo, parli molto bene l'italiano. Sono di Fano, sulla costa Adriatica, vicino a Ancona.

Next vacation you have, call me up, I got room for guests, and where I live, on the seaside, is really pretty and medieval.

I posted a reply to you on the DJ/MERIT topic, go read it.

 

FOR CRAIG:

I posted this already a couple days ago: I could never get a decent sound out of the Pod; not that it sounded bad, it just did not react well, kinda like...the controls weren't that effective, the EQ range was always offset, the clean settings were never clean, the effects very weak... what was up with it? I never used the software, I must add, but nevertheless, the machine should be able to funcytion properly from the front panel...

[Anderton]

>>QuadraFuzz - How much did you work with them on the programming? Is there more stuff to come?<<

 

Steinberg is very generous about giving me credit. The Quadrafuzz plug-in came about because they played me a guitar amp plug-in at the Frankfurt and asked what I thought. I said I didn't like it that much, but not to get too upset because I didn't like any distortion sound. So I told them about the hardware box I designed to get the sound I wanted.

 

They were intrigued. To make a long story short, I sent them a Quadrafuzz I had built up from the PAIA kit, they modelled the sound, added some improvements (like variable filter bandwidth and frequency, whereas the hardware had fixed filters), and had me beta test the software to make sure it was what I expected. (I also developed a set of presets.) I had nothing to do with the coding, the guys at Spectral Design deserve all the credit for translating the sound accurately and doing the cool enhancements.

 

As to future collaborations, I do have an idea for a follow-up product that relates to equalization. They've expressed interest, but we both have a lot on our respective plates right now.

[Anderton]

>>I could never get a decent sound out of the Pod; not that it sounded bad, it just did not react well, kinda like...the controls weren't that effective, the EQ range was always offset, the clean settings were never clean, the effects very weak... what was up with it? I never used the software, I must add, but nevertheless, the machine should be able to function properly from the front panel...<<

 

You really need a MIDI control box, or use the software, to get the most out of the POD. That's the basis of me getting the kind of sounds I want. I use a Peavey PC-1600 live, and the DA-7 mixer's MIDI fader layer to program it in the studio.

 

The front panel is more for tweaking the presets, IMHO. However I think the presets on V2.0 are better. Do you have the updated version?

 

BTW if you want to hear some POD sounds in context, there's a review of the 2.0 update on this site that has some loops based on the new amp models.

 

If you want better effects, check out the J-Station. The two units are quite different, but I think most people would find the J-Station effects more realized than those in the POD.

[Max Ventura]

Thanx Craig.

However I did get rid of the Pod and switched on to the new Zoom alternative, GM-200. It's not here yet, so I'll keep you updated as to how it sounds.

 

Max

[Guest]

>>I could never get a decent sound out of the Pod; not that it sounded bad, it just did not react well, kinda like...the controls weren't that effective, the EQ range was always offset, the clean settings were never clean, the effects very weak... what was up with it? .<<

 

 

If you want better effects, check out the J-Station. The two units are quite different, but I think most people would find the J-Station effects more realized than those in the POD.

 

I can recommend the Yamaha DG Stomp. It has some amp models that are really authentic in both sound and feel. The effects are very very good.

 

If you want to listen to some mp3 demo files you can visit my site at http://home.swipnet.se/Nermarks_hemstudio/artiklar/div_artk/2000/Yamaha%20D G%20Stomp/DGstompEng.htm

 

Good luck with your tone hunt.

 

Mats Nermark

Sweden

 

[This message has been edited by mats.nermark@swipnet.se (edited 11-24-2000).]

[Anderton]

>>However I did get rid of the Pod and switched on to the new Zoom alternative, GM-200. It's not here yet, so I'll keep you updated as to how it sounds. <<

 

Please do. Zoom seems to have some interesting stuff but I haven't been able to check out much of it personally.

 

And Mats...thanks for reminding us about the DG Stomp. I am going to have to convince some magazine to have me review it so I can check it out!

[Max Ventura]

Thanx Mat.

I already heard good stuff about the Yamaha.

For the moment however I'll make do with the Zoom, which I heard at a trade show; the main reason is that is cheaper than anything else, about 110 US dollars.

I am not a performing guitarist anymore, I passed the age for it, and these days I just do some recordings.

But I've always been a fan of this company Zoom. They are very much scorned by "serious" guitarists, but I've always used their multieffect pedalboards to my satisfaction. I've also used other brands as well, such as Boss and Digitech, however Zoom has always an edge on them, in terms of realtime control and ease of use, plus some stellar pitch and whammy effects and the longest delay time in the industry (I think it was 8 secs in the 8080 Superplayer).

The best idea of the Yamaha DG Rack was that the knobs physically moved with every program change. They did not bring that on the pedalboard too, did they?

[Guest]

1. My Tascam TM-D1000 digital mixer. While it might come up a little short in a toe-to-toe with the likes of the Yamaha 01-V, at less than ha;f the price it's no contest. I can't help thinking everytime I sit down and flip the switch 'Man I only paid 500 bucks for this thing!'

2. Acid - I'm a software engineer, and so I'm pretty jaded when it comes to new products. When I downloaded an eval copy and tried it out I was bolled over. I had to have it that day! (Nevermind that I really didn't have the cash to spare at the time).

3. Gigasampler - ditto #2.