Rod S Posted June 26, 2001 Share Posted June 26, 2001 Well, that's the problem Mike. Developing a common platform is costly up front, slowly development, and I don't think the volumes in musical instrument sales would justify it. Most companies (well maybe Yamaha and Roland) probably can't afford to invest that much upfront in R and D. The only way this works is if this platform is accepted by other manufacturers. See what happenened to digital audio (SPDIF, TDIF, SPDIF Optical, ADAT optical, and so forth). I'm waiting to see what happens with MLAN. Rod Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Jones Posted June 27, 2001 Share Posted June 27, 2001 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: All Alesis QS and Quadrasynth Plus Piano synthesizers are capable of doing exactly what you want, and have been for about five years. They accomplish this using a free program that comes with the synth called SoundBridge. End users can burn up to 8 MB of custom samples and programs for instant access on flash memory cards. The majority of the synths have two slots, so 16 MB is possible. As they load instantly, it is conceivable to have a few different easily exchangeable custom ROM sets. Any .WAV or .AIFF file is compatible, and the current version of SoundBridge allows for the easy creation of custom keymaps. In addition, SoundBridge recognizes SampleCell and Sample Cell II instruments, and loads them with keymaps intact. It is also possible to store up to 50 SMFs for playback only directly from the synth without the use of a computer - a really great trick, actually. The flash cards themselves are around $150, last time I looked. You'll be pleased to know that the Alesis-manufactured expansion boards sell for quite a great deal less than $450 as well, Hope that helps, dB Yes Dave, it help tremendously... I have been looking for an 88 key board that I can also use as a controller. I was wondering what your opinion is regarding the QS8.1 action as a controller? I had considered the Triton. The K2600 is way too expensive (besides I already have a K2VP). But this is kind of a 'bang for the buck' issue. The Alesis board seems to have lots of possibilities that perhaps is lacking in the Korg. Taking nothing away from the Triton (as I WILL HAVE one at sometime in the future) I am wondering if the QS series isn't the way to go for the present and utilize a Triton rack (although I would miss the ribbon controllers and joystick) and use the QS board as a controller. Just a thought...any comment? Michael "I may be a craven little coward, but I'm a greedy craven little coward." Daffy Duck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix_dup1 Posted June 28, 2001 Share Posted June 28, 2001 There's no way the Triton would have sold the way it did without the onboard sequencer. Having worked the sales floor of the keyboard department, I've witnessed time and time again that there are many, many people out there who don't want to involve a computer. They want it all in one box. And face it - those musicians who don't own a computer aren't posting on this forum (obviously). Also, there are many more hobbyist musicians out there whose level of technical expertise is beginner at best - I sometimes think we overestimate just how easy setup and sequencing on a computer really is (because for many people it doesn't seem easy at all). Whether they're using the sequencer just to "make beats" or fully-blown songs, plenty of people are using it. And when you look at the Triton, the XP series, the Trinity, Grooveboxes, etc. - this is a category that isn't going away anytime soon. I think workstations will still evolve like everything else, with more waveform memory, more polyphony, more effects, more this and more that... btw - The E-MU samplers also let you burn your own custom ROMs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted June 28, 2001 Author Share Posted June 28, 2001 btw - The E-MU samplers also let you burn your own custom ROMs. Which you can then put into a Proteus 2000 as well, IIRC... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliengroover Posted June 30, 2001 Share Posted June 30, 2001 I don't think that workstations are going anywhere, because of what felix said. As long as there are people just starting out, there will always be the need for workstations. However, I don't like them simply for the fact that I am paying a few hundred dollars (or whatever) for a function that I already have access to (MPC). Peace If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking 'til you do suck seed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.