Musicians! What are the crappiest pieces of hardware/software you ever used?
category: music [glöplog]
Can't find any pictures of it, but the most frustrating piece of hardware I've ever owned was the Cheetah MIDI Interface for the Spectrum. It was pugged into the back, which meant it was flaky as hell as the cables pulled it downwards, and I don't think I EVER managed to get it to save a tune out to tape - they just wouldn't ever load back in again!
...and as soon as I post that I find this page (although mine was in the back of a rubber-key 48K)
KEY WEST
The Amiga was the first decent computer for music-making for me. I switched from C64 to ST to Amiga in a few months of one year, as it happens the year was 1988. I used xTracker and later Bars'n'Pipes with some studio stuff and a Portastudio. Later I tried FT and Cubase on PC, but they fell short. Especially Cubase was a pain in the ass, convoluted ways of editing and desperately crappy in 1998. I'm pretty happy with Reason, as it works like a studio musician would work.
So much for the ones I've had a decent look at. I've tried to try Sonix :) but it reminds me too much of the music program that came with the first Mac. "Let's replace plinking on piano and drawing notes on a paper... with a digital version of the same, but without the piano!"... nuts!
Had a look at the first Sidmon, looked like shit to me, but then again I (strangely?) hate typing hexbytes for music, others may think of it as Amigans think of Protracking effect codes and love it.
It'd have to be tracking or plinking in notes + cut/paste/quantize editing for me I think. Worst software winner ... I'd have to say FT for 'adding so little' and bugging like hell. No, I haven't tried later versions like FT2 after that. If I track, I'm happy to do it on Amiga. :)
Worst hardware is easy. Any of the shit cheapo Yamaha/MSX style chip with "3 chans+noise" that spread its filth across everything from consoles to arcades to home computers to handhelds. Anything lesser is a feat to make palatable and anything better will sound like proper music. :P What a piece of shit excuse for a sound chip that was. "Hello I just got hired and I can solder 4 resistors together and make nice ADSR!" Best analog chip still goes to C64 in 2012. Go figure! (and break out the 30 year SID anniversary champagne!!)
So much for the ones I've had a decent look at. I've tried to try Sonix :) but it reminds me too much of the music program that came with the first Mac. "Let's replace plinking on piano and drawing notes on a paper... with a digital version of the same, but without the piano!"... nuts!
Had a look at the first Sidmon, looked like shit to me, but then again I (strangely?) hate typing hexbytes for music, others may think of it as Amigans think of Protracking effect codes and love it.
It'd have to be tracking or plinking in notes + cut/paste/quantize editing for me I think. Worst software winner ... I'd have to say FT for 'adding so little' and bugging like hell. No, I haven't tried later versions like FT2 after that. If I track, I'm happy to do it on Amiga. :)
Worst hardware is easy. Any of the shit cheapo Yamaha/MSX style chip with "3 chans+noise" that spread its filth across everything from consoles to arcades to home computers to handhelds. Anything lesser is a feat to make palatable and anything better will sound like proper music. :P What a piece of shit excuse for a sound chip that was. "Hello I just got hired and I can solder 4 resistors together and make nice ADSR!" Best analog chip still goes to C64 in 2012. Go figure! (and break out the 30 year SID anniversary champagne!!)
compared to Protracker, Sidmon was 'crap', as well as most (if not all) 'synthetic' tracker interfaces back in the Amiga days.
somehow ppl still managed to make some pretty amazing tunes with them..
ha, I recently sat down and coded a softsynth to relive those late 80ies, early 90ies Amiga 'synth' chiptune sounds (something that PT never was really good at)
but hey, that's just me babbling again, on with this thread ;)
somehow ppl still managed to make some pretty amazing tunes with them..
ha, I recently sat down and coded a softsynth to relive those late 80ies, early 90ies Amiga 'synth' chiptune sounds (something that PT never was really good at)
but hey, that's just me babbling again, on with this thread ;)
Everything Roland introduced after the D50, except for the JD800.
especially 
and
(to annoy Seppe)
and
(to annoy Seppe)crappiest piece of software: sorry las, but it's your 4k midi editor :)
crappiest piece of hardware: that piece of shit computer that just turned itself off randomly
crappiest piece of hardware: that piece of shit computer that just turned itself off randomly
The Mesa-Boogie Triaxis Preamp (for Guitar).
I payed > 2000€ for it, because if you read the reviews everyone raves over it.. (and later sells them 'as new' on eBay)..
Matter of fact: It does a very good clean sound (yea - great deal, who doesn't), and it does the 'Santana'-sound.. But other preamps that go for a quarter of that price also do a good "distorted rhythm"-sound, a good "metal"-sound and so on.
The Triaxis with it' 8 preamp-circuits claims to do this as well, but all the circuits have some ugly heights/overtone note in the sounds that makes it unbearable.
You can't even EQ it out.. It's all over the place.
I payed > 2000€ for it, because if you read the reviews everyone raves over it.. (and later sells them 'as new' on eBay)..
Matter of fact: It does a very good clean sound (yea - great deal, who doesn't), and it does the 'Santana'-sound.. But other preamps that go for a quarter of that price also do a good "distorted rhythm"-sound, a good "metal"-sound and so on.
The Triaxis with it' 8 preamp-circuits claims to do this as well, but all the circuits have some ugly heights/overtone note in the sounds that makes it unbearable.
You can't even EQ it out.. It's all over the place.
prolly Ableton Live's Clip system.. thank god you dont have to use it if you dont want to :)
*shakes fist at trc*
Nominating zsynth6 out of spite
Nominating zsynth6 out of spite
Crappiest software I've used: FL Studio
Best software I've used: FL Studio
It's like the definition of a love/hate relationship. But I just can't find anything to replace it - believe you me I've tried. Please don't bother suggesting anything because chances are I've already tried it and I dislike it.
Hardware wise I hate my Virus C. It has basically been gathering dust since I bought it. It's an ass to program and sounds pretty much like any modern VA VSTi out there. It's been on my to-do list for ages to rip the patches I like off it as multisamples and put it up for sale but something's keeping me from doing it. Probably the fact that it would give me some resources and desktop space to buy something ridiculously expensive to replace it, like the DSI Tempest.
I also dislike the Behringer Truth -monitors. YES THEY ARE CHEAP I FUCKING GET IT BUT GOD DAMNIT THEY STILL SUCK. Save up and don't waste your money on them if you want something with a bit of definition, there are plenty of reasonably priced alternatives nowadays.
Special mention goes out to pretty much all the Waves plugins. Ridiculously expensive and totally replaceable with something at least equal and often better.
Best software I've used: FL Studio
It's like the definition of a love/hate relationship. But I just can't find anything to replace it - believe you me I've tried. Please don't bother suggesting anything because chances are I've already tried it and I dislike it.
Hardware wise I hate my Virus C. It has basically been gathering dust since I bought it. It's an ass to program and sounds pretty much like any modern VA VSTi out there. It's been on my to-do list for ages to rip the patches I like off it as multisamples and put it up for sale but something's keeping me from doing it. Probably the fact that it would give me some resources and desktop space to buy something ridiculously expensive to replace it, like the DSI Tempest.
I also dislike the Behringer Truth -monitors. YES THEY ARE CHEAP I FUCKING GET IT BUT GOD DAMNIT THEY STILL SUCK. Save up and don't waste your money on them if you want something with a bit of definition, there are plenty of reasonably priced alternatives nowadays.
Special mention goes out to pretty much all the Waves plugins. Ridiculously expensive and totally replaceable with something at least equal and often better.
impulse tracker!!!!11
oh wait people already said that. well, anyway!!!!11
Speaking of things I've mentioned before: the Yamaha CS1x. Goddamn piece of shit :)
glxblt: really? I love mine. In fact, if you don't want yours, I'll take it off your hands for a decent price if you'd like. Agree on Behringer -- basically anything Behringer is pretty much plastic crap.
glxblt: really? I love mine. In fact, if you don't want yours, I'll take it off your hands for a decent price if you'd like. Agree on Behringer -- basically anything Behringer is pretty much plastic crap.
Behringer only hit the top once with both the BC(R|F) 2000.
knl: Those were actually not that bad, no.
Best SW : Renoise + JACK on linux
Crappiest SW: Fruity loops
Best HW: TB-303
Crappiest HW: Some Buggy Nordlead 2 which was randomly changing values, for example
you hit more than 3 keys and it triggers the arpegiator or just switches the patch... Felt quite shitty on stage :P
Crappiest SW: Fruity loops
Best HW: TB-303
Crappiest HW: Some Buggy Nordlead 2 which was randomly changing values, for example
you hit more than 3 keys and it triggers the arpegiator or just switches the patch... Felt quite shitty on stage :P
Gloom, I actually have the bcr2000 and indeed it's plastic but damn, it resists. Some friends of mine intensively used it for livesets during years and it does not want to die.
Anyway, this kind of thread is useless. A few toys are real crap.
Khonnor has been making very good music with something most demoscene musicians are calling "crappiest sw".
Do yourself a favour:
http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp87.html (sandy point <3)
http://www.archive.org/details/mia048
http://typerecords.com/releases/handwriting
ps: I strongly believe than, apart of a few guys (hello rob!), most of you will say he makes crappy music... This explain that probably :)
Anyway, this kind of thread is useless. A few toys are real crap.
Khonnor has been making very good music with something most demoscene musicians are calling "crappiest sw".
Do yourself a favour:
http://www.mono211.com/content/releases/mtkmp87.html (sandy point <3)
http://www.archive.org/details/mia048
http://typerecords.com/releases/handwriting
ps: I strongly believe than, apart of a few guys (hello rob!), most of you will say he makes crappy music... This explain that probably :)
software:
impulsetracker
farbrauch v2
protools
hardware:
any workstation really.
impulsetracker
farbrauch v2
protools
hardware:
any workstation really.
@noby: I've heard a few opinions on my MOD2PSG is terrible, but is there any alternative?
(geezus, not MY MOD2PSG, I didn't code it... I meant WHY)
glxblt: Waves, seconded.
gloom: don't you just love the filter cutoff aliasing ;)
Behringer controllers considered, would be more than happy to test the new CMD products despite the Bitstream3x (I currently use) handles the "knobs section" well.
gloom: don't you just love the filter cutoff aliasing ;)
Behringer controllers considered, would be more than happy to test the new CMD products despite the Bitstream3x (I currently use) handles the "knobs section" well.
el-bee: after I went entirely legit on software (yes, really) I've stopped using Waves because of their idiotic attachment to dongles. I say no to dongles, period. So I went for iZotope Alloy for all my channel-strip needs, and I couldn't be happier. :) And yes, there was many things to hate with the CS1x, the mega-crappy "filters" were just one of a thousand. :)