Music software v cars (analogies)

[samsam]

I often see people making analogies between music software and cars.

Examples include bugs ("I can't imagine Ford releasing a car in which whenever you press the brake, the ignition cuts out"), piracy ("so, can I come round your house and steal your car?"), feature requests ("who would buy a car that involved paying extra to get a steering wheel") and so on.

And more often than not, these analogies are..well...kinda rubbish.

Amirite?

[enroe]

Hehe ... years ago I invented an analogy to the topic "cubase sx - apple logic audio". Very nice:

Cubase SX - in short called "SX".

Imagine a go-kart driven by pure pedal power. Every new user of this means of transportation quickly learns how to drive the go-kart. He sees the steering wheel, the pedals and the seat. He is enthusiastic because he can sit down and use the go-kart instantly - even if he'd never seen a go-kart before. Great!

And you can imagine: It's the same with Cubase SX: You have the project window, the tracks, the inspector - and you can record almost instantly.

Logic Audio Platinum - in short called "Logic".

Considering Logic the situation is a little different: For musicians who did not work with a sequencer it may be hard to understand the concept and to get familiar with the way Logic works.

Logic is like a car: Imagine you see a car for the first time in your life. You cannot just open the door, sit down and drive away. There are no pedals where you just apply power! First you need to understand the elements of operation: the accelerator, clutch, break and the gears. And there are level meters and an engine.

It's the same with Logic: You have an environment and environment elements. You have screen-sets and link-modes for the different windows of each screen set. And you have two-dimensional folders - each representing a new full arrange window - an abstract operational concept.

For somebody who doesn't know this it is rather strange. It is just like somebody who got used to travel by horse and who has never seen a car before. This horse-guy now looks puzzled at the accelerator, clutch, break, gears and the engine.

But after a time of learning - driving school etc. - the car is much faster than his horse - and it is faster than the go-kart too.

Differences

The same situation is true for SX and Logic: With SX you can achieve a positive experience instantly. If you choose Logic you'll have a longer period of learning first and you won't have an instant euphoric feeling in the first time. But after a you got accustomed to Logic you are pretty faster: The car is more convenient and faster!

And indeed Logic is more abstract concerning the structure and Logic provides a more general approach to the creation of songs. You have as many self defined mixer views as you like, you have many window-configurations with linked windows, you have as many recursive arrange-windows (folders) embedded in each other as you like. So if you got used to it you have a more intuitive chance to record and construct songs: Your song idea must not be adapted to the sequencer, no: The sequencer can be adapted to your song idea!

And more …

But lets turn to the go-kart again: The go-kart can be used everywhere: You can drive on the pavement, in the park and even in the house or in a hall. The car can only be used on the specially for cars designed streets. Same with logic: You can only use it on an Apple.

The go-kart has been developed: It got an engine now and is capable of a higher speed. Still it's not as fast as the car, but you can get along with it if you don't surpass the borders of your town.

The same applies to Cubase SX: It is faster, but still there is very much copy and paste and mouse-fumbling: Compared to Logic it's still slower and simpler: Still SX is based on linear recording without a fundamentally elegant automation.

Of course the go-kart possesses a comfortable seat, just like the car. The GUI of SX looks quite modern, just like the GUI of Logic does.

The future

Both the car and the go-kart will be improved in the future.

I like to use the go-kart for driving in the park and on the pavement. But it would be a relief to have a faster go-kart, because I want to arrive at my target location as fast as I can.

The same applies to SX: It would be a relief if ergonomy would be improved. It would be a relief to have the ability of using repetitive structures without tedious mouse fumbling. And it would be a progress if song-specific window configurations could be defined, …

But don't forget: SX works on the PC, and that is a big advantage. Maybe the future belongs to the go-karts and not to the cars - also if you consider air pollution and CO2 emissions! Or maybe Apple improves the car so much that it only can be used on highways? Horrible!

And nobody knows where the go-kart company sees its major future aims: Does the go-kart company want to build go-karts essentially for teenagers and kiddies? Or does the go-kart company want to compete with the car company?

[wiwatti]

"Planned obsolescence" is common to every industrial application. So software and cars have this in common: new design just made to make you buying a new version, a new version made every year...

[RunBeerRun]

ymmv

[shamann]

The people who use car analogies use car analogies for every possible situation.

[UltraJv]

ymmv

Your music may vary?

[synthgeek]

your pointy thing is pointing the wrong way, here:

Music software > cars

ftfy

[Dean Aka Nekro]

I often see people making analogies between music software and cars.

Examples include bugs ("I can't imagine Ford releasing a car in which whenever you press the brake, the ignition cuts out"), piracy ("so, can I come round your house and steal your car?"), feature requests ("who would buy a car that involved paying extra to get a steering wheel") and so on.

And more often than not, these analogies are..well...kinda rubbish.

Amirite?

I do not drive even though i can *illegally* and i am a responsible guy so do never do that. So having never bought a motor car the analogies are always lost on me. So yeah i think you are right i think, However i think i am probably in the minority here with most guy's having a driving license and also having had at least one or two motor cars so i can sort of see it from that point of view also. I love Top Gear and watch it religiously plus think J.Clarkson talks alot of sense for a middle class knob/makes me laugh anyway. I do pay for most of the upkeep of the family car but i do not pay much attention to what the issues are just aslong as they are fixed. Most recent was the key lock barrel going/f00ked so had to shell out for a new one but that was pretty cheap compared to some of the stuff. Still i do not get it even though i know a few mechanics and a few good friends are also well into thier cars...It just goes over my head

Dean

[Meffy]

(With apologies to Queen; to the tune of ".")

Ooooo,
The machine of a dream,
Such a fast machine.
With the sidechain a-pumpin',
And the sliders all gleam.

When I'm tweaking its knobs
All I hear is my gear,
With my hand on its send bus,
Mmm, it's like a disease, Gus.

I'm in love with my DAW,
Got a feel for my modulation wheel.
Get a grip on my piano roll bar,
Such a thrill when my Autotune squeal.

Told my baby I'd have to forget her,
Gotta buy me an arpeggiator.
I made tracks and I played to the end, now.
DAWs can talk back -- five point one-channel friends, now!

When I'm tweaking its knobs
All I hear is my gear,
When I'm freezin' to hard drive,
Don't burn no cycles on run of the mill synth jive.

I'm in love with my DAW (love with my DAW),
Got a feel for my modulation wheel.
I'm in love with my DAW (love with my DAW),
Need no glove for my audiolove.

[Dean Aka Nekro]

I have and use a BMX so maybe for me 'Bicycle Race' would be more fitting. No gears and that stuff mountain bikes, racing bikes and whatnot have...So i would not win or even finish (DNF The Story Of Dean's Life So Far). It does me alot better than a skateboard ever did. Thats progress my friends FTW

All the best as always

Dean

[samsam]

ymmv

Wow, I forgot about that one. That's one I actually use myself

[kritikon]

Amirite?

No.

[kritikon]

I'll expand just a little.

Music s/w are products, same as cars. Subject to marketing, business ideologies, pricing, competition and all the other crap. For some weird reason, many see s/w as something separate to the product world. I have no idea why. They tell me but it still makes no sense to me. You can make very similar business errors selling cars as you can music s/w. In fact music s/w is not just like cars, it's like chocolate bars, boats, houses, toasters, insurance policies and toys.

I dunno why it's susceptible to analogies with cars here, because on the surface you'd assume that most electronic music people are spotty nerds, wasting away in their bedrooms doing spotty nerdy things. Strangely though, we're not all like that at all, and quite a few here seem to be into their cars. In fact when I think back to when I first got into making electronic music, most of the people I hooked up with were the polar opposites to spotty nerds. Actually we were all wasted on the latest expensive party drugs and out there enjoying life to the full and then some. And some of those chemicals seemed to make some of us drive really quickly... . I can see the link between doof doof music and fast cars. Although it's only now I've grown older and grown up that I can afford racey little cars that I could have had huge fun in when I was younger, and no doubt killed myself in really quickly. Hey ho.

[trimph1]

I often see people making analogies between music software and cars.

Examples include bugs ("I can't imagine Ford releasing a car in which whenever you press the brake, the ignition cuts out"), piracy ("so, can I come round your house and steal your car?"), feature requests ("who would buy a car that involved paying extra to get a steering wheel") and so on.

And more often than not, these analogies are..well...kinda rubbish.

Amirite?

FORD=Found On Road, Dead. Or. Fix Or Repair Daily.

piracy...instead of stealing car...made a copy of it then sold it as if...

FR's= Well, at one time many of the features we take for granted in our cars today were options you paid extra for.

[Chuck E. Jesus]

I'm in love with my DAW