From software to hardware failure

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I've been making EDM for a couple of decades, at first with analogue gear (pre DAW period) and for 15 years only with computer, DAWs and plugins.

Last week, I decided to bring back my hardware/anlogue gear from the attic and rebuild my studio.
1 week later, I feel it is a failure.
-what a mess all this audio cables everywhere across the room, I was so fed up I did not even wired the midi cables.
-I switched on the TR909, no more memory : damaged batteries ruined the battery case (I forgot to remove them)
-SH 101, TB303 and TR808, buzzy noise while moving some faders, which happilly disapears after some knobs and sliders tweakings.
-JP8000, distorted low level audio output, classic failure of one capacitor in this synth (was working fine before I stock it in the original box 15 years before, even when not used, the synth is damaged !)

Sure, the sound that comes out from hardware synths is better than most plugins but what a mess, no total recall, lot of wires, need a entire room space and adapted furniture to put the gear, fragile, not easy to integrate with DAW, no automation.
I've not been abble to make serious music for 1 week and have spent lot of time to try to find each synth the best place in order to plug it to the mixer, order parts and tools for fixing the broken gears.

I think it is not worst and I will put all this hardware back in the attic and go back to the computer wich is more user friendly.

Can you share your experience and tell how you deal with hardware setup and how you include it with your DAW ?

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For every story like this, you'll find someone who loves hardware and claims they can't work with software because of a "constant" need for updates, crashes, bugs, etc.

Old hardware definitely does fail. Jacks get wonky, pots get scratchy, soldered-in CMOS batteries die, and so on.

Old software fails too. I lost some license keys when I switched to my current computer. Developers go out of business and you can't download the old versions you depended on. Moving from 32 to 64 bit meant saying goodbye to several plugins.

I use a good-sized Eurorack modular, a Microbrute (soon a Reface CS), a couple of FX pedals, a Behringer UMC1820 interface and Maschine 2. Aside from the least-used jack on one of my modules being a little fussy, there are no technical problems with any of it.

But I've left a trail of dead hardware and abandoned software in my wake :hihi:

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everything dies.
without death, there is no life.

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"and tell how you deal with hardware setup and how you include it"

aaaaand, no. I don't. It's not worth the space it requires, let alone the dusting. I'm not being flippant either.

<The sound from any hardware synths is better than most plugins>, not a useful assertion to me in any way.
One could assert conversely most hardware synths don't sound like anything, which is of no particular use either. Horses for courses.
I just don't have any pressing musical need for any synthesizer which requires hardware other than my computer. Synths are not the be-all end-all for me as it seems to be for many, to begin with.

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I have a lot of hardware, but none of it is a synth or an fx. First I have computers, and a huge collection of controllers. Thanks god most of them USB connected (need three big hubs to connect all of it...)
I even have very old ancient hardware, namely an old adb Apple keyboard and a Kensington adb trackball. There is also an ancient Yamaha CBX-K1 and a Fostex MixTAB. They still work flawless, but it would be no problem to replace them if they start failing. (They don’t have a sound of their own)
Except for a Poly 800, I have emulations of any hardware I owned or wanted-to-own-but-could-not-afford in the past. Thats enough to feed my memories...

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foosnark wrote: Fri May 17, 2019 12:32 pm For every story like this, you'll find someone who loves hardware and claims they can't work with software because of a "constant" need for updates, crashes, bugs, etc.
And what a nonsense that is.

1. Software doesn't need to be constantly updated...
2. Software doesn't commonly crash.
3. Software doesn't commonly have bugs.

Seems like quite a desperate try to sugarcoat a hardware craze. When i take a look at the OP, those are real issues with most old, or even newer hardware. None of the things i listed are real issues with most software, even old one.

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I buy hardware, play around with it a lot but find that 90% of the tracks are made with VSTs. I think I've spent about £6k in the last 18 months on synths and bits and not actually used most of it in an actual tune.

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I have a both.. Way too many vst's I hardly use and 4 nice hw synths.. Couple digital and couple analogs. Analog poly and one insane analog mono is on my buy list but then it's no more hw for me. Except maybe volca bass for toying in bed before going to sleep, to give my brain a good night kiss.

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I have both. One doesn't rule out the other. To me, hardware (granted, my oldest synth is from the late 90s) rarely fails and you can use it without turning on the computer. That is instantly appealing to me. I also love having a "real" instrument - the feel of it and all. I have 10 HW synths at the moment but buy and sell all the time.
On the other hand, working in the box is easier in many ways and software plugins often offer something Hardware doesnt. I'm yet to see the equivalent of Omnisphere or Morphestra in hardware form.

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chk071 wrote: Wed Jun 26, 2019 7:48 amSeems like quite a desperate try to sugarcoat a hardware craze. When i take a look at the OP, those are real issues with most old, or even newer hardware. None of the things i listed are real issues with most software, even old one.
I agree it's an exaggeration. Especially the bit about how much time people have to spend updating.

I do get really frustrated with Sound Forge Pro 10 crashing frequently... but I still use it and rely on it. When I tried version 12 it crashed immediately on startup. When I've tried other software it lacks essential features that are part of my workflow.

It's foolish to pretend hardware has no advantages, or that software has no advantages, or that neither has disadvantages... or that a lot of it just comes down to personal preference.

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My software synths, I mean 'synth' in the strict sense, exhibit no bugs and most of them aren't updated more than once.

The two Minimoogs I worked with in my life are both long dead.

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Hardware failure ggrrhhh

My main data disk with all my ddls went down today.

Sent disk off to a recovery specialist. Now waiting for a huge bill to restore a mirror of the drive I lost, and hope all my licences and daw find the restored dlls otherwise it'll be a fortnight of hell :eek: :-x :oops: :-o :-o :-o :bang:

btw I have a cupboard of roland JV1080s and the likes.

Saving them for one fine day ....

maybe there's enough cables with all the power supplies to existing kit with adding more :borg:
Member 12, Studio One v6.5, VPS Avenger, Kontakt 7, Spitfire, Dune, Arturia, Sonible, Baby Audio, CableGuys, Nektar Panorama P1, Vaporizer 2 to test out

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I once did a thing that I liked, but then didn't like. When I tried to like it again, I didn't like it so much, but I still liked it in a different way than the thing I originally liked, then thought I didn't like so much.

I just wanted you to know.

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I don't really have any desire for vintage or larger pieces of hardware, but have a Behringer Neutron and a Roland SE-02.

I have an Arturia Keystep running into both of them so I can play keyboard notes or set up a sequencer input, and I run the audio out from both into the mixer that my main (non-piano) keyboard runs its audio outputs into.

Both are output to my USB hub which I connect a MacBook Pro to as master, so I can use a DAW or my Novation Launchpad to control either of them.

The setup is pretty small, and doesn't have a ton of cables running everywhere. It's pretty flexible, but what I like most about it is how I can use the MacBook to control them and tweak them in real time.

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After getting rid of a mountain of Hardware synths a few years back, I definitely missed (at least some of ) them. This year I have decided to add a few pieces back. So far I have a King Korg, which is OK but probably not worth hanging onto and was probably a poorly researched buy, a Moog Subsequent 37 which is an absolute joy to play and will definitely be a keeper and finally a TX81Z which was just a silly bloody impulse buy and will definitely be sold on.

For the most part, I find software to be generally more efficient and ready to go without much mucking around...but a finely crafted HW synth with lots of knobular goodness and a nice hefty sound can be a real inspiration to just get playing. I think I will always have one or two HW synths in the future, but the majority will live in my computer.

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