Home Studios...getting smaller and smaller...

Hello all!

I know we rarely discuss music production stuff, but I it occured to me that many of us, and my otehr electronic composing/musician buddies are mostly all going the computer route and dumping their hardware. Two years ago, this was my set up:


Korg Triton Studio
Korg Triton LE
Korg M1
Yamaha Motif 6
Yamaha DX7
Waldorf Micro Q
Novation K Station
Roland S-50
Korg d1600
Yamaha 01v
Yamaha spx90
HP notebook computer


Today, looking at my studio:

Dell Inspiron 9200 notebook
HP notebook
oxygen 8
keystation 61es


I can actually carry around my gear in a small backpack these days.


Anyone else experiencing this thing? No matter how much i still like my hardware, I just thing the sounds we can get out of the computer thesedays are just superior. You no longer need to use effects sends to put a delay on a synth or add a chorus effect to that darn DX7 digital piano!


I was initially introduced to VST's and other software thru a DJ friend of mine. He was using Live and I asked him, can you use the computer and a synth? He pulled up CubaseVST and some native plug in and I was blown away.

Some synth purists will also say that you can't get the "warmth" of the hardware synths, especially the old analog stuff, but I don't think that is completely true anymore.

What is your current set up?

That pretty cool Seablade. It's exactly the trend I'm seeing in that the computer becomes the centerpiece, instead of having tons of outboard gear.
The only problematic issue I'm facing, is that I sometimes want to throw my mouse at the wall. Turning virtual knobs, especially when you want to change micro values leads to headaches sometimes because you have to move the mouse very slow with a lot of precision to get the value you want. On top of that, carpal tunnel syndrome! and the other being a worsening of my vision staring at the screens!

That is a nice set up by the way. You monitors are great.

I still have most of my hardware keyboards, but they are now seldom plugged in....

Man!

Here's the thing though...I have, in the last year, tried to use hardware control surface. Most basic, is the m-audio oxygen8. The thing is, it takes time to set up, and while doing things such as mixing or adding effects, the set up time just to set the know to control, say, a vco or lfo, or even to tweak some virtual effects controls, would be longer than to just take the mouse, put the pointer over the knob, and tweak. It's kind of hard to explain. As for having a control surface for virtual mixing, the same thing applies to me. I have some mixes that have more than 100 tracks. Some of the tracks are just snippets of audio or midi, but to have to assign each to a control would take years! okay overexagerating...

I won't complain anymore..............the mouse still rules!



thanks guys



btw, some guys are using tablets with Live!