Chewed up, swallowed and spat out by technology

bachus

I just spent 2 days trying to set up midi sync between a sequencer and a daw running on different machines. The vexingly intermittent problem turned out to be a synth that has a built in sequencer that in it's default mode transmits realtime timing data. This extraneous data stream was mixed with the intended one screwing things up about half the time. I didn't figure this out till I used midiOX as a diagnostic tool. Anyway I've had quite a few days eaten up by this kind of thing--by the learning curve of operating my new studio. It gets to me at times. I try to stay sane by taking breaks every hour or so to do composition. But all this technology stuff sure can be a pain in the ass.

Anyone else want to share studio-war stories and cry on a shoulder?

mosc · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 7:03 pm Post subject:

Don't fret, this happens to everyone, at least it happens to me. Sometimes it can be very frustrating. MIDI clock routing is perhaps the most touchy and picky part of the music technology. Some synths and sequencers can not be the master or slave of others. It takes a lot of experimentation to find the right ones that can be the master.

I use MIDIOX too. I don't think I could live without it. Still, sometimes it gets messed up, or some synth out there get hung in some unknown state. Then I have to go around powering off and on my gear until things start working again Fortunately, this doesn't happen all that much, but it can be very frustrating.

aquanaut · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 9:23 pm Post subject:

I don't have a specific war story but i have spent a lot of time to understand midi so i can have a set up that can be configure differently and i too calm myself with a pencil amd music paper

zynthetix · Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:03 pm Post subject:

Skirmishes with wires happen on occassion, but that just takes a little patience to untangle or check for a bad cord. A war though....back when I upgraded to newer computer parts mixed with a new audio card and Reaktor software some problems came about. (ie random audio programs not working together despite apparently correct configurations) After too much time in all kinds of options and settings menus I discovered the problem was caused by a 0.0.1 difference in a driver. Didn't make a damn bit of sense to me how the driver magically made eveything work properly (or incorrectly to begin with), but I didn't argue with it when it started working.

when things are frustrating I like to step away from the computer and just noodle on guitar (something I don't have to think about like drilling scales or altering chord forms) while watching the idiot box (star trek or monty python make a good compliment). Soon enough the guitar gets boring and I want an instrument that can change timbres...

jkn · Joined: Mar 14, 2004 Posts: 469 Location: La Porte, IN, USA

I hardly sequence or use midi at all... so not many stories to tell there... trying to find what's feeding back, what got plugged in the wrong way, etc... ha - that I can attest to... especially when the lights are down and I forgot a flashlight... Smile

Funniest one is the freezing trip to a town a few hours away for a gig - the van broke down twice - we were freezing - and the equipment was frozen... horrible. My synths took a long time to warm up enough to do anything - one didn't start actually working until after the gig started.

Ironically - it was such a nasty storm - the bar was totally empty - it was a pointless trip. And... the bar went under after we left and their check bounced. We had a nice practice though.

If I remember right - we were the last band to play in I think SEVEN bars/clubs that all closed - and literally we were the last act to play in them. All within the same year. It was a curse I think. We shut down live music in central Illinois... it was all our fault! I know it... Wink

(most reopened under new management... ) Weird though.