Features Existing Gear Needs

[Anderton]

I'll start the ball rolling with this: Every synth should have a limiter at the output. That way if there's some wicked resonance, you don't kill any speakers or small animals.

[Anderton]

Here's another one: Can we decide once and for all whether a red LED means you're actually clipping, or about to clip? I've seen gear handle it both ways. Personally, I prefer having it light a dB or two prior to clipping. You should be leaving at least that much headroom anyway, and if there's no red - no clipping.

[bp]

All Moogs should have tuners built in. I've shared this request with Mike Adams.

[UltramegaOK]

Not quite practical to implement, but it would be really cool if every audio production device including guitars came with built-in analog and digital wired+wireless connection capability.

 

It would require some specialized switching and syncing, but to be "wire-free" and easily push a couple of buttons to connect your chain for recording or performing = awesome!

[MikeRivers]

 

Here's another one: Can we decide once and for all whether a red LED means you're actually clipping, or about to clip? I've seen gear handle it both ways.

 

Other than the specialized ones like Mytek makes, I don't think I've seen a sensible LED meter since we've "gone digital." How much can you learn when the next LED down from CLIP is -10?

 

Everything should have analog VU meters with real pointers, and a scale that goes to +3.

[cooterbrown]

 

I'll start the ball rolling with this: Every synth should have a limiter at the output. That way if there's some wicked resonance, you don't kill any speakers or small animals.

 

 

Then you'd be taking away the secret weapons of synth-players, everywhere (note I said synth-players...not keyboardists).

We only use our LFO's, square waves, and rez filters for good - HONEST!

[Ernest Buckley]

Every electric guitar should have a built in tuner.

 

Every mute button on a mixer should send the signal to a separate stereo output.

 

Scrolling through pages upon pages on a tiny screen on any gear should be grounds for life in prison.

 

All mics should automatically mute if the singer sucks.

 

Roland and Korg should be forced to write manuals that people can actually read. Hire Mr. Rivers!

 

Craig Anderton for President of the World!

 

Behringer HQ should be bombed.

 

Thank you, Good Night.

[Beck]

The LED meters on all digital recording gear should have a red LED at the lowest point at which the sampling is still adequate. I

[MikeRivers]

 

Every electric guitar should have a built in tuner.

 

Every electric guitar should have an instruction manual. Not all of them are wired the same, but most have the same layout of switches and knobs. It would be nice to know what you're actually doing when you turn the knobs and slide the switches.

 

Every mute button on a mixer should send the signal to a separate stereo output.

 

You've been using Mackie semi-four-bus mixers for too long. Every mute button should mute the channel, but you should be able to configure what paths don't mute. Sometimes you want (some or all) aux sends muted, other times you don't.

 

Scrolling through pages upon pages on a tiny screen on any gear should be grounds for life in prison.

 

Same for having to scroll through pages and pages on a computer screen if you want to learn how to do something. Everything needs a real manual, and I shouldn't have to print it.

 

All mics should automatically mute if the singer sucks.

 

That's why we have engineers and producers.

 

Roland and Korg should be forced to write manuals that people can actually read. Hire Mr. Rivers! Craig Anderton for President of the World!

 

Good ideas, both of 'em.

 

Behringer HQ should be bombed.

 

Some of my friends from Mackie still work there. Get them out first.

[mcmike100]

Mixers should have a high pass filter on every channel with selectable frequency.

[MikeRivers]

 

Mixers should have a high pass filter on every channel with selectable frequency.

 

Maybe rather than features that existing gear needs, we need customers who understand why some mixers have features that others don't. Many mixers have high pass filters, some have a choice of frequencies (though sometimes the choice of frequencies isn't want we'd like), some have no high pass filters at all. It tends to go roughly along with cost, however. If you need this feature, you can get it if you pay for it, but if you don't know you need it and buy the cheapest mixer that will otherwise do the job, you may find that you miss it.

 

I think that all mixers should be built fully modular, with a choice of mic preamp modules, EQ modules, and faders (just fader, automated, motorized), but that would probably set the minimum cost at about $10,000 for a 16x8. But then with a bar at that level, maybe there wouldn't be as much crap recorded as there is in the world where there are $250 mixers. But that's another discussion.

[SomeoneYouKnew]

Here's another one: Can we decide once and for all whether a red LED means you're actually clipping, or about to clip? I've seen gear handle it both ways. Personally, I prefer having it light a dB or two prior to clipping. You should be leaving at least that much headroom anyway, and if there's no red - no clipping.

Single red clipping LEDs shall henceforth be illegal. All clipping leds will now travel in pairs. Yellow to indicate near-clipping, red to indicate clipping.

[blue2blue]

 

Other than the specialized ones like Mytek makes, I don't think I've seen a sensible LED meter since we've "gone digital." How much can you learn when the next LED down from CLIP is -10? Everything should have analog VU meters with real pointers, and a scale that goes to +3.

 

VU meters, with their dampened transient ballistics, seem a pretty poor choice for digital recording where a sudden spiking transient can put a nasty zero-crash permanently in your signal.

 

I grew up on VU's but when I moved into digital, I found that they seemed particularly ill-suited to the peculiarities of the transcription medium.

 

(But the worst, in my view, are those 'cute' animated VU graphics on plugs and such. Please do not waste my CPU resources which such foolishness. A well-segmented LED-style peak meter is, to my tastes and purposes, at least equally visually informative, with far less processing load.)

[blue2blue]

 

I think that all mixers should be built fully modular, with a choice of mic preamp modules, EQ modules, and faders (just fader, automated, motorized), but that would probably set the minimum cost at about $10,000 for a 16x8. But then with a bar at that level, maybe there wouldn't be as much crap recorded as there is in the world where there are $250 mixers. But that's another discussion.

 

I don't agree.

 

Look at the crap that's coming from the major studios.

 

I firmly believe there is a hell of a lot more real, genuine music coming out of small and home studios.

 

Is it a rising tide that has lifted all boats -- meaning that there's a lot more of everything -- including stuff that would have possibly never found a budget in the old days? Maybe.

 

But I've been listening to bits and pieces from the LA Nuggets anthology of mid 60s music from the LA studios lately, which, unlike the garage band dominated original Nuggets anthologies, seems to be almost entirely efforts from commercial writers (Boyce and Heart, others) and professional studio types. And most of it is truly, truly garbage.

 

Really, the music industry is in the shape its in because the people with the money in the industry are the gatekeepers -- and this crap we hear on the top 40 is what they let through and pay to put on the radio and TV and to promote through street-teaming and so-called viral/social marketing.

 

 

__________

 

 

ADDED:

 

With regard to UI's and documentation. Everything should have well organized, properly indexed and structured documentation that can be instantly and throroughly searched and accessed.

 

But a good UI, written to existing conventions and best practices -- and only diverting from those when there is an innovation that is truly useful(and, in the event that that innovation is a major change from an existing app's previous implementation, a way to access the familiar UI, when possible and pertinent) -- can make resort to the docs a mostly rare necessity.

 

For instance, after a long and often enormously frustrating tour through various affordable, free, LE, and other non-linear video editors, I finally broke down and tried Sony's Vegas. What I found was that the program worked very well, efficiently allowing on the fly edits and instant preview -- and only requiring one or two very brief dips into the online documentation. Mostly -- overwhelmingly, since I was used to things like Avid Free DV, which I never could get to work properly -- Vegas just worked as expected, and many of the conventions I was used to from DAW work in the unrelated Sonar were mirrored in the Vegas UI, everything from automated cross fades, non-destructive slip-editing, 'roll-down' corner fade controls, rubber band automation, etc.

 

 

With regard to printed manuals. I don't have the room or the interest in storing them. I would much, much rather have the whole documentation in the kind of well-structured, easy to search online format that brings the info right to where I need it.

 

And printing out docs?

 

Please.

 

That's just wasteful. In the old days of crummy CRT text presentation, it was sometimes justifiable, and I, myself, went through reams of paper printing out everything from news articles to online manuals and docs. But even before I got my first LCD monitor, I'd grown away from that, since my old house had become stacked with such print outs, many of them read once, if at all.

[MikeRivers]

 

Single red clipping LEDs shall henceforth be illegal. All clipping leds will now travel in pairs. Yellow to indicate near-clipping, red to indicate clipping.

 

How near clipping? That's the question. But yellow is good. It suggests that you're playing chicken with the A/D converter, just daring it to clip.

[MikeRivers]

 

(But the worst, in my view, are those 'cute' animated VU graphics on plugs and such.

 

Agreed. Of course with software and hardware capable of doing 32-bit arithmetic, there's plenty of internal digital headroom. You just have to make sure that that the final D/A converter doesn't get bashed.

[MikeRivers]

With regard to UI's and documentation. Everything should have well organized, properly indexed and structured documentation that can be instantly and throroughly searched and accessed.

I come from the period, and I think you do, too, where every piece of gear had a printed manual that not only told you how to hook it up and operate it, but it contained schematics, parts list, and adjustment and service procedures. But today things aren't built for user service and the competitive nature of the business precludes publication of anything that might help another company make something like it. Let 'em work for their clones.

But a good UI, written to existing conventions and best practices -- and only diverting from those when there is an innovation that is truly useful(and, in the event that that innovation is a major change from an existing app's previous implementation, a way to access the familiar UI, when possible and pertinent) -- can make resort to the docs a mostly rare necessity.

This is certainly true with software, but for those of us who still use hardware, we need to know what the nominal operating levels are, where the gain controls are in the circuit, stuff like that. Most mixers are pretty much alike, but so many people who buy one have no clue as to how to connect and use it. I don't think that every manual should be a complete "how to set up your studio" tutorial, but there should be some basic instruction in there. Most mixer manuals are pretty decent about this. It's the customers who have become accustomed to not reading manuals and just ask on a forum.

With regard to printed manuals. I don't have the room or the interest in storing them. I would much, much rather have the whole documentation in the kind of well-structured, easy to search online format that brings the info right to where I need it.

Can I have both, please? There's nothing like searching through a PDF when you have some familiarity with a device or a program and have a pretty good idea of what you're looking for. But I really like to sit on the couch and read through the manual when I get a new piece of gear. It helps me to get oriented. And even with software, I find it easier to have the manual open in front of me where I can move it in and out of my view (and my way) while I'm looking at the computer screen. I've occasionally had to resort to bringing a laptop computer into the studio, putting it on the desk, and opening up the PDF manual on that, while running the program on its computer.

And printing out docs? Please.

Yes, please do it for me and put it in the box. I rarely print out a PDF-only manual though I've often printed selected pages because they're things that I don't remember easily and it's easier to look at a piece of paper than to open up another file.

 

Sorry, I want manuals, printed, and useful

[Hard Truth]

Wall warts should be banned. All external power supplies should use line lumps.

 

There should only be a handful of generic external power supply types so that finding a replacement is never a problem.

 

All rackmounted devices should have a power switch on the front unless there is a very good reason why it should stay on all the time.

 

We need standards for connector layouts on rack mounted devices. All power connectors should be on the same side-left is probably best. All inputs should be located above the outputs.

[Magpel]

Every plugin should have tap tempo.

[UltramegaOK]

 

Every plugin should have tap tempo.

 

 

I like this suggestion a lot.

[pbognar]

Every multi channel guitar amp should have separate tone controls for each channel, should be MIDI switchable, have a switchable serial effects loop with send and return levels.

 

Oh, did I mention that there should be a minimum of 3 channels, the clean channel should sound like a spanky clean Fender, the 2nd channel should have a crunchy Marshall sound and feel, and the 3rd, a smooth solo sound which practically plays itself?

 

Oh yeah, and switchable wattage levels for each channel...

 

Wait - they should weigh no more than 45lbs. And no tubes, but sound just like tubes.

[blue2blue]

(But the worst, in my view, are those 'cute' animated VU graphics on plugs and such. Agreed. Of course with software and hardware capable of doing 32-bit arithmetic, there's plenty of internal digital headroom. You just have to make sure that that the final D/A converter doesn't get bashed.

Agreed on all major counts, but just try explaining VU meter ballistics and how they relate to digital audio to the run of the mill of today's 'engineers.'

 

I ran into more than a few mechanical meters that also had peak lights on them and I found them extremely useful in those days.

[blue2blue]

I come from the period, and I think you do, too, where every piece of gear had a printed manual that not only told you how to hook it up and operate it, but it contained schematics, parts list, and adjustment and service procedures. But today things aren't built for user service and the competitive nature of the business precludes publication of anything that might help another company make something like it. Let 'em work for their clones. This is certainly true with software, but for those of us who still use hardware, we need to know what the nominal operating levels are, where the gain controls are in the circuit, stuff like that. Most mixers are pretty much alike, but so many people who buy one have no clue as to how to connect and use it. I don't think that every manual should be a complete "how to set up your studio" tutorial, but there should be some basic instruction in there. Most mixer manuals are pretty decent about this. It's the customers who have become accustomed to not reading manuals and just ask on a forum. Can I have both, please? There's nothing like searching through a PDF when you have some familiarity with a device or a program and have a pretty good idea of what you're looking for. But I really like to sit on the couch and read through the manual when I get a new piece of gear. It helps me to get oriented. And even with software, I find it easier to have the manual open in front of me where I can move it in and out of my view (and my way) while I'm looking at the computer screen. I've occasionally had to resort to bringing a laptop computer into the studio, putting it on the desk, and opening up the PDF manual on that, while running the program on its computer. Yes, please do it for me and put it in the box. I rarely print out a PDF-only manual though I've often printed selected pages because they're things that I don't remember easily and it's easier to look at a piece of paper than to open up another file. Sorry, I want manuals, printed, and useful

Well... there was a point when I would get a new piece of gear (or software, for that matter) and I would set aside quality time to go through the print manual -- because I simply enjoyed reading it.

 

But that was a lot of software and hardware ago. (And, of course, I always appreciated a good UI, no matter how good the manual was.)

 

I would suggest that, considering how few folks feel as you do about printed manuals these days that a much more responsible approach would be to not include a printed manual but allow qualified users to purchase the manual at cost from an on-demand source (Amazon and others have very affordable book-on-demand production capabilities). They could give give credits or discounts or whatever they wished. I would just like to make sure that no one prints up a manual on my account (assuming there's a modicum of appropriate electronic domumentation readily available and properly searchable).

 

I will say that, particularly in the case of printed manuals, I've been extremely underwhelmed by the indexes in many manuals.

 

When electronic publications management first started revolutionizing the print industry in the late 70s and particularly in the 80s, I naively assumed that would mean a big increase in the completeness and effectiveness of document indexes. But the reality was considerably more perverse. It seemed like the quality of indexes actually went downhill through the 80s and into the 90s -- probably because the highly trained pros who used to do document indexing 'by hand' were forced out by cost-cutting and replaced by electronic document management jockies who'd never had any experience in constructing indexes the 'old-fashioned' way.

 

And continuing that perverse streak, it seems like, even today, electronic documentation is still poorly served by most of the indexed searching available as part of the presentation apps.

 

Just give me the opportunity to do a search on the raw contents myself. That's all I ask. That's often far superior to what you get in various online help/doc indexed searches.

[the stranger]

I think the people who want to bomb factories are the same ones who want to burn books.

[Coaster]

i like the analog VU meter in the nomad limter plug in; i wouldnt have it any other way - its just perfect and behaves similar to the 1176. that is the one exception though, in all other plugs i have seen it is a waste.

 

but not the nomad, a damn fine limiter with an excellent analog vu.