Members coyote-1 Posted March 20, 2009 Members Share Posted March 20, 2009 I wasn't addressing the guy in question, I was addressing the concept of "downsizing always seems to be a good idea". Understand that I'm in no sense whatsoever a paragon of gluttony. I live quite frugally wherever possible. But I'm also aware that a hammer and screwdriver do nowhere near as good a job of carving wood as a hammer and wood chisel. So I'm not gonna downsize my wood shop to just a hammer and screwdriver - I'm gonna retain the chisels. I won't even onsider getting rid of them until I decide never to carve wood again! I've always sorta viewed music gear through that lens too. Hence my comment about the "Swiss Army Knife" keyboard - it can do many things OK in a pinch, but compared to the real tool it usually does nowhere near as good a job. I guess I'm basically the opposite of that guy who comes here now and again admonishing us all for having more than one keyboard I didnt watch this very carefully... but it seemed to me that he had just a morif rack there anyway and a PC... (plus some controllers). Not huge downsizing. Still though 5K is a lot of money... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metrosonus Posted March 20, 2009 Members Share Posted March 20, 2009 as long as everything has a purpose and you use it, i think it's fine i think what some people forget in these discussions is gear acquired over years and decades even as well as sentimental / intrinsic value. i generally advocate smaller setups myself, but you have to understand your purpose with the gear. some people get a thrill from buying and buying and then piss and moan about never getting anything done. if you can't sit down and at least do something, that's between you and you. then on the other hand, and i completely agree, many people have said know the gear inside and out before buying another one. I guess these downsizing discussions get irritating because I can't understand why people think less will help them do something they can't do with the gear they already have. time issues, cabling problems, repair issues, life / spouse ect.. aside. I guess I'm basically the opposite of that guy who comes here now and again admonishing us all for having more than one keyboard it's about time the shoe was on the other foot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members InsideLookinOut Posted March 20, 2009 Members Share Posted March 20, 2009 This is an interesting thread. I got the Miko in 2006 when they first were introduced for $1999. That was a great starting price. I just added a second HD and 2G of RAM and dual core which moved the price up a little. fast forward to the present. I use the Miko in my home studio and integrate all of my vintage boards and mpc into it. I run everything into a twelve channel analog mixer and then in the Miko. I have some vst instruments on board as well. I think it's a very hands on piece of gear versus a pc and other various items I've tried to make work together in the past. The touchscreen is a big plus for navigating, though i use a mouse for some things. Open Labs have the best customer service of any gear I've ever bought. I had an issue with something and set up a remote session with a tech. The next day he connected to my machine via internet connection and checked out my machine. The problem was solved and I'm back in action. Let's see if you can get that kind of service from any computer or workstation manufacturer. It's not that they are an all in one solution,but the fact that I can have a problem detected and solved within minutes. That beats all other computer recording options for my money. I still keep my Akai Dps16 around for recording the band. It's small and compact for travel. But eventually everything ends up in the Miko:thu: http://openlabs.com/artists.htmlIt's not just hiphop and r-n-b guys using their gear. That's a ridiculous notion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yoozer Posted March 20, 2009 Members Share Posted March 20, 2009 Sorry if I missed anyone pointing out that Open Labs' Generation 5 workstations will now carry KARMA OL. Cool guy, cool ideas, cool demo, but good god, let him talk to the Ableton people - they'll improve that embossed-button dark-sliders-on-dark-background stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members InsideLookinOut Posted March 20, 2009 Members Share Posted March 20, 2009 They even have a term for that: gorilla arm.Touchscreens means fingerprint-covered greasy screens too. No thanks.I'd rather have a larger capacitive non-screen touchpad with multitouch, I think. The variety of gestures could replace a lot of shortcut combinations. My touchscreen 2 1/2 years on, looks like the day it arrived. I guess if you had some fried chicken or bbq and then start jammin there might be a problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jasontarkus Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 Open Labs have the best customer service of any gear I've ever bought. I had an issue with something and set up a remote session with a tech. The next day he connected to my machine via internet connection and checked out my machine. The problem was solved and I'm back in action. Let's see if you can get that kind of service from any computer or workstation manufacturer. http://openlabs.com/artists.html It's not just hiphop and r-n-b guys using their gear. That's a ridiculous notion! yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mediterranean Posted March 21, 2009 Author Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 Part 2 of the arrival of his workstation. Look at the manufacturer's live webcast on his screen. I love the fact that you can ask them questions and get answers live! He also got a phone call from Open Labs regarding a tech issue, while he was recording this vid. Seems OL has excellent tech support [but shouldn't they for the money their customers spent on this?] [YOUTUBE]WUN3Ritezc0[/YOUTUBE] And damnnnn, didn't know Ann Coulter was into synths!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 I really don't see the NeKo necessarily as a downsizing measure -- though for some it certainly may be -- or as an "all in one" solution. It seems to me that the NeKo would make a nice hub for a studio setup that includes other synths as well. That's how I would use it. I also have to say it's refreshing to see someone get that excited over a piece of new gear. Sure, it's a small studio, but it's a big deal to him. More power to him. I know it may seem self-indulgent to make a YouTube video about it, but the hip hop / R&B community is sort of different that way. It's more or less expected that one would make some noise and show what you've got. The kind of gear you use is sort of a social movement that people within the community like to talk about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stikygum Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 I think if Apple ever came out with something like the Miko, I'd be all over it. I know and like to use Logic enough now to not want to switch to another sequencer. Not like it's that big of a deal to learn another sequencer, but that would feel like I'm regressing a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stikygum Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 The kind of gear you use is sort of a social movement that people within the community like to talk about. Kinda like us here at KSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tjwett Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 what they don't mention is these all ship with a MAJOR flaw from the factory. something called "Windows". shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vintagekeys Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 Tis True!!! LOL OSX all the way.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShakaCthulu Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 This is an interesting thread. I got the Miko in 2006 when they first were introduced for $1999. That was a great starting price. I just added a second HD and 2G of RAM and dual core which moved the price up a little. WTH, why'd they stop offering these? They priced themselves out of a huge market! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NuSkoolTone Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 oOH! A "producer/engineer" with prosumer gear stepping up to the big time by buying a keyboard/pc hybrid. Oh DO go on! These are the things I don't understand. Guys like this make this video and thinks ANYONE would care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted March 21, 2009 Members Share Posted March 21, 2009 oOH! A "producer/engineer" with prosumer gear stepping up to the big time by buying a keyboard/pc hybrid.Oh DO go on!These are the things I don't understand. Guys like this make this video and thinks ANYONE would care. I take your point, but I think there's more to it than that. There are people who actually do watch videos like this and make their gear choices based on what they see. The hip hop community is very much this way. I.e. It's not just about music, but also about style, and even envy. It's a big deal to show something off like a NeKo and have others want one based on that exposure. Plus, let's face it, YouTube has become its own subculture of "Look at me, doing nothing particularly important." Compared to many videos online, this one actually falls somewhere in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Swami Digital Posted March 22, 2009 Members Share Posted March 22, 2009 Plus, let's face it, YouTube has become its own subculture of "Look at me, doing nothing particularly important." Compared to many videos online, this one actually falls somewhere in the middle. This is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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