Oasys and audio gear versus Nikon D200 - poll

[przemm]

Hi there,

First of all I am sorry for the long post - I treated it a therapy after having to spend several additional hours on the current project due to DAW failure.
First a few words about myself - I run a project studio that features Oasys of course and some other high end gear like Apogee Symphony with their top converters, Eventide H8000FW, Bricasti M7, Lexicon PCM96, Euphonix MC Pro (the big boy) and other toys. I run Logic on latest Mac Pro with top plugins like Waves Classic, SPL, Abbey Road, VSL. I don't want to brag but to give the background.
As a keen photographer I have been using Nikon D200.
Why did I mentioned it? - I have taken thousands of pics and the camera has NEVER failed - shot after shot it performs flawlessly. I can hardly imagine the situation that I want to make a gorgeous picture and the shutter stops half way or something. Never - neither analog nor digital photo gear I have owned.
I can't tell the same about audio gear - quite on the contrary it is a real disaster. Let's have a look at the following scenario - the inspiration strikes so I sit down to the mighty O and try to sketch some ideas. My Oasys likes to freeze from time to time. Also I discover that my audio is shifted or dissapeared. Well, suppose I managed to sketch something and want to transfer it to Logic - I got many midi problems with Logic and Oasys but somehow I manage to lay basic tracks while encoutering a couple of Logic crashes and quirks. I want to add a lush Lex reverb as a plugin as promised by Lexicon - upssss -crash - ok, I will go analog this time. Next I lose all my bank assignments in Euphonix - ok, I will manage without it. Then I put Waves compressor on the kick drum - that hurts - massive overload on all channels - well, I will not use that compressor in that project. Then out of the blue Logic loses audio on all tracks and output but I can listen to each wav file. Reexport all files to a new project and spend hours on remixing.

What is up with the audio industry? - I am not playing with toys but devices designed to work in a professional environment. I am a computer power user. It is not a problem of my Mac or PCs that I previously used. Before I used Yamaha gear - lots of problems with mLan stability. Bought an Oasys - audio vanished many times. Switched to TC Electronic - even more problems with stability plus fuctions that again don't work at all and everybody knows about the issue and the company have been solving the problems for two years. Switched to Apogee, Apple and Euphonix - well problems again. What's up? A curse?
I have a quick glimpse on SW/hardware forums
- EastWest - hundreds of dissapointed Play library users
- Cubase/Nuendo - basic SW bugs like Solo/Mute function
- M-audio - lots of complaints
- Presonus - the same
- Tascam - the same
- Native Instruments - the same
(please add a company of your choice)

I know that we are using the HW and SW from different manufactures, conflicts, lack of optimalization... But again I take my Nikon and make a photo after photo and it just works. Everytime. Pure pleasure, just me and my photo object. Shouldn't music creation be the same? Is it just a dream? We are thinking about the future of workstations and concentrate on new functions and solutions - but what about the stability and the workflow - that is more important than a new plugin, sound library or effect, isn't it? I just need the system that works every time I switch it on and don't have to worry about crashes, issues, quirks. I am missing it. And you?

I thought that Oasys will be a D200 of audio geas - stable, reliable, all-in-one music production system. For me, it is not due to audio shifting and crashes. I wonder if I am an exeption or you also experience some problems - that is the reason for the poll.

BTW, I love my Oasys more and more every day and think it is worth every cent I spent on it:-). It sounds just amazing when you get into tweaking it!!!

[sirCombatWombat]

I have had my share of mLan problems! I had previously the 01x and i88x. I considered switching to TC gear but then read about the shoddy drivers. Alfter some research I invested in RME FireFace400 and all problems just went away.

One possible problem worth checking out that I have had my fair share of is bad electricity. I mean it can have the most bizarre effects on anything. I bought the APC Smart-UPS 1500 for my studio and no worries from that direction anymore either.

I have to mention that I love my new Canon EOS 5D Mark II, but I have to say my OASYS is just as reliable. Though I wouldn't haul the OASYS to the winter forest with me.

[Kevin Nolan]

My OASYS is absolutely rock solid. It has never crashed in three years I've been using it, and I have to say, given it's made as an updatable operating system - with only several thousand users as its entire user base - is an absolutely awesome achievement by Korg.

It may be among the best software/hardware devices ever created. When you consider the range of mind-bending features - such as ridiculously complex realtime MIDI through Karma, and a software modular synth that never crashes, to name just two features - that work outrageously well - and when you consider that they developed low-level and super-efficient code for the Intel processor inside, INCLUDING quite unique code to give low-aliasing oscillators for example, and when you consider the complexity of the instrument and its interconnectness of component features; I think Korg have probably produced one of the THE most supreme pieces of hardware/software based technology - ever. And I mean - EVER.

When you consider just how many resources Microsoft throw at _just_ windows, and how buggy it has been traditionally; then you begin to appreciate how awesome OASYS is.

To add to it - every time Korg (and any audio technology company for that matter) - come out with a new product, they have to :

- invent and design new hardware
- invent design and develop new unique and innovative musical features
- invent and develop new software applications
- invent design and develop a new operating system, every time.

As said - considering just how tiny the OASYS user base is - what we have at our disposal is absolutely beyond comprehension quality-wise.

By comparison - in the past when the awesome and classic synths such as the Prophet 5 or CS80 were made - as awesome as they were - they were a nightmare stability-wise. Opening up a CS80 is an scary experience - no busses - instead - telephone-exchange quantities o f bunches of hundreds of wires linking its various components. And all because Yamaha could not justify mass production techniques on something that would only sell 2000 units or so.

So given just how few OASYS there are - I honestly cannot believe how incredibly well featured and stable itis.

All that said, none of this negates your obvious problems and I hope you find resolutions for them. And I totally agree with the often apparent lack of professionalism in the audio industry when compared to other technical industries in these particular areas:
----- Often less than professional technical support
----- Lack of industry standards or agreements across major music/audio technology manufacturers

I agree it is very frustrating when companies such as EastWest fail to address technical problems (apparently there are substantial problems with their new 'Play' engine which they seem not to be addressing) - but I have to honestly say that for me the mind boggles how such small companies as Korg - and even bigger companies such as Yamaha - come up with multiple brand new instruments with new O/S's, new interfaces, new musical technology and so on - every year - and usually working incredibly stable. Truly awesome by any standards.

Kevin.

[curvebender]

I've only experienced ten or so crashes since I got my O back in july 2007 if I remember correctly.

Although I've managed to freeze it a couple of times today, but it's most probably due to MIDI feedback loops and such. (I have been trying to get my Oasys and Logic to sing and dance together, but no such luck yet..)

[nottheman]

I didn't vote since I fall in between the first two. I don't have anywhere near weekly crashes but no crashes or quirks isn't right either. Put me down for crashes or quirks every month or so

[nitecrawler]

I didn't vote since I fall in between the first two. I don't have anywhere near weekly crashes but no crashes or quirks isn't right either. Put me down for crashes or quirks every month or so

Ditto

[MrT-Man]

Yeah, me too -- probably more like once every other month. (though I wouldn't call myself a power user.)

[markuk]

If you really want the Korg Oasys version of a camera then you need a Nikon F6 or D3x. The F6 is the most beautiful camera ive ever held.
The D200 with its cropped sensor is an arranger

[Mike Conway]

No problems with audio tracks. I'm currently scoring the EXILE project, using the OASYS sequencer - 16 MIDI tracks of internal sounds and overlaying my Virus TI on audio tracks. I'm about 35 songs (pieces) in, without a glitch!

That is not to say that my OASYS never freezes, but it is about once every month or two. I find no surprise with this, because it is a P4 computer and is more complex than the processors of other synths. By comparison, the previous score I did utilized the Roland Fantom sequencer, for over half the work, and about 20 songs on the OASYS. The Fantom had more lockups.

I try to baby my OASYS. It is mainly studio based (in my home), but it makes the occasional trip to mom's house, in Arizona.





Click HERE for another angle

I have to mention that I love my new Canon EOS 5D Mark II, but I have to say my OASYS is just as reliable.

Ooh la la!! Me want! I have an HD video camera, but I would love to supplement it with the Canon's low light HD and switchable lenses. Very nice tool.

[billysynth1]

Mike
You didnt really put the O on that ledge/railing just for this thread did you???

Billy

[Mike Conway]

Billy, was this thread up, around Christmas? Though I did have the forum in mind, when I took the shots.

Next up......the Grand Canyon.

[t_tangent]

Have OASYS, will travel


Kind of reminds me of that garden gnome that was in the news a few years ago. It disappeared one day from this chaps garden and he kept getting photos of it from all different places around the world, and then a year later it ended up back in his garden.

[Ultimate Dj]

Billy, was this thread up, around Christmas? Though I did have the forum in mind, when I took the shots.

Next up......the Grand Canyon.

I could swear I just heard your Oasys *gasp* !

man....I should have taken pictures of it in Guatamala and Mexico!
But maybe I can get some pics of my M3 in South America.


but back on topic. I feel very unlucky and almost cursed! it seems the majority of O users don't have a lot if any problems. Whereas I have Many!!!!
I mean pretty constantly. Mainly with Vocal tracks but also just plain. I mean I have one song thats like 180 measures nothing odd, no Audio tracks, and it moves like a turtle!
than okay listen to this.
I have a dance song around 200 measures no Audio. works fine. I put one 10 measures line in it on an Audio Track. Still works fine.
I bounce it to my hard drive and then When I play it back from the bounced version on my hard drive its completely wacked. Like theres a Hyper Overdrive Wah on the thing. I bounce another 80 times and still the same! I load in other songs and they bounce and sound fine. I load in a way old version of the same song and that one is WACKED!!!!
Completely fed up with it I burn it on to a CD and listen to it.....and its fine!


puravida
DJ

[Mike Conway]

DJ, you just possibliy hit on something. A lot of these songs that I'm doing are 60 - 120 measures in length. Hmmm.

[RC-IA]

DJ, when you are listening to your bounces, "where" are you on the oasys ? make sure you do not go and listen to them after playing a program or combis that contain TFX, because your bounce will go thru those TFX