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Why are amps still dinosaurs?

#162
JimChjones said:
If the user interface was good enough why not. Might need multiple devices to get enough screen real estate of course. I haven't kept up with PA tech, but I imagine it must be at or very close to a scenario where multicores are obsolete and all the kit stays on the stage except for the actual console, and that's connected via ip over w/lan, nothing physical. At my amateur/semi pro level that sounds like a major blessing just for setup and teardown in a cramped venue. The prospect of a teardown where there are nearly no cables on or off stage, and its just chuck all the kettle leads and extension leads in a box and load up would fill me with enthusiasm.

You know Jackson Browne had it right: the only time that seems too short is the time we get to play, and if the wasted time at each end of the gig can be reduced with tech I'm all for it.
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I was referring to a single tablet, you know an iPad.

As far as multicores and such being obsolete, a former bandmate from long ago started a business 25 years ago making custom panels for touring rigs. His company is still quite busy; sure digital snakes have cut into his business some but he still turns out a lot of product.

As far as setup and teardown, I always told people I played for free, the money was for the work involved in setting up and tearing down LOL.

Analogeezer
 
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#163
JimChjones said:
If the user interface was good enough why not. Might need multiple devices to get enough screen real estate of course. I haven't kept up with PA tech, but I imagine it must be at or very close to a scenario where multicores are obsolete and all the kit stays on the stage except for the actual console, and that's connected via ip over w/lan, nothing physical. At my amateur/semi pro level that sounds like a major blessing just for setup and teardown in a cramped venue. The prospect of a teardown where there are nearly no cables on or off stage, and its just chuck all the kettle leads and extension leads in a box and load up would fill me with enthusiasm.

You know Jackson Browne had it right: the only time that seems too short is the time we get to play, and if the wasted time at each end of the gig can be reduced with tech I'm all for it.
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Having mixed on both platforms, there is nothing worse IMO than mixing on a tablet. While there can be some convenience aspects to it, the feature set and feel of a real control surface far outweighs everything else.

Maybe mixing 8 channels it wouldn’t be so bad, but 32+ channels with 8-10 monitor mixes would be beyond inconvenient at best.

Setup and tear down is part of the job, no different than a band’s need to learn new material and practice. We would typically use a few hundred pounds of cabling (not counting feeder or distribute) on a show
 
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#164
minority-report-irl__w770.jpg

...if I could just find the master volume..
 
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#166
agedhorse said:
Having mixed on both platforms, there is nothing worse IMO than mixing on a tablet. While there can be some convenience aspects to it, the feature set and feel of a real control surface far outweighs everything else.

Maybe mixing 8 channels it wouldn’t be so bad, but 32+ channels with 8-10 monitor mixes would be beyond inconvenient at best.

Setup and tear down is part of the job, no different than a band’s need to learn new material and practice. We would typically use a few hundred pounds of cabling (not counting feeder or distribute) on a show
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I fully agree. A friend of mine asked me to mix a choir and the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus from Chicago, on a tablet. After that experience, if it doesn't have knobs and faders, I don't want anything to do with it.

When you need to adjust something NOW, a touch screen just doesn't cut it.
 
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#170
Kaa said:
I a basic B/M/T tone stack can't handle, chances are very good I shouldn't be trying it.
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There are many DIFFERENT ways to skin this cat. Off the top of my head I can think of 8 or 10 different "basic" approaches.
 
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#171
agedhorse said:
There are many DIFFERENT wast to skin this cat. Off the top of my head I can think of 8 or 10 different "basic" approaches.
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Oh, I'm sure there are many. It's not the amp in this case, it's totally the operator. The fewer opportunities I have to ruin the tone, the better. A tin-ear like me with infinite adjustability on a rig only means bad things.
 
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#173
Analogeezer said:
That's a horrible idea, half the times when I just touch my phone if the screen is unlocked it opens up some app I rarely use or sometimes it decides I want to delete an app and does that iOS thing where all the app icons are wiggling with an "x" in the bottom corner LOL.

The main reason touchscreeens have taken over in cars is nothing about tech, it's about cost. Telsa is the logical extreme of this. Dedicated switches and buttons cost more money, you have to mount them in the dash and then have wires/harness going to them.

Pushing it all off on the touchscreen saves space, but it also saves the car company money. But it gets marketed as "high tech" which is laughable to me because I just found out my 9 year old iPad is now so fully obsolete I cannot even load new copies of my magazine subscriptions on it.

Touch screens might have been high tech and trendy 15 years ago but now they are just a cheap way of providing control inputs and frankly pretty damn annoying.

I actually deleted some contacts from my phone (people who were basically ******** I no longer want to talk to) to keep from accidentally dialing them.

Analogeezer
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I can hardly believe the cockpit of the SpaceX capsule: 3 very large screens and just a few knobs & buttons in the middle - less than on my pickup truck! If I saw that in a SciFi movie, I would think it was the lamest set design of all time. But it's not a set; truth is stranger than fiction.
I like what Tesla is doing overall. If I won one of the cars in a raffle, I would probably keep it (assuming I could fit my upright bass in the hatchback). I must admit, though: that hyper-minimal dashboard might take a bit of getting used to.
 
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#176
I don't know. Music is a very personal thing and there's no right or wrong outside of what the individual wants. I don't want technology and apps and touch screens on my bass amps. I want to plug it into the wall and roll with it. Then again, I'm not super particular about the nuances of tone values. I follow the philosophy of the famous Greek philosopher Mediocrates and say "eh, good enough".

Maybe I'm the dinosaur. I think that the more complex a piece of equipment is, the higher the chances of failure. But to each his own, if it pleases you, then it's the right thing for you.
 
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#177
Red Scorpion said:
I don't know. Music is a very personal thing and there's no right or wrong outside of what the individual wants. I don't want technology and apps and touch screens on my bass amps. I want to plug it into the wall and roll with it. Then again, I'm not super particular about the nuances of tone values. I follow the philosophy of the famous Greek philosopher Mediocrates and say "eh, good enough".

Maybe I'm the dinosaur. I think that the more complex a piece of equipment is, the higher the chances of failure. But to each his own, if it pleases you, then it's the right thing for you.
Click to expand...

Bolded for truth.
And my new signature.
 
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#179
Shame on me for replying without reading the thread…. But forever ago I got rid of everything and went with a Boss GT-10B through two Mackie SRM450v2s for home practice and band practice. I always go to FOH and at live shows I’ll bring the 450v2s for use as stage monitors. More than happy with the setup. Have successfully used this setup for shows ranging from 400/500 to 2,000-4,000. No regrets.
 

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