|
Too many problems with software
StoreTags: Hardware, software, problems
Author: dpmtl on June 02 2008 Viewed 1854 times. 7 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
-->
Well,after some recent problems with software i've decided against using my laptop,it's just too much of a headache.I'm stuck posting on support forums trying to figure out whats going on when i should be making music and getting a liveset together.It's very frustrating.That is the one aspect where hw is,imo better.It works,no f'ing about with bug fixes or os updates.Unfortunately my RS7000 is not very portable so i won't be able to take it on my bike but sod it,there's far too many things that can go wrong with a software based setup and i have had plenty of problems.
This is not a recent thing,it's been my experience from the start and since i started using hardware it's really shed a lot of light on the pros and cons of each approach.I think i've had the RS crash in me once in the time i've had it.How many times has Live or windows crashed?I've lost count!
I think there's enough involved with music,especially pa, without having to worry about your equipment flaking out at any minute.So i was wondering if anyone else had had the same experience or if it's just me.Have i been unlucky?Or is a software based setup inherently unreliable and prone to problems?
Like i say this is not a recent thing.I turned to hardware because of all the problems i was having with software;if it wasn't one thing it was another and that is still the situation now!So is it just me or have you had a similar experience?Is software all it's cracked up to be?
Cheers,
dpmtl | |
Comments
06/02/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
delete
welcome to the club. i've tried several times to build a liveset on my computer but i always fail because of software/pc issues. and my liveset is pretty simple. i've seen other people having no troubles with their laptops. i envy those people.
06/02/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
dylan
i guess it just depends on what you are using. it seems that because a computer was designed for so many different applications, while the software was designed to work with so many different computers, there is by definition much more potential for problems.
on the other hand, hardware workstations, synthesizers, groove-boxes and the like are obviously designed explicitly for the purpose of making music, so it seems that the potential for problems aren't as vast as computers. but that doesn't mean you won't run into problems.
fortunately for me, i have never really had significant problems when running Live on my Macbook. usually the problems i have are CPU related (i.e. running too many FM8s or Operators in one track). Sure, there is an occasional crash here and there, but fortunately it has never happened during a live set. i know it is bound to happen someday though...
06/02/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
dpmtl
That's exactly my experience delete.I was recently thinking about how i would perform the set live and then i thought,hold on,just how much needs to be involved in going to a pub or a club and playing live?I can just put my RS,emx and R3 in coffin or bag and go.Or a suitcase as some people do.I think a coffin would be good as i can just set it up wherever i need to...
Like you say Dylan hardware is designed explicitly for the purpose of making music.So i recently decided to dedicate my laptop solely to music,nothing else.I took everything off it,uninstalled all the extra software,just left live,reaktor and the vsts i use... Anyway here i am posting this blog so it's fair to say things didn't go well!
06/02/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
bla
i dont use a computer but only cos i cant afford one- ok ive spend much more on hardware than a good computer would cost but i got it all bit by bit so ive never spent much at once
+ ive seen supposedly good computers fucking up far too often
actually the main reason i dont use a computer for music is cos im SCARED (too many possibilities- id be lost forever trying to make it do everything it could)
06/03/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
elronhubbard
i totally agree. i'd just like to append it with the fact that i think software is at its best in the studio, but you're totally right about live performances.
with that being said, i think reason is the most stable piece of software ive ever used. hands down. ive never, ever, had it crash on me when it runs standalone. if i was going to use a computer live to perform, it would be with that program and nothing else.
06/03/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
dpmtl
Don't get me wrong i love computers,wouldn't be without live.Thats where i put everything together and over time i've built up a my library and i've just recently gone through it all and set it up for live use but then i run into this frickin software midi driver problem that puts a stop to everything.Good point about Reason elronhubbard and it's something to think about,i would need to get recycle if i was gonna go that route but it could work..
06/03/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
dpmtl
Are there alternatives to Recycle that exports to the rex2 format?Maybe there is hope! 
06/03/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
Leo
I work in the computer industry, and feel like it is a serious problem. It seems to me that computer companies, especially software companies, are the exception to the rule of quality control and standards. Companies can release an OS full of blatant errors, and charge money for it, then have their customer base become free beta testers. It is gross. Examples are commonplace. Today, for example, I was fixing a computer for someone, and their Antivirus software, which they were charged for, that came preloaded on their computer, could not actually scan for viruses because User Account Control in Vista would not allow it. The workaround for this is disabling UAC to do a virus scan. That requires a restart. So, you have to disable one of the major selling "features" in order to use basic AntiVirus software. If you call Trend Micro, it is a Microsoft problem. If you call Microsoft, it is a Trend Micro problem. If you call the place you bought it, it is the manufactures problem. If you call the manufacturer, it is the retailer's problem, because they put it on there. It is ridiculous. Meanwhile, you've shelled out $2000 for something that is suppose to function a particular way, and doesn't. In other industries, if you sell a product with a feature set it doesn't have, it is returned, and that's that. You don't buy a LCD TV with dead pixels. You buy a monitor for your computer with 4 of them, you are SOL, because it is under the minimum of seven SEVEN dead pixels. You copy a file from one place to another, but it isn't there when you're done. But it is if you go to the folder a different way. You can't turn off feature A because you don't have permission. DON"T HAVE PERMISSION? I'm the Administrator. It is my computer. I don't want that to run. Period. It is crazy. It is like you are paying for someone to tell you that you can do this, but not that, and you may do this, but they won't help you. On top of it all is the EULA, which states in tiny text, that the company you just paid $200 or $700 or $2000 is absolutely not responsible or liable for anything that goes wrong at all. Thanks for choosing company X. It is sick.
</rant>
That being said, it is amazing to be able to sit down in your living room with your digital camcorder and edit digital video from your trip into a DVD that will play almost anywhere with the computer that fits in your backpack. So, that's pretty sweet.
06/04/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
quip
i had this discussion with someone that fnrotnr is playing with tonight. ;-)
computers used to be hideously unreliable. i used to gig with windows 98.
that was awful.
they are not really designed to be in a club with sweaty people
and loads of beer. but they do work. sometimes.
xp got better. it didn't crash as much and drivers were more stable.
then vista came along - and i lost patience and got a mac for performance.
but i have had luckily relatively few issues with computers for live use.
i think you got to be patient and willing to unfathom all the problems you encounter -
forums are your friend.
saying that i still use hardware to perform - as backup if something goes
wrong. at local gigs i usually use drum machines and and synths to augment
the computer.
i don't want to be smug mac boy. but i did my first gig with it the other day
and it was amazing.
06/04/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
ricemutt
well i've have some awful computer problems, just like anyone else. But at the end of the day, running a reaktor synth through 3 granulators controlled by the metasurface in audiomulch and routing it through a bunch of guitar pedals and then back into the computer and recording it all in multiple tracks, live... damn... I can't believe all the crazy shit I can do. There's nothing at all like it. and i'm spoiled... I don't know if I could ever spend much money on ay hardware stuff because it all seems so limited compared to the crazy potential I have with programs like reaktor or tassman or whatever. as far as stability issues, i've been lucky.
06/04/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
dpmtl
Arrgh!I just lost my post when i hit preview!See this is exactly what i'm talking about!!
Thanks for you replies guys.Leo a lot of what you said has been my take on the situation as well and it's good to hear someone saying the same things.It is amazing what you can do with technology but when these bugs and problems start to crop up (which is often!),not so good. 
quip that's been one of my concerns about using a laptop.Maybe i should just get an SX and have done with it.What were you using before the mac?
I hear ya ricemutt,you can do some pretty mindblowing stuff with software.But as a musician i need for the instruments i use to work and be dependable out of the box.So are you using a pc or a mac?
I want to go with a software based setup augmented with hardware,this would be ideal.I hav material my laptop ready to play so maybe i should just bite the bullet and go.I'm still working out how i'm going to perform it and may have a few questions about that.
Cheers!
06/04/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
sweettrip
and what r u using? pc or mac?
i'm on a pc. whenever to i take my laptop out i make sure it is completely clean and sanitized, that the hard drives are checked and defragged, that my registry is clean and defragged as well (very very important), that the system in clean of viruses and spyware, and that all the unneeded hardware is disabled, like ethernet port, wireless, IR, mouse/track pad drivers, etc. i disable all the unneeded processes and services running in the background. I also go into my BIOS and disable power management.
once all that is checked, i tell you, i can run Traktor 3 for hours without a hiccup. I've run Live like that too and it's very smooth.
try it out and see if that works for you, that is if you're on a pc. i don't know if this info can be translated to the mac
06/04/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
tylth
i'm with with sweettrip on that one
you can't party in a villa built on a muddy fundament for long, eventually it will collapse. and sweep the rats out of the basement from time to time because they might chew on your cables. and pay the mexican housekeeper regularly or she might leave shameful comments about you on your myspace
06/04/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
dpmtl
sweettrip said: "and what r u using? pc or mac?
i'm on a pc. whenever to i take my laptop out i make sure it is completely clean and sanitized, that the hard drives are checked and defragged, that my registry is clean and defragged as well (very very important), that the system in clean of viruses and spyware, and that all the unneeded hardware is disabled, like ethernet port, wireless, IR, mouse/track pad drivers, etc. i disable all the unneeded processes and services running in the background. I also go into my BIOS and disable power management.
once all that is checked, i tell you, i can run Traktor 3 for hours without a hiccup. I've run Live like that too and it's very smooth.
try it out and see if that works for you, that is if you're on a pc. i don't know if this info can be translated to the mac"
I am on a pc.Which just crashed twice badly while i was working on the next part of the set.All i had was three vsts running,an audio clip and a vocal phrase+fx.It's entirely possible the issue was memory,my pagefile was eating up a lot for what i was running; 1.18GB.I've never seen it so high.Yet another problem i don't know the cause of
I do maintain my laptop pretty well and most unnecessary stuff is disabled.I just recently stripped it down in preparation for live pa but i cannot escape these issues.
Here's a simple equasion that sums it up:
Software: one problem after another (yay!)
Hardware: No problems,not one,zip,nada (ok maybe one:p)
I've just had enough.It's not a question of whether it's solvable.It's the fact that they keep occuring and i've got better things to do with my time.Thanks for trying to help though guys
06/04/08
+
PM |
QUOTE |
PERMALINK |
REPORT
sweettrip
is it a Compaq?
:P
maybe your plugins are in the way?
Register / login
|
^
EM411 is Copyright 2001-2008 EM411.com
All rights reserved. | Contact | RSS
|
