sp808, VP9000, and system design

[Benjamin Furstenberg <benway@cea.edu>]

Title: sp808, VP9000, and system design

on the sp-808: I didn't get to know it, but was turned away by the high price when considering it's only 4 part multitimbral.  At my admittedly superficial glance, it looked decent for live improv, with its sliders and d-beam, but maybe that's just what THEY want me to think.
    How bout the VP9000, Roland's new phrase sampler/time-pitch-groove-formant shifter?  Super-pricey, but perhaps kind of unique and novel.  Aren't we all sick of the current mainstream designs with the heavy emphasis on specialized application for timely, trendy styles of music.  I like dance music and so on a LOT, but love open-endedness and cultural innovation much more.  It was these kinds of flexible designs that gave rise to the interesting shift towards electronic-experimental-cerebral-yet-physical music culture.  But the companies seem to want to let marketing decide on design, like so much of our culture, and they really are selling out the future in favor of the present.  I'm excited about my Nord Modular on its way, for these reasons.
    People also seem to criticize the all-purposeness of things like the Triton or JV-2080, and so forth, but the expense of the VP-9000 makes me wish it were more generally useful.
> From: "Gregor Zavcer" <gregor.zavcer@kiss.uni-lj.si>
> Reply-To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com
> Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 00:36:43 +0200
> To: <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
> Subject: Re: Re:Yamaha Su700
> Resent-From: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com
> Resent-Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 18:57:41 -0400

> i tried the sp808. well, it's a nice machine. the main reason why i didn't buy it was, because the price tag at
> that moment was to high for me. the sp808 has some advantages and disadvantages. the main advantage imo
> is that it can be used as a sort of portable hard disk recorder, on the other side is the su700 better for live playing.
> you have to try it for yourself. what i personally hate is that at the end the things that bother you the most, are the
> things you discover when you use a machine for a month. 
>  
> i don't understand you exactly. if i format the disk it takes about 10 min to format it. or does the su700 have "quick
> format" function?
>  
> gregor
>  
> > -----Izvorno sporočilo-----
> > Od: Maurizio Buttari <m.hiroshi@tiscalinet.it>
> > Za: Loopers delight <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
> > Datum: 25. junij 2000 21:00
> > Zadeva: Re:Yamaha Su700
> Try to format the zip disc or use a new one before saving changes to your volume. It will take less time to save. It's like defragmenting the disc. My unit takes about 10 minutes to save using this trick.
> Do you know anything about Roland SP808? Have you ever used it? I'm thinking to change if it works better.
> Let me know
> Maurizio