MIDI Controller Keyboard & Digital Performer

[JMVideo]

I checked with my rep at Sweetwater and apparently the Motor 61 line was announced in 2014 but never shipped. Reason unknown. Oddly they're still advertising it even it's been stalled for over a year. Not good.

I guess it's back to Arturias. I'm just trying to find a quality board with good action and doesn't play like an awful clicky/clacky plastic toy. (think M-Audio)

Barfringer huh? Does that imply they usually make bad products? I've personally never owned any of their stuff.

[monkey man]

I like what I've seen of BarfRinger of late... which is nothing... in person, that is.

The company's DAW controllers and el-cheapo eKits look very promising 'though, especially, as you'd expect from B'Ringer, considering the prices.

Barfringer huh? Does that imply they usually make bad products? I've personally never owned any of their stuff.

The company started out making el-cheapo rip-off clones of existing gear. It used surface-mount technology as part of its strategy to seriously undercut what was already out there. If it worked, you were fine, but if it broke, you were SOOL 'cause much of what was offered couldn't be repaired beyond obvious basic issues. Many folks bought backup units for this reason.

I think for most people the Mackie Onyx rip-offs, named "Xenix" I think, would be the first products to come to mind, but there's been a plethora of efforts preceding this one as well as since then.

Lately I and it seems some others have "sensed" an upping of the build quality in various areas, and we've speculated that the company's focussed on lifting its game in this area. It makes sense, really, for two obvious reasons from where I'm sitting:

1) Much money must've already been made by now. Money to invest in the manufacturing process.
2) I'm getting the feeling folks are finally starting to get tired of updating crappy gear every year or two; I see this in the 'phone industry, in car warranties and even, dare I say it, at Line 6, who's latest floorboard is at least four times the price the previous ones have been.

Anyway, partly 'cause I'm a goose and like to concoct my own names for things, and partly 'cause of the company's early exploits in the pro-audio gear market, I call it BarfRinger. Not even sure what it means, but I like the sound of it and, well, the first part of the name captures how most pros felt about the company's early products.

Thanks for asking, JM. You'll sleep better now that you know. LOL

[bayswater]

Lately I and it seems some others have "sensed" an upping of the build quality in various areas, and we've speculated that the company's focussed on lifting its game in this area.

... and they bought a few other brands with more credibility, notably, Midas. But it could be a long time before they shed their reputation, if not for quality, then for business practises.

[monkey man]

You mean the monkey on their collective back, eh Stoivo?

It's a helluva reputation to have to shed, I agree. As always, we're just chimps... I mean, chumps speculatin' about that intangible we affectionately call the future.

[Jamie]

I've been hearing good things about their FX2000 reverb/fx/comp rack unit, and of course they've made decent MIDI controllers for years (faders, rotaries, pedals, BCR2000, BCF2000, FBC2000). New generation looks promising too.

As far as audio, I just got the ADAT expander (ADA8200 with MIDAS designed preamps) and its limited to 48kHz, but other than that, it sounds cleaner and better than my focusrite Safire pro 40 that it's plugged into.

Every once in a while you gotta take a chance and taste it again to see if the chefs have been honing their craft.

Tastes like they have been...


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[stubbsonic]

When I read that headline, I was thinking, why wouldn't ANY MIDI controller work fine with DP? But I now get the point about play/stop buttons and other controllers that could be preset with values that work out of the box for DP.

I'm curious what the original poster went with.

I was recently considering a new BCR2000 from SW, and emailed them specifically to find out how their warranty (the "2-year warranty: FREE"-- one) worked with a Behringer product specifically how it would kick in with various degrees of flaws-- knobs that feel weird, power-buttons that are broken, or intermittent noise on pots, etc. Got no response from SW. I bet they hate selling Behringer for that reason.

As for controllers, I'm looking forward to receiving my new VAX keyboard next year. This is exciting because I'm confident the design and build quality will be top-notch, and it is shockingly affordable. The weird thing is that I am taking lots of people's word for it-- as I've never tried a vax. But the way the designer was so open to suggestions, even created a little advisory group from the backers to help put the finishing touches on the design-- it has been an inspiring process.

[bayswater]

When I read that headline, I was thinking, why wouldn't ANY MIDI controller work fine with DP? But I now get the point about play/stop buttons and other controllers that could be preset with values that work out of the box for DP.

I don't get it. They're emulating MCU, or HUI or Eucon, etc, all of which work in DP, so why doesn't it work out of the box?