Yamaha buys Steinberg

ChrisWerner · Post by **ChrisWerner** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:27 am

Hmm, does it mean that I´ll see an ad, of a built-in Cubase version in the next Yamaha Tyros-Hyper-XXL-BIG one man - single hand orchestra portable keyboard, in my next mail-order house catalogue, between gym machines and kid toys? *sick*

_________________
Music starts where any language ends

[ This Message was edited by: ChrisWerner on 2005-01-13 04:29 ]

Counterparts · Post by **Counterparts** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:39 am

alfonso wrote:
A bike?

'tis indeed, although as far as Yammys go, I've always hankered after a XJ900 (dunno why, just like them). IIRC the FZ was the first 5-valve/cylinder production bike..? Fast too!

narly · Post by **narly** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:25 pm

I didn't start the OT bike-talk - but tis a good reminisce 5 valve Genesis will rip your arms outta the sockets.

In all, Yamaha buying Steiney has to be better than if Gibson had bought them! Other than Sequential has anything really perished under them?

valis · Post by **valis** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 10:16 pm

I wouldn't say Sequential perished so much as was 'absorbed' into later products (tho sadly that probably wasn't much consolance to the Sequential staff).

johnbowen · Post by **johnbowen** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 12:08 am

"Absorbed into later products?" Hardly....

Yes, Yamaha later produced a couple of synths with the Vector idea implemented, but none of those were designed by the ex-Sequential team. We had all moved to Korg by then...

When Yamaha bought the company, we had just released the Prophet 3000 (having desparately shipped 50 units late in October 1987 to try to stave off collapse), and we thought perhaps they were interested in the improved sampling technology (they had recently shown a 12-bit sampler the TX16W, but hadn't shipped yet). When Dave Smith, Scott Peterson, and I arrived at Yamaha's headquarters that December, we saw on our tour of the factory, stacks and stacks of TX16Ws in warehouses - there must have been hundreds ready to go.

We had enough parts for another 150-200 Prophet 3000s, and in the Spring they agreed to hire back our assembly line work force to put these together. This was the extent of Yamaha's involvment with any Sequential product, and I still believe that they mainly purchased Sequential to remove the brand from the marketplace (away from other possible suitors,etc.).

Howevr, I also can say that those of us who were kept on (and it was a small group of 8 or so) were assigned the task of creating another synth product of our own design, but this product was never produced by Yamaha; rather, it provided the genesis for what would become the Wavestation, our first design for Korg, who quickly appeared on the scene when Yamaha decided to cut us loose in April '89.

And so it was....
peace,

_________________
john bowen
zarg music

[ This Message was edited by: johnbowen on 2005-01-14 00:10 ]

[ This Message was edited by: johnbowen on 2005-01-14 00:12 ]

valis · Post by **valis** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 4:16 am

Ah yes, my apologies...for some reason I was thinking of Wavestation when I wrote that but obviously that was a totally different company (Korg). No idea why I crossed my wires, I'll chalk it up to giving one last browse through the forums while on my way out the door to a club...(drink in hand)

[ This Message was edited by: valis on 2005-01-14 07:09 ]

valis · Post by **valis** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:11 am

[ This Message was edited by: valis on 2005-02-13 07:22 ]

pling · Post by **pling** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:29 am

On 2005-01-14 07:11, valis wrote:
...(drink in hand)

and also in ya head! or is it my fucked up brain seeing this thread double?

narly · Post by **narly** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 9:28 am

I guess the idea is that at least Steinberg isn't in the ruts of Oberheim or Opcode. Gibson, among others (Apple?), has a good history of dismantling all that is good, by my understanding.