Why do you still own your CW card(s)?

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 12:08 am

Well, look Caleb, I've tried BEFORE buying Pulsar: the Yamaha DSP Factory, the Yamaha XW1000XG, the three old GINA cards and some others like the Korg… well, I don't remember the name right now. Later on, just out of curiosity and because I had so very nice friends at some music shops in Britain, the Aark 24, the Korg OASYS, the Turtle Beach staff, the Digi 001, MOTU 828, several Terratec cards, Powercore, etc., and nothing, but nothing did what Pulsar does!

The sound quality of a few of these Sound Cards above mentioned is more than good, stupendously good, like the Aark 24 but did nothing else than IO. For just a few more dollars, or pounds if you want, I had fifty times more and the same quality IO sound!!! Isn't that enough to say??? The sound quality of Pulsar is fantastic!

For example, the ProPack I just bought it's absolutely awesome. $136 for all of that including Modular II? Fantastic! Well, I hope that in the future we can have many opportunities of the like more often! I'm still getting onto what you can do with such a superb package. I'm going to do a little review about this Pack, just to tell what I think.

In fact, I'm always discovering things you can do with Pulsar, many, many new things you can do: innovative routings, wild combinations of Efx, all kind of sounds coming from its synthesisers, who knows, all sort of experiments and new ways. The possibilities are infinite; your imagination is the only limit here!

!Thousands of things! Isn't that a sufficient amount of good things to be happy about? Remember that all the music I do, that you hear here in PlanetZ Music forum, is 100% made with Pulsar, and nothing else.

Of course, I agree with you!

caleb · Post by **caleb** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 5:18 am

Hey Nestor babe! Preaching to the converted.

Sometimes I do something in Pulsar and think. I can't believe I can do that!

I'm frequently left gobsmacked by it - so much so that I bought the Scope to add to my Pulsar II.

But it's not the synths that get me. I haven't even become acquainted with them at all really although I actually like some of the freeware ones to play with.

It's the set up - the environment - the mixers - the ease of having my effects all there and I mean ALL there. Most of my synthesis still comes from VSTi and my sampling is done mostly with a VSTi as well because I don't really like the STS .sf2 import.

But the thing is like this big damn playground that I instantly feel comfortable in. Now with 21 DSP I hardly have to think about running out of grunt and I can just play, play and play!

I'm sure this thing will become like an extension of myself while I'm creating music - suddenly I'm going to feel it's responding to my needs like a loyal dog.

And now I think we can start a new thread Nestor called the Caleb and Nestor waffle iron or something. I'm sure we could both go on all day.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 10:53 pm

Yeaaa, it's true! We could go on and on... Ho man!!! You don't know the Feelings you agitate inside myself when you say you have 21 DSP!!! I can easily imagine what I would do with all this power!!! MY GOD!!!

You maybe prefer the number 20 instead of the number 21, do you? If you do, please, send me this single DSP shark that bothers you so much, so you are with and happy 20, I'll be more than happy with it! - hope it works -

caleb · Post by **caleb** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 12:54 am

Surely you know Nestor.

1 DSP for the system

20 DSPs for the devices

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Nestor · Post by **Nestor** » Wed Apr 24, 2002 10:10 am

BTW Caleb, how much do they cost the different options approximately?

I mean, the different SRBs of course. I imagine you can buy the “four” one, the “six” one and the “fifteen” one options, can't you? Please, tell me roughly how much are they if you know that, thanks.

caleb · Post by **caleb** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 6:00 pm

Nestor, I'm sure I understand this question.

The SRB is just 15 DSPs I believe. I don't know of any other options.

*confused look*

bassdude · Post by **bassdude** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 10:10 pm

I think nestor is referring to the different SRB cards. IE Pulsar 1 SRB has 4 DSPs which I dare say you can only buy 2nd hand now, then there is the Pulsar II srb (or xtc) with 6 DSPs and the Scope SRB with 15.

EarlyFirst · Post by **EarlyFirst** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 10:18 pm

I just thought to mention, or answer the question..
Why?

Cuz it's the only card that can do all that it does period.

caleb · Post by **caleb** » Thu Apr 25, 2002 10:33 pm

Well there you go. I didn't know there was any other SRB than a Scope SRB.

Learn something new every day.

Immanuel · Post by **Immanuel** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 7:05 pm

A little over a year has past, I wonder why you still own your Creamware cards. There has been lots of rumors about Creamware closing down. It has been some time, since the last software update. No new cards have been released. The haters have many arguments on their hands. But you are still here. Why is it so?

I will start out by updating my own situation:
I got tired from going to "the shop" (see initial post in this thread) so often and give them back my lovely synthesizer, when I needed a reverb. So I went out and bought, what amounts to a small shop full of gear (I upgraded from 4 to 22/21 DSPs).

I have by now spend about 3800€ on CW gear and plug-ins (wow, where did I get those money from? 2½ years as a student working in the weekends and 3/4 years working 7 days a week - I guess it is more about, what I did NOT spend the money on).

And what did I get out of this?
22 DSPs, an old A16 autobahn, the propack, STS4000, SPL transient designer and the Sonic Timeworks bundle (pre Sharc one bundle), and ... Third party freebies.
This has given me quite some freedom in using my gear. KickMe is a very nice device. It takes up about 1 DSP. This equals roughly 100€ of second hand DSPs. I don't see any outboard gear offering me this much quality for 100€. The Sonic Timeworks Mastering Compressor takes a huge 3 DSP load in its soft mode (much more, than in hard mode). This is 300€ second hand DSPs (hard to say, what I payed for this device out of the bundle + a DSP-card and the A16, but it wasn't much, if you spread out the money). Show me a stand alone compressor matching the quality of this great device at only 400€ and I will rub your back for 1 week non-stop

I am waiting for Flexor now. I may not have the money right away, but I will shure be saving up for it. Flexor will likely be one of my most expensive devices. To be able to use it I have bought the pro-pack including the Mod2 and Flexor will cost some too, and I may end up buying Mod3 too to be able to take advantage of the nice free Patches provided in this forum. All in all this may amount to roughly 250-300€ in software + maybe 6 DSPs on very heavy patches = 900€ for extreme options and versatility. But then again, when I close down the patch I get back my 6 DSPs and the expense for having this facinating device "in my drawer" drops to 250-300€. Show me a shop selling outboard gear (creamware shop doesn't count), that will sell me wall of equaly good modular synthesizermodules, witch doesn't need maintenance, for 300€ + a 600€ deposit, while I use the modules - a deposit, witch I can use for other gear, when I do not use the modules. If you show me such shop, I will cook food for you for an entire week (strange, I had a dream this night. I was at my parents house, and I was having a PlanetZ party!).

3800€ is very close to 8 months of my current income - before I have payed me rent and food and books etc. But I see no other way, I could have gotten this much gear of this high quality for the same amount of money. I bought my Pulsar1 in January 2000, so on an average level I have payed little less than 100€ a month (+ other software, and my PC-gear. I does add up, but It is still an exceptional value for money rate).

Now it's your turn. PlanetZ is a nice place, but I don't think many of you have keeped your CW card(s) only to hang around here

dehuszar · Post by **dehuszar** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:09 pm

For me, I've held on to my CW cards (a Luna II and Pulsar II w/ a Scope/SP on the way next week. !yay!) because it's the best music school I never attended.

I did the band thing for several years and found it to be a lot of fun, but so frustrating. GEtting 3-5 musicians on the same page, having a place to practice, etc. It never worked out. Someone always flaked or was trying to force the music into some particular direction etc.

So I sold my Gina card and my SBLive and got my CW cards.

The thing that I love about it is that initially, I got off on being able to sift through so many synths and FX without worrying about my machine crumbling. But then I started to learn about layering and manipulating each timbre in a synth; really muscling out every square inch of sound, etc.

Then I got back into more rock based stuff, and learned how to use it less for synths and FX but more for treatment of live recordings. From there I started integrating rock and electronic stuff and started looking around the music scene to see all my favorite artists going in this direction. The funny part is I know I've barely scratched the surface of all I can do with this. In fact the only thing I've found I can do to make the CW system better is to improve myself (and buy 15 more SHARC chips).

I've had a Kurzweil K2500 for a year or so longer than the Creamware stuff, but I've found it so much more difficult to approach that the Creamware stuff. But I've also noticed that the more I learn about synths, FX, and routing in SFP, the more I am able to make sense of the K2500 stuff. So I really equate my CW experience as a giant university for audio fundamentals, composition, recording, mixing, mastering, collaborating, and rattling plates of my neighbors' mantles neighbors with Hummel's 'Dubsub'. ;p

That's my $.02, and though I hate to quote Charlton Heston, I will part by saying "from my cold dead hands!" That should clear up any confusion about how much I like it.

Sam

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 9:11 am

I atill have mine because I barely use it and maybe someday I will get around to its awesome power possibilities.

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 9:45 am

I started with the Pulsar 1.0 software. I bought it because I figured it would be the most expandable both in the hardware and software. At first it was a total nightmare. My computer would bomb every 10 minutes but now with more cards, a new computer and better sequencing software it is pretty good. I have spent a small fortune on all this and I am fairly satisfied. I suspect if CW survives the SFP will continue to improve. My main gripe now is the horrible STS series interfaces.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: braincell on 2003-06-30 10:46 ]</font>

Grok · Post by **Grok** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 10:03 am

I still have my 11 DSP CW system because of 32 bit float, some synths & FX (Minimax, Six-string, Vectron, Mod III, Vinco, Transient Designer, the modulations and filters FX, Celmo's AmpMod), 96kHz capacity.

Combined with Samplitude Pro, all this gives a setup that can do every audio work with no compromises in sound quality. It's a production tool at the best level.

Post by **garyb** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 12:21 pm

it works.

ChrisWerner · Post by **ChrisWerner** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 1:10 pm

I´ve gone through nearly all soundcards starting with the Adlib to Blaster disasters over Roland Lapc-1,MT32, E-MU and Maestros.

I like what I have, 32bit@96kHz if I want, a shared process between VST and DSP. Should Creamware die I will keep my Pulsars anyway.

It works for me too and I don´t know what else I need, except some Hardware Synths maybe to have the control under my hand and more DSPs. The biggest point for me is the open/modular structure of Pulsar, you can join and combine everything with everything, really inspiring.

menno · Post by **menno** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 3:59 pm

I bought my Pulsar1 when it first came out and about a year later bought another one second hand. To think I almost bought an Korg Oasys instead, I would now be still stuck on win98! The Pulsar1 must be in the running for the most upgraded/continue-to-be-developed soundcard of all time!? What do you think?

I must say my main dissappointment is that CW havent done much innovation lately with the STS samplers

rrominet4 · Post by **rrominet4** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 4:14 pm

>>>>>>>>>>>>
It works for me too and I don´t know what else I need, except some Hardware Synths maybe to have the control under my hand and more DSPs. The biggest point for me is the open/modular structure of Pulsar, you can join and combine everything with everything, really inspiring.
>>>>>>>>>>>>

a midi controller hardware with 20 knobs 16 faders on a retro-screen and knobs move when you change the devices, to match the grapjics that appears on the retroscreen (i'm not talking about a tactile screen, but knobs that move on the screen)
due for fall 2525

SevenString · Post by **SevenString** » Wed Jul 02, 2003 5:44 pm

here's the deal:

a few months ago, i found myself with an extra $17K in my hands. I'd been wanting to upgrade my system for some time.

I could have gone nuts and paid a fortune for a top-of-the-line protools system or something.

funny thing is, the SCOPE/Fusion platform seemed to offer more at a DRASTICALLY lower price.

So I started out with the PulsarII, and fell in love with the routing, mixing, effects, and killer synths. Then I started getting greedy for more synth and effects power, so I upgraded (for cheap) to the PowerPulsar.

Now, I have EVERYTHING I need in the platform's programmable DSP environment, so much so that I'm in the process of ditching CubaseSX as too unwieldy. I don't need Cubase's mixer, effets, or VST instruments (with the exception of the LM4).

I also don't feel compelled to use Reason, either, and I can't tolerate SW latency anymore.

I'm with a lot of other posters here: my PowerPulsar does what no other audio interface can do: it truly is a studio on a card.

inDSP Frank · Post by **inDSP Frank** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 3:09 pm

This DXL guy was really a brainless plague.

Indeed, correct is: Hans Zimmer has not *one* SCOPE.

Hans has more than 30 SCOPEs in total in many different rooms of his studio complex. He uses our synths and effects a lot. One title on the Black Hawk Down soundtrack is called "Synchrotron" (yep, he meant the plugin). Hans has given us much valuable input over time as well. He's a great guy.