Outboard gear

[DonaldChang]

Isn't this stuff hardware EQs ,compressors, exciters right?I saw someone on a music production site refferring to equipment like his korg triton and roland fantom keyboards as "outboard gear"

[ssscientist]

Did you retaliate in any way? If not, go and do so immediately!

[Massive Master]

I suppose I'd call those (instruments) "instruments" as opposed to "outboard gear" but hey, it's a free country, right?

[sile2001]

Originally Posted by Massive Master

I suppose I'd call those (instruments) "instruments" as opposed to "outboard gear" but hey, it's a free country, right?

Government can impose limits on everything but stupidity... He can call them whatever he wants to call them, but I'm with Massive on this one. You play instruments, you process audio with outboard gear. I consider my keyboard to be an instrument, and all the extra effects processing I run it through to be the outboard gear.

[MadAudio]

So what about a rackmount synth module? Or drum module?

[fraserhutch]

And would you consider the new Korg Oasis to be overboard gear?

[sile2001]

Originally Posted by MadAudio

So what about a rackmount synth module? Or drum module?

Those are not instruments, they are outboard gear. They receive signals from a device and process accordingly.

[SonicAlbert]

I'm noticing a slight trend toward calling anything hardware "outboard". Like you have software synths and you have "outboard" synths. I prefer to refer to hardware synths and synth modules by just that term "hardware". Before soft synths that wasn't necessary.

I think the term "outboard" goes a lot further back though when you are referring to signal processing devices like hardware eq's, compressors, fx, etc.

We also need to distinguish between midi signals and audio signals. Most synths don't process external audio, although some do. In fact, most synths don't process midi information either, they simply respond to it. Big difference between that and audio signal processing gear in the traditional sense.

[fraserhutch]

Originally Posted by sile2001

Those are not instruments, they are outboard gear. They receive signals from a device and process accordingly.

What do you mean they are not instruments? I play them all the time......

[fraserhutch]

Originally Posted by SonicAlbert

I'm noticing a slight trend toward calling anything hardware "outboard". Like you have software synths and you have "outboard" synths. I prefer to refer to hardware synths and synth modules by just that term "hardware". Before soft synths that wasn't necessary.

I think the term "outboard" goes a lot further back though when you are referring to signal processing devices like hardware eq's, compressors, fx, etc.

We also need to distinguish between midi signals and audio signals. Most synths don't process external audio, although some do. In fact, most synths don't process midi information either, they simply respond to it. Big difference between that and audio signal processing gear in the traditional sense.

I agree with SA on this - my understanding of the term comes from the time that they were referring to effects and processors that were "outboard" relative to the console. I guess I'm dating myself here...

[tdukex]

Is my MIDI keyboard controller an instrument (I do play it) or a piece of outboard gear (it doesn't produce any sounds of it's own)?

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by tdukex

Is my MIDI keyboard controller an instrument (I do play it) or a piece of outboard gear (it doesn't produce any sounds of it's own)?

It's an instrument, not outboard.