Slouching Raymond
Well-known member
This appears to be the most appropriate place for this wider rant.
My computers have conspired against me. My first thread, a week ago, asked for any suggestions, when my Cubase 11 suddenly died. Re-install was a sensible reply, but it is just as dead after re-installing the same build that I first downloaded. So I thought I'd go back tho the old PC with Cubase 7, that I put aside (as it was incompatible with my new interface). It told me 'Incorrect Password', and refused to boot. On examination, I found the CMOS real time Clock battery was completely dead, so replaced it. This didn't help, as Win7 had now lost my password. It told me I could reset the password using the 'Password Reset Disk' I made. OOPS - I hadn't made one, because I didn't have a spare usb stick handy when it asked.
This means my Win7 license has gone, taking with it my Cubase 7 license, and a video editing license. You damn fool, you might say.
The video editing software had its own problems. On installation you have to activate your license online, which went ok, and then when you first try to export an MP4 file, it insists on activating your MP4 licence at that point. That second activation failed, and it told me to switch off the firewall, and deactivate other protection software. This was to no avail, as the failed activation attempt had eaten up my MP4 licence.
Fast forward to today, and I try to see if I can download the most recent Cubase 11, using the target Win10 laptop. I find that Win10 will not allow me to access the Steinberg website, because it doesn't like the look of the site's security certificate. This is despite the laptop having previously successfully installed Cubase 11.
Right now, I am down to just my old hardware recorders, Yamaha AW16G and Korg D16XD, which still work just as well as they ever did.
The observation here is that hardware works, and software just gives you grief.
Whatever DAW version or operating system you use, it is the same story for ever, bug reports, updates, and more grief.
When software is embedded in a shrink wrapped piece of hardware, they have to get it right before they release it. Even if updates are catered for, you're pretty safe if you choose to stick with the original version.
A 24-track tape machine plus an analogue in-line mixer looks an attractive option, where I'm sitting right now.
These are the rantings of a mad man, I can hear you think.
But I've had a long career as an Electronics Design Engineer, and Embedded Software Developer. I have an intimate knowledge of how bug-ridden software gets created, and a
similar knowledge on complex electronic systems.
Software companies have a 'Quality Manager', and their job is to generate a swathe of 'Quality Manuals', containing instructions and procedures which their developers will follow.
The company will then be assessed and hopefully approved, by an appropriate quality standards body. Then the company can bragg about how rthey are 'Approved' to whatever quality standard.
The reality though, is that no-one ever believes in it. Not the Quality Manager, CEO, software developers, or even the quality body assessor.
What actually happens is the Quality Manager, who is usually never a design engineer, generates volumes full of waffle that look impressive, but on inspection don't even add up.
They get rubber stamped by the quality body assessor, because they look like lots of documents. And then the software developers just ignore the documents, and do as they please.
Electronics design has a slight advantage, in that designers are likely to produce a definitive document, called a 'Circuit Diagram'. This is not the only useful document, but it is a good start.
Without boring you to death, I'm thinking about trying Sonar, but I don't hold out too much hope. That avenue will probably have just as many problems.
My computers have conspired against me. My first thread, a week ago, asked for any suggestions, when my Cubase 11 suddenly died. Re-install was a sensible reply, but it is just as dead after re-installing the same build that I first downloaded. So I thought I'd go back tho the old PC with Cubase 7, that I put aside (as it was incompatible with my new interface). It told me 'Incorrect Password', and refused to boot. On examination, I found the CMOS real time Clock battery was completely dead, so replaced it. This didn't help, as Win7 had now lost my password. It told me I could reset the password using the 'Password Reset Disk' I made. OOPS - I hadn't made one, because I didn't have a spare usb stick handy when it asked.
This means my Win7 license has gone, taking with it my Cubase 7 license, and a video editing license. You damn fool, you might say.
The video editing software had its own problems. On installation you have to activate your license online, which went ok, and then when you first try to export an MP4 file, it insists on activating your MP4 licence at that point. That second activation failed, and it told me to switch off the firewall, and deactivate other protection software. This was to no avail, as the failed activation attempt had eaten up my MP4 licence.
Fast forward to today, and I try to see if I can download the most recent Cubase 11, using the target Win10 laptop. I find that Win10 will not allow me to access the Steinberg website, because it doesn't like the look of the site's security certificate. This is despite the laptop having previously successfully installed Cubase 11.
Right now, I am down to just my old hardware recorders, Yamaha AW16G and Korg D16XD, which still work just as well as they ever did.
The observation here is that hardware works, and software just gives you grief.
Whatever DAW version or operating system you use, it is the same story for ever, bug reports, updates, and more grief.
When software is embedded in a shrink wrapped piece of hardware, they have to get it right before they release it. Even if updates are catered for, you're pretty safe if you choose to stick with the original version.
A 24-track tape machine plus an analogue in-line mixer looks an attractive option, where I'm sitting right now.
These are the rantings of a mad man, I can hear you think.
But I've had a long career as an Electronics Design Engineer, and Embedded Software Developer. I have an intimate knowledge of how bug-ridden software gets created, and a
similar knowledge on complex electronic systems.
Software companies have a 'Quality Manager', and their job is to generate a swathe of 'Quality Manuals', containing instructions and procedures which their developers will follow.
The company will then be assessed and hopefully approved, by an appropriate quality standards body. Then the company can bragg about how rthey are 'Approved' to whatever quality standard.
The reality though, is that no-one ever believes in it. Not the Quality Manager, CEO, software developers, or even the quality body assessor.
What actually happens is the Quality Manager, who is usually never a design engineer, generates volumes full of waffle that look impressive, but on inspection don't even add up.
They get rubber stamped by the quality body assessor, because they look like lots of documents. And then the software developers just ignore the documents, and do as they please.
Electronics design has a slight advantage, in that designers are likely to produce a definitive document, called a 'Circuit Diagram'. This is not the only useful document, but it is a good start.
Without boring you to death, I'm thinking about trying Sonar, but I don't hold out too much hope. That avenue will probably have just as many problems.
