Checked 'em out...
So anywho, I decided to go down to the shops last week and check out the DAWS we've been discussing. First of all, I don't know where you all live, but I am in Manhattan which means I get the many pleasures of shopping at Sam Ash and Manny's on 48th street. This, my friends, is the most excrutiating experience in all of music making. With advanced apologies to anyone who may be offended and explicitly stating that this is MY OPINION ONLY I will suggest that the people who work in these stores are absolutely brain dead, music industry and LSD burn-outs, with about 1 tenth of the expertise they should have when selling a $4000 piece of equipment. It's truly awful - which is why, except for guitars and, sometimes, amps, I shop online. Anyway... my thoughts... which are largely aesthetic in focus... but looks and feel are important, I think.
The KORG - it's streamlined in presentation and seemingly quite simple to use. I sound the touch screen to be smaller than I would have liked and I wasn't thrilled with the amber background they chose but the navigation was as easy as getting money from an ATM. The thing that most jumped out at me was the efficiency of the buttons - there are only as many as you would need. The box feels solid - the faders we're assuringly solid and its compact size would fit nicely into any home studio (especially if you live in a shoe box in the big city like I do). Combine this with the features it offers and there's a lot of of aural goodness stuffed into a small space.
The YAMAHA - This is the big daddy of 16 trackers. I liked the dedicated readout for the track levels and the fact that the entire right side of the box was pretty much all for recording. You'd be hard pressed to make a mistake and ruin a good track. It has a really "professional" look and feel (guys - please don't hammer me about the fact that actual professionals don't use all in ones - I know). Feels solid with tight faders - not quite as tight as the KORG, I didn't think. I might have been a little biased going in but I found the readouts to be mysteriously convoluted and found myself almost afraid to push some of the dubiously labeled buttons. However, after about 10-15 minutes of noodling I was starting to see some consistency and logic in the buttons. I liked the box quite a bit but was disappointed that they did not opt for the touch screen which is a KILLER feature, IMHO. But the screen is big enough for tired eyes and the readout was clear. Liked the box all around, but hated the fact that is was running $1000 more than the competition.
The AKAI - neither Sam Ash nor Manny's had the DPS16. This annoyed and confused me. The Sam Ash guy made an underhanded reference to them not carring it "for a reason". I don't know what that reason might have been - except to say that he was pretty high on the Roland VS1824 (more on this later). As a probably unfair substitute, I played with
the DPS24. I thought the faders we're a little bit "clackety" and I didn't love the fact that they we're painted chrome color - though this might have something to do with their "smart" function (they only respond to being touched in a certain way - good for cat owners like myself who's cats want to be part of the recording process). The screen readout is large and flips up for easy viewing - nice feature. I can't say too much more since I wasn't using the DPS16 but my primary issue with this machine was the rickety feeling of the controls - but I could have been using a beat up floor model. Also touch screen funtion kicks butt and you can navigate the menus in the dark with one hand tied behind your back. Definitely the best touch screen in my opinion.
Finally, as I said the Sam Ash guy was pitching the many glories of the Roland VS1824 (the Manny's guy liked the Yamaha but wasn't especially eloquent when telling me why). The Roland, he said, offers true 24 bit 96 kHz recording and playback w/ no loss of tracks, comes with CDRW, rarely crashes (something I had not previously considered), has great effects, and so forth. However, the fact that this box does not have 18 dedicated faders troubles me (12 faders total). I like one fader per track and don't know if I am willing to sacrifice that. It's not a touch screen but the navigation through the menus seemed pretty decent. The machine feels solid and looks pretty slick. But again, I'm not loving the idea of having to toggle between tracks when I am mixing. I wasn't repulsed by this machine as some reviews would have suggested. I like the 18 tracks quite a bit. And I like the large display screen. But something felt a little... dated or something... about it.
Personally, I feel better for having seen and felt the machines. I would have liked to play with AKAI and will try to do so before I commit. Still don't know which I will buy... but I think, having seen them, reviewed them, and listened to opinions, when the right deal comes along I will know which to buy.
