Are Creamware ASBs disappearing from the market?

kybernaut_01 · Post by **kybernaut_01** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 6:06 pm

andyr1960 wrote: Not that it's bad as it is (except the awful aliasing on the Sync/Ringmod combination... Fix please!)

Hhhm, speaking of which.... I remember the test review of the Scope version in German Keyboards mag where the testers mentioned exactly this issue. They compared the Prodyssey to a rev3 Odyssey that didn't show this kind of behavior. They then spoke with CW about it and the answer was: This is SUPPOSED to sound like this, the Odyssey that WE used to model the Prodyssey on sounded the same!!

Post by **hubird** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:56 pm

in any case, if that is true, it can't have been aliasing which was emulated...indeed.

andyr1960 · Post by **andyr1960** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:00 am

kybernaut_01 wrote:This is SUPPOSED to sound like this, the Odyssey that WE used to model the Prodyssey on sounded the same!!

Well... I'm sat here with my MkIII Oddy, and it sounds clean as a whistle... Theirs was obviously faulty!

It's the ONLY thing I can find fault with... So annoying as it's a sound I use regularly (I'm a huge Ultravox fan - those who know, will know what I mean)!

kybernaut_01 · Post by **kybernaut_01** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:55 am

andyr1960 wrote:
Well... I'm sat here with my MkIII Oddy, and it sounds clean as a whistle... Theirs was obviously faulty!

Unfortunately the folks that originally worked on this projekt are no longer at CW. So we will most probably get no comment about it, let alone a fix.

I have the Noah version, it has the same issue.

Le Bone · Post by **Le Bone** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:00 pm

andyr1960 wrote:It's the ONLY thing I can find fault with... So annoying as it's a sound I use regularly (I'm a huge Ultravox fan - those who know, will know what I mean)!

John Foxx or Midge Ure era? i saw foxx in leeds late last year, was most excellent. midge was a bit too commercial sounding for me.

ScofieldKid · Post by **ScofieldKid** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:15 pm

I would like to personally thank Creamware for increasing the savings-to-debt ratio of the American consumer! (or er uh, at least this one American consumer...)

I'm saving up my $$$ waiting to see what shows up at MusicMesse. I can't remember the last time I actually saved-up any of my money!?!

andyr1960 · Post by **andyr1960** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 5:49 am

Le Bone wrote:John Foxx or Midge Ure era? i saw foxx in leeds late last year, was most excellent. midge was a bit too commercial sounding for me.

*Definately* the FoxxVox years - Systems of Romance is such an underated album/CD.

Some of the later stuff is ok, only made bearable by Mr. Curry's (Nee Currie's) keyboard work...

The first track I ever heard was The Man Who Dies Every Day... that intro is such a killer and still sounds great today, and the reason why I got an Odyssey in the first place : )

Le Bone · Post by **Le Bone** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:54 am

andyr1960 wrote: *Definately* the FoxxVox years - Systems of Romance is such an underated album/CD.

Some of the later stuff is ok, only made bearable by Mr. Curry's (Nee Currie's) keyboard work...

The first track I ever heard was The Man Who Dies Every Day... that intro is such a killer and still sounds great today, and the reason why I got an Odyssey in the first place : )

I totally agree! I read an Interview recently where Foxx stated that his most used synth was the Oddyssey. However he has since gone soft synth (yuk) with the Oddity! Having always wanting that "Foxx" sound made me go for the Prodyssey. Just a shame on the Prodyssey ring mod alisasing on such a crucial element of the sound that made Oddyssey so unique/special. As others have stated, looks like it is not gonna get fixed.

I saw an amazing live version of "Slow Motion" last year in Leeds as his encore. It stole the show. Afterwards Foxx was such a down to earth chap and nothing like the aloff persona he had portrayed for all those years.

Dislocation is one of my fav tracks ever.

Foxx and Numan are why I bought my first synths over 25 years ago and are still inspirational nowawdays.

HUROLURA · Post by **HUROLURA** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:09 am

For those who still look for ASB units, some still are would be soon available from Musicstore:

Prodyssey for 575 €:
http://www.musicstore.de/is-bin/INTERSH ... =OfferList

Minimax for 475 €:
http://www.musicstore.de/is-bin/INTERSH ... =OfferList

Pro12 for 525 €:
http://www.musicstore.de/is-bin/INTERSH ... =OfferList

... if anyone is interested, it looks like www.justmusic.de still have a few Klanboxes sold for 333 €

Just the result of a quick search on the net.

CheerZ

electro · Post by **electro** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:34 pm

kybernaut_01 wrote:I suppose we'll see a new generation of ASBs:

The ASB Pro™

They will not only have MIDI over USB but even Audio!!! Imagine the possibilities! Alsmost as good as the good old Noah was...

But I can't believe the ASB was originally designed without these basic considerations.

I heard about the reputation of Creamware VA synths being more faithful to real hardware than the current generation of native VA instruments. I started looking into ASB synths to integrate into a DAW environment, thinking they could be loaded in the VST host the same as UAD and TC Powercore plugs. Then was horrified to realize those gorgeous boxes weren't equipped for the task.

To The ASB development team:
The next generation of ASB should have interface, either via 1394, or PCI Express host card. 1 PCI Express host card should be able to accomodate multiple ASB boxes if not supported chaining via firewire.
-Enough DSP power to run sample rates 192K and 176.4 at 1X system latency (I think this is what Creamware manuals term XTC mode).
-ability to process external audio through all plugin filters standard.
If you are really forward thinking, ASB will be able to output deeper bitrates than 24/32/48 bit when the native plugin specs get bumped up to 64bit floating point & higher.
Same considerations go for a PCI-e version of scope platform.

AndreD · Post by **AndreD** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:56 am

...if any external synth starts to stream audio data via usb, it will be the death for serious native performnace...

spacef · Post by **spacef** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:21 am

sorry I can't resist:
for fans (of a related family) only
Winner of the re-cover-mix competition a few years ago.
French version is an original text & translation from me and sung by Fleur Lairet.
http://www.ultravox.org.uk/cgi-bin/Imag ... _31st_2004

(go directly to "and the winners are" and look for Mehdi T's track.

Please do not listen to the mix which is not like i would do it now ( my setup was not working correctly, actually, mixing this was a nightmare in a slow computer, and i would redo completely the bass sound also, but there was a short deadline.... Noah's Minimax at the end. In that time, the BlackBox did not exist.... only voxalizer is heard here and there on (a bit of echo Fleur's voice too). The "guitar" duringwhat is supposed to be BC vilin solo, is my Moonlight synth comb distortion.
It does not sound vintage at all per my own will, but i post the link here cause it could entertain some of the thread's posters.
have a go at MikeL "extreme voice" track: it is Midge's era style, but the voice is freaking close and he deserved being the big winner (me thinks).
Thanks
have a nice day.

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:38 am

well Mehdi, for my humble ears you're a bit too humble here...
I really enjoyed your mix, spacially well balanced and a full tone, yet it's a tiny bit 'edgy' instead of over-sweetening things.
The one you favour most is still ringing my ears with all it's 'placements' of the track members. It's fairly 'flat' and harsh, too - the voice itself is great, but no fun to listen in this context.

cheers, Tom

spacef · Post by **spacef** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 2:52 am

Thanks Astro!
Your criticisms: You talk about Mike L impersonation ? yes, actually, nowaday my impression is more like yours about the music (not much variations, a bit boring). BUt I think he evolved with his band into being "ultravox official cover band". not bad (but i agree with you, plus these guys don't have a scope, which means they can't sound good!

But in that time, i thought the performance was cool. I did try to sing something " à la Midge Ure" and it is really very hard (this guy's range is quite large). John Foxx is even harder to impersonate or even just to bring something personal to a Foxx era song: bad singing with an attitude, as i heard some people say, but so personal and authentic that it is hard to compete with.

Sorry again for the off topic.