My understanding is that Frontier Design doesn't do this kind of work any more.

Anderton
My understanding is that Frontier Design doesn't do this kind of work any more.

Shame. But Tascam has all that info, don't they? 

hockeyjx
All of us FW-1884 owners feel the same way! They(whether Tascam or Frontier Design) really SHOULD just update and re-issue this unit. In the 10 years it has been out, it is STILL hard to beat.

yea Im also a former tascam 1884 user loved that unit, would go for it again if it was undated for 2014, I currently have a radikal controller I brought from a pawn shop , haven't tried it yet as it didn't come with power cord

 
Touch is no doubt the way of the future, unless you get a really expensive controller  with a one knob/fader, one function control (just like analog).  VS700C was really nice and pretty slick.  I wasn't sold on the built-in synth (rather silly concept, actually) and the ADDA unit was good but the whole package was rather expensive and redundant - except for the controller.  Too bad SONAR didn't have the PC channel then, with the knob section mapped out as a visual PC strip.  That would have been very cool, sort of what Softube is doing w/ their controller.  Otherwise, it is kinda silly to have to remember the assignment of a bunch of random knobs, which is what most controllers do.  Even w/ scribble strips, it would make more sense to run as many knobs as possible down one side of a touchscreen w/ the functions lining up top to bottom matching the Prochannel.  Look and twist.  Touch the next channel and the knobs are matched again for it.
 
One motorized fader for rides.  I know some people would rather move a bunch of faders at once, so an option for 8 more (8 + 1 = 9 fingers, which ought to be enough for two hands).  As Craig sez, one hand on the screen for pinch, scroll and highlight and the other on the mouse for clicking and fine tuning the curser.  That would make the most sense for me rather than layers of functions or the cost and inflexibility of a custom controller.
 
@

I look at it this way, I can make music with the computer turned off, but I would have a hard time creating music without any hardware. I'm a musician...I need my keyboards, guitar, and if I hadn't sold them years ago my drumkit, plus an analog mixer to add warmth during the recording process. Now that's not to say I don't enjoy using virtual instruments and all of my mixing is in the box, but the computer is useless without the instruments, sterile without the mixer, and incoherent without years of lessons, etc. Sonar allows me to create the music in my head by recording the various instrument tracks and then mixing them into some sort of release. I guess I'm just old-fashioned :)
 
Bill

"My understanding is that Frontier Design doesn't do this kind of work any more."
Thanks for that, it explains a lot!
 
T
 

DeeringAmps
"My understanding is that Frontier Design doesn't do this kind of work any more."
Thanks for that, it explains a lot!
 
T
 

If you look at their website, they have a section for their old products. The last press release was from 2006.

hockeyjx

Anderton
My understanding is that Frontier Design doesn't do this kind of work any more.

Shame. But Tascam has all that info, don't they? 

I don't know. But companies usually reach out to third parties because they don't have the needed capabilities in-house. That could be the case here.

Anderton

hockeyjx

Anderton
My understanding is that Frontier Design doesn't do this kind of work any more.

Shame. But Tascam has all that info, don't they? 

I don't know. But companies usually reach out to third parties because they don't have the needed capabilities in-house. That could be the case here.

Going 'contractor' on a product is a tough decision. In my experience, products that go this way tend to be 'one-shot' designs, as there's little savings to be had in in incremental improvements (most benefits go to the contractor...).
 
This puts me in mind about another thread I answered where drivers were an issue. A lot of companies will contract this out - yet it's gonna cost some 5 figures. In this case, it's much more economical to simply have a driver writer on staff. The benefits, always up to date, latest features, ability to react to product changes, not to mention the customer goodwill these generate. Yet, some companies would rather be penny-wise, pound foolish...
 
 

SuperG...
This puts me in mind about another thread I answered where drivers were an issue. A lot of companies will contract this out - yet it's gonna cost some 5 figures. In this case, it's much more economical to simply have a driver writer on staff. The benefits, always up to date, latest features, ability to react to product changes, not to mention the customer goodwill these generate. Yet, some companies would rather be penny-wise, pound foolish...

Unfortunately, there are companies* who write their own drivers for their own hardware who seem to think the best way to get their "users" to trash their top of the range, very expensive, fully functional hardware and replace it with the latest, shinier, more expensive but less functional hardware is to STOP updating the drivers. 
 
 
 
* I'm NOT referring to Cakewalk.