Karyn

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.

 
 Very True!
 
Fact is, driver maintenance isn't like pulling teeth. (Starting a new one - yeah...)
 
For some of us, having been there, we can't help noticing the business politics elsewhere. Maybe ignorance really is bliss?
 
 
 

"If you look at their website, they have a section for their old products."
Driver updates from '07, '09, 2010.
Its a shame really, they made some pretty cool gear.
Evidently Frontier got caught up in the changing economy.
So thanks again Craig, and sorry to hijack the thread.
I certainly wasn't trying to sling mud at Tascam; every product has a window in time and times change.
I love me some faders I can really touch; that virtual touch just doesn't seem to work for me.
But the future is here and the future is "touch"; I get it...
 
T

I'm with ya' Tom, real beats virtual any day of the week, it just depends on if you can afford the price tag...but then again it helped the cream rise to the top. I think society has gotten so out of whack that Harrison Bergeron has gone from fiction to truth...Welcome to the Age of Mediocrity...All Hail the Mundane and Average ;)
 
Seriously though, there's always going to be those who demand quality in their tools and art.
 
Bill

It's a really complicated question. If money (and time) were no object, then I'm sure I would put in the effort to upgrade to a full studio with all the bells and whistles.
What I do enjoy about using computers to record and mix music, is the ability to create a tune in one room, take it with me to another room to add another part, then take it on the road with me to work on in what spare time I can find. I'll then drop in to a friends place to see if they can add any ideas. This type of workflow is almost impossible with a traditional setup, so a desktop and laptop are almost as invaluable as a permanent setup, which is what is required once the move to a traditional control surface is put in place.
I guess money being no object, a combination of the two may be the ideal setup.

Unless I were running a full time studio I wouldn't waste my money on a control surface. As we see time and time again - obsolescence is guaranteed far sooner than it should be so unless you are getting your return in a timely fashion it is truly a waste of money - IMO ... 
 
I need an audio interface... I need a computer and I need a DAW. I do not need a control surface to record music. I'd rather buy another guitar, amp or microphone.

Personally, if a control surface could do only volume faders and panpots, that would take care of 90% of what I need. The rest (EQ, virtual instrument tweaks, etc.) can be handled by ACT (I use it in a particularly simple way, as described here). This is why I have no problem with the Mackie Control protocol, because I have yet to try a Mackie Control-compatible unit with anything (not just Cakewalk) that couldn't handle panpots, faders, mute, solo, and record. The protocol is so common that the whole proprietary unit/proprietary drivers issue ceases to be a problem. 

Karyn
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.

I had a Matrox video card which the company claimed had no 64-bit drivers and would not work in 64-bit systems, so I'd have to buy a new card. However, I found an obscure driver package on their site for servers that lo and behold, had a 64-bit driver buried in there. I loaded it and the card worked fine.
 
I have an Epson scanner that also never had drivers updated to 64-bit. Someone posted a driver online where apparently he made a few simple changes and voila, 64 bits. I guess what he did violated the EULA about reverse-engineering software, but I don't see modifying drivers for an end-of-life product for a few hardy online souls as being a big deal.
 
And of course, Apple...my dual Xeon desktop is perfectly capable of running 64-bit operation systems including Mavericks, but it was built before the cutoff date for being 64-bit compatible. So it won't go past Lion.

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

My Frontier Tranzport still works just fine in Sonar X3e...keep expecting it to break. I recently added an Akai APC-20 to the mix to get a set of faders and knobs. Any more control and I might as well get a digital mixer. If I ever replace my keyboards (use a Roland XP-10 and  Nord Electro 3HP for inputs) I might get an all-in-one. I would get one of the Korg Triton Taktiles if they made a 61-key version and dump the XP-10 and use the Nord exclusively for live gigs, so I'm not always tearing my rig apart to get it packed up.

mixmkr
so...it's not a control surface anymore and some pres in a larger box?  I heard there were quite a lot of issues with that unit...and Frontier Designs decided to help out...and Tascam finally got off their rear ends.

NO, it's still a control surface AND extra pre's. It's also a MIDI interface as well as my RME.
 
I've got the best of all worlds with this combo.

DeeringAmps
The FW-1884 is STILL a control surface!
Just not the main audio interface as Ed and I are both using the RME UFX.
The 8 pres in the FW-1884 are available by light piping to the UFX.
Its a very fine surface, and really not a bad audio interface.
One caveat. It has been orphaned by Tascam and it can be an issue getting it to work in WIN 8.
I found Win 8 frustrating and gave up. Some report it can be done.
I'm a happy Win 7 user for now so all is well.
Tom
Oh and did I forget to say I love my Tascam FW-1884 control surface?
mybad?

^ This