ORIGINAL: Jim Roseberry

#2 all time worst - CME UF-6 (total junk)

Talk about a timely post

Worst:
I just bought a VX7, thinking it would be a great all around controller.

Keybed doesn't feel anything like I had hoped (somewhere between a Roland Fantom and Yamaha MotifES would have been nice). But I could have lived with the spongey keys.
The thing smells like burning electronics... and it sends out boatloads of aftertouch messages auto-magically.
When it was working a bit better (earlier today), I discovered that the unit always output Aftertouch on MIDI channel 2... not matter how I had it setup. Talk about stubborn! LOL
Did I mention the power button sticks?
Manual? Uhh... Don't even bother to open it. Makes Yamaha manuals seem clear/consise and chock full of useful info.

The only good thing I can say about the VX7 is that it looks nice... and is a great concept.
The reality is this thing's a cheap POS.

The UF-6 looked good, but the drivers would mysteriously disappear after a few minutes. Fortunately, I never used it in a live gig (except the one where I destroyed it), and I replaced it with an Axiom 61, and I have been able to make it work ever since.

ok here goes.

Best.

Sonar, Reaper, Fireface800, Melodyne, PLPareq, Korg Legacy, Truepianos

Worst.

Kontakt2, UAD-1 (never worked properly with anything I wanted to use), Korg Legacy - That's right this is in both. The best sounding Virtual analog synths I own, but sorry - dumping users with a nasty multi-core bug which causes crackles unless they agree to buy a damn dongle REALLY pissed me off), Oberheim autotune - a very long time ago but STILL mad about this. PACE, NO user support AT ALL, just took my money and ran - I used an old crack of antares for a while because of this (same program basically)

Kind regards

Dave Rich

ORIGINAL: SteveStrummerUK

Worst:
Japanese Fender Presicion - it plays great but it's just so lightweight and to record it needs heavy EQ-ing added all over the range

Might try swapping the pickup out for something better. I have a mexi-squire-series p-bass, also very lightweight, and while stock, it needed a lot of low end boost to get any body on recordings. I swapped out the pickup for a seymour duncan basslines (also cheap, maybe 60usd), and that made a world of difference. Were I to do it again, I'd probably go for a nicer pickup to get a bit more rounded sound, but even with the basslines, it's very easy to work with.

Thanks for the advice there newfuturevintage

I bought it way back because I needed a bass but couldn't justify the expense of a USA model as a second instrument.

As I say, I bought it because it's got a real easy action and plays like a dream.

The music store guy I mentioned re my main guitar 'retired' a few years back and some useless idiot took over his shop - trouble is this newer guy's not interested in talking music or selling strings - he'll only bother to talk to you if you go in flashing a wad and drooling over the Marshall stacks!!

Good news is I bumped into original guy just last week - he's decided to come out of retirement and open up a new shop - I bought my first pedal from him in 1981-ish so I’m expecting a few decent deals!! I’ll certainly mention the options for the P B you outlined in your post.

PS-The distortion pedal I bought replaced an old valve powered reel to reel tape recorder that had an jack socket soldered onto the input on the circuit board – great tone but heaven knows how I never managed to electrocute myself!

Cheers - Steve

ORIGINAL: jinga8

Hey if we go beyond music, can my ex wife and my divorce count?

I'm sure you "purchased" your divorce, chauncey. But is your ex-wife from a former red satellite state? Cuz those are the only "wives" I know of with a money back guarantee... oh, and some far eastern gentlewomen nowadays as well, i guess...
And do those count as "hardware" or "software" or maybe "nagware"...

Actually, I looked it up... "Gimme, gimme, gimme!-ware"

Maybe I should have gone with my original worst/ best:
Worst: Engagement ring.
Best: Divorce lawyer.

But I didn't want to seem bitter...

Best:Sonar 6, Har-Bal, Line 6 gearbox plugs, AMplitube JHE, Addictive drums

Worst: RNC 1773 (w/24 bit don't really need it anymore), Line6 variax (pd 849 dollars pre-release, now can be found for 200 bucks, neat for sound variety but does not have the feel of a good guitar or the lively sound of my top end axes.)

Best: Absolute top of the list: DFHS... followed by my HR824's, Sonar 4, Ivory, Atmosphere, and my trapkat setup.

Worst: Project 5, my bass (bottom rung Ibanez), Bass Pod XT, Mesa recording preamp

Middle of the road stuff I could have / should have done differently: everything else in my studio. Or maybe I'm just bored :D

Best: Okay, considering the forum (but absolutely no lie) Sonar 6 PE. Wow, this is cool. I've got Pyro 2003 I think it is and mine works great. Cleaned up a ton of vinyl with it.

Started with Mesa Boogie in the early 80's and still own a Mark IV and a Studio Caliber. Cool! My early 80's Schecter Bass and guitar necks on Frankenstein guitars. Still wonderful. EMG active pickups! 72 Martin 0-16 N. Y. (the one Ian Anderson uses) wide straight neck and records like butter. Cream machine and Rockman X-100, still very useful. Roland VG-8EX, a little digital sounding but wow, I can do tunings and 12 string without messing with that, great! Roland guitar synth, the one from several years back, tracks pretty good and has some of the sounds from that GR-700/G-707 setup I used in the 80s.

My 60's Ludwig drum kit, fun to beat on although I don't have the chops to record, I can now sample it and stick it into songs thanks to Session Drummer-2. Alesis QSR 8.1, piano feel and pretty easy to figure out. Roland D-10, still the best synth action keybed I've played.

Avalon 737 (Mercenary edition), RNC/RNP, Grace 101, Alesis Midiverb II, etc; gots to has some outboard. AKG 414 B/ULS, Rode tube mic, all the Shure SMs, AT 3035 etc, have been cool.

I really really dig my EMU 1212 sound card and the Emulator X software. Very cool and with synth swipe I am putting hardware sound mods on ebay. Stedman pop filter- sometimes the little things make a big difference. F. Alton Everest, man his book got my recording room sounding very much better. Yammy NS-10M Studio's and Auratones, since I started using them and learning them in the early 90's my mixes have translated much better. Mackie mixers; the older 'made in USA' ones are rock solid. Selmer Mk VI sax is needing some minor repairs, but still amazing coming from around 69 or 70.

For live, Crown power amps, JBL, McCauley and Renkus Heinz drivers rock! Never let me down.


Bad purchases: I bought an Orange amp in the late 70's. Coolest looking thing in the world but you could just tell it was fixing to blow and it did right after I traded it in on a Marshall. Earth mixing board and Alesis monolithic mix board. Both total pieces of crap. Monster cable; overpriced, made no difference garbage. Egg cartons on walls, man I can't believe I did that. Fabric pop filters, what a waste (see Stedman post above). Late 70's and on Gibsons, they moved the factory to Nashburg from Kalimazoo and the guitars just went to hell. I had a bud who worked there for a spell and I reckon I know why. Most of the Chinese mics. Just listen!!!

Its too bad about the Orange, sounds like you just had a bad one, i had two Oranges
and they were the some of best amps i ever had. A cross between a Hiwatt100/Marshall 100
with an extra 20 watts to boot. Probably just needed to have some components
rewired.
One of the Orange stacks i had had the tall 6 12" cabs, really great low end.
But i belive you, when you have an amp thats dying on you you can tell,
I had a Marshall like that, and i had a Hiwatt like that that blew, both times
were the transformers.

Did alot of gigs with those Oranges, finaly traded it for a new Mesa Boogie 100
straight accross at the store, and well that thing was just Awesome

I recant regarding the Toneport UX2. Its a very good piece! works well with Sonar and sounds good!!