Are music hardware like mechanical watches now?

[g3o2]

Let us forget for a moment that learning how to perform or write music takes years, while learning how to tell time does not - for both activities you need to be of active learning age, naturally.

Computers equipped to make music beyond toying around are not cheaper than dedicated music gear. Today there is professionally sounding music gear in the affordable range. This was not the case 40 years ago. The main reason for this is the lower cost of DSPs and other components thanks to phones and “smart” devices.

The expected life cycle of dedicated music gear is much longer than any general purpose computer plus software. You could still make music on an Atari ST, if you owned one from back then, alright.
However, with modern computers, as soon as your software requires phoning home or access to a licensing server, you’ve handed over control over the life cycle to someone whose interest is to make you pay every now and then. This includes the computer’s operating system in the name of safety from attacks by non-musicians.

[LyingDalai]

Where the comparison fails is that the key aspect between a watch and a musical instrument is that the later is used to make music, which means both the workflow (= the way you input music, the feedback from your hands and eyes), and the output (= the feedback you perceive with your ear) count.
The instrument can be soft or hardware, doesn’t matter much as long as it nails this.

I have tried both hardware, software and hybrid and I have way more fun with my Elektrons, that’s a fact. Feels a bit more like playing an instrument to me than playing with a mouse on a DAW. But could be my limitless power of procrastination that prevents me to set this thing how I would enjoy it, granted. In this regard, hardware is already implemented, so to say. All is left for me is to setup sounds and play.

Mechanical watches, in the other hand, are more to show your wealth I believe. Some kind of social status I’d say. Even the newer sport watches (very useful while you’re running) are related to showing some kind of social status I guess.

[oomo]

@Normalogic

If you do the comparison against regular quartz watches, then most of these are moot points. Even a Casio has a great longevity and a battery life you’re not going to worry about.

Yeah, that’s a fair point (gshocks are indeed great!).

I was mostly comparing mechanical watches to smart phones, since that’s what most people seem to use for finding out the time these days.

[Kultschar]

Purchased a fancy iPad a year ago to make iOS / iPadOS music but its so damn boring for me personally and a failed experiment. I find it marginally better on a laptop with a DAW.

Much rather have knobs and tactile switches in front of me.

Was close to giving an Oxi One a go with my laptop (Bitwig / Live) for my next trip but that would neglect my M8. On the fence about that one……

[yoyz2k]

@Oberheim

Can you even justify paying for a digitakt 2 if I told you right now you can have a device that has the same workflow and does a trillion more things and better but at 100$, all you need is your phone nearby.

Let’s just imagine that there is a set of apps which can mimic perfectly the workflow and has the same sound quality.

First It would not cost 100$.
And a phone does not do those things better, if it was the case people would simply use it.

[darenager]

@LyingDalai

watches, in the other hand, are more to show your wealth I believe.

Dang, I’m doing it wrong aren’t I?

[Kultschar]

You sampled those beeps yet?

[mpanalog]

I dont think you can actually compare a watch to synths… It’s oversimplification and comparing apples to oranges.

A synthesizer design is dictated by the workflow, a watch design is not dictated by the practical part, and looks is all that matters, arguably it could tell the time wrong just to be I don’t know unique and cost 512K $.

I don’t care if my synthesizer is on a breadboard given that it does what I want.

Also, you are talking about DAWs, Bitwig for example, which I love and produce music on constantly, added conditional trigs only lately (Its really probable that other DAWs had it but still, an elektron sequencer was ahead of Bitwig and for a long time as well…)

Sorry but I’m not even going to discuss about phones and ipads, to me this is totally unrelated to music. You can if you want play guitar without knowing guitar with bitwig, you can even sample a guitar note and program your life into a great solo or whatever, but why do people still play guitar?

Artists build connection with the tools especially when performing. I would never trust blasting a 2 hour techno set for a crowd through an ipad not even a laptop to be honest, whevener I’ve done it I have constant anxiety that something is going to go wrong. Having my octatrack fired up though, I have zero worries.

I think that oversimplifying musical instruments and comparing them to people making beats on their apple watch has no value whatsoever. I am a music maker and I want my tools, I want to trust them and be connected with them, I want to know their smell temperature feel weight everything, I want to know they are serviced properly and modified to my needs so I never have to think about them when I’m performing. I see people trying to justify prices on synths where they can do everything with the DAW and I really don’t get it. Just because you can it doensn’t mean you should…

For me there’s a line drawn when the word performance comes into play. I compose on Bitwig and I’m having great fun with it, but when it comes to playing live, thanks but no thanks I’ll stick to hardware and my hands

[obscurerobot]

Yes, mechanical watches are exactly like synths, particularly if you have a good contact or condenser mic.

[Zelio]

Come on, where’s the Teenage Engineering’s mechanical watch-pocket synth ? It seems there’s a market for them.

[Augenadler]

@Oberheim

Eventually, with the advent of digital watches and now smartwatches and phones, there is no practical reasons outside of very niche circumstances to use a mechanical watch (and for status reasons).

Ehem… no charging required, they just work and they don’t distract.

No showing off with this one wear and tear, my body feels incomplete without it. Like my wedding ring.

@alechko

unless that phone would be blackberry with physical keyboard, physical encoders and 1/4" outs

@sezare56 I believe in you. Your turn.

[Kegeratorz]

What’s a mechanical watch?

[alechko]

[Kegeratorz]

[chiasticon]

to me, it’s more like smart watches versus traditional (non-smart) watches would be a better comparison. not quartz-driven versus mechanical movements. smart watches being more like a computer and a DAW that does a lot of things, versus a traditional watch that’s more like a drum machines/sampler/synth in that it just does one thing (or a few, sometimes) really well. the traditional watch you choose out of the millions of available options is, like a synth/sampler/drum machine, an expression of your taste/style/personality. versus the ubiquitous smart watch, where the personalization comes down to the strap and the apps you choose for it. the comparison breaks down a bit here though, as you can certainly personalize your sound and style via DAW/plugin choice.

also I’d like to note that there are plenty of affordable mechanical watches available, they’re not all luxury items that are purchased purely as status symbols. just like synths.

[BuzzLightsout]

I love fountain pens. They cost hundreds. But they make you happy when you write with them. A cheap biro doesn’t or laptop doesnt. Mechanical wins in tactile comparisons.

[digiwut]

Real musicians use hardware. And wear their cups on the outside of their spandex pants.

[KingDuppy]

I tried to make some trumpet sounds with my phone but now it just keeps saying “Moisture detected” and won’t charge.

[Tchu]

@digiwut

Real musicians use hardware. And wear their cups on the outside of their spandex pants.

I never thought I’d be a real musician.

[alechko]

moisture detected is better then calling the cops by accident