Long time Nintendo fan. Didn't buy the original Nintendo cause we bought that Atari 4800 thing. That was a mistake. The old 8-bit NES came in a year or two later. skipped on the Genesis and the PS1. Sure, there were a lot of games for the PS 1, but I really didn't want to play ANOTHER Final Fantasy type RPG or ANOTHER fighting game, and I have this odd preference of playing good games.
Sure, the N64's list of games released was not huge, but goddam, did any of you actually play Mario Kart? That game got constant play for like 2 years, then I went away to college. All of my friends that I met there played that thing all the time too. I mean, that one game had 5 or 6 years of replay value. We broke 2 controllers on it!
2000. Gamecube is still vague hype and rumors, the PS2 is out. My friend's mom manages a Walmart, so we asked her to get a hold of one.
summer 2001. The best game i have played on the PS2 was Metal Gear Solid. (yes, the PS1 game). I was a huge fan of the original Metal Gear, and always wanted to play this game. It was excellent, though short. Am anxiously waiting for MGS2. I was at home all summer due to family members in the hospital. That coupled with Blockbusters 30 rentals in 30 days for $30 meant I rented almost every PS2 game I could get my hands on.
Now. We own 1 PS2 game. One. We have about 20 PS1 games (mind you, we never had one of those). We have maybe 30 DVD's. Don't own a DVD player either. The PS2 is disappointing. I went to the store to pick up MGS2, thinking, finally, the PS2 is going to start pulling its weight. I was walking to the register with the game in my hand when a worker said, "You will be mad at yourself if you get that. It's way too short. Do yourself a favor and just rent it." So, even though it was cool, it doesn't seem worth $50. I will rent and pick up a cheap copy off of half.com. I asked him what good games were out for the PS2. He mentioned Grand Theft Auto 3. That was about it. He liked it cause you could shoot cops in the face. wow, what a way to sell a system.
The point of all this is that sure, maybe Nintendo made a mistake not putting in a DVD player (I don't think so - piracy is harder and $100 cheaper means I can go buy a real DVD player with the money saved. I mean shit, do you use your PS1 to play your CD's?). Maybe they made a mistake not making it a desktop computer (XBox???). But who else is going to have games like Mario Kart? Metroid? Zelda? These games, no matter what age you are or what system you want, just plain fucking rule. Gamecube has them. Xbox doesn't (be assured, any good game that comes out for Xbox will be out for the pooter at some point). PS2 is one of the most disappointing systems I've owned since the Atari 4800.
Maybe I am just on the wrong side of things. After all, PS2's are selling like hotcakes, but out of the 5 people I know with them, we own maybe 7 games collectively. This is what my brother had to say about it: "The coolest thing (and best thing) about the PS2 is that fact that it is both a DVD player and a PS1" Kind of a backhand compliment?
No DVD makes sense. Do the math. $200 for a GC and $150 for a decent Sony DVD player = 350
300 for PS2 + 20-30 for controller = hobbled DVD player + PS2 for 325
300 for XBox and 30 for DVD add on = 330
for an extra $20, i will take a separate dvd player any day. And plus, it will be harder to pirate games for the GC, and Nintendo will guarantee that nobody uses their system just as a DVD player. They were using their heads....
Pricing:
gamecube 200
xbox + dvd addon 330
for 100-130 you can get a dvd player (cheap) that will still outperform the xbox (or ps2)
for 150-160, you can get a nice sony (or other model) dvd player
gamecube + nice dvd 350
I don't know about you, but it was cool having the PS2 dvd player before I went out and bought a separate anyway - the console dvd's just lack features. for about the same price, you can get a console and a separate dvd player - and separates are usually the way to go in audio/video (what happens when the GC breaks? still have your dvd player...)
Totally correct, but if this guy needs to do something now, then he can't sit around waiting for the platform to get better, can he? I could say the same thing about computer games and the Mac - but it could be a long damn wait for the Mac (any Mac) to ever fill this niche. Especially when you consider the momentum in the industry to continue to churn out what works and what the masses like and not to broaden horizons.
I would hope that someone does go make some better Linux solutions. Why? Not because I want to do audio on Linux, or a Mac, or on Windows, but because if there is a serious option on Linux, then the Mac crowd will have to try harder, which will make better products at better prices all across the board.
If this guy truly runs a "medium-sized" production studio, and wants to stay away from macs for any reason, there is a problem. First of all, he would not be overly concerned about keeping costs down. What's a $3000 brand new computer compared to the PRO setup "sound card" that costs close to $10k. A basic Protools system I think is $7-8k. That is 8 or 16 channels in/out, no control surface. Most studios want at least 24 in/outs, and don't want to mix with the mouse, so add another couple grand for a good control surface/digital mixer (I think a good prosumer digital mixer by Mackie can be had used for $4k). This guy probably (if he really is in a mid-sized studio) owns several $1-2k mics. We aren't talking about a $400 dollar M-Audio card for a home studio setup.
So, I don't think the fact that he wants to save a few bucks on a computer is driving this decision. Unless its really not a mid-sized studio, but more of a home studio thing.
Protools is the standard. And yes, it does run on PC's, but in professional studios, it runs on Macs. Why, I don't know, it just does. This is before OS X mind you. I am excited about the audio capabilities in OS X, but as of now, hardware and software support is non existent. And from what I hear, OS X has real time mode (now with 10.1) in the kernel for applications in music and digital video (Apple isn't going to shoot themselves in the foot and alienate the professional music sector or the media sector - remember they do make Final Cut Pro, a video editing program). But this is a moot point. Protools -> Mac running the old Mac OS is the standard. End of story. And from my limited associations, standards mean a lot in the audio industry. That is why every album you hear is mixed on an SSL or a Neve, all guitarists play a strat, tele, or gibson through a Marshall stack, bass players play a P or Jazz bass through an Ampeg SVT on the road and a b-15 in the studio. Sure, this is an exaggeration, but you get the picture. Put in another way, Protools on mac is the windows of the audio industry in this area.
And lets face it, why do macs suck? They don't have software/hardware/driver support. Well, in the music arena, linux doesn't have these either. Macs do. Sure, Macs might not have Acid or Sonic Foundry, but they have Protools. They might not have some of the "professional" home studio applications, but they got the professional ones.
If I were building a home studio right now from scratch, I'd get a PC, run Windows on it, buy Acid, etc. and get a decent sound interface all for less than maybe $3k. If I was setting up a professional studio, I'd get a Mac, an ungodly amount of Protools equipment and software, for more money than I will ever have to spend. I think you get the picture.
Either this guy's studio is going to go under when he switches to Linux, or he ain't a "medium sized production/radio" studio.
Fusion is a ways off. I am currently doing fusion research at PPPL. Everyone here (and everywhere) really wants it to happen, and we realize that brute force projects are not the way to go. While it is technically feasible to build a working fusion plant (ITER), the cost would be so astronomical that it would never be used for its intended purpose. Sure, we would get more energy out than we put in, but it wouldn't be the most cost efficient process...
The current thrust of the US fusion program appears to me to be aimed at designing smaller, cleverly designed machines that move us towards fusion while being cost efficient. The end goal is the adoption of fusion power. But if that adoption costs more money than the energy-equivalent amount of fossil fuels, no power companies are going to adopt it....
In answer to the safety questions of fusion power, I'm pretty sure most experiments nowadays are using D-T reactions (deuterium and tritium). Tritium is pretty goddam radioactive. The byproducts of this reaction are radioactive as well. However, the half life is short enough that within 2 or 3 years (can't remember the numbers), the radioactivity of the fusion products is below that of the regular environment. Bottom line: nasty byproducts, but with 2 or 3 years of storage, safe as anything outside. None of this 20,000 year half life....
If you want to get into something really creepy (in my mind) check out the loosely disguised bomb research known as Inertial Confinement Fusion. The Nation Ignition Facility (NIF) etc. Scary.
Thats what scares me. This isn't the first music venture Microsoft has. About 3 years ago, a technology called HDCD was introduced to me. It used to be owned by some company Pacific Sound or something. I checked the HDCD website the other day, and now Microsoft is the proud owner of this format. Can't they at least stay in the computer business and leave music alone?
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Long time Nintendo fan. Didn't buy the original Nintendo cause we bought that Atari 4800 thing. That was a mistake. The old 8-bit NES came in a year or two later. skipped on the Genesis and the PS1. Sure, there were a lot of games for the PS 1, but I really didn't want to play ANOTHER Final Fantasy type RPG or ANOTHER fighting game, and I have this odd preference of playing good games.
Sure, the N64's list of games released was not huge, but goddam, did any of you actually play Mario Kart? That game got constant play for like 2 years, then I went away to college. All of my friends that I met there played that thing all the time too. I mean, that one game had 5 or 6 years of replay value. We broke 2 controllers on it!
2000. Gamecube is still vague hype and rumors, the PS2 is out. My friend's mom manages a Walmart, so we asked her to get a hold of one.
summer 2001. The best game i have played on the PS2 was Metal Gear Solid. (yes, the PS1 game). I was a huge fan of the original Metal Gear, and always wanted to play this game. It was excellent, though short. Am anxiously waiting for MGS2. I was at home all summer due to family members in the hospital. That coupled with Blockbusters 30 rentals in 30 days for $30 meant I rented almost every PS2 game I could get my hands on.
Now. We own 1 PS2 game. One. We have about 20 PS1 games (mind you, we never had one of those). We have maybe 30 DVD's. Don't own a DVD player either. The PS2 is disappointing. I went to the store to pick up MGS2, thinking, finally, the PS2 is going to start pulling its weight. I was walking to the register with the game in my hand when a worker said, "You will be mad at yourself if you get that. It's way too short. Do yourself a favor and just rent it." So, even though it was cool, it doesn't seem worth $50. I will rent and pick up a cheap copy off of half.com. I asked him what good games were out for the PS2. He mentioned Grand Theft Auto 3. That was about it. He liked it cause you could shoot cops in the face. wow, what a way to sell a system.
The point of all this is that sure, maybe Nintendo made a mistake not putting in a DVD player (I don't think so - piracy is harder and $100 cheaper means I can go buy a real DVD player with the money saved. I mean shit, do you use your PS1 to play your CD's?). Maybe they made a mistake not making it a desktop computer (XBox???). But who else is going to have games like Mario Kart? Metroid? Zelda? These games, no matter what age you are or what system you want, just plain fucking rule. Gamecube has them. Xbox doesn't (be assured, any good game that comes out for Xbox will be out for the pooter at some point). PS2 is one of the most disappointing systems I've owned since the Atari 4800.
Maybe I am just on the wrong side of things. After all, PS2's are selling like hotcakes, but out of the 5 people I know with them, we own maybe 7 games collectively. This is what my brother had to say about it: "The coolest thing (and best thing) about the PS2 is that fact that it is both a DVD player and a PS1" Kind of a backhand compliment?
No DVD makes sense. Do the math. $200 for a GC and $150 for a decent Sony DVD player = 350
300 for PS2 + 20-30 for controller = hobbled DVD player + PS2 for 325
300 for XBox and 30 for DVD add on = 330
for an extra $20, i will take a separate dvd player any day. And plus, it will be harder to pirate games for the GC, and Nintendo will guarantee that nobody uses their system just as a DVD player. They were using their heads....
Pricing: gamecube 200 xbox + dvd addon 330 for 100-130 you can get a dvd player (cheap) that will still outperform the xbox (or ps2) for 150-160, you can get a nice sony (or other model) dvd player gamecube + nice dvd 350 I don't know about you, but it was cool having the PS2 dvd player before I went out and bought a separate anyway - the console dvd's just lack features. for about the same price, you can get a console and a separate dvd player - and separates are usually the way to go in audio/video (what happens when the GC breaks? still have your dvd player...)
Totally correct, but if this guy needs to do something now, then he can't sit around waiting for the platform to get better, can he? I could say the same thing about computer games and the Mac - but it could be a long damn wait for the Mac (any Mac) to ever fill this niche. Especially when you consider the momentum in the industry to continue to churn out what works and what the masses like and not to broaden horizons.
I would hope that someone does go make some better Linux solutions. Why? Not because I want to do audio on Linux, or a Mac, or on Windows, but because if there is a serious option on Linux, then the Mac crowd will have to try harder, which will make better products at better prices all across the board.
If this guy truly runs a "medium-sized" production studio, and wants to stay away from macs for any reason, there is a problem. First of all, he would not be overly concerned about keeping costs down. What's a $3000 brand new computer compared to the PRO setup "sound card" that costs close to $10k. A basic Protools system I think is $7-8k. That is 8 or 16 channels in/out, no control surface. Most studios want at least 24 in/outs, and don't want to mix with the mouse, so add another couple grand for a good control surface/digital mixer (I think a good prosumer digital mixer by Mackie can be had used for $4k). This guy probably (if he really is in a mid-sized studio) owns several $1-2k mics. We aren't talking about a $400 dollar M-Audio card for a home studio setup. So, I don't think the fact that he wants to save a few bucks on a computer is driving this decision. Unless its really not a mid-sized studio, but more of a home studio thing. Protools is the standard. And yes, it does run on PC's, but in professional studios, it runs on Macs. Why, I don't know, it just does. This is before OS X mind you. I am excited about the audio capabilities in OS X, but as of now, hardware and software support is non existent. And from what I hear, OS X has real time mode (now with 10.1) in the kernel for applications in music and digital video (Apple isn't going to shoot themselves in the foot and alienate the professional music sector or the media sector - remember they do make Final Cut Pro, a video editing program). But this is a moot point. Protools -> Mac running the old Mac OS is the standard. End of story. And from my limited associations, standards mean a lot in the audio industry. That is why every album you hear is mixed on an SSL or a Neve, all guitarists play a strat, tele, or gibson through a Marshall stack, bass players play a P or Jazz bass through an Ampeg SVT on the road and a b-15 in the studio. Sure, this is an exaggeration, but you get the picture. Put in another way, Protools on mac is the windows of the audio industry in this area. And lets face it, why do macs suck? They don't have software/hardware/driver support. Well, in the music arena, linux doesn't have these either. Macs do. Sure, Macs might not have Acid or Sonic Foundry, but they have Protools. They might not have some of the "professional" home studio applications, but they got the professional ones. If I were building a home studio right now from scratch, I'd get a PC, run Windows on it, buy Acid, etc. and get a decent sound interface all for less than maybe $3k. If I was setting up a professional studio, I'd get a Mac, an ungodly amount of Protools equipment and software, for more money than I will ever have to spend. I think you get the picture. Either this guy's studio is going to go under when he switches to Linux, or he ain't a "medium sized production/radio" studio.
Fusion is a ways off. I am currently doing fusion research at PPPL. Everyone here (and everywhere) really wants it to happen, and we realize that brute force projects are not the way to go. While it is technically feasible to build a working fusion plant (ITER), the cost would be so astronomical that it would never be used for its intended purpose. Sure, we would get more energy out than we put in, but it wouldn't be the most cost efficient process... The current thrust of the US fusion program appears to me to be aimed at designing smaller, cleverly designed machines that move us towards fusion while being cost efficient. The end goal is the adoption of fusion power. But if that adoption costs more money than the energy-equivalent amount of fossil fuels, no power companies are going to adopt it.... In answer to the safety questions of fusion power, I'm pretty sure most experiments nowadays are using D-T reactions (deuterium and tritium). Tritium is pretty goddam radioactive. The byproducts of this reaction are radioactive as well. However, the half life is short enough that within 2 or 3 years (can't remember the numbers), the radioactivity of the fusion products is below that of the regular environment. Bottom line: nasty byproducts, but with 2 or 3 years of storage, safe as anything outside. None of this 20,000 year half life.... If you want to get into something really creepy (in my mind) check out the loosely disguised bomb research known as Inertial Confinement Fusion. The Nation Ignition Facility (NIF) etc. Scary.
Thats what scares me. This isn't the first music venture Microsoft has. About 3 years ago, a technology called HDCD was introduced to me. It used to be owned by some company Pacific Sound or something. I checked the HDCD website the other day, and now Microsoft is the proud owner of this format. Can't they at least stay in the computer business and leave music alone?