Anyone have a MFB 522 Drumcomputer?

[lem]

I think its more of a matter of chance...

We have all had bad experience with equipment, or personally know someone that has that affects our opinion.

The old korg stuff is solid, i know of a few abused microkorgs that are still standing.
But then I know someone that was quoted silly money to have his Virus fixed, it was never gigged.

[tone-def]

i would like an Elka Synthex but apart from that i don't really fancy any DCO synths. modern VCO's are stable enough these days so i don't think we will see them around for much longer. apart from DSI i can't think of anyone making DCO synths today.

[steevio]

I've had worse experiences with newer stuff as it goes.

i'm afraid this is generally the case.

in my studio right now i have a TR909, 2 xSH101s, TB303 all still working almost 30 years on ( only issues a couple of scratchy sliders on the 101's which isnt supprising the abuse they've had )
my Juno 106 never gave me trouble either, i had it for 8 years.

the only other synths i have that have given me no trouble are a Nord lead, Nord 3, Moog Voyager ( although i had a slightly iffy pot which Moog replaced )

Nords are bullet proof. - its no supprise that almost every single band with a keyboard player has a Nord on stage.

( actually now that i remember i had to change the power supply on my Nord3 after many years of daily abuse, )

these synths had serious issues or died altogether within 18 months;
Prophet 08
Alesis Andromeda
Virus b

advice; dont buy mass produced badly designed crap that is catering for the new wave of producers moving out of the box into hardware.

in contrast i have over 60 modules from various small manufacturers in my rig, being used daily for 2 years with only one slightly scracthy pot which was replaced free of charge even out of warranty.

[lem]

When I had my nord modular, a fair few ppl had the usb board die. It was something like £300 to get it fixed...
When they discontinued it I sold up.

I'm liking the idea of modular, im ok at electronics so i can fix it myself mostly. But I think multi-layer smd boards are becoming popular in euro format... It makes them pretty hard to fix.

[steevio]

When I had my nord modular, a fair few ppl had the usb board die. It was something like £300 to get it fixed...
When they discontinued it I sold up.

I'm liking the idea of modular, im ok at electronics so i can fix it myself mostly. But I think multi-layer smd boards are becoming popular in euro format... It makes them pretty hard to fix.

yep maybe i should have said Nords 'used to be' bullet proof, i know someone else who had the same PSU problem as me on their Nord 3.

i bought my nord lead in 1995, built like a tank, has never let me down. (sounds better too)

i have to admit before i started with eurorack modular i was concerned that they might be fragile and might sound thin or something (dont know why i thought that) but its the exact opposite, they nearly all sound amazing and are built to last.
you most likely wont ever need your soldering iron.
i'm also slightly concerned about the fact that eurorack has become so popular, and that it might end up with more mass production, less discrete components etc, the answer is to buy tried and tested makes, and maybe be careful with the new bandwagoneer swarm of manufacturers, maybe wait till their stuff has got general approval in the community.

[lem]

When I had my nord modular, a fair few ppl had the usb board die. It was something like £300 to get it fixed...
When they discontinued it I sold up.

I'm liking the idea of modular, im ok at electronics so i can fix it myself mostly. But I think multi-layer smd boards are becoming popular in euro format... It makes them pretty hard to fix.

yep maybe i should have said Nords 'used to be' bullet proof, i know someone else who had the same PSU problem as me on their Nord 3.

i bought my nord lead in 1995, built like a tank, has never let me down. (sounds better too)

i have to admit before i started with eurorack modular i was concerned that they might be fragile and might sound thin or something (dont know why i thought that) but its the exact opposite, they nearly all sound amazing and are built to last.
you most likely wont ever need your soldering iron.
i'm also slightly concerned about the fact that eurorack has become so popular, and that it might end up with more mass production, less discrete components etc, the answer is to buy tried and tested makes, and maybe be careful with the new bandwagoneer swarm of manufacturers, maybe wait till their stuff has got general approval in the community.

I dout anything bad would have happened to my nord. Generally everything I own I take great care of. The usb issue is something I would have had no control of, it could just happen. The circuit is also a multilayer smd blah blah, and they were going for a lot of money + didn't really use it that much.

Your concern of euro popularity is one that I share. To be honest the Doepfer stuff is all thru-hole, and I am kinda wondering if I really want any of the boutique modular stuff...
I first had my concerns about the updated Tiptop osc. I'm sure I read somewhere that it would be made SMD to minimize the depth. And the first thing I thought was 'I would probably pay more for an old one that I could fix'

That said, I know they are a highly reputable company and put a lot of time into their designs. I'm fairly sure that nothing would go wrong with it. Technically they will last forever if they are well looked after. It was just the first point where I felt that euro (possibly modular in general) could be loosing an advantage to someone like me.

[steevio]

I first had my concerns about the updated Tiptop osc. I'm sure I read somewhere that it would be made SMD to minimize the depth. And the first thing I thought was 'I would probably pay more for an old one that I could fix'

i know this has gone OT but i have to answer this;

yes that was my exact concern with the Z3000 mk11, i have both the MK1 and MK11 and when i first got the Mk1, i thought what a lovely chunky well built module, the Mk11 PCB in comparison looks less reassuring, but i have an inherrent trust in Gurs designs.

i really dont understand the obsession with saving depth, and hp, i think they are getting that all wrong, i want chunkiness and ergonomics. i need to be able to get my fingers onto the controls not be fiddling around in forests of patchcords while the dancefloor goes to sleep.

i hope Bubblesound dont go smd, i doubt they will, and we can always rely on ASys, Macbeth, Livewire and probably Doepfer.
this should probs all be in the modular thread.

[lem]

I first had my concerns about the updated Tiptop osc. I'm sure I read somewhere that it would be made SMD to minimize the depth. And the first thing I thought was 'I would probably pay more for an old one that I could fix'

i know this has gone OT but i have to answer this;

yes that was my exact concern with the Z3000 mk11, i have both the MK1 and MK11 and when i first got the Mk1, i thought what a lovely chunky well built module, the Mk11 PCB in comparison looks less reassuring, but i have an inherrent trust in Gurs designs.

i really dont understand the obsession with saving depth, and hp, i think they are getting that all wrong, i want chunkiness and ergonomics. i need to be able to get my fingers onto the controls not be fiddling around in forests of patchcords while the dancefloor goes to sleep.

i hope Bubblesound dont go smd, i doubt they will, and we can always rely on ASys, Macbeth, Livewire and probably Doepfer.
this should probs all be in the modular thread.

Sorry for dragging this so OT.

But Steevio it sounds like you would enjoy 5u.
You (and many others) think that they are going the wrong way. But loads of the peeps at muffs think the oposite. I can't really comment too much, I haven't got/used one yet. When I was designing my modules I was going to make it odd sizes, bigger than 5U but uber-erganomic. With 1" knobs and this and that... But the thing was going to be bookcase massive! It would be so hard to move and take up loads of space wherever it was, so I redesigned the panels to eurorack as it is much more flexible.