uneedas

One of the joys of a new computer, guitar,  whatever... is that they always come with a series of uneedas - you know, the list of other things you need to make it work right.  I got a tablet a month or so mostly for my music chsrts but quickly decided that there are times when it could replace my laptop.  Right now I'm writing this podt on mh tablet...but thst reveals a uneeda.  Typing via the software keyboard on the screen is actuslly not ss bad as I anticipsted, but the keyboard covers hslf of the screen... so I can't see what I'm typing and there are scor3s of typos (at first I toggled the keyboard off and tried to fix them but then I decided that they prove my point) I guess I need a bluetooth keyboard.

That is the nsture of s consumer society.  Each new aquisition open doors requiring more stuff and ineed some stuff comes with a list of uneedax, literally without which it will not work.  That shiny new computer may not run any of your old software without updates... that gorgeous acoustic guitar needs a pickup and preamp if you really want to play it live... and this cool tablet requires a bluetooth keyboard if I really want to do any half way serious typing. ?. And maybe a hard case to keep it safe... Iand I already upgraded the memory... on it goes

a smile

for you cat lovers - you'll identify... (just ask my wife about Espresso and her computer)

for you cat haters - you'll find more reason...

here's Simon's cat

Hardware

In '82 the Kaypro II computer was released to the public. (the photo is a Kaypro IV but they looked the same). It ran at 2.5 MHZ and had a whopping 64K of memory. For storage there were two 5.25 inch single sided double density drives. The operating system was CPM (pre-DOS) and it had no graphics or sound other than a beep. That was my first computer, probably in '83. About '86 I got my first IBM PC clone, a Leading Edge Model D with dual double sided drives and 256K of internal memory! Then I got my first "laptop," a TRS80 Model 100. It was an amazing machine that came stock with 8K of static memory and the programs on EPROMs. You could upgrade it to 32K of memory and add an external 3.5 inch floppy drive and a 300 baud modem.
About that same time I got my leading edge, a friend of mine got an Apple Macintosh. Jim was convinced that the Mac was the only computer for an artsy type and tried repeatedly to get me to leave behind that "gray suit corporate machine and get something creative." At the same time, I really liked the open architecture of the PC and the fact that it wasn't monopolistic like Apple. So, I stuck with PC's.
My first home "recording studio" was based around a 4 track cassette deck from Yamaha called an MT44 (which I actually still have). The photo shows the full rig which I didn't have. I only had the deck, not the patch bay or mixer. I had a hand-wired patch bay and a little battery powered stereo mixer. Then I got into recording on my computer - still a PC - first with a card from Echo and then after the echo died, with one from Lexicon. We got some reasonably good sounding recordings from those cards including Big Job, Beautiful Day, and Heartbeat that are available to hear in the player on the right.
I began to have difficulties with the Lexicon card about '99 or 2000 and then upgraded my operating system and there were no drivers available for it so it was abandoned and I haven't had a recording set-up since then.
As I said in The Siren Call, I've been feeling a serious itch to get back to work on my music and so I've been looking into setting up another studio, small and relatively inexpensive but hopefully still able to come up with decent recordings. Which has me back looking at APPLES!
I have to say that I have even lower opinions now regarding Apple's monopolistic practices, but I have to admit that the computers sure do look impressive. Plus, in laptops, I've not been able to find anything that has the features I'd need in a PC... so I may be going over to, or from, depending on your perspective, the dark side. Indeed, at this point, it looks pretty likely that I'll do a Mcbook Pro and a recording interface from Presonus.
So, Jim, I may finally be joining you in the Apple world!