Dave Smith Instruments SYNTHESIZERS

I have to agree and disagree. ;)  Support from DSI is great, Dave 
often responds within the hour!  However the interface on the 
evolver leaves a lot to be desired, isn't particularly effective for 
real-time work, and the editor is awful in an early 90's shareware 
vein and overpriced.

It's definately not a beginner synth, buying a mono synth as a 
beginner would be foolish at best and the interface isn't going to 
get a beginner up and running quickly, not to mention the limited 
range of sounds.


--- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, Miles Bader <miles@g...> wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 07, 2004 at 03:07:53AM -0700, graeme wrote:
> > I still use the EVO a lot but for me it is nowhere near worth 2 
Nord Micro
> > mods, verdict:
> > 
> > blue corner 0 red corner 9 (Scandinavian efficiency beats 
stateside
> > complacency hands down I'm afraid) note to DSI marketing - if 
you're only
> > intending to appeal to die hard analog synthesists and not 
encourage
> > newcomers and s/w advocates then you will be dead in the water 
before you
> > can say - nice product, top concept, shame about the customer 
care.......
> 
> I love clavia's products, but it's utterly silly to compare them 
in this way.
> 
> The NM _needs_ (good) software, because you can't do a damn thing 
without it,
> and _needs_ a comprehensive manual because it's an extremely 
complicated
> machine.
> 
> The Evolver needs neither.  It has a wonderful usable user 
interface, so you
> don't need software _at all_, and frankly doesn't need a huge 
manual because
> despite all the parameters, it's really a pretty traditional synth 
with a few
> twists.  Anyone with any synth experience should be up and running 
just by
> looking at the voice flow diagram and the list of modulation 
destinations.
> 
> I found it completely intuitive from the get-go, and was consing 
up patches
> right out the box; the manual serves mainly as a reference.  In 
fact, I've
> found that's written rather well; who the fuck cares if it's 
stapled rather
> than bound!
> 
> The Evolver is not really a synth for complete beginners, sure.  
Neither is a
> NM.  Buy a triton.
> 
> And what's this claim that DSI is somehow shoddy on "customer 
care"?  Got a
> question, a problem, whatever?  _Instant_ replies fromm DSI to 
email, usually
> going out of their way to help you.  Clavia, for all their great 
products, is
> pretty hard to get a reply out of unless your synth is spewing 
fire or
> something.
> 
> -Miles
> -- 
> Fast, small, soon; pick any 2.