| Leaving Paris...but will stay here! [message #105884] |
Mon, 27 December 2010 06:40  |
drfrankencopter
Messages: 137
Registered: July 2009
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Senior Member |
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I've had my system for 11 or 12 years now (I forget). That's one hell of a ride for a computer based system. I got started in the DAW world with an Echo Gina and Cool Edit Pro...and that sent me quickly back to my 2" tape deck. Then I stumbled upon Paris, and Chuck Duffy's newsgroup. I liked the hardware/software, but it was really the supportive community that reeled me in.
Paris was the reason I got my 1st line-of-credit....my first venture into the adult world of debt. I paid $5K or so for a bundle 3 plus a couple AD's, an ADAT and Out card. I remember being blown away by the performance on my lowly Pentium III 500Mhz. It didn't take long before I was no longer using the 2" machine, and instead did all my work in Paris. I had high hopes for that SMPTE card to link the 2" to Paris, but it didn't pan out and I never ended up buying one in large part due to the feedback from the user community.
I remember when version 2.0 (and 2.1) were released, and it seemed like Paris developed extra appeal and power. I recall having lots of fun with 'scrub' and an obscure command to make the transport play in reverse (anyone remember how to do that...it had something to do with the transport window). That was a good period on the forum. Edmund and SSC posted frequently and the user base was generally happy. I also remember when Brian T's remix of Lonstar's 'Amazed' showed us all that Paris was truly a pro calibre system given the right material, and the right person in the mix chair.
Then Ensoniq got bought by Emu/Creative Labs....and things changed.
I remember when news of 3.0 dropped, and we were faced with a paid upgrade. That changed the mood in the forum somewhat, and we didn't see as much of Edmund and SSC. 3.0 was cool, sexier, and had several improved features, but some quirks persisted, and users demanded fixes for their $300. Updates were promised 'soon'....I think we all remember that word being used alot. I seem to recall someone on Chuck's newsgroup saw a working version of Paris Native, but that never materialized. ID got heavily involved doing forensic audio for the Nixon tapes and other activities. Several users jumped ship at this time.
I forget when the Skunkworks team formed....probably soon after the discontinuation of Paris (around 2002 IIRC). It's amazing to think of the amount of material that was handed over from Ensoniq,which was then turned into working XP drivers, and new FX plugins. Paris had new life and the community (though smaller) was invigorated again. Paris is a little like a phoenix...it rises from the ashes.
I lost touch with Paris around 2005 or so, as I had 2 young daughters, and a studio build out taking up the majority of my 'free' time. My build out was sufficiently complete in 2009 and I went looking for a DAW to use. I was pretty amazed to see that once again Paris had risen from the ashes, this time due to Mike Audet's multicore driver and FX plugin ports from the Ensoniq DP series. I figured I'd give Paris another go in my studio.
It's still amazing that the hardware works. I was able to get some projects done on the system, but have come to find that the limitations imposed by the software are cramping my style. In a quest for native aux capability I modded the senderella plugin and did some experiments to discover a bit more about how Paris' native FX system works (or doesn't). Paris' lack of native auxes on EDS submixes, and inspiration from folks like Mike Audet and Kerry Galloway gave me the motivation to dig into the code and learn how to write VST plugins. Thank you! I did initial beta-testing in Reaper...and came to really like that program. I bought an RME 9652 (like many other remaining Paris users), and have been treating Paris more like a summing mixer.
Eventually I decided to just drop the Paris part of the equation. I've recently bought a Mackie MCU and extender, and an SSL alphalink. I'll be transferring my remaining active projects from Paris to Reaper, and then will attempt to sell the majority of my system. I figure I'll hang on to a bundle II (EDS1000 + IF442 + C16) in case I need to playback an old paris project. I try to keep my old systems...I still have my cassette 4-track that got me into all this mess in the 1st place. I've got fond memories of that box...and fond memories of Paris.
So, don't be surprised if you see my rig come up for sale in the next few weeks (will be selling 2X EDS, 1 MEC, 2 analog ins, 1 out, 2 Adats, 2 C16s). I may no longer be an active paris user...but I'll always be a Parisite; a member of the community!
Thanks to everyone who's helped me out!
Cheers
Kris
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