Travel back to creamware.de

[sunmachine]

The old creamware web site is still available at the wayback machine.
http://web.archive.org
Just do a search for creamware.de, creamware.com or cwaudio.de.

It's an interesting trip back into the past and a lot of the stuff is still useful.


This quote is from http://web.archive.org/web/200406071440 ... waudio.de/

It is 2004. Still, there is no other system available that provides so much functionality, so much sound, and so much creativity in a single integrated package.

Well, I guess you know what I'm thinking because you're probably thinking the same



This seems to be the first snapshot of creamware.com, presenting tripleDAT:
http://web.archive.org/web/199611011157 ... mware.com/

Creamware's 10th birthday: http://web.archive.org/web/200206022026 ... efault.asp

Creamware PDF catalogue from 2004 (36 pages): http://web.archive.org/web/200711070655 ... _e_5mb.pdf

SCOPE site: http://web.archive.org/web/200710280908 ... /index.htm

ASB web site: http://web.archive.org/web/200710280918 ... mware.com/

And this is apparently the last snapshot from cwaudio.de with the announcement that Sonic Core took over the rights of the Scope technology: http://web.archive.org/web/200710290351 ... waudio.de/

So have fun traveling the time!
Feel free to post interesting finds here!

image.jpg (8.17 KiB) Viewed 7462 times

[JoPo]

Funny !

P 22 of the :
Creamware PDF catalogue from 2004 (36 pages): http://web.archive.org/web/200711070655 ... _e_5mb.pdf ,
there is Adern Phil (a filter unit device) and GrainMiller.

I believe, Adern never released Phil. I remember to have seen for a long time "coming soon" under its picture but it never came.. It's a pity..

_________________________________________________________________________
Phil is an advanced and complex filter processor,with 38 new filter types
and 1,444 filtering combinations. Dual multi-mode operation with extensive
syncable modulation sources and 16 unique Distortion types. Signal chain
is freely configurable with multiple routing options.
_________________________________________________________________________

That kind of device by Adern's quality, it would be nice..!

Oh ! I found this at Adern's :
http://www.adern.com/products/phil.htm

Really it's a pity !!

Does anyone know why it was never released ?

[dante]

No. But Id like to know what THIS means :

Scope Pro MADI ?

scope-pro-madi.jpg (135.88 KiB) Viewed 7407 times

[Sounddesigner]

Good catch Dante. It seems Creamware did offer some sort of MADI solution for SCOPE upon request/special-order. I noticed something interesting myself at the old Creamware website. There was a website called Macmusic that claimed SCOPE had over 30,000 users in 2004, this is verified by Creamware on the old Creamware website posted by the OP Sunmachine. Creamware claimed over 35,000 SCOPE systems installed (units sold) to be exact. This is huge number and it means UA was lieing when they stated their UAD Platform was the second biggest dsp platform with 30,000 users (Pro tools number 1) around 5 or 6 years ago. Of course UAD might be number 1 and the biggest platform now but their past statement along with other false statements was just another lie they used to grow their business off of. A empire built off lies.

Here's the link to the website of macmusic that's making the claim of 30,000 SCOPE users in 2004 - http://www.macmusic.org/news/view.php/lang/en/id/1454/

Here's the link to Creamware's 35,000 installed systems/units sold claim wich support Macmusics claim. - http://web.archive.org/web/200708250819 ... _scope.htm

Quote from Creamware - " Sounds expensive? Nope. In fact, SCOPE is quite an affordable system – that is why more than 35,000 SCOPE systems have been installed to date... "

Thanks for posting these links Sunmachine. Nice to have history preserved. I remember going to the old Creamware websites right before and shortly after I bought my old SCOPE cards in 2007. Sonic Core had just become the new owners then and I did not know what to expect for SCOPE's future was not that clear. But I bought my 6 dsp card and expanded it with a 4 dsp card and planned to use them till they died simply cause even with SCOPE's uncertainty and many flaws back then it still was the best audio gear around, not just best ITB but better than hardware also when you look at everything it offers in one solution and workflow and sound quality. Now I have a XITE-1 wich adds more with mic pre's, portability, more dsp power, improved converters, etc.

This quote is still true today 10 years later in 2014 -

It is 2004. Still, there is no other system available that provides so much functionality, so much sound, and so much creativity in a single integrated package.

There's been a lot of new gear from other platforms released over the years, but it seems "the more things change the more they remain the same". SCOPE is unbeatable still even after everything else has improved.

EDITED

[dante]

Natch SMach & Sdes. Scope is kinda a freak created by a perfect storm of marketing forces and genius. If it had caught on, then other platforms would have been forced to follow, but due to opposition with higher marketing power who could forge on with other agendas, you end up w/ UAD's proprietary name brand emu's and Profools native backflips etc bla..

I'm tempted to get a UAD solo PCIe just to do Neve 88R channel strips, but I've postponed that with a native solution the Nomad factory SC-226. It has some nice warming characteristics and ironically, still has 'SC' in the name.

Nomad

nomad.gif (66.42 KiB) Viewed 7354 times

So that's all UAD2 will be to me - something to augment Scope with, like other native components such as Reason, Kontakt etc. The UAD2 Quad PCIe compares favourably to the XITE-1D in terms of DSP bang per buckeroony, but not when you add the price of the plugs, and take into account loss of flexible routing. The UAD-2 is anchored to Cubase insert land whereas Scope devices are more just that - devices rather than 'plug-ins'.

Is it worth shelling $700 for 10 - 20 Neve 88R channel strips ? Seriously, if it is Ill grab a Solo but the SC-226 was only like $120 and does a sterling job without incurring a round trip via PCIe buss.. I got an i7 4790 you know and I haven't even o'clocked the babe.

Good catch Dante. It seems Creamware did offer some sort of MADI solution for SCOPE upon request/special-order.

Fuck, imagine if that had gone to mass market in '04 - Juergen for German Fuerer or at least US president...

[yayajohn]

Thanks for posting that sunmachine. It's nice to look back and remember the way things were not so long ago, it makes one appreciate where they are today.
I consider my purchase of a Pulsar 1 back in 1999 a life changing event, not so much for what it could do but coupled with the good folks here at PlanetZ who so generously share their wealth of knowledge, it has been a marvelous education and still continues.
Pulsar1-1999,Pulsar II-2005, Scope Project-2007, Scope Pro-2009, Xite-1 2012. Original owner, all still 100% working in computers here today.
Thanks for continuing the journey Holger.


warmest regards to all

Dan Rowe
(proud Scope fanboy)

[sunmachine]

I'm wondering if anyone ever ordered the MADI I/O option...
And I'm also wondering who won the snow white A16 that Sonic Core gave away in winter 2007

[dante]

Yeah the MADI thing would have been MAD! Would anyone paint their XITE White ? Or would that be too gay ?

[Warp69]

A trip back - I still have the software from back then and the various modules.

http://web.archive.org/web/200102111011 ... stools.asp

First reverb :

http://web.archive.org/web/200102112030 ... itpics.asp

[David]

Would anyone paint their XITE White ?

A white coat on Xite would keep it cool in the lab

Still have v3 discs, a Waldorf disk and I'm sure a hdd with downloaded devices and modules
There was the intensely bright light on the ez synth and the flames of inferno!

[Sounddesigner]

Natch SMach & Sdes. Scope is kinda a freak created by a perfect storm of marketing forces and genius. If it had caught on, then other platforms would have been forced to follow, but due to opposition with higher marketing power who could forge on with other agendas, you end up w/ UAD's proprietary name brand emu's and Profools native backflips etc bla..

I guess Frank Hund would get the genius title since he was the owner and allowed the SCOPE Platform to be developed in such a highly intelligent and innovative way. Frank passed the torch to Sonic Core while SCOPE was a highly developed and mature platform. SCOPE really was ahead of its time but just hasn't caught on enough while Protools was the next revolutionary step for mainstream in general, one has to give credit where credit is due, digidesign/Avid really had a BIG part in getting ITB music production off the ground. they took the reign from SSL and their consols. But the SCOPE concept really is unlike anything else, UAD is a copy-cat platform that brings nothing new to the table. Their specialty is emulating wich by definition is copying, and Apollo interface simply is doing what other interfaces like SCOPE has done for more than a decade. Even the Apollo's Unison Mic Pre technology is copied (from liquid mix).

I'm tempted to get a UAD solo PCIe just to do Neve 88R channel strips, but I've postponed that with a native solution the Nomad factory SC-226. It has some nice warming characteristics and ironically, still has 'SC' in the name.

nomad.gif

So that's all UAD2 will be to me - something to augment Scope with, like other native components such as Reason, Kontakt etc. The UAD2 Quad PCIe compares favourably to the XITE-1D in terms of DSP bang per buckeroony, but not when you add the price of the plugs, and take into account loss of flexible routing. The UAD-2 is anchored to Cubase insert land whereas Scope devices are more just that - devices rather than 'plug-ins'.

Is it worth shelling $700 for 10 - 20 Neve 88R channel strips ? Seriously, if it is Ill grab a Solo but the SC-226 was only like $120 and does a sterling job without incurring a round trip via PCIe buss.. I got an i7 4790 you know and I haven't even o'clocked the babe.

Have you tried IK Multimedias latest stuff? Their precision compressor is a emulation of the Neve 33609, it sounds better than the UAD version imo. The Master EQ 432 by IK is a stellar sounding mastering eq, its a sontec emu. the echoplex delay is nice to. IK has stellar plugins that are very well priced. i bought 500 credits for $136 due to summer sale on credits and left over jam points. One can get around 5 plugins of high quality with 500 credits as they are like dollars. T-racks shell lets you create your own channel strip. For my taste IK and Izotope has a unbeatable business model (Sonic Core's is the only company i can think of that's better with pricing and quality). The Nomad Factory may be all you want/need i just tossed another option out there that's worth checking out to in case you get hungry again at some point.


Your I7 has the power of a god, it looks very very hungry , you may want to keep doing what your doing and fill it up/feed the beast first. I have a first generation i7 and once i treated myself to some of the best Native plugins to compliment SCOPE i realized more platforms is diminishing returns and more inconvenience, more distractions, more problems, if anything i have too many plugins already. I stay away from dongles, virtual-dongles and other dsp cards and that helps to keep GAS under control. UAD plugins are ear candy imo, they sound great in the beginning but not so great overtime. Come production time i usually did not prefer them thus I sold my UAD cards. Because they sound great at first and with their fast releasing and hyping and glitz and glamour and popularity its easy to become a collector if you have access to that platform. I cut off access thus i cut off unnecessary collecting of plugins. I got truly satisfied when i got SCOPE cause it has genuine sound quality and functionality that stands-the-test-of-time, thus i do much much less chasing after 'latest and greatest'. SCOPE gave me the ability to be pickier and limit dramatically unnecessary purchases since it brought 'true satisfaction'. When i got my SCOPE rig i dramatically decreased buying and very dramatically increased selling off gear. I came to the conclusion that SCOPE and Pure-Native was more than enough for me. Threw all of that i realized the danger in owning too many platforms YMMV of course. That's just my personal situation. Ofcourse everyone has to explore the market themselves and see what's good to buy and what's not.

Good catch Dante. It seems Creamware did offer some sort of MADI solution for SCOPE upon request/special-order.

Fuck, imagine if that had gone to mass market in '04 - Juergen for German Fuerer or at least US president...

If Creamware did offer MADI I/O i don't think they advertised it enough, but also there was many features about SCOPE i don't think got advertised at all or enough. But despite Frank Hund's many flaws he showed brilliance by creating and developing the SCOPE concept and Sonic Core as well for further developing SCOPE. They may have their flaws but they did a few things right in a MAJOR way, and Sonic Core has great courage for developing a dsp platform in this I7 computer age, even the mighty Avid has begun bailing out.


EDITED

[dante]

Have you tried IK Multimedias latest stuff? Their precision compressor is a emulation of the Neve 33609, it sounds better than the UAD version imo. The Master EQ 432 by IK is a steller sounding mastering eq, its a sontec emu. the echoplex delay is nice to. IK has steller plugins that are very well priced.

Agree with all you say bout S|C etc.

Re native, its only the chan strips Im after at the moment - so dya reckon I should go for the British Studio Series bundle ? http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/trbritish/ ? Theres 2 channel strips - well - looks like the same on but a black model and a white model - and a buss compressor for $119 pounds where each is worth $99 alone. Looks like a good deal.

[Sounddesigner]

Have you tried IK Multimedias latest stuff? Their precision compressor is a emulation of the Neve 33609, it sounds better than the UAD version imo. The Master EQ 432 by IK is a steller sounding mastering eq, its a sontec emu. the echoplex delay is nice to. IK has steller plugins that are very well priced.

Agree with all you say bout S|C etc.

Re native, its only the chan strips Im after at the moment - so dya reckon I should go for the British Studio Series bundle ? http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/trbritish/ ? Theres 2 channel strips - well - looks like the same on but a black model and a white model - and a buss compressor for $119 pounds where each is worth $99 alone. Looks like a good deal.

The British Channel and Buss compressor are VERY nice. I prefer IK's Buss comp over all the competition's SSL style Buss compressors. I did not care much for the white channel strip for some reason but ofcourse YMMV. I bought the british channel strip and Buss comp and plan to re-demo the white channel strip when another extreme discount sale happens. All IK's latest plugins are damn good, they've really stepped up their game recently. In the past IK where not true competitors to the better companies with regards to eq's, compressors, etc but some where along the line they figured something out. They know how to fight now and are a seriouse threat. They have a VERY potent price/quality/pure-native/all-in-one combo they're hitting with.

PS. Buying gear credits and shopping in the Custome Shop is usually cheaper than spending cash in IK's main web store. Third party retailers can be cheaper as well.

[dante]

Im pretty much covered for compressors in native and Scope but the British strips Ill try out definately.

If they are that good, makes UAD stuff seem even more overpriced.

[Sounddesigner]

Harmony Central is the one place that has record of SCOPE's earliest releases. There are many articles going back to Mussikmesse April 1998 when Creamware had the first public display of SCOPE that was pre-release. The release was September 1998. Here's a link to the list of articles, just click the words "Show full article" to expand each article to read entire article - http://www.harmonycentral.com/blogs/sit ... re%20scope


PS. There's a lot of history recorded there, every major release from SCOPE from 1998 to 2005. The first SCOPE cards where expensive at $6500 . And some think XITE-1 is expensive . There was even a system based on SCOPE technology costing around $40,000 . It was called " The SCOPE AP-2010 AUDIO SUPERCOMPUTER" and had 53 SHARC dsp's , and did not connect to a computer because it was stand-alone. It had Synthesis, Mixing, Effects, etc capabilities like regular SCOPE. It was mentioned in 1998 and i don't know if Creamware ever released this supercomputer based on SCOPE technology but Harmony Central does have record of it. Keep in mind that back in those days even a small 6 dsp card was more powerfull than intel, AMD, etc consumer computer processors.

[sunmachine]

Wow, thanks Sounddesigner!
It's interesting to learn about all the things I missed in the past, although I bought Pulsar in 1999 or so...

Never realized that SCOPE is an acronym...

MusikMesse 1998 marked the first public display of CreamWare's SCOPE (SCalable Object Processing Environment) platform, capable of creating a virtually limitless number of synthesis and audio processing systems - emulations of "classic" synthesizers and those that have not been invented yet....

[Sounddesigner]

There's a article at Harmony Central explaining how thorough Creamware modeled Minimax. Seems the algorithms developed were entirely "alias-free" wich made emulating possible, and that they even cover mixer saturation, etc. It's amazing how good Creamware's synth designing capabilities were way back then. Their emulations still sound best imo. A copy of the article is below.



" With the Minimax synthesizer, a complete emulation of the legendary Moog Minimoog is now available for the CreamWare DSP platform.

Minimax simulates all of the properties of the famous original: the powerful sound of the oscillators and the unique filters, the fast envelopes and the characteristic saturation of the mixer section, and even features like filter FM and internal feedback. Even the positions and the behavior of the controls agree with those of the original, so that you can set up Minimoog sound sheets on the Minimax and finally store them as presets.

The accurate 1:1 modeling is made possible by newly-developed algorithms which are completely free of aliasing, and by the high-precision 'Circuit Modeling' technique, in which all important sound-influencing elements in the original circuit are painstakingly modeled.

Michael Ruf, head of the software development group at CreamWare: "Although the goal of the development of Minimax was to create an absolutely faithful reproduction, we couldn't resist adding a few useful enhancements. Presets can be saved, parameters can be controlled via MIDI and there's also an effects section. On top of all that, we made the Minimax polyphonic - a dream come true for countless Minimoog owners."

Minimax comes with more than 400 sounds which represent the broad sonic spectrum of the synthesizer and which cover many different music styles. Also included is a Signature-Soundset by Dr. Walker, the worldwide renown figurehead of German Electro Music.

Minimax is now available from the CreamWare website and at CreamWare dealers worldwide at a list price of 249 Euro. A free demo version can be downloaded in the Online Shop at http://www.creamware.com. The plug-in runs on the CreamWare DSP systems Luna, PowerSampler, Pulsar, Pulsar XTC and SCOPE /SP." END QUOTE

Hans Zimmer is quoted as saying Minimax sounds "exactly" like his Minimoog here - http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Jun03/a ... escope.asp

EDITED

[SilverScoper]

yeah well, Zims was unheard of and probably didn't even know about Creamware until working for Geoff Downes who demoed the NOAH for CW @ NAMM

[sunmachine]

Found a dedicated site for Dynatube: http://web.archive.org/web/200605131655 ... mware.com/
Each Amp has its own sub pages (most of the content found there seems to be in the Dynatube manual).

Welcome to CreamWare DynatubeTM Guitar Amplifiers

It's not Rocket Science - It's Rock n' Roll Science
We offer the best guitar amplifier simulations on the market. It is a bold statement, but we mean it! We modeled the ultimate amplifiers, and present them to you completely unprocessed, just like in a real studio. They are easy to use, just as straight forward as the originals, and with infinite possibilities when it comes to creating your very own sound. In fact, we don't want you to think of these as plug-ins - they are amps, no more, no less. Only digital. The sound they produce is completely faithful to the sound of the original amps. You won't hear the difference. Just listen!

The four amplifier simulations cover the entire spectrum of guitar sounds. The Fender is modeled on the most versatile amplifier in music history, used for genres like blues, soul, jazz, and country music. The Marshall is the classic rock n' roll work horse, an all-round great amp that has set the industry standard for decades. Our Vox is the quirky gem, a rarity producing both the legendary sound of the "British Invasion" pop of the 60's, as well as some truly interesting, characteristic guitar sounds - to say the least. The Mesa/Boogie is the fierce, sonic bulldozer, giving the awesome and uncompromising roaring sound of metal, quite literally.

However, we were not content with just simulating the sounds of the amplifiers flawlessly. All four plug-ins are modeled in a complete studio set-up, including speaker cabinets and fully flexible microphone positioning. You get the same possibilities as in a recording studio, only cheaper, more accessible, and without the hassle of actually having to set up all that equipment.

Fender is a trademark of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Marshall is a trademark of Marshall Amplification Plc. Vox is a trademark of Korg (UK) Limited. Mesa/Boogie is a trademark of Mesa/Boogie Ltd.


Product Line Philosophy
We didn't just simulate the classical, general qualities of the amps. As you know, all individual amps are different, and have little peculiarities of their own. For this reason, the specific amplifiers the plug-ins are based on were selected by our esteemed group of test guitarists and music industry professionals. And they are modeled in full, peculiarities and all!

The secret to the astounding quality and superiority in likeness to the originals turned out to be hard work, but the end result is worth it. Everything in the amps was measured, down to the last capacitor and potentiometer, with relentless attention to detail. The result is perfection. Four classic amplifiers modeled in full, scientifically, with mathematical precision, producing a sound which is way above and beyond the digital competition.

The idea is that you should get exactly the same sound from the plug-ins as you would get if you had these amplifiers set up in a real studio, with a microphone in front of the cabinet, connected to a recording console. We haven't changed or "fixed" the sound afterwards, because it is not our goal to give you a pre-produced, "ultimate" guitar sound. We only provide you with the tools, the amplifiers, in digital form. Then it's up to you to add compressors, additional EQ's, reverb, or any other effects, to get the sound you think is the ultimate.

Running the plug-ins on SCOPE has additional advantages. CreamWare's sample-by-sample technology means that there will be a lot less latency in these plug-ins than in comparable digital products.

Dynatube incorporates patented technology licensed from Softube AB, Sweden.

From the History page of the Vox Amp:

The Vox AC30 has gone down in guitar amplifier history as a unique product. Because of its warm tone and player friendly feel it has reached a near iconic status. When it was first released, it immediately became a hit with the musicians of the British Invasion era. Since then, the almost infinite sonic possibilities of its blendable channels have continued to fascinate guitarists all over the world.

The amp the plug-in is based on is a very early AC30, with a particularly good sound. We bought it from a guy we first met at the NAMM show in 2003. He's a "slightly" eccentric collector, quite famous in some circles. He rides around the country with his mini bus cram packed with amplifiers and guitars, buying, selling and trading amps with the people he meets. What a life!

One thing we didn't bother to simulate was the famous unreliability of early Vox amps. In other words, your Creamware plug-in is not very likely to catch fire for no apparent reason. Unlike the amp the model was based on. During a recent A/B test of the amp and the plug-in, smoke started coming out of the amplifier. Scary stuff. Still works though.

[Sounddesigner]

yeah well, Zims was unheard of and probably didn't even know about Creamware until working for Geoff Downes who demoed the NOAH for CW @ NAMM

I don't know when Hans became 'heard of' , but I do know he was a true lover of SCOPE and had some passion for it and I believe still does. Truthfully 'celebrity endorsements' don't mean much at all to me but Hans's testimonials of SCOPE carries more weight then most other celebrities testimonials of other products since he really used SCOPE from many PCI cards to XITE-1, and he's even had custome SCOPE devices made by John Bowen and has actually invested in the platform. Hans is not some fly-by-night paid advertiser who moves on to the next product once he receives his check. He's been a actual SCOPER for a long time- from PCI Cards to XITE-1. Also Hans actually owns a well maintained Minimoog to do real comparisons with Minimax unlike most critics.

That said, I do believe each individual needs to judge for themselves what is good gear for their music and not use a celebrity endorsement to figure this out.