Guest Kits Posted September 16, 2002 Share Posted September 16, 2002 Hi I've been working for some time learning everything I can, reading countless articles, manuals, trying out various programs. My question is to Liform, OOOD, Elysium.... I don't have the money to spend on a hardware studio. I'm planning on getting a luna card , sequencing on cubase sx and using mainly Reaktor Ensembles I built both for synths and for effects. I'll also be using WaveLab and SoundForge for wave editing etc... I do have many VSTs but I find most of them of questionable quality. I'll probably use some Steinberg ones and maybe other Native Instruments products like Absynth and Spektral Delay etc... Izotope Ozone for Dynamics, maybe Rebirth for a line or 2... I won't be using Fruity, Reason, Ready Made Loops or Samples etc. I have a decent Computer, amp, monitors, midi keyboard to start with as well... Now, I know I can get many nice sounds and make some seroius music with this setup but how proffesional can you go with it? can you make consistent top end productions with only what I mentioned (say you leave most mstering to the mastering house) ? Thanks for anyones thoughts Kits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lifeform/DeeperNETWERK Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Software can take you pretty far, no doubt. My set up is currently 80% software based. I have a few hardware synths that i mainly use for all my sound and arrangments. But my drums are soft, my effects are soft, and when i master, it's soft. The only VSTi's i use right now are Battery, Absynth, and Juno 2x. I have hardware effect units that have been collecting dust for months now. It's so much easier then to midi'ing up my effects and automating. Frankly it's a pain in the ass when i can just press the "W" key in SX and all editable parameters are there for me to adjust as I like. To get further on with this... yes, of course you can make professional tracks what the gear your using. You just have to keep recordings clean as possible, which should not be a problem with using exclusivly software, but use those EQ's! Compress, distress, and tweak. I'd like to know more information about your setup. Could you give us a detailed disciption of what you are using? Computer specs? What monitors? and there is nothing wrong with Ready made loops! Chop em up in recycle or even within SX, and shift em about you can get some really cool abstract ideas that way. Even if you dont use that actual loop inside your track, that can be your building block to more original themes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AMP Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Software can be as good today as much hardware, or very close, hardware is always great to have But just an example, Talamasca did his last cd only using soft, he uses mainly reaktor, wich is a great program, very intense but great. Plur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nick Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 go for it dude. dont worry too much about getting the all expensive studio setup - (as some people have mentioned is a must...but are wrong.) it can be an unhealthy obsession. i call these people 'horders'! - collectors rather than composers. a shit cook will not be able to make better dinners just cause he/she has better ingredients! that Grade 'A' turkey in the oven is still gonna burn maan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kits Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 DeeperNetwerk - P4 1.5 512sdram winXP , Oxygen8, right now I have a shitty Audigy but I'm getting a Luna2 in the next few weeks. I should also improve my Monitors.... They are Optimus from RadioShack, so nothing fancy there. What do you think of the Dynamics in Reaktor? Whenever I built a Generator I always stick a compressor on it and build a bypass button as well... is this good thinking? Nick - Yah but what if that master cook is gonna get his hands on some sea food, some great spices, fresh veggies... see what I mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lifeform/DeeperNETWERK Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 Kits, you have a system similar to mine. Though i have a gig of RAM. And you could definitly benifit from getting new monitors. Dynamics in Reaktor... Well, i've only used Reaktor a few times over at a friends house who used for completely aweful music. So, i dont think i witnessed the full enjoyment of that program, if any. But sticking a compressor along with it is a very good idea yes, as long as the compressor is high of quality. Look up some information on compressors on the web, like what exactly they do and some good settings to start off with. Compressors is a professional musicians best friend, i'll tell you that much. "dont worry too much about getting the all expensive studio setup - (as some people have mentioned is a must...but are wrong.)" Well, i'd have to disagree. Though a complete software studio will give you good results if used correctly and effectively. But software synths can not compare to a beautiful synth sitting next to you with all those high quality knobs to tweak. Nothing beats the phattness and crispness of hardware, the filters will tear VSTi's a new one. And honestly, takes alot off your CPU load! If you'd like to email me privatly... (email above) We could talk more about all this... Give you some cool sites, tips, whatever you need. Lifeform/DeeperNETWERK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DeeperNETWERK Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 I'd like to hear Elysium and 000D outlook too, if you guys are around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin OOOD Posted September 17, 2002 Share Posted September 17, 2002 My system is 90% virtual; the only hardware I use at the moment is a Korg Karma. My PC is a PIII 600, 512 MB with a Yamaha DS2416 card (which I rate very highly, despite having too high latency to play live virtual synths - boo!). I too have a rack full of hardware that I now use solely to impress girls with (only joking, Sheila!). Softsynths I use include Battery, Pro 52, Absynth, Pentagon, Beast, Delay Lama, PPG 2.V; 90% of my effects are Waves. I post-produce myself but always keep un-mastered versions for professional mastering (as and when So there. I think that some softsynths are easily up to the same quality as good hardware (particularly Absynth, Pro 52 - even Pentagon makes a great noise) - after all, the only difference between digital hardware and software these days is that with VSTi's the processing takes place inside your PC rather than a separate box. The one area where hardware DEFINITELY scores is accessability; zero latency and knobbage are essential if you want to spend more time making music than programming. Analog is a different matter; you have to work quite hard sometimes to warm up even the best VSTi. A good way to go in my opinion is to get 1 good multi-purpose digital synth (eg Karma, in my case) with a keyboard, 1 or 2 bits of quality analog - you can't go wrong with Roland, Korg made some good synths but stay away from all but the BIGGEST of Yamaha analog synths, unless you're shit-hot with a soldering iron - and the fastest PC your money will buy. Oh yes, and some decent monitors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After all, they are the only thing you actually listen to. Get some shitty ones, too, and alternate listening to them. A decent mic will go a long way to make your music and sounds more original too. Then, once you've got your kit together (I forgot to mention a good mixer) spend as much time as you can spare getting to know each piece inside oout (although if you just dive in to make tunes this will happen over time anyway, if you have half a brain). Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kits Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Hi It seems everyone rates Native Instruments Products very highly. I myself totally agree. They set the Software standards along withthe Waves efecs, at least for me. I think all you people that trust Absynth and Pro52 should really take a closer look at Reaktor. I think this program is somewhat overlooked. Talking about "warmness" of vsti - check out Reaktor - I was totally blown away by the filters, the dynamics, the total control you have over everything. For me Reaktor is surely better than most vst and is becoming the most important software in my system. I love the programing environment feal to it being both complex and simple. You can go from conecting ready made synths and effects to designing your own modules from scratch using math. It is all wrapped up in a great design concept, human interface and gui and a strong audio engine. I think of it as a programing kit for digital tools rather than a vst any thoughts? cheers Kits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin OOOD Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Yeah, Reactor rocks in terms of what it can do; it's just that I prefer to spend my time making music rather than programming! I also have some slight compatibilty issues with my system - I've lost work cos of Reactor and that's made me a bit wary. Mainly though it's the time out from writing; it is certainly one of the deepest and most powerful pieces of software I've used. Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drav Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Yes...never underestimate hardwares ability to impress girls I'm sure is why pro people (Elysium Project) have lots of hardware. Unfortunately though, never underestimate the ability to put off girls by talking about hardware again Elysium Project Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elysium Project Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Draw you sure know a lot about people you haven't even met! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drav Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 Im the one whos been connecting to your brain while you sleep. I know about the episode with the girl and the MIDI controller. She recieved MIDI messages alright, but the psysex controls sent her crazy and she snapped your member clean in two. Oh ok I made that bit up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Elysium Project Posted September 18, 2002 Share Posted September 18, 2002 lol...what an imagination Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest coriolis Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 in my opinion the most important hardware for psy production is monitors. everything else can be acheived soft. sure, there are benefits to hardware synths and especially real analog synths, but they are not CRUCIAL, they're just a nice thing to have. the only CRUCIAL hardware is the monitors. you seriously cannot overlook the importance of monitors. everything you do will suffer without them. how many amateur producers out there are using crappy speakers? you wanna talk about EQ but you can't hear what your sound is in the first place, and now you wanna go EQing it? monitors will not only allow you to hear your own music accurately, but also will allow you to hear what the pro producers are actually doing, so you can understand what you're trying to do. without monitors, you're ears are blind - you're a painter with no friggin' eyeballs, a runner with no feet, an illerate poet..... etc i remember when i first discovered the importance of monitors: i took a track i had produced using my crappy sounblaster 4.1 surround sound speakers and played it on some $1600 mackie monitors. i suggest you do the same! the bottom line: quit messing and go buy some decent monitors. you don't have to spend a billion dollars, something in the $300 - $400 range will suffice. coriolis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.