A Pat On The Back!

[nomiyah]

Congrats ern...I got the award too, for Pop

[davewalton]

Quote:Congrats ern...I got the award too, for Pop Quote:3 forwards for the same listing! That's a good feeling... had to brag.Hey Nomi,Congrats on these two things! Very cool. How are you getting along with your new equipment?Dave

[nomiyah]

Thanks Dave. The equipment is working smoothly. Pro Tools is easier to use than I realized, I was prepared for more difficulties. I'm still working with the plug-ins in the bundle but not really satisfied with my choice of sounds. They include a demo version of Sampletank, a nice program but limited choices.So, off the subject of this thread (sorry ern). I'd love some advice about the best VI package on a budget. Every time I get a recommendation, it's for a narrow selection. For example, EW is great for symphonic sounds, etc. But my question is, what program can I get that will have great strings, bass, drums, piano, etc all together? I'd like an overall program to get started with before I get into specializing.Opinions welcome.Nomi

[matto]

Quote:But my question is, what program can I get that will have great strings, bass, drums, piano, etc all together? 1- You should be able to upgrade to the full Sampletank 2XL at a reduced price, since you have the demo version. It has a very large and fairly complete selection of sounds of all kinds. The quality varies a bit, but in general it's comparable to a hardware "workstation".2- EWQL Colossus. This has a similar selection, but fewer sounds of higher quality (when compared to ST). Quality over quantity. A full list of sounds is here: http://www.soundsonline.com/Quantum-Lea ... W-164.html It's relatively pricey, and unfortunately you just missed the Group Buy this summer, when it was half price. If you decide to get it, wait until their next holiday sale or try to find it at a store at a substantial discount (holiday sales are usually 30% off).3-Sonivox Muse. This has not been released actually, but it's meant to compete with Colossus at a lower price. Obviously nobody knows at this point if it will... matto

[aubreyz]

Quote:Thanks Dave. The equipment is working smoothly. Pro Tools is easier to use than I realized, I was prepared for more difficulties. I'm still working with the plug-ins in the bundle but not really satisfied with my choice of sounds. They include a demo version of Sampletank, a nice program but limited choices.So, off the subject of this thread (sorry ern). I'd love some advice about the best VI package on a budget. Every time I get a recommendation, it's for a narrow selection. For example, EW is great for symphonic sounds, etc. But my question is, what program can I get that will have great strings, bass, drums, piano, etc all together? I'd like an overall program to get started with before I get into specializing.Opinions welcome.NomiYour best investment would be something like Quantum Leap Colossus, but it runs about $1,000. Early on I tried to piece together cheaper instruments, but you really get what you pay for. To give you an idea of the range, my current sample library was over $10,000. Unfortunately the first thousand dollars I spent was pretty much a waste... I hardly use the "starter" sets because the quality is so different than the full versions. All of these sample libraries were purchased mostly 2 to 3 years ago. There are more affordable solutions now. If I had to start over today, for about half that I could get at least as much variety and quality - if not more.If $1000 is out of your range, I would try to determine what your weakest and most used instrument is. You can get some pretty good individual instrument packages that are economical. ($100 to $200) Unfortunately, Pro Tools doesn't have a sample module that is as good as something like Logic EXS24. Sampletank is a toy IMHO. Motu Mach5 is pretty good, but it's quirky. The new free X-pand from Digidesign looks interesting, but I've not tried it. I've not used the EW/QL instrument plug ins, but the sounds are good and I know a lot of people are using them.

[nomiyah]

I appreciate the suggestions Aub and Matt. I'm not too impressed with the Sampletank demo. The sounds are pretty good but it seems limited, though maybe that's just because it's a demo. I wish I could check out programs before I buy them.

[matto]

If you told us in what way you find it "limited", we might be able top tell you those are just demo limitations...Also, most decent music stores have computer setups which should allow you to test drive a lot of software.

[nomiyah]

Matt,The version I have has a list of available sounds. There are about 50. I assume the demo has many less than the full version, though I don't know how many.The thing that I don't like is the way it's organized. If I need a bass, now I have to scroll through a list of instruments and can evenutually find about 5 basses. What I want is to have a list of broader catagories so if I click on Bass, it opens up a window of basses to choose from.Does that make sense? I went to a couple of music stores, like Guitar Center, but they didn't have much to work with. I might have to go to Leo's, the pro-audio store.ThanksNomi

[nomiyah]

Quote:Quote:But my question is, what program can I get that will have great strings, bass, drums, piano, etc all together? 1- You should be able to upgrade to the full Sampletank 2XL at a reduced price, since you have the demo version. It has a very large and fairly complete selection of sounds of all kinds. The quality varies a bit, but in general it's comparable to a hardware "workstation".2- EWQL Colossus. This has a similar selection, but fewer sounds of higher quality (when compared to ST). Quality over quantity. A full list of sounds is here: http://www.soundsonline.com/Quantum-Lea ... W-164.html It's relatively pricey, and unfortunately you just missed the Group Buy this summer, when it was half price. If you decide to get it, wait until their next holiday sale or try to find it at a store at a substantial discount (holiday sales are usually 30% off).3-Sonivox Muse. This has not been released actually, but it's meant to compete with Colossus at a lower price. Obviously nobody knows at this point if it will... mattoMatt and Aub,Zink posted that EWQL is having a sale and Colossus is now half price, under 500. It seems a good start for my VI library. Thanks for the recommendation.Nomi