Help spending money!

[ibanez468]

Hey brinda,Oh, sorry. Didn't realize the upgrade came with EZ Drummer. Well, I suppose you'd be able to kill 2 birds with one stone then, if you went that route. ibanez468

[steini]

U sure that the ez drummer version isn't some lite edition, and they are almost always unusable, can't stand these bundles like the one that came with pro-tools le I got.

[crs7string]

If you are talking about upgrading Sonar, the latest version of Sonar includes Session Drummer not EZ Drummer. Session Drummer is a Cakewalk instrument included as one of the bundled instruments. So far it is very limited compared to EZ Drummer or Addictive Drums.Chuck

[brindabella]

Duh! Yes, it is session drummer, not EZ drummer.Ok,Sonar upgrade!

[crs7string]

Depending on which version of Sonar you are currently using is may still be worth upgrading.I'm currently using Sonar 7 Producer edition. It comes bundled with light versions of Dimension and Rapture VST instruments. It also has a good convolution reverb and mastering tools. (limiter,compressor) You can cover a lot of sonic ground just with Sonar.I use the full versions of Rapture and Dimension Pro (I think there is an upgrade path from the lite versions) and the are very efficient in terms of CPU usage and sound great. Dimension includes a lite version of Garritan Personal Orchestra. There are some expansion packages available as well. Recently, all of the EMU Proteus modules have been ported over to Dimension and are available as downloads. ( I do not have any of these yet)All and all well worth the $179 or so to upgrade.In terms of piano sounds, I use Ivory and have been very pleased. I added the Italian Grand expansion after hearing it at the Rally. This expansion for Ivory I believe is going to be available as a stand alone product at some point.For drums, and depending on the type of music you record, Stylus is great. I do prefer EZ Drummer for real drums and more acoustic stuff. The expansion packs are great and add a lot of flexibility to the instrument. I have Addictive Drums on the way, I don't think you can have too many choices when it comes to drums and percussion.I have tried to take the approach with VST instruments to fill the gaps with a very quality instrument. This depends on the kind of music you want to record. (for instance, I do a lot of World music and have added those type of libraries, other folks would have little interest in these instruments if they are doing a singer songwriter thing)Another option that is worth checking out if you don't have much in virtual instruments is Kontact 3. The latest version has taken the approach of "instruments". There is a Band module, Ethnic module, Vintage module, Orchestra Module (17 gig of Vienna Symphony instruments) and drum loops.There are some more than decent pianos included.This was very unstable in Sonar when first released, but after a couple of fixes seems to be very stable. Also, the EWQL libraries can be opened in Kontact. Chuck

[matto]

I agree with Chuck that Kontakt 3 would make a great purchase, particularly if you don't have a great deal of quality sounds yet.I'm still on K2, but even the K2 library was quite good and K3's put's it to shame.Another great reason to get K3 is that it's the leading soft sampler and a lot of great sound libraries are being developed for it by third parties, such as fantastic pianos (plus assorted other goodies) by Sampletekk, a variety of cool stuff including ethnic winds by Bela D, Prominy's guitar libraries etc etc.And as Chuck mentioned you can load all Kompakt or Intakt based VI's for advanced tweaking.I think K3 is a good investment you won't regret.As far as Akoustik Piano, I own it but rarely use it, I much prefer the Sampletekk Pianos. But it's certainly not bad. I don't own Ivory so I can't compare AKP and Ivory.HTH,matto

[brindabella]

Thank you everybody for your help! I havent made up my mind yet, but Im looking at everything you guys mentioned. There are some that are winning in my mind ( I think Ivory is a go, no doubt) Have to decide then sounds and drums.After listening to what Ibanez can do with the silver EWQL I think the problem is not the software, but the user, ha ha.

[ibanez468]

brinda,I don't think I did anything special with EWQL, but get lucky (if I did at all)! I didn't really even have to do too much of anything. I composed the tune with a completely different piece of equipment, and when it was time, I recorded the MIDI tracks in Sonar, and just plugged-in EWQL, and tried to find the right sounds. My problems with the screeners have been my string sounds. They've been too "synthy" sounding for their tastes. So I'm really tryin' to address that this time around. It sucks to hear that that was really the only thing holding your piece back from being forwarded.

[brindabella]

And that is my problem too, the strings! I should say my biggest problem are the strings, I have "small" problems with the rest of it, ha ha! And I have no doubt that in time I would solve the problem, Im very stubborn. You are talking with a woman that fought the IRS for 7 years without a lawyer and won, they had to return my money with interest so this is nothing compared to that. My problem is time, I dont have much of it and I think in terms of using something that would not take that much time "tweaking". Someone mentioned Kontakt is easier, I dunno.Or maybe I should leave the strings in the freezer for the time being. But I think I have to concentrate on my strenghts right now and Ivory is a go. EZdrummer too, you know I can use those drums! But I think, really, what's the use of upgrading to Gold if I cant master the Silver yet?

[ibanez468]

Quote:Im very stubborn.Me too! Quote:Someone mentioned Kontakt is easier, I dunno.Me neither. Been doing some research though, and I think I'm likin' what I see. Soon as I get the funds this Friday, it's as good as mine!Quote:Or maybe I should leave the strings in the freezer for the time being. But I think I have to concentrate on my strenghts right now and Ivory is a go. EZdrummer too, you know I can use those drums!.Well, if time is an issue, I suspect you're gonna' have to sacrifice, and focus on one or the other. Quote:But I think, really, what's the use of upgrading to Gold if I cant master the Silver yet?My point exactly. On the other hand, there may be things in Gold that are easier to accomplish than in Silver. I really don't know, but I've read in some other posts that the articulations are better than Silver, and some other things (can't remember 'em all) that make it must purchase. Me myself, I'll get around to that one somewhere down the line, but I will get it. I'm sure it's worth the investment. There's just other VI's I feel a need for right now.ibanez468