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Hi friendsas a music producer/engineer..i have always been fond of Adobe audition(once cool edit pro)for midi stuff i love reason, but the more i read stuff here on taxii notice everyone uses string samples like east west, etc thatare vsti-based...the new version of adobe audition (ver, 3) supports vstis but I'm not sure how well...could y'all recommend me a simple program on how to get myfeet wet(and now drown) in learning how to use vstis?thanks so much!peacegeoff

I think Audition would be a good bet for hosting VSTis. The new issue of Keyboard has a review of Audition. I haven't read it yet but I would start there since you're already familiar with it. Most modern DAWs do a fine job of hosting instruments. The limitations are really how powerful the computer is.Good luck,Mazz

Do you want to use the program for composing? If so you could start with an entry-level version of a digital audio sequencer - Cakewalk Sonar or Steinberg Cubase, in fact Steinberg has a Garage Band-style program that might even work. Another alternative - probably a better one, and probably the one I'd choose if I were in your position - is a Digidesign Pro Tools LE system such as the MBox 2 or even MBox Mini. PT LE comes with lots of very useful plug-ins, plus the Pro Tools software is just great for what it does.Now, if you were using a Mac I'd also suggest Logic Pro or Logic Express, and also MOTU Digital Performer. And if you preferred to compose using notation, I'd suggest Sibelius as a host.But the main point is that you're not going to drown in in learning. These programs are used all over the world every day by hundreds of thousands of people, and statistically a number of them have to be total morons. If they can do it, so can you. My suggestion is that you pick the right program to invest your time learning. You can continue to use Reason alongside it using the ReWire protocol to stream it into the sequencer's mixer.That's why I'd lean toward a Pro Tools LE system: for $300 you get the Pro Tools software, and learning it will never be a dead end. I use Logic for writing, but I still use Pro Tools for all kinds of other things.By the way, I really dislike "VSTi" being used as a general term for virtual instruments. VST is just one format! That's why I launched Virtual Instruments magazine, not VSTi magazine...

Thanks for taking the time, Mazz and Nick and Nick, consider me updated on Virtual Instruments;)i guess i understand about how a term can erk ya..as for me, when i say i make ambient music, people mostly think its techno..ambient techno..much thanks to aphex twin's a"selected ambient work's vol 1-2"and when they do.. one of my hair falls out..... -_-i need my hair!peace in the eastgeoff

I use Adobe Audition 3, and it works very well with VSTi...I use EWQL Symphonic Orchestra, EWQL Symphonic Choirs, Boesendorfer 290 Piano, Groove Agent Drums and a few others, with no problems! It really is a quality product that's highly under-rated, and quite inexpensive, compared to other DAW's.I highly recommend it!

thanks allot Dgnats!