Do I need a midi controller--

[gartulan]

Hey--- I am a guitarist with a little keys ability workin on setting up my home system. I would like to try to use softsythns but would really like to have a solid piano soun, violin, trumpet---

Is it possible to get this with just amidi controller or should I pony up and get a keyboard w/midi out?

[subtractor]

Pony up.

[Logo]

With a reasonable midi controller ($200) and a copy of Sonic Synth (a super sampled library VST - $200) you'll have a sound library that will be competitive or better than most any piece of hardware under $2000. Playability and usability are another issue. Yes, you can play it all in realtime, right into your sequencer, assuming you have a decently fast PC/MAC with a respectable soundcard. Also assuming your sequencer is a VST host. But it's not exactly a gigging instrument.

-Lorenzo

[gartulan]

yes gigging is not what it is intended for---recording yesssss......

put string sounds in music I will....happy will I be... mmmm.....

[Logo]

Originally posted by gartulan
yes gigging is not what it is intended for---recording yesssss......

put string sounds in music I will....happy will I be... mmmm.....

There you go then. An Edirol or M-Audio controller, and a copy of Sonic Synth... and you'll be sittin' pretty, master yoda. For about $400, this combo DESTROYS any hardware synth on the market.

Again, be sure your DAW/sequencer can handle the VST...

-Zo

[subtractor]

There you go then. An Edirol or M-Audio controller, and a copy of Sonic Synth... and you'll be sittin' pretty, master yoda. For about $400, this combo DESTROYS any hardware synth on the market.

I think that's a slight exaggeration. While softs synths may offer new and creative ways of sound design and overall a good sound, hardware offers alot that software doesn't. I have several synths and softsynths and both are verycool for their own reasons, but a synth is a synth and software is software... I say start with an instrument, and use that to control whatever softsynth, sampler, or module.

[Logo]

Originally posted by subtractor
I think that's a slight exaggeration. While softs synths may offer new and creative ways of sound design and overall a good sound, hardware offers alot that software doesn't. I have several synths and softsynths and both are verycool for their own reasons, but a synth is a synth and software is software... I say start with an instrument, and use that to control whatever softsynth, sampler, or module.

Key phrase from my post "For about $400..."

In general, I'm with you. I agree that any keyboardist should have a real instrument first. I myself have an S90, an Edirol 49-key for tweaking soft-synths, and even a Roland FP-3 in the living room to tinker around on with my wife and son. But here, we're advising a guitarist who has a computer based DAW, and wants to lay down some backing tracks on the cheap. I still don't think there is an all-hardware solution that can compete, at $400.

Not to be argumentative, perhaps just opinionated.

-Zo

[subtractor]

For about $400, this combo DESTROYS any hardware synth on the market.

OK. That's cool. I was just thrown by sentence structure on that one. Stay out of advertising.

[Logo]

Originally posted by subtractor
OK. That's cool. I was just thrown by sentence structure on that one. Stay out of advertising.

Uh oh. A little too late for that!

Ah, but I don't do much copy...

Cheers,
Zo

[Warren]

pony up

[studiosonic]

Originally posted by subtractor
I think that's a slight exaggeration. While softs synths may offer new and creative ways of sound design and overall a good sound, hardware offers alot that software doesn't. I have several synths and softsynths and both are verycool for their own reasons, but a synth is a synth and software is software... I say start with an instrument, and use that to control whatever softsynth, sampler, or module.

I don't think it's an exaggeration at all. Sonic Synth isn't a soft synth, it's a collection of samples that uses the Sampletank engine - put that together with a good MIDI controller keyboard and it is a hardware beater - no question. For bread and butter sounds it kicks the ass of any hardware ROMplers (e.g. Edirol Sound Canvas) or the samples on any hardware workstation keyboards - mainly because it can have much larger samples, as it's not limited by hardware. With the Sampletank DSP it's a Triton beater too, and the Sampletank 2 engine will only make it better.

[gartulan]

yeah I'm not exactly what you would call a keyboardist or pianist but I am working on it. Helps with my guitar playing....

[Riverdog]

I'd say if you're looking for something to learn on... You want it to last... And you want a good sound to start with...

I'm with Subtractor and Warren... Pony Up....

But, Not so much as what you'd think...

I've been using a Kurzweil SP76 for over a year as a Main Controller... It's got about 32 sounds onboard... Primarily piano, strings and organ...

But, I think the unit has a great feel... It has FANTASTIC Sounds... AND - It's simple enough to use with a DAW... All for about 600.00 Bucks... It's a little more - But, you're not paying a huge amount for a good start to a system...

Sound Good?

[subtractor]

Kurz is good. I'll probably never sell my k2500s.

[stonepiano]

I was just in this situation today. I'm an acoustic guitar guy wanting to add strings and piano to my recordings so I opted for the M-Audio Radium (61 key controller) with usb connectivity. I'm also a sonar user so I'll let you all know how "easy" it is for a non-keyboardist to implement soon.

stone

[gartulan]

Cool let me know--I probably should pony up with my tax return but there are other things I need....practice amp which doesn't piss of my new cop neighbor. He's very scary....

But I need a controller that has touch sensitivity---I can play the piano after all--I just don't kick ass. A cheap controller would not offer me that (I suppose I would have to change dynamics manually?) I dunno....this whole thing is getting pretty complicated. Throw into the mix that sonar seems to take any acid track I import and convert it so it sounds like it came through cheese grater!!!! Urgh....Dammit....I am going to make this work.

[stonepiano]

well, after a day of experimenting, I'm noticing the latency and polyphony aren't the greatest on the old radium in conjunction with the Sonar. I'm using the Edirol VSC soft synth that comes with 2.0 and it doesn't seem to pick up all my notes. Most of them, but not all.

Anyway, I also didn't know what to expect in terms of string sounds from the soft synth in Sonar but I was disappointed with that. I tried the cello, the violins and the viola and they all sounded like doody. The first piano sound was pretty sweet, tho. I'm already adding accents to some of my old files.

So what does one to do add more realistic string sounds? add a module to the rack?

Stone

[gartulan]

The latency is probably less the controller and more the sound card.