Home Studio XL Two Questions

[PhilihP]

I’ve been using Home Studio XL for a short while, and even though I didn’t like it at first, I’m adjusting to it very nicely. There’s a couple of things I need to know. When I was using my old Mac ci with MusicShop MIDI software, I could easily duplicate a project I was working on in seconds with two simple clicks. This would allow me to experiment with a song without changing the original, and then get rid of the duplicate when I was done. I have a new PC with Windows XP, is there any way I could do this? And also, how do the DXinstruments in Home Studio XL compare with the available sounds on the market such as SoundFonts?
Thanks,
Phil

[moskus]

Well, make a copy of a project is not the most demanding task in the world. Click on it (in Explorer) and hit Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. As long as it's only MIDI, all settings will be intact. If you imported audio into the project (or recorded it yourself), you need to duplicate the audio aswell...

And I wouldn't compare the DXi's to soundfonts right awa... You know there are DXi's that play soundfonts. Check out Livesynth Pro DXi.

The VSC is OK-sounding and the Dreamstation is whatever you want it to be... just to comfuse you a little.

[dachay2tnr]

Just do a Save, and then do a Save As.

For ex., Save the project as Song1 version 1, and then Save As Song 1 version 2.

If you don't like the changes you make to version 2, you just reopen version 1.

[dachay2tnr]

Doh! Simultaneous post, moskus. Do you live here??

By the way, my answer is easier.

[PhilihP]

I opened up a song and didn’t save it as version 1, I just kept the same name for it. I then went “Save As” and saved a version 2 to the desktop. It’s opening up now, but for a while I kept getting a “Windows cannot find…” message and it would not open. But it seems ok now and the computer sees the songs as two different songs, as changes made in one will not affect the other. I had trouble finding the song in Windows Explorer, but I’m sure that’s my fault.
Thanks,
Phil

[PhilihP]

I finally found Explorer. I clicked on the song in Explorer and went CRTL+C and CRTL+V and it made a copy of the original song and it opened up nicely. I made changes in the copy that had no affect on the other versions. Good! But guess what? The other version I made is back to it’s old tricks. It didn’t want to open up again. But I did get it to open on the second try. Phil

[moskus]

Strange! Copies of the project should really open up without proplems....

Have you tried it with a different project?

[moskus]

Originally posted by dachay2tnr
Do you live here??

Yeah, don't you?


And my way is the best...

[PhilihP]

Moskus,
I tried it with another project and it worked well. Both projects are opening ok. Both of these projects contain audio tracks and the audio tracks were duplicated right along with the MIDI tracks. Being new to Home Studio XL and a lot of other things, I still want to know just how good the Home Studio DX instruments are and how they compare with soundfonts. Any opinions? Right now I’m aiming toward using soundfonts but the DX instuments don’t sound too bad to me.
Thanks,
Phil

[PhilihP]

I’ve spent a lot of time with the DX instruments the past two days. At first I liked what I heard. But a closer look has changed my opinion. They really aren’t much better than what I have on my keyboard. The soundfonts seem to be the next step. They will have to be a notch better in sound quality to make the grade with me. Phil

[moskus]

Originally posted by PhilihP
They will have to be a notch better in sound quality to make the grade with me. Phil

Well, that depends on the soundfont itself... check out www.hammersound.net and www.thesoundsite.net

[brzilian]

Originally posted by PhilihP
I’ve spent a lot of time with the DX instruments the past two days. At first I liked what I heard. But a closer look has changed my opinion. They really aren’t much better than what I have on my keyboard. The soundfonts seem to be the next step. They will have to be a notch better in sound quality to make the grade with me. Phil

Umm, VSC is only the tip of the iceberg as far as DXi plugins go. There are pleanty more out there that sound much better than Soundfonts.

Now that Cakewalk released the VST adapter, you have even mor choices...

http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/DXi/default.asp

Try something like FM7 before you come to any conclusions about DXi's.

[moskus]

And the Hammond B4 by Native Instruments, is just excellent!

[Strryder]

Originally posted by moskus
And the Hammond B4 by Native Instruments, is just excellent!

I gotta get me that !!!!!!!!

[moskus]

You'll find a demo of it at www.nativeinstruments.com when the site is up again...