A few questions

[nate_dennis]

I'm newer to MIDI and have a few questions . . . .

First off . . .are there any differences in functionality between using VSTi's over using hardware based sound modules? Pros/Cons for each?

Second . . . anyone know any good realistic string units? I'd really appreciate any recomendations. Pretty low budget . . . . but that's not a huge thing

 

[altitude909]

I'm newer to MIDI and have a few questions . . . .

First off . . .are there any differences in functionality between using VSTi's over using hardware based sound modules? Pros/Cons for each?

Big difference. The timing on a VSTi will be orders of magnitude better than an external midi module. The problem is that with external midi you are dealing with layers of software and hardware before the midi signal even leaves the computer so jitter and latency become a problem. When using vstis, the routing is internal to the program so everything is very tight timing wise. Finding a decent combination of midi interface, software, and computer for a hardware setup is not trivial.

Second . . . anyone know any good realistic string units? I'd really appreciate any recomendations. Pretty low budget . . . . but that's not a huge thing

This is where the VSTis shine. Samplers are very well suited for these jobs and will give you great results. I hear the East/West stuff is quite good:

http://www.eastwestsamples.com/details.php?cd_index=990

 

[gecko zzed]

There is sense in what altitude909 says, but, having used both, I have not experienced that significant a difference between VSTs and external modules. Had I not read that post before writing, I would have said there was effectively no difference.

Though I lean more towards VSTi these days, I also have a Sound Canvas hooked up via the midi of my Firepod which still sees regular use. In fact, this used to be my main source of midi sounds when I was running Logic 3.6 on a 500 mhz PC with 256 meg Ram and a 4 gig hard drive!

Though the midi info has to travel a ways before it leaves the box, it never seem to cause me any trouble. However, VSTi do demand processing power, and plug-ins did cause problems on that old PC.

My general feeling is that there is more you can do with VSTi these days, but external modules are okay, and don't place any load on your computer.

 

[nate_dennis]

Would it matter if I'm recording to tape? I don't mind using the computer as a "module" but would tape vs. digital make a difference in preference?