Soft Synths vs. Sound Module

[scottn5388]

Correct me if im wrong but from what I understand Soft Synths and Sound Modules are very similar, they both process MIDI signals into different sounds. I think a Soft Synth is something like Cakewalk or Cool Edit Pro and a Sound Module is an actual box that does the same thing as the soft synths. (Agian, correct me if I am wrong.)

I was wondering what the advantages of having a Sound Module is over having just Cakewalk or somthing and just hooking your keyboard right up to your soundcard.

I am currently hooking my MIDI Keyboard directly up to my sound card and just using Soft Synths. There is a small delay after I hit the key untill I hear the sound so I am wondering if a sound module would fix that? Can I hook a keyboard to a sound module and hook that to my soundcard?

Thanks Alot for any help anyone can give me!!!!

Scott N.

 

[drstawl]

A softsynth will output through the audio portion of your soundcard. Crappy soundcard will produce crappy sound no matter how sweet the softsynth. The idea is theoretically sound and alot more flexible than a module but right now the module is the more cost-effective solution.
Plus softsynths will gobble up considerable computer resources that you might want for additional channels and/or effects. The delay you speak of shows that the softsynth/platform combo you have is not up to the task. That problem will go away with a sound module.

>Can I hook a keyboard to a sound module and hook that to my soundcard?

Yup- that's it! CW (or your keyboard) will trigger the module via MIDI while the soundcard records the sound.

 

[AlChuck]

Drstawl's right on, I just wanted to clarify something you said, scottn5388:

I think a Soft Synth is something like Cakewalk or Cool Edit Pro...

Nope, Cakewalk and Cool Edit Pro are not softsynths, they are recording applications. There are some softsynths that work as plug-ins so that they act as if they are an extension of a recording application's working environment. You might have heard of VST or DirectX; these are two examples of standard architectures by which such plug-ins can work with their host applications. Logic and Cubase can use VST plug-ins directly, and Cakewalk can use DirectX plug-ins directly. VST softsynths have been around for a while but DirectX is just now adding this functionality. You need special WDM drivers and an application that can host them (so far SONAR is the only one) for so-called DXi to be feasible. There are also VST-to-DirectX wrapper programs that allow Cakewalk to "see" a VST plug-in as if it were a DirectX one.

 

[scottn5388]

Thanks for all your help!!!!!!!