I want to buy the best sampler for orchestral samples.You said you own Gigastudio and
Halion and that Gigastudio sounded better.
If I bought some high end orchestral samples would
they sound ok in Halion?If you think I would
get better results using Gigastudio how did you set it up so that Cubase could record Gigastudio's
output?Can Halion play all the sample information
that controls the "playability" of an instrument
{the bowing touch of a violin sample}correctly?
Lastly, can Gigastudio and Cubase work on one computer and how many soundcards do you need
to make the system work?What are the best orhestral samples you've actually heard? thanks,ss

Hi, since you are directely asking me i guess i'll have to answer in more than the five usual sentences.
Yes Halion loads GIga samples really well. Not sure whether all instruments expressions are transfered (mod wheel etc...) So far I haven't had any problems. The sound of Giga for orchestral instruments is better, no doubt. Probably due to better filters in Giga. Expect Steinberg to remedy the problem in later versions. The difference is not relevant for pop, drums, fxs, keys etc... For acoustic instruments it might make a difference... Now, the problem with Giga is editing. It is a real drag compared to Halion that is way easier. Also Halion being a VSTI has outputs in the Cubase mixer. Tracks can be exported and turned into audio in a heartbeat. Not the case with Giga. With Giga you'll have a real hard time to get it to sync with Cubase. The only way i could get it to work was running the sequence in Cubase, going into Giga and exporting the tracks to a wave file. Go back to Cubase, create an audio track, import the wave file and MANUALLY adjust it until it is synced to the rest of the tracks. It might sound complicated but it isn't that bad since you have the original midi track to tell you exactly (more or less depending on the attack of your sound) where the track is supposed to kick in. So as far as integration with Cubase Halion is big time winner. Tascam just bought Giga/Nemesys so you can expect some improvements in the future but since Halion is Steinberg's child I wouldn't bet on an enthusiastic energy coming from them to help Tascam integrate Giga into Cubase.
I use Giga and Cubase VST 5.1 on the same computer with only one sound card (MOTU 2408, PIII 1 ghtz, 520 megs RAM) I am exporting to a wave file as soon as I can in order not to overload the CPU. I don't think my system could take a large arrangement in Cubase AND Giga at the same time but the way i run it, everything is ok. Since you can find both programs on Ebay for about $200 each i would suggest buying both if you do a lot of orchestral arrangements. Until one of the programs gives us everything...

Thanks Leaping Frog for the Giga/Halion help!

SS