...first post.ive been away from music for the last 5 years...damn things have changed.thank god cubase still exists..otherwise id be a complete techno virgin.ok .. a friend of mine has asked me to write a film score for an underground movie hes producing...so ive now gotta build a home studio from stratch asap ive already purchased cubase sx and now for the sound sources.so i need software for the following.....cheers.
atmosphere
retro sounds...moog etc.
jungle/dance sounds
strings/pads
drums/percussion
fat dance bass sounds + real bass/acoustic
ethnic sounds

....different software for each source is cool and any additional ideas are more than welcome.thankfully price isnt too much of an issue ...can i cover all bases for about $2500? i also need to build a new computer system,need a sampler,fx .....im hoping $5000 for everything

cheers markj

damn, you do have a problem
(gleefully rubbing hands together)
Atmosphere - Atmospere/absynth
retro sounds - synth1/Pentagon
jungle/dance sounds - juno x2
strings pads - Atmosphere/absynth
drums percussion - Stylus\dr008
fat bass\real bass - junglist (real bass hmm)
ethnic sounds - samples must be available, but I can't think.
sampler? Kontakt
you can find links to all of these and more in the quick instrument links list in the upper right corner on the main page.
good luck!
bluedad
and I'm sure you'll get other suggestions as well! And this should be able to fit in your budget! (I think)

nice one bluedad....these are all cubase compatible? shall i go for atomsphere and abysnth..or just one?are they diiferent enough to warrent both? you prefer kontakt over halion? cheers markj

Absynth= Subractive,Additive, Fm,Am,FFT sampling and phyModeling synth

Atmoshpere= Vsti containing a huge library of samples, most are of pad nature

Absynth can make almost any kind of synth sounds

Atmoshpere is from spectrasonic

if you have the Cash get both

get Kontakt rather than halion

BTW could i borrow some cash I'dl ike to get Atmoshpere,Slayer and phatmatickPro

cool marco...im gonna order both now...listened to the samples and damn things have got better ...ive been away from music too long thats for sure.as far as money...i always found luv to be far more valuable...so i luv you guys

You're in luck, because you can get alot of synths and FX for free nowadays with software, which leaves you to spend more money on a decent PC/Mac setup with a good soundcard. Alot of the freebies are really good enough to replace alot of hardware synths if you're prepared to programme via a mouse.

I'd say you'll probably want a hardware synth for a controller keyboard, which you should be able to pick up cheap 2nd hand - maybe go for a Virus or Novation Nova/Supernova as these have a good range of sounds on board to start with (plus the Novas have plenty of FX) - and they make good controllers as their knobs send out controller messages (which is very useful for programming software synths too). Or even if you want an old analogue synth - try a Roland Alpha Juno or Juno106 simply because they are some of the few analogues to receive/transmit midi and they're still cheapish.

For software synths:

Impulse is free (but only works in mono) you need to buy it to get full polyphony - still good for basses though in mono.

Claw from ReFX is an excellent monosynth for free, which will do very good 303 impersonations and other leads/basses.

As mentioned - JunoX2 very cheap, but excellent for dancey chords/pads.

Linplugs FreeAlpha synth - free and quality analogue style sounds - a great workhorse for basses/pads/leads and sound FX - it can be subtle or noisy depending on how you program it.

You'd have to spend a fair amount of cash to equal the results of Crystal for atmospheres. You can download an old version for free, and the new version comes free with Computer Music magazine at the end of November - Can't recommend this one highly enough - it's basically a Wavestation - it has complex envelopes for developing sounds and now has wavesequencing PLUS you can download Soundfonts as your basic waves (so to all intents and purpose it is a Wavestation that is also a Sampler except you can't actually record in your own samples, but you can load in ready made ones).
This is probably your essential buy for a film score (all for the price of a magazine) The Wavestation is the ultimate film score synth - you hear its patches in thousands of movies, and Crystal is potentially more powerful then the Wavestation.

For samplers, there are quite a few to choose from - there are some for free that are quite basic, but would suit your needs unless you want to get into heavy sampling - and they'll double as drum machines too. Check out the listings on KvR. But if you want full samplers - go with the previous post.

Also remember that the big audio software sequencers come with some VSTis and drum modules and general midi modules that have drums/brass/strings etc so you MIGHT not need to buy a separate drum thingummybob. They also have a fair range of FX too so you don't have to spend big on these either.

I would personally say that you need a good reverb if you're doing film scores, and I'd go for hardware here (some software reverbs are good, but maybe not quite good enough)
Lexicon now do budget models - and you're hard pressed to beat Lexicon still (they're really not expensive anymore) MPX-1, 100, 110 whatever - all good.
Even check out TC budget models - some people swear by 'em (I dunno - never played with TC hardware meself).

As for other FX (software):
dB Audio Tempo Delay is free and very good (has filters too)

Big Tick Nastyshaper - very good clean distortion (can be used for enhancing, not just grunge)

Endorphin - free compressor - dual band - top quality.

PSP make some awesome valve FX/bass enhancers/general mastering/mixing FX that are cheap for their quality. Buy separate or in bundles.

DSPFX do some quality FX such as chorus/flangers/delays/Eq which again are cheap either separate or in a bundle.

Ohmforce - excellent quality delays/distortion/ and the best phaser out there. All $10 each (although if the film gets released, you should maybe consider the pro license, which costs more and makes you legit) . You should buy at least one of their FX. Bloody great FX!

Check out Mda - some freebies and some cheap for buying FX - generally good quality and reliable.

So even if you're buying everything, you can get a quality set of FX for a couple of hundred easy.

If you check out some of these and others, you can get a wide range of sounds, may not need any other hardware and leaves cash for a GOOD computer setup. Get as quick a CPU as you can, lots of RAM (at least 256 MB, and preferably 512) and you can get a good soundcard without breaking the bank. Personally I use Aardvark - it's top notch but expensive - you can spend less on say, Terratec, M-Audio etc.. and still get a good soundcard - Don't go for things like Soundblasters though - they're not awful or anything, but they're problematic and the quality is noticeable when you step up the price - your soundcard is what gets the sound into and out of the PC so this is the crucial piece of kit - basically with cards, you get what you spend - Don't scrimp on it - for the sake of 100 quid or whatever, you will lose more than 100 quids worth of quality even if you have expensive softsynths and sequencers etc.

Sequencers - it's all up to how you work - some like Cubase, some Logic, others Sonar etc etc - they all are much the same in quality, just look different is all.

But, truly, download lots of demos and try out as many freebies as you can - lots of listings on this site, there are some real gems for free, so you really really don't always have to spend big.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Sonic Synth or Sample Tank as a source of real sounds... yes I know Mr Marcus did not request a source of these but still

Btw, Mr Marcus - there is gonna be a huge learning curve ahead - but we will always be here to offer when needed!

I'll have look at suggestions tomorrow and maybe make a few pointers.

But quickly, I personlly could NOT do without PlastiCZ and Scorpion3 - both have great presets (you are not going to have much time to program) and are cheap! ...both have a unique sound IMO.

Oh, and after buying Nuendo I wish I could afford Atmosphere... drool! Lucky man.

kritikon wrote:

.... try a Roland Alpha Juno or Juno106 simply because they are some of the few analogues to receive/transmit midi and they're still cheapish. .

Just a note here that the Juno 106 is not touch sensitive, so you wouldn't want that as a MIDI controller - excellent advice otherwise from everyone above -

thanks to all you guys....i must say i luv the vibe here already and ultra appreciate youre help...cheers.this place has a refreshing feel ....no hint of ego...a rarity for a forum /newsgroup ...im touched by the time youve spent to reply a seious thankyou . ps im running a amd xp2000 chip,512 ddr ram ....is this enough?

....by the way ive got a korg m1 and z1.does it matter which one i use as the motherboard...are we saying its possible to change the parameters of a virtual synth by the knobs and bits of a mother keyboard...if so this is way cool.the z1 has i think they call it a kaos pad thing goin on ...could i use that for other virtual synths? cheers markj

I totally agree with bluedad's recommendations, and the Kontakt library contains a very good acoustic bass and some nice ethnic percussions.

I was in the same boat; I was away from music for a several years. I think you'll be very very surprised to see what $2,500 can afford these days.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is the sound card.

It is imperative that you get yourself a good quality *low-latency* card.

A soundblaster is not going to help you (unless it's a soundblaster live with the kx drivers, but that's a whole new story).

I haven't checked out the market for a few years , so I'm not going to recommend anything for fear of leading you the wrong way.

Anyone been in the market for a new card recently and done their homework??

Also - remember that you will get a lot of stuff with Cubase which will help you on your way. The A1 synth is excellent and capable of some really nasty stuff. You'll also get the JX-16 (a Roland-o-like) , the CS-1 (more like an old Yamaha monosynth) and a whole raft of effects. Check out all of these before making soft-synth purchases, particularly in the retro/analog style .

Finally, here's a whole bunch of free stuff that I have found incredibly useful and versatile. As was mentioned previously - you could rack up on freebies and spend more on your hardware. Some of these have been mentioned previously btw.

Refx Claw - Analog monosynth. Supernasty - very useful.

rgcaudio Triangle II - another analog monster

green oak crystal - as per previous posts, an incredibly versatile synth, but a medium to steep learning curve.

linplug freealpha - a free analog polysynth . an excellent all-rounder.

synth1 - new kid on the block but already causing a stir. excellent and versatile virtual analog polysynth.

mellowsound - i love this. mellotron strings, choir and brass, for free.


All of these are free and all can be found using the "quick instrument links" drop-down at the top of the page.


Remember to stick up some mp3s of the finished product so that we may hear the fruits of your labour.


best of luck,

scuzz.

Quote:

are we saying its possible to change the parameters of a virtual synth by the knobs and bits of a mother keyboard...if so this is way cool

yes..I'm not sure of the exact set-up, someone else can explain. but the knobs of the mother controller are just sending midi info, and I imagine can be manipulated.
And I can't believe I left off Crystal from my list.
Sonic synth is a great all-round sampling of instruments. and I do mean great.
Linplug stuff - oh gosh - delta lll is fantastic. Almost modular like sounds
rgc- z3ta - still getting my head around this - but the sounds!
And yes, all these will work in cubase.
bluedad

kritikon wrote:

Claw from ReFX is an excellent monosynth for free, which will do very good 303 impersonations and other leads/basses.

erm, no!

but its still fun to use

Tau sounds quality is superior and its free