I want to make a legit studio in my room, and so far I have:

*g4 imac w/768 ram
*Roland xp30 synth
*Logic 5.5 on Jaguar with the exs24mk11
*Bardstown imperial grand piano sampled
*Studio monitors
*USB audio hub
*Midisport 2X2(might be replaced)
*griffin imic (will be replaced)

THIS IS WHAT I WANT:

*EMI 2 6 (emagic audio interface with midi 1X1)
*A field-recording microphone to make natural samples..
*full-size midi controller, semi-weighted keys, or weighted...
*sounds...like VSL and World Winds...


Am I missing anything for making professional-sounding recordings for film scores? Do I need anything more?

- jeff

Ahh dont forget skills! dunno where you can buy em tho

and arn´t you missing the FX or did i miss em

and a wave editor?

sounds pretty good, so far

you´re doing only filmscore music?

You are missing a PC with Fruityloops!

Hi there,
For sounds, you might try another virtual synth, like the VirSyn TERA (www.virsyn.com), or you might look into getting some more samples for your EXS24, like from Q Up Arts, or Spectrasonics
www.quparts.com
www.spectrasonics.net
Other than that, I'd say you are good to go.

Not to start a flame war here - but I would recommend Orion Platinum. Amongst it being a great Host, it gives great synths like Ultran, WaveFusion, Wasp, and samplers, and beat boxes... oh my! Really friendly and helpful stuff. And the folks who make it and the folks that use it (ahem) are top notch IMHO!

Real good bang for the buck!

Soundforge and Waves FX, unbeatable.

Hi John,
Since he already has a Mac and Orion is PC only, I don't think he will be going for this one John.
But thanks for the Orion plug

hey there, flamewarers..


our friend here told us about doing music for filmscores, so he might get in the situation to record a string quartett or a choir or whatever, so it would be quite handy to have an app that is built for recording audio also..
Is this possible with fruity or orion? I mean to record several mics at the same time...I honestly don´t know because I never used these apps..

according to that he already got a quite nice sequencer to do that, so I suggest to start a flamewar about, hmm..the midisport thingie..this is what I personally don´t like that much..

I'd say that it looks pretty good, except that you are really lacking in quality effects. From what I've heard and read, you could really use an outboard reverb unit or get a uad-1 or powercore setup. Good effects are crucial.

I've been researching effects a bit, and have demoed a few things. btw, I'm certainly no expert in this area. Bang for buck, the TC Electronic M300 is bargain and has good reverb ($199). The uad-1 and powercore I haven't heard but I suppose they're supposed to be comparable. They cost more, but are a lot more flexible. Of course, all of these have more effects than just reverb.

You can do you wave editing and mixing in Logic, as I'm sure you know.

sluggo

Moritz Morpheus MkIII wrote:

I suggest to start a flamewar about, hmm..the midisport thingie..this is what I personally don´t like that much..

Yeah - those midisport thingies make my blood boil!

Well, at least mine did

Right now I'm using a quattro for my audio and midi - it's stable (unlike the midisport!) and sounds great, but it can be a bit fiddly sometimes when moving between different apps. I've been tempted to get an EMI 2 6, but i haven't decided whether my next Mac will be a desktop or a powerbook yet, so I'm holding out with what i got.

I would love VSL, if only i could warrant spending that much - perfect if you're scoring film music though, could be well worth it

Interesting about the MIDISport2x2. I've had one for awhile with no issues. <Shrug> What issues have you guys had?

Anyway - I heard someone do a lot of nice 'sound track' type stuff with a Roland JV-1080 back a few years ago. I think his name was Higgins on Mp3.com if memory serves me right. Certainly something to consider in the arsenal, or something similar along those lines.

I also wouldn't discount some good books on writing orchestral music either. Just because you got the instruments, orchestral isn't 'just add water' kinda style to write in. Unless you are a music major in college, books certainly would help to educate yourself too.

A HIGH quality reverb would certainly serve you well.

768 megs of ram is probably going to be sorely lacking if you go for VSL as well.

Devon

Oh, and Logic is very combersome for editing .wav's compared to Wavelab or Sound Forge. I did that on my last project, and now I own Sound Forge. A good wave editor comes in REAL handy sometimes.

Devon

Hi Guys,
He's on a Mac, eh? So, at least give him some Mac-based solutions like Peak, or Spark...

right on!

DevonB wrote:

Interesting about the MIDISport2x2. I've had one for awhile with no issues. <Shrug> What issues have you guys had?

I used one for about two years on my Mac and had no end of trouble with it. I would lose midi connection frequently and had a hell of a time finding the right driver/OMS version combo to make it stable. I got there in the end, but chucked it when i got my Quattro (which has never given me a day of trouble...)

M-audio make great products at great prices, but they are notorious for writing bad drivers. But this is just my experience, lots of people have been quite happy with them.

same here..I suppose that midiman products aren´t the friendliest for Apple computers..

Any well outfitted studio should have a a bong.

It's just plain rude to guests and clients not to have one.

-S.

HAHAHAHA!
Is that an OSX compatable bong?

Oops! My bad!

Wait a minute - There is a X version of Orion now at Synapse?
http://www.synapse-audio.com/index.php

Ooops! YOUR bad!

No - I take that back... Ooops! MY bad!

It's only the 'Synth Pack' that's the OS version?
http://www.synapse-audio.com/news.php?id=38&page=0
Which is still a good suggestion IMHO!

A thousand apoligies.

John Westwood wrote:

A thousand apoligies.

No probelmo...
I have been trying to get Synapse to release those VSTi's commercially, but so far no luck

And I'm on a PC, so that probably explains why I'm not having problems with MidiSport2x2?

Devon

musictech wrote:

John Westwood wrote: A thousand apoligies. No probelmo... I have been trying to get Synapse to release those VSTi's commercially, but so far no luck

what do you mean ?

realmarco wrote:

what do you mean ?

Synapse has three or four VSTi's that are OSX ready, but not Orion. It's really strange, but whatever I suppose

thanks for the help, everyone!!

" uber alles signoninom " - subliminal language

anyways, yeah, I would still keep the midisport 2X2 becuase i've had no problems..

I agree, editing .wav in Logic is sometimes cumbersome...

And yes, VSL requires like 900 gigs and 10 gigs of RAM!!!!

But I was only going to get the $1890 cube and not the performance set..

GREAT suggestions everyone! I had been considering buying Spark XL because of its bouncing quality...or was it just the imic? lol



I should also mention-or clarify- that I would be doing mostly orchestral, World, and experimental music..and not drums or any "electronic-esque" music unless I made a great sound..

no need for basic Sound FX, my brother, whose films I am scoring, goes to Cal Arts ( Walt Disney school near LA, Cali, USA ) and they have a pro audio department where he can access 1000's of sound effects/other fx

dont ask me why I dont go there for music!!

yes, I would like interesting reverb fx, but I think Logic's audio effects will do, I love platinum reverb, and other subtle reverb...either that or insanley controlling wild reverb!

But I would use the microphone for other/original fx..

for the audio interface: since the EMI 2 6 dropped $100, I think this may be my best bet...though I have heard many have struggled with it... something about the driver update aswell...

Virtual synth: good idea

anyways, I am sick of MIDI altogether....except audio instrument recordings for me are more risky...too many overload problems and crashes....



thanks again..

[quote="jeffro"]thanks for the help, everyone!!
no need for basic Sound FX, my brother, whose films I am scoring, goes to Cal Arts ( Walt Disney school near LA, Cali, USA ) and they have a pro audio department where he can access 1000's of sound effects/other fx
dont ask me why I dont go there for music!!
Virtual synth: good idea
quote]
Hiya,
Hey, my good friends went to Cal Arts. It's a great school I think. We even played a gig there in 1998 that was just a blast.
Hope you find what you are looking for.
If you do need synth sounds, the TERA is where it's at.
You sound like you are a LA local guy. I am in the valley, so just call me at 818-943-2939 if you want more info..
Good luck!

actually, I am in San Diego..but i might still give you a call!

yes, Cal Arts is the best art school in the Nation..one of the elite and definitley on the top 20 for the world..

i think for music it might be second to Julliard..and maybe MI (musicians institute) which is also in LA

but it's more expensive than Harvard I think...one of the main reasons I'm not there!! i would need like 50 scholarships..

anyways, what would I really gain out of CUBE or TERA? over like, getting Sonic station?

- jeffro

I have an Emagic 2|6 and I don't think I would buy it again. They've dropped the priced for a reason

I've had problems with the Latency on it. Mind you, I'm using a PC, so YMMV with the Mac. Also, I noticed in your original post that you had "1x1" midi beside the Emi 2|6 and I can tell you that it definitely has no midi interface on it.

Good luck.

jeffro wrote:

actually, I am in San Diego..but i might still give you a call! yes, Cal Arts is the best art school in the Nation..one of the elite and definitley on the top 20 for the world.. i think for music it might be second to Julliard..and maybe MI (musicians institute) which is also in LA but it's more expensive than Harvard I think...one of the main reasons I'm not there!! i would need like 50 scholarships.. anyways, what would I really gain out of CUBE or TERA? over like, getting Sonic station? - jeffro

I've taught a little bit at MI and I am not that impressed. But Berklee is amazing. My friend who was already a great guitar player went to that school. When he came back, he was twenty times better than before.

Anyway, feel free to give me a call.If you want to see what the TERA can do for you sonically, just listen to the MP3 files that you will find on VirSyn's website... www.virsyn.com
The CUBE is not out yet, but I hear that it is amazing

Actually, I don't think Cal Arts is THAT expensive compared to other schools. I'm thinking about possibly doing grad school there - but for film scoring or electronic music composition.

Performance wise, for music, I've heard that there are better schools out there for more traditional instruments (i.e. Curtis, Oberlin, U. of Indiana). However, I do think that it is the best art school in the country.

Ian

DevonB wrote:

Oh, and Logic is very combersome for editing .wav's compared to Wavelab or Sound Forge. I did that on my last project, and now I own Sound Forge. A good wave editor comes in REAL handy sometimes. Devon

Logic has a very capable sample editor built in.


Daniel

Moritz Morpheus MkIII wrote:

same here..I suppose that midiman products aren´t the friendliest for Apple computers..

I've been using a MIDIsport 2x2 and a Delta 44 for well over a year in OS9 and OSX will zero problems. The way I've always heard it was that it was hell setting the MIDIsports up in Windows (as if setting anything up in Windows isn't hell as it is



Daniel

musictech wrote:

Is that an OSX compatable bong?

Well, I'm using a winbong(Running Ganga98se), but I understand that Mac is coming out with the I-bong...

It costs more than the winbong for the same features and isn't compatible with your old (legacy) screens, but you can get it in any color...

-S.

Sleek Month wrote:

musictech wrote: Is that an OSX compatable bong? Well, I'm using a winbong(Running Ganga98se), but I understand that Mac is coming out with the I-bong... It costs more than the winbong for the same features and isn't compatible with your old (legacy) screens, but you can get it in any color... -S.

Yeah, it costs more, but it also doesn't become obsolete anywhere near as quickly as the winbong.


Daniel

I thought you had a great system until you mentioned the mac after that i knew you were not being serious.

Logic has a capable wave editor? Logic is a joke for wave editing. It's "decent", but certainly not acceptable for handling LOTS of editing tasks. Very cumbersome compared to a dedicated wave editor.

Devon

Quote:

Yeah, it costs more, but it also doesn't become obsolete anywhere near as quickly as the winbong.

Oh, be real. At least the with the winbong, I can still use the same dongles and floppy verification systems...

The Mac bongs pretty much drive themselves to obseleteness by not supporting their own older bongs features!

Besides, I have had my current winbong for about four years, and it's still going strong and still compatible with everything that comes out.

...as far as I am concerned, a bong that stays current that long is pretty amazing and flexible.

I just change screens occasionally, no nasty bowl or OS upgrades like with the I-bongs...

-S.

yeah, but Cal Arts has some things for music that I'm not sure all other schools have, like an entire room devoted to World music with Gamelans, gongs and xylophones up the "wazoo" AND a gigantic percussion room..where I suspect Danny Elfman spent his time when he was "wondering" around Cal Arts long before scoring Pee Wee's Big adventure...Tim Burton was in Character animation at the same time...

yes, I have heard awesome things about Berklee...for film scoring, atleast... but I DONT want to be taught how to film score..as you can't learn originality, and I don't want to be told how to spot a film, where to put music in...etc...too long to explain, and un-related to this topic..

so the emi 2|6 is a risky endeavor? what does anyone suggest? Quattro? one of those new portable white M-Audio interfaces? ( it doesn't have to be portable, I am on an imac. )

jeffro wrote:

yeah, but Cal Arts has some things for music that I'm not sure all other schools have, like an entire room devoted to World music with Gamelans, gongs and xylophones up the "wazoo" AND a gigantic percussion room.. so the emi 2|6 is a risky endeavor? what does anyone suggest? Quattro? one of those new portable white M-Audio interfaces? ( it doesn't have to be portable, I am on an imac. )

Hi There,
Yea, I've seen the gamelan performances there a few times and I was totally blown away
Anyway, anything that supports Core Audio is ok. I am not too sure if the MAudio gear does, but I know that the MOTU 828 interface supports it and all you need is a Fire Wire port. But the problem is that the MOTU support sucks here in the US, so you might want to contact MAudio to see if they do support Core Audio.

Digidesign will be supporting Core Audio sometime in the future, but I don't think that will be available until the summer @ least...

what do you think of the M-Audio "Audiophile USB" interface?

what does the quattro have that the audiophile hasn't that I would need?

DevonB wrote:

Logic has a capable wave editor? Logic is a joke for wave editing. It's "decent", but certainly not acceptable for handling LOTS of editing tasks. Very cumbersome compared to a dedicated wave editor. Devon

I must agree. For wave editing SoundForge, Cool Edit Pro, Wavelab, or ProTools are much better choices.