KVR Audio

idobs · Post by **idobs** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 4:56 pm

I don't have RM4, but I do have StylusRMX, DR008 and Battery2.

I'll tell you something about StylusRMX: It's INCREDIBLE. It's what I've always wanted: A better REX2-type loop player than Rewiring in Reason.

Specifically, I LOVE having the ability to drag-drop the MIDI clips from stylus right into Sonar (my host). It really is a better workflow than the one I had before (Reason through Rewire), where I had to use two different sequencers.

The biggest problem for me with StylusRMX is that the beats aren't really geared towards dance music. They feel like they're more suited for HipHop. I still get good use out of it, but when I really want a good (looped) dance Beat, I pull out my ReWired (Elements of Trance) CD.

Thanks,
-Ido

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:37 pm

Speaking of Trance, what about the single stabs from RMX? Aren't they suited for that material (trance, hardtrance)? The producing is a lesser problem. But I heard some hats pattern that were quite fitting.

But it's always the Basedrum. heh.

What would you say about the DR008? How many styles, good stuff or not or is it just the usual breat and butter?

idobs · Post by **idobs** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:13 pm

I think DR008 has a ton of libraries that come with it (available for download), very suited for dance.

I think it's best strength is its synthesized drums (generators). They're great for dance/trance: Crisp and load bass-drum, 808/809-like snares.

Compyfox wrote:What would you say about the DR008? How many styles, good stuff or not or is it just the usual breat and butter?

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:14 am

DR008, coupled with SlicyDrummer and the other extension, is more like Stylus than RMIV is, AFAIK RMIV only gives you sounds to trigger or program, no prefab rhythms.

On its own DR008 is a godsend for making your own rhythms.

An update path to Drum Nine has been promised and it's dirt cheap right now.

cptgone · Post by **cptgone** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:22 am

- You could also consider ephonic drumatic - it's a free drum synth.

- You say you prefer to use ONE app: Drum Nine isn't quite here yet, but it will HOST VSTi's!

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:39 am

Well premade loops are only interesting for me if they're "hip hop", drum and base or some backgound stuff where I'm simply too lazy to reproduce (or wild tribal stuff). And with RMX being able to import REX files (which are easily made out of WAVs or I can go back to some of my collections), it's in the higher ranks.

Most important to me are really the single stabs. They have to be a huge variation and not only the standard 808/909 stuff that you can get over and over. Hardtrance material for example is very difficult to get unless you buy way too expensive add on CDs, or vox-beatbox, some other wild stuff. And here RM IV and RMX have a pretty huge core itself.

Yeah - short said I'm too lazy lately in producing my own "beats" and I fear that I will also fall for that "loop madness". But the main criteria why I want to upgrade my home studio is because of the time I could save while using way better "premade" samples than I trying to reproduce them (it took me 2hours once to create a trance basedrum that turned out into a complete mess in the final mix - track was never released!).

You get the point here?

Thanks anyway for the other infos.

djmontyq · Post by **djmontyq** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:17 am

Glenn--
I'm a big fan of Stylus RMX, and am looking forward to installing my SX3.0.2 update today to (I pray) solve that video/stutter problem.

My computer goes into another graphic dimension and stutters for 10 seconds when I solo any track in a project with RMX--glad to hear it's been addressed at last. The workaround has been to reverse-engineer and mute instead of solo, so it can be circumvented. And the REX thing is really cool....

As you pointed out, the problem existed with a number of other VST's, but curiously not with NIB1 or 2.

Angus--
I apologize for not mentioning your oft-used machine, also a piece of cake to build crackin' kits with a fine library, but it wasn't on the original shopping list and should have been alongside NIB2.

Compyfox--
RMIV does have a supply of drag & drop MIDI rhythms in various styles. Have we created enough confusion?

My system:
P4 3.2 , 1.5 GB RAM, ASUS P4B-533E, ATI 8500, 01X, DELTA 1010 (now redundant with ASIO in SF8) XP SP2, SX 3.0.2, S4PE and that whole mess of drum toys.

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:30 am

I thought RM IV is simply just a drumsampler?! o_O
Nothing more. Well, I can produce my own beats, I don't need midi drag and drop. It's just a bit more comfortable with REX files, which RMX does easily. And if I'm too lazy to write rhythms. heh.

On a sidenote:
New Cubase update? Did I miss one?
*checks* Yeah, I'm still on 3.0.1 - guess I need to "abuse" the Steinberg server again - hehe.
*edit-recheck* On the Steinberg Server is only 3.01.514... hm... guess I have to wait then.

djmontyq · Post by **djmontyq** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 6:05 am

http://cubase.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=10089

RMIV is a drum synth & sampler with included MIDI patterns

Stylus solo issue is FIXED with SX3.0.2

Angus_FX · Post by **Angus_FX** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 10:15 am

Well, there goes Stylus RMX. No audio demos, no "VSTi demo" only the videos and the feedback from one of my closer friends who uses it. Not very positive in my opinion. Since how long is it out now? 3 months if not longer and still no demo.

It's pretty hard to make demos for VSTis where one of the main selling points is included content.. as a developer, you end up either giving too much away, having a demo file that's too big for most people to download, or is suitably compact but doesn't adequately represent the product's strengths.

Your local music store SHOULD have any VSTis they sell set up for demo on a workstation, but many are useless about this and won't have anything except Reason 1, Acid 2 and Cubase VST 5.0

I'll test DR-008 (146MB Demo) and RM IV (25MB demo!) later that night. I'm reall curious about the sound and if it's really what I'm looking for. BUt I don't have high hopes just yet.

Email me re the DR-008 demo (I'm angus *at* fxpansion *dot* com), I have to send you an extra file.

Specifically, I LOVE having the ability to drag-drop the MIDI clips from stylus right into Sonar (my host). It really is a better workflow than the one I had before (Reason through Rewire), where I had to use two different sequencers.

Have you tried Music Lab SliceyDrummer with DR-008? It's not the same thing as RMX at all, but it has the MIDI drag-drop thing going on. If you still use your DR-008 sounds now and again, I think you'll like it.

What would you say about the DR008? How many styles, good stuff or not or is it just the usual breat and butter?

By styles, you mean kits? or beats? There's several hundred kits covering all styles.. some nice ethnic drums, a HUGE selection of hip hop stuff, multisamples of a massive range of different drum machines (not just the usual x0x), acoustic kits, you name it.

Then there's the synthesis side.. it has a bunch of different algorithms from x0x emulations thru to physical modelling, abstract bleeps and SID/arcade-game electro percussion synths.

Most important to me are really the single stabs. They have to be a huge variation and not only the standard 808/909 stuff that you can get over and over.

All these products have a big range of single stabs.. the difference is how you work with them. DR-008's real strength there is that it has strong abilites for assembling and managing kits.. you can merge kits together, copy and paste hits between different kits, create copies of the same stab on two different MIDI keys and then mutate them independently. The only other product on your list that's as good for that is Battery2.

proletkult · Post by **proletkult** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:40 pm

RMX for me hands down, but I have Recycle so what isn't already there I put in. I double it up with Groove Agent(which copes with odd time signitures)and that covers everything I do. You need "at least" a Gig of Ram, more of you using others big apps!:troll:

h2ogun99 · Post by **h2ogun99** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:54 pm

I have most of the plugs you are thinking of buying, but I have to say that I alway return to microtonic. I create different types of music and microtonic adds that flavor that makes the song it's own. I use it in organic songs as well as synthetic.

Lance

jones-y · Post by **jones-y** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 7:39 pm

I'd say stick with the free CM plug you're using (or you could try Loopazoid, if its still available), and surf the net for free drum hit samples. There are thousands upon thousands to be had.

As a matter of fact, as a RM IV and iDrum owner, I hardly use the included content, because my collection of free samples is simply jaw-dropping...

Start here. Definitely not the lazy man's ideal answer though...

Also check out Modernbeats.com, and other payware drum sample libraries. For grungy East Coast style hip hop, Emagic Xtreme Hip Hop is one of my favorite drum sample CDs (EXS format only, but the raw samples can be loaded into any sampler.

Happy surfing!

Cyprus · Post by **Cyprus** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 2:53 am

The fact that Spectrasonics does not have an audio demo up is inexcusable. I mean it'd be like buying a car and instead of being able to see what it looks like they say "well, trust us on this one".

I'm just dumbfounded by their marketing. Obviously with the thousands of songs that have already used RMX it's not exactly hard to create a sound demo, but yet it's ESSENTIAL.

Their marketing team or whoever is in charge of that should be fired for pure laziness.

BUT, I will say that it's an excellent product. I bought it because I had used the original Stylus and every Spectrasonics product is good. But I don't know how they expect anyone that doesn't frequent message boards and are in the "know" to purchase their product. It really boggles my mind.

Compyfox · Post by **Compyfox** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:00 am

@mjones4th:
Well I wouldn't ask for something bang in the buck if I wouldn't already have tons of free samples and loops (8GB, 40% of them only single hits). But then again I can't find the right stuff and this is what slows me down. And like I also said, Layering takes time and in the end, nothing seems to fit.

Really... nothing against the SR-202, I especially ordered an issue from england just to have an own copy. But why working long on stuff if you can have it all on one box.

Thanks for the other infos though.

@Cyprus:
Exactly that what I was thinking about. There was another RES2 loop player that was mentioned in the last KEYS/Keyboards germany magazines (forgot the name) and here they don't have a problem offering 150MB demos with tons of material to fool around.

Spectrasonic is really lazy, indeed. And... well, hello?! I'm a possible customer here and due to the lack of a demo I hestitate and will eventually grab something else. So yeah Spectrasonic crew, do something to prevent that, heh.

LinPlug RM IV vs. Stylus RMX (serious decition)