KVR Audio

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:09 am

I understand it being a rough option.

mwalthius · Post by **mwalthius** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:47 pm

You must be doing very sophisticated and complicated things as compared to me.

Everything I do is very simple. I just use my DAW like a tape recorder. Digital Performer does it perfectly.

I record MIDI tracks of software instruments. Depending upon the sound, I may use a limiter to keep the track from pegging out. I may use a bit of EQ. I may adjust velocities on the track. I freeze these tracks.

I record MIDI tracks of hardware instruments, which I then record to audio. Once again, I may EQ them a bit. I may use a plugin reverb or delay if I prefer it to the onboard choices.

I bounce all of my audio tracks to stereo. Once again, I will use a limiter to smooth over any drastic peaks. I EQ the final mix.

That's it. I keep it all very simple. I just make recordings of what I play on my synthesizers. I guess I don't fiddle much with production. Over the years, I learned that for me, less is more. It's just my personal style.

HobbyCore · Post by **HobbyCore** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 2:18 pm

mwalthius wrote:You must be doing very sophisticated and complicated things as compared to me.

I don't think that it is necessary to characterize it in that manner. The difference appears to be that you primarily work with midi pieces that you created and I primarily work with audio that someone else created.

I also 'overall' have enjoyed using Digital Performer the most. I just can't wrap my head around some of the strange ways it handles audio.

liquidsound · Post by **liquidsound** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 2:34 pm

Maybe you should learn contortionism and manage to fit into the "box".
I do not mean in a bad way, but I'm sure with your experience and these ample feedback, there is nothing left to explore beside getting into a marriage counseling with your closest DAW and.... Be faithful

You seem to be a pro while I'm not but I had the same challenges in my profession and it worked and I'm lucky I did and understood that.

Interesting thread. I learn quite a few things.

dwozzle · Post by **dwozzle** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 5:18 pm

Very interesting thread.

HobbyCore, you're to be seriously commended for the depth and clarity of your analysis. Your process, priorities, and conclusions may not be the same as everyone else's (obviously true for anyone), but the specific issues you point out are worth thinking about for anyone thinking about switching DAWs, and some of the capabilities you point out exist or don't are facts, not opinions. Many of us don't have the time to do such an investigation, or access to all the software you've looked at, much less your DAW-wielding experience, especially after you've been through all this.

I know I'll be referring back here if I ever get sufficiently annoyed at some of the limitations in Studio One (which is relatively new to me).

Good job!

HobbyCore · Post by **HobbyCore** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 10:09 pm

Samplitude is doing my brain in. I can not get it to run stable

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 10:16 pm

The you gotta ditch it. There isn't likely anything you are doing wrong. It's like sonar x2 was for me, it was SO unstable I absolute went bananas. But it's not "everyone" but two different computer, both good specs totally just never worked. So I had to say "well, I love these features, but it will not be stable so......."

ras.s · Post by **ras.s** » Mon Jun 30, 2014 10:58 pm

It doesn't get mentioned much, but one that is immensely deep and has been long in the making (and probably will be developed far in to the future) is Sagan Technology's Metro. http://sagantech.com/ (The list of features on the front page seem to be for version 6, while the program is at 7.2.4 at the moment -- see this page for the list of changes in 7 and the forums for more.)

Perhaps test that as well. The interface (dramatic change for better at 7.2) and the workflow might take a bit of getting in to coming from other hosts, but it is a powerhouse. I'm not sure if it's good for multi-track audio editing (ie. making cuts on several tracks at the same time, stuff like that) though, haven't tried that.

spaceman · Post by **spaceman** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:07 am

ras.s wrote:It doesn't get mentioned much, but one that is immensely deep and has been long in the making (and probably will be developed far in to the future) is Sagan Technology's Metro. http://sagantech.com/ (The list of features on the front page seem to be for version 6, while the program is at 7.2.4 at the moment -- see this page for the list of changes in 7 and the forums for more.)

Perhaps test that as well. The interface (dramatic change for better at 7.2) and the workflow might take a bit of getting in to coming from other hosts, but it is a powerhouse. I'm not sure if it's good for multi-track audio editing (ie. making cuts on several tracks at the same time, stuff like that) though, haven't tried that.

Stuck in the 90s in every respect it seems.

ras.s · Post by **ras.s** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:02 am

Well I don't know what "every respect" means to you, but if you're just glancing at the screenshots, then have a look at the current view:

(provided from one of the links I posted -- it's running in Windows but it can run on OSX as well)

It does have comprehensive MIDI capabilities which may be a bit "90s" to some -- and a lot of things are done in a unique manner, it does need a bit of getting used to.

I got the SE version in a contest the developer had here at KVR. It isn't exactly expensive and while it's the version with the least features, it still packs more than most hosts.

I'm just mentioning it here 'cause it's a "poweruser host", so to speak.

spaceman · Post by **spaceman** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:38 am

ras.s wrote:Well I don't know what "every respect" means to you, but if you're just glancing at the screenshots, then have a look at the current view:

(provided from one of the links I posted -- it's running in Windows but it can run on OSX as well)

It does have comprehensive MIDI capabilities which may be a bit "90s" to some -- and a lot of things are done in a unique manner, it does need a bit of getting used to.

I got the SE version in a contest the developer had here at KVR. It isn't exactly expensive and while it's the version with the least features, it still packs more than most hosts.

I'm just mentioning it here 'cause it's a "poweruser host", so to speak.

Apart from the amateurish UI, you have to fork out $299 just to get automation and crossfades and you'll still only get 8 busses. As far as I can tell, it doesn't come with any plugins or instruments either.

macmurphy · Post by **macmurphy** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 9:56 am

HobbyCore wrote:Reaper - I have been demoing reaper for 638 days. Legitimately demoing it.

how does that work?

HobbyCore · Post by **HobbyCore** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:14 am

macmurphy wrote:
HobbyCore wrote:Reaper - I have been demoing reaper for 638 days. Legitimately demoing it.
how does that work?

The only limit to the Reaper demo is a nag screen that comes up for 5 seconds when you start the program. It tells you how long you've used it.

For nearly 2 years I've been constantly checking up on reaper. I frequently try it out and see if it's something I can be comfortable using.

macmurphy · Post by **macmurphy** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 11:35 am

it's restricted to sixty days, no?

spaceman · Post by **spaceman** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:18 pm

macmurphy wrote:it's restricted to sixty days, no?

To quote Cockos:

The evaluation version of REAPER is complete and uncrippled. There are no artificial interruptions or restrictions, and you can save and load projects normally. We believe in giving you a fair chance to make sure that REAPER works correctly with your hardware and suits your workflow.

The REAPER installer simply copies REAPER and its support files to disk. It does not install anything except itself.

If after 60 days you decide that REAPER is not for you, simply delete it.

If you decide that REAPER is for you, you must purchase a license.

Maybe you folks could help me find my daw...