Orion??? POS/NEG opinions please... no trolls.

[Glassback]

Lasso all the patterns in playlist (or however many you want) and press CTRL+Z, this merges them all into one pattern (in the next available free pattern) You keep all originals too, so nothing is lost.

Thanks gazillions!

[BONES]

Rich has also been talking about simple using a 'replace synth' feature recently to make it even easier.

... for those stupid enough to want to replace one synth with another without bothering to check whether or not the new one actually sounds better than the old. I am staggered that anyone could see merit in a feature like that.

I do - its the DX list I have the biggest problem with as I said. You can't do anything with that and it doesnt sort instruments from effects.

How many DXi do you have? I don't think I've ever even demo'd one. And the only DX effects I have are the ones I got with SoundForge 5 and I wouldn't think to use them in ORION. The thing with DX stuff is it just shows up, no matter where you install it so I imagine it would be a reasonable amount of work to create some kind of wrangling procedure for something that would have to represent a tiny percentage of all plug-ins.
So I assume you use SONAR as well? What is Cakewalk's problem with joining the rest of the world? Typical American attitude of expecting everyone else to change.

...but I'd STILL like to see the time display included in the traction bar. There's room for it and not having a constantly showing time display just makes no sense imo.

Rich is hugely resistant to this and I have to say that I don't see the imperative either, beyond the fact that everyone whinges about it. There is already a display of the current bar and the time is only a CTRL+I away, in big, bold numerals that you can read from across the room. If I was doing music for TV commercials I might want it to be there all the time but I only really use it when I've finsihed an arrangement and I want to see how long it is. Its purely for curiosity. Unlike George Gershwin's father, I don't judge the worth of a piece by its length. In fact I think that clock-watching can lead to poor arrangements because you will tend to add or remove bars based on time rather than on merit.

I tried a demo once, once you open a VST and you change your mind you can't close it?

Of course you can. otherwise we'd all end up with a hundred unused instruments in every project.

Fruityloops is probably better value though.

How do you figure that? FL Producer Edition is the same price as the download version of ORION Platinum and FL doesn't have anywhere near the number of quality instruments and effects, you need to go XXL for more than double the price to even get close. Unless you think that Boo Bass is a match for Screamer or that Beep Map sounds as good as WaveFusion or that FL's sampler channel is a match for ORION's Sampler? Even with XXL you don't get a real-time convolution reverb or anything like the Diffuse Delay. There are plenty of better value propositions around than FL.

[Glassback]

I tried a demo once, once you open a VST and you change your mind you can't close it?

Yes, just press the red X and close it.

And DS404 takes up a lot of channels. Thats not very good for a top quality sequencer?

DS404 is a CM synth, not an Orion one so that doesn't reflect on Orion at all as far as I can see. There are a few synths that come up with more than one mixer strip - AnaMark does as does Waldorf PPG and Attack, for instance. Sometimes I can't figure out how to activate these other channels but, in the cases where I've been able to suss it - for instance Attack and CM's SR202, the advantage is in being able to eq different elements differently.
If I'm not using the other channels for whatever reason, then yes, they clutter the mixer strip up and get in the way a bit.
I like the Orion 4 channel drumkit for the same reason. Allocate different drums to different channels and that way you're not giving, say, the kick the same value eq/volume etc as, for instance, the hats. It also means you can put an effect on one element that the other elements aren't sharing. I like that.

[Kriminal]

I tried a demo once, once you open a VST and you change your mind you can't close it?

Yes, just press the red X and close it.

thats Delete, not close. Currently you can Minimise, or Delete. Next version you can Hide.

[Kriminal]

And DS404 takes up a lot of channels. Thats not very good for a top quality sequencer?

DS404 is a CM synth, not an Orion one so that doesn't reflect on Orion at all as far as I can see. There are a few synths that come up with more than one mixer strip - AnaMark does as does Waldorf PPG and Attack, for instance. Sometimes I can't figure out how to activate these other channels but, in the cases where I've been able to suss it - for instance Attack and CM's SR202, the advantage is in being able to eq different elements differently.
If I'm not using the other channels for whatever reason, then yes, they clutter the mixer strip up and get in the way a bit.
I like the Orion 4 channel drumkit for the same reason. Allocate different drums to different channels and that way you're not giving, say, the kick the same value eq/volume etc as, for instance, the hats. It also means you can put an effect on one element that the other elements aren't sharing. I like that.

I think some synths may not have an option (for whatever reason) to choose how many outputs it opens with, so being able to close unused ones makes the mixer easier to view, and you can soon, so its all gravy

[BONES]

I still think multi-timbral VSTi are a stupid idea. I won't use them on principal.

[Glassback]

So there we were, having a nice discussion and along comes Mr Machismo with his unwelcome aggression again.
Wassup bones - can't you have a civilised discussion without resorting to your usual bullshit? It really does make you look like a pathetic prick, you know.

I do - its the DX list I have the biggest problem with as I said. You can't do anything with that and it doesnt sort instruments from effects.

Typical American attitude of expecting everyone else to change.

FYI, aMUSEd is British, not that it makes any difference to your blinkered intolerance.

...but I'd STILL like to see the time display included in the traction bar. There's room for it and not having a constantly showing time display just makes no sense imo.

Rich is hugely resistant to this and I have to say that I don't see the imperative either, beyond the fact that everyone whinges about it. There is already a display of the current bar and the time is only a CTRL+I away, in big, bold numerals that you can read from across the room. If I was doing music for TV commercials I might want it to be there all the time but I only really use it when I've finsihed an arrangement and I want to see how long it is. Its purely for curiosity. Unlike George Gershwin's father, I don't judge the worth of a piece by its length. In fact I think that clock-watching can lead to poor arrangements because you will tend to add or remove bars based on time rather than on merit.

You're making too many assumptions about my working method here. YOU don't want to see the time display, so nobody else should want to, right?
It doesn't stay on top and it's a pain to keep bringing it up. A visual display in the traction bar would help ME, IMO!
And you're second guessing as to why I want to see the time display, but you know what? I don't give a f**k for YOUR opinion.

Why can't you just play nice instead of being a total c**t all the time?

[BONES]

FYI, aMUSEd is British, not that it makes any difference to your blinkered intolerance.

I'm talking about Cakewalk, dipstick. I was explaining my position but after rereading my orignal post I can see that it should be entirely unnecessary so I've edited this in its place. The entire paragraph is about Cakewalk and there is nothing at all personal about aMUSED [or anyone else for that matter] in the entire response. It should not be possible for anyone to interpret it as an attack on anyone other than Cakewalk.

You're making too many assumptions about my working method here.

Well, you're not telling us why you want it, you're like a spoiled kid screaming "I wanna, I wanna, I wanna". Despite that, I've tried to convince Rich that it would greatly improve ORION's perception in the marketplace, as it would stop idiots like you whining about nothing, and would be worth the effort for that rather than for any actual benefit it will bring to users.

YOU don't want to see the time display, so nobody else should want to, right?
It doesn't stay on top and it's a pain to keep bringing it up. A visual display in the traction bar would help ME, IMO!
And you're second guessing as to why I want to see the time display, but you know what? I don't give a f**k for YOUR opinion.

No, I was just telling you Rich's attitude in brief and my own in more detail. Clearly you're unable to give any reason why Rich should take time away from useful features to put in something that he sees no value in so how could expect him to change his mind. Maybe if I told him that you would really like it, that would be enough?

Why can't you just play nice instead of being a total c**t all the time?

Why should I conform to your ideal? It should be perfectly easy for me to give my opinion in simple, clear terms without dickheads like you rushing to misinterpret it in a way which fits your personal view. So if anyone here should be f**king off, I'd say its you. You've contributed f**k-all to this thread; you couldn't even take the time to give useful answers to dover666's original questions or, it seems, to properly read other responses. I don't understand why you would even bother.

[2windy]

Platinum is the only way to go. I've been a Platinum user for 4 years, I've tried Cubase and Traktion and never felt as comfortable as I did when I first fired Orion up.

It's developed steadily over the years and the next version looks like it will sort out a lot of small niggles people have had.

There is nothing I want to do that I can't do in Orion. It's always been pretty stable for me, any problems I've had have tended to be because of unstable freeware. Rich's support is excellent for a one man band!

[Glassback]

You've contributed f**k-all to this thread; you couldn't even take the time to give useful answers to dover666's original questions or, it seems, to properly read other responses. I don't understand why you would even bother.

How good does it recieve external midi input... (ie, playing a piano bit in realtime, will it record the notation properly)

Yes. How accurately depends on your latency of course. It has realtime quantize, if you're into that sort of thing.

How short can you get the notes in the pattern editor? i've only used an interface like that one a couple times, i prefer hex notation

If played through an external keyboard, as short as the note that's played. Using the pianoroll, you can reduce right down to 128 subdivisions per bar.

Pro vs Platinum -- just more samples and generators? any other differences?

More instruments and more effects are just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, I've got so used to Plat over Pro now that I can't even remember, but imo you want Plat.

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH IT?

Indubitably.

I was the first to respond, idiot.


Godz - you really ARE a waste of time. Why do I even bother responding to you? Go eat a hand-grenade bigmanlittledick.

[M'Snah]

another Orion thread that gets deranged instead of staying on-topic.

[2windy]

And you get BBU (Bones Back Up) thrown in for free. You might not agree with him (I haven't many times) but you can't fault the bloke for his unwaiving support (including great skin) for an application that suit him down to the ground!!

[TeeLangSun]

aMUSED, you can organise your VST instruments and effects however you like - just make folders inside your VST folder and put things in them.

I do - its the DX list I have the biggest problem with as I said. You can't do anything with that and it doesnt sort instruments from effects.

Who uses DX instruments? Im not aware of any good ones (that dont have a VST version)

I use DX instruments. I use a couple of the DX instruments that came with P5 in Orion, none of which have a VST version. I don't believe that any of the Cakewalk stuff have VST versions.

[2windy]

another Orion thread that gets deranged instead of staying on-topic.

It's pretty civil on Synapse forum!!

[Glassback]

It was going so well until bones started bandying words like "idiot" around again and generally acting like a twat, insulting people who want to use a different working method to him. When will he learn we're all different with different wants?

Anyway, I'm done with this one for now.
Maybe my questions helped others in a constructive way, maybe not.
Either way, sorry dover666 that it went this route.
If some people knew how to behave in public without resorting to trying to make themselves look 'hard'... but with some it's obviously a lost cause.