What's your main DAW ?

[Warmonger]

I usually do MIDI stuff by playing (sometimes running through a chord generator), so T has one killer feature that I wish I had elsewhere: Abort & Restart. I prefer it to MIDI loop recording. After recording, I might do a bit of quantization, maybe fix a wrong note or two, and that's about it.

If you use Tracktion like I do, then it should be the ideal host, even in the MIDI department. Aside from the dropped notes, that is.

[Z3R0T0N1N]

@Bullshark:
you HATE the MIDI in eXT???

wow.

for me that is one of its best features.
do you use the composer window in the piano roll, and the per-track Groove channel?

you can load another eXT into the groove channel, or load an arpeggiator in there; You can load Stepchild or StepBeater into it.
and with the composer window you can automate all sorts of cool MIDI stuff.

well, you probably know that stuff already. Personally i would hate to have to go to something else for my MIDI stuff.

[bullshark]

I just use the sequencer (although "use" is a big word in this case, I haven't done anything more than recording a few riff with it, since this program rebuke me in dwelving any deeper).

For me, it's mostly creature comfort I'm missing from Tracktion. Things like the velocity lane being too small and the target area also too small which makes it incredibly fiddly for me. Then I miss the transpose button, then the flexible and defineable notes selection, then the line tool etc... I was extremely disapointed with the midi editing, I was actually expecting more than Tracktion so finding this extremely basic and limited editing facilities was... a let down.

[fandango]

ttoz: sorry if my drunken L337 SP34K got you riled. When you described eXT as "basic" my alco-brain thought you were genuinely being funny. Different strokes, totally man. For what it's worth, despite feeling happier around eXT, there's still a lot I miss in terms of funtionality, so Sonar (finally went for the upgrade) is probably my main DAW, but check out "The Truth about XT2" thread that's in the XT forum. Certainly, I think a lot of stuff that you're used to from other apps and a few interesting innovations is going to push XT ahead as a main DAW for a lot of people. And further expand the possibilities for people's existing DAWS. e.g., a good way to easily re-arrange inserts, which I don't believe you can do in Cubase.

[.jon]

For me, it's mostly creature comfort I'm missing from Tracktion. Things like the velocity lane being too small and the target area also too small which makes it incredibly fiddly for me.

The zoom possibilities are great. See life-size picture. And unlike Tracktion, zoom level does not spoil your MIDI input...

Then I miss the transpose button, then the flexible and defineable notes selection, then the line tool etc... I was extremely disapointed with the midi editing, I was actually expecting more than Tracktion so finding this extremely basic and limited editing facilities was... a let down.

You can transpose with the mousewheel. The mousewheel can also move and resize midi notes, besided normal scrolling. Just click the wheel to change function. Excellent IMHO Ctrl-click on a MIDI note on the piano roll to select notes of certain pitch, but you're right, the selection options like in Tracktion are missing... but they will be in XT2, the mighty Composer function will do selections as well. Also a Line tool coming in XT2, but alt-click drag already does the same. The Composer also slices, inserts patterns and randomizes notes with ease.

eXT has a MIDI event list, multiple views, superb precision and reliable feel, which, or the lack of, was the main reason I dumped Tracktion.



I turned to Tracktion from Cubase SX2, which sports world-class MIDI editing. Tracktion was and is a failure on the MIDI side, but eXT is comparable to Cubase. I miss the full editable Event list, but in ergonomics and speed of things and feel, eXT is a clear winner.

sunny days,

.jon

[Synthbuilder]

Something is niggling me...

For nearly ten years I worked with Cubase on the Atari. Very rarely would I question its midi editing capabilities. Never ever its timing.

I moved over to the PC because I wanted to incorporate more audio and for a couple of years I struggled to find anything that I liked. So I went back to the Atari and my samplers and other hardware.

But I still needed more power for audio editing so I bought a new PC two years ago. I tried various demos. Sonar was too complex and it crashed too often. Cubase SX seemed OK, but I prefered it as VST32. Tracktion was better but it didn't like my PC for some reason. The graphics were jerky and midi timing poor. I liked Reason, and for a while I thought this would answer my needs. But lack of tempo automation and aliasing synths made me look elsewhere again.

Live is better so far. Its never crashed whilst I'm working, although its failed to start a few times. Its CPU usage is on the high side, and there's the odd click and burp that turns up at random in renders and playback.

So I keep on trying the EXT demo. And I just don't get it. I like its looks, but its workflow seems so alien to me. But every two months or so, I come back to the demo and try to get into it again. Nope, still don't get it.

Maybe one day...

[.jon]

So I keep on trying the EXT demo. And I just don't get it. I like its looks, but its workflow seems so alien to me. But every two months or so, I come back to the demo and try to get into it again. Nope, still don't get it.

Maybe one day...

If you ever need to ask anything, just pop in eXT forum. I never dreamt of getting the level of support and help for a computer program before

[bullshark]

reliable feel, which, or the lack of, was the main reason I dumped Tracktion.

Why I dumped it too, just too tired and fed up with dealing with the many small bugs and weirdness. Come to think of it, I don't really want it back, well, maybe I'll buy T3 when they release it in 2027...

[bullshark]

So I keep on trying the EXT demo. And I just don't get it. I like its looks, but its workflow seems so alien to me. But every two months or so, I come back to the demo and try to get into it again. Nope, still don't get it.

Maybe one day...

Still don't get it either, and I did more than you since I've bought it sight unseen just based on the comments I've read here. I don't regret buying though, price was cheap enough, the dev looks like a nice hard working guy and maybe one day it'll click with me.

[tomg]

So I keep on trying the EXT demo. And I just don't get it. I like its looks, but its workflow seems so alien to me. But every two months or so, I come back to the demo and try to get into it again. Nope, still don't get it.

Maybe one day...

eXT is sorta like a virtual hardware studio. You take your midi and audio patch cords and set up the enviroment you want. If you want to layer 2 or 3 synths you connect midi to the synths and the synths to the audio output or mixer and then the mixer to effects or straight out, just like you would hookup hardware.

If you want to play guitar insert Amplitube in the audio path and play. To record you patch into the sequencer and connect the sequencer to the output for monitoring. You can record the same source with and without effects at the same time or insert as many other effects as you like. You can layer 3 synths into the same input and record all three a once on one track or seperated on 3 tracks.

I hardly know the program but if you think of it as racks of stuff waiting to be connected the way you want it, it helps. In a way it works kinda like Reason but with VSTs and not as limited as Reason.

[.jon]

And if you don't want to use the modularity, just click on the little "..." button next to Open, choose New - Sequencer... and now it's just like any other sequencer. IMHO very nice one though

[SonicBreeze]

Reaper Developement graph is awesome. It is threat to many Free and commercial sequencers in future IMO. Keep watching....

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

eXT has quite a learning curve and it's almost infinite flexibility is at the same time a blessing and a curse. I do 90% of my eXT work in the Sequencer, which works for me.. but it did take me about 5 attempts over many weeks to "get" what was going on. Reading the quickstart guides and asking lots of irritating questions got me over the hump, though!

If I spent more time with ERA and eXT I might be able to stop using Orion Platinum, but for now it's just soo easy to sit down and compose in OPlat that I have a hard time justifying trying anything else.

Reaper is looking pretty good.. might end up being a replacement for Tracktion2 here (which I'm only using for mixing and mastering, at this point).

[Synthbuilder]

If I spent more time with ERA and eXT I might be able to stop using Orion Platinum, but for now it's just soo easy to sit down and compose in OPlat that I have a hard time justifying trying anything else.

Yes, this is it. I can probably learn how to work eXT but its apparently too complex for me to use as a composing tool.

Tom, you made some good points and I understand entirely about just how powerful it is. But sometimes I can't be bothered with all that flicking between windows. Tracktion's racks were easier to do this sort of thing and I guess I got spoiled.

I loved Reason because this too was so easy to do what I wanted. I just didn't really like its sound quality.

If you ever need to ask anything, just pop in eXT forum. I never dreamt of getting the level of support and help for a computer program before

Yes, I think one needs to go there a few times to get to know how to use the program properly. Its good place to hang out.

I will be looking very closely at eXT 2 when it comes out.