Samplitude, user care to share thoughts & answers to some q?

[fgimian]

hey all, Samplitude (like Logic) has always intruiged me. I'm always at the look out for new software for production, mainly because Cubase can perform so badly depending on computer hardware (dropout hell with my new PC vs my old). Also of course, there are the known limitations in Cubase (no sidechain, bugs and no free group routing).

So anyway, I got a chance to try Logic and much preferred Cubase's audio editing.

So now I'd love to learn more about Samplitude. I'm playing around with the v8 demo, so what do users of the program think ? Is it hard to move from Cubase -> Samplitude ?

A few other questions...
- I hear it uses a dongle. What sort of dongle is it ? Is it stable ?
- Does Samplitude allow for temp track in arrange window, free group routing, sidechain ?
- Hows the MIDI editing in Samplitude ? Cubase has an awesome MIDI piano roll and drum editor, does Samplitude compete on this level ?

Also, overall, what do you love and hate about it ?

Huge thanks
Fots

[Lance]

OFF

Cubase has an awesome MIDI piano roll

My english is wery week, so eccuse me. The word awesome is very swimmilar to the word aweful, so [according to my dictionary] are they mean the same? Coz last time I checked the C4 screenshots, it [the pianoroll of Cubace] was awefulsome for me, or awesomeful? Sorry for the possible missplellings and my stupidity.

ON

Samplitude is a Classic and Professional software, IMO.

Its pianoroll [V8] is quiet good, nice looking and very speedy, very similar to Orion's pianoroll [which I use and like very much] in handling and mouse commands. Samplitude is an awesome legend regarding audio and getting better and better regarding MIDI and other things nowadays, and of course has some features, which are unbeatable by Cubase and vice versa. Now I shut up 'cause I'm not a Master of Samplitude and neither of Cubase. So take this a bump.

[fgimian]

lol thanks a lot For what it's worth, Cubase's piano roll is probably the best out there, automation lanes, very easy to use tools, press Q and you have everything quantized

I just tried the v8 samplitude demo. The main thing I must admit is the menu structure is extremely confusing, way way way too many items there in my opinion. But maybe that's because i'm a n00b

Fots

[siriusbliss]

THe MIDI piano/drum editor in Samplitude is pretty deep and IMO finally matches what I've seen in the other programs - but then I haven't spent much time on the other programs MIDI functions to give any real comparisons (I'm not a huge MIDI tweaker).
Assigning 'Q' hotkey to quantize will set that up for you if you so wish. Just about every function in Samp. is assignable.

It does require a dongle, but it is now networkable and mine has been rock solid. I swap it between laptop and main DAW with no issues. The dongle came along with v8, but I presume you can still buy V7 cheap, or even the new SE version to get into it that way.

The interface is daunting at first until you get used to it and also learn the hotkeys and functions. Think in sections or areas of the GUI for like-functions. I'm STILL learning new ways of doing things and the newer features in v.9 like hybrid mode are very cool.
The GUI is changeable and there are some pretty awesome skins available from other 3rd parties.

You can route aux/effects/plugins in lots of ways that I haven't even started to use. Sidechaining came in with v.9 (although there were ways to do it in V8 using parallel tracks as a workaround). The new jamtrack feature looks interesting, but I haven't even had time to check that out either.

On the downside I've had some driver-related stability issues with the newly released V9 on my main DAW (Creamware cards), but it's rock solid on my laptop (RME Multiface).

I've been doing tests on how many tracks and plugins I can build up before bringing the program or my computer to a crawl, and so far have got up to 25 stereo 48K/32b float tracks going with 4 instances of drummer and 3 instances of Atmosphere running along side multiple compressors and reverbs and still have some plenty of CPU and DSP left over. Pretty scary.

I've come a long way from 4-track reels, to Notator Logic (Atari), to Cakewalk, etc. etc., and arrived at Samplitude way back at V4.x and never looked back, so yes I guess I'm hooked.

Samplitude's heritage is audio and is known for it's high-quality audio engine. It's non-destructive and object-based, which makes editing a breeze. It's great that the Cubase's out there have great features or a preferable interface, but for me it still comes down to how good it sounds.

Greg

[fgimian]

Huge thanks Greg, much appreciated

The MIDI editor in v8 looks decent but it only allows for one thing to be automated at a time on screen, while in Cubase, I can open multiple automation lanes. Same deal in the arrange window. Is this possible with Samplitude ?

Cheers
Fots

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[fgimian]

hey all, Samplitude (like Logic) has always intruiged me. I'm always at the look out for new software for production, mainly because Cubase can perform so badly depending on computer hardware (dropout hell with my new PC vs my old). Also of course, there are the known limitations in Cubase (no sidechain, bugs and no free group routing).

So anyway, I got a chance to try Logic and much preferred Cubase's audio editing.

So now I'd love to learn more about Samplitude. I'm playing around with the v8 demo, so what do users of the program think ? Is it hard to move from Cubase -> Samplitude ?

A few other questions...
- I hear it uses a dongle. What sort of dongle is it ? Is it stable ?
- Does Samplitude allow for temp track in arrange window, free group routing, sidechain ?
- Hows the MIDI editing in Samplitude ? Cubase has an awesome MIDI piano roll and drum editor, does Samplitude compete on this level ?

Also, overall, what do you love and hate about it ?

Huge thanks
Fots

Fots (you greek by any chance? fotinis?)

how important is snap to you?

i dont know if they have finally changed it with version 9 but with version 8 you had to go through a complex dialog in samp when you wanted to change the snap subdivision.... there was no such thing right there in the midi editor and arrange page where you just drop down and pick your desired snap value..it used to infuriate me and totally put me off samp.

The dongle is codemaster i believe. I don't know much about it. The last version i tried was the 8.11 demo, ofcourse I will try the 9 demo if they ever get to putting one out.

Cubase snap rules without a doubt, bar, beat, or use quantise value which can all be set on the fly right there on the arrange page, and whether you want to snap relative or hard snap.

For alot of the pop and dance i do, this is essential for me.

hey ttoz, yes I do have greek background, Fotis

I must admit that snap is extremely important to me also. I tend to do a lot of manual manipulation of audio in time with the music especially in trance music and also in breakbeat which I'm getting into producing more recently. I simply can not live wihtout a good snap / grid.

Thanks for the info. I guess my best option is to find a good combination of hardware to get Cubase running smoothly since it really does do everything I want ... I just find it so unstable right now (in terms of dropouts) that I feel embaressed when using it for a paying client. I have been in the situation where I load up my Cubase project, then my Reason project, hit play and I get about 3 - 4 dropouts (big ones .. like 3 - 4 secs) and the client asks, what happened ? It's embaressing as hell.

I'm currently looking at Logic Pro or Samplitude as an alternative to Cubase. I don't mind about the dongles, as long as it is stable .. i.e. not PACE crap My biggest problem with Logic would be that my purchased Kjaerhus Gold & Voxengo plugins would be useless on Mac for the current time ... and I simply love dblue Glitch and couldn't imaging parting with it. I must admit however, that when I Tried logic on a friend's Mac, it fels so incredibly solid

I think the problem I'm having is related to my hardware ... possibly the combination of PCI-e graphics + PCI sound card ? Maybe Cubase simply doesn't like my computer ? I feel like I'm purchasing a computer blind with Cubase ... I have no idea if it'll work stable or not.

Anyways, enough rambling I think you get the idea.

Thanks a lot for your help mate
Fots

[hitman8081]

does the 50 dollar version implement any type of freeze? what else does samplitude se have as far as features?

[Richard Lichten]

Quite a lot ! Really good programm. You haven't freeze per se, but you can render tracks and import them automatically; apart from this, CD burning, extra Drum editor, and some plugins are missing.

[bobby yarrow]

I used Samp 7 as my primary DAW for some time. Switched back to Cubase at SX3. I was, like a lot of people, never able to get Cubase to run 100% rock-solid, so I tried to switch back to Samp when #9 was released.

I'm not your ideal respondent, as I work almost exclusively in live audio and temp track, group routing, and sidechaining are not things I'm bothered by. I don't software sidechain at all and have never used the tempo track, and I find the group routing in both programs to be perfectly acceptable.

I will report that, after a week or so of trying to #9, I sold it and bought C4. This isn't particularly a slam on Samplitude. The thing I hadn't accounted for was how fast I am now on Cubase, and how peculiar Samplitude really is. It's a great program, but it's very much its own thing and I just don't have the time to re-learn a different and pretty unusual workflow.

C4, for me -- knock wood -- has been rock-solid. The first Cubase release to be glitch-free on my system.

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[fgimian]

I used Samp 7 as my primary DAW for some time. Switched back to Cubase at SX3. I was, like a lot of people, never able to get Cubase to run 100% rock-solid, so I tried to switch back to Samp when #9 was released.

I'm not your ideal respondent, as I work almost exclusively in live audio and temp track, group routing, and sidechaining are not things I'm bothered by. I don't software sidechain at all and have never used the tempo track, and I find the group routing in both programs to be perfectly acceptable.

I will report that, after a week or so of trying to #9, I sold it and bought C4. This isn't particularly a slam on Samplitude. The thing I hadn't accounted for was how fast I am now on Cubase, and how peculiar Samplitude really is. It's a great program, but it's very much its own thing and I just don't have the time to re-learn a different and pretty unusual workflow.

C4, for me -- knock wood -- has been rock-solid. The first Cubase release to be glitch-free on my system.

This is extremely helpful, thanks a lot. So you found Cubase 4 more solid than Cubase SX3 ? What sort of stability problems did you experience with SX3 ?

Thanks a lot
Fots

[pwedza]

FYI: The Computer Magazine 103 DVD includes Samplitude V8 SE (of course no dongle)

[pwedza]

...but I might add that it crashes my Live 5.2 for an "IPLib waterfall" error thing...

???

[bobby yarrow]

This is extremely helpful, thanks a lot. So you found Cubase 4 more solid than Cubase SX3 ? What sort of stability problems did you experience with SX3 ?

Thanks a lot
Fots

Yes. The very worst thing about Cubase is the forum. If you read it, you'll get the idea that C4 is an utterly useless bugfest, but that has been the opposite of my experience. Of course no host is going to do everything I want, I've accepted that (for now), but in terms of stability, I've had not 1 hiccup from C4 in 100+ hours of use tracking and mixing.

SX3 was generally reliable, by the end. I would have ASIO dropouts and have to wipe and reload from a disc image every few months, and I may have to do the same with C4.