KVR Audio

VAjayhawk05 · Post by **VAjayhawk05** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 1:12 pm

Hello all,

I've read the forums and site for quite a while, but only recently made an account.

My question is simple. I've been making electronic dance music for months now, with FL Studio, a MIDI keyboard, and one commercial soft synth (Synthmaster). I've decided to take it to the next level, and I'd like some advice on what to get. I've read and demoed and listened and read some more, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting Komplete 8 and Ableton Suite 8. Due to edu prices, etc., that amounts to about $850. Because I don't want to go over 1000, what should be th last thing I get? I've been thinking along the lines of Ozone 5, Sylenth, or a Vengeance pack, but I'm open to any and all suggestions.

Basically, what I'm saying is that with my setup, what would you do with an additional $150? Software, hardware, anything...

Thanks!

P.S. I'm only switching DAWs because I want to be able to use a Mac, not a PC.

neoncortex · Post by **neoncortex** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:18 pm

Now why would you want to change FL Studio to something else? It's the number one DAW in MusicRadar's top list for what it's worth. What exactly are you unhappy with in it?

VAjayhawk05 · Post by **VAjayhawk05** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:23 pm

neoncortex wrote:Now why would you want to change FL Studio to something else? It's the number one DAW in MusicRadar's top list for what it's worth. What exactly are you unhappy with in it?

Hey, thanks for the response.

As I said in my message, I'm only switching DAW because I want to be able to use a naturally-Mac program. FL Studio is PC only, and I'd rather not go through the whole Bootcamp situation again. I quite like FL Studio, but I have demoed Ableton and like the looks of it just as much if not more.

Cheers!

neoncortex · Post by **neoncortex** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:43 pm

Ohh.. Maybe next time I'll try to actually read through the message before posting

As for what I think you should get, I recommend Wusikstation, it's currently selling for 50$ including some extra soundsets. You'll be amazed at what a beast it is and at what price. Be quick though, they only have 7 discounted copies left.
-> http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=345288

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:49 pm

Do you have a good soundcard and decent monitors? I would question whether you need both Live Suite and Komplete. Get Live first and see how you get on.

VAjayhawk05 · Post by **VAjayhawk05** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:18 pm

Thank you both for the input.

Wusikstation looks awesome! I had seen it before, but it looks even better with that killer offer. For that price, it certainly seems hard to pass up on...

I have some nice M-Audio monitors, and my soundcard is fine (though I NEVER record anything at all). Thanks also for the suggestion on Komplete + Suite. I might be thinking about getting the normal version of Ableton, and actually might try squeezing in Omnisphere on top of the other stuff. The only things that look interesting in the Suite bonus are Operator (not as good as FM8), Analog (vs Omni or Massive? No way...), and Sampler, which probably isn't much better than Kontakt or Wusikstation.

What do y'all think about (A) the Vengeance packs, (B) Sylenth, or (C) Ozone to top it all off? I actually don't think I could need anything else at this point, but maybe in a few months I could be wanting something.

Thanks!

mcnoone · Post by **mcnoone** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:01 pm

You should make sure to try out all of the demos you can, first before buying.
Especially those from NI.
If your on a mac, just get Logic9 for $200 as it comes with more instruments, samples and is much cheaper, and easier to work in...imo.
I suggest trying the U-he synths out, especially Zebra, and Diva.
Also try the Korg synths out...all of em, as they're only 50usd a piece.
Join the Korguser net site to get the unrestricted trials of those.
Zebra has the best demo, as you can load and save sounds with no noise burst things, and it's not time based. Great sounds too.
It gets regular free updates to.
Try out as many demos as you can though, don't rely on words or ads alone.
You can demo Omnisphere at some music shops around as well.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:30 am

Honestly change your mentality. Stop being one of those people who think they can become better by buying more stuff. Learn to make the most of what you have and you'll make both more and better stuff.

If you spend all your time chasing gear you'll always want more gear and never have time to focus on making music.

rpm · Post by **rpm** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 11:58 am

I completely agree with the last comment. Even though I am changing my setup and research a lot of options (and that is fun), at some point, it is a mere obsession and one has to draw the line.

Adopt the Zen approach --Zen mind, beginner's mind (indeed, reading that book would probably inspire creativity without more gear) and while obsessing about gear, don't forget to create. I desperately need the creative process right now, to find refuge from my obsessions.

kritikon · Post by **kritikon** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 4:36 pm

Possibly slightly off topic, but related - I was talking with a work colleague tonight who uses an iPad and some kind of Mac at home - she had all kinds of trouble with Bootcamp too, but mentioned something called Parallel - has it and apparently works perfectly. She's not into music at all, but uses her Mac at home for other PC stuff and says Windows 7 works now with no issues. Might be worth a look rather than having to buy all new s/w?

EDIT -sorry, it's called Parallels, not singular. She told me she can flick between Win and Mac, no rebooting etc. Very pleased with it, esp after all kinds of shit with Bootcamp. Might save you having to learn a whole new DAW if you're happy with FL. It's a steep learning curve getting a new DAW again...

kpsychedelic · Post by **kpsychedelic** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 6:34 pm

kritikon wrote:EDIT -sorry, it's called Parallels, not singular. She told me she can flick between Win and Mac, no rebooting etc. Very pleased with it, esp after all kinds of shit with Bootcamp. Might save you having to learn a whole new DAW if you're happy with FL. It's a steep learning curve getting a new DAW again...

Yep, Parallels is like the competition to VMWare.
It has a new thing (I forgot what it's called) but basically, it's not like the old times where you'd have a window and inside of it the client (in this case would be Win7) running, but instead in the top bar (sorry, still learning OS X) you'd have the Win7 "Star Menu" and everytime you open a Win7 app (installed on the Client image) the GUI seems very OSX-ish. Even the menus show on the "Top Bar" as opposed to on top of the app (Mac style).
It's a little thing but it makes the running of other-OS apps more integrated so to speak.

And yes, emulating an OS via Virtual Machines is great, provided you have a fast enough computer to do so.

The only drawback is when you need specific things that might not be emulated that well on the host (in this case Mac) via the Virtual Machine environment, although the same would apply to Bootcamp (for instance, no support for PCI-e cards except for video).

Music wise, I wouldn't know what to say about latency issues and communication between devices on Mac and the Win7 emulated VM.

What to choose next?