KVR Audio

Tj Shredder · Post by **Tj Shredder** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 7:32 pm

I started out on an Apple ][ clone and had to write my own programs in Pascal, later Modula II. The first real sequencer was Opcode Vision, I still have a StudioVision T-shirt I got on the music fair in Franfurt...
Those first tools had been Midi only, the first DAW was StudioVision, later I had a Digidesign 8-Track and then long time no DAW, just Max/MSP...

paulm12 · Post by **paulm12** » Fri Jul 03, 2020 8:17 pm

Man Project8 was the shizzzzzz
Let’s not forget Orion Studio either

Also, NanoStudio 1 was an amazing piece of software for iOS. Was honestly responsible for me getting back into music production back in the 2010s. Obviously 2 is out now and is better in basically every way. But 1 also holds a special place in my heart

Monsum · Post by **Monsum** » Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:49 am

I know we are all professionals here

so definitely no one ever used Magix Music Maker, right?
Anyway, this version from 1999 was actually called Magix Music Maker Professional and it has a cool looking mixer. The effects were offline except aux busses.

Speaking of mixers, Magix Music Studio from 1997 had this mixer which reminds me a bit Reason style graphics...or real life equipment

Monsum · Post by **Monsum** » Sun Jul 05, 2020 8:20 pm

I've been a fan of Cakewalk Guitar Tracks software.
I've attached photos of version 2 from around 2000 and version 3 from 2004.
I prefer that kind of simple tools for creativity than fully featured DAWs.

With physical discs like these you also get a printed sheet with most common keyboard shortcuts - very useful to put it right next to your computer.

Both versions of GTracks work alright in Windows 10 64-bit.
GT2 doesn't work with ASIO drivers for low latency and doesn't feature input monitoring.
GTPro3 has quite modern specs except for being 32 bit of course.
The bundled IK Amplitube LE (ver.1) sounds surprisingly well and again no need to go through 30 pages to tweak a nice tone.
I also like the two screen concept - you either on mixer or arrange view.

EdgarRothermich · Post by **EdgarRothermich** » Mon Jul 06, 2020 3:15 am

My bedroom studio ca 1988/89 (before bedroom studios were a thing). Commodore 64 running Steinberg Pro-16 and Atari ST running Steinberg Pro-24. For the younger audience, Pro-16 and Pro-24 were the predecessors of Cubase.

Later, I moved on to Cubase on the Atari and then Cubase Audio on then Mac, and then 2005, I switched to Logic (for composing) and Pro Tools for (recording/mixing).

BTW, the videotapes on the shelf were digital audiotapes. At the university, we had a Sony PCM F1, the first digital PCM recorders with glorious 14bit converters. Good times.

Tj Shredder · Post by **Tj Shredder** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 2:03 pm

EdgarRothermich wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 3:15 am My bedroom studio ca 1988/89

And I see an AAW, is it a Teac 4-track? And a real piano...
When did you move to California leaving all that back?

traxxorx · Post by **traxxorx** » Thu Jul 09, 2020 2:44 pm

I wish I could had pics! I remember getting acid music whatever it was and being stunned. Never used my portastudio again. And, I used to record from impulse tracker onto tape into the tascam for drums and guides. I tried to use the portastudio a year or so later and it wouldn't turn on. Didn't really care.

Kind of weird I was so shocked. I had been involved with dat and pro-tools and reel to reel recording already. Maybe it was just the fact that I could do it all myself, I dunno. Can't remember. Can't remember a lot from then tbh. Dunno how much is the senile and how much is something else.

fandango · Post by **fandango** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 10:02 pm

antic604 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 03, 2020 6:20 am
1999, PC - FastTracker 2:

Oh! SO many hours spent in this. And if you got bored of making music, you could always play the embedded snake game in it.

The same team that developed FastTracker II went onto to work on a game that could have been a Quake beater, never saw the light of day though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAzJ6yoQecY

Monsum · Post by **Monsum** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 10:23 am

Cakewalk Sonar 4 Producer introduced in 2004.
The highlights of the version were comping and freeze feature, Lexicon reverb and a 700 (!) pages printed manual.

discoDSP · Post by **discoDSP** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 10:32 am

fandango wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 10:02 pm 1999, PC - FastTracker 2:

Countless hours of fun with it. Also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_Tracker

rezoneight · Post by **rezoneight** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 1:43 pm

Started with Dr T's KCS on the C64 in the mid to late 80s then moved to Passport's Master Tracks Pro on the Amiga in the early 90s.

SoundPorn · Post by **SoundPorn** » Tue Jul 14, 2020 2:32 pm

My first taste of music production software when I was a kid was this gem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbilnExv7Rs

Robert Randolph · Post by **Robert Randolph** » Wed Jul 15, 2020 10:53 pm

Y'all knew I was gonna pop in and wax poetic about SAWStudio.... well here I am.

(also NoiseTracker)

Monsum · Post by **Monsum** » Thu Jul 16, 2020 12:44 pm

It seems like a lot of people used trackers as one of their first computer music experience.
I remember them too but I didn't find them very intuitive and simple.

Probably the first software that I made proper songs on was Magix Music Maker 2.0.
It allowed for 8 tracks but no recording straight into Magix so we used a Windows recorder running along with Magix, recorded an instrument part, trimmed it appropriately in some freeware sound editor and then back to Magix.
Interestingly, the first MMM was released in 1996, it was a kind of poor man Samplitude.
Especially that the first two versions of Magix were not bloated with stuff appealing to young customers only.

jabe · Post by **jabe** » Thu Jul 16, 2020 10:21 pm

This was my first music software. It's a software sequencer rather than a DAW. Ran under DOS. Must see if it'll run on a modern PC. I had it on an 286 PC.

https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/pris ... encer/7246

Old DAWs - nostalgia thread