What DAW are you using? Best virtual instruments?

mooncobra

mooncobra

Well-known member
I am putting together a new recording setup. I used to run logic but I have gone the PC route. So, I am looking for a DAW that is fairly easy to use, and has amazing virtual instruments. I am especially looking for great sounding orchestra type stuff. Who has the best orchestral sounds if you get their high end DAW, like Cubase Pro rather than Cubase Artist.

Thanks
 
I've been using Cubase Pro for 15+ years, but that's mostly a matter of familiarity than a measure of it's (or my) effectiveness. It's a good product and I'm sure the Artist version is as well. I use a lot more audio tracks than virtual instruments, so the Pro version was a better fit for me. (I haven't looked at the specs and track limits for the 9.5 release, though. I'm still on 8.5.)

As far orchestral sounds, the ones in Cubase are OK (in 8.5), but I don't have a decent controller with aftertouch for them. I've always heard good things about, and been interested in, some of the East-West orchestral libraries, but I've never pulled the trigger.

Sorry... I know this isn't much help.
 
I'm using Sonar, but I've been on it for years. The high end version of Sonar comes with Dimension pro and Rapture, which are both pretty cool V.I.'s, as well as Melodyne, VocalSync, and Addictive drums 2 + 3 addpacks. The processing plugins sound pretty good as well, but I use mostly UA and Waves stuff.
As for strings and symphonic stuff, I think you'll probably want to buy a third party V.I. no matter what DAW you choose. I'm running NI Komplete and it's really good and covers everything you could want.
The only thing I would point out about Sonar is that the midi editing and the Score are not as well developed as Logic and that could be an issue depending on how you compose your pieces.
My advice to anyone purchasing a DAW is to try them all and find the one with the most intuitive workflow FOR YOU. They all do the same thing, but the workflow is drastically different across platforms, and can be really frustrating to use if it's not intuitive to use FOR YOU. ( I find Logic the most byzantine, backward piece of software I've ever encountered, but that's just me - people love it, so there you go... :LOL: :LOL: )
I guarantee you'll end up buying third party instruments and plugs no matter what platform you purchase, so I always encourage people to focus on the workflow and not the freebies.
Hope that helps
 
Reaper + Spectrasonics Suite + SD2.0 + whateverfreepluginsicanscore

Suite = Trilian, Omnisphere, Stylus RMX.

Overkill resources :doh:
 
Shask":1jfsijex said:
Reaper+Kontakt+Sample Library of your choice
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This. Mike, check out Sonuscore’s The Orchestra for Kontakt. That thing is badass and a great tool for orchestral noobs and pros alike. Fantastic sketch tool.
 
Steinmetzify":2nqf3jef said:
Shask":2nqf3jef said:
Reaper+Kontakt+Sample Library of your choice
Click to expand...

This. Mike, check out Sonuscore’s The Orchestra for Kontakt. That thing is badass and a great tool for orchestral noobs and pros alike. Fantastic sketch tool.
Click to expand...


Holy crap!

That looks amazing. :shocked:
 
Protools and Kontakt. I have a large instrument library cobbled together from many different sources.

I seem to use it as much for running drum samples from my e-kit as I do any of the other controllers.

I originally was using Sonar and dimension, but switched to protools because my collaborator's were Protool users. Because of buying some of my favorite plugins and not wanting to pay to upgrade I'm using a few generations old protools.

Best option in DAWs is too find one you like the work flow but is also likely to be stable in its plugin choices over several years.
 
I use Pro Tools, but I think these days most DAW’s are going to be just fine. They all can do just about anything you’d want, just differently. It’s a learning curve no matter what, so I’d shop for shop Black Friday sales and go for the best deal you can find.

For Orchestra Virtual Instruments, I use EastWest mainly. They sound great and the PLAY instrument (for all of their samples) is pretty intuitive. Once you get used to it, any of their sample libraries work the same way. NI Kontact would be a good one and has a common interface for all their plugins as well. You can try the cloud based option from EastWest and see how you like them, then buy it or keep the subscriptions, or just subscribe when you want to record/mix.

There are a ton of good products out there. I really like the Heaviosity (which uses the Kontact player as well) stuff too.

For me, I got used to those tools and didn’t feel like messing around with learning and trying others, they did the job for me. I’d rather spend time swapping pedals, amps and guitars, that’s enough of a rabbit hole.
 
I started with Sonar X3 but seemed to struggle with it... for some reason nothing seemed very intuitive for me and had to constantly youtube/google for help.. later switched to Reaper and everything seemed intuitive and things just flowed for me. So I definitely recommend Reaper with whatever VST work best for you.

I am curious about ProTools.. is it really all that? Worth the cost? And does any one DAW actually sound better than another? Or are they all sort of the same sound wise and its all about work flow? Kind of curious the other daws now. :confused:
 
errrrrl":3dd4d9rv said:
I am curious about ProTools.. is it really all that? Worth the cost? And does any one DAW actually sound better than another? Or are they all sort of the same sound wise and its all about work flow? Kind of curious the other daws now. :confused:
Click to expand...

I don’t think any DAW sounds better than any others, I would think without any inserted plugins, it shouldn’t change the sound at all. Pro Tools does come with some really good useable plugins standard. It’s really about the workflow. If you’re comfortable with Reaper, then I’d say stick with it, you’re not missing out. I’m not sure feature for feature what is differences are, but unless there’s something you find that Pro Tools (or any DAW) does that Reaper doesn’t do and that would really be a big deal for the things you do, I wouldn’t change.

I tried Logic and just couldn’t get used to it and didn’t feel like spending the time to learn. So I went back to Pro Tools.
 
That makes sense, thanks dude. I barely scratch the surface of Reaper as is... I'm basically using it like my old Tascam 4 track but on my computer lol. I need to learn how to master stuff I think. Can you recommend a plugin(s) for mastering?
 
errrrrl":1nvn0wrs said:
That makes sense, thanks dude. I barely scratch the surface of Reaper as is... I'm basically using it like my old Tascam 4 track but on my computer lol. I need to learn how to master stuff I think. Can you recommend a plugin(s) for mastering?
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Yo Braddah...

You won't need plug-ins for laying bed tracks, maybe after sure, but for now, using your Reaper DAW as a Tascam 4 is perfect for the learning curve. BUT(!!!) to answer your question about plug-ins and stuff, if you register with iLok or a few of the DAW based businesses online, you'll get promo deals galore for plug-ins. After a while, you'll know what to look for, and what not. A lot of garbage out there, but also some really nice top-drawer professional freebies that are truly exceptional. Like, check this:

http://www.soundtoys.com/product/little-plate/

You got 24 hours to get it!! And this is the real deal - it's not some limited time use license thing, it's free - so download that fucker and get it into your VST/AUX library on Reaper and you'll be set for 'verb. But these little bonuses are aplenty if you know where to look. But to get them passively, just start browsing the most popular soft-synth/plug-in sites; most are iLok governed, which is fine, a little centralization saves you time and effort. Of they're not, just be wary of registering for shitty sites. Spam.

Hope this helps!
Mo :thumbsup: :rock:
 
errrrrl":1oi55p2n said:
That makes sense, thanks dude. I barely scratch the surface of Reaper as is... I'm basically using it like my old Tascam 4 track but on my computer lol. I need to learn how to master stuff I think. Can you recommend a plugin(s) for mastering?
Click to expand...

For Mastering plugins, I have used Izotope Ozone for many years, since the very early versions. I love it because I don’t like to tweak the shit out things, I just want to lay something over it to polish it and bring everything together, also have it as loud as commercial recordings. Izotope has a shit ton of presets and I will just add Ozone onto the Master Fader track and then apply presets until I get something that sounds pretty good. You can dive in a tweak the shit out of it if you want, but this is “good enough” for me.

When I did my CD several years ago, I just disabled the Ozone plugins and sent them off to be mastered professionally. It was better than I had, but I think the Ozone presets get you very damn close. They have Black Friday deals going on too.
 
I went from Pro Tools to Logic, there is def a learning curve to logic, but its working well. I think the majority of the quality of sound issue will be determined by the quality of the convertors your interface uses, when we changed to Logic, we went to an Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt interface, and it sounds much better than the Digidesign interface, Ive been told its the convertors in the Apogee that make the difference
 
squealie":3tvsfki4 said:
And Gibson just killed Sonar. What fuckheads.

https://reverb.com/news/gibson-brands-a ... f-cakewalk
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Total tangent here, but I think Gibson's days are numbered. Not sure what's up - I love their [better made] guitars, I own many, I'd really hate to see them go... But have they really put anything out lately that's been consistently top drawer quality at their asked for top-drawer prices?? Not consistently, that's for sure... Now, if I'm going to cough up $5000 or $10,000 for a guitar, gimme some rosewood or fine ebony fretboard material - not richlite/bakelite/hobby-kit muffin mix fretboard material :confused: . Make guitars the way you made them in the past, it's a good recipe - this is what got you to be the "Gibson" everyone's come to recognize and love over 6 decades of you schleping your wares on the musical inclined.

Give us the Lesters, the ES's, the V's, the Explorers, maybe that new goltop modern, but otherwise, just keep your focus... Make them good, with good quality materials, and set them up straight off the line to play great without telling us all about your PLEK capabilities or whatever. Just deliver guitars that immediately prove their worth, rather than having us open the lids, plug in, and try to make sure it's worth the price asked and paid.

/end rant
 
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