David’s Adventures Through the World of Music Creation and Sonic Exploration

I remember when it was 1997 (or was it 1998? I don’t really remember) and Steinberg introduced their new technology called Virtual Studio Technology, but today most commonly known as the abbreviation VST. Okay, it might have been earlier than 1997 too, but I do remember specifically when I tweaked Neon for the first time in 1997, or 1998. It was the beginning of something new. It didn’t sound that good compared to the hardware I had back in those days, but it was a new concept - that’s for sure.

Later came TC|Works Mercury-1 which (back in those days) sounded fabulous compared to what was out there. It could play four sounds simultaneously, if you had computer enough, and it reminded of a Roland SH-101 but, dare I say it, more powerful.

Back in those days you would load up a sound on your hardware synthesizer, record the MIDI to your host and then you change the MIDI track output to the soft-synth instead. Since it would use almost every cycle available in your massive Pentium 2 CPU running at 450 MHz you quickly bounced the track and used it as pure audio.

I must have missed the turn-around point when you started doing it backwards.

Today, you load up a sound in any VST instrument, use a MIDI keyboard to record the MIDI data on to a track and then… Then you start fiddling with your hardware synthesizers. You change the MIDI track output to your massive MIDI interface and dial up a great sound on the hardware unit connected to it via the data protocol from the 1970’s. Then, you record its audio onto a new track and mutes the MIDI.

I wonder what’s next.

Cubase is ready stretching some audio files for me since I’m cranking up a dull track from sleepy 128 bpm to more dance-y 139.

Cubase is a wonderful sequencer application. The little tick box called “Insert ID3 tag” in the Export Audio Mixdown window does exactly the same as the Undo button on a Waldorf Microwave XTk, or the Sequence button on the Waldorf Wave. Absolutely nothing!

I wonder if the coders over at Steinberg forgot to implement the code. Maybe they wrote it but forgot to check it in to the repository?

When working with both hard- and software synths, I do tend to use the Track Control module as an insert on the MIDI or instrument track. It’s nice way to easily set the modulation to a fixed value. It would, however, tend to do the whole process of using that one a lot easier if the little bugger would store its value when I’m saving and closing the project. Sigh…

I guess this just adds up to my previous posts on Strangeness in Cubaseland.

I’m buying the MusicTech magazine from time to time since I like their articles. They don’t write contradicting Pro’s and Con’s boxes to their reviews which I found Computer Music doing, as I wrote in this post. But in the latest issue of CM they’ve actually shaped up. I wonder if they’ve read my post?

Anyhow. Attached to every issue of MT there’s a DVD. Every DVD contains samples ready to use in Kontakt 2.20 and Reason NN-XT by PinkNoise Studio. On the cover of the lastest issue it says “Summer Chill - Beat the heat with this pro-quality collection of laid-back leads and pads”. If you then open the folder where the samples are (there are both 44.1 kHz, 16 bit and 96 kHz, 24 bit - so no doubt about the pro-quality .. regarding the file formats at least) you’ll find a nice and tidy PDF file stating the following:

“You may use this sample library and patches in a non-melodic, solo-ed context in a musical recording”

What is a non-melodic lead? Why have they bundled that on the DVD? How should I use it then?

I guess I could run the lead sounds through a couple of nice plugins, like CamelAudio CamelSpace and OhmForce Ohmicide and turn it in to a distored pad which by definition should be non-melodic (I hope), but I already have enough pad sounds (haha - just kidding - you can NEVER have enough pad sounds - but still).

Feel free to add a comment saying your story of what a non-melodic lead really is.

I posted this over at the Cakewalk forum, but never got a reply. Beware of grammar error ahead…

Hi,

New guy here. I’ve glanced through the thread but didn’t find what I was looking for so here we go:

. Modulate the Shaper parameters from the Modulation matrix is my first and top prior wish
. Drag and drop to re-order the Modulation matrix rows
. The LFO can modulate itself, the Envelope can’t
. Even though that are only 4-5 options in a setting I’d prefer the option of having a drop down just like the settings with a lot of options
. When setting the range in the Modulation matrix, you’re using the left mouse button to change the right side (the highest value) of the range and the left mouse button to change the left side (the lowest value) of the range - isn’t that backwards to you guys? I think I know why it’s like it is today, but I still think it’s backwards…
. Double click in a numeric field to type the new value won’t hurt

Okay, I know I might sound picky and nagging but I really like this instrument and when I programmed some automation in Cubase last night I really got some extra life into the patch - but having the modulation available in the Modulation section would be more convenient than doing automation i Cubase - especially when I’m running the synth in stand-alone mode.

This is a fantastic sounding instrument and I love to program sounds in it - I really do!

Thanks,

Shouldn’t it be wise by a product vendor to actually listen to their users and paying customers?

I know someone who does though. Gforce Software and Sonalksis does, so I’ll keep them busy with my findings ;o)

I am one of the synth nerds that still haven’t got any of the Arturia products yet, but I’ve tested the demo versions of the Jupiter-8V, the Minimoog V and the Prophet V. They all well-sounding and convenient to to work with. Some of the knobs might be a little too small on the resolution I’m using (1600 x 1200 on a Dell 2007FP) and the Minimoog V on the other hand was designed with an awful lot of scrolling. Modular synthesis is nice though since you most often can do so much more than on a normal (sometimes dull and boring) subtractive synthesis synthesizer.

Luckily for me, I can now buy two Arturia products to the price of just one. Hooray! They have a fantastic offer that ends on the 31st of August, so if you have €199 to spare Arturia.com is the place to spend it. It gives me 1½ month to save up for it.

Personally, I’ll go for the Jupiter-8V and the Prophet V. They are really nice emulations of the old classics, and you cannot have enough of those - can you?