Hi Prasad, This is my first post here. I do some synth programming. I own bunch of software synths and MIDI sequencers.I use Cubase SX 3.0 and play around with ProTools as well.
On the hardware side, I own Yamaha MOTIF ES 6, and Korg Triton Studio. Well, you might very well ask, what do I do with all these gadgets. Nothing, other than driving my neighbors crazy :) One of them is member of this ever growing group and I can't wait to see how he reacts. Here is my personal opinion. 1) Software Synths or Samplers. Generally my order of preference has always been VST, Rewire, DXI and MAS, AU comes last. HALION takes the first place. It has excellent sample library. You can buy lot of samples from various companies or else you can even make your own. Basic setup would cost you 300-400 USD. You can update your sample library based on your requirements. But the drawback is that it comes only as VST plugin. When it comes to Indian music, I haven't seen anything better than SwarPlug. It also comes with basic sequencing facilities. The next favorite one would be Reaktor, especially if you are into Techno kind of stuff. But it is a CPU killer. You need a nice machine to run multiple tracks in realtime and slightly pricier than Halion. I don't own GigaStudio, but few of my coworkers do. If you have a mediocre PC and all you need is nice dance loops and excellent groove, GS is for you. Their orchestra samples are also good. The cheapest beast of all is FruityLoops. But I never had chance to try even the demo version. I stayed away from Reason and Ableton as they don't have VST interface and support Rewire only which kind of limits the number of hosts that can use it. But remember even 3.6 GHz machines chokes if I have 16 software synth tracks. So it is highly risky to use in live perfomance. The minimal latency I have measured so far on my machine is around 10 micro seconds. The other determining factor is the platform of your choice and of course your plugin format choice. If you choose MAC, you can count the options available in one hand. 2) Hardware Synths. Both the workstations I own are excellent when it comes to samples. Roland 5050 was discontinued long back. If you are looking at cheaper versions, Kurzweil's micro ensemble beats everybody with hands down.But user interface sucks. I used to have Motif ES rack at my workplace, but the time it takes to load new samples is way too high. So my choice in this category is Roland Fantom XR. That is a fine piece of equipment. Only thing it is missing, IMHO, is an internal sequencer. If this discussion is too technical for this group, we can take it offline. BTW if you think I am a pro musician, I am not :). It is excellent when hobby and work intersect. Have fun :: Bharathidasan ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/c9hWNA/3MnJAA/n1hLAA/iyUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
