First of all, really appreciate your time and suggestions, this is really not most interesting thread and resolves around mine thing pretty much, so really, it's awesome you took time from your music and life to help me, really appreciate it, even if my answers contradict that, I really do

Interested in bread&butter workstation kind of thing, as much as I like Proteus VX, it's just messy and kinda last decade sound wise, my partner is not into it that much either and I just wish for him to be creative and do his thing, not mess around and get frustrated


What I tried so far:

-Sonic Cat/Luxonix Purity - not many sounds
-Wusik Station v8 - crippled demo sounds/banks wise (only showcase stuff, few of them), his loss really

What I'm interested in:

-HALion Sonic 2 - seems like an top contestant, need dongle to demo it
-Xpand! 2 - downloading demo right now

What I'm not going to bother with:

-Dimension Pro - heard worst things about support
-anything from E-MU - too expensive and if it's anything like VX, not that user friendly
-Nexus - no comment
-Kontakt - too expensive for a sample player, let alone libraries

So anything else you can recommend, any opinions on HALion and Xpand!, please don't be shy

But worth pointing out, this is Windows based solution, I'm also considering just hooking him up with Logic X and getting over with it, for less than 200 bucks he is covered, he got even Alchemy on top of gig's of bread&butter stuff that comes with it, he is in the market for a new machine anyways, so this will influence it big time, Alchemy is really giving Logic crazy value, even if that means lower spec'ed second hand Macbook, somehow it's not that bad deal when everything is taken into account

I even took this into account, because it's Zebra, it can do much more and actually it sounds nice, but yeah, it's more than 200 bucks for Zebra and 50 for this bank

​

Was thinking about Omnisphere on long run, but still, he isn't that bread&butter-ish, somehow feel like he is great addition for any workstation, but again, having Alchemy makes that case not that strong, so yeah, another vote for Logic X.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 1, 2015

why use a rompler, when u have things like dune 2 or serum? i think they both sound better...

 

Sampletank, Rapture Pro are worth a look

 

The bare existence of a computer with a midi keyboard renders every workstation redundand but if you insist go for omnisphere

 

the actual bread and butter are nexus and kontakt (not kontakt by itself but all komplete series).

Cheap useless toy. It's "hypersonic" with new skin. I'm wonder why it's not free nowadays. Last time used by me about six years ago. It was glockenspiel preset for some free IOS game.

Looks and sounds better than hypersonic, but still not top notch.

 

The budget is?
Its a must working with wave wavetable?
Witch OS?
Halion do not have many libs...
And about CPU? Diva is hungry Right?

 

Because he is an beginner and into hip hop/downbeat stuff, so not much usual synth sounds and no sound designing, just recording/making music

I was thinking about it, he surprisingly likes Spire by the looks without even knowing what any button does (and from wow factor preset browsing), but not enough bread&butter sounds for a buck, not enough sounds for that genres at all, not enough banks for it, not good investment at all, I was considering it, but it's just great EDM oriented synth and for anyone into sound design, I'm not even if I know my way around synths, too much arsing around for gaining nothing, not best choice of a tool.

Other two are out of the question, Serum is CPU hog and EDM oriented (also expensive for what it brings to the table) and Dune is not inviting even for me in my EDM days, so big no

Nexus is money hole that covers maybe someone needing more EDM bread&butter sounds, what is left bread&butter is too expensive to even dig into, 200+ bucks for Nexus and 50+ for expansions, even with all of them, one is not covered, so big fat no

Kontakt is too expansive and how many libraries one need to buy to be covered, 10+, for how much money, too expensive really

Komplete is good suggestion actually but again, Logic X is complete as Komplete, that's another issue here

is there anything top notch OTB/without spending little fortune expanding/pimping it?

Around 200 bucks, price of Logic X

No

Windows primarily

But usual stuff, pianos, bass-es,saxophones, strings and etc?

Less the better, Diva can be used on worst machines on draft, but yeah, on Divine with huge polyphony it is

Thanks man

Awesome, gonna dig into that, great suggestions

Yeah, Omnisphere isn't really bread&butterish as I already stated, if one wants plain piano, he won't find it there, just burning one or something weird, nothing wrong with that, that have place in arsenal too, but it's not replacement for usual stuff

Reason for workstation kind of deal is all in one solution, he is beginner, more creative, less messing around, better, he really is creative guy that just should play and not mess around with plugins and sound design, mixing or anything production oriented, I'm there for rest, but I'm not with him all the time, so yeah, jsut want him to have awesome workstation to give him inspiration to work, where he can score the sounds he wants to use quickly and do his thing

 

Last edited by a moderator: Oct 1, 2015

I think that it begins wrong because the DAW must be chosen first right?
The old Logic 5.5 for PC is amazing and have a Hiphop library for EXS.
Also is a problem of thinking the sound that he wants, oldschool dirty and vintage or something more bright and new?
Many Hiphop records are done with old junk and really Raw sound. Sometimes we do not need any super synth, but something practical and good emulations of tape and valve.
Transform his pc in a hackintosh to buy logic is a bargain!

 

If I had to pick a single workstation it would Sampletank 3. The piano alone is the best I have heard (in VST format)

 

Great points as usual, when I took boom bap into account, he was golden just arsing with Proteus VX on MuLab, but as it started expanding into more ambiental/downbeat side, even more modern sounding hip hop one, yeah, things started getting little more demanding and crucial is my urge to give him best experience he can have for the money on long run.

He desperately needs new machine, current one isn't hackintosh ready unfortunately, so yeah, it's getting Macbook or some nice Lenovo/HP, I gave up on using same DAW as him, I don't have money to follow/mirror his choices anyways, so that makes things much easier overall, because I'm looking for his best interest here.

We have another vote for Sampletank, awesome

 

Watch this XSZE you'll love it.

Oh and of course this:-

 

you are very well misinformed

 

Wow, what company this guy doesn't endorse

 

I tested every preset of sampletank and it sounds like shit really!
In the piano of video sounds like plastic.
If you wanna some plastiic sound goes for Korg M1.
About the notebooks, my wife bought a Dell i7 fifth genration @3ghz with touch screen for a little more than 900usd, works as hackintosh too.

 

1) I'm owner of this crap.
2) I have ears.

 

you really say you know ? if you don´t have used it 6 years ? Halion Sonic was not even out 6 Years ago . second Halion Sonic are made out of the Halion 4/5 Engine and has nothing to do with Hypersonic anymore since the Guys from Wizoo went over to Air Musictech .

Xpand! 2 are exactly basically Hypersonic 2 in a new engine made by the Wizoo/Air Musictech people with the near similar and the same sounds .

next time before you comment on something if you are true misinformed and not know even the backgrounds , please don´t comment on such things .

you should wash them

 

Sure. New engine. Old glock.

I will ask you next time.

Already. Still sounds like 10 years old crap. But yeahh, new engine is a game changer especially for outdated soundbank.

 

If it's a money issue or limitation would it be worth/okay to mention our sister sight? Anybody?
(Try before you buy)

 

Last edited: Oct 1, 2015

With your budget and needs, try Korg M1 and CRX4 too.
Very plain workstation spirit.

 

sorry , you are talking absolutely bs , Halion Sonic has none of the "old" Soundbanks , Xpand!2 has

again please do your Homework better ! and i wonder how you will know if you don´t even have use it 6 years ? and please again learn also more about the backgrounds before you comment on such things , people gets also misinformed by your statements and false knowledge , because its based on your opinion and not your knowledge