UAD. or steven slate

 

Get a real copy of Windows

 

Always .....wouldn't run my daw on anything else just got windows 8.1 a couple weeks ago when I bought two new internal hard drives

 

Vienna Ensemble PRO 5 !

 

Bitwig and weed. 10 days left now.

 

I seen sweetwater had a uad pcie card for 300$ could I get this and buy any of the uad plugins I want after?or does it only work with what comes with it?

 

I'd get the UAD SSL bundle.

Bitwig won't be production ready before a few years. (yeah it's been on beta since forever, but still, 1.0 just ain't mature enough)

 

If it's UAD-1 you're talking about, then no. They are not supported anymore by the developer.

I would buy Kush Audio UBK-1, McDSP Analog Channel. Can't think of other plugins at the moment...

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UAD2Solo

 

uad1 weren't sold anymore for a while now

I was talking about uad2.

 

yea thats what i was looking at i posted a link to the pcie card for the uad 2 card

 

I agree with most of your words, but i would come with an addition when it comes about EQs. Yes, DMG Audio makes the best EQs only when it comes about algo world. I tested lots of algo EQs and also the kernel-ish Nebula stuff and i swear that there's just nothing to beat the Nebula EQs IMO. I don't involve the bad Nebula's GUI or bad workflow, just the sound quality/dynamic harmonic content/behaving which is a clear winner for me when it comes about EQs, especially noticable on lows and highs, Damn! (frankly Nebula is just a "capturer", the quality comes with the help of the advanced sampling of the analog hardware units)
About comps, i wouldn't use nebula alone for compressing tasks, but just in conjunction with the algo ones when the situation asks for it.
He can take in consideration for his Mixbus/master channel if he uses Nebula, the AITB Mammoth EQ (for highs/mids) and AB Black Master EQ(with crazy lows for a small amount of dbs boosting).
Everything else i agree with you , even about Waves, which really benefits from good marketing/popularity so they can hide average programming behind shiny GUIs for a ridiculous big price.

 

If I would've had the money, I wouldn't buy anything software. All this talk with latest plugins, bitwig, whateva is bullshit to me. You have everything near this place to compete with any studio software wise. :dancing:
Problems lie elsewhere in the hardware world. So I would think a synth: from the Minibrute to Blofeld, Novation or small MS20. Or maybe a compressor. You could buy a more than decent one with that cash and you might just improve your [not anymore] ITB sound.
What about a RME Babyface? I hear Saphire is cool but it's in no f. way a match for RME anyway you'd look at it.
So yeah... Go hardware if you really want to step up and forget about Bitwig vs don'tknowwhatsupercooolplugs silly dilemmas

 

When you start talking about other things like "soundcards" and outboard gear, you fail by not mentioning about monitoring stuff. But frankly, in that price range you can't get a decent professional enough pair of studio monitors, but even so, what makes you step up in the ITB music making is the HEARING. If you can't listen accurately enough what you do, you can get the most greatest outboard gear in the world because you wouldn't be able to do something accurate and good enough with a cheap pair of studio monitors. It's like talking about running blind, no matter how fast and top notch shoes you buy, as long as you can't see ahead, the speed and performance of your running is useless. *yes* The best and most important connection between the music you make and yourself is the hearing, which is supported by the studio monitors and ears. I don't try to define what studio monitors are, but it's importance. A good monitoring not only makes you feel better/less headache, but you're also able to fix more bad spots which aren't defined enough on cheaper monitors wich are hyped in certain areas of the frequency response's spectrum in a bad way, so if i would lack monitoring stuff, then i would make sure i buy a decent and professional enough pair of studio monitors, then i will start thinking about what plugins should i buy and etc.

 

@Evorax Well... we're goin' sophistic here aren't we? Let's not! Ok? I assumed tgunz already has decent monitors and a treated room to enjoy them Otherwise ITB or hardware he'll hear shit, since with 100 bucks monitors, cheaper cans and not even a blanket on the walls, he won't hear much of the expensive Waves plugins or the hyperhyped DAW wonder Bitwig, won't he? Besides he wouldn't have asked such questions here but rush to buy the best cans for the money since within 500 you get only entry level monitors
But all these considered and to get on topic, my humble opinion stays the same. Go get something hardware, mate!

 

These days "hardware" term is overrated. *yes*
Even as a hardware, for 500 euros you get entry-level hardware too (when it comes about processing, not synths). And also, if you start buying a hardware synth when you already own software synths, it's like spending the money for nothing, because a hardware synth is like a fancy toy, you love to have it, play it, keep it and look at it, but when it comes about recording and stuff, you're still have more advantages with the softsynths these days, that's why even a lot of biggest worldwide producers don't leave their softsynths for hardware ones. I really respect the hardware synthesizers and they're like a candy for a kid, i just crave for it, but when it comes about productivity... well... no *no* i stick to my softsynths.
If you can't make pro-grade music with it saying that you're an amateur just because you don't own a hardware synth, that's bullsh*t. Doesn't matter the tools you use as long as you use them right, but when it comes about pro music making, the hearing is the no.1 factor, because that's how you do the right decisions in a producing(choosing/scoulpting sounds)/mixing/mastering situation, by hearing, and if you lack pro monitoring gear, then that's what is going to keep you away from using your virtual tools in the right way *yes*

 

Evorax, you are basically right. But in this context, hardware has some advantages: it's educative - you get to learn a different workflow with recording, sampling and processing -, keeps you occupied and off the fuckin' mouse and it's fun - tweaking and experimentin with a real thing is a different story compared to staring at the screen and fiddling with the mouse. Besides tgunz doesn't seem to want a tune factory but a different/novel approach to sound and a toy to experiment with. (that's why he's after 'unreleased' stuff and midi controllers). But I might be wrong here, who knows maybe he's the next Skreelex. *yes*

Here I disagree. On the contrary, I think hardware is really underrated these days. There's a lot of hype on how cool soft synths and plugs are these days and how you could make a pro sound with just a cheap laptop. This has a name: Marketing! Problem is I haven't seen one decent producer or mixing/mastering engineer who works completely itb, and you can't blame their ears for this, can you. From Pensado to Kryptic Minds or Moderat you get the same thing: "ITB is cool but hey, let's just put here this Virus, a bit of Culture Vulture on that buss and lets pass it all through an API console... and what a cool ITB track that would make" So, yeah, it makes me wonder a bit about ITB stuff alone.

 

I used to tweak hardware synths in a ex studio where i worked in the past and believe me, i already have experience with both worlds to be able to compare them. As i told you in my earlier post, for me a hardware synth is like a candy for a kid, i love to have them ,touch them and play them. I know how synthesis works too, but when you want to be more productive and efficient and the time is a concern, then you have to stick to the fast way of working, and the way that softsynths works these days it's more ergonomic to work with than hardware synths. I talk about it because i experienced it on my own skin in the practical situations. If you add a Nebula tape impulse of 15IPS you get rid of that harshness that softsynths add in detriment of the hardware synths. Also there's the line input/amp stage Nebula impulses of moog and oberheim hardware synths which you can add them over your softsynth and it will sound analog-ish too with a unnoticeable difference compared to the hardware synth.

I responded earlier on a Sinewave's post, saying that i use analog hardware impulses through Nebula unit because for example, i can't get that creamy sounding EQ with a algo eq when it comes about low-end where i use the API 5500 impulses, also the sweet mids/highs of a sampled Massive Passive over a masterbus. I also use sampled Drawmer comp for drumbusses and etc. so even if i work in the box, the most analog-accurate EQs in my personal testing was only these dynamic impulses of the sampled analog units through Nebula. The algo emulations are pretty close, but when you listen to the Nebula EQs impulses, you just can't hold yourself from not using it, because sounds the closest to the hardware. And yes, Marketing is something... but untill you test it yourself you can't give a fair opinion about it. Marketing lies only on gullible people, but as long as you test it yourself on your own skin, then you will realise for yourself if that particular product is good or not.
You would be surprised how much ITB has evolved the past 2 years.
The guy from The Catarcs works completely in the box, using hardware units like a expensive Avalon pream/channelstrip only when it comes about the vocal chain, also Noisia and many other famous producers (which some of them actually send their stems to the mixing/mastering engineer to take care of it with hardware units), but when you talk about hardware synths, these producers actually abuse Sylenth, Massive or even stock synths, so as i said, Hardware Synths aren't a good investment(just a fancy delight, and when you mean about educative situations, check out the Syntorial) when you try to progress in your career if your goal is in the commercial side and if you make music for the majority and not just for yourself. Even on a FMM issue, a pro said that if you want to be as efficient as possible in the box competing with the OTB music, you need to rely on the best possible monitoring stuff. The guy from The Cataracs used some kickass expensive Genelec 1032a monitors, then he recently swapped to Adam S2X which are kickass as well. So as long as you have a good connection between your ears/brain and the music you make, in the commercial domain as a producer the OTB stuff isn't a must, just a delight.
When you give examples of engineers like Pensado, you should think about the fact that he's old and he's coming from the vintage side of the world, so it's normal to be more fan-ish to the analog stuff, but that's not a must.
Check the "Diamonds" song from Rihanna here:

The most of this guy's work is ITB, admitting that he used some analog units on the masterbus where i can actually use Nebula stuff to get more than similar results. Train your ears to hear what is right or not, but make sure you don't train them on cheap studio monitors, because the guys with expensive monitors will always hear more details than you and when you try to submit a demo to a big label, it often happens to be listened on expensive monitors and they would not perceive it that impressive as it sounded on your studio monitors if they're cheap because it wasn't capable of revealing as much problems to fix as you would hear on expensive monitors.
The ITB and OTB these days with the capabilities of Nebula stuff, it's no longer a worthy competition, just a matter of taste/workflow and a fancy preference. As long as you make good music, the most of the normal listeners would not perceive a noticable difference between two very good mixed songs, no matter if it's ITB or OTB. => Conclusion?: A good mix/master is not made by the tools you use, but the way you use them, no matter if it's ITB or OTB.

Maybe alot of people would think i'm off topic, but i actually try to describe for that guy why a hardware synth investment isn't good when you actually already own softsynths which you can be more productive with and more efficient when the time is a concern. Also i can't recommend this guy what he should buy as long as i don't know what he owns already and also what are his objectives in life/career so our recommandations are more subjective than objective.

 

Ableton !

 

not a big fan of the workflow ive tried it a couple times as with every other daw i could get my hands on and always end up back with studio one