What to buy now?

[mrarnesen]

I did recently buy a quite expencive iMac. And I got Notion 3 and Miroslav Philharmonik.

I had to wait some time until I was able to buy more to upgrade my "home studio". Now I'm able to buy at least 1 program, maybe more. What would be the best thing to buy now? Logic Pro 9 so I have a DAW?

I'm most interested in making music for orchestra and choir. Or film music with some exotic flutes with strings, etc.

Although, I have interest in dance music aswell. I guess Logic Pro would be good for all these genres.

The coolest thing ever would be to have Requiem and Liberis (which work only on Kontakt). But it's quite expensive and I'm not sure it would be so useful alone.

[mrarnesen]

I might consider this guy though

http://8dio.com/?btp_product=hybrid-rhythms

My skills on percussion in classical and orchestral music is very low. This might help a lot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry-Qw59OZwo

[wcreed51]

How well does Notion meet your needs? You might want to wait for Notion 4 next month before deciding in what direction to go.

[Surfwhammy]

What would be the best thing to buy now? Logic Pro 9 so I have a DAW?

Logic Pro 9 (Apple) is an excellent choice!

I got Logic Pro 9 about a week ago, and I discovered how to do ReWire to NOTON 3, so I am happy, since everything else is looking good . . .

Regarding drumkits and rhythm patterns, there are libraries of this stuff that are included as part of Logic Pro 9 . . .

Also, Logic Pro 9 is 64-bits but it also runs in 32-bit mode, if you need it to be a 32-bit application, which is the case when doing ReWire with NOTION 3 . . .

If you want to be able to do everything, then you need a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) application, and Logic Pro 9 is professional quality but at a reasonable price, where at present it is $200 (US) at the Mac App Store, which is fabulous . . .

Fabulous!

[Surfwhammy]

What would be the best thing to buy now? Logic Pro 9 so I have a DAW?

As a bit of follow-up on Logic Pro 9 (Apple), now that it is making sense here in the sound isolation studio after a week of getting to know how it works, I did a new video which explains how to do ReWire (Propellerhead Software) where logic Pro 9 is the ReWire host controller and NOTION 3 is the ReWire slave, which is fabulous . . .

How to use ReWire to work with a NOTION 3 Score in Logic Pro 9 in a ReWire Session (Surfwhammy) -- Windows Media Video -- WMV (26.8MB, approximately 17 minutes and 2 seconds)

Fabulous!

For reference, I have been using Digital Performer (MOTU) as my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) application for nearly a decade, so I understand how it works intimately, but I got Logic Pro 9 last week and at first it was a bit frustrating, but now that I have some stick time on Logic Pro 9 I am very happy . . .

Logic Pro 9 has a virtual festival of samples, effects plug-ins, and instrumental bits called "Apple Loops", where you can select an instrument from the sample library and there is an impressive set of prerecorded performances in various genres, styles, rhythm patterns, grooves, and so forth, so you select one that you like and then add it to an instrument track, where it functions literally as a "studio musician" and plays the instrument, but you can set notes and other stuff, which makes it easy to create an instrumental group for a song . . .

Groove 3 Inc. has some excellent video tutorials on Logic Pro 9, and I have been watching one of them, where the presenter demonstrates how to use the various sample libraries and Apple Loops to create the basic rhythm section for a song, as well as how to record a real vocalist . . .

[NOTE: I like the Groove 3 Inc. video tutorials, because the presenters demonstrate how the techniques and configuration steps actually are done, so that you get the information but also see how it works in the user interface, and the presenters always include a few tips and techniques that are not found in the user manuals . . . ]

Logic Pro 9 Explained (Eli Krantzberg, Groove 3 Inc.)

Over the long run, you will want to get an external audio interface like the MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid, which among other things is used to digitize the analog signals from microphones, electric guitars and bases, keyboards, and so forth and so on, as well as to provide MIDI support, and you will want to get a festival of different sound sample libraries and virtual instruments, where Kontakt 5 (Native Instruments) is very nice, as are all the IK Multimedia virtual instruments and MachFive 3 (MOTU) . . .

Effects plug-ins are very important, and you need them to produce professional quality songs in more modern and popular music genres . . .

Reason 6.5.1+ (Propellerhead Software) is excellent for creating electronic music, and it also has some surprisingly realistic orchestral instruments which are recorded in the style George Martin developed when he was producing the Beatles, which involves very close microphone placement and maps to more intense tonality and so forth . . .

It also is helpful to have a MIDI keyboard, where I like the Behringer U-CONTROL UMA25S USB MIDI Controller, which I am in the process of configuring with a notebook "arm" that I found at Amazon.com, so that the MIDI keyboard is in a handy position on the desktop to the left of the computer keyboard but in a way that I can adjust the height and angle, which is one of the current projects here in the sound isolation studio . . .





It takes a while to learn how to use all this stuff, where for example I have been working on it diligently for over two years, and it is starting to make a lot of sense with respect to how everything works interactively, but I need to make sense of MIDI, which is one of the big ongoing projects here in the sound isolation studio . . .

My perspective is that all the various types of instruments and software controller applications a vast virtual orchestra, except that instead of there being perhaps 125 instruments, there are more like half a million instruments, which is an extraordinarily deep and rich musical palette for painting songs . . .

Explained another way, from a high-level perspective I think that there is a set of things that comprise a complete solution for being able to do everything:

(1) NOTION: music notation and virtual instruments, including ReWIre and external MIDI control . . .

(2) Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) application: recording real instruments and voices, including via ReWire working with NOTION generated audio, as well as external MIDI control, special effects, arranging, producing, mixing, and mastering . . .

(3) Special Effects: various signal processors, reverb and echo units, and so on and so forth, including vocal enhancing and correcting software . . .

(4) Mastering Application: software focused specifically on the mastering step for producing professional quality songs . . .

(5) Sampled Sound Libraries and Virtual Instruments: real instrument sounds played by professionally trained and skilled musicians . . .

(6) Virtual Synthesizers: used to create custom sounds and unique instruments . . .

(7) MIDI Keyboards and Synthesizers: similar to (6) but physically real rather than virtually real . . .

(8) Real Instruments, Amplifiers, and External Effects Pedals: real instruments like electric guitars, electric bass, drumkit, Latin percussion, as well as (7) with respect actually to being played by a human . . .

(9) Real Vocals: one or more humans singing . . .

(10) Full-range Calibrated Studio Monitor System: the only way to produce, mix, and master accurately, which is explained in vast detail in my ongoing topic in the IK Multimedia FORUM, where "full-range" specifically is the full range of normal human hearing (20-Hz to 20,000-Hz) and "calibrated" specifically refers to the studio monitor system having a flat equal loudness curve at 85 db SPL, as measured by hardware devices and computer-based software algorithms, which includes using an SPL Meter for verification, where it is important to understand that there are no new commercial off the shelf (COTS) full-range calibrated studio monitor systems available anywhere on this planet at the dawn of the early-21st century, and this makes a custom solution a basic requirement, because if what you hear when you listen to your studio monitor system is not accurate, then for all practical purposes you are wasting your valuable time . . .

The Fabulous Affordable Studio Monitor System Project (IK Multimedia FORUM)

(11) Powerful Supercomputer: ideally this will be a Mac, since everything is vastly easier on the Mac for doing digital music production and digital video production . . .

(12) External DIgital Audio Interface: this is the device which among other things digitizes the analog signals from microphones, electric guitars and bases, and keyboard synthesizers so that you can work with them in the DAW application and elsewhere . . .

(13) Sound Isolation Studio: you need a carefully designed work area which is tailored for optimal listening and recording . . .

There are a few more things, but these are sufficient for a complete digital music production system, where advanced activities like scripting are included in being able to use all the various software at an advanced level . . .

Summarizing, there is a lot of stuff involved in digital music production at the dawn of the early-21st century, and it takes a while to make sense of all of it, but if you work diligently it makes sense after a while, and from this perspective it is not necessary to get everything at once, although I suppose that if you can afford to get everything and know what to get for a complete system, then you could get all the stuff at one time, but even then it takes a while to discover how to connect everything so that it works accurately and correctly, hence the strategy I use here in the sound isolation studio is to do everything in somewhat logical steps, which is fabulous . . .

Fabulous!

P. S. Since you mentioned being interested in "dance music", I did a new mix for one of the songs I am developing for the Surf Whammy's "Electric Underpants" album, which features DISCO and Pop songs . . .



[NOTE: Everything except the single track lead vocal is done with music notation and IK Multimedia VSTi virtual instruments in NOTION 3, where the NOTION 3 generated audio is recorded via ReWIre (Propellerhead Software) in Digital Performer 7.24 (MOTU) as soundbites, where the various special effects are done in Digital Performer, which is the primary DAW application I use for arranging, producing, mixing, and mastering here in the sound isolation studio . . . ]

"Feel Me" (The Surf Whammys) -- Basic Rhythm Section and Lead Vocal -- MP3 (8.7MB, 304-kbps [VBR], approximately 3 minutes and 38 seconds)

Lots of FUN!