The TelenatorWow, kingtubby, that’s one I hadn’t heard of. You can almost guess from looking at the UI that it’s going to push things some.
The TelenatorLevendis, Yeah, that’s where I’ve done some of my free shopping, of course! Altogether, there are many similar sites that are run by the owner of each device or series of devices.
The TelenatorRight. What kingtubby said. It’s been a while since I’ve had to look any of these up. BTW, the melda production does offer a long line of various VST effects, but of a more modern quality. The confusion of the variety of Sound/Bootsy is the naming of those various effects —
Should be pointed out that the Classic series VST stuff is NOT defunct and still available, only Kjaerhaus. Note my mix up with that name and KVR! lol Good basic units for users who don’t want to have to read a 20-page manual with every device they install.
The TelenatorI use a few of them. I think they offer some 30 of all sorts.
The Antress I’ve heard of but can’t recall anything. For all I know I’ve used or have something produced by them.
The TelenatorCDLM, your observations of .WAV vs. Mp3-320 are very good. I am actually NOT an expert on Mp3 matters, but I have learned from two who are top audio engineers. They tell me that there is (or could be, if you are using much of those frequencies in your music) a very noticeable loss in the deep bass and also the ultra-highs that provide things such as presence, definition and “air” to your works IF you use anything less than 320kps in your Mp3 music.
The TelenatorHey, CDL. Kim makes some very valid points. I had to laugh, too, because I hadn’t said anything about the plugins and HALion instruments that came with my Cubase. I really thought most of their effects sucked and only a couple of their VST instruments were any good. I’m not talking about their grand symphony package that is out now, but personally I didn’t care for their standard issue stuff.
Thanks to you, I went ahead and wrote down all the plugins that made the cut with me and that I will still use. All free and easy to search on the Net.
The TelenatorGlad I could offer some help. Wasn’t sure what your full needs with MP3, but you might be surprised how many know nothing about the format itself, so thought I ought to mention.
I think I first heard about lame_enc.dll when having fun with Audacity 1.3, and it said I needed to acquire and place in folder that dll if I had any hope in dealing with MP3s. Audacity — some fun freeware DAW good for stream capture via Stereo Mix among other things.
You may not fully understand just how broke so many of us long-term musicians also are. I almost make a sport of seeing which gadgets/software I can do without. and there’s the ongoing hunt for great free stuff, like the VSTs I told you about. Podium is an incredible value, and I haven’t quite figured out yet whether to do the $35 every following year. Might just do every other? Time will tell.
At the moment, I’ve been focusing on getting it all set up while still in freeware edition. I had a lot of drum tracks and newer projects to move out of Cubase and into the .pod format.
Was watching all the tutorial videos yesterday, and I’m really impressed how well Podium handles the normally more complicated things like linking tracks for pitch correction (e.g., GSnap) or slicing.
I can’t wait until end of the week. I expect by then I’ll feel confident enough to set most study aside and get to the business of regular recording and production work (and will be licensed by then!!!).
YES, the indexed version of the official Guide is just awesome. I’ll be keeping a shortcut on my screen for quick look up and reference.
The TelenatorCDL, this is my basic list. Only really needed when recording and rendering (a must) or editing (really should). For just playback or setting up template pre-loading projects, don’t worry much. But you sure don’t want a hiccup or click on your best performance ever
BEFORE SERIOUS RECORDING/EDITING WORK:
1. Often use Ready Boost Flash drive dedicated 4 extra gigs, so I plug in that drive (or you can dedicate some 8 gigs on harddrive to memory boost – see Windows instruction in help for both)
2. Disable all music enhancement (like the SRS Sound and RealTech enhancer I have)
3. Turn OFF ALL system sound
4. Set PC NOT to auto-update from anybody, especially Microsoft. You go and manual update yourself once a week. This is whether Net connected or not, cause some will freak and try to connect anyway
5. Absolutely no internet connection no way no how. Turn off your wireless LAN thing on some PCs if it’s and issue
6. Turn off all your virus killer stuff. Worst enemy perhaps of the friendly DAW. MS Windows Defender never seems to be a bother, though.
7. No changing desktop scenery like the cool galaxy picture I have changing every 3 minutes. Go to solid color screen with NO screen saver (stuff like this can be pre-arranged)
8. Under Performance Info, set Adjust Visual Effects to “Best Performance” Not always needed unless you have older PC. It will make your PC look like it’s running in safe mode, with primitive looking windows. I will always do this if I am doing 20 tracks with mucho plugins.
9. use an inexpensive surge protector on AC line if possible, especially if your area has issues
10. Never run any software unless used with/for DAW only
11. Always defrag before and after big projects. A DAW can frag a PC pretty good, but mainly you want to start clean.
That’s about it I think.
The TelenatorOKAY . . . more about your MP3 concerns.
Windows 7 Audio Media player and Aktiv recorder and many more, some free like Aktiv, will convert or record into or out of MIDI. I would turn ALL into a good .WAV, then throw them up on Podium.
Remember, MP3 is a LOSSY format. Good @320 for decent use with iTune players and fast upload to music players and websites. BUT it is crap to pro sound recording people. 32-bit float 44.1 .WAV is industry standard for editing and is KING.
The TelenatorI am brand new with Podium . . . still learning but much faster than 3 months of pure study needed to master Cubase before you can even record a pro-quality project! Never again! I got two pro acoustic guitar-and-vocals demos done in 3 hours with Podium over weekend. See posted on PODIUM POPPETS group on SoundCloud — and I had only read 14 pages of Guide at that point.
The Telenatorthcilnnahoj, a very wise observation. I think most musicians/composers are using SoundCloud so much because it is so helpful and easy to post and disseminate music. You can spread your tunes to Fb, your own website, etc., in one upload/click. So the exposure comes in that regard, I think, more than toward end user and sales. It’s a tool.
Downside of free membership is that if you have lots of material, are an active producing musician, you can max out your quota very quickly, and then need to start removing lessor works to make room for new.
From what I’ve heard/seen, there is every genre and level of quality known to mankind on SoundCloud. Everybody appears to be represented and folks congregate around their genre.
I would love to see every user of Podium join the PODIUM POPPETS group and throw on at least one example, however large or small the clip, so we can show the diversity of styles and have everyone represented. It need not be slick and fully finished. I often like to expose the process. I say, if it sounds good, go ahead and post it. The timid can always start an alias account there and post — why not?
Zynewave and Podium is a very well-kept secret it seems. Most of my musician friends, pro or not, have never heard those names — only the big three or so seem to get lip service.
IF PEOPLE ONLY KNEW! Podium is no toy, as we here all know. But so far it’s a sleeper. Aside from most Ableton users and maybe one or two other brands (e.g., REAPER), I know a lot of discontents out there regarding the DAWs they are currently using.
I have every intention of Music World Conquest and Domination via use of Zynewave products. (he he!)
The Telenatorkim …:”when it came to actually using the programs, Podium won hands down. It won it on UI and workflow alone” (my emphasis)
EXACTLY. I’m still going to get a licensed copy of REAPER, at some point, too, if only because it’s inexpensive, and I appreciate their efforts, and it gives me a backup and something to play around with.
Meanwhile, I’m telling my story about all my troubles with Steinberg and Cubase; for one, because anytime someone brings these sorts of problems/issues up on Steinberg’s Forum, they get met by an arrogant response and beat down. Half of what lost my business with Cubase was the kind of attitude I faced when I had a problem. Newer users actually feared posting on forum, ’cause they respond as though you’re stupid or accuse (falsely) of it being your PC’s fault.
The TelenatorThank you for your kind comments, Levendis. Just to fill in the blanks a bit, this is the kind of music I play at the solo gigs. Originally just trying to become a hot guitarist, I sometimes would lose my lead singer in various bands and had to work on my vocals to fill the gap. In an electric setting I like the power trio format and my main genre is the Rock Blues.
I get my influences from so many sources. I see many techniques used by you guys as of great interest to me. Who knows what I can incorporate at some point along the journey. I’ve been a working pro in the business for some 40 years and have studio experience going back to 4 and 8-track reels. So when I tell you that you got some very creative and clever segments in what I’ve heard I know what I’m talking about.
My oldest son is a touring electronica pro. I think he describes his bag as “post-dubstep,” and some of his work is making a big impression on me too. I think so much of this stuff is fascinating, even though I’m mainly an old school player.
Regarding you final remark, I have no doubt that more posts on the SoundCloud group will be coming in from other members. Part of why I posted more conventional tunes was to show the great diversity of music possible with Podium. I encourage more users to join the group and upload their music. There’s plenty of space for more!
The TelenatorUnfortunately, I have way too many other items on my equipment needs list to buy another computer to dedicate for DAW use only, but I’ve learned to shut out the net, virus protection, and all non-essentials when doing any serious recording whatsoever. Never again will I capture the perfect recorded track, only to discover some ruining click(s), gaps and whatnot because of some other software suddenly deciding to update with no prior notice. Since I began the 2-minute optimizing each time I need to record, I’ve never had another problem.
I ought to add that I don’t play or install games or unneeded crud on my computer, either. Aside from e-mail, Skype, Facebook and important music sites, everything is geared toward music production, and I find that these newer PCs with a good harddrive and components can easily handle everything with no issues whatsoever. I have learned to be fanatical about computer maintenance through all of this, to keep things running smoothly.
Finally, I don’t believe MACs are any better than a well-maintained PC. I’ve seen enough — just as many issues with them, ask any experienced IT professional — to know that whole “Get a MAC” thing is just a modern myth. For me, PCs are more practical and economical, as long as you buy a quality, well-built rig in the first place.
The TelenatorHey there, Levendis. Thanks for starting up the SoundCloud group! It’s an excellent idea and Zynewave Podium and its users ought to claim a spot. I’ve loved SoundCloud and their whole setup since first hearing about them late last year.
I’ve got to get the licensed version of Podium this week and unlock the multicore processing capabilities, so for the time being I’m pumping in some of my sounds and effects via USB and a bunch of Digitech equipment, which fortunately has an ASIO with x<9ms latency -- all of this meaning I could only post a couple of lighter weight offerings.
In any case, count me in. As soon as I get this DAW fully enabled I can get back to finishing a file full of new material and post some new. I don’t really play or record much of the electronica and related stuff some of you are into, but I seem to be moving a little in that direction and love checking out the results the rest of you have posted there. It’s inspiring, too, to hear what Podium is capable of, and I can understand why extended MIDI features seem to be on everyone’s wish list on this forum.
I’m about a million miles away from your genres right now, but I can just feel already the positive influence it’s having on my own approach to music.