Stalker

Sensient and Human Blue are also artists who also do innovative music and dont need to do genre sucking police ( yet successful) and pretty much go with their own unique sound

I was sleeping Actualy this is the first time I saw the new posting window, looks very nice

Oh and just to make things clear, its not really called Mechanic sex, the sex thing is just there to call for attention NHJO alternative promo style

Dark prog track with my new temporary side project called Mechanic Sex, a long story actually Its called 2001 cause its a homage to the Space Odissey movie So the track has a little spacey feeling, I think Not really sure about it, just wanna hear some thoughts Thanks http://www.sendspace.com/file/pf6uyz

Its nice I dont like this kind of music, but its nice. The synths melodies are not so much in your face kind of, which I highly dislike So, as it is subtle, I enjoyed I would do something about that part that goes from 1:25min to the end of the sample Put something like a luxuous pad, or a background sweep or something just to give a little more tension and a edgy feeling but thats just me

Take a lok at this list Journey man Best of free synths all in one place http://www.kvraudio.com/ratings/9.html

Yeah it was the CPU indeed. Fl can be quite heavy I used to run on a P4 1.6mhz and I had those glitches all the time Using the same computer I changed the sequencer and they were gone. I think that its because FL never stops, even if there is CPU overload it still tries to continue giving those weird sounds Oh and snowball I would delete Norton and get another anti-virus like avast or something

You know Synogen, I have noticed that and I think you once said something about that as well It happens a lot with me too. I don't think this must be a bad thing, more like a case closed kind of post, or something

A lot of stuff actually Can be a ESM, Korg MS-20, Vanguard, ES1 etc. It all depends

Thanks Synogen I'm maybe too cracy, and I do own a constructive criticism about this track I would say like everybody else said already, work more on the mixing and forget about mastering for a while I would also try to work a little more with the notes and effects used in this track Maybe use a little bit of automation? Just to varie a little more So there radi, there is your review without offending.

....This music is awesome I don't remember the last time I liked such high picthed tune Really driven psychedelic music I was not impressed since I know some of your work and you have a great sense of emotion. Apsolutely cracy Enjoyed it

Lol Yeah, a arpegiato sound that goes all the way of the track for 9 minutes without changing Yeah, great music, you have talent Im sure its pretty simliar with postford music, thank good I don't like this anyway

You wont remaster something that you never mastered

Oh stop it! Stop with this please "show me the thread" bullcrap I tell you what. today you are the supervisor You show us the thread!

Radi, I just read the whole thread and.... You are amazingly ignorant, and a liar A cracy liar People were obviously accusing you for posting pics of young girls, or should I say under aged? and I believe in EVERY single word they said it, I know you posted them, we all know you. All the evidences were there, even the Bulgaria cracy comments You are like this, and then you say you didn't, obviously with that "show me the thread" argumment Besides, isn't that your third account there? Trolling larck anyone? Oh and for everyone else who think/thught radi is a fake account, think again Oh and for God sakes! Show us the thread where people say your music is greatly mastered

Omg Radi I cant bellieve you said such things So, you want to be "the guy who carry on Simon Postford work"?

Even someone who knows nothing about mastering, knows that radi know nothing about it as well

LOL! By the way Radi, I think you don't understand nothing about mastering You always say, but its "uncompressed non-mastered musicf", which sounds so ignorant Anyone who really knows about mastering, know you don't know nothing about it, otherwise you wouldn't use such terms heh? By the way, I remember this track. I didn't like it at all, and it does sounds badly produced I never really understand what about such hype comments Noobs, I guess

Yes, the urinate part Its brilliant

By the way Billy, if you do a full version of that part that goes from 1:30 to 1:37 you could make millions Beatiful voice you have

Apsolutely genius! Really Billy, you made my day!

Uploaded and send the link to gaffel e-mail Let me know, if you are interested about it

How to buy a soundcard or audio interface intelligently by Tweak Ok, lets go. People ask me all the time, "What's the best soundcard for my studio". You know, that's like asking someone what is the best car on the market, or which all night restaurant has the best coffee. "Best" is a 4 letter word; please don't ask me what's best, even if you can afford it (We'll start you with an Apogee Native Tools which lists about 8 grand). There is no universally acclaimed best soundcard. Best for what? PCs? Macs? For running Sonar? Cubase? For a pristine 3.6ghz 64 bit DAW or a lowly Pentium III 550? For a computer that has the notorious VIA motherboard chipset? For under $200? $500? $1500. For Win XP before SP2? For Mac OS 10.39 or OS 10.4? Even with all that information, is there a definitive answer out there? Not really. Unless someone is whacked enough to buy every soundcard in existence, test them all on every OS/CPU configuration and have enough sanity left to recall the results. But we can steer you towards some of the better choices available today, armed with that info. But you should know, up front: No matter what you choose, there will always be a risk that it won't work well on your system. Every computer is a unique environment of hardware and software, and one bad variable can make a $700 audio interface sound worse than an ancient AWE32. If you get advice from me or anyone on the forums use that knowledge entirely at your risk, OK? OK! Audio Interfaces Over the past few years, musicians have been opting for audio interfaces over standard soundcards. These may be either PCI or Firewire. The AI typically has a breakout box that sits outside the computer and a cable that is connected to either a PCI card in the computer or a USB or Firewire cable. On this breakout box are a number of connectors for cables that go to your instruments, mics, mixer or monitoring system. The conventional soundcard, on the other hand, just sits in the computer in a PCI slot, the cables hang off the back of the card. The audio interface type of system is often preferred because the cables stay away from the fierce electrical fields that surround the modern computer. That argument does not hold a lot of water, and it doesn't bother the guys running hi-end RME and Lynx cards. But this argument does... Tweak crawls under the desk in the classroom and lays on his back, pulls out a flashlight, rips off his glasses pulls out a magnifying glass and shouts out "How in the bloody heck are you supposed to read which is "In" and "Out" on this thing?". Ha! With a breakout box you don' have to lay on the floor under some desk to connect it up and you can move your noisy computer farther away--always a good idea when recording audio. Audio interfaces also sometimes allow for balanced audio connectors instead of the unbalanced 1/8" stereo jacks one sees on most cards. If you want the cleanest possible recordings, then go with an audio interface that has balanced connectors. We'll get into that on page 2. For now, just note that balanced does make a difference, particularly if you need to run cables longer than 10-12 feet. The MOTU 828mk2 is a Firewire Audio Interface, plenty of i/o, great Mac OSX drivers. Digital Audio Converters There are two parts to every audio interface/card that affects the sonic performance profoundly. The first are the software drivers that come with the card. The second is the quality of the digital audio converters (DACs) that are physically on the card. Audio interfaces may have mic preamps, and these to can affect the quality of your recordings. We're going to talk about all these elements. But first, lets get to the DACs. Time Out: If you have an audio interface do you need a soundcard too? Answer: No. The audio interface will take care of all of the computer's audio functions. A PCI audio interface comes with a breakout box and its own PCI card. The Firewire audio interface does not need a card at all. Most soundcards on the market have acceptable quality DACs these days, compared to a few years ago when you had to spend premium dollars to get good DACs. It makes sense if you think of your CD player when thinking of the quality of DACs. Early cd players had a harsh sound to them and were often considered "brittle". As a result of that criticism, audio engineers found ways to make the DACs sound better, with oversampling, error correction, interpolation and other ways to "smooth" the output. At the core of the DAC is a process called "sampling". The converter "reads" the analog incoming waveform and transforms it into numbers, or data. Once it is data, the computer can manipulate it in many different ways, store it on disks, merge it with other data, and so on. The DAC determines how good the card sounds. Whether a card is USB, Firewire or PCI does not affect the sound per se. These are just methods of shuttling data. The DACs actually touch the sound. But there is more to a quality soundcard than just the DACs... New Technology Alert: Namm 2006 There are now alternatives to getting a soundcard or audio interface. There is a new breed of firewire and USB based mixers that can be used to get audio to your computer. Look at the Mackie Onyx, Alesis MultiMix Firewire, and the Behringer XENYX. Also take a look at the M-Audio Project Mix The EMU 1820m is a PCI based Audio interface known for its excellent converters for the money Someone shouts from the back row, "Tweak, dude, just tell me who has the best DACs so i can buy my card!" (Tweak suddenly turns red and veins start popping out of his tweakly neck) Hmm, there's that "best", that 4-letter word again, his voice rising to creshendo. "OK class, Mr. Newbie "gotsta know right now" wants to know the best DAC, can anyone help him?" Someone shouts out "Pro Tools!" Tweak ejects the person from the classroom like an umpire at the world series. The class nervously squirms as Tweak paces the aisles of the class. Anyone else want to answer that one? The someone in the front stands up and says: "The point is you can't hear a DAC without the audio going through a software driver. If a card has a great DAC and a crap driver it is a worthless card" Tweak smiles in delight and gives the speaker a gold star. Someone else shouts "Hey, that's not cool if soundcard makers actually release cards with crummy drivers, do they really do this Mr. Tweak? The Tweak looks down, searching for the politically correct words. Someone else yells out "Yes they do!" [i didn't say that.] Professionals that are concerned with the quality of digital analog conversion may buy an outboard DAC that connects to a soundcard's digital input/outputs. These effectively bypass the DACs on the soundcard. When you need the absolute highest quality, you bite the bullet and add outboard converters, which you can add at any time to any soundcard or interface that has s/pdif (digital i/o). Read more about digital audio converters. Can you do listening tests on these DACs? Yes, but like all tests of this nature, your ultimate assessment is subjective. Also, to hear the difference you need superb monitors and a squeaky clean signal path. That being said, record a full mix and then record just its cymbal track. Listen to the quality of the cymbals alone, and then again in the mix. The DAC that best preserves the hi frequency shimmer and definition without smearing or artifacts can be considered better, given the rest is equal. This is one of the 1st places a bad DAC will mess up. You might also want to evaluate on the basis of warmth, fluidity and whether your ears "like" the sound. Ok, I know a lot of you are going to want to get the card with the "best" DACs like Mr. Noob above. It might even make you sweat before a purchase, and sway you to pick an interface you would not otherwise. You are better off getting the card you want for its i/o and drivers. You can always add DACs later, and they will be better than the ones on nearly all of the soundcards and interfaces. After you get your monitors and maybe one hi end preamp, then you should start thinking about converters. Until you get those items, you won't hear that much difference. If you absolutely need great DACs on your soundcard/interface, consider the RME Fireface. Drivers So what is a software driver, and how does it affect audio performance? The driver is the critical code that manages the traffic of data going from the cpu to and from the DAC. It organizes the data so the CPU can fetch it when the audio application says it is needed. There are certain rules the driver has to follow that are set by the operating system. The application and the CPU have to follow the rules, and if the driver interprets the rules properly, all will work. If there is a flaw on the application side or the driver side, things are going to mess up. If the poor CPU can't get the data the 1st time, it might try again. And Again. And Again. What just happened to your audio, dude, it stopped? "CPU overload, eh?" Wonder why companies are often finger pointing at each other when users protest? Hehe "Company Z's driver is is garbage", or "The problem is in Company X's application, we asked them to fix it but they have not responded". Sound Familiar? (Those still awake grunt in agreement) Drivers are very hard to perfect. What might work great on some machines, work's terribly on others. This is what makes the decision so maddening. If you are on a PC and Microsoft introduces a new OS, or changes direct X, then your soundcard may stop working well. It's like building a house in an area that has an earthquake every 3 years or so. Some motherboards actually get in the way of audio flowing to the CPU and if the driver is not aware of these issues, the audio will get hurt. PCI Interfaces So what does this mean in terms of buying a soundcard or audio interface? It means to look for evidence that the product 1. Has a driver for your OS. Never assume it does. 2. Has a driver that claims it works with your application, like Logic, Cubase SX or Sonar. 3. Has a site where you can download drivers 4. Has an updated driver within the last 6 months and supports the latest service packs and OS updates. 5. Looks like driver development is something they take seriously for your computer platform. A company may make great cards for PC and say "we have a Mac driver too!" 6. Looks like they have a cooperative relationship with software makers, with product bundles. Preamps on Audio Interfaces The Mic preamp is one of the most expensive components on the audio interface, which is why some do not have them, figuring you'll add your own via a mixer or by stand alone preamps. How good are they? Of course it varies. The preamps on the cheapest audio interfaces are not as good as common mixer preamps. They may lack the gain to drive some microphones, but usually work fine with common condenser mics. As you move up in the range of over $400 interfaces the preamps also improve. For example with my two interfaces, the Motu 828mk2 and the Emu 1820m, I'd rather use those preamps than those on my Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro, but it will be hard for me to tell the difference. They will all sound "very good". But if I plug in my Focusrite Voicemaster Pro preamp, there is finally some noticeable improvement. If I plug in my premium Great River preamp there is a huge sparkling difference. Moral of the story: Don't get too hung up on comparing audio interface preamps in the sub $400 range. Like converters, when you are really ready for pro quality, you get a professional preamp. There is no shortcut. You can always add preamps and converters, but you might not be able to add more inputs and outputs, and if the drivers are crapping out on your system, you're going to have a hard time making music even with the best converters and preamps. For those who need a lot of preamps on their audio interface, consider the Firepod, the new Presonus FireStudio, the MOTU 896HD which all have 8 preamps, or consider the mixer/audio interface solutions like the Mackie Onyx 1640 with the optional firewire card (16 preamps). If you have an audio interface with ADAT i/o you can add an 8 channel preamp easily. OK! You there? We just finished talking about the components of the audio interface. Now lets move on to the form factor of the device, which leads us to the thorny debate over USB, Firewire and PCI. Don't worry, we'll get you through this quickly. Options: PCI, Firewire, USB 2.0, Cardbus, USB 1.1 If you are using PC software, get a desktop system. If running Mac software, the Mac desktops do it best. If it has to be a laptop, get a Mac. If it has to be a PC laptop, do firewire, USB2.0, or a cardbus. Or consider using onboard sound with various adapters and connecting a small preamp to the line inputs. USB 1.1 Perhaps the most well-known USB 1.1 interface is the MBox2, which runs Pro Tools LE. If you want to run that, make sure your laptop meets or exceeds Digidesign qualifications, which you can find at the Digidesign site. There is the M-audio Mobile Pre and Fast track Pro USB interfaces and the original Tascam US 122 (note the US 122L is USB 2.0) USB2.0 The newer form of USB, based on the 2.0 spec, is theoretically capable of slightly exceeding the speeds and throughput of firewire, so USB2.0 devices can make good solutions for laptops or desktops that sport a USB 2.0 interface. There is a huge world of difference between USB 1.1 and 2.0. Never confuse the two; it's night and day difference in terms of performance.. Also never assume an interface is USB 2.0 unless it specifically says it is. If it just says "USB", then assume it is 1.1. Believe me, if it was 2.0, they would tell you. There are not that many USB 2.0 interfaces out, though it is changing. Some notable USB2.0 interfaces are the Alesis IO2, the Tascam US122l and Tascam US144. There is also a version of the MOTU 828mk2 that is USB 2.0 instead of Firewire FireWire Interfaces Cardbus Cardbus solutions are for laptops. One way is to get an RME Cardbus solution. The Cardbus connects via a typical Firewire IEEE1394 cable to a breakout box such as the RME Multiface. Because the Multiface handles most of the processing, the CPU's burden is eased and good performance is possible. Read more at RME's website. Emu has released the 1616 laptop audio interface. If you have it, give us a shout at studio-central. Tell us what's up. There are other cardbus solutions. The question I would ask before going with a Cardbus solution is simple: Why get this rather than firewire? PCI and PCIe PCI (and PCIe for those with late model desktop Macs) interfaces are for desktop systems, not for laptops. Lynx, RME and MOTU on the pro end. Emu's desktop series, M-audio's Delta series, and the Echo series are all respectable. On the inexpensive side the emu 1212M and M-audio 2496 are known performers. My personal pick, the balances features and price is the Emu 1820M Firewire Good for laptops or desktops. Motu has released the Traveler, a portable, but full featured audio interface. You can actually power the thing from the firewire port itself, or by battery power, which is good for recording on the road. Heh, you could record "Rocky Mountain High" high in the Rockies at last! Need something small? Check out the Presonus Firebox. The Firebox can also be powered off the FW bus. More upscale, the MOTU Ultralite and the Focusrite Saffire A bit older, the M-audio Firewire 1814, Firewire 410 Edirol FA101 and the inexpensive Firewire Audiophile 2496 and Firewire Solo. Among the newer firewire audio interfaces that hold promise are the Yamaha GO46, the Onyx Satellite Wanna have a big interface to go with your laptop or desktop computer? You can run the control surface/interface combos such as the project mix, Digi 002, Tascam 1804 or the Mixers with built in and add on firewire interfaces like the Onyx mixers, the Alesis Multimix firewire mixers and the Phonic Helix FW mixers as well. My personal pick that balances plenty of features with a reasonable price is the MOTU 828mk2 for my Mac G5. Pros and Cons Aren't PCI cards "old tech?" Of course an old PCI card is old, and there are thousands out there, but they should all be avoided in a modern machine. It was probably built for an older operating system, older PCI data busses and older CPUs. However, modern PCI cards are the fastest audio devices on the planet, faster than Firewire, USB2, and of course USB 1.1. You can slam more audio data through a PCI card than any of the above. With an excellent driver PCI can outperform the rest. This does not mean that a consumer PCI is "better" than a Firewire interface. Remember, drivers and DACs are the critical variables. It does mean that a well heeled PCI interface and breakout box will be able, generally speaking, to outperform a similarly well-heeled Firewire interface. However, PCI has some pitfalls. You have to open the computer and place it in a "good" slot. Not all PCI slots in a PC are created equal. Some share resources with other slots. Sometimes a PCI video card in the machine interferes with proper operation. Sometimes you have to re-arrange the cards till you find the slot where the card works better. Getting a headache with all these "sometimes, this, sometimes that". Yeah, sometimes its a pain! Especially if you are on Win 98 or (gasp) Win ME. And sometimes it just works perfect the first time. Generally, the more modern the computer and OS, the more modern the PCI card, the less troubles you will have. Once correctly installed and driver parameters tweaked in your application, the PCI soundcard or audio interface will be rock solid reliable, fast, and be able to spit out audio tracks in great number. Who Really needs a PCI interface? Those who really need to consider PCI are those with high demand for simultaneous tracks, like when you record with 24 inputs running at once to 24 tracks in the DAW. Those studio folks might try out a MOTU 24io and a MOTU2408 Mk3. (which now comes in PCI and PCIe versions). Add those two together and you have the basis for a mammoth recording studio that can add large automated mixers, 24 track multi-track recorders, all seamlessly integrated with your DAW (computer). See my comparison chart of 23 different PCI interfaces Is Firewire Better? There is no doubt that firewire is easier to install. Given of course that your computer has a firewire port. You can install a firewire interface on a pre-firewire computer if you add a PCI firewire card. However, some older computers may not have fast enough data busses on their motherboards for it. If your computer already has a firewire port generally speaking you should be OK. A good firewire interface will offer plenty of tracks to do serious work, almost as many as PCI, with less hassle. With good DACs and Drivers, the Firewire interface is a great way to go. See my comparison chart of 27 different firewire audio interfaces. You might be thinking that because PCI can carry more data that it's "better". I've used firewire several years and have never hit the wall, even with some songs getting up to 60-70 tracks. My CPU runs out of gas before the firewire bus is maxed. I am thinking that manufacturers will soon be coming out with great new firewire interfaces that will snap right into your computer enter into the advanced realm of digital recording, with onboard DSP effects cards, and possibly DVDR and hard drive storage. We already have seen great units like the Project Mix and Tascam's FW1884, the Digi 002, and now Mackie and Alesis have firewire interfaces on some of their mixers. And lets not forget the Tascam DM3200--a massive 48 ch digital mixer--can now connect 24 of its channels to a DAW over firewire. The future is bright. But so is the present. For today's intermediate and advanced users, Firewire is ready today. Unlike USB 1.1, its a great solution for a home recording studio. Laptop Solutions EMU 1616 Laptop Audio Interface E-MU's new 1616 Laptop Digital Audio System brings the same powerful DSP effects, zero-latency monitoring and pristine 24-bit/192kHz A/D and D/A converters of E-MU's best selling PCI Digital Audio Systems to your laptop. Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) Traveler Portable Firewire Audio Interface The Traveler is everything you need to turn your computer into a mobile 24-bit, 192kHz digital audio workstation. Powered by your computer's FireWire bus, the Traveler gives you a complete, battery-operated studio wherever your recording projects take you. PreSonus Firebox 6x10 FireWire Recording Interface The Firebox is the most powerful 24-bit/96k FireWire recording interface that fits in the palm of your hand. The Firebox is a complete 24bit/96k personal recording studio combining two high quality PreSonus microphone/instrument preamplifiers, 24-bit/96k sample rate and Steinberg's Cubase LE 48-track recording software. The perfect hardware and software combination for a professional quality, powerful, yet compact personal computer-based studio. Why don't you seem to like USB 1.1 interfaces? A little story for you Answer: Because I don't want people to rush into these blindly. Consider the user who is in a hurry, reads this article and rushes to buy a USB solution. They try it out and it doesn't work so well. Then they are mad. And I have to watch on my forums as the tragedy unfolds over and over. Here goes--the typical newb, talking to his simple brain thinks, "dude, I need something simple" and then "Wow, I don't even have to open the computer!". Yes USB is simple alright. But wait. Then they plug it in and wonder why everything sounds "slowed and scratchy". They read the manual, realize they installed the drivers wrong and now have to go through a tedious manual uninstall. They reinstall and it still won't work. So they update drivers. Nope, no workie! Call tech support. No answer. Uninstall, reinstall, over and over and it 5am on Monday morning and they have to go to work! Then they show up on the forums, mad, confused, tired, screaming. Now does it make sense why I will not recommend a USB audio interface? The point the newb probably missed is that Motherboards require USB drivers and some older motherboards cannot cope with the demands of a USB audio interface. Duh. What started as simple plug N play ended up a motherboard swap, the hardest upgrade one can do to a PC. So much for something simple. Of course, this is an example of someone using an older computer. I am really not trying to get you to avoid USB 1.1 solutions, I am just asking that you be a little more careful. The more stuff you hang on USB 1.1, the greater the likelihood of clogging the bandwidth even if it has a great driver. Go ahead, go USB if you have done your homework. Macs, for some reason, seem to have a better time of it with USB. But in all cases, expect lower track counts, higher latency (higher is bad) and glitches when you push the thing hard. Which Laptop? Besides, who wants to unplug their audio interface? People using laptops? Yep! But that brings up another thorny issue. Can your laptop, with its slower drives and compromised CPU deal with multi-channel audio? There are plenty of horror stories. I am still the point where I will not recommend a laptop for serious audio work with the exception of a Mac laptop, like the MacBook and MacBook Pro. These are good to go. Even the older G4 Powerbooks can do quite well. Just a little while ago Cakewalk was recommending that laptops not be used for running Sonar. And its not just a Sonar problem, but any application that has to sync midi to audio tracks in real time. With cheap PC laptops and a cheap USB 1.1 interface you can get in double trouble. The slow and narrow pipeline for data, when paired with slow hard drives and weak CPUs just gasp and give up, sometimes after only a handful (i.e., two) of tracks. This can lead to days of tweaking Window's settings, driver settings, buying faster firewire drives, upgrading RAM, an expensive nightmare where you are putting out more and more money, stabbing in the dark. If you get out alive, let me know. Funny, huh? No it is not. The sad thing is, despite weeks, even months of troubleshooting, you might never uncover the problem. Its laptop hell. People get burned, daily. But its not all PC laptops. Some are actually very good (these are not cheap); some are mediocre but usable and some are nightmares. How can you tell? Advanced research and study before you buy is required. Just don't dupe yourself into thinking any new laptop will work for multi-channel audio. But as laptops get faster, with better drives, its starting to finally get better. I truly hope these will end this nightmare chapter. Part 2 What are software plugins? Making sense of the VSTi, DXi, MAS, RTAS, and AU Jungle By Rich the Tweakmeister For Anyone who built a studio in the late 90's or earlier, its like being in a strange new world these days. New, previously unreal possibilities are everywhere as the day of the Software Studio has finally arrived. It's here. It's real. And it sounds excellent. More and more, my studio is getting smaller. I realize, as I look at the several tiered racks of equipment surrounding me that I no longer need any of it to make music at the quality I am used to. I can do it all on my computer with my audio interface and monitors if I want to. There are 3 basic software devices that work in the software realm of the digital audio sequencer. They are: Soft Synths, Soft Samplers and Software Processors. This article chats about all three in general to get you grounded. Then we'll devote a class on each of them specifically. We'll also talk about Rewire applications here as they often contain softsynths, samplers and processors. All 3 of these categories are sometimes referred to as "plugins". They are called that because these are little computer applications that run inside a "host" application, i.e., a sequencer, typically. These plugin devices are very important, as they have led the software revolution towards our virtual studios which is changing all recording studios, both home and pro. Today there are few hardware devices left that cannot be emulated by plugins and software. As you see from this page, software based synthesizers, effects processors, samplers and multi-track recorders can all work together on one single computer. But how well can these devices work together? Aha! You are thinking! Good! That is a matter of utmost critical importance. There's a lot of toys in the toybox, but a lot of them will not play well together, if at all. Ok, now remember this: Bad Plugins Crash Sequencers. This is one reason to avoid free plugins. I have used nearly every sequencer out there and can affirm that over half the reasons for instable, flaky operations is due to a poorly written plugins. You really have to be careful. If you are having stability problems with any sequencer always check the soundcard driver and the plugins installed. Even expensive plugins are often released full of bugs and fixed "eventually" as users complain. Never trust stuff that was released last week or stuff that has not had an update in a few years. Plugins typically break when upgraded operating systems are released. So keep an eye on these things and talk to actual users that use your platform and sequencer and get their take on stability. But I digress; let's get back to the topic. Each sequencer has its favored protocol, and may refuse to work with the rest. Cubase Sonar, Logic, Pro Tools LE and Digital Performer all want plugins to follow defined rules, which we will call plugin formats. Formats: VSTi, DXi, RTAS, MAS, AU and Rewire Here it is plain and simple. VSTi (virtual studio technology instrument) was developed by Steinberg as a Universal platform for soft synths and samplers. Not all the companies bought into it. Cubase and Nuendo use it extensively. You may also hear about VST2 and VSTi2 plugins. VST2 is simply an extension of the VST format. These pass on more parameters to the host for automation. Are PC VSTs and VSTi compatible on Macs? Always assume the answer is no unless the developer makes it clear. If they made a Mac version, they will be sure to list that. Usually, developers will have a PC VSTi version and a Mac VSTi version, so be careful to get (and install) the right one. Usually, these days they are both on the same cd rom. DXi: Cakewalk, initially, did not go with VSTi, it went with DXi, which is based on Microsoft direct X code. Today, however, they have relented an allow use of VSTis with Sonar in a shell. DXi's cannot be run on Macs. Ok by now you may be wondering what this "i" business is. You see VST, then VSTi, then DX and DXi. The "i" stands for "instrument", like a softsynth or sampler to distinguish it from a plugin processor, like a compressor, reverb or delay. AU, short for Audio Units, refers to a format developed by Apple for Mac OS 10.x Because there is support in Apple's operating system, AU is used by many Mac sequencers and audio applications, and is the major supported format in LogicPro. Important note: Just because Logic favors AU does not mean it will run all Audio Unit Plugins. As of Logic 7, Apple got stricter. Logic only supports AUs that follow Apple's guidelines and not all of them do. This is Apple's way of forcing plugin developers to follow the rules it developed. Its a good thing, as the Audio Units that do pass are less likely to crash Logic. MAS refers to plugins that work with the MOTU Audio System in Digital Performer (Mac only), which can also use VSTi, AU and ReWire. You'll note that fewer plugins support MAS, and that's because MOTU DP users can use AU as well as MAS. RTAS is the format used by Digidesign, the maker of Pro Tools LE, which comes bundled with the popular Digi 002 interface. RTAS will also work in Pro Tools M-Powered, which works with M-audio interfaces. RTAS plugins, however, will not work in Logic, Cubase or Sonar. Audiosuite is another Digidesign format which works with the above software packages and hardware interfaces. Rewire finally, is a scheme that pipes digital audio from Reason and Rebirth, Project 5 and Ableton's Live to other sequencers. It basically allows you to run a sequencer inside of a another sequencer. Its not a plugin per se, but because many soft synths use Rewire I include it here. Q) What is a Plugin Wrapper A) A plugin wrapper usually refers to a software device that fools a host (i.e., the sequencer) into using formats that would be incompatible without it. For example, in a VSTi to DXi shell you can run VSTis and the sequencer will treat them as DXis. Through the use of wrappers, Sonar users can use VSTis and Logic Users can use VSTis. Without a wrapper, Logic can only use AUs and Sonar (up to version 4) can only use DXis and Pro Tools LE not use VSTs. There are some disadvantages to using wrappers. If the wrapper does not convert and pass on the data perfectly, there could be problems. Remember: Bad plugins crash sequencers. Right? Right! Software Synths A Soft Synth mimics a hardware synthesizer with different sounds and waveforms. Many follow the model of a vintage analog synth with oscillators, filters, lfos and amp envelopes making the sound, other's may use a model of FM, wavetable, or may be modeled after an acoustic instrument. Are Soft Synths Better than Hardware synths? Well, you will never break your back carrying a soft synth to a gig. But softsynths will rather quickly degrade your PC's performance as they eat CPU cycles with veracity. Why is this? The CPU must deal with the soft synths instructions immediately or there will be latency. Most fast computers can achieve a latency of 5 milliseconds and when they do, the soft synth "feels" like a hardware synth when you play it. However, as you build your song and have 10-16 softsynths playing back at this incredible rate, the CPU gets behind in other tasks. When you add effects on top might notice clicks and pops and other nasties in your audio. If you don't heed the warning, suddenly the whole shebang may stop dead in its tracks. Hardware synths do not suffer this as it just has to receive midi data on time, which is any computer can do easily. So you can use your CPU for other tasks, like recording audio, effects, even running other applications. Soft synths are as good sounding as many hardware synths, sometimes better. They also can be very specific in their focus. People don't mind spending $350 for a softsynth that just does pads and atmospheres, but they would mind buying a hardware box that only does this for $2000. Hardware costs more because making the thing costs more. Once software is made it is much less of a problem to make 100,000 units. Soft Samplers What is the difference between a soft synth and a soft sampler? A software sampler works like a digital sampler. These don't sample sounds per se (you usually need an audio editor/recorder for that). But they do take "samples" (i.e., .wav or .aif files typically) and let you map them along your keyboard, the same way one does in a hardware sampler. A soft sampler may let you load sample cd roms that are used by hardware samplers which gives you access to a universe of premium sounds. Once you map the samples to the keyboard, you can then program them with filters, lfos, amps like a soft synth. One advantage of soft samplers over their hardware rivals is that there is no memory limit to how many samples are immediately accessible--any wave file on the computer is fair game. Compare that to hardware samplers that have banks which are limited to 128, 256, or maybe 512 megabytes. So the soft sampler has an open architecture which lets you import any sound. The soft synth is a closed architecture that allows you to select from a number of supplies internal waveforms. You can read more about soft samplers on the next page in this series Software Processors Its perhaps with plugin processors that the home studio operator gets a shot at being a mixdown and mastering engineer. This is a fact that has not gone unnoticed by true professional audio engineer, many of whom are quite rightfully irritated at the bloody hoardes of noobs that try to wrestle the secrets of mastering out of them. As I have said many times, these skills come from knowledge and experience. So get some. No! don't ask people on the forums "whas da beh compres..settin for my beatz" To gain knowledge and experience you sit there with the machines (virtual or real) and experiment over and over again. Then you start seeing patterns and hearing results. The mindblowing thing is that many of the processors that studio engineers have used now have software equivalents. These plugins are sometimes so good the the mastering engineers themselves use them! As you might expect the professional plugins are not cheap, but they are a lot cheaper than the roomful of gear one used to have. Source: http://www.tweakheadz.com/guide.htm

Why don't we take out our shirts, big pants girls, and dont worry about Full on? Are we still on it? I thought this music changed fast. In terms of one or two years eveything changes...But anyways, I think we should concern about the commercial and synthetic music state of mind. Progressive is ful of them as well, the problem is not in full-on itself, but the lack of ideas in every psytrance genre. That is what makes exausting in the end Putting back goa trance on the place where full on is now won't make it any better, in fact it should demostrate a bit of retrogress We need new and better ideas

By the way, I always giggle when someone say that full-on is cheesy and goa trance is not You can dislike one or another, but they are both cheesy. It's part of goa trance charm, happy cheesy melodies. "Uueee we are on acid!" " hey, lets open our arms and dance to the sun!" You guys are cheesy by nature, thats alright. Does not make a music bad because of it ( I like A-HA for ex), but its a fundamental part of it Your legs are made of cheese