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[studio460]

Apple Logic Pro X 10.4:

I recently bought Apple Logic Pro X from the AppStore and so far I'm loving it, especially all of the point-four upgrades (e.g., Chromaverb, Smart Tempo, Drummer, etc.). Up until now, I've been 100%-hardware, and aside from my late-1980s Amiga MIDI sequencer, this is my first foray into the world of software instruments and computer-based MIDI.

Here's basically what I have and what purposes these instruments serve in my home studio:

• Korg Kronos: EXs symphonic libraries.
• Roland Fantom G: Primary 24-track audio recorder.
• Various hardware VA synths for leads.

WavesArt's Cinematic Suite takes care of the majority of my orchestral needs with its excellent strings and brass (i.e., I won't be buying any pricey Vienna AUs). The Fantom is still my primary recording rig, and hopefully someday I can transition to 100% DAW-recording instead (though, in the meantime, Roland's Fantom G v1.0.1 driver does work in High Sierra v10.13.3, providing audio-over-USB).

The world of VST/AU/WAV libraries is a whole new area of discovery for me. As I scanned Sweetwater's offerings, I found UVI's Synth Anthology 2 to be just what I was looking for: Pre-designed patches from signature legacy and modern hardware synths. Its uniform UI makes it easy for non-programmers like me to use iconic synth sounds without a lot of fuss.

• UVI Synth Anthology 2.

I just bought Synth Anthology last night, and really like it a lot. I think it's so good, I don't really have much desire to rig up my other VA synths anymore. Spectrasonic's impressive Omnisphere 2 is another cool app, and when I get it, I plan to use it to process my own field recordings of real-world sounds. Here's what I've been considering:

• AU: Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2.
• AU: Collision FX.
• WAV: Cinetools (Galactica, EON, Other World, Maximus, etc.).
• WAV: Sound Ideas (Thunder, Wind, Natural World, etc.).

The WAV libraries are more for sound design, but I think they're fun to incorporate into musical compositions. I just bought Cinetools' Galactica the night before last and I really like it. If you like the band Starset, this WAV library helps you get those spacey sound-beds—very fun to use in a DAW. Next, I plan to get Sound Ideas' thunder and wind libraries.
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Korg Nautilus 61 AT + DS1H + EXP2 | Korg Kronos 2 Platinum 88 | Korg Radias | Korg Kaoss Pad KP3+ | Kaossilator Pro+ | Kronos Remote iOS
PCG Tools v3.2.0 | WavesArt Cinematic Suite EXs

[GregC]

you have a lot- I could not keep track or organize it. I am a minimalist, though.

If Omnisphere 2 is unique to what you have in your collection, its a must have IMO
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[kronoSphere]

Once again I say it : within so many VST instruments, the Sonic Charge "Synplant" VSTi is a very funny and very organic instrument but most of all it's a very well thought software and a very creative tool for any musician. So it is
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Current Gear : Kronos 88 / Seaboard Rise / Triton Extreme / Sequoia / Motif Rack XS / TC Helicon voicelive rack /Awave 11 / Audio & VSTi plug-ins connected /wide touchscreen / iPad Pro 512.

[voip]

The Kronos can itself be used to add effects to real world sound recordings, and Kronos' Sampling mode allows things like timeslicing, time stretch, and further re-sampling to create new samples. Kronos and Omnisphere, between them, offer an absolutely fabulous set of tools.

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[studio460]

[studio460]

[studio460]

[studio460]

UVI Synth Anthology 2 ($149):

As I mentioned, Synth Anthology 2 is my first and only AU so far. Tonight, I finally got (almost) everything to work! I just downloaded Nektar's Logic-specific integration software to my desktop iMac, and now my Nektar Impact LX25+ MIDI controller can talk to Logic (e.g., transport control). I was able to get audio-over-USB working (using my Roland Fantom G as an audio interface), so now I can hear everything from my iMac through my Yamaha HS5 monitors:

Nektar Impact LX25+ → iMac/Logic/UVI Synth Anthology → Fantom G → Yamaha HS5

Now that I finally have everything working, I'm really liking UVI's Synth Anthology 2 (though, Logic's built-in Alchemy softsynth is pretty neat as well). SA2 contains select signature patches from 77 legacy and modern synths, but the sounds are additionally processed with specialized outboard gear by expert sound designers. So, instead of a super-softsynth engine (which I wouldn't know how to program anyway), I get a curated batch of highly engineered, ready-to-use sounds. You can stack up to four patches inside the UVI AU app, plus several other sound tools as well: a sub-oscillator, arp-generator, FX, etc. The neat thing is that it uses a uniform interface so once I learn it, I'll know how to use it on every patch.

The only thing I still can't seem to get working is MIDI-slaving my Fantom G to my Kronos (since I'm still using the built-in 24-track audio recorder in the Fantom an my main recorder).
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Korg Nautilus 61 AT + DS1H + EXP2 | Korg Kronos 2 Platinum 88 | Korg Radias | Korg Kaoss Pad KP3+ | Kaossilator Pro+ | Kronos Remote iOS
PCG Tools v3.2.0 | WavesArt Cinematic Suite EXs

[amit]

Depends on Use Case.
From those not mentioned, I really Like Sample Modelling Stuff (mainly Saxes etc)
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[studio460]

Well that did it! One positive experience using an AU plug-in in Logic Pro X, and I'm now sold on softsynths! While I love my VirusTI and V-Synth GT, I'm soon going pretty much all-Kontakt, mainly due to Native Instruments' amazing new Komplete Kontrol MK2 controllers:



Native Instruments' newest MIDI keyboards have such a high degree of integration (plus visual feedback with their dual, high-res color screens), that I don't think I'll miss my hardware synths once I get it. I plan to get the Komplete 11 Ultimate S61 keyboard bundle and from now on, purchase NKS-compatible plug-ins, exclusively:

• NI Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2 + Komplete 11 Ultimate bundle $1,699.
• Cinematic Studio Strings NKS $399.
• Cinematic Solo Strings NKS $299.

Had I known the level of DAW-integration available on the NI Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2, plus the unique usability features of NKS-compatible plug-ins (e.g., "pre-hear" auto-auditioning), I probably wouldn't even have purchased a Kronos. Compared with Kontrol's integration, the Kronos' UI is cryptic, complicated and menu-dense. I can't even find the quantizing menu in the Kronos, but on the Kontrol S61, there's a hardware button right on top, labeled "quantize."

I've owned Logic Pro X for just a couple weeks now and pretty much figured out most of it. I've had the Kronos for about the same time and still know almost nothing. And guess what? Kontrol KBs are programmed right out-of-the-box, already mapped to Apple Logic Pro X!

I really think NI's Komplete Kontrol MK2 controllers are a total game-changer for making softsynth libraries far more user-friendly, and DAWs more convenient to operate. I think prior to the Kontrol MK2's release, some arguments could be made against softsynths' usability, but now (with the exception for those that perform live), I think the scale has tilted completely in the other direction.
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Korg Nautilus 61 AT + DS1H + EXP2 | Korg Kronos 2 Platinum 88 | Korg Radias | Korg Kaoss Pad KP3+ | Kaossilator Pro+ | Kronos Remote iOS
PCG Tools v3.2.0 | WavesArt Cinematic Suite EXs

[GregC]

[voip]

The Kronos has very low latency, down in the low milliseconds range. Korg have gone to quite a bit of development effort to make it so. The Kronos' response always feels immediate Not sure that can be said for all VST arrangements, where getting the latency down can take a fair bit of tweaking. There has been some previous discussion on this forum about latencies.

[studio460]

Thanks for your comments, guys. I'm still really split on this decision since the Kronos is still really new to me. The most important thing to me are the kickstarter-tools (some would say, "crutches") available in today's workstations. They aid my less than stellar musical capabilities to create. Last night, one of Korg's combis helped me lay down a track in just a few minutes that I simply couldn't polish off manually (i.e., a single patch at a time).

Although I'm still within my 45-day Sweetwater return period, know that I got a pretty sweet deal on my Kronos (a whopping $740 discount off a new Kronos 88). It was a factory-refurbished unit sent directly from Korg, and from what I can tell, it's brand new (perhaps an unsold return from dealer stock). It's also the limited-edition Platinum Edition (which I love the looks of), and now Sweetwater has sold out of these.

It's the same reason I'm still interested in a Motif XF or Montage. The 10,000 embedded arps in the Montage can be a real help to lesser musicians like me. On the same note, the Komplete Kontrol keyboard's "learning aids" would be a boon to amateur musicians like me. I think I won't know the answer until I get the Kontrol and see how its arps and learning aids can help in the same manner.
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Korg Nautilus 61 AT + DS1H + EXP2 | Korg Kronos 2 Platinum 88 | Korg Radias | Korg Kaoss Pad KP3+ | Kaossilator Pro+ | Kronos Remote iOS
PCG Tools v3.2.0 | WavesArt Cinematic Suite EXs

[studio460]

One thing is true . . . I've always liked the "Korg sound." For years, I lusted for an Oasys, and when shopping for my Fantom, I was dying to also get a Korg M50. Korg has traditionally always made "sparkly," "fun-sounding" instruments. Since I happen to live near a Roland B-stock guy, I ended up with a ton of Roland gear, but with so many Roland keyboards, I was getting sick of that "Roland sound." But I've always pined for the "Motif sound" as well. It's been 10 years since I bought my last synth (with the exception of my impulse-buy Kronos), and after every difficult day at work a little voice inside me screams, "the hell with the money, I'm getting a Montage, also . . . I've earned it."

See? Now I've come full-circle. GAS makes you crazy!!!

I'm pretty sure that once I get the Komplete keyboard, I'll have the answer. I do know one thing about hardware vs. software—I create different music depending on which I'm using. The stuff I create in Logic is totally different than the stuff I write on my hardware synths. I'm sure some of you have experienced this as well. Weird, isn't it?
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Korg Nautilus 61 AT + DS1H + EXP2 | Korg Kronos 2 Platinum 88 | Korg Radias | Korg Kaoss Pad KP3+ | Kaossilator Pro+ | Kronos Remote iOS
PCG Tools v3.2.0 | WavesArt Cinematic Suite EXs

[GregC]