FOR THOSE WHO REALLY WANT TO LEARN TO USE PULSAR

A space for learning and studying the Scope environment and music-making in general.

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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

From the thread called: “Man on a Mission”, posted by Caleb, I've got what I think it is a VERY GOOD IDEA!

Let me explain you and please tell me what you think:

Caleb wrote: “In an effort to get the most out of the Pulsar/Scope platform, I've decided to start trying to get the most out of the synths that come included with the cards.

There's quite a few to get acquainted with, but I might force myself to make small tunes with just one or two of the provided synths so that I can gain confidence with using them in my ongoing projects.

I think in my future projects I'll also start forcing myself to use these synths as I become a bit more familiar with them to enhance my skills”.

Basing my idea in Caleb's “Man on a Mission”, I would like to proposition you a self-organized learning course made by ourselves:

“A Self-study Reference and Practice for Pulsar students".

To go through every one of our Plug-in Devices it's a well-known aspiration and goal everybody has had, since the beginning of the PlanetZ Forum. I think we have learned a lot so far, but we need to learn more…

The difficulty to get even farther has been that we have never organized the way we learn Pulsar. We are learning everything at the same time and in many different directions. Perhaps, if we join our knowledge and efforts going through a single theme till we get to the very bone of it, exhausting all mayor possibilities, we would learn Pulsar in a much shorter time. And so would those lucky ones who follow up!

This is undeniably a good moment to study together Pulsar profoundly, now that we have a basic knowledge of the platform.

I would like to put forward this practical first plan… please pay attention and get involved you too:

ONE: Building up a list of what we think are the most important things we need to know to start with; for example: the Pulsar Compressors, and so we weekly vote for the one device plug-in we want to go with.

TWO: Everybody – those who want to participate – studies the written indications in the Pulsar manual, the Internet, books, etc., and give it's own advice or point of view in the THREAD that was open specially for that purpose – for that particular plug-in Device.

THREE: We upload into the PlanetZ Music forum the file we have been experimenting with, in accordance with the theory we have just learned in the forum, explaining what we have done, why, what we wanted to achieve, etc. The file should ideally be no more than 30 seconds long, MP3 128.

If we were to really start doing it, it would be probably appropriate to post everything into the Creativity Forum. This is just information that is why it's here.

I would suggest to go from the very foundation of the use of any of the plug-ins Devices; if we were to talk about compressors, we should go first to study “what a compressor is”, “what it does” and then go into the most common uses in the market, the getting to know the most well known compressors, etc., and finally getting into experimentation as the result of our gathered knowledge.

What I mean, is that we should study EVERY device completely, without gaps as if nobody were to know anything at all, starting from a radical cero.

I really like this idea! I hope there are at least 50 people involved so we can start soon. I am suggesting studying only one kind of plug-in Device per week, because not everybody has that much free time to get involved in a daily basis.

I'm going to open a second thread with my own list of plug-ins Devices I need to know more, to get us started. Thanks for your interest! :smile:


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Nestor on 2002-04-27 19:50 ]</font>
remixme
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Post by remixme »

Great Idea, just one thing that black colour of font is quite difficult to read!
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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

Black color? But... in my screen is just green... ??? I'm going to change it anyway.
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Post by orbita »

good idea, but that green colour argg .. horrible. just leave as the default colour. Some of us change our preferences to have a different colour scheme and that green looks revolting against the pale blue background of this theme.
its given me a headache just reading your post :sad:
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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

:roll: Bizarre, cos I tour it to be yellow! Well, I'm going to modify it again, don't worry and sorry about that…
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Post by Nestor »

BTW, the study of a plug-in Device would start on Monday finishing on Sunday, like a job… hehe :smile:
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Post by caleb »

Ooops. I posted a funny on the list thread because I hadn't read this one first.

Glad to be an inspiration to you Nestor. I've always said my sole purpose in life is to be an example to others. :smile:

I think that it will be so useful with the 'meat and potatos' devices within Pulsar/Scope like the Compressors, EQs, Reverbs, Delays, Chorus etc.

Don't know about the mixers though - I mean I agree and all that but I don't really have any intention of using the Pulsar mixer as I'm going to be using the Scope one soon. Maybe I can try and follow everything with the Scope mixer.

Have you thought about how hard this could be when you get into synth land? Probably better to leave that one for people to figure it out alone, unless you want separate courses for each synth.

Aaah Nestor, you are always the source of all regurgitated information. Nice to see you care about the community of Pulsar users.
Caleb

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Post by eliam »

I find this to be a great idea, because we all have complementary knowledge in a wide variety of areas... Especially these days where it makes things so much easier to control every step of our music production, without having to rely upon other people. I'd like a team, but PlanetZ seems to be the only one I've found yet!
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Post by Retro »

I love your enthusiasm Nestor :smile:

This sounds like a cool idea. I'm sure we'd all have some really useful info to share from our varied backgrounds.
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Post by Nestor »

Well, it's great to see you like the idea, cos it's extremely useful! Hope many, I mean M A N Y PEOPLE get involved, we could end up with a incredible inprovement in the way we do our music by the end of the year.

Of course when the moment arrives for us to study the different synths, we should go through EVERY ONE of them, so we really leanr HOW TO. I think that if you go into one device, REALLY deeply, you are in a certain way going into all others as well, because there are always some shared knowledge between them all. Particularly talking about Synths.
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Post by Nestor »

BTW, this is something Creamware theirselves should help, cos it's convinient for them too. If we build up a database about EVERY synth, every important plug-in Device, they are going to get something they are missing, and is a good and EASY WAY to learn to use Pulsar.

Remember when we just started, and there was nothing but a few people using Pulsar... It was terrible. So, I EXPECT FOR CREAMWARE DEVELOPERS TO GET INVOLVED EVENTUALLY WITH THIS PROJECT WE ARE BUILDING UP. WE NEED THOSE WHO KNOW MORE TO GIVE, NOW AND THEN, A LITTLE ADVICE ON CRUSIAL POINTS. :smile: I really hope so!!!
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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

<FONT SIZE="+3">Please move on! Starting Monday 6th of May if you agree!</FONT>
Neil B

Post by Neil B »

Nestor,
Love the idea - hope to contribute in my limited way and with the time available.
My guess is that I'll be one of those who learns more than helps, but who knows.
My biggest problem is that I don't know how to upload anything to the forums - do I need a web site?
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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

Hi Neil! first of all, thanks for your interest and answer.

I guess you didn't really understand the idea. This self-study matter is for those who do not know. Of course, there will be knowledgeable people helping us now and then, but the idea is TO STUDY together, going in depth into the different topics as needed. And if you study you learn and so you can teach.

If we were to keep forever with the knowledge we already got, it would be useless to try to go farther, it would become a vicious circle.

The idea is for those who don't know and want to study - like you and me - spending from 20 minutes to one hour a day reading and experimenting, as if it was a school. So, don't worry if you don't know, I neither do, that is way I want to study with you... :smile:

I didn't know how to upload files a few weeks ago, don't worry, it's very easy and you don't need a Web Site of your own, or anything else, but a connection to the internet. When the day is arrived, I'll tell you how to, no problem at all! Right? :smile:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Nestor on 2002-04-29 00:42 ]</font>
Neil B

Post by Neil B »

Thanks Nestor,
So nice to get polite replies and corrections! I was simply rushing this morning (what with being at work and getting my early morning dose of the forums before they start whipping me!)
I wait with bated breath for the start.

As an aside, and for everyone out there, I have created an Access 97 database for storing all my tips and tricks that I learn.
It's similar to studio buddy only a bit more flexible. You know how it is - you've forgotten just how to do something - is it in my JV1080 notes, Pulsar, Cubase, Control Freak? Do I have to wade through all the Pulsar Forum notes and threads until I find the answer again?
Not any longer - I simply run the database in background and search on the topics I want. Anyone interested? And, incidentally and I breaking any copyright violations by cutting and pasting relevant bits out of this forum? If so - ooops and the database is not for use. It'll be fully finished in a week or so if anyone is interested.
Neil B

Post by Neil B »

Nestor,
Been thinking about this idea a bit....
For the absoulte learners amongst us, isn't there an argument for a logical progression before diving into devices?
As an example, I have a mainly midi background and until I WON a copy of Cubase VST 5/32 I hadn't touched audio (and then I had to buy a pc and a Pulsar card to make the VST run!!!!).
So from a midi background to audio is a big leap. I may understand what compressors, for instance, do now, but logically the starting point is getting a good audio signal through the mixers to be able to need to compress (?).
To explain a bit further:
a) My main synth was and is a JV1080. This has output left and right and therefore in midi, you set the pan positions for all tracks in your performance or via midi. In a sense, you've mixed it!
b)With Pulsar synths and audio files, samplers etc you can wire them in mono or stereo to the mixer and however you wire them you can still record them (mix) from midi to mono or stereo within cubase, or play directly to a mono or stereo audio file.
c)Do we pan pre-audio (in midi), or post midi?
Now, these seem as if I'm going off track but the question is "Have we got a proper base to test the compressor on?" "Should we cover the more basic bits first to ensure that we fully thrash out the plug-ins to the best advantage"? Or am I just being a simpleton?
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kensuguro
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Post by kensuguro »

ay??? seems like my earlier reply got washed away to digital kingdom come... anyway, just wanted say I'm on with this party.. it'll be lovely to share what I know, plus brush up my basics too! Cheers to all with such awesome intellecutal curiosity. And PlanetZ just happens to be full of them. :smile:
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Post by Evil Tez »

Nestor Im naming my first borne after you!!!
This is a brilliant idea. I'll only have a Luna II but I cant wait to learn. I wont be able to contribute but I'll make an effort to make it sink in. Thanks for this m8! :grin:
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Post by paulrmartin »

(Think i posted my suggestion in hte wrong place....)
Anybody doing MIDI? I could take care of that chapter. :smile:
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Post by RedSun »

Great idea!

To make this even more usefull, I suggest that after each subject is covered, we either select the best article or write one using the best ones then, put them in an organized manner on a 'Pulsar Bible' web site.

The 'Pulsar Bible' could then be available on the web, with downloadable examples and as a PDF file, to have a printable reference document.

Since it is a colaborative effort, we should put it right away under an Open Source (Open Documentation?) licence.

As for the audio file format, I think we should keep them at 30sec but with another format than MP3. Since some of the topics (like mastering) will require great precision, a destructive file compression scheme is not suitable for that purpose.

As for the hosting, I would be happy to take care of it.



RedSun .:.
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