How much power has a pulsar II ?

Rainman · Post by **Rainman** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 9:13 am

I dont't have got a pulsar II yet, but I'm planning to buy one. I want to mix my Hardwaresynth with the pulsar+A16. I'd like ti know if a pulsar II has enough dsp-power to use the 2448-mixer (is this the big one ?) with some Compressors and EQ's in most og the Channels. Also i'd need about 2-3 good reverbs an a few smaller plugs (chorus, delay etc.). Can 1 Pulsar-II handle that or is more DSP-Power required ???

otter · Post by **otter** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 9:35 am

yep, enough power for that. even some left.

http://www.planetz.com/forums/index.php?viewcat=5

Rainman · Post by **Rainman** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 10:52 am

Ahhh... very nice. So if there's a sonic timeworks CompressorX specified with about 20% i could use about 5 of them and have still 5 DSPs free !?!? How much power does this nice Pulsarmixer needs, if there are comps and eq's in every channel ? Are there any other good reverb plugs than the Timeworks one ?

darkrezin · Post by **darkrezin** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 12:06 pm

You can do some nice stuff with a Pulsar2. I'm using 2 Pulsar1's (4 dsp's in each) which is serving me quite nicely. However I am itching to get more dsp, but I think most people with 10 or more are pretty happy. 6 is a nice amount, but be prepared to buy more, you will really want to.

The nice thing about creamware stuff is that you can add to it whenever you want/can afford it.. 2nd-hand Pulsar I's and Luna's are very cheap, and even a Pulsar2 SRB (dsp-only card with no I/O but the option to add it later via daughtercards) isn't that expensive, even new.

By the way, Creamware masterverbs are really not too bad, but the timeworks is even nicer I am told (I don't have it). Another nice compressor option (cheaper, more options like multiband/lite versions) is the Orbitone Impressor.

peace

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 12:59 pm

Perfect amount (IMHO) is PowerPulsar (15 DSP). Enough you dont have to think about limits if you're reasonable with assigning voices to your synths, room to stretch out, room to grow... If I had the money at the beginning, I would have just bought a PowerPulsar+A16 Ultra straight off, would have saved a lot of hassle! (Instead I started with a Pulsar1, added a Luna2, went through a Yamaha 01v, Yamaha 03d, Spirit 328 mixers, etc... Now I'm with 2 A16 Ultras and 2 SCOPEs, and much happier with my setup than ever before).

King of Snake · Post by **King of Snake** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 1:09 pm

yep, the stuff that takes the most power are the synths, but if you're mainly using fx and processing/mixing you'll be fine with a Pulsar 2. The 2448 mixer's DSP usage depends on the amount of channels used and the amount of active compressors/eq's.
Creamware has a very good compressor out now, called Vinco, which, together with the Timeworks seem to be the best two comps for the system.
I've also heard good things about the Earlyfirst reverbs.

Immanuel · Post by **Immanuel** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 3:32 pm

Quote Subhuman:
"If I had the money at the beginning, I would have just bought a PowerPulsar+A16 Ultra straight off"

Eh, if I am not all wrong, neither of these were out, when you started out in CW land.

Immanuel

subhuman · Post by **subhuman** » Tue Sep 24, 2002 4:17 pm

"If I had the money at the beginning, I would have just bought a PowerPulsar+A16 Ultra straight off"

Eh, if I am not all wrong, neither of these were out, when you started out in CW land.

-Imm

Yeah, this is true, but SCOPE and A16s were out. A PowerPulsar is basically just a SCOPE2 board without all the /SP or /DP devices (Pulsar devices with SCOPE hardware). I'm speaking hypothetically anyway.

yep, the stuff that takes the most power are the synths, but if you're mainly using fx and processing/mixing you'll be fine with a Pulsar 2.

-KoS

Agree completely..

Rainman · Post by **Rainman** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 4:02 am

Thanks a lot for the help, i think my decission is made

I really don't need the synth in Pulsar, I have 2 Kurzes, Virus and an XV-5080 together with some VST-Softsynth. So the only thing i want is an easy way to mix and record my hardwaresynth without a big digitalmixer between it where i have to read a big manual every weekend because i forgot most of the features and how to use them. Also i don't have the room for a big mixer so i think a Pulsar would be very nice for me

borg · Post by **borg** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 7:07 am

On 2002-09-25 05:02, Rainman wrote:
Thanks a lot for the help, i think my decission is made

welcome aboard then

I really don't need the synth in Pulsar, I have 2 Kurzes, Virus and an XV-5080 together with some VST-Softsynth.

wait until you've tried some of the FREE stuff you can download in the devices section

you won't be begging for more, 'cause it's 'all' there (maybe more DSP, yeah

) i never use VSTi... even the nordrack2 has been out of a job for a while now, but i'm sure the hardware you mention is pretty good as well... whatever you feel comfortable with. you've made a good choice.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 7:23 am

Funny you mension that you sort of abandoned your nord rack.. I have a nord mod, and I used to think "nothing can replace this baby"... Well, nothing replaces anything really, but now my old nord mod is just sittin on its stand. I should use it sometime. hehe. Poor thing.

asktoby · Post by **asktoby** » Thu Apr 17, 2003 4:21 am

heh, my nord micro-mod is sitting in a box disconnected. I'm thinking of getting it out just to use it as a midi controller, how rude is that? lol

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Thu Apr 17, 2003 9:49 am

are you giggig occasionally ?
Then I suggest to spend about 50-100 bucks on a Casio DG100/200 midi wind controller.
As easy to play as a recorder

looks cool and does mostly a breath to aftertouch conversion.
Which means it sounds best when you set a bunch of params to that controller, an easy job for the Micro.

cheers, Tom

SevenString · Post by **SevenString** » Mon May 05, 2003 6:19 pm

I spent last weekend with my new PulsarII, and found that it DOES seem to have quite enough power for mixing and effects.

However, I soon started getting addicted to the no-latency synths, and now I want to integrate these into my next CD, so off I go tomorrow to upgrade to the PowerPulsar.

Luckily, Creamware has that upgrade special going on, so I can get into a PowerPulsar with less expense, and my wife gets a killer new studio setup when I pass my Pulsar II along to her. But she was planning on buying a PulsarII anyway, so it all works out for the best.

Immanuel · Post by **Immanuel** » Mon May 05, 2003 7:02 pm

Congratulations on seeing things from the positive side

Some people "just want to do this one thing". And they buy a CW card for that one thing = they start out thinking it is a fair price to get this specific task done ... Then they find out about about all the other nice things in their new DSP setup, and suddenly it is all wrong, because they can not both play some crazy modularsynth with 12 voices AND do a lot of mixing AND have a masterverb dedicated to each instrument.

You seam to have found out more clearly how it works: You get this much mixing power/ synth power/ processing power for this much money - only difference is, that you can go swap your mixing power for some synth power whenever you want to do that (try that with outboard gear

). If you want double power at the same time, you need to buy the double amount of DSPs.

Wellcome to the party of pulsarians

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Tue May 06, 2003 5:03 am

welcome SevenString,

not much to add to what Immanuel wrote but:
reading your signature - check out Stephen Hummel's stuff (Wavelength) that's where sound bites

opposed to CW's sometimes a tiny little tooo beautiful ones

cheers, Tom

virtualstudio · Post by **virtualstudio** » Tue May 06, 2003 10:05 am

Hé sevenstring, great stuff!!!(youre cd)
welcome to planetZ, good to have someone into progg-rock here. most people here are into dance stuff techno,electronic,etc.
Spoimola + Bosone, are also into proggresieve rock...maybe we can do a American-Italian-Finish-Dutch project sometime

regards
TERRANOVA-AMSTERDAM

SevenString · Post by **SevenString** » Thu May 08, 2003 7:13 pm

Thanks, all! It's good to be here, and I'm getting more and more into the Pulsar all the time. It only seems to get better, the more I learn.

It's interesting that I haven't had to dig into the manual that much. The devices and signal routing is fairly easy to understand, and the integration with CubaseSX was really painless. Everything just seems to work the way that I expect things to work.

Astro, I'll check out Wavelength's stuff and get back to you. Look forward to hearing some of the stuff that my fellow Pulsarians have created.

And thanks for the kind words, Virtual. Seems like you Europeans are into prog-metal much more than my fellow Americans. In fact, just last week, I got some distribution in Germany AND your home country. I have a little following in the states, but maybe I should think about moving overseas.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to a long and beautiful friendship with my CW setup.

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Mon May 19, 2003 6:46 am

only just aqquired my pulsar11 but i love it already.
i was lucky, i went out to buy a behringer ddx desk and a computer, and was going to get a hammerfall to link them, then i saw same setup advertised 2nd hand, only with a pulsar 2 instead of the hammerfall....

WOWEEEEEE.....

I been a lucky bunny......

ps..this monts Sound on Sound has a review of sfp. i think the reviewer likes it..
tagline....dear creamware...i'm stealing the powerpulsar!!!!..