dawman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 8:03 am
No iLok needed and it’s not really a CPU hog.
But if you already have NI Komplete that’s enough to keep y0u busy for a while.
Well, it doesn´t ´cause I own Komplete since K2 Special Edition was released for a discount,- somewhere early 2000s.
Functionality moved on, tons of more patches and samples, yes.
I´d say it keeps one busy searching for the few usable patches when too lazy to create your own.
At the end of the day, It cost much more time than recording the track.
dawman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 8:03 am
I just never liked the sound of VSTi synths or samples unless they’re layered for a fuller sound.
I ideally layer soft- w/ hardware.
All my hardware synths sound beefier than VST,- even the patches I made for Kurzweil PC3 using 3DSP block wide anti alias OSCs for Saw, Sine & Square together w/ the MOOG filter emu and even ENVs and LFOs are lame.
The better SCOPE synths sound beefier than VST too.
But, for doing something "in the box" only, the VST stuff is good enough.
Today, they "produce" EDM s##t on smartphones while sippin´ drinks on the beach w/ the beauties.
Great life and sound is accepted by the masses, even they mix w/ these tools and earbuds.
After x-mas, old buddy, age of 71, keyboardist, arranger, composer and record company/publishing owner, came by ´cause we occasionally work together on a project running since years.
It´s kind of backgound music for joggers, gym etc.,- mainly based on beats and sequences.
He pulled out his phone loaded an app, downloaded some loops and put something together within minutes.
I was shocked since I don´t even use a smartphone ...
When I said "... but you cannot mix it on the phone" (because of sound quality) he said:
"I can,- because they only hear it that way !
It´s the sound they expect today and when I load in Logic and listen to on studio´s nearfields, it still sounds good enough !"
dawman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 8:03 am
I heard the Behringer CAT and this is what I’ve always complained bout cloned 2 oscillator synths.
Old hardware sounded okay because of real voltage, etc.
PC based oscillators just don’t get very big. But the CAT like the old SE-1X’s has multi wave oscillators, basically a synth with 7 simultaneous waveforms/
That’s what I’ve been waiting for.
Behringer CAT = no preset memory.
I don´t buy any hardware w/o preset memory.
dawman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 04, 2020 8:03 am
It would be sweet to eliminate soft synths and just use Scope and Samples.
Then an old duo core or quad would be plenty.
Actually, I try to get the balance between idealism and sanity,- especially because of my age and confirmed chronic issues I´ll never get rid off ´til I die.
I´ll have to stay @home, work there and possibly never gig/tour national/international again,- maybe local on occasion but I´m also not sure if I really want then.
I still hope for SCOPE 7.1 coming soon and keep things smaller instead collecting latest hardware-clone-synths (again).
I say even I love the hardware,- and if I were younger and in better condition, I´d possibly think different.
OTOH ... hardware vs VST and as an example:
I´m always intersted in comparing Oberheim clones vs my Xpander.
So I did w/ Arturia M12 because it comes w/ a number of re-programmed identical factory single-patches.
I appreciate there´s identical architecture and functionality available, even multi-patch structure like in hardware,- but the real Xpander connected to a quality analog mixer sounds way different (and better).
I set "better" in brackets because it´s subjective always.
And now think about a Matrix-12 or Xpander never were the fattest sounding Oberheims even they were the modulation kings of the preoduct line.
The Arturia SEM ... well,- I think the bx-digital Oberhausen is somewhat better already.
But don´t own the original hardware to compare.
Processor:
When running SCOPE standalone, maybe together w/ just only NI-Kontakt or similar, you´d get it w/ a Intel Pentium Gold G5400 dual core 3.7Ghz, 4MB L2 and 4MB L3 cache and IGPU w/ Intel UHD 630 (4K !) @ 54W TDP for about 60 bucks.
G5600 (3.9GHz) is even better.
Take a AsRock H370 micro atx, 1TB Ultra M.2 x4 for samples and another x2 or SATA based SSD for OS.
Put SCOPE/XITE PCIe card in a fast PCIe slot and it will work.
Bud