Hi,
I know that there must have been a ton of similar posts about this before but I'd really like to some opinions...
I'm currently using a Soundblaster (Ok Ok, stop laughing) and I've been looking around for a decent card to use with Cubase VST32 v5. So far the main three I've been looking at are Pulsar2, Korg Oasys and Layla24.
What d'you think???
What do you think?
it depend´s from what you want to do. if you have decided what to do, you can evaluate how to do... 
layla is just an i/o-card, not more, not less. all your processing will be native, that means the more you do the more latency you´ll have. also the speed of the grafical user interface slows down on high system load. but - you have the free choice of software.
korg oasys just emulates korg´s synths, that means you still do the mixing/sampling/dynamics/effects with native processing.
pulsar uses its dsp´s for processing all these things, leaving the cpu alone for running the apps, and the one or another plug that pulsar lacks (might be reverb, although a good reverb is included in version 3.0 coming this summer). that means, the system load is more balanced, and you can route and mix, even running synths and samplers without any latency.
i bought my pulsar three years ago, and since then i´m working complete with software (and have sold may last hardware this weekend...).
as long as my cpu has not to process all the stuff that´s possible, even with big projects. with pure native solutions it´s still not possible this way (regarding to latency and speed of GUI).
hope this helps a little.
Mo
layla is just an i/o-card, not more, not less. all your processing will be native, that means the more you do the more latency you´ll have. also the speed of the grafical user interface slows down on high system load. but - you have the free choice of software.
korg oasys just emulates korg´s synths, that means you still do the mixing/sampling/dynamics/effects with native processing.
pulsar uses its dsp´s for processing all these things, leaving the cpu alone for running the apps, and the one or another plug that pulsar lacks (might be reverb, although a good reverb is included in version 3.0 coming this summer). that means, the system load is more balanced, and you can route and mix, even running synths and samplers without any latency.
i bought my pulsar three years ago, and since then i´m working complete with software (and have sold may last hardware this weekend...).
as long as my cpu has not to process all the stuff that´s possible, even with big projects. with pure native solutions it´s still not possible this way (regarding to latency and speed of GUI).
hope this helps a little.
Mo
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algorhythm
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this is a pulsar list, what do you think we are gonna say - Mo had it right though. what do you want? if you want it all, pulsar is the obvious choice. i would not have it another way. oasys is goin for $500 at samash(?) now. if you just need i/o - look at some of the RME stuff (hammerfall looks to be the shit!).
don't worry, some of us pulsarianz started on lowly sb live too (myself included).
- Mo had it right though. what do you want? if you want it all, pulsar is the obvious choice. i would not have it another way. oasys is goin for $500 at samash(?) now. if you just need i/o - look at some of the RME stuff (hammerfall looks to be the shit!).don't worry, some of us pulsarianz started on lowly sb live too (myself included).
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Nestor
- Posts: 6676
- Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2001 4:00 pm
- Location: Fourth Dimension Paradise, Cloud Nine!
I started with a Sound Blaster 64, the first one available. It was great fun to learn to use VST with it. Then I moved to Pulsar I Plus. I still can not believe the "MANY" things I can do with VST+Pulsar I, it's just amazing.
Native processing is still difficult and quite frankly complicated because there is always something wrong going on, even with those powerful 1GHs CPUs. Of course, in about 3 or 4 years time, CPUs will probably be so powerful that a DSP Shark will be just a little fish on a river.
I've being working with Pulsar for two years now and I'm absolutely satisfied. It's not just that you can do "anything" with it, but you also have upgrades, free synthesizers, free plug-ins and implementations of different kind almost weekly! If you are ever short, no problem… add an SRB. I seriously recommend you a Pulsar II, even if it is expensive, it work every penny. Learn it to the fullest and choose the right sequencing software, like VST for example, and you'll be a very satisfied buyer for years to come.
In-Out soundcards are death, unless you play acoustic guitar and sing as your only way of doing music, or anything of the like being mainly acoustic-audio-based songs. Audio-only soundcards are completely old-fashioned devices and are being sold (in some cases) because they have too many in existence and they want to get rid of as soon as possible, because they will be obsolete to the market looks in a year time. Unless were talking about big devices intended for large professional studios.
The truth is that from now on, you need to look at soundcards offering you software sampling capabilities, synthesizers, all sort of high-end plug-ins, good mixing consoles, etc., etc., etc., and an excellent routing facility too, because hardware is really and for the first time in history, but REALLY going down the road to be crushed forever.
It suffices for you to have a look at GigaStudio 160 to understand why hardware samplers are a bad choice nowadays.
Pulsar gives you everything you can possibly need, to do any kind of music. For me, it's still the number one at it's price.
Native processing is still difficult and quite frankly complicated because there is always something wrong going on, even with those powerful 1GHs CPUs. Of course, in about 3 or 4 years time, CPUs will probably be so powerful that a DSP Shark will be just a little fish on a river.
I've being working with Pulsar for two years now and I'm absolutely satisfied. It's not just that you can do "anything" with it, but you also have upgrades, free synthesizers, free plug-ins and implementations of different kind almost weekly! If you are ever short, no problem… add an SRB. I seriously recommend you a Pulsar II, even if it is expensive, it work every penny. Learn it to the fullest and choose the right sequencing software, like VST for example, and you'll be a very satisfied buyer for years to come.
In-Out soundcards are death, unless you play acoustic guitar and sing as your only way of doing music, or anything of the like being mainly acoustic-audio-based songs. Audio-only soundcards are completely old-fashioned devices and are being sold (in some cases) because they have too many in existence and they want to get rid of as soon as possible, because they will be obsolete to the market looks in a year time. Unless were talking about big devices intended for large professional studios.
The truth is that from now on, you need to look at soundcards offering you software sampling capabilities, synthesizers, all sort of high-end plug-ins, good mixing consoles, etc., etc., etc., and an excellent routing facility too, because hardware is really and for the first time in history, but REALLY going down the road to be crushed forever.
It suffices for you to have a look at GigaStudio 160 to understand why hardware samplers are a bad choice nowadays.
Pulsar gives you everything you can possibly need, to do any kind of music. For me, it's still the number one at it's price.
hello i'm joining the discussion to say that
i'm workin with pulsar for more than 1 year i am not a computer specialist but in my little home studio i can create in the way i want and when i need to do something(routing,effects,recording,mixing,syntes...) i can do it,so i am happy with it.
If you take a pulsar consider that you have this forum for help,people here are always helping you if you need.
PS:for your other options i dont know.
peace
i'm workin with pulsar for more than 1 year i am not a computer specialist but in my little home studio i can create in the way i want and when i need to do something(routing,effects,recording,mixing,syntes...) i can do it,so i am happy with it.
If you take a pulsar consider that you have this forum for help,people here are always helping you if you need.
PS:for your other options i dont know.
peace
As Nestor says, hardware samplers are dead ducks. Even run of the mill hardware synths are looking like a very poor choice. The Virus hardware synths are truly beatutiful, but then for the large $$ required, they'd want to be good.
Pulsar is a great system because there's always something new. There are hundreds of free devices to download, another hundred or two available to buy and more routing iptions and confugurations than a single human could hope to try.
It takes a while to learn the good techniques, but with forums like this one you're really helped along. It took me an entire day just to coax my first sound out of the card!
But since then Pulsar has been very good to me, it's like a combination of all the great hardware synths I've ever known, but wrapped in a more friendly and flexible enviroment.
I'm doing a bit of work with VST, but have lately switched to making drum and music loops through Sound Forge. I wack 'em on disk and take them over to a friend's professional studio where we mix them in with his mainly hardware set-up.
I'm also entertaining myself building a series of "dream synths" using the Modular V2 system - it's simply fantastic. If you get Pulsar make sure you also allow some extra $ to get Modular V2.
You can do a hell of a lot with Pulsar - which is one of the problems: I'm still having such fun experimenting in various directions that I never spend enough time actually composing. but what the hell, I'm having a great time.
Pulsar is a great system because there's always something new. There are hundreds of free devices to download, another hundred or two available to buy and more routing iptions and confugurations than a single human could hope to try.
It takes a while to learn the good techniques, but with forums like this one you're really helped along. It took me an entire day just to coax my first sound out of the card!
But since then Pulsar has been very good to me, it's like a combination of all the great hardware synths I've ever known, but wrapped in a more friendly and flexible enviroment.
I'm doing a bit of work with VST, but have lately switched to making drum and music loops through Sound Forge. I wack 'em on disk and take them over to a friend's professional studio where we mix them in with his mainly hardware set-up.
I'm also entertaining myself building a series of "dream synths" using the Modular V2 system - it's simply fantastic. If you get Pulsar make sure you also allow some extra $ to get Modular V2.
You can do a hell of a lot with Pulsar - which is one of the problems: I'm still having such fun experimenting in various directions that I never spend enough time actually composing. but what the hell, I'm having a great time.
I'm with you Spirit.. so many toys to play with!
Especially Modular2. I had some great fun a while back just pluging the outputs of GigaStudio through it and cramming about 6 different filters into it... comb, four pole, eq, etc... with ADSR's, LFO's, and midi controls... man the sound that came out the other side was MASHED! That was really cool.
All you Pulsarians have heart and carry on... I reached the full 160 voices of polyphony with GigaStudio the other day, whilst using it AND Sonar on the same machine. So take it from me... GigaStudio & Sonar & Pulsar CAN work perfectly on ONE machine, together at FULL polyphony.
Especially Modular2. I had some great fun a while back just pluging the outputs of GigaStudio through it and cramming about 6 different filters into it... comb, four pole, eq, etc... with ADSR's, LFO's, and midi controls... man the sound that came out the other side was MASHED! That was really cool.
All you Pulsarians have heart and carry on... I reached the full 160 voices of polyphony with GigaStudio the other day, whilst using it AND Sonar on the same machine. So take it from me... GigaStudio & Sonar & Pulsar CAN work perfectly on ONE machine, together at FULL polyphony.