PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

I will start off by saying that I have almost zero experience with PC based audio, or any audio at all actually other than playing synths for a few years. But I have been wanting to put a DAW together for years and I have done a bit of research on Scope and keep hearing that it is NOT for beginners.

Basically my question is this: What happens if I buy Scope? Will there be any chance of me actually learning production this way or will I just be way too over my head?

I will even admit that I don't fully understand what scope even is. Is it capable of handling the entire production of my music or do i still need some other sequencing software?

i have many more questions but basically if someone could give me a brief dumbed down explanation and their opinion on whether or not i could handle it, i would be really happy. If you could recommend other learning aids (books, etc.) and the like, i would be grateful.

There are others a lot more capable of replying to this. Indeed I expect you will get lots of replies from the skilled and not so skilled members of this forum - ever helpful folks that they are.
If nothing else you will get an amazing soundcard as a basis for your DAW and music production. At best you have virtually everything you need.
Now after years of using midi only with outboard synths and Cubase, I made the leap to Scope. I'm not an expert in audio and have difficulty understanding the things in life like compression, oscillators and so on.
I use my set up with VST synths, Scope synths and the modular synth and have always been pretty much a preset patch user.
Over the years that I have been a member here though, I have studied and learnt from the advice of others and there is no better forum in the world - believe me. And yes, I have learnt a lot and improved a lot.
I still have lots of questions and sooooooooo much to learn, but getting your head around it all is a slow process, whatever platform you choose.
No Scope isn't difficult and yes Scope is difficult too. It depends on what you want to do and how far you want to go.
Some folks here concentrate on the music side, some on developing devices such as synths and effects, some on production, some on all aspects of DAWs, so whatever you want to do, you'll find the answers here.
Of course the other benefit is that there are so many folks developing additional devices for the platform (some free, some you have to pay for) that there is a virtually limitless "scope" for whatever it is you want to do, and it all just about caters for every style of music and sound you could think of.

I think you'd be happy with a Scope setup, and the folks here would be more than happy to get you going, as long as you put some effort into reading the manuals before asking "those embarrasing questions". Support here is 100%.

Many use Scope only and there are so many differnet ways of adapting it to your needs. For me, I work mainly in the VST realm, but make use of those aspects of the Scope system that I need. I'm glad that I chose Scope all those years ago.

Hope that helps

By the way - don't just jump in and buy a PC and a Scope card - read up in these forums on best motherboards to get and lots of other suggestions. If you post a question for a recommended rig, you'll get lots of good tips.

Hi there, and welcome!

Personally, I started playing with DAWs in the early 90s, with the good old Voyetra (for MS DOS), and one of the first versions of cakewalk, which run on windows 3.1 (the icon was a cake with two "walking" legs )

I later saw the pulsar 1 in a computer music magazine, and I sayed to myself "I MUST have one of these babies some day" (back thenI was a student, and in my country it costed the equivalent to 4 times the european price, so it was out of mi sight)

I never done music nor production in a professional way, but I have some basic knowledge about audio hardware and software, and when I finally got my Scope card I managed to make myself in (for basic stuff) quite easily.

I will start off by saying that I have almost zero experience with PC based audio, or any audio at all actually other than playing synths for a few years. But I have been wanting to put a DAW together for years and I have done a bit of research on Scope and keep hearing that it is NOT for beginners.

If you have an idea about what a compressor, a mixer, or a synth is, you will not feel like a stranger in the scope world.

In scope you have a routing window where you can connect "wires" from one device to another, just like in a real patchbay, and devices look pretty much like hardware devices.

Basically my question is this: What happens if I buy Scope? Will there be any chance of me actually learning production this way or will I just be way too over my head?

I've been so dazzled by the power and flexibility of scope, that I felt (and feel) the need to know more.. Which lead to me buying some 1500 pages sound engineering books so that I actually understand what happens when I turn some knobs

I still have a long way to go, but Scope has been a huge driver for my musical / sound engineering evolution, and has never been an obstacle. (big words tho I'm neither a musician nor a sound engineer )

I will even admit that I don't fully understand what scope even is. Is it capable of handling the entire production of my music or do i still need some other sequencing software?

Imagine Scope like a huge box full of audio hardware, with synths, mixers, effects, etc
You still need a sequencer such as Sonar or Cubase to do a part of the job.

and their opinion on whether or not i could handle it

If I could, you will certainly too

If you could recommend other learning aids (books, etc.)

At the moment I'm quite drawn to sound engineering, recording, mixing and mastering.. Here are the books I'm reading and that I found quite good:

Handbook for Sound Engineers
Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science
The S.M.A.R.T. Guide to Mixing and Mastering Audio Recordings


HTH

Raul

Alright, I am convinced. You are all very helpful.

I had one brief question though. I was planning on getting the 6 DSP card, but I was wondering if I got the 3 DSP system how limited would I be? Of course I realize that I could upgrade later on, I was just wondering if since I am just beginning whether or not the 6 DSP card would be overkill? And I guess it might help to let you know that I plan on using plugins exclusively (for now), rather than external gear.

I have a 6 DSP card and feel restricted by it from time to time, especially with some of the bigger modular stuff or hefty polyphony. Most of the time it's fine for what I do, but there are times when I have to use a couple of different projects for a track.
Don't buy less than 6 DSP's and if you can afford more, do it.

By the way, if you haven't got your PC yet, don't make the mistake I made:

I upgraded to a faster, more powerful PC but how the system unit fits, it means that I can't get another card on it if I want more DSP power.
Plan your package around growth and seek advice on this forum about what to get before you buy.

By the way - welcome

I use scope4 for 4yrs ,i think.
Without learning to make it complicated becos i was a novie on computer too.
So i used it as easiest as i could by using it as mixer with cubase.
Today i just happen to try freesynth,saturn and others and WOW! i enter a new level of scope using but that previous use of mine wasnt useless.The sound alone gave my music pro quality.

So you wont regret your buying this card.
Thnx to this forum