NEW! (me)

[johnny_revolution]

hi all, im new. id post this in the "Introductions" part of the forum, but there is none.

like any newb ive got lots of questions, i hope you guys are friendlier than the last forum i signed up for...yeesh, talk about the cold shoulder.

anyways here goes. now remember i am a newbie (so new i think im still smoldering from the factory) so please be patient with me, some of these questions might have been asked many times over.

1. now i HAVE gon around and read up on some of the older threads in this forum regarding sound cards. i WAS going to ask if an audiophile 2496 was sufficient enough for a small studio, and of course through my digging ive found that its perfectly fine. so question answered. see that wasnt so har was it?

here are my specs:
P4 3.0Ghz Processor
Asus P4P800 Deluxe MB
1gig DDR 2700 Corsair Ram
80 gig HD (needs to be replaced)
audiophile 2496 Soundcard (yet to be purchased)
(GeForce FX 5600, but who cares)(gloat)

thought id get that out of the way..

now like ive said many times already im freakisly new. not just new to the forum but new to midi, gigastudio, sample cds and pretty much everything that you guys have been probobally playing with for a couple years now.

heres a bit of background to help you hopefully understand where im coming from.

a while back i bought Sound Forge 6.0 and Acid Pro 4 in an attempt to create music for a mod i was doing for Independence War 2: Edge Of Chaos. a mod that fell through because i was barely learning to use the programs and i had a big mouth, announcing that i was gonna do this and that and even revamp the original audio to make it cooler. big mouth....yep. didnt have the know how.

i dealt with .wav files and until id say a few months ago i though that .wav was the way to go. unfortunately .wavs are like concrete, theres only so much you can do with them. i dont exactly remember how i came to gigastudio but someow i did.

so thats pretty much it, kinda brief i know...but anyways, back to my newbie questions.

2. i plan to have my makeshift studio set up within the next few months (need $$$$) this is what i plan to have. if you see anything missing please report it.

- The computer stated above (excluding sound card)
- An Audiophile 2496 sound card
- a Radium 61 ( http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDORADIUM )(yet to be purchased)
- Gigastudio 3 Ensemble


hmm...i cant remember anything else...

my question is: is this enough to start producing my own nifty tunes or am i missing a piece of the puzzle?

now since im havinga brain fart at the moment i cant seem to remember any other questions ive had. maybe i shoud write them down. anyways any assistance is GREATLY appreciated.

-johnny

[gigagagga]

Yeah, you're missing a sequencer. You need something to record and edit midi. G3 will record audio if you buy the full version but not midi.

Try Cubase SL. it's cheap and does alot of stuff, even better and easier to use is Ableton LIVE 4. Live is the most fun software i have ever used. It's midi editing capabilities are not very deep but you can get alot done because of that! Give it a shot it's great.

Also, not sure of what each version of G3 offers but you will want to get a version that supports rewire...This is what will link G3 to cubase or Live so you see it in your sequencer.

Giga...

Oh BTW Welcome!

[JonFairhurst]

So, what kind of music do you plan to make? If you want techno, stick with ACID and maybe get Reaktor or some other synth and a sequencer (Ableton, Cubase, Sonar...). If you want to do orchestral, get Giga and the sequencer. If you're doing good old rock and roll, get the sequencer or a multitracker (Vegas 5.0), some good mics, pre-amps and sound deadening stuff.

For nails buy a hammer. For screws, get the power screwdriver...

Oh, and welcome!

-Jon Fairhurst

[johnny_revolution]

yay! responses!

thanks for the welcome guys.

as for music: i plan to hopefully create some middle eastern type music for a mod im doing for Homeworld 2 (a PC game if you didnt know). weve already begun working on the sound effects and id like to create some custom music as well...heavy drums, maybe a Duduk (instrument) as well if i can find one.

if youve heard of a group/band called Vas or a girl by the name of Azam Ali then you know what im talking about. if you dont look at the Gladiator soundtracks.

i plan to also spin off my own music like rob dougan. a mixture of orchestra and heavy techno beats. im heavily influenced by Rob Dougan.

thanks for the sequencer info. ill check it out.

[johnny_revolution]

Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices for GigaStudio 3:

GigaStudio 3 Orchestra $599
GigaStudio 3 Ensemble $369
GigaStudio 3 Solo $199
GigaPulse VST $299

( http://www.tascamgiga.com/pricing.php )

okay, i assume that the orchestra will come with a makeshift library for creating orchestral pieces (duh)

anyone know what comes with Ensemble? does anything come with Solo? should i stick with purchasing Ensemble or is Solo the exacxt same thing without any libraries?

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I'd get Orchestra, simply because all the included content is worth way more than the price of admission. You'd have to spend a whole lot to get that much quality content.

[JonFairhurst]

I expect that they'll release the list of libs any day now.

The big one is the Vienna Giga Symphony, only with Orchestra...
http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22234

-Jon Fairhurst

[johnny_revolution]

whish is it?

GS3 + Vienna Orchestra Libraries?

or

GS3 + Orchestra Libraries + Vienna Orchestra Libraries?

"an exclusive new collection to be included free with copies of GigaStudio 3 Orchestra"

emphasis on free....

[GTBannah]

whish is it?

GS3 + Vienna Orchestra Libraries?

or

GS3 + Orchestra Libraries + Vienna Orchestra Libraries?

"an exclusive new collection to be included free with copies of GigaStudio 3 Orchestra"

emphasis on free....

GS 3 Orchestra comes with a special edition of the Vienna Symphonic Library,
some drum sounds, some piano sounds, bass sounds, maybe synth sounds as well,


.... maybe a six-pack of beer, mayo and ketchup for the sandwiches, who knows, it's taking so long, right Gigagaga? :-O


Paragraph one is meant to be serious,though ....

[JonFairhurst]

There are lots of percussion instruments available in Giga format. You might also check out Stormdrum and Rare Instruments 2 from EWQL. These don't work with Giga, but ship with an embedded VST sample player. Personally, I prefer to run everything in Giga. A separate PC for VSTs (plus audio card and/or networked audio) solves that problem. Or you can use a single machine - but then you have to stop and start samplers, load sounds and spend time not making music.
I recommend using a single sampler if you only have a single sampler PC.

For Techno I like using ACID, though I understand that Sonar can play ACID loops as well. While ACID loops are fast, easy, efficient and sound great, they don't let you really craft your own sound. A synth, like Reaktor, is the way to go if you are into programming synths. Reaktor has gobs of presets available, so you can find a starting place and tweak from there.

We have yet to hear the Vienna Giga Symphony, but it will likely be top notch, though limited in articulations. A common complaint about the big Vienna libs are that they don't have the "space" built in (as EWQLSO does), so it can sound a bit dull, if not processed well. However, GS3 will include GigaPulse, which should make it pretty easy to add some killer ambience and size to the mixes.

The thing about this game is that you will never have enough money to buy all of the toys that you want. The key is to buy enough toys to make complete works of music. In other words don't spend all your money on an orchestra and find that you have no ethnic percussion. Similarly, don't spend all your cash on a synth and drums with no orchestra money left over. After you've covered your bases, then start thinking about how you want to expand and improve your palette.

Enjoy the ride!

-Jon Fairhurst

[johnny_revolution]

thanks for all the replies so far guys.

ive got one more question:

can someone point me to some tutorials or crash courses on making my own music? something for beginners, something that explains what everything (like synths) do. like i said im freakishly new to the world of music making. i literally know next to nothing.

if youve got a reccomended book, that would be even more helpful. i dont want to recieve my software, install it and have absolutely no idea what im doing. ive got some spare time so....better now than later.

thanks in advance for any responses.

[GTBannah]

A common complaint about the big Vienna libs are that they don't have the "space" built in (as EWQLSO does), so it can sound a bit dull, if not processed well. However, GS3 will include GigaPulse, which should make it pretty easy to add some killer ambience and size to the mixes.

If by "They don't have the space" you mean, "no Reverb", thanx a million.
I'd prefer to add my own "space" and not be locked into a mix before i'm even started.
****************************
The key is to buy enough toys to make complete works of music. In other words don't spend all your money on an orchestra and find that you have no ethnic percussion. Similarly, don't spend all your cash on a synth and drums with no orchestra money left over. After you've covered your bases, then start thinking about how you want to expand and improve your palette.

Thumbs up on that ....

Enjoy the ride!

-Jon Fairhurst


A common complaint about the big Vienna libs are that they don't have the "space" built in (as EWQLSO does), so it can sound a bit dull, if not processed well. However, GS3 will include GigaPulse, which should make it pretty easy to add some killer ambience and size to the mixes.

If by "They don't have the space" you mean, "no Reverb", thanx a million.
I'd prefer to add my own "space" and not be locked into a mix before i'm even started.
****************************
The key is to buy enough toys to make complete works of music. In other words don't spend all your money on an orchestra and find that you have no ethnic percussion. Similarly, don't spend all your cash on a synth and drums with no orchestra money left over. After you've covered your bases, then start thinking about how you want to expand and improve your palette.

Thumbs up on that ....

[GTBannah]

thanks for all the replies so far guys.

ive got one more question:

can someone point me to some tutorials or crash courses on making my own music? something for beginners, something that explains what everything (like synths) do. like i said im freakishly new to the world of music making. i literally know next to nothing.

if youve got a reccomended book, that would be even more helpful. i dont want to recieve my software, install it and have absolutely no idea what im doing. ive got some spare time so....better now than later.

thanks in advance for any responses.


Your intro stated tat you have worked/played with software. Do you play a tradidtional instrument, like guitar or keyboard?
Reason being, that you will need something to get the information into the computer/sequencer/GIGA Studio without it being too "stiff".

Do you know what MIDI is?
Do you read/know anything about music/notation?

Tell us a bit about that side of your background so we will know where to start with your "tutorial".

[johnny_revolution]

hahaha...told ya i was freakishly new.

the software ive played with is basically: VegasVideo 5, Soundforge 6, and Acid Pro 4. so....pretty much anything in .wav files.

do i know what midi is? honestly? honestly? no.
do i read/know anything about music/notation? thats a big no there too.


as for my background...its kinda spotty....i took piano lessons from the age of 8 to about 13. unfortunately, like my spanish, i seem to have forgotten all i was taught. fortunately, like my spanish again, i can pick up on it and learn quite quickly.....so.

in a way i guess it seems that im taking on one hell of a giant, and i seem to have forgotten my slingshot at home.....and i had to borrow a pink one from some little girl. i honestly dont care how hard it is to learn. after messing around with .wav files and Sonic Foundry programs (and becoming frustrated with my inability to find even remotely worthy libraries) im willing to take the plunge into professional tools.

hell ive got the time. i guess im looking for something so basic that its laughable.