Korg Forums

ferchis · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 5:46 am Post subject: newbie/old-schooler question

the question is very simple...:

what is exactly the use of virtual instruments?

I mean, for someone like me who is used to traditional synths and instruments, what is there that you can't do with them? is it to replace something your budget can't reach to do and so you compensate it with soft?

it's even more puzzling to me when I hear of people who own and M3!! or OASYS!!!! and still use computers and soft. is there anything those synths can't do?

let me say beforehand that this query comes from a person with absolutely no experience in this topic, but I'm not being judgmental about it, i just want to learn and see if there's a world I'm probably missing out there...

thanks!
_________________
Fernando
Music IS EnTeRtAiNmEnT

Kronos 88 - Korg M50 61 - Morphwiz - Alchemy synth

laughing_bear · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 7:56 am Post subject:

Hi Fernando,

have a look at these videos, they might give you a good impression on what is possible to do with software based instruments.

http://www.spectrasonics.net/instruments/omnisphere_videos.php

http://www.spectrasonics.net/instruments/trilian_videos.php

The above demonstrated instruments are sample based, this means that they recorded/sampled the original instruments and offer you a lot of control on top.

ferchis · Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 4:47 am Post subject:

thanks laughing bear, but to tell you the truth... I still don't get it... I mean, it sure sounds great and the realism is indeed impressive, but do you actually mean that you CANNOT, under no circumstance, recreate those same sounds with the same degree of realism in an m3 or oasys??

do I have to believe that after all there are people who pay thousands of dollars for a multi-purpose-do-it-all workstation and they STILL have to purchase programs to get sounds with some control over them??

I'm really curious about this...

cheers!
_________________
Fernando
Music IS EnTeRtAiNmEnT

Kronos 88 - Korg M50 61 - Morphwiz - Alchemy synth

X-Trade · Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:53 am Post subject:

It's simple really.

People always want more. Even if they have a workstation that does it all, they still want something else to 'complement' (read replace) it. Software instruments provide a platform for people to feed their gear addiction (GAS) without having to fork out more money for a massively expensive hardware system. Except if you include the price of the computer it increasingly gets less cost effective.

Some of the plugins genuinely offer something that gear does not - like Reaktor. There is only the Nord Modular, and a few other things that offer that kind of flexibility (I won't say the Arturia Origin, because apparently that isn't actually that flexible!)

And also, many people who have an OASYS for example still only use the presets (which I think should be a crime) buying any new synth is a shortcut to paying for more sounds without putting the effort to make any new sounds themselves.
_________________
Current Gear: Kronos 61, RADIAS-R, Volca Bass, ESX-1, microKorg, MS2000B, R3, Kaossilator Pro +, MiniKP, AX3000B, nanoKontrol, nanoPad MK II,
Other Mfgrs: Moog Sub37, Roland Boutique JX03, Novation MiniNova, Akai APC40, MOTU MIDI TimePiece 2, ART Pro VLA, Focusrite Saffire Pro 40.
Past Gear: Korg Karma, TR61, Poly800, EA-1, ER-1, ES-1, Kawai K1, Novation ReMote37SL, Boss GT-6B
Software: NI Komplete 10 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, Ableton Live 9. Apple OSX El Capitan on 15" MacBook Pro

ferchis · Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:39 pm Post subject:

X-Trade · Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:47 pm Post subject:

Another reason as well is that are some sounds aren't best reproduced by a 'generic' engine like M3 and M50's EDS or OSAYS' HD1, Triton HI, etc. Because they are based on the idea of providing general controls to reproduce a wide range of different sounds. For example Hammond Organ - I've found that Native Instruments' B4 is the best emulation that i've tried. it feels like the real thing, it responds like the real thing, has the same quirks (coming from someone who's never played one, but has been seeking the ultimate cheap version) - it is also considerably cheaper than the real thing, and has some (optional) improvements like being able to select different organs, speaker cabinets, velocity sensitivity, etc.

It would take some serious programming and is quite possibly impossible to reproduce in that detail on a generic rompler or sampler.
The same goes for other vintage emulations.

Obviously this kinda doesn't apply to the OASYS because it has the CX-3, LAC-1, etc options/expansions.

Some people are really picky about an authentic sound or playing experience, but modern software offers advantages over older gear such as patch changes, velocity, aftertouch, modulation, physical size (often none), price.
_________________
Current Gear: Kronos 61, RADIAS-R, Volca Bass, ESX-1, microKorg, MS2000B, R3, Kaossilator Pro +, MiniKP, AX3000B, nanoKontrol, nanoPad MK II,
Other Mfgrs: Moog Sub37, Roland Boutique JX03, Novation MiniNova, Akai APC40, MOTU MIDI TimePiece 2, ART Pro VLA, Focusrite Saffire Pro 40.
Past Gear: Korg Karma, TR61, Poly800, EA-1, ER-1, ES-1, Kawai K1, Novation ReMote37SL, Boss GT-6B
Software: NI Komplete 10 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, Ableton Live 9. Apple OSX El Capitan on 15" MacBook Pro

ferchis · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:12 am Post subject:

it's one of those things where you really don't know where to put your money: in my case I'm seriously considering getting an m50-88, but some people instead recommend a midi controller and a netbook computer controlling those very programs we're discussing, but I still prefer to have everything onboard and not to be moving 2 pieces of gear instead of 1, and I'm really concerned about latency and glitches when playing live, which I guess you could avoid by getting THE BEST possible laptop and THE BEST possible sound card for it...
_________________
Fernando
Music IS EnTeRtAiNmEnT

Kronos 88 - Korg M50 61 - Morphwiz - Alchemy synth

X-Trade · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:53 am Post subject:

Or just get an M50. I'll always prefer to have hardware.

Or get an OpenLabs product Wink

It also depends what kinds of sounds you want to make, and how accurate you want them to be.
Personally I'm quite happy with a generic sound engine for most things. I really do like propper organ and string synths though. But thne I don't actually use those sounds very much live, and it often doesn't matter as much when you are playing live as in the studio where everything has to be (or at least should be) perfect.
_________________
Current Gear: Kronos 61, RADIAS-R, Volca Bass, ESX-1, microKorg, MS2000B, R3, Kaossilator Pro +, MiniKP, AX3000B, nanoKontrol, nanoPad MK II,
Other Mfgrs: Moog Sub37, Roland Boutique JX03, Novation MiniNova, Akai APC40, MOTU MIDI TimePiece 2, ART Pro VLA, Focusrite Saffire Pro 40.
Past Gear: Korg Karma, TR61, Poly800, EA-1, ER-1, ES-1, Kawai K1, Novation ReMote37SL, Boss GT-6B
Software: NI Komplete 10 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, Ableton Live 9. Apple OSX El Capitan on 15" MacBook Pro

ferchis · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 2:33 am Post subject:

yes! that's what I'm aiming to do! as a matter of fact, we're on the same crusade, my friend, since I'm also selling my tr at the moment, but mine is the 76.

I could get a tr88 here in argentina for just about nothing, but I already know it, own an x50, and I'm looking to get a long-lasting synth (by "long" I really mean LOOOONG).

that's why I have misgivings about the m50's lack of sampling (therefore felt more inclined towards a triton extreme, but it's prohibitively expensive around here...).

talking about that, I recently asked in another forum here to gather opinions on what could be used LIVE if you wanted to play back a sample of someone speaking, or any other sound effect that I could record by myself or download from the internet (such as wind), but WITHOUT a laptop pc, I mean, what would people choose as a means of playing those sounds live other than a computer.

maybe a kaoss pad? but I don't know if everything you load into it with the sd card HAS TO BE looped...
_________________
Fernando
Music IS EnTeRtAiNmEnT

Kronos 88 - Korg M50 61 - Morphwiz - Alchemy synth

vEddY · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 7:42 am Post subject:

kanthos · Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:37 pm Post subject:

Virtual instruments are good for a whole host of reasons. Some are good for their sample libraries, and because they'll give you much more control over the samples than you'll get on a hardware synth or because the samples are better quality because computer hard drive space is cheap, while most keyboards don't have much. Some are good because they use different types of synthesis that you don't find on many, if any, hardware keyboards. Some are good because they're emulations of classic synths. Lastly, some are good because they're much more focused and simple than a workstation: a simple Mellotron VST or a VST emulating the Nintendo Entertainment System's sound chip, for example, make it easier to work with the sounds without having a lot to get in the way (though, of course, they can be lacking at times because of their simplicity).
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Keyboard Rig: Korg Kronos, Moog Sub 37, Waldorf Blofeld Module, Neo Instruments Ventilator II, Moog MiniFooger Delay, Strymon BigSky, Roland KC-150, Mackie 802-VLZ4 Mixer