Semi-newbie: before I load VST 5.0 --->

[Finnkeeper]

On my new PowerBook G4 (seems awesome), I wanted to clear it with someone that the new version of Cubase will run smoothly w/o me having to adjust any Control Panels, Extensions or other elements of the system. Also, I was told all I really need to record is a decent 4 channel mixing board and have had Mackie recommended by a good source. It would also be great to hear any thoughts on virtual synths and VST Instruments, which are being talked up a great deal. Like, do I have to invest in a conventional synth nowadays or will alot of these gigabytes of sound simply patch directly into VST?


Truly appreciate any and all advice from those in the know, I've been chomping at the bit to get the program rolling after an unfortunate hiatus of almost 2 years now.

Peace,
Finn

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http://mp3.com/munks

[macmidi]

I run Cubase5 without much extension conflicts (Real Audio's MP3 player seemed to have been a problem but deleted it)

Just make sure you have your colors set to 256 instead of millions or thousands, don't keep a desktop picture, set disk cache to 512k, turn off ethernet and appletalk, and allocate about 180M to Cubase.

Any mixer will work. Mackie's are nice but they may be suggesting them for their preamps. what are you using as a soundcard though?

VSTi's are fun but most are memory hogs and most do NOT sound too great (but those are my ears).
If you get VST5 make sure you donwload the 5.1 update as it has some synths included. They're not great but it'll give you an idea of what some sound like.

[Finnkeeper]

Hey, thanks for all that great info- it was exactly what I needed and I will figure out how to do all those actions you suggested so that things run smoothly.

Re: sound card, I'd be working with the one that came loaded on the G4 Powerbook, I understand I'll need a high-end one for quality vocal recordings, etc. At the outset I'll likely be re-mixing existing tracks we've done and creating new ones with a couple good sample CDs I have.

Again, really appreciate your help,
¥Finn


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http://mp3.com/munks

[macmidi]

You're welcome and good luck with that.

By the way, if you're going to buy Cubase, it would be good to register with the Cubase forum. They're pretty smart people.

http://linux1723.dn.net/cgi-bin/ubb/Ultimate.cgi

[Kurtz25]

Just remember that you're limited to a 16bit bitdepth on the audio in on the Powerbook. I actually mastered my band's CD on my Powerbook G3 a couple years ago and it was... Okay. Well, no, it actually kinda sucked, but it was a tossup between hardware limitations and me making some dumb mastering mistakes. So I'll give the hardware the benefit of the doubt and say that it was... Okay.

[lucere]

I highly recommend the motu 828, if you can afford it.

[Finnkeeper]

What does the 828 do, lucere?

Finn

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http://mp3.com/munks