Hi Martin,

Thanks for the response. I think I have the tweaks giving me as much of my 2 gig ram as possible. WIth 3 instances of GP running on both machines I really never go beyond 50-60% CPU with notes playing.

When I load of a 'Basic patch' I essentially put that same 'basic patch' on seven different tracks within GS3 (no hit to Ram if I do this within GS3) and then cooresponding midi tracks in SX. If I have to write a string line I'll do it on, say, the sus patch and then copy the track to one or more of the other tracks - depending on the articulation needed (first note is stacc, second, third - .3's, etc.

Seems to work good and usually sounds better than one patch playing the whole line.

I was curious as to 'patch changes'. How does this help Ram usuage?

Thanks for any help you can be to further optimize the available patches I can have at my 'disposal' at any one time (the third PC will help, but I sense I will still want as much loaded as I can.

For reference, here is a quick diddy I did with the new template ONLY using cube for writing (using Basic patches). This is straight out of the board with no EQ, mastering - really just an exercise. If this was a real project I would take some of the WW lines and use a perf leg patch, etc.

It was good to have as many articulations available as possible.

http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Misc/Playful%20Deception.mp3


Here's a second one using only basic patches. Sorry for the roughness of the mix.

http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Misc/Memories%20of%20Her.mp3





Thanks.

Rob

Thanks to everyone who offered advise on setting up DP with VSL.
Here's something I had not known about before in DP...
You can use the split notes command in the regions drop-down menu to move notes to other tracks. As an experiment I played a short violin passage using a variety of short and long notes. Then using the split notes feature I was able to take all the 16th notes and place them on the vl 14 stac1 track. After that I used the feature to select all the 16th notes of selected pitches to be moved to the vl 14 stac2 track. In this way I was able to get up- and down-bow articulations. I did this for other notes, moving them to dim or cresc tracks, longer notes, etc. The effect was pleasing, but I'm still very much in the evolutionary stage. I will keep watching this thread for more comments.
Steve

hey Rob - terrific music!

i can't see where patch changes offer any advantage or impact ram. That said, optimizing instruments that a patch or keyswitch, etc. might change can have a significant impact by focusing on what you might need and eliminating what you dont. instruments can usually be reduced in size depending upon what's important to you. some people have reduced everything to mono which will double the amount you can load. i do this on my laptop along with whole note mapping which doubles the load yet again. These are audible changes so i dont use them on my main system, but perhaps it would be efficient to create a set of instruments like this to sketch with, then load up just the full instruments you need to render a final performance.

I take advantage of other trade offs on my main system. for example, having all legato string patches available along with the ability to cross fade between layers is important to me. But with ensemble brass and winds, the advantage of more layers seems to outweigh the benefit of the larger legato instruments. the opposite seems true of the solo instruments which can stand out of the texture and have phasing problems if layered. Similarly, I couldn't make the case for four or fiive levels of pizzicato articulations, so i reduced them and added more repetitions to play in round robin (to avoid having to use the repetition or alternation tools). Actually, i've done this with almost all the shorter articulations. I also found limited usefullness in the intermediate length articulations. either a note is short, or a longer articulation can be cut off early without much detriment in the real world. in fact anything i can do to create the articulation thru performance technique (rolls, glisses, swells and even some sfz - not strings though) can save ram and not be detrimental if done musically. Some may not agree, which raises the valid point that the trade offs each of us makes will always be very personal and adapted to our unique sensitivities.

As for load limits, my machines all run at about 62-63%. Using GigaPulse would reduce that, so I distribute that processing power instead to the G5 using Altiverb. Obviously, that cost a little more money, but perhaps in the realm of what a fourth machine might cost. This is important because the camparison betweeen our systems might be an apples and oranges one. what can be acheived with three machine plus altiverb, might take four machines using gigapulse (for about the same money, and neither being inherently better).

Obviously, not the most direct answers to your questions, but perhaps something you can extrapolate from as you think through how you want to grow your system. just let me know if i can help, and thanks again for putting up the really cool music (i actually listened to several things on your site and would encourage others to do the same!).

Thanks Martin - lots of good ideas in here. I am definitely working towards adding a 3rd PC just for VSL. That will help.

Both existing PC's have 2 GP instances loaded in the template, but really during 'writing' I can just pick up my verb through my Roland SRV-330 (through the monitoring board).

Makes me wonder if I didn't have these 2 instances how many more patches I could load up. Something I'll experiment with for sure.

Thanks for your nice comments about this short short diddys. Forgive the very rough nature of the mix.

Rob

@Rob Elliott said:

Thanks Martin - lots of good ideas in here. I am definitely working towards adding a 3rd PC just for VSL. That will help.

Both existing PC's have 2 GP instances loaded in the template, but really during 'writing' I can just pick up my verb through my Roland SRV-330 (through the monitoring board).

Makes me wonder if I didn't have these 2 instances how many more patches I could load up. Something I'll experiment with for sure.

Thanks for your nice comments about this short short diddys. Forgive the very rough nature of the mix.

Rob

I don't think thaqt unloading GigaPulse will make any difference to the number of instruments that you can load, but it will make a difference to the CPU useage.

DG

Thanks DG - just hoping for more ready access to patches / instruments. Can't wait to get my 3rd GS3 system up and running.

Rob

@Rob Elliott said:

It was good to have as many articulations available as possible.

http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Misc/Playful%20Deception.mp3


Here's a second one using only basic patches. Sorry for the roughness of the mix.

http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Misc/Memories%20of%20Her.mp3

I'm really impressed with the beauty of these works and the realism you achieved.

Could you tell me how do you made the background noise?

And, my main doubt is, what's the best GigaPulse configuration to create a real placement for orchestral instruments?

Could you tell me how did you create this configuration?
[8-)]

Thanks in advance.

Rogerio.

Thanks for the reminder, I (unfortunately) missed those when originally posted! Wow, Rob, really good for some "exercises"...

Thanks Polar Bear for your nice comments. This really is a wonderful library - the more 'access' you have to at one time - the faster the writing flows. Should get my third PC today - really getting excited!!!!


Hi Rogerio,

The background noise was from Garriton's GOS. I think that Belamedia has a free one somewhere on NS (do a search there.)

As far as Giga pulse - for writing and 'rough mixes' like this right out of the board, I simply set up 2 GP's - one near mics and one far. It is good enough for general placement while writing. For final tracking you would have to set up perhaps more placements - but CPU could be a hinderence here.

For all but the biggest projects I will just use the two GP's and of course do a REAL final mix (cut some of the mud out of certain instruments, etc.), then VERY light compression in the mastering stage.

What I have found for me is that the better I can get the arrangement and orchestration the less I need to work in the mix stage.

Hope this helps.

Rob

Excuse what looks like obnoxious self-promotion, but in our first issue (Virtual Instruments Magazine) composer Klaus Badelt explained how he had his pallet set up in Logic when he was using 18 GigaStudios. Christopher Caoette followed up in a letter in our second issue, which should be online for download later today.

The basic idea is to create an Environment layer with MIDI Instruments (which are named and can be assigned icons - pictures of the instruments) that point to various MIDI ports and channels (connected to external Gigas or other MIDI modules). Command/clicking on the icon assigns it to the currently-assigned track. That means you can have billions of articulations loaded without having each one permanently assigned to a track. You can also move the icons around the screen wherever you want, and also put them in a graphic box so all the violins, etc., are together.

I posted about this here a few months ago.

Oh, and to each his own, but I personally hate using program changes. I don't want my studio reconfigured on the fly every time I go back four bars.

Can we buy this mag/issue in the UK,Nick?That sounds very interesting,and I'd like to get hold of a copy.

www.VirtualInstrumentsMag.com

Please check your P.M. - I don't want to be a prat on the VSL site. [:)]

Hey Nick - thanks alot. Any idea how this would work on SX 3.x? I agree on program changes.


Rob

@Nick Batzdorf said:

www.VirtualInstrumentsMag.com

Please check your P.M. - I don't want to be a prat on the VSL site. [:)]

Many thanks,Nick:most kind. [H]