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  • compatibility of DAW for VSL SE

    Z
    Z

    Greetings,

    Thank you for previous advice.

    Here's my current question:  I'm using a PC, 2.8ghz duo-core processor, 4 gig of Ram.  My OS is XP.  I wish to use the Vienna Special Edition.

    Which DAW would be the best recommendation to facilitate the use of SE VSL?  Apparently MBox won't work.  If i go with Cubase which Cubase should I use? - please be specific regarding the Cubase if it needs a hardware midi interface.

    Thank you-

    Robert 
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP

     Hello Robert,

    you will be fine with your current computer and you can use every version of Cubase, Cubase 4 being the most "professional" solution... VST will always work fine. 

    Of course: The faster your CPU and the more RAM you have (especially in connection with XP64 or Vista64), the better your performance!

    A good audio interface will be very helpful, if you are working with "modern" keyboards, they should all be equipped with a USB port for MIDI.

    Hope that helps!

    Best,

    Paul 

    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
  • Z
    Z

    Thank you Paul-

    I just bought what I believe to be the last "Steinberg Cubase System 4" available - according to Musician's Friend it was the last one they had. The price was right but if it doesn't work becasue of that firmware thing I'll be livid!  There had been some complaints about them but someone in the know said one just needs to install the firmware update - I don't know what that is and I'm checking on it now. If you happen to know about this please send me a link where i can get it.

    thanks again so much-

    happy recording!

    Robert

    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=822049
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP

    Hi Robert,

    what is "the firmware thing"? 

    The more infos you can give us, the better we can help!

    Best,

    Paul 

    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
  • Z
    Z

    Hi Paul,

    That has me a little perplexed too.  So here's two things.  the comment he had verbatim and a link to the item i purchased (assuming the page is still good - it is at the time of this weriting).

    Thanks so much for your help.  I think I'm going to be a regular around here as i get more into this ;)

    Here's what the commenter said:  

    "I suppose that maybe I am at a bit of an advantage bieng in the industry, but most of the reviews on this product appear to lack some of the most important information. If you decide to get this product I would Definitely do the firmware update, and stear clear of any cheap USB host controllers that have V IA chipsets. Obviously you should download the latest drivers, and everything else should be smooth sailing. I am sure that all of the problems these other users had would have been solved with these simple steps. I absolutely love this peice and would recommend it to anyone with these guilines."

    Here's a link to the page:  http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Steinberg-Cubase-System-4?sku=708095&src=3WWRWXGG&ZYXSEM=0

     best regards,

    Robert

    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=822049
  • Z
    Z

    Hi again Paul ,

    I Googgled the firmware update and found a site that offers the latest drivers - I think that's all this is - driver issues.  I'm going to download them now and install tham after i have the unit.  It ships out tomorrow.  According the reviews, this things is great with the proper drivers.

    Thanks and I'm looking forward to anything else you may have to say.  Next step - VSL Special Edition :)

    best, Robert 
  • Z
    Z

    Here's another thought -

    Cubase comes highly recommended as a top shelf DAW, right?  So what if I did away with this 'package' (The Steinberg Cubase 4 System as its called) and just bought the Cubase 4 DAW.  I would then need an interface (like the Mbox or whatever but not the Mbox).

    Which interface would I need?  Also, I know very little about MIDI and I really want to record direct analogue - so bearing that in mind, which interface would you suggest.  All of this consternation I'm going through is to facilitate the use of the VSL.  I'm having grave doubts about this Cubase 4 System Box I bought from what I've been reading - pops and noises that are impossible to get rid of, driver complications etc.

    If push comes to shove I'll get the Mbox and use Gigastudio or something but I'd like to know for sure what options I have in terms of using Cubase 4 and a second party interface so I can enjoy the best VST in the world 'VSL'.

    I hope people are still reading this thread.

    thank you,

    Robert 
  • D
    D
    last edited
    last edited

    @zolessi said:

    Here's another thought -

    Cubase comes highly recommended as a top shelf DAW, right?  So what if I did away with this 'package' (The Steinberg Cubase 4 System as its called) and just bought the Cubase 4 DAW.  I would then need an interface (like the Mbox or whatever but not the Mbox).

    Which interface would I need?  Also, I know very little about MIDI and I really want to record direct analogue - so bearing that in mind, which interface would you suggest.  All of this consternation I'm going through is to facilitate the use of the VSL.  I'm having grave doubts about this Cubase 4 System Box I bought from what I've been reading - pops and noises that are impossible to get rid of, driver complications etc.

    If push comes to shove I'll get the Mbox and use Gigastudio or something but I'd like to know for sure what options I have in terms of using Cubase 4 and a second party interface so I can enjoy the best VST in the world 'VSL'.

    I hope people are still reading this thread.

    thank you,

    Robert 

    Robert, you are mixing all sorts of terms and are about to make some potentially expensive mistakes. I'll try to help you thorough all this. Remember there are other opinions, but I know that my suggestions will work. If you decide to get Cubase 4, then this is what you need to consider:
    1. Get a good quality soundcard. I recommend RME over all others. they have top quality hardware, and their drivers will cover almost all situations and operating systems at low latencies, unlike some other cards. Forget M-Box unless you want to use ProTools.
    2. If you need more MIDI inputs than what you get with the RME (depends on model) then try something like a MOTU Micro Lite. Avoid M-Audio. They use very old drivers that are never updated and there are no 64bit drivers for the MIDI interfaces.
    3. Keyboards can be cheap or expensive. Some come with USB connections and some don't. Some feel great to play, some don't. Try them out in the shop before you purchase. Also try to get one with a few, user definable controller sliders as well as the obligatory Pitch Wheel and Mod Wheel.
    4. Gigastudio is a red herring. You don't need it with VSL, as it comes with its own player.
    5. You won't be recording anything analogue, as it is all done within Cubase.
    6. Budget to buy Altiverb from Audioease eventually. there are other reverb products on the market, some of them cheaper or even free, but I think that AV is the best.

    I know nothing about what's in the Cubase 4 System box, so I can't comment on the quality of what's in there. However, your biggest hurdle eventually will be the speed of your processor and lack of memory. Be prepared to upgrade your machine within the next year.

    Good luck.

    DG
  • B
    B

    Cubase 4 is really a good joice. If you're still student (on music collage, university, etc.) you have even the benefit of "education prices" from Steinberg (at least here in Austria/Germany) it is possible. And you pay only about half of the full price!

    But if you just want to start there's also a light version of Cubase 4 called "Cubase 4 Studio" if I remember correctly. Depends on your needs and budget.

    About soundcards/interfaces: I can recommend you RME hardware too. It's a german company, www.rme-audio.de with a big sortiment of all kind of hadware interfaces with high quality! Especially if you're planing to go on road. They have many mobile solutions, e.g.: Multiface, Fireface 800, or Fireface 400, etc...

    Temporary my setup is: AMD X2 Dualcore 4400+, 4GB Ram, Cubase 4 and RME Multiface. The Multiface has Midi In/Out, 8 analog In/Outputs, digital (optical, coaxial, ADAT) wordclock, etc.

    The only disadvantage ist that you need to buy a seperate PCI Card that doesn't come along with the Multiface unfortunately.

    As you're using Windows there's no possibility to use Logic or DP, but Protools. But instead of buying the cheap Protools with M-Audio it's much better to go with Cubase (or Nuendo) and RME hardware! Unless you have really a huge budget, then I would recommend you definately to buy a professional Protools System. Or instead a Porsche or a villa in Malibu :-) (just kidding)

    Good luck,

    Andie