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  3. EXS or Giga

  • EXS or Giga

    H
    H
    Hello....
    I am just about to set my self up with VSL.
    I have an HD3 and an 02R96.
    I use two computers. one for Pro Tools( audio only) and the second my power book G4 for midi and vetual instrument...

    Wich platform is best for VSL... giga160 on a pc or EXS24MK

    Thanks....
    Heratch
  • A
    A
    A few days ago I woulda said Giga, partially because of the tools. Then I used EXS and did a little trick to perform an automatic alternator for up/down bows, threw 1 gig of strings at it, over 20 exs's, doing 32nd notes at 125 and EXS didn't blink, even with all of them firing at once. I did the exact same setup on Giga and it performed as well as EXS but I just freed up a Gigabox.

    I think because of your current setup you should go for EXS.

    BTW, is this Troisson (sp?) Heratch?

    Ashley
  • P
    P
    In fairness, Ashley, please point out that you're a master of the Logic Environment and know how to do those things. If he wasn't a Logic Environment wiz like yourself, what would you suggest?
  • T
    T
    Heratch,

    1. Agree with Ashley - EXS has matured enough to make it a sensible option and somewhat future proofed (that is if you can consider any computer stuff future proofed). And you dont need to be a master of Logic's advanced Environment to use it. (Mind you it is worth attempting to master this element - never ceases to amaze me with what you can do with it)

    2. Elsewhere (on this forum) I have written some of my personal misgivings about using EXS (and Large Samples) on a G4 powerbook - the overall system architecture is just not suited for this type of work and you will find yourself very limited in the number of EXS instances available to you in the essential composing/arranging stage - for pure audio work it is more than adequate. This view has been supported by others.

    3. Giga currently has a lot more going for it in terms of much wider range of 'professional' sample libraries available for it. This is likely to remain the case for the future. (Even more so now that Emagic/Apple has shot themselves in their collective feet by making the EXS Mac only). NI's up and comming Kontakt engine seems also to be gaining ground as a sampler of choice with some major sample libraries and may well take the lions share of the market in the future.

    4. Personally as a long standing EXS and Giga user I would say the EXS will give you better performance/features however this has to be tempered by the fact that you need high-end Mac (min of a Dual 1Ghz G4 IMO) to get the best out of it.

    5. Purchasing one (or more) plain vanila PC boxes and card them up with 160's may well prove to be the better budget option. With your current set up you would not necessarily need one of Peter's boxes.

    Its never easy to make this kind of choice - but look at it this way - in two months time you will be more than happy which ever way you go. The proof is in the pudding as they say - And that in this case is the VSL Library and not the kit you run it on.

    tattie
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    A
    You're right Peter, and a good point, it does help a lot if you know what you're doing in the Logic Environment when you get the EXS version. Taking advantage of the environments abilities does make it easier to take advantage of VSL. However, if a person is just going to be playing the sounds as they are and not need up/down bow alternating or keyswitching, EXS will be fine. If it were me making a purchase decision I would have to get the Giga version because I have to have the crossfading abilities of Giga that EXS doesn't have yet, but most people don't need that type of programming.

    Ashley