Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 -ACID Product Family - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 Posted by: FilthyK Date:11/14/2002 3:38:43 AM I started my newbie, DAW-user life back in May with copies of Acid Pro 3, Sound Forge 5 and Fruity Loops 3. Since I am completely new to DAW, and not much of a techie either, I started out slow and recorded a bunch of loops and one-shots into SF to get the hang of top-n-tailing, compressing, levelling, etc. SF 5 is a great app, completely stable (after 1 minor registry fix from the SoFo crew) and I have no desire to upgrade or use anything else for sampling and mastering. I moved on to FLoops to hone my skills at making noise, and I have chosen it to be my designated note-sequencer and virtual instrument player. So far, so good, but now I step back and look at Acid Pro 3 for loop-arranging. It has a couple of "deficiencies" AFAIK . . . 1) No real-time fx monitoring of external input. I can get around this with Xlutop Chainer, a $60 VST(i) engine. I haven't actually run it and recorded in Acid at the same time, but I think it will work okay. 2) No odd time sig handling. This is my real hanging point for what is considered to be possibly the best and most stable loop-arranger to date. My line of reasoning says you can "trick" Acid 3 by making a drum riff that is in, say, 5/4, and then matching all the rest of your tracks to it. IOW, if a riff is 3.7 seconds long, then Acid can be set at 3.7 seconds per bar, right? The only problem I could foresee would be in time-stretching, since it would only stretch in 4/4. Not a problem for someone making all their own loops, right? It would be a shame to have to buy Sonar 2, because it is running around $200 for the upgrade offer. Also, when I have messed with the Sonar demo and the free Plasma XP I got from the CM cover CD, I get sound engine failures, crashes, and other strangeness from both of them. Having to spend time relearning a new app is not appealing to me, either. And personally, I would rather spend my money on some more high-quality, Sonic Implants, soundfonts . . . and some VSTi's, too. I have considered the Acid Pro 4 upgrade, but it seems to be a somewhat incomplete, half-bastardized piece of 'ware that is still in beta-testing. I find it odd that it runs DX fx, VST instruments, and has ASIO drivers. I would think they'd have gone towards DX instruments and WDM drivers. So, can anyone enlighten me on the 2 item above? Thanks . . .
Subject:RE: Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 Reply by: FilthyK Date:11/14/2002 12:08:09 PM Anybody? Or are am I being ignored for saying mean things about Apro 4? ;-) Layyyter . . .
Subject:RE: Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 Reply by: decrink Date:11/14/2002 12:22:51 PM Ya can't always get what you want
Subject:RE: Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 Reply by: Ted_H Date:11/14/2002 12:47:37 PM Regarding number two, ACID Pro 4.0 does have odd time signatures. Ted
Subject:RE: Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 Reply by: Iacobus Date:11/14/2002 1:38:37 PM Like Ted said, alternate time sigs are available in ACID Pro 4.0. As you've said, it won't be a problem as long as you're making your own loops. It would make sense that a loop meant for 4/4 time won't fit into, say, a 3/4 time sig...unless you chop three beats from it and rearrange it as such. (I'm thinking aloud here.) Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but ACID does support WDM drivers (if available). I know the ACID 4.0 manual states this. I believe the only reason DX instruments didn't make it into this version is only because VSTi's are far more popular and I would guess SoFo wanted to concentrate on that aspect more for now. It's only a matter of time, I would assume. HTH, Iacobus
Subject:RE: Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 Reply by: FilthyK Date:11/14/2002 1:50:23 PM Hey thanks, but I am talking about tricking Acid 3, not Acid 4. I know Acid 4 has odd time sigs. As for DX/VST format issues, I thought that SF would stick closer to the Microsoft proprietary side of formats (DX for plugs and WDM for sound drivers). Even if it does support WDM in Acid 4, it isn't well-advertised! Funny that . . . Anyway, can anyone tell me about my questioning in relation to Acid Pro 3? Layyyter . . .
Subject:RE: Tricking Acid Pro 3.0 Reply by: SonyNateM Date:11/14/2002 4:21:00 PM Well, you can always "trick" ACID 3.0, as it just lays out your loops beat-by-beat. You just have to be willing to count and "do the math". ACID doesn't care whether you lay things out on measure divisions or not. HTH, Nate

Subject:Tricking Acid Pro 3.0

Posted by: FilthyK

Date:11/14/2002 3:38:43 AM

I started my newbie, DAW-user life back in May with copies of Acid Pro 3, Sound Forge 5 and Fruity Loops 3. Since I am completely new to DAW, and not much of a techie either, I started out slow and recorded a bunch of loops and one-shots into SF to get the hang of top-n-tailing, compressing, levelling, etc. SF 5 is a great app, completely stable (after 1 minor registry fix from the SoFo crew) and I have no desire to upgrade or use anything else for sampling and mastering.

I moved on to FLoops to hone my skills at making noise, and I have chosen it to be my designated note-sequencer and virtual instrument player.

So far, so good, but now I step back and look at Acid Pro 3 for loop-arranging. It has a couple of "deficiencies" AFAIK . . .

1) No real-time fx monitoring of external input. I can get around this with Xlutop Chainer, a $60 VST(i) engine. I haven't actually run it and recorded in Acid at the same time, but I think it will work okay.

2) No odd time sig handling. This is my real hanging point for what is considered to be possibly the best and most stable loop-arranger to date. My line of reasoning says you can "trick" Acid 3 by making a drum riff that is in, say, 5/4, and then matching all the rest of your tracks to it. IOW, if a riff is 3.7 seconds long, then Acid can be set at 3.7 seconds per bar, right? The only problem I could foresee would be in time-stretching, since it would only stretch in 4/4. Not a problem for someone making all their own loops, right?

It would be a shame to have to buy Sonar 2, because it is running around $200 for the upgrade offer. Also, when I have messed with the Sonar demo and the free Plasma XP I got from the CM cover CD, I get sound engine failures, crashes, and other strangeness from both of them. Having to spend time relearning a new app is not appealing to me, either. And personally, I would rather spend my money on some more high-quality, Sonic Implants, soundfonts . . . and some VSTi's, too.

I have considered the Acid Pro 4 upgrade, but it seems to be a somewhat incomplete, half-bastardized piece of 'ware that is still in beta-testing. I find it odd that it runs DX fx, VST instruments, and has ASIO drivers. I would think they'd have gone towards DX instruments and WDM drivers.

So, can anyone enlighten me on the 2 item above?

Thanks . . .