|
Subject:ACID S**KS, apparently
Posted by: ash477
Date:1/25/2003 10:25:37 AM
Disregard my prev. 2 messages -- here's an update. For a $300+ piece of software, it appears that there's only 1 instrument. DLS soft-synth (oooh--aaaaah). How do I select an instrument from there, to be in the song. Should be pretty simple... drag & drop? No workie. All my keyboard plays is some piano that sounds like a CASIO vlTone. So far ACID seems like UNIX. Overpriced, and too many steps to do things that are easy to do in producs $200 cheaper, like ORION. Thank God I tried the demo before buying. |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: Vocalpoint
Date:1/25/2003 1:19:54 PM
Nice thread heading...So go buy Orion then. Acid 4.0 is now a VSTi host...meaning you supply your own virtual instruments. No where does it say Acid supplies anything in the way of Virtual instruments. Also - as far as activating and using said VSTi's - everything is right there in the manual...which you can also download for free....if you could read. |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: ash477
Date:1/25/2003 7:08:38 PM
i just might. But i want to explore if ACID is really as poor as the GUI would lead me to believe, or if there's some reason that i can easily figure out Fruity or Orion... but ACID's online help does not explain how to get sounds to play via a midi keyboard :) As i said, there seems to be only 1 instrument. And there seems to be no way to tell ACID "i want this sound generator to play THIS sound... via my keyboard". Its no wonder the parent company is going belly-up. If ACID can't attract new people, then we WILL buy Orion :) The only thing keeping me from Orion now is it can't do vocals within Orion like ACID can. Ironically thats the only thing I can get working in ACID -- vocals. I can't seem to grab 1 single sound generator to play via my keyboard when i hit 'record' :) |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: Jacose
Date:1/25/2003 8:03:49 PM
I can't seem to grab 1 single sound generator to play via my keyboard when i hit 'record' :) then you need to learn the basics of connecting and using your MIDI keyboard to a computer, or you didnt read the manual. It is explained quite nicely there, I suggest you take a loook :) |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: Vocalpoint
Date:1/25/2003 8:54:44 PM
Ash, You seem like a nice guy but you are coming across as a dick. If you spent like one ounce of time with Acid (or any SF product for that matter) you will soon see that it's UI design leads the field for ergonomics and ease of use. As many of us have stated...read the freakin' manual if you don't understand something...in this case ALT-F7 is pretty clear to get your instruments happening during record. But try as you might - Acid ships with no VST's...so click away on your keyboard all you want...it won't change a thing. |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: ash477
Date:1/25/2003 10:09:18 PM
ok i appologize for bashing it. I read the online instructions -- the help. which is very poor & didn't tell me what was missing, or if it was due to the demo version etc. The online manual, i didn't see a link to but I'll go and find it. Note that w/ Fruity & Orion, I was up and running w/o even reading a manual. THe fact that things aren't intuitive for a newbie says something about the product. And to ship with no VST's, how are they trying to make a sale here. Convince me to buy it based only on that 1 song that plays when I run ACID Pro (demo) ? It just leaves a bad taste right from the start... |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: Iacobus
Date:1/25/2003 10:23:03 PM
Get the manual for ACID 4.0 here. There's really a bunch of free VSTi's out there. One source is K-v-R. (You'll have to do a search for the free VSTi's.) Some magazines such as Computer Music also include free VSTi's. Strange on how you mention that ACID wasn't as intuitive as Fruity/Orion. I had the opposite experience (though I still like Fruityloops). That could be because I'm more digital audio-centric. (ACID actually started with just digital audio and the only MIDI feature was MIDI sync capability.) If you wanted to find out how exactly to monitor VSTi's while recording, check out a recent post of mine. HTH, Iacobus |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: ash477
Date:1/26/2003 12:23:03 AM
See this, for a midi guy, is NOT intuitive at all. Look how many steps :) 1. first you gotta get sound generators (since ACID doesn't come with them) 2. Double-click the VSTi in question in the Mixer. 3. Click the External MIDI Input Port button. 4. Choose your MIDI input 5. Close the VSTi window. 6. Go to record and in the Record window, 7. choose the VSTi under MIDI Thru. I haven't tried it yet (i'll try tomorrow) but how can this hold a candle up to Orion or Fruity. In fruity, step 1 is a breeze & steps 3, 4, & 7 are automatic since you set up your midi controller 1 time and thats it. Why these 4+ extra steps EVERY time i want to record new sounds, using my keyboard as a controller. It like, ACID is great to throw some loops down & make some audio. But to actually make a tune, with notes, you've got to go thru all this, every time you pick a VSTi. This is my complaint about its unintuitiveness. I want to create ambient tunes (with some vocals) more than I want to be assembling loops. thanks again |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: DataCowboy
Date:1/26/2003 1:02:26 AM
Then Acid is probably not what you are looking for. It is primarily designed as a loop-based sequencer, whereas Fruity Loops is an event (note on/off) sequencer. If you want to create long-form pieces with a process that is similar to traditional midi event sequencing, use Fruity Loops, Sonar, or some other primarly note based sequencer. Hexadecimal |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: stusy
Date:1/26/2003 1:59:29 PM
WHOA...! I need a second or third opinion on this; I just got the breath knocked out of me..! I ain't no "DJ writer"...you mean it's easier to use sonar then Acid..? |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: SHTUNOT
Date:1/26/2003 5:28:00 PM
---...you mean it's easier to use sonar then Acid..?--- Yes and no. In sonar 2.0 everything is routed for you when you choose your dxi synth. Your midi in/out,audio in/out and you are even given a preferences page to click/unclick any synth windows you wish to have open or not. Very good add on from 1.0. I posted a while ago as to why you have sooo many steps just to get a sound from a synth in acid. I guess we can expect it in the next revision. Though its not like I couldn't figure it out in a minute or so of tweaking around ;) BUT in acids defense I've had much better success with synths with acid from day 1!!! Honest. Could be the asio over cakes wdm config or something. It's just that I think I've spent more time tweaking my system to run well with sonar2+dxi's than when I first got acid 4.0 and just loaded a vsti synth+after the tweaks have never had to stop playing to adjust a "buffer" or what have you. Ed. |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: tascolas
Date:1/27/2003 8:37:39 PM
hey ash447- u wanna use orion and sonar ? what are u doing here then ? hehehehe .Probably u r a young dude around your early 20s ... i wish u a good time trying to figure out how on earth u spent this much money on a gr8 soundcard just to find out that u cant get past 20 millisecs of latency in Sonar using dxis... Orion ? well ... its a toy to use as a plug in a real prgrm like Acid .Dont get me wrong .Any platform that u can use to make music is gr8 coz music is gr8 - but in terms of features Orion should really be freeware or at least shareware . |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: tympanicfrenzy
Date:1/27/2003 8:53:52 PM
I agree acid does have a little too many steps to set things up, I have an easier time in logic, can anyone on here tell me how to set up a 4 bar metranome count in for real time recording in acid? |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: analoguekid
Date:1/27/2003 9:17:55 PM
set left margin of loop region to downbeat of bar Number 5 (blue thingy with the yellow flag) take any clicky sound like a clave or cross stick or cowbell or anything you feel comfortable with. draw in four bars of quarter notes. I would double or raise the pitch of the note that is beat one so you can distinguish the downbeat of the bar from the rest of the beats...hit record, select to start from begining of project (or you can move your click trick to four bars before your record start location) Name your file, what it's for, and the sound source (patch info) and store it in the project file with any other media for that project. (good idea to store any custom patches for any synths you're using there too...) HTH |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: coolout
Date:1/27/2003 10:37:23 PM
my two cents as an owner of acid pro, orion, and logic i think ash doesn't really get it. no music app is perfect. they all have they strengths and weaknesses. i personally dont think the vsti setup in acid pro is bad, it's just not perfect. they added a couple of steps that really weren't needed. why do you have to create a vsti list? why do you have select an external midi input AND enable real time midi just to hear something every time you insert a vsti? it's the same in orion and logic except in those programs they're GLOBAL settings. you set them once, or they're already configured for you, and thats it. you're done. at first i was like...duh...of course i want to enable real time midi. i selected the synth you idjit, of course i want to play it. then i realized midi/vsti is new to acid. it's not where it's strength lies although i do like the fact you can cut and paste midi just like audio loops. acid does audio editing and arrangement better and easier than any other app but if you want synths and vsti you're probably better off elsewhere for now. this is why getting rewire in acid pro is so important. it makes it where you can intergrate all these apps and you don't have to choose. |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: RasKeita
Date:1/28/2003 10:58:45 AM
I gotta agree with coolout. I also think that Reason is where ash477 probably should have looked in the first place. Acid can't be beat for ease of use, and audio looping but the whole MIDI implementation thing is a disaster. I prefer Sonar or Nuendo for MIDI. Reason can't be beat for what it offers, Fruity is great for what it does. As has been stated every application has it's strenghts and weaknesss. The point is there is no one program that does it all, that's exactly why there's things like Rewire, System Link. Even Nuendo, which comes closest to being an all in one program has several components. I've found I work best with the proper tools and through experimentation and use I've found the tools that work best for me...Level Vibes |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: liquid
Date:1/28/2003 11:40:52 AM
seems to me if you spent more time reading what acid is about, and less time bitching that it doesn'twork, you'd be much further ahead. |
|
Subject:RE: ACID S**KS, apparently
Reply by: tympanicfrenzy
Date:1/28/2003 3:02:07 PM
thanks for the metronome info, I didn't really think about a manuel setup, I kinda figured it was a given that they would put that feature in, I agree with the other comments acids vsti setup is crap, I was really excited when I heard acid 4 would support vsti, because no other program can touch the loop editing features like the stretch and beat chopper features not even the mighty logic. But man once I started trying to record some midi I realized how many common features they forgot to put in, like no real time control of plugins?? WtF is that all about, some plugins are kinda useless without realtime control. and what about overdub for midi parameters on your vsti tracks. oh well Im done bitching for now. |