boafzilla

Bump: Does anyone have any other proven methods for dedicating a machine to sample-hosting detail? Free/cheap methods really appreciated. Not actually there yet! I'm planning on building a Hackintosh.

Thank you for the recommendation, jordito! I can appreciate the very complete set of features VEP offers and I like the simple setup, but yes, the price is definitely a factor. What about using a Network Session to transmit MIDI to another computer running instruments in AU Lab (or similar)? Any idea if this has a low enough latency (given that the connection between computers is gigabit...)? edit: And I just found this thread... [TUTORIAL] Multi-Computer Setup (like VEP) I suppose I may be heading down the wrong path.

I've been jumping into the crazy (awesome) world of orchestral sample libraries recently and found that I could use some more horsepower. I have had plans of building a Hackintosh* for some time and am interested in hosting my samples on it (with my main machine running Logic). I've seen an app called ipMIDI (but never actually used it, fwiw), and I'm wondering if this is part of the solution? Any thoughts or questions are appreciated. And if you're so kind, please share your existing set-up! (* For the sake of clarity and argument, let's just say this is a legit 2x6-core Mac Pro with 32 gigs of ram and a couple of SSDs.)

For what it's worth, you can turn off this behavior ("snapping" to the beginning of the cycle region): right click on the play button in the transport bar and un-tick "Play Cycle".

Have you tried listening to your bounced material on more than one system (i.e. home stereo vs production system)? What about on systems on different electrical circuits?

If you are, in fact, running VSTs instead of AUs, I would highly recommend Symbiosis. http://code.google.com/p/symbiosis-au-vst/ It requires a bit of technical knowledge to set up, but the process is fairly straightforward. The VST and AU protocols are 99.9% the same so this is a very good method for getting .vst's to work in Logic (I run three plugins this way).

Yeah that sounds pretty good. I think it's a totally subjective thing, especially when you're approaching different genres (or subgenres, even!). The method I outlined is a pretty basic starting point. It's sort of like outlining the main components of a human figure in an illustration before drawing the detailed features. http://www.realcolorwheel.com/humanproportions.htg/2afiguredraw.gif

You're going to want to start breaking out separate instances of your synth of choice. The idea is that you have something along the lines of this .... Note Cent Pan Vol -12 -6 -12 -3 db lower than Root -12 +6 +12 -3 db lower 0 -3 -6 no change Root 0 0 no change 0 +3 +6 no change +12 -6 -12 -3 db lower +12 +6 +12 -3 db lower At some point you may even want to bounce these separate instances as individual samples and start nudging the +/-0 Note samples to the left or right by just a few samples. You can probably go overboard here at some point. Play around with the octave changes and detune/cent values. Panning might need some adjustment too (it's all off the top of my head)

All the god damn time. I hate that I feel like the only one in my house (+2 roommates) that gives a damn about creative pursuits... A very tough (and VERY personal) decision. This is probably asked by more creative folks that anybody else. I would bet you that almost every artist has this fear at some point. I mean, there are some very successful artists and entrepreneurs (these two worlds cross SO much) that follow exactly two steps: (1) idea, (2) success. These people have the DNA that basically eliminates that fear of "is it really worth it". They get from point A to point B without a bat of an eye. In short, you have to decide for yourself. Are you up to the task of being successful at what you do? On top of that, success is an entirely new discussion... But yeah.... all the time, man. Is it all worth it?

Diagnostics

Sounds awesome. Any idea if there is a video of that floating around?

Understood, Gravity Jim! I have been persuaded to try my hand at building my own cable. To quote my OT-edit: "Do you have any favorite online stores for cable-making materials/equipment?" I see some good-looking products at http://www.markertek.com/

Oh man, this post made my day. The first few seconds I was thinking "whaaaat?" and then it all made sense! Hahahaha

Thanks for the links guys. However, building cables seems to be a popular option. Is cost pretty much the benefit to doing so? I'm not an electrical engineer, but is it an approachable option for someone like me?

I quite like this guide on EQ: http://www.dnbscene.com/article/88-thinking-inside-the-box-a-complete-eq-tutorial Yes, it's geared to DnB but the concept applies to all forms of music. Read it. Own it. Be it.