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I'm in the process of putting together a very basic recording set up on my Dual 867 running OS X 10.2.6

I intend to use Cubase SL with some kind of midi module, but I have been toying with the idea of getting a second-hand keyboard to use as a sound source.

Does anyone use an old keyboard for midi sounds, and if so, are there any pitfalls?

Comments

anonymous Mon, 06/30/2003 - 10:55

Hi Nate

I am looking for General MIDI sounds - just to sketch ideas, mainly for pop ballads . Having said that, I have been looking at virtual synths and they might be more appealing due to the lack of wiring and cable mess..

I often see old digital keyboards in the local papers, but I am worried that compatibility with OS X might be a problem. Do you use OS X?

Nate Tschetter Mon, 06/30/2003 - 12:31

Howdy

Well, for simply writing, GM is fine and _nearly_ any GM thing is fine. I'd look into a simple portable keyboard for that. Something super basic like a Yamaha PSR-510.

If you have a laptop and want more sounds that will get to the final mix, look into softsynths. There's lots of them. A sampler (like GigaStudio, HALion, Kontakt, etc) and a couple of "synths" (Absynth, FM7, whatever) will go a long ways.

Compatability of hardware between OSX and synths shouldn't be a problem.

gdoubleyou Mon, 06/30/2003 - 21:42

And before you purchase SL, check out the forums at Cubase.net.
http://forum.cubase.net/cgi-bin/cubase.net/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Cubase+for+Macintosh&number=1

Also this thread.
(Dead Link Removed)

All of my hardware synths are vintage, my main axe is guitar so I can't justify the cost of the latest and greatest.

By using an app like Unisyn or Sound Diver I come up with my own unique sounds. Most people never explore the programming capabilities of their synths,
and rely on factory presets.

Or you can go self-contained with soft-synths.
I purchased an iBook700 in April, with Logic5.5 and Oxygen8 was able to compose while on a trip to europe.

DP4 and Logic6 have "freeze" functions that turns synth tracks and efx into audio freeing up your cpu. :D

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