Several years ago I invested in an awesome software synthesizer program called Gigasampler, which later became Gigastudio. The program played sampled instruments via MIDI (see our article What is MIDI? A Big Help in Home Music Recording, That’s What for a review of what MIDI is). These virtual instruments (yup, see our article Home Recording Awesomeness – Virtual Instruments) sound extremely authentic because they are, in fact, recorded samples from the actual instruments. They are not synthesized. I had dozens of instrument samples for Gigastudio and used them often in my recordings. Other folks had hundreds or thousands of samples made to be compatible with Gigastudio (the files had the .gig extention). And then Gigastudio went away – Poof! Their parent company, Tascam, decided not to support or update or sell the program any longer. Gah! That meant that thousands of people were stuck with huge libraries of sounds and no player.
A few companies came along and offered a player capable of playing these Gigastudio instruments, and one of them is G-Player by soundLib. They now have a new version, G-Player version 2, which offers a free upgrade if you own the first version. If you buy it new, the cost is $149.
I’m going to grab my copy today.
Recording Software
Techno Drum Tools Sample Pack By Samplephonics
Available in Rex2, Apple Loop, and 24-Bit WAV formats, this set of 135 techno drum loops is a great tool to get started with production. These samples show influence from classics including Dave Clarke, Ben Klock, and Umek. Samplephonics also still has a 50% Christmas sale, so even if techno drums aren’t your gig, take a look at their other samples. You won’t be disappointed.
You can get more information here: http://rekkerd.org/samplephonics-releases-techno-drum-tools/
Orchestral Strings One From Sound Magic Released
Instead of trying to find 32 professional musicians, why not give Orchestral Strings One a try? This software puts the sound of 14 violins, 10 violas, 8 cellos, and 6 double basses at your fingertips. The modeling technology used by Sound Magic in this software really helps the string ensemble come to life. The overall flow of sound that is so vital to a lifelike string sound is done very well, instead of the single-note sound of some sampling software. The hardware requirements are mild, and it offers Mac and Windows 64-bit support. Give it a try!
Read more about this software here: http://rekkerd.org/sound-magic-releases-orchestral-strings-one-vst-for-mac-concert-strings-preset/
KORG Legacy Collection update adds 64-bit cross-platform support
The KORG Legacy Collection compresses the cost and space of five KORG synthesizers into one piece of software. Keeping up with the technological times (and popular demand), KORG has updated the Legacy Collection to include support for 64-bit system architecture and operating systems for both Windows and Mac. If you already own the collection, the update is free. Otherwise, this is just one more reason in a long list to take a close look to see where this software might fit into your musical toolbox.
Get all the details here: http://musicindustrynewswire.com/korg-offers-64-bit-support-for-legacy-collection-software-on-both-mac-and-windows-platforms/
Analog Synthesizer For iPhone And iPad – Arctic Keys
Here is another cool music making app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch – Arctic Keys Virtual Analog Synthesizer. This is an instrument that emulates hardware synthesizers, which create sounds via oscillators. This one has two LFOs (low frequency oscillators) and the same kinds of controls you would expect from an analog synthesizer to create your own sounds by endless tweaking, including arpeggiator, 16×4 step sequencer, pitch and mod wheels.
You can save your performances as 16-bit 44.1KHz wav files or as MIDI files. And as with most iOS music apps, you then share it via one of several methods.
The app costs $4.99 in the Apple app store. For a complete description of the specs and features, see the article here: http://www.idesignsound.com/arctic-keys-virtual-analog-synthesizer-ipad/