Macintosh OSX plugins & DAW !

[ze kink]

Yeah, I loved Reaper on PC, but on OSX it isn't as good somehow. It's still everything I use though, but I've been thinking about switching to Logic.

 

[MdiMonk]

I still stay w/ Logic Pro 7.2.3 and it is GREAT, I will head to L8 as soon as Apple gives the program so more respect with real bug fixes.

 

[GarethSE]

I'm total Anti-Logic, but I have to admit, I do love Logic's synths and sampler.

I was doing some sequencing coursework at college the other day, and I had a piano patch going, just a preset, and I swear that shit sounded NIGH ON FUCKING REAL.
Amazing shit.

 

[greyskull]

Pro tools le is good value for money since the 8 upgrade.
The included synths i think are better than logics.
And the included plugins are awesome.

At the end of the day, theres no One DAW to rule and bind them all, but its what you can do with what you use.
For me thats Pro tools.

 

[sethh]

thanks a lot guys! got some good advice here

anyone heard yet if Logic 9 and Snow Leopard will bring a fully functional 64-bit system? i'm trying to decide if to upgrade my MBP Penryn to 4GB or 6GB RAM... the computer itself w/ Leopard supports 6GB, but i've heard that using plugins in Logic 8 can be very buggy with over 4GB of memory installed...

 

[jipchen]

I tried Cubase 4 on the Mac and then Logic 8.. -> I chose Logic.
Cubase is a cool programm and i used it with Windows but Logic is faster, easier, looks better, sounds better.. etc
I really love it.

btw: VST's in Logic 8 will be very buggy because they're simply not supported

 

[sethh]

btw: VST's in Logic 8 will be very buggy because they're simply not supported

whoops

i'm still used to the PC-terminology! fixed the post.

 

[Let it burn...]

when you go protools, get the VST -> RTAS wrapper to use Stillwell plugins and the Sonicbirth IR reverb

 

[006]

I downloaded the new Reaper beta for OS X the other night and tried to use it...holy shit. I felt like a total noob. I thought the UI was incredibly confusing. Just not for me I guess.

You aren't the only one haha.

I use Cubase 4.whateverthelatestupdateis on both my G5 and my PowerBook G4. On the PBG4 I'm running 10.5.latest, on the G5 I have a HD with 10.4.11 and a drive with 10.5.latest, both have C4 installed and work equally well. No issues to date. Out of Logic, PT, Digital Performer and Cubase I'd say Cubase is definitely the most resource efficient. Reaper I think would be a little better at handling it but I don't dig Reaper too much. You really need to see if you can try them out. Each one has a different workflow and learning curve, but all offer pretty much the same features, including the basic ones like...a record button. I program drums quite a bit and the drum editor feature alone will keep me happy as a Cubase user. No other DAW has it and it's a the best tool if you program a lot.

As for plug-ins...

• BitterSweetII (free) is a great transient designer type of plug-in, makes drums super punchy if you slap it on your drum bus, or on the master bus for the whole mix. I sometimes use it on guitar DI's before going out to the amp to get a little more aggressive transient out of the guitar tracks.

• Stillwell's plug-ins are fantastic. The Event Horizon limiter is my go-to limiter these days. The Rocket Compressor is nice on vocals and drum busses, has a built-in parallel compression feature to add girth to your drums or vocals as well. You may like it on the 2bus too. The 1973 and Vibe EQs are nice, although I feel the Vibe EQ adds a little coloring even with everything on zero. Finally, they have a transient plug-in called Transient Monster. This adds a few extra features compared to BitterSweetII such as a "sustain" knob if you want to kill the tail end of a snare, etc. Now...they are not free, however the demo versions have unlimited use, but they nag the first time you add them to a track and every once in a while after that. They aren't terribly expensive to begin with though...

• Mellowmuse also has a few plug-ins for about $50 each. They have an EQ, stereo compressor, guitar amp & FX modeler and a good convolution reverb which I demo'ed last night. I am using the IR1A (conv. verb) to load guitar cabinet impulses into. So far it sounds better than MKIII's loader using the same impulses. For $50 each they are great bang-for-your-buck plugs, just like the StillWell stuff.

• Voxengo's Mac offerings include the praised Elephant, also a vocal-oriented channel strip with FFT EQ and built-in de-esser and simple compressor, among other plug-ins. A really cool one is the LF Max Punch which is much like the Waves MaxxBass/RBass, giving some nice phatness when you need it. Easy to overdo it though

Other than those you can check out KVR Audio and just search for OSX compatible plugs, they have a very extensive database. And don't forget that pretty much every single DAW nowadays has a slew of built-in plugs like EQ, compression, reverb, delay, limiter, etc....so it's not like you will be empty handed.

 

[rcg]

My opinion, the best sounding DAW ever is Pro Tools and second Logic on Mac. I don't like Cubase, Nuendo etc.

 

[006]

the best sounding DAW ever is Pro Tools and second Logic on Mac.

 

[Let it burn...]

i strongly prefer pro tools' workflow over logic's


but hey, that's just me

 

[sethh]

thanks very much for the input guys!

but still, would anyone happen to know anything for certain about the following subject:

anyone heard yet if Logic 9 and Snow Leopard will bring a fully functional 64-bit system? i'm trying to decide if to upgrade my MBP Penryn to 4GB or 6GB RAM... the computer itself w/ Leopard supports 6GB, but i've heard that using plugins in Logic 8 can be very buggy with over 4GB of memory installed...