Dear FXpansion,

[Funk Dracula]

Dear FXpansion,

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making Geist.

To me, there was life before Geist, and then life after Geist. I'm loving life after Geist. I've NEVER hit it off with a piece of software so completely right off the bat, it's just so.... perfect. Amazing work gentlemen.

You guys f**king rule.

Warm regards,

Funk

[dashbad]

I am also enjoying it, though find it quite CPU hungry when you pile on the fx/filters....

[TNM]

Geist is the most amazing piece of software i have bought this year for sure. Couldn't live without it!

[Hi PHi]

What do you guys like so much about it? What does it do better than, say, Ableton Drum Racks, Battery, Maschine, Nerve, R.P. Punch, etc.? What makes it so different?

[dashbad]

I've been using it in Logic. I've been a Battery user for many years and still love it. I bought Geist mainly for the sequencer but there are other things that are good about it. Some things that have struck me:

- The sequencer is super good, it's A LOT faster to add per note/step modulation of many many parameters than it is using Logic's piano roll or hypereditor. The presets and controls for the automation graphs are amazing
- I didn't think I'd use it but the sampling workflow is very useful. I've been sampling synth sounds and sequencing them in Geist to use the modulation options
- The FX are all top notch, especially the filters which I much prefer to those in Battery
- I find layering and editing samples on a single pad to be much easier and more intuitive than in Battery
- The browser is really good and beats Battery hands down in terms of speed and functionality

Where Battery still wins is in CPU usage and the fact that you can have A LOT of cells. It also has a simpler and more streamlined workflow thanks to the fact that doesn't have a sequencer.

I don't really use loops so can't comment on that.

[Simonator]

Originally Posted by dashbad

I've been using it in Logic. I've been a Battery user for many years and still love it. I bought Geist mainly for the sequencer but there are other things that are good about it. Some things that have struck me:

- The sequencer is super good, it's A LOT faster to add per note/step modulation of many many parameters than it is using Logic's piano roll or hypereditor. The presets and controls for the automation graphs are amazing
- I didn't think I'd use it but the sampling workflow is very useful. I've been sampling synth sounds and sequencing them in Geist to use the modulation options
- The FX are all top notch, especially the filters which I much prefer to those in Battery
- I find layering and editing samples on a single pad to be much easier and more intuitive than in Battery
- The browser is really good and beats Battery hands down in terms of speed and functionality

Where Battery still wins is in CPU usage and the fact that you can have A LOT of cells. It also has a simpler and more streamlined workflow thanks to the fact that doesn't have a sequencer.

I don't really use loops so can't comment on that.

Interesting.

Die hard Battery addict here, also in Logic. Keep hearing lots of good about this & Nerve.

I'm not feeling I'm lacking anything, but threads like this make me curious to check.

I already own BFD & DCAM Synth Squad, both are excellent.

'it's A LOT faster to add per note/step modulation' sounds interesting... am I understanding this correctly... it sounds almost like the 'accent' button on a 303 sequencer?... you can highlight specific cells to change their mod set-up relative to other hits on the same sound? Sounds good for making vibrant patterns.

[dashbad]

Originally Posted by Simonator

Interesting.

Die hard Battery addict here, also in Logic. Keep hearing lots of good about this & Nerve.

I'm not feeling I'm lacking anything, but threads like this make me curious to check.

I already own BFD & DCAM Synth Squad, both are excellent.

'it's A LOT faster to add per note/step modulation' sounds interesting... am I understanding this correctly... it sounds almost like the 'accent' button on a 303 sequencer?... you can highlight specific cells to change their mod set-up relative to other hits on the same sound? Sounds good for making vibrant patterns.

I was in the same boat. I get on great with Logic and Battery - but hey, it's never about 'need'.....

regarding Modulation its exactly as you describe and VERY useful. You can get an idea of how it works here:



It is exceptionally quick to automate anything from velocity to panning to filter cutoff for each step, very precisely and also program shapes/curves for the whole pattern.

I find its very easy to get a nicely detailed and intricately programmed pattern down and a lot quicker than just sequencing in logic with Battery.

Ultrabeat actually does the same but what always turned me off ultrabeat was that it wasn't easy to shift individual notes 'off grid' very easily (other than just adding swing). Its very easy with Geist as you can shift notes using one of the automation lanes.

The trade off with all this is that you then have to sequence patterns in the Logic Arrange page and quickly laying down minor edits to a pattern (removing a kick drum here, adding a snare there) is a bit more convoluted as you have to create a new pattern in geist with the edit, then be sure you are triggering this in the arrange page. Not a massive ballache, just something to get used to.

[PRODIJ]

Originally Posted by Hi PHi

What do you guys like so much about it? What does it do better than, say, Ableton Drum Racks, Battery, Maschine, Nerve, R.P. Punch, etc.? What makes it so different?

+1...

[awhitman audio]

it is a sampling machine! love it. it just has everything right there sand it works very well.

[awhitman audio]

Originally Posted by dashbad

The trade off with all this is that you then have to sequence patterns in the Logic Arrange page and quickly laying down minor edits to a pattern (removing a kick drum here, adding a snare there) is a bit more convoluted as you have to create a new pattern in geist with the edit, then be sure you are triggering this in the arrange page. Not a massive ballache, just something to get used to.

you can drag the sequences into logic just like ultrabeat! drag and drop then edit illogic!

[dashbad]

Originally Posted by awhitman audio

you can drag the sequences into logic just like ultrabeat! drag and drop then edit illogic!

This doesn't capture all the automation though as far as I can tell

[awhitman audio]

you might be right. i just use the scene mode mostly. works like live in logic. very nice.

[atimchak]

To the OP - I was actually thinking about writing an identical post last week when I had a particularly creative session.

I used Guru before and it was good but Geist is MILES better, so fast, sounds so great, and so deep that I now KNOW I have a drum machine that will do everything I need (and probably everything I haven't yet imagined) for years to come.

Well done Fxpansion. Totally worth the price of admission.

[Rozzer]

Originally Posted by dashbad

This doesn't capture all the automation though as far as I can tell

It should do. Geist automatically creates midi cc# bindings for each automation graph used and then prints that into the exported midi part. Of course editing them in midi is nowhere near as intuitive as editing them in Geist itself, but the automation should playback just as it did in Geist.

[gizeh12]

Because of this topic, i bought geist yesterday.
There are things i like, but there are also a few annoying things.
Since i upgraded to the latest version, you cant draw and delete notes without going back and forth between the select tool all the time. This is so enormously damaging to my workflow that i find myself use ultrabeat in stead.

If anyone got a tip on how to overcome this ild love to hear.

[mixcha]

Originally Posted by gizeh12

Because of this topic, i bought geist yesterday.
There are things i like, but there are also a few annoying things.
Since i upgraded to the latest version, you cant draw and delete notes without going back and forth between the select tool all the time. This is so enormously damaging to my workflow that i find myself use ultrabeat in stead.

If anyone got a tip on how to overcome this ild love to hear.

If you learn to use the multi-tool you can draw, delete, move notes etc all with the same tool...i.e. to draw a note left button, to delete right click holding Alt. Its all in the manual, and its use is covered in a couple of the vids on the FXpansion website

[shadowelectronic]

FXpansion is the best software developer out there right now in my eyes. DCAM Synth Squad is incredible and I've heard nothing but great things about Geist. It's going to be my next purchase for sure! Awesome stuff coming out of their company...now they just need to create their own DAW that fully integrates all this stuff

[dashbad]

Since I gushed about Geist in this thread a while back I've had a few issues in Logic. Namely a couple of bugs related to Geist sometimes missing the first beat of the bar and offline bounce not working correctly.

FXPansion have been responsive and positive about providing fixes for these issues in forthcoming updates so I'm not too worried but thought it worth mentioning here for those thinking of taking the plunge on what is quite a pricey instrument.

[mike vee]

looks good but i will never abandon BPM...for me the workflow is stunning in BPM + Cubase. Also, i find that building my drum patterns in the drum plugin and all of my synth lines in the daw edit window gets to be a real pain because you cant see everything at once. even though you can drag it over still a bit of a pain perhaps.


Looks awesome though and sort of reminds me of this.

[Ham]

geez, i dont even use a sampler or anything and im in logic. i prefer to have all my hats/claps/kicks in audio. Only bad side is that I miss out on groove/swing functions of samplers, but im getting good at manually syncopating my audio files. Maybe i should check this geist out!

[bobule]

love geist! the processing section is ace.. just wish there was a modulation matrix, the mod lanes get on my tits!

fxpansion ftw