Where to move on from Magix? (Songwriter needs a daw for creating melodies)

[John Willett]

If you like Magix, just move up to the professional version - Samplitude Pro X - it should be easy to use as it uses the same basic engine and comes with everything you need.

It's a great program.

[MorningOreo]

Samplitude looks a bit intimidating, to be honest. How's the learning curve on it? Is it intuitive? That's really important to me and one of the reasons why I didn't like Ableton. Around 900€ its pretty expensive too!

[John Willett]

Originally Posted by MorningOreo

Samplitude looks a bit intimidating, to be honest. How's the learning curve on it? Is it intuitive? That's really important to me and one of the reasons why I didn't like Ableton. Around 900€ its pretty expensive too!

I found it pretty intuitive and liked it so much I eventually upgraded to the top version, "Sequoia".

As you are already used to Magix I would have thought that Magix Samplitude would be very intuitive for you.

You can get a free trial version to try it out - look HERE.

[MorningOreo]

After checking out a few videos of the program on Youtube, it is indeed very similar to Magix. Some of the features still look intimidating though, haha. But that's ok! The most important things I loved about Magix seem to be on Samplitude, so that's good.

Did you buy the Samplitude you had from Magix or an online store? (Lots of price differences all around.)

Also, do you know what kind of keyboard would go best with Samplitude? My old keyboard broke and Im looking to buy a new one, but don't have any idea whether to buy a Midi one or not, since I have no experience with them. Would a Midi make working with the program easier? -edit- Been doing some research and seems like a daw controller would help a lot too, but question is; Midi keyboard or daw controller?

[siriusbliss]

Magix' Music Maker - if that's what you're referring to - has the soundpools drop-in feature for using audio/MIDI loops (with transcriptions, etc.).

Well, you'll be happy to know that these same soundpools will work in Samplitude.

Most of the approach that Music Maker has is included in Samplitude - only that Samplitude has higher-end plugins included for mix and mastering.

Hope that helps.

Good luck,

G

[Greg B]

Yes, the answer is, Don't leave Magix! Just upgrade to the Magix software that makes since. I switched to Samplitude back in version 8 and now use Sequoia for most projects. ProTools only gets used when I need to open a ProTools project started in another studio, and same with Sonar, Logic, etc. I find Sequoia to be the most powerful and intuitive for me. So nice to do tracking, editing, mixing, and mastering all in the same DAW environment.

[MorningOreo]

Im really glad to see so much support for Magix products around here! I feared that perhaps people here would consider the Magix Music Maker to be a "kiddy" program, but like I said, Im a singer/songwriter, not an engineer or a mixer, and I just need a simple program to help me along with the creation of melodies.

I'd still like to know whether or not to go with a midi keyboard or a DAW controller for the program, since I assume these will help workflow. I also noticed that some Midi Keyboards come with Samplitude Se program and such, but there seem to be no Midi Keyboards/Daw controllers specifically for Samplitude, like there is for Native Instruments and such...

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by MorningOreo

Im really glad to see so much support for Magix products around here! I feared that perhaps people here would consider the Magix Music Maker to be a "kiddy" program, but like I said, Im a singer/songwriter, not an engineer or a mixer, and I just need a simple program to help me along with the creation of melodies.

I'd still like to know whether or not to go with a midi keyboard or a DAW controller for the program, since I assume these will help workflow. I also noticed that some Midi Keyboards come with Samplitude Se program and such, but there seem to be no Midi Keyboards/Daw controllers specifically for Samplitude, like there is for Native Instruments and such...

There are quite a few control surfaces that work with Samplitude, but most guys I know that have used Samplitude for a long time have just learned to be fast with a mouse and keyboard shortcuts. So if you already have a Midi Keyboard with control features, try that out with Samplitude and see if you find it useful. You'll either prefer the mouse and keyboard method, or you'll want to move up to a more full-featured control surface.

[siriusbliss]

There's also Samplitude Producer, which is a scaled-down version of Samplitude/Sequoia, with similar features to both Music Maker and ProX.

But if Music Maker is already working for you, and you know it, then why move on? It DOES handle VST's. Or even take a look at Music Maker Premium??...

Anyways, good luck.

Greg

[MorningOreo]

Greg B, I have no midi keyboard yet, though Im looking for one. Though I've never had one before, Im finding it incredibly difficult to choose one, since all Midi Keyboards seem to come with some defect or another. Either the pads don't work, the keys are horrible and this and that. Akai MPK61 according to many comes with crappy pads and some say there are some issues with the keys too...

When my old Casio Keyboard was still working, I just connected it to the computer with a midi to usb cable.

Siriusbliss,
I have Magix Music Maker 17 Premium, which I have bought a bunch of soundpool dvd's and stuff for, but the VST's and such on it (Vita, Revolta) are just not quality wise particularly that great if you're not into dance or synth-based dance music. Im more into folk-ambient/industrial + orchestral!

The thing that Im finding attractive about the Samplitude Pro X suite is that it comes with a 70 GB Premium Sound Library (Independence Sampler Workstation) and a bunch of loops, but I was thinking that if I buy the Pro X version, which is obviously much cheaper, could I just buy another sound library for it and VST instruments? Native Instruments has a bunch, but they seem to work only with Kontakt, which seems to be the case for a bunch of other sampler stations.

This whole music making thing just keeps getting more complicated by the day...I feel like going back to working with an old tape recorder. Geez.

[PMF]

I use both samp (still on v11) mainly for tracking and Cubase 6.5.3 for composing. I find the interface, VST's and VSTi's better in Cubase for composing and song writing than in Samp.

Samp is a lot faster and for a real band session, IMHO more stable.

Its a matter of taste/priorities and how your like your workflow.

For Midi Keyboards try the M-audio Axiom pro Series. They have both USB and Midi in/out connectors.

[FLYINGJAY]

Cubase and logic for composing here!

Logic suck at tracking.

Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz App

[phas3d]

Originally Posted by FLYINGJAY

Logic suck at tracking.

Sent from my PC36100 using Gearslutz App

Maybe you're doing something wrong. Works great here

[MorningOreo]

Still testing Samplitude, haven't made a choice on whether or not to buy it. Seems like there are some issues with the program 'Independence' that comes with it, which is one of the reasons why I would be buying the program in the first place. Anyways, the program seems intuitive, which is good. Im going to record some vocals and see how the reverb and such work on it.

PMF, how is the quality on the Axiom? It comes with pads, but do they work? And the keys? Is it good for orchestral/ambient/industrial music? Would Axiom work with Samplitude or will I have to configure the controls manually?

[PMF]

I havent bought the Axiom yet because my master keyboard, an old Yamaha DX-7, is still working... but the Axiom is definitely next on my list.

I dont know if there are any Key Maps for Samp. Most likely you'd have to program the keys in Samp yourself. Have a look on the m-audio website for more information and for the supported DAW's.

Sorry I dont have more Info.

[MorningOreo]

PMF, alright. Thanks a bunch! And thank you to everyone else too! Really glad I registered here.