Samplitude Pro X (Opinions) ?
 

Hi,

Any user opinions on 'Samplitude Pro X' ? http://pro.magix.com/en/samplitude/overview.459.html i.e. What makes 'Object Oriented Editing' so special, can someone explain this ? and is it relatively easy to learn/work with ? does it have a fast workflow ? Is it very stable and efficient ?

Being a Cubase 6.5 user, what are most useful features that you think 'Samplitude Pro X' will offer me that Cubase 6.5 does not currently have ?

I also could not find out if 'Samplitude Pro X' has a feature that resembles the 'Arranger Track' in Cubase ? or any other type of 'Pattern-Mode' editing ? so... is it restricted to a pure-linear method of constructing/editing sections of a song ? and does it offer a Video-Track to be able to score to video ?

I also noticed that it is not one of the more popular DAWs in the U.S., maybe more popular in Europe (I wonder why ?) , and it has a pretty expensive price tag when compared to other DAWs. So, I was wondering if I should consider it as another option to Cubase 6.5. or just stick to Cubase 6.5 ?

Some feedback on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Muziksculp

Check out my videos about it, it will fill in the blanks and let you know about object based editing:

TimDolbearMagix - YouTube

Introduction To Samplitude - Digital audio recording workstation - YouTube

Samplitude is a very mature and quite complete audio production environment. The name change to Pro X obscures the fact that this is really Samplitude version 12, so this program has been around a long time. The fact that it's more popular in Europe is partly due to the fact that its parent company is based in Germany. They never really figured out how to crack the US market before Pro Tools consumed all the commercial oxygen. Consequently, the user base here consists a smaller number of very serious users rather than a large number of casual ones. Users of Samplitude (and/or its big sister Sequoia) include several major broadcast networks.

Samplitude aspires (and often succeeds) in being an all-in-one audio production environment, meaning you can go from virtual instrument sketches to live tracking, editing, mixing, and mastering all in the same program. The tool set is very complete, including standard signal processing, spectral editing, drum editing, and pitch correction. Upscale versions add extended sample libraries, more video support, and 4-point (classical) editing.

The most important feature (for me) of object-oriented editing is that your original audio is never touched. You can process it, cut it up, move it around and save different versions, but the original files will always be there. Standard processing and fades are done in real time during playback. There is no separate rendering step, so what you burn on CD will sound like what you just heard in playback. Certain CPU-intensive tasks (e.g. spectral noise reduction) are done offline, but you never leave the program and you can always revert to the original version. In recent years, other DAW's have started to get a bit more object-oriented, but they are still in catch-up mode. The "Clip Gain" feature in Pro Tools 10? It's been in Samplitude since 1995.

Object-oriented audio production (like object-oriented programming!) requires a bit of mental adjustment. At first, you'll have occasions when you just can't find what you assumed was a standard DAW feature. Then you'll ask in the users forum (great resource, nice people) or look at a tutorial video and end up slapping your forehead when you realise that you no longer even need that feature because there's another workflow that is so much simpler.

New features arrive in numbered major releases. In between these, there are typically two to three maintenance releases which fix problems and sometimes add a feature or two that missed the big release. As a matter of policy, I usually wait for the first maintanence release.

I can't give you much in the way of comparisons to Cubase, because I don't use it. I've been using Samplitude/Sequoia almost exclusively for well over a dozen years. What I can say is that you're going to be thrilled by the difference in audio quality. I probably should have made this point in a private message because I don't want to start a flame war. Received wisdom on this forum is that all DAW's sound identical because "it's just math". Well, I do mathematical programming for a living so I know how hard it actually is to get right. I've even written my own dither and sample rate conversion code... never again! It's true that you can find very limited summing bus tests which "prove" that all DAW's do the same exact thing (as long as that thing isn't particularly complicated). I accept those "null" tests as proof that most programmers of major audio software can now code a mixer (especially if the faders aren't moving). Ask yourself this: If EQ and compression algorithms are so easy to do well, why are there so many different plug-ins? If sample rate conversion is so easy, why does so much of it sound horrible? Real audio production involves so much more than the summing bus that all I can say is this: Try Samplitude for yourself. Do a whole project in it and make your own decision.

If you are new to this program I urge you to take 2 steps.
#1 Go to Youtube and watch all the video's done by Kraznet and also Tim Dolber. Both are great resources. Kraznet video's can help you see the different work flow and how great this program is.
#2 AFTER watching the video's download the demo.
Samplitude is extremely powerful and stable. I really wish the Magix company would hire an American advertising company because they have little to no advertising and it's always been this way.

Hello,

Thanks for all your valuable feedback regarding Samplitude Pro X.

I have a feeling I will really like it cooge

As recommended, I will check out the tutorial videos, and eventually try the 30 day free-demo version, and see how that goes.

Does the full advanced version use a dongle authorization, or just a challenge-response type of authorization ?

Cheers,

Muziksculp

Interesting... but why would they ignore such a huge market like the U.S. ? They seem to have great products, what's the issue of finding a good marketing/distributor firm to help them expand their sales into the U.S. Pro-Audio marketplace ? kind of puzzling they are ignoring it.

Magix has always tried to keep full control over everything. Unfortunately they do not understand the American market and have only done weird things that don't help their cause. For example Cubase has a logo that you have seen for a long time and recognize. Same with PT or Avid. Magix has a new logo with each release. ??? This does not effect the software in the least but it makes it hard to recognize what you are seeing. Several mags that review the software rave about the power this platform has. Magix has never taken advantage of any of this. Strange.

@KRStudio, Yup very strange indeed, especially for a company with so much going for it in terms of great set of products.

A good banner adv. on Gearslutz.com would be a good start cooge, and as you mentioned, they should stick to one logo to develop their brand-identity.

Dear Rick,
The clip gain in Pro Tools is a bit more advanced than the static one in Sequoiatude. Aside from adjusting the whole clip, you can draw curves just as with regular volume automation.
That said, the object editing is miles ahead of PT of course.

I use both but mostly sequoia (Samp's big bro)

My first copy of Samplitude came on a floppy disc, and I've never looked back. And the object-oriented model was there from the start. Of course everyone thinks their DAW is "the best", but I have noticed over the years that Samp often seems to incorporate ideas before anyone else. Were they the first to offer convolution reverb (mid-ninteys)?

The EQ interface is a joy to use -- I have to stay with Samp for that feature alone.

Of course, if they had any marketing sense at all, they would have changed the name years ago. And not to Sequoia. jkthtyrt

I read that Magix is developing a Mac version of Samplitude, Maybe this will help them enter the U.S. market with more muscle, and steam. but they will still need a good marketing strategy for advertising, and distribution.

I feel they should have developed the Mac side of Samplitude a few years ago, and should have been grabbing a big sector of the current DAW market already. Oh.. well, I guess nothing is perfect abduction

Many Great Products, with Poor Marketing , and Many OK Products, with Great Marketing

They haven't, they just do not approach marketing in an effective way. My guess is that the cost is prohibitive for such a small division of a much larger company.

One of the Samp reps tried to get me interested for a very long time. I was happy with what I was using, and not really interested in learning a new program. But finally he prevailed upon me to give it a shot, and though it took me a while to wrap my head around it, once I did I converted to Sequoia and never looked back. I used to beta test for several of the major players and I'm familiar with making that change, I didn't want to do it. But the Samp paradigm 'fit' me pretty well once I gave it a chance.

It is always difficult to break a paradigm, to successfully make a change you have to be ready to make a change and give up the old ways.

I think that most converts come from other users. I know that at least three other people have bought Samp after seeing me use it. I watched one of the reps blow away the audience of invited professionals at a university, the result being that one of the local TV stations, a Pro Tools house, bought several licenses. It is much harder to grasp what is in front of you without someone to show you the power. You see it in action, it is pretty impressive.

Which is the point to watching the videos. Tim and Kraznet have done a great job of showing how well the program works.

I also want to mention that the on board effects are pretty nice too and keep getting better. And that several mastering rooms use Samp or Sequoia. The company is always improving the product and offering 'deep' features having to do with mastering, film work, as well as the more musician-friendly variety like the Vandal guitar software.

I come from an very unbiased opinion about Samplitude Pro X because I never had tried any workstation at the time I compared : Reaper , Mixbus ,
Presonus , Tracktion 3 . First impressions told me Samplitude easily took
me to where I wanted to be sonically and then I really felt comfortable with
the workflow which I grew to like even more . But , since I'm OSX and Mio
(Metric Halo) for an interface I have to wait for the new version of Samp
hopefully coming this summer or by the end of 2012 . I recently switched
from PC to Mac and currently using Reaper with Mio Console and ULN8
which to me sounds great combined but when and if Magix releases their
OSX version It's gonna be hard to not jump ship because of my experience
with the demo of Samplitude Pro X . kfhkh

Ah, fair point. That's more like Object Automation which I think arrived in Samplitude version 10. So I guess PT is right on schedule... :lol:

David

Sorry, stable???

we actually lost a client because Samplitude was crashing every half an hour!

Back to Cubase and all is fine..

I'm sorry you had stability issues. I have about 15 clients that now use Sam and a few have had issues when starting. I have always been able to help them fix what was wrong and every single time it was a driver issue from another piece of gear or VST plug issue or an improper setup (pilot error). Stuff like the virus protection being left on. I've been using Sam since V2.5 and never had stability issues. I can't afford down time either.

I wonder what the total number of Samplitude/Sequoia users tallies up to in the U.S. ? Any guesses ?

I wasn't able to find the answer to this question:

Does Samplitude offer any non-linear editing feature i.e. (Pattern-Based editing), or something similar to the 'Arranger Track' in Cubase 6 ? or is Samplitude quite restricted to a linear format of editing a project/song ?

Any feedback on this would be appreciated. I feel this is an important feature that is overlooked by some DAWs. But not sure if Samplitude has anything similar.

Thanks,
Muziksculp

Because Samplitude/Sequoia is object-based (maybe even more so than just track-based), then it rapidly becomes obvious that Samplitude IS an arranger. Just swap objects around and freeze/render tracks and/or objects as desired. Very fast.

It's actually much more dynamic than a basic arrangement-oriented approach, since the objects can be self-contained (with their own EQ, plugins, pan, volume, etc.), so you can really get into some deep setups that are very flexible and responsive.

I would say that it's object-oriented 'arrangement' approach is why many mastering engineers choose Samplitude and Sequoia.

I've been using it as my main DAW since the floppy days as well (around V4), and have had it running on many systems over the years, and it's always been reliable.

Greg

Thanks for the helpful feedback.

Sounds like it offers a pretty dynamic, and very flexible working environment, even when building the structure of a song. I feel that's a very important detail to keep my creative ideas moving forward when using a DAW.

I have not had a chance to check any of the recommended Samplitude Pro X video tutorials yet, to get a better grasp of what Samplitude pro X can offer. (i.e. compared to Cubase 6.5 or other popular DAWs). but will do so, and post some feedback here.

Cheers,
Muziksculp yingyang

hi I've been using it for about ten years now in all it's various incarnations,and i think it is the best value package around,and the sound quality is second to none.the plug-ins are not just padding like with some other packages,they are world-class!
get 5 stars from me,i always dread having to work with poop tools in my friends studio's.
the workflow on samp is just so much better!
just my 2 cents worth......damb G.A.S!

Thanks !

A simple question to Samplitude users :

How did you decide on using Samplitude instead of the other commercially popular DAWs on the market (i.e. Cubase, Logic, DP, Studio One, Live, Pro Tools, ...etc.) ? Since it is so easy to pick one of the other DAWs that seem to be getting more buzz, and it's developers have more marketing $ spent promoting them compared to Magix promotion of Samplitude/Sequoia.

I hope I'm not asking too many questions :)

For me the decision was easy. I hated Protools and everything about it. Around 98-99 you had to render every move. 1 undo was all you had. And of course you were always tied to PT hardware. We were trying out an Aardvark ADDA unit and it came with Sam. You could record, mix, and master with no other program. It was 32 bit mix. They invented 32 bit BTW. I immediately saw the power of object editing and never looked back. The editing is AMAZING. Back then it was owned by another company. They never advertised anywhere accept through Aardvak hardware. Strange company with great software. Also every mag that did reviews rave about it!

Awesome, haven't seen that. I'm no Sequoiatude expert, I just know enough to get by. Will look this up, thanks for the tip!

I've been making music on computers since the emergence of the Mac and PC. (I pre-date the C-MU MIDI ToolKit.) Being early to the game and at that time being fairly conversant with the existing computer technology, I was often asked to beta test emerging and existing DAW softwares and hardware. I used or tested or at least evaluated almost every DAW out there. I had my favorite, was happily using it and running a profitable studio based around it and a couple of helper apps. I wanted to get the whole works in one integrated package. That is the only reason I even considered looking at something different.

At first I did not understand the power of Object oriented editing. The program has immense power even discounting that feature, but so do several other DAWs. However, an Object is much different from the usual selected EDL region as approached by most other manufacturers... though many have been attempting to copy what Magix has, as consumers ask for these features.

No single DAW is the right answer for everybody. Samplitude/Sequoia is the right answer for me.

Have used Samp since v5 until recently. It's a wonderful program but still does things in it's own convoluted way. Takes extra steps to do things that take one step in other daws. No mute automation for a program with so many advanced features is ridiculous. Each version seems to get more complex. Object editing is the best and CD compilation/mastering features are great even though the CD text feature never works on any other CD player.

Used Samp for CD compilation/burning, etc. for years. Now we use Studio One v2.

For me it was one of the first true audio editing tools while the rest were more MIDI exclusive. This was a long time ago.

I've also been requested to use Live on a show where the producer requested it, so I know Live at a pretty deep level, and have spent many sessions over the years with seasoned Pro Tools engineers, and I still come back to Samplitude because it's so much faster (and NOT because I'm more experienced with it). Ive dabbled in others along the way, but they really just don't compare.

I also know a couple engineers who keep Sequoia around as their secret weapon.kfhkh

G

where can you get it now in the US? i just checked sweetwater again as i bought it from them before and it says its no longer available

i om on a mac and will stay there so i am waiting for the new version.

Try these guys:

Magix Samplitude Pro X

Vintage King also carries it.