Anyon running standalone software synths (VSTi's)

[TroyP]

Matt,

I just remembered something else. Brian Bergman (sp?) who plays keys for Charlie Hall has been playing softsynths (NI stuff) for quite a while. He used a Nord Electro, so he'd have backup sounds, but said mostly he played Absynth. You can email him at info@charliehall.com

I've done this a couple times and he answered pretty quickly.

[dougfarrar]

I would REALLY recommend Ableton Live as your basic program. Not only does it have some great basic sounds in it, it is also designed to be used live, so it is set up great for triggering what they call "scenes."

In my set up, each song is a "scene." When I trigger that scene it can have virtual instruments, a click for the drummer at the programmed tempo, loops, midi to a hardware synth or lighting, etc. It can even play video!

It can handle VST or AU synths so I also use the Native instruments "Classic Keys." That gives me a great piano, rhodes, B3, and a Prophet.
If needed, you could also run Reason as a slave and bring it in on a track. The new Live 8 is about to be released and is even better. Its not cheap, but is well worth it if you are serious about this stuff. Check it out at http://www.ableton.com/

[efrisch]

I use VSThost. It's a tiny, free piece of software that lets you load vstis and access them with MIDI. Great to set up a couple different sounds (organ, pad, etc), and then switch between them. There's a also an even tinier version that turns a single vsti into an executable and runs standalone - pretty sweet!

It's windows based (works fine for me on XP SP3), but not sure about Vista. Might be something to look into if you want to go very bare bones and don't feel like spending the $ on Reason or Ableton.

[funkmaster777]

I have collected some great vst programs from NI & AAS, I use Ableton Live and Sonar for recording and purchased V-Stack, Forte and tried VSTHost. I have an M-Audio USB audio interface that sounds great with headphones and latency is tolerable.

But everytime I hook up an amplifier, I get this intolerable noise that would definitely be present in a typical worship team mix... to say nothing of a simple solo piano. I had the same problem with an older computer and a Tascam USB interface. I can't blame it on the amp... I have no problems with my hardware instruments running through it.

Anyone else have issues with this type of configuration? How could I eliminate this hum... short of spending money?

[Kilroy]

I get this same problem occasionally with the Presonus Firebox I use on stage. The ground lift on my DI box usually takes care of it. As far as eliminating the problem without spending any money, that is all I can recommend.

As for the matter at hand, I use Reason, Omnisphere, a bunch of the Native Instruments stuff and IK SonicSynth on stage. I route it all through Ableton, which essentially serves as a "midi clearinghouse" for the data coming from my Triton synth.

I run it all simultaneously, as well as all our click tracks, on a Macbook (the white one) that is connected to a Presonus Firebox.

Originally Posted by funkmaster777

I have collected some great vst programs from NI & AAS, I use Ableton Live and Sonar for recording and purchased V-Stack, Forte and tried VSTHost. I have an M-Audio USB audio interface that sounds great with headphones and latency is tolerable.

But everytime I hook up an amplifier, I get this intolerable noise that would definitely be present in a typical worship team mix... to say nothing of a simple solo piano. I had the same problem with an older computer and a Tascam USB interface. I can't blame it on the amp... I have no problems with my hardware instruments running through it.

Anyone else have issues with this type of configuration? How could I eliminate this hum... short of spending money?

[Xokeman]

Originally Posted by Mattjhuber

If it would help any of you guys out, I made a little video tutorial on my site regarding the use of Reason's synths in Ableton live...such as using multiple patches and running them effectively and in a stable way in a live situation...

Check it out, if you care to know...

http://themonobox.com/?p=46

Nice thanks