Gb, Cubase And Garritan, working with Cubase, Garritan and Garage Options

[taiqi]

I've been lurking for a while and thought I would bring up some problems I'm having. I have a 400 htz G4 ibook that I'm using with Cubase SX and Garageband with Garritan Strings. I mainly do ambient soundtrack like music, rather long tracks with a mix of live and midi instruments.

The first problem is that everytime I use Garritan with Garageband I can only get one sound. Each new track has to bring up a new Garritan keyboard. Can I assume that this is the midi limitation of Garageband?

I would use Cubase more but I find the effects for midi very limited. I love all the control I have with Garageband effects. Is there a way to get a fuller range of effects for the midi channels in Cubase without resorting to the end mix?

And finally (for now) suddenly it seems that I am not able to control the mix of the midi instruments through Cubase mixer. I've been all over the software looking for a way to control the levels. They show up in the mixer but don't respond.

thanks,
doug

[WhiteHawk]

I don't know if you have worked it out yet, but thought I'd post just in case.

I have Garritan's Personal Orchestra, if the Strings package works the same you should be able to have as many insruments going as your system will allow, though how you manage GarageBand and Garritan Strings together on a 400Mhz system is beyond me as even on a G5 1.6Ghz system it's really taxing.

Anyway, what I've done is made a new folder in: Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/GarageBand/Instrument Library/Track Settings/Software/

Called in Personal Orchestra in my case, then in GB that will show up in the left section, then I open up the Personal Orchestra instrument or keyboard as you call it and load an instrument in and set it as I like, I tend to have to put the volume up on it so I do that on the GPO keyboard and close that window, then making sure the Personal Orchestra option in the left window of GB instrument selector (or whatever it's called) I then press Save Instrument button at the bottom, that will save a preset so I don't have to go into the GPO keyboard ever again just to pick that instrument to use in a piece of music, if you do the for every instrument included in Garritan Strings you will be set.

Also, you then can easliy put multiple instruments from Garritan Strings in seperate tracks in GB.

[taiqi]

whitehawk, thanks for the reply. You are correct, I am using a 800mhz ibook not the 400mhz (which is my G4 desktop). Your suggestion should make things much easier.
This is getting to be quite a frustration. I am an amateur dabbling in Midi for a few decades. At this point I can't get more than 2 or three instruments out of Garritan without noise in the tracks. I hate throwing money at this system. But I wonder if the next step iseither to get a Firewire drive for the Ibook or upgrade the G4 desktop to a gigahertz processor. I'm pretty well maxed out with RAM on both machines. I would love to find a less CPU but equally cool sequencer as Cubase. I hate "fighting the system" as i'm not producing any music the way things stand now. Any thoughts?

[WhiteHawk]

Well, unfortunately money is the thing that springs to mind.

Mmmm, well I do know GarageBand is very intensive probably because the code isn't too efficient, and I heard that Logic 6 was able to do using the same instruments more tracks than GB can before the CPU shouted enough. I don't know how Logic 7 runs now that is out, it might not run as fast as 6 as it now has some of the technology that GB has but it might still be better than GB.

So you might want to look at Logic Express 7 as it has AudioUnit support for your Garritan Strings and you can use the other GB instruments and Apple Loops as well in that, I will be stepping up to either Logic Express 7 or Logic Pro 7 at some point soon and be using Garritan Personal Orchestra in that.

You said you are maxed out on RAM, you didn't say how much RAM you have though, I know GPO asks for 1Gig for the whole orchestra but I'm sure it needs more than that as if I use 5-10 or some of the bigger ones like the Steinway piano it can at some point give me a warning that RAM is low, and I have 1Gig of RAM.

Other than that as you said a Firewire drive, I don't know how much that will help, I assume a 5200rpm drive in that iBook is it?

Yep, it's all money money money, sorry, I think at the end of the day though its the lack of CPU power thats holding you back, you said you can upgrade the CPU on your desktop, I guess you should do that only if you can get one with a good speed, I know you can get 1.5Ghz CPU upgrades now but I don't know if they would work with your system.

[taiqi]

Thanks for the reply. I just downloaded a very inexpensive program called Metro SE which pretty simple but streamlined for CPU use. I think I'll try this for now. The next step would probably be to upgrade my G4 CPU for $350 rather than a more expensive program which may or may not work either. I have a few friends who do compose professionally so I know it can be done but I know also they pour a lot of money into it. I'll tell you what happens.
doug