Music Production: What is the best PC alternative to Logic Studio?
I've tried them all (and actually used 5 of them in and out…no easy feat) and if it's relative to the Apple prima Donna, then there really are only 3 DAWs that compare to Logic Pro in terms of workflow, depth, and capabilites:Steinberg’s Cubase ProCakewalk’ s Sonar PlatimumAvid’s Pro ToolsHonorable Mentions to MOTU’s Digital Performer and Cocko’s Reaper.Sure, Ableton Live and Studio One and Mixcraft and Sequoia and Bitwig and Tracktion are good and definitely capable DAWs (though probably more in the box than out)…and sure, LMMS and Audiacity are free and capable in their own rights, too……but if you need the flexibility to be able to record and process live audio, mix it with vsti midi tracks and loops, and then also control and sequence live hardware synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, and effects units and then mix, master, and render product in variable file formats to various sources without turning to another piece of software or rely on somebody else, those 3 (or 5) packages are your best bet.If you're only working in the box, then you probably aren't using Logic Pro now, anyway, and I'd tell you to stick with Ableton (which you're almost certainly using).It's the same story as above with Ableton, except if you're 12, then use FL studio.If you are completely terrified of computers but can produce the hell out of a hardware rig, then sure…go ahead and use Reason.Otherwise, Cubase, Sonar, Pro Tools (and maybe Digital Performer and Reaper) are your best bets.
Which are the most used and good VSTs that could complement my workflow in Logic Pro X?
I use Logic for 12 years now extensively on a day-2-day basis. I used to have a lot of 3rd party plug-ins but it all changed when I got a huge top level job in 2010. where money was no issue but time was. I had 18 days to produce 3 months worth of top-level music. So I bought a new Mac Pro and ordered a couple of sample libraries (Terrapack 1TB HD from EastWest which was a great time saver, some middle eastern loops and Toontrack Superior Drummer) which already sounded great. And I said to myself, well, I don't have time to investigate and look for "a perfect compressor / EQ / reverb" etc and I knew Logic plug-ins do a decent job.So after 2-3 days of hard core googling and chatting with my friends from all around the globe, I bought just one plug-in pack - Soundtoys.I can still argue that this is THE pack (especially now with 5.0 version!) that you need in addition to Logic plugins. Here are some arguments:1) All soundtoys plugins have great sound flow architecture with a really good sounding pre- and post-amp section modelled after top Class A amps. So you can always easily get that "console" sound just using your INPUT / OUTPUT pots.2) All their plugins have that "special something" in sound that really makes a difference3) Their Decapitator is (not just me saying) the top plug-in for adding natural sounding saturation of all sorts4) Their Devil-Loc does some incredible things to drums and percussion, really really hard to do stuff like that any other ways (think dirty loops stuff etc)5) Their Phaser, Echo, Tremolo and Filters (single and dual) are really useful and have top class presets6) Their new Little Alter Boy (vocal pitch - formant shifter / note quantizer / midi playable Robotizer) can be heard in 3 out of 10 top 40 songs currently. Does incredible things to vocals. Add a bit of saturated formanted-down signal and mix it in right in the plug-in and you're OK to go.7) Plug ins are very very efficient and use really little processing power compared to what they do.All in all, THUMBS UP FOR SOUNDTOYS!!!And this is NOT a promotional review, I am in no way related to Soundtoys, other than being their happy customer.Final remark: I am still using OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks and have no clue whether Soundtoys work with newer OS versions.
What are the best free VST plugins?
There are A LOT! Here’s few of my favorites.Molot CompressorVoxengo Span (analyzer)Luftiqus EQEpicVerbCamelCrusherTAL Noisemaker (synth)DVS SaxophoneHere’s a full list of the best free vst plugins (updated 11–2017)
Would it be a good idea to buy the new Saregama Carvaan music player for my parents?
The device is exceptional in concept. Saregama is a label with thousands of lovely songs in its possession. Most of the good songs that you have heard is likely to be in that collection. So, in my opinion, you are not going to be disappointed by the variety of songs. 5000 songs is a huge number.The speaker quality would be nice, and not much different from old gen radio sets. If you are inclined towards retro music, you might not be craving for oomph factor in speakers. You want simple melody and clear voice, which the speakers deliver in this case.The connectivity factor is superb. You can connect with bluetooth and FM. FM connectivity is a boon for this device. Newer models even come with remote for easy operation.I still did not purchase it. Why? Because I think it lacks in two aspects. First, the battery life is not excellent for such a large device, its just adequate. Such a big device with only 2 drivers of 3W power each, it should have a battery large enough to power it for at least 24 hours in continuous operation at full volume without needing a recharge. The constant need to recharge it is a big negative. Secondly, Saregama should also give option to select a song of one’s choice in one go. They should add a manual selection mode, and assign every song a unique number, and give a remote control to select the song of one’s choice. They should add in the package a small diary with list of all the songs and their assigned numbers written with the name of song. It’s not that one is going to use this feature all the time, but having this functionality is a huge huge positive for carvaan.All in all, I am going to wait for Carvaan 2.0 which, in my opinion would be surely more competent in these two aspects. If Saregama choose not to release any 2.0, then I would go for this version. But I am ready to wait for another year.
What are the most noteworthy "skills" you can enable with Amazon Echo's Alexa app?
We tested hundreds of Alexa skills and found these 12 to be the most noteworthy. And there is a hilarious video featuring these skills in action.1) LostThings - to find your phone and other devicesIf you have an Android, you can use Find My Phone, but it's buggier than Lost Things.2) Ask My Buddy - for help when you’re hurt3) AT&T Send Message - to send SMS messages through Alexa4) Voice Remote & Simon SaysYou don't need to enable a Skill for Simon Says, since it works out of the box with Amazon Echo, but you will need a Voice Remote to prank your friends. You can pick one up here: http://amzn.to/2fUIvlp5) Philips Hue LightsYou'll also need the Hue lights to work with the Alexa Skill6) Kit - recommends products and gifts7) Neato - robot vacuumsYou'll want to get the Neato Botvac Connected with Wi-Fi Enabled, as that's the only device that works with the Alexa Skill for hands-free voice control: http://amzn.to/2h6GTp68) Handy - for on demand house cleaner9) Ukulele Tuner - tuning your ukulele :)There's also a Guitar TunerAnd a more flexible Acoustic Tuner10) Automatic Pro Car Adapter, which can track your driving and automatically send alerts to your friends & family if there's an accident. http://amzn.to/2gmWcpD11) Lyft - ordering a rideAnd also Uber12) And find additional Skills with Amazon Skill FinderTOPBOTS is a strategy & marketing firm for the best of bots, chatbots, and conversational artificial intelligence. You can visit here to learn more about the best bots, skills, etc. to enable.