Reaper + Midi + DSK VSTi = awesomeness

[nyjm]

Recently, I've been looking to expand the musical palette I've had at hand. Even though I've been recording with Reaper for better than a year now, I've barely scratched the surface of what it can do.

Lo and behold, if you :

1) Read this page : http://wiki.cockos.com/wiki/index.php/Recording_MIDI

2) Download the track template at the bottom
2a) Figure out just where the FUCK to put said template ([...]User/Application Data/REAPER/TrackTemplates)

3) Download every DSK Virtual Instrument your heart could desire : http://www.dskmusic.com/
3a) and mda Piano : http://mda.smartelectronix.com/

Then, Sweet Mother of Jefferson Davis, I've got an orchestra on my computer!

*happiness*

[Billy's Little Trip]

Congratulations! Now do a rock opera.

[Manhattan Glutton]

You'll have to report back to us which plugins sound best and which sound meh. There's too many for someone lazy like me to try out!

[jast]

Most of the DSK plugins are not that great. But they're free.

PS. the 4Front piano module (i.e. the free thing) is nice, too. But, at least for me, it only works properly when the project sampling rate is 44.1 KHz.

[nyjm]

It's true, the DSK sounds are hit and miss. I like their strings, especially the ensembles, but the woodwinds are mostly meh, being heavily synthesized. It depends a lot on what you want. Oh, the bass samples are really nice, but I have to hear them mixed down with something yet.

The most of tones on the mda Piano are fabulous - at least for a free VSTi. Considering I don't play piano for real and only need it for tone and back-ground chords, it will do for me for while. It's going to be another year before I can afford a new instrument and a bass guitar is first on the list.

Now to figure out how to program midi on Reaper...

[JonPorobil]

The most of tones on the mda Piano are fabulous - at least for a free VSTi. Considering I don't play piano for real and only need it for tone and back-ground chords, it will do for me for while. It's going to be another year before I can afford a new instrument and a bass guitar is first on the list.

You know, if you ever need the real thing, you can always PM me.

[nyjm]

You know, if you ever need the real thing, you can always PM me.

Thanks! I'll take you up on that sometime. Figured out how to program the midi for a shadow song on Spintunes, but it sounds only kinda okay. Found the "Humanizer" function, so that's good, but still, yup: canned piano programmed by someone with only a modicum of musical knowledge.