Logic or Digital Performer? Options

Well, my setup is going to be a Powermac g4 connected to a Motu-828.
The type of music Im producing is a mixture of Industrial, trance, and sampled tribal beats and influences...vocals as well.

Which program do you think would suite me the best in production? Both Logic and Digital Performer seem like great programs, Im just not sure which direction I should go.

Thanks

[kaboombahchuck]

1st off, let me tell you why I'm responding to your post.  I feel that their is not a whole lot of people responding, and I want to show support for this site.
2ndly, I use neether logic or digatal performer, so I don't have much to say about that.  Most people seem to be using protoals.  I personally use cakewalk metro 5.
Anyway I assume that someone will respond with more info.
BTW, I also like to use mixman to produce my tecno/trance, no vocals.

[geedoubleyou]

when you get your 828, it comes with an application called Audio Desk.
It's basically Digital Performer, without midi functions. So you get an app to play with, that you can upgrade to DP.

I use DP, Cubase, and ProTools free. I use ProTools free on stereo mixes, it only supports the internal Mac hardware for recording. Besides 8 tracks isn't enough. But it's a good way to look at ProTools before buying their hardware.

DP is a sweet program, imports and exports ProTools sessions so you can interface with larger Protools Studios. Big program with tons of audio and midi features.

Cubase has the market share on both platforms. It good for what it does, ability
to load .rex files, and the ability lock audio to midi groove files, are what I use the most. the effects and virtual instruments make it fun.

I used to run the Deck II, Metro combination. (deck was for audio, metro was midi only sequencer)

Deck was sold to Macromedia, that sold it to Bias.( I will be upgrading)
Metro sat in purgatory for several years until Cakewalk revived it and added VST functionality. By that time most of the user base had moved on and never looked back. It has an attractive price, but lags the big 3 in professional features.
Cakewalk is sqaurely focused on the P.C. side. If they brought it up to the feature set of SONAR, they'd probably get a few converts. But I'm not upgrading again.

I have a feeling that Kaboombahchuck is a little lonely using metro.

ProTools is more of an engineers tool, reliable hardware/software if you are running a business, basically a software tapedeck.

Logic, Digital Performer, and Cubase are composition systems, where you copose, score, and record your song from start to finish.

[kaboombahchuck]

Hi geedoubleyou. Yes I lo feel a bit lonly using metro 5, and I am dissapionted that cakewalk has not alowed the use of some of the sonar features. Although it does have deck 2, 64 track audio recording tracks and 99 midi secuencing tracks. Coupled along with the use of vst, it totally meets, and in many cases exeeds all of my expectations. Just my 2 cents worth.

[geedoubleyou]

Things are constantly changing in software land, Metro is a great program for the price. When it did'nt have an owner most users jumped ship.

As an ex-member of the Metro users group it looked bleak, by the time Cakewalk picked up the pieces of a midi only sequencer, the other programs had incorporated audio and efex. Metro has all the key features you need to make music. I did do the first VST upgrade that Cakewalk offered, but it did'nt perform well in the audio department. But things can change, it could be better now.

For me and my business I need to interface with larger studios and video editing facilities. I need tools that have a professional feature set.

DeckII was dead until Bias picked it up, I was a Studio Vision Pro user, until Gibson killed it. It forced me to change, I checked out the various user groups, and chose Cubase, and Digital Performer.

Nobody can tell, just by listening what program you use. So use what woorks for you.

I have been looking at Digital Performer 3 without delving too deep into it. I started by using Cubase on the Atari for lots of years and then I got a Mac and I've mostly been using Logic, which I think is a really smart and neat program, to me it seems much more thouroughly made than Cubase. Since I work with a software company I can pretty much pick the package I like, but I still have a hard time deciding on which program to use as my main sequencer / audio suite.

For those of you who use Digital Performer 3, is there any way to change its track view, to resize the track list? I'm going mad trying to read those tiny letters on a big screen.

I use the iBook 500 and the Motu 828, which I got yesterday, so I am right now in the process of deciding which sequencer I'll go for... I'll try to be a bit more patient regarding settling my opinions of DP3. Performer has been around for a very long time, so I feel I have to get to know it, it can not just be neglected.

Take your pick! ProTools and Nuendo are geared more towards audio recording - less MIDI functionality. Cubase, DP, and Logic are the MIDI/Audio workhorses. I'm just getting around to checking them all out...I'm leaning towards DP or Logic as well. I'm more familiar with DP, having used it before, and like the idea of using an all-MOTU gear setup (828, DP, Midi AV Interface, Glyph MAS Firewire ext. hard drive). Logic has its own line of gear as well...check out the magazine Sound on Sound. They have the best reviews...one thing with using 828 with Logic: the ADAT sync requires ASIO 2 driver support by the host program. Apparently, using 828 with Logic, you can't sync the ADAT input. You still get the digital audio to come in, but it isn't sample-locked. Because MOTU makes DP, this does work. A small thing to consider.

[pinball]

Gentlemen, (kaboombahchuck,geedoubleyou) excuse my ignorance, but by reading your posts I get to understand that if I buy Metro 5, Deck II comes bundled with it. Is that so?? Could you clarify this for me?

Thanks.

[geedoubleyou]

Hey Pinball, I don't think that bundle is still in effect. unless you find an old liscence.

Both apps were originally produced by the same company OSC (Our Stinking Company). OSC was bought out by Macromedia, and production of Metro was dropped.

Years later Bias bought Deck, and Cakewalk bought Metro.

Currently they are overlapping applications. Cakewalk added audio recording and support for ASIO & VST effects in addition to the pre-existing midi sequencer.

Bias added ASIO, and VST support to Deck. Deck can ONLY playback midi files, not create them.

At this time neither app support VSTi. (VST insturments, softsynths and samplers)

G-Dub