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Mark Wills
Junior Jammer
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 7
Location: UK
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 Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:51 pm Post subject: Total newbie questions |
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Hi,
I haven't purchased Jamstix yet, but I intend to - just found it today - I can't remember having seen anything as impressive as this.
I have some questions (I am a total PC Music virgin, never used a PC to make music before, only used multi-tracks and other machines such as drum machines etc)
1) It seems I need a 'host' for Jamstix to live in. Does that mean I need to buy something like Cubase before I can use Jamstix? I would prefer to use only Jamstix on the PC, and then use my multitrack recorder for everything else...
2) The sounds sound SO real... Does Jamstix sound like that out of the box? What are these references to DHFS etc that are made in the tutorial videos? Do I need to use someone elses program to actually make the sounds?
3) I plan to use my laptop, which is a Toshiba Tecra Centrino Duo, 2.16GHz, dual processor, with 1GB RAM. Will this be ok?
Many thanks
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Doc
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Joined: 26 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:58 pm Post subject: Re: Total newbie questions |
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Welcome to the board!
| Mark Wills wrote: |
1) It seems I need a 'host' for Jamstix to live in. Does that mean I need to buy something like Cubase before I can use Jamstix? I would prefer to use only Jamstix on the PC, and then use my multitrack recorder for everything else... |
It´s true that Jamstix needs a VST- capable host. But there are free ones available like SAVI host or Mini host. You can use your multitrack recorder then as planned.
| Mark Wills wrote: |
2) The sounds sound SO real... Does Jamstix sound like that out of the box? What are these references to DHFS etc that are made in the tutorial videos? Do I need to use someone elses program to actually make the sounds? |
Jamstix really sounds that good out of the box. And even better with the add-on packs that aren´t exactly expensive, either.
The references to DFHS and BFD are made because there are demos in the demo section that were made using these two highend drum libraries.
Other than that, you´re good to go out of the box.
| Mark Wills wrote: |
3) I plan to use my laptop, which is a Toshiba Tecra Centrino Duo, 2.16GHz, dual processor, with 1GB RAM. Will this be ok?
Many thanks |
Sounds good!  |
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Ralph [RZ]
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:02 pm Post subject: Re: Total newbie questions |
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| Mark Wills wrote: |
1) It seems I need a 'host' for Jamstix to live in. Does that mean I need to buy something like Cubase before I can use Jamstix? I would prefer to use only Jamstix on the PC, and then use my multitrack recorder for everything else...
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Yes, you need a host but you don't need to have Cubase. Some great free (or almost free) hosts are 'MiniHost' and 'SAVIHost'.
| Quote: |
2) The sounds sound SO real... Does Jamstix sound like that out of the box? What are these references to DHFS etc that are made in the tutorial videos? Do I need to use someone elses program to actually make the sounds?
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The demos and videos are made with various sound sources. Please download the Jamstix demo and one of the hosts I mentioned. This will give you an idea of the stock kit. Then I want you to download the FreePak on this page:
http://www.rayzoon.com/jamstix_paks.html
It will give you an idea of the quality of the expansion Paks, which provide even better sound than the stock kits (IMHO).
If you decide to buy Jamstix, I'd recommend listening to the audio demos of the Paks in the page I listed above and if you like the sound, take the Studio bundle, which gives you all Paks except the BrushPak for just $30 over the Jamstix base price. If you think you'll use brushes, take the Jamboree bundle.
DFHS is a high-end drum sound library from toontrack that Jamstix can integrate with. It is totally separate from Jamstix and our company.
| Quote: |
3) I plan to use my laptop, which is a Toshiba Tecra Centrino Duo, 2.16GHz, dual processor, with 1GB RAM. Will this be ok?
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That should work fine. Again, make sure to use the Jamstix demo to test it all out. We're here for you if you have any more questions or issues as you explore the demo.
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Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
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Ralph [RZ]
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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Doc beat me to it
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Ralph Zeuner
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Doc
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Zauni wrote: | | Doc beat me to it |
At least once! |
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Mark Wills
Junior Jammer
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 7
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:46 pm Post subject: one more question... |
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Thanks to both of you guys for answers, much appreciated.
I must admit, i'm struggling not to just go and buy this damned thing now!
I confess though, I have another question:
In many cases, I will already have the frame work of the rythm section defined in my mind (where I want a different pattern, say for a chorus, maybe something else for a middle-eight, and maybe a pause where the drummer plays nothing for a bar etc and then resumes etc etc... Can Jamstix work with this kind of scenario?
To cut a long story short, I've got a bag of songs written, that have been lying around for 15 years, and I NEVER recorded them, JUST because I could not get a computer to play the drums the way I liked, and, I refused to sit there for 10 hours, and click every single kick, hi-hat lift, snare etc into a time-line... For me, by the time I had finished the drums, I was ready to quit!
So I guess, what I want to say to Jamstix is "Ok, do an intro, then 2 verses, then a chorus, then a verse, then chorus and finish"... It's free to improvise, but within a framework... I think that's what i'm trying to say.
Thanks
Thanks
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El Taube
Jam Meister
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Venice - Italy
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 2:17 pm Post subject: Re: one more question... |
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| Mark Wills wrote: |
So I guess, what I want to say to Jamstix is "Ok, do an intro, then 2 verses, then a chorus, then a verse, then chorus and finish"... It's free to improvise, but within a framework... I think that's what i'm trying to say.
Thanks |
Yes, you can do exactly what you want to do. You can sketch your own rhythms in manual mode and then lay them down in the arrangement according to your song (intro, fills and ending included). Jamstix will use this material in an intelligent way: it's really like explaining to a real drummer the basic rhythms(s) of your song and let him play around it/them.
I don't know how do those free VST hosts handle automation. If they can handle it, it's very important to use it in order to control Jamstix's output according to your needs (i.e. you're giving to your 'real' drummer additional informations about the final result you want to get). |
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Mark Wills
Junior Jammer
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 7
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:17 pm Post subject: ...automation? |
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What is Automation? For me, automation is moving level sliders, EQ, and PAN in realtime while mastering... What does Automation mean in Jamstix?
Thanks
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Ralph [RZ]
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:18 pm Post subject: Re: one more question... |
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| Mark Wills wrote: |
So I guess, what I want to say to Jamstix is "Ok, do an intro, then 2 verses, then a chorus, then a verse, then chorus and finish"... It's free to improvise, but within a framework... I think that's what i'm trying to say.
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What you are desribing is something we will provide in Jamstix 2. For now in Jamstix 1 you need to click bars together as needed in the arranger. It's a bit different approach but still MUCH easier and quicker than doing it all manually. You can either let Jamstix free jam or pick rhythms from the library or create your own patterns (which is easy and quick in JS compared to step sequencers) and then arrange them in the structure you need. For example: you may load/create your verse rhythm in slot 1 and your chorus in slot 2. Now click in the arranger so the desired rhythm is played at each bar throughout the song. Right-click on a bar to add a fill etc.
Try this with the demo and then come back to discuss this from there.
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Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
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El Taube
Jam Meister
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 61
Location: Venice - Italy
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:41 pm Post subject: Re: ...automation? |
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| Mark Wills wrote: | What is Automation? For me, automation is moving level sliders, EQ, and PAN in realtime while mastering... What does Automation mean in Jamstix?
Thanks |
In Jamstix you can automate a lot of performance-related parameters. Just an example: Jamstix has a 'reduction' parameter you can to tell it -for example- to suppress the snare in certain bars (and you can do this without having to program a new rhythm) |
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Mark Wills
Junior Jammer
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 7
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:42 pm Post subject: Ok, wish me luck |
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Ok, I'm going to download MiniHost, ASIO4ALL, and then Jamstix, it sounds like it can do exactly what I want - Just like you would say to a real drummer "It goes like this..." and you give him the general framework, and, of course, he puts in his own little bits - fills, ghost notes etc.
I was listening to the demos on the web site. The brushes sound pack is, quite frankly, just too darned good. You guys just dont have the right 
I will give this software a good hammering tomorrow... Have already told the wife not to disturb me, just bring me regular cups of tea!
Wish me luck
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Mark Wills |
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Mark Wills
Junior Jammer
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 7
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:51 pm Post subject: Re: ...automation? |
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| El Taube wrote: | | In Jamstix you can automate a lot of performance-related parameters. Just an example: Jamstix has a 'reduction' parameter you can to tell it -for example- to suppress the snare in certain bars (and you can do this without having to program a new rhythm) |
[/quote]
I think I've died and gone to heaven. This is what i've been looking for for years.
FWIW: The demo "Raven" on the audio samples page is exactly what i'm looking for - during the intro the drummer rides the cymbal, then during the verse he changes to the hi hat - perfect, but I wouldn't want to tell a drummer HOW to do a fill, WHEN to do a fill, yes, but not WHAT to play... That's up to him... I think this software will do the job. That brushes kit is just amazing. There's just no way I can tell the difference between man and machine on that track... It's amazing. I presume Jamstix is sensible, and won't improvise anything that a human couldn't physically do?
Thanks for your answers guys, it's really appreciated.
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Mark Wills |
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Doc
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:58 pm Post subject: Re: ...automation? |
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| Mark Wills wrote: |
I think I've died and gone to heaven. This is what i've been looking for for years.
FWIW: The demo "Raven" on the audio samples page is exactly what i'm looking for - during the intro the drummer rides the cymbal, then during the verse he changes to the hi hat - perfect, but I wouldn't want to tell a drummer HOW to do a fill, WHEN to do a fill, yes, but not WHAT to play... That's up to him... I think this software will do the job. That brushes kit is just amazing. There's just no way I can tell the difference between man and machine on that track... It's amazing. I presume Jamstix is sensible, and won't improvise anything that a human couldn't physically do?
Thanks for your answers guys, it's really appreciated. |
Glad you like it!
No, Jamstix has an intelligent limb control. As a result what Jamstix comes up with is always sensible and playable by a human drummer.
Since the E-Drum pak however you can switch off the limb control to achieve a more machine- like approach. |
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Ralph [RZ]
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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As Doc said, Jamstix keeps things always human-playable.
A word of caution: most of the demos are not pure free jams but involved some selections/work within Jamstix.
There are some pure jams on this page:
http://www.rayzoon.com/jamstix_aud.html
Specifically, the first one and the last three are pure jams.
The "Raven" example is not a pure jam. It was done by manually picking rhythms from the library and arranging them inside of Jamstix as needed and then adding fills as needed. Still a lot quicker than in any other tool but the creator still had to pick the rhythms.
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Ralph Zeuner
Rayzoon Technologies LLC
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Mark Wills
Junior Jammer
Joined: 19 Aug 2006
Posts: 7
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Zauni wrote: | | The "Raven" example is not a pure jam. It was done by manually picking rhythms from the library and arranging them inside of Jamstix as needed and then adding fills as needed. Still a lot quicker than in any other tool but the creator still had to pick the rhythms. |
Thanks for that, thats useful. Well, I don't have a problem with manually picking rhythms from a library - not too much different to a drummer and producer working together in a studio to work out ideas. It's programming every single hit that I want to stay away from.
I now have the software fully up and running (demo) using MiniHost, ASIO4ALL (I think its called) and Jamstix demo - seems to be working fine, and not taxing the processors at all (averaging ~15%) so I think I'm set.
So guys, how I would I get it to play something nice and laid back, (think early Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler, like the Raven demo) - I got it playing stuff to me, but it sounded like Omar Hakim on acid
If I need to switch to the full version before I go any further let me know, and I'll hit paypal  I want that awesome brushes sound too
Thanks
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