I've also converted a lot of other loops for Stylus because I love both the interface and sound. James, besides Backbeat you might also like Retro Funk as well. It's VERY MUCH worth the time to watch all the videos IMO. For example you can do multiple mutes/unmutes and solos at the same time in Stylus' mixer with any assigned MIDI controller and it's easy to set up.
Stylus MIDI learn features are great and MOTU could take some lessons there. You can make alternate 4/4 versions of loops the same way. Takes just a couple of minutes of fiddling and works great. Change the time sig in DP and rearrange a few slices (MIDI notes) to fill in the gap ,like for 9/8, or take a couple of slices out for 7/8. I love stylus!! I believe some folks thought that digital recording was cheating too, not using "real" tape and all.ĭid you know you can do odd time sigs in Stylus, even with the stock loops? Just work in slice mode. I'm impressed with how deep it is - you can use slices, grooves, or kits, and the chaos designer can come up with some surprisingly realistic variations. So my first use for it has been for practicing! I play lots of eighth-note based music, so it was a great chance to practice 16th-note funky jazz (in the Herbie Hancock vein). Last night I created a groove and jammed over it using Scarbee's sampled Rhodes, and the quality of the groove and the sound and feel of the Rhodes were so good that I kept at it for a good long time. I'm not even quite sure how I'll use it in the jazz-oriented music I do, and whether it'll ever show up in anything I record. But I didn't get Stylus to replace my buddies (which, ultimately, it couldn't for most of the music I do). I had a little tinge of guilt too in the back of my mind yesterday, but for a different reason - I work with some world-class percussionists and thought they'd look down on me for using programmed rhythm. I got Stylus last spring as a gift to myself after finishing a project, but haven't had much time to learn it (had to finish another project that took months). What a coincidence! I read your post right after watching some of the RMX tutorial videos. I heard the Addictive Drums demo and from what I heard I think I like the kit better than the one that comes with EZ Drummer. I have DHFS and don't want to have to do all that work to get it to sound like something I like. I bought EZ Drummer and not thrilled with it. compressed, EQ'd, gated, and aggressive sounding. I'm a big fan of very processed 80's type drum kits. That said, I'm still also searching for a Drum VI that isn't a lot of work, but gives me something in the rock vein easily.
I guess I should get over it? I imagine the real power is incorporating your own recorded audio and supplying original content to Stylus. As somebody who is sort of "old school" and remembers having to come up with each individual element and cook from scratch, I have a twinge of guilt when I create something in Stylus in 5 minutes that sounds like it takes hours. Nonetheless, Stylus is amazing and seems like just the ticket when you want to whip up some complex rhythmic bed in no time. I was hoping to get the BackBeat expander so I could use it for more conventional drums as well, but the BackBeat SAGE expander wasn't in stock at my local GC. this should probably soon go to the OT forum, I'll bet because I bring the topic up somewhat philosophically.