Need VST instrument package for ProTools LE

[Armak]

Hiya good people,

I recently acquired an Mbox which came with ProTools LE. A daunting learning curve, to say the least! I intend to use it to lay down rough demos containing live-recorded guitars and sequenced drums and bass.

Back in the 1990s I had a Yamaha QY-20 which did the trick great (except that I had to record the sequenced parts over to a Tascam 4-track) so I was hoping to make ProTools my all-in-one tool for demo recording. (Don't say "GarageBand" because without the ability to change time sigs, keys, and tempos, it's useless to me)

It seems ProTools LE doesn't come with any instruments (well uh besides a number of demos of things that I can't seem to authorize or make functional), so I am looking for recommendations on a basic set of drum & bass plugins to get me started. Freeware would be great, but I'll pay for something rock-solid that goes the extra mile.


thanks!
_Randy
Armak Rex

 

[Vaphoron]

Couple questions first so that I can help you out better. What OS and version of Pro Tools are you running? There is a plug-in that Digidesign makes called Xpand which is free and will most likely suffice for most things. Pro Tools doesn't support VST plug-ins directly, only RTAS plug-ins. I could recommend plenty of other things but I really think you should give that a shot first. Now depending on when you bought the Mbox and where, you may have to order the Xpand CD from Digidesign which costs like $10 for shipping.

 

[junior]

You'll need a VST wrapper made by fxpansion if you need to use VSTs.
I can tell you that Garageband should be the perfect virtual instrument/sequencer to get you going. Decide on your tempo, lay in some beats or loops, bass as well if you don't play it, and then solo each track and bounce the WAV files so you can just import them into Pro Tools set at the same tempo for you to track your gtrs and vocals.

I often use a top, top arranger/composer that does his sequencing in Digital Performer and tracking/mixing in Pro Tools. He however often goes into Garageband (doesn't use Logic) to make use of the Apple Loops. They're of good quality.

When you want to spend some money, I'd recommend BFD2 and some of their expansion packs for drums. NI stuff seem a bit buggy these days but they're also pretty good for synths and samplers so you might want to look into that as well.

 

[Armak]

Hrmm. I guess I meant RTAS plugins. Whatever works best!

Couple questions first so that I can help you out better. What OS and version of Pro Tools are you running?

10.5.4
ProTools LE 7.3.1
MacBook Pro
MBox2 mini

There is a plug-in that Digidesign makes called Xpand which is free and will most likely suffice for most things. Pro Tools doesn't support VST plug-ins directly, only RTAS plug-ins. I could recommend plenty of other things but I really think you should give that a shot first. Now depending on when you bought the Mbox and where, you may have to order the Xpand CD from Digidesign which costs like $10 for shipping.

When you want to spend some money, I'd recommend BFD2 and some of their expansion packs for drums. NI stuff seem a bit buggy these days but they're also pretty good for synths and samplers so you might want to look into that as well.

Thanks, I will look all of this up.

I am very reluctant to use GarageBand because of its limitations on time signatures and tempo changes, and also because I prefer to create my own loops. I mean if I have 3 bars of 7/4, GB would force me to pretend I have 6 bars of 4 and then subtract 3 beats after I import it to ProTools (right?)... That seems kinda silly.

_R

 

[WinterMute]

Update your Protools to 7.4.2.

7.3 isn't rated for Leopard, only tiger.

NI's Komplete package is pretty good, although I confess I don't use instruments much at all.

BFD2 is excellent.

 

[Armak]

Hmm. Is it really worth the $75? I've had no trouble with it so far (other than my own lack of experience).

 

[Vaphoron]

Hmm. Is it really worth the $75? I've had no trouble with it so far (other than my own lack of experience).

I think its definitely worth it and 7.4.2 is qualified for use with Leopard and no other version of PT is. You should have a more stable and reliable program if you do the upgrade. Depending on when you purchased you system you may be eligible for a free upgrade. If you purchased it after Oct. 1, 2007 you just need to register your system and you will get a free upgrade. If you don't qualify for the free upgrade, you can take a look here for a list of new features to see if it interests you.

Note: If you’ve purchased and registered a Pro Tools LE 7.3 software upgrade, Pro Tools LE system, or Pro Tools LE hardware exchange on or after October 1st 2007, you are eligible to receive a free upgrade to Pro Tools LE 7.4 software — Digidesign will be contacting you via email shortly. Please make sure that you have registered your qualifying product to receive this special offer.

 

[Armak]

I checked into it-- sadly, I bought it in September '07 so just missed the free upgrade. However, it's only $49 so I am going to go ahead with it.

Xpand looks great except it is out of stock at Digidesign.com! I'll have to do further searching...

Are there any online libraries of RTAS plugins that I should know about? I found www.kvraudio.com...

thanx

 

[Vaphoron]

I checked into it-- sadly, I bought it in September '07 so just missed the free upgrade. However, it's only $49 so I am going to go ahead with it.

If you haven't already registered your Mbox you should try to register it because it may just automatically give you a free update.

Xpand looks great except it is out of stock at Digidesign.com! I'll have to do further searching...

Double check the CD or DVD that came in your package because Xpand really should have been included in there somewhere. Pop the disc in and check it out. If you do happen to find Xpand on there, you will need to install it and then download the latest Leopard update for it at the Digidesign website. You will actually want to download Leopard updates for all the plug-ins that you are using but most of the ones you have should update when installing PT 7.4.2.

 

[Armak]

Sorry for the delay in posting, I had to find my original packaging...

Turns out the Ignition Pack 2.0 has Xpand! and several other plug-ins. I just spent the last two days installing them-- turns out there is a bug with one of the plugins that caused ProTools to crash on startup, which started a domino effect of disaster that I won't go into (grrr)-- and now everything seems to be (back to) working great.

Thanks for your patience and advice, folks.