I have spent a lifetime using hardware synths, pretty much since synths were invented. I have made the decision to start using soft synths using GP. I need a locally-located tutor to help me set up, and to get me gig ready. Any experts here physically in the south east of the UK? Ideally somewhere near Guildford?
Did you take a look at the user manual and the tutorials on YouTube?
I am close-ish, I’m in Sittingbourne, Kent.
With tools like Zoom, I’m not sure it really matters any more where people are physically located.
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That’s not too bad. I’ll get back to you.
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Indeed I have! Hours of the stuff. I have too many questions, however, and not enough time for that learning curve.
There does not exist the “Nürnberger Trichter” 
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It’s not ideal for me, but I might have to do that.
What are some of the soft synths you will be using? I think you’ll find that the more information you give this very helpful community, the better chance you have of getting most, if not all, of the assistance you require. 
My first question is which controller; my second question is which soft synths! I have a dozen or so physical synths, but I am truly starting from scratch in this space! If you were to build up a system from scratch and money were not an issue, which would you get to run on GP?
Arturia V collection is a good starting point.
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I think Kontakt is pretty essential. (Unfortunately, some people are having issues with the latest version (7).
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Absolutely. Great sounds. I will definitely download it. So, would the Arturia controller give me any advantages over other controllers, or should I be looking for a controller that best integrates with GP?
I own an Arturia Keylab 88 MK II, it is a decent controller, but with GP you can use any other controller even for controlling the Arturia V Collection. Choose your favorite keybed with the controller knobs/sliders/buttons you need and GP will be able to deal with it.
And by the way there is no steep learning curve with GP. Connect your controller MIDI in block to a plugin instrument, and connect it in turn to your audio device output and it will play. The rest is only to go further. Step by step you will learn to do more and more without having to worry about it
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That’s very helpful. Thank you.
Once you settle on which controller, there’s lots of free VSTs and generous trials around to help you decide what works for you. It won’t take long to get a bread & butter rig going… but take your time and noodle around as well. There’s lots to learn but that’s the fun part and it’s incredibly rewarding as well.
Finally, don’t expect to build your ideal rig immediately. Aim to build a functional bare-bones rig (templates are your friend) and get out there and perform with it! After the gig, revise and refine your gig and get out there again - rinse and repeat
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To know what sounds to get, I’d focus on the sounds you currently use and what you think you’ll want to use in the future. For me, that meant I was most concerned (especially initially) with piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Fender Rhodes, and Hammond organ. For those, I eventually settled on Modartt’s Pianoteq, Lounge Lizard for epianos, and B-3X from IK Multimedia. I also have Arturia’s V Collection to cover synths and Kontact and those can pretty much cover anything I’d need. Although I have more. It’s easy to go overboard on acquiring plugins.
And if you can wait, most plugin companies have sales from time to time. It’s not unusual for some companies to offer 50% off or more.
And as LMercuri said, there are a lot of free ones out there and many of them sound incredibly good.
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That makes a lot of sense. Thank you very much.
A view additional thoughts for finding the controller keyboard that best suits your needs:
- choose the right design. Means: Which controls do you need / are available and wehre are they located on the controller (i.e. faders on the right hand side are a “no go” for many people)
- choose the sort of keybed you like most (hammer action, weighted, half weighted, synth action…) and how many keys you prefer.
- most keyboards with synth action don’t have actual “full size” piano keys, but a little smaller/shorter ones, for most people not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning!
- is the controller capable of bi-directional midi communication (can it reflect the state of widgtes on the screen)?
Be aware of the fact that potentiometer based controls practically always have the wrong position, while endless encoders or motor faders would be able to “take” the position which is shown by a widget on the screen. But in case of faders, you won’t find any keyboards which have them built in, so faders will always be a compromise! - Do you want/need aftertouch? If yes, is channel aftertouch enough, or do you want poly AT, and is the aftertouch well implemented (i.e. the AT of the Roland A-800 is quite poor)
- Read and/or ask in the forum for user opinions before you buy
- you could also get a “basic” keyboard model and then use an additional controller like the small Korg Nano-Control or the Behringer X-Touch Mini, which will give you lots of buttons and knobs/faders for little money. The keyboard should then offer enough space on its surface to have the additional placed on.
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It’s a minefield, and I really want to avoid buying stuff that will end up as unwanted toys in the attic! You made some good points. Much appreciated!
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