Kaylee Jakubowski

Thank you so much for your response, that was exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for! (Obviously any other members' opinions are still very much welcome!) For this, though... What is the difference between the Kontakt5 sample libraries and a VI library?

Hello everyone, I'm going to be investing in a producer-level DAW and Virtual Instrument bundle soon, but wanted to ask around about Virtual Instruments in case there are some tricks in buying it. Also note that I'm still pretty new to understanding computer music software, so if you can explain things to me like I'm a complete idiot, that would be amazing. (I only just tonight figured out exactly what a DAW does and how it fits in contextually). For some background, I am predominantly a film/video game composer and use a fair balance of synthesized and orchestrated sounds. At this point in my career, I don't do a whole lot beyond the basics with mixing, mastering, and producing. The questions I have are... Do some DAWs have a preference for what VIs they'll accept? Are VIs packaged/formatted in a way that only certain DAWs will accept certain VIs? Or is compatibility standardised across the board? Is there a plug-in that acts as a VI manager of sorts for DAWs? Or can I expect that as a standard feature of any DAW? Are there any "gimmick" sites or brands to watch out for? Any brands that are known to be particularly low quality or difficult to use? (I ask because some of the sites I've found seem to be of questionable quality judging by appearance alone...) If you've ever purchased a VI package, is there anything you wish you would have done differently? Anything you regret doing? Is there anything that you feel you "lucked out on"? In terms of my home studio as a whole...what other computer software should I be looking into implementing for creating either realistic or unique sounds? I can't help but feel that having the right DAW and VIs will end my software hunt. Most importantly - does it seem like there's something I'm just not understanding about how all this works? Are there other factors I should be considering, or do I have it about all hammered out? I've been trying to figure out where to start on creating my home studio for about 3 years now on and off, and I always end up walking away feeling defeated and unsure of what to do. Thank you so much in advance for all your help! I appreciate it. =) --Kaylee