PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

I'm in the process of getting my own setup and have to tackle the big question, i.e. which card to get?
So, just a general question: is the Pulsar2 worth the extra price compared to the Luna2 and how do both of them compare to the Yamaha DSP Factory.
Also, overall are CreamWare users satisfied with the products? I want to make the right decition, 'cause I'm gonna have to live with it for a while
I will be mostly using the sytem for sampling, hard-drive recording / mixing and (maybe) some synths .
Thanks in advance,
Jacek

Subject: another possibility

if you think about buying a pulsar2 card, what about this: get a used pulsar1 with some already registered devices, like sts3000 or 4000(o.k. sampler devices; you would need to buy extra if want to do sampling seriously) and get an extra luna2 for the better latency, 3 extra dsp´s (togehter 7; pulsar2 = 6) an extra surround mixer and 24channel mixer and some compressors. this you might get for the same price than pulsar2, you have 1 more dsp and perhaps some nice expensive devices already included.
still you might need an adat-converterbox or z-link to get more analogue outs if you mix on an external analog mixer..

or if you have a fast computer: get an 8 in / 8 out soundcard with even better latency and buy yourself HALion the new steinberg vst-sampler, which is better than the creamware sampler (more: filter, modulation, voices...and better timing)

some more stuff to think about

+playback

Subject: Pulsar is awesome, LunaII is cheap!

DSP Factory is great for mixing, but is pretty much limited to just that. The routing is no where near as flexible as Pulsar/SCOPE/Creamware products (nobody comes close), but if you don't need this flexibility, then this card may suit you. It has good sounding dynamics (better than stock creamware, but not amazing), but the card is fixed in functionality.

Luna II is like a miniPulsar. You can load Pulsar devices, and you get the nice ULLI. This is a great way to get your feet wet in the world of Pulsar/SCOPE DSP technology. It's rather cheap, with street price around $349. The I/O is 1/4" stereo In/Out, SPDIF In/Out, and Midi In/Out. It also has a ZLINK connector for the Creamware Firewire Luna breakout box.

You can add ADAT ports for another $199 for more I/O options.

Pulsar II would be really awesome, but is quite a bit more expensive. You get just about the perfect number of DSP chips (I think 7 or 8 is plenty to do anything pretty much), again the ULLI, but it comes stock with ADAT ports as well. You also get a lot more devices "out of the box."


Luna II is probably the best bang-for-buck out of these 3 cards, pretty much nothing touches it. However, you'll probably end up wanting more DSP if you like it

Also, remember to read the FAQ over at creamware's site for computer hardware suggestions.

Subject: The Right Card (ii) Happiness

Read the newsgroup messages for Happiness level. Don't believe the extreme ecstasy or the bitter "Troll" comments. This is a fairly new product and concept that wasn't even in most people's wildest dreams 10 years ago. It's got a ways to go. But boy it's fun getting there.

Me, I'm happy.

You. . . him. . . her (very few "hers" around here) I can't say. It all depends on willingness to put in a little work. Again, IMHO.

Subject: The Right Card

Yes, Pulsar II is worth the extra money over Luna, especially if you want to Load the DSP plugins. You will be very happy to have the extra SHARC headroom in a project. I don't know what your exact needs are but even a hobbyist will bump up against the Luna limitations very quickly IMHO. If you want to sample with the STS4000 sampler or even the STS3000 sampler I'm sure you'll want extra power.

I've never used the DSP Factory so I can't give a testimonial. It's from Yamaha and I'm sure it's very good (I have three Yamaha hardware devices which are very good, but as everything does, they have limitations you need to learn to work around).

After the Guitar Center blowout Yamaha DSP Factories can be found on the super cheap like $200 or less used.

They work fine next to Pulsar too Pulsar XTC + DSP Factory could be an interesting combo for someone with a DSP facotry looking to expand, yet continue working in a similiar way.