Keysmcgee

All great advice; much appreciated. I'm going to jump in the (slightly) deep end and try Omnisphere running in stand-alone mode on a MacBook Air (M2) and see where that takes me. Not sure if I'll just drive it from my Nord Stage or add in a dedicated controller. Controller might be better if I end up needing to fire patterns, etc as I'd rather do that from a controller than a computer. Can always add in a VST host like Gig Performer if needed. Wish me luck ;)

Thanks for all of the input. Seems like Gig Performer is well worth investigating as the host.

Yikes! Fixed the typo (or editorial comment?) MainStage seems like a good starting point. Extra points if i can find pre-made material (would save a bunch of time). Thanks NewImprov!!

I'm looking for some advice regarding tools for a new project (cue sound of Pandora's Box opening). I've been playing keys for quite a while. I've played Yamaha workstations, various Nord products, various hardware synths, Hammonds, Rhodes, Wurly's, etc. FWIW. I've got a new project featuring a young female singer. It will be focusing on various current artists along with some older artists along the same lines: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Paramore, Blondie, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, etc. You get the idea. I'm thinking that covering these songs will be mostly synths of various kinds including lots of layers, zones, sequences, etc. Probably better suited to mac-based system running soft synths. This is a departure from my experience so I'm hoping to get some suggestions for tools for the job. I'll be running on a MAC laptop. Soliciting input from the hive mind for: Basic software/DAW well suited for soft snyths and live playing. A few "swiss army knife" soft synth packages that would allow me to cover a lot of ground. Controller - I can probably sort this out but am happy to hear suggestions. Thanks for any and all suggestions!!