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Post by M57 on Feb 17, 2024 16:34:25 GMT -6
Whew. Hope that's helpful, man. The struggle is real. Man, is it ever! I was hoping the Sparrow would fit the bill. Most of the on-line reviews seem positive, but you've got me worried now. I REALLY want faders, and I would like to avoid haveing to reach over the keys with my left hand, not to mention to less than 100mm faders to add insult to injury. I can find a few CC fader controller solutions in the under $100 range, for instance on Etsy, but we all know I'll likely get what I pay for. Speaking of YGWYPF, have you seen the FVDE? Now that's what I'm talking about, but with shipping to the US, it comes in at around $450 ..Yikes! This one at $179+ shipping is hand made and affordable, and it received a decent Sound on Sound review. Anyone else familiar with it?
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Post by M57 on Feb 17, 2024 11:23:33 GMT -6
I think there's something to be said for tracking through hardware in that you are monitoring the actual sound that will end up in the recording, and that can be inspirational as well as informative to your performance. You can of course do the same through a plug-in, but then there's lag, right? Regardless, just knowing it's printing that way creates a different mind-set that I'm speculating works for some, but not others.
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Post by M57 on Feb 17, 2024 5:53:48 GMT -6
I don't get it. What is it doing? ..shifting time? ..altering the waveform? ..in what ways?
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Post by M57 on Feb 16, 2024 13:05:29 GMT -6
My very old M-Audio Keystation 61-ES is acting strange these days; it’s time for a new controller. I remember doing some research on this a few years back and despite the large number of options out there, I just couldn’t find something that fit the bill, mainly because I wanted something that played nice with orchestral libraries, i.e. having some nice long-throw CC faders (not rotary encoders) for things like vibrato and expression. I wanted to be able to move two or three faders at once with my left hand whilst playing the keyboard with my right.
Well, cut to the present and STILL such animals do not seem to exist, but at least there looks to be a few a la carte MIDI fader controller solutions out there, like the Sparrow, which I like! So I have a number of questions.
I’m getting a bazillion ads and emails for the Kontakt keyboards, and though for instance I have Spitfire libraries, I doubt that having Kontakt keys will make any appreciable difference. It’s mostly hype, right? It’s never leaving the studio. Besides, I’m not looking for a performance controller.
A lot of the today’s controllers are loaded with encoders, pads, buttons and faders and screens which makes them both long AND wide (and more expensive). I can afford them, but do I really need one? Right now I’m thinking lean (inexpensive) and mean, with something like another M-Audio 61-ES, which is basically a minimalist thin box with a nice row of semi-weighted keys, with the Sparrow 3x100 or 4x100 on the side. I have a piano in the studio and prefer that to piano VI’s. To date I’ve been fine with M-Audio’s semi-weighted keys, especially for lead sounds and pads, but should I still consider weighted keys for orchestral work? FWIW, I’ve been unable to find a weighted keyboard out there that isn’t full of buttons, knobs, screens, and other stuff that will eat up the valuable real estate on my desk.
TL;DNR What are you orchestral composer types using for controllers these days?
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Post by M57 on Feb 7, 2024 22:35:10 GMT -6
I've already replaced the pads on my 50X.. It's the fraying of the top headband that's the problem for me.
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Post by M57 on Dec 28, 2023 6:27:11 GMT -6
Exactly, yeah. I think there's some big asterisk that comes with that 'rule', or maybe I'm flat-out misremembering. Maybe in terms of acoustic energy it's closer to 10db? I dunno...I just move the faders and knobs till shit sounds good...🤷🏻♀️ Every doubling of distance is -6dB. I forgot about that rule. ..but what how many dB does it take to double volume, and how many to double 'perceived' volume. I kind of remember learning that those are two different numbers.. +3dB and +5dB respectively?? Hmm.. a quick search yeilded this.. Which got me to thinking; do humans have built-in compressors dialed in to approximately a 3:1 ratio?
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Post by M57 on Dec 25, 2023 12:35:39 GMT -6
Another thing, he should live in the dorms wherever he goes. You absolutely can’t make the same connections if you don’t live there. +1 Living on campus is an entirely different experience. At a school like Berklee, where all programs are music related, he'll eat, drink, and sleep music 24/7.
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Post by M57 on Dec 19, 2023 13:26:47 GMT -6
NO coupon. Strangely enough - when I pushed it through to the credit card stage ..it came up with a total with tax (not itemized) of 140.24.
Checking the "I have a coupon" box just prompts me for a code that I don't have.
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Post by M57 on Dec 19, 2023 13:18:55 GMT -6
PSP Binamp and Lexicon PCM42 plugs are 70% off now. Good stuff. PCM42 doesnt appear to be on sale, at least not on the PSP website.
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Post by M57 on Nov 24, 2023 16:41:16 GMT -6
Never took the time to really get into the video games. Love playing over the board, but of course it's hard to find RL people to play with, so I do a lot of online gaming with friends and family running zoom.
Lichess.org for chess and bridgebase.com for bridge, but I'm not totally old-school. I also play some of the gateway Euros; games like Ticket to Ride and Wingspan - starting to get into heavier games like Spirit Island. Play mostly on Steam.
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Post by M57 on Nov 21, 2023 6:51:11 GMT -6
Participants here range from musician/songwriters to home and professional studio owners so this thread will probably elicit a range of responses. I was checking out a few of these sites the other day and I noticed that the range of those who use and/or offer their services on these sites is similar to what I perceive is the demographic for RGO. I was hoping folks here could share their insights and/or concerns about these outsourcing platforms.
What is your general view about these sites? Are they good or bad for your business?
Do you use or offer services through sites like these? If so, what has your experience been like?
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Post by M57 on Nov 14, 2023 6:55:08 GMT -6
Spoiler for those who didn't click on the link to the other related thread. My solution was to make less noise while playing. Seriously! I was surprised how much noise I could mitigate just by focusing on it while playing.
However, ultimately I completely solved the problem about a year ago (due to a lingering golfer's elbow issue, which has made playing the guitar quite painful) by playing piano instead. Squeak issue solved..
..but it's been replaced by pedal/damper noise, which by the way can be solved in similar fashion. The trick is to realize that you don't need to press the damper pedal any where near all the way down, and adjust your technique accordingly. In both cases (guitar and piano), you really only need to take extra care in exposed passages.
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Post by M57 on Nov 13, 2023 18:16:41 GMT -6
I posted the same question a few years back.. realgearonline.com/thread/10780/string-squeakIt went down a rabbit hole or two. Skip to the last post for my solution. I included a SC of the track, which I'm pretty sure used an openish tuning and involved a ton of sliding.
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Post by M57 on Nov 11, 2023 16:18:54 GMT -6
Is anyone familiar with this? It just came out and there are not many decent reviews out there yet. www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/drums/session-percussionist/I have Shimmer Shake Strike and I have to admit that I find it a bit cumbersome and just not intuitive enough for my needs. SP features that appeal to me: It looks to have a larger and more diverse starting library of grooves and the ability to more easily alter them with 'suggested' alternatives. Alternatives can also be based on rhythms you manually enter.
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Post by M57 on Nov 8, 2023 22:29:21 GMT -6
Not showing up on my machine. Cheers, Geoff Go back to the App Store and it will show that there is still an update.. That's what happened to me.
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Post by M57 on Nov 8, 2023 18:10:19 GMT -6
I'm 'almost' embarrassed to say that I don't have one of those auto-magical mastering plugins like isotope, so the addition of one with this latest LP update is welcome. Super easy to use, it sits there on the 2 by default waiting to be turned on. Hit a button and it creates an EQ curve, and you globally adjust how dynamic it is. It has got a few other bells and whistles, but the curve is the big win for me. The only drawback is that it doesn't do real-time analysis so you can't include hardware inserts.
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Post by M57 on Sept 16, 2023 10:46:10 GMT -6
I would do a little dance if FB came crashing down, but then I have to admit that I would freak out if it was Amazon.
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Post by M57 on Aug 28, 2023 16:05:36 GMT -6
I started a thread a few years back asking for advice about the same problem. At first I was in denial.. but I ended up re-recording while focusing on the problem. It made a huge difference. Honestly, I was surprised that I was able to do it. Now that I think of it, even earlier.. when I first started to participate on this site, I started a thread about pedal noise on my piano recordings. I thought for sure it was a mic placement issue, but I've since learned how to control that while playing as well. It turns out you don't have to push the sustain pedal anywhere near all the way down to get the felt away from the keys. Now I don't even think about when I record piano. Ditto re: the Elixer strings (on my Taylor
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Post by M57 on Aug 15, 2023 20:30:53 GMT -6
From Treehouse Brewing Co. on Cape Cod - "Concert Beer" A very nice IPA. Yes, I'm a beer snob.
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Post by M57 on Jul 23, 2023 18:54:05 GMT -6
I've listened to his later "comeback" recordings with a gaggle of famous contemporary singers, and I found them this side of embarrassing. A few of them had their moments here and there, but by and large he put every one of them to shame. NOBODY phrases like Tony Bennett. You can see (in the videos) and hear them working like dogs to get good genre-appropriate phrasing, but you can tell that Tony was doing it with ZERO effort. It was simply magical. Oh, and did I mention he had a pretty good voice?
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Post by M57 on Jul 20, 2023 8:29:45 GMT -6
Picked up one more for my RG collection. 'Tis a great way to support AND promote the site.
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Post by M57 on Jul 11, 2023 12:28:48 GMT -6
I still have me a minty fresh original that has never touched a pit. A collectors item for sure. I'm in for the 10 year T. I suggest you also put out a 20-year anniversary edition, which will instantly make my original AND the 10-year worth even more.
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Post by M57 on May 20, 2023 10:42:37 GMT -6
Crushing the two bus is always a giveaway Guilty amateur here. Most people would say my mixes sound pro, but I'm under no illusions; they wouldn't pass the smell test in these forums. I make sure my mixes LUF somewhere between -13 and -14 dBFS, but they just don't sound as open and clean, and don't seem to have the dynamic range of a pro mix. I don't doubt that its also a function of some of the other stuff folks are talking about here. I use pro equipment and have a well-treated space etc, but my lack of knowledge where it comes to the subtleties of compression, reverb and EQ are very likely part of it.
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Kontakt
Apr 17, 2023 4:51:02 GMT -6
Post by M57 on Apr 17, 2023 4:51:02 GMT -6
If I upgrade to or Kontakt 7 or Komplete, do I need to re-point Full Kontakt at Spitfire and Shimmmer, or can (or should) I still use the Player for those VIs? I.e. is there any difference in terms of the shell's functionality with respect to those particular VIs?
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Kontakt
Apr 16, 2023 18:50:48 GMT -6
Post by M57 on Apr 16, 2023 18:50:48 GMT -6
So Full Kontakt is the same as Kontakt 7, which is an upgrade from the Player (which does have some free instruments), but it's not Komplete, so it comes with no instruments? ARRGGH! Komplete is a bundle of NI stuff. A bunch of Kontakt libraries/instruments as well as comps/eqs/synths/other plugins. NI makes some really great plugins and effects on top of Kontakt. You do not need Komplete to get Kontakt. Everything can be bought individually. Kontakt Player only works for certain libraries. A number of paid libraries seem to also pay for a license to work in Kontakt Player. If you're just looking to get into sample based virtual instruments, I would recommend checking out Decent Sampler(https://www.decentsamples.com/product/decent-sampler-plugin/) and Spitfire Labs. Spitfire offers a bunch of free instruments on their site for the Labs instrument and they're VERY good. Decent Sampler is a completely free sampler with some paid and free libraries available for it. Pianobook.co.uk has a ton of user-made instruments intended for Kontakt(full only), but a number are also available for Decent Sampler. I already have the player, and I already have the Spitfire Labs (Damn. Just checked.. I have a new computer and it looks like I'll have to reload that library). I'll check out Decent.. thanks.
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