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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 25, 2019 11:06:45 GMT -6
Just mixed a song I’m really happy with, but feeling like it drags a bit. It’s at 84 BPM and I’d like to bump it up to maybe 86 BPM. I tried the vari speed feature in Logic, but although it felt better, with all the plugins I had going, I was getting drop outs. Plus, of course, it changes the pitch just like tape. The pitch change doesn’t bother me THAT much, but it’s not preferable. I was thinking of Vari Speeding the Stereo mix file, but figured I’d ask around as to what would be the least destructive way to approach this. I assume Vari Speeding in digital will change the Sample Rate, so then I’d have to SRC. Grrr. Thanks!
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 20, 2019 14:08:26 GMT -6
I never said that... ;-) As per John Kennedy’s advice, I gave him a month to do the right thing before I publicly bash him, so best bet for everyone in the Pro Audio community is to play it safe and not buy ANYTHING until I do the reveal. Plugins are safe.
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 20, 2019 14:03:09 GMT -6
If you had the gear he sent that was damaged, could you get it repaired elsewhere? If you can, perhaps ask him to send the damaged pieces and you'll stop contacting him. I would probably pursue some form of legal action that exposed him. Even a small claims court form can be handled by mail or online. You don't have to follow through and waste more time and money, but it may be enough to force his hand to make good. This is also to forewarn your fellow gear buyers. Then, if little changes, like Chad said, you have to let it go. I can't imagine buying anything from anyone if they don't insure their shipping, so try to remember to be more careful next time. In my experience when something truly unjust happens to someone, something equally good and unexpected will come to you, especially if you can let it go. I thought of going the small claims route, but filing fees are over $100 and then I’d be even more pissed when he didn’t pay. Thanks Martin!
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 20, 2019 13:55:12 GMT -6
Thanks guys, I was trying give him a month to make good on the refund before putting his name out there. I actually agree with whoever said they didn’t think he’s inherently evil. I’m pretty sure repairs have put him in a place where his next order pays for whoever has waited the longest.
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 17, 2019 17:15:15 GMT -6
Ok, so what would you do? I'd follow Chad's advice or something along those lines. Warn others. Give it up. It will only hurt / annoy you and stifle creativity. And in our business, creativity is a very valuable currency. At least it is for me and my business. Drop it and move on - or continue in it and become worse off for the wear and tear on your live. Warn others so they can steer clear of the crook. I've been in yours and Chad's shoes. Walked the walk for many miles. Left it (bitterness) behind with forgiveness. The bad situation (of which I entered completely naive) cost me relationships with my employee's, almost the relationship with my employer, many, many, many thousands of $$$$$$, and almost my good standing at the musicians union. All because of a LIAR and a cheat who was hellbent from the get go to take advantage of a person who was naive (me). I did the communication in good faith. I did the holding out for money thing. Then I did the attorney thing. Then I did the lawsuit thing (small claims for the max cause I realized I would only loose more with a REAL lawsuit). Then I did the trying to collect thing. Then I did the bitterness thing. Several years of being "in the right" - but taking it in the shorts emotionally and financially. In the end, it was only me that lost. I made good to all my employees, and ate it myself. Well....I won the small claims, but it did zero good. The dude had already transferred all assets into his wife's name, and was really adept at being a crook. These types have years of experience and are good at evading normal folks. They generally only respond to physical threats, and I am not going there. When crooks and liars want to take advantage of you, that's exactly what they will do. For small amounts (And $700 is substantial, but it's still small when it comes to legal activities), it's just not worth the aggravation and bitterness it will bring into your life. When they are REALLY good at it - and my hard lesson WAS REALLY, REALLY good at it - there's only loss on your end. Cut the loss and move on. Let creativity breath again.... Mine is a life lesson a little larger than buying a product and getting ripped off. But it certainly applies. It along with other similar situations to yours is tne reason I always buy with a CC and preferably thru Paypal if the vendor accepts it. I don't tolerate fools or crooks, and I just cancel the order thru my CC or if necessary, thru PP. I WILL NOT WAIT months or years for a product. I will cancel long before that. Best of luck, and please, when your situation is over - warn others of the jerk / crook / thief! Thanks for taking your time writing this, Dr Bill. I know you and Chad are right. If I don’t hear anything after giving him one more chance, I’ll just drop it. Forgive?... Probably not. Thanks again!
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 17, 2019 10:51:31 GMT -6
Mitch - after 2 years, you're not getting your money back. Ok, so what would you do?
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 17, 2019 10:18:33 GMT -6
Thanks for the advice guys. I don’t think this guy care about being exposed. It says right on his (new)website: “Forum people think we are making millions. Just trying to get this company going and keep the lights on is almost impossible. Sometimes we go for weeks without an order and that slows us down! One or two orders a month with no bank support or millions in google bucks. Arrrggg. We starve. Despite having to overcome many hurdles we are doing everything in our power to get your orders out. No Sales Makes Us Snails. There are a few hateful people out there that want to bully this little company out of business. Some of it outright slander and some of the same folks have ripped us off for units. Others don’t even own anything we make. We are not giving up. We need your orders to keep on going. Thanks. Threatening and Irritating email senders WILL BE BLOCKED. We do not engage in combative emails, forum discussions or social media.” I’ve been treating him with kids gloves on the hope I’ll get my money back. If it was a couple hundred bucks, I would’ve given up long ago, but I guess we all have our own threshold we’re willing to tolerate. Thanks again! ^^^ This sounds like he is caught in a game of rationalization. (My interpretation of his web message. You're not alone, or he would not have had to place that text on his own website… What kind of terrible marketing copy is that anyway??) I suspect he knows deep down where his weakness lies (which probably frustrates him with himself), but instead of taking full responsibility for the challenge he laid in your lap, he is finger-pointing and making excuses. John Kennedy gave brilliant advice: fire a warning shot via an email (which really honors him and gives him the benefit of the doubt one last time), and then wait to see what happens. If you receive no apology along with refund, then make a public statement which reveals you not as a "hater" but as the kind and considerate person you have always been. The fact that it took you two years to even want to expose him shows what kind of person you are. You really wanted to believe the best about him, and I would say that you still do, which says a ton about your character, Mitch. Much respect for how you've handled this! Thanks Chad. You may be giving me too much credit, lol. I just want my money back and trying to figure out the best strategy. Your diagnosis about him is probably exactly right, but I think outing him will probably make it less likely to get my money back. I’ll most likely be taking John Kennedy’s advice and thanks again for your input! Best Mitch
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 17, 2019 9:34:52 GMT -6
Thanks for the advice guys. I don’t think this guy care about being exposed. It says right on his (new)website: “Forum people think we are making millions. Just trying to get this company going and keep the lights on is almost impossible. Sometimes we go for weeks without an order and that slows us down! One or two orders a month with no bank support or millions in google bucks. Arrrggg. We starve. Despite having to overcome many hurdles we are doing everything in our power to get your orders out. No Sales Makes Us Snails. There are a few hateful people out there that want to bully this little company out of business. Some of it outright slander and some of the same folks have ripped us off for units. Others don’t even own anything we make. We are not giving up. We need your orders to keep on going. Thanks. Threatening and Irritating email senders WILL BE BLOCKED. We do not engage in combative emails, forum discussions or social media.”
I’ve been treating him with kids gloves on the hope I’ll get my money back. If it was a couple hundred bucks, I would’ve given up long ago, but I guess we all have our own threshold we’re willing to tolerate. Thanks again!
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 17, 2019 8:31:35 GMT -6
..is he still in business? ..actively marketing his products? His website is still up. This is a guy most of us on the forums know of.
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 17, 2019 6:59:20 GMT -6
Hey guys, sorry if this is off topic, but I’m really at a loss here. I’m having a problem with a gear manufacturer and could use some advice on how you might handle it. I (stupidly) pre purchased some gear for $725, knowing it would take up to a year to get. After 14 months the gear arrived, extremely poorly packaged and was DOA. I sent it back for repair (on my dime). After another month, I received the supposedly fixed units, again poorly packaged, and both units arrived with broken switches. I took pictures and sent them to the manufacturer and told him I wanted a refund. He said he would refund my money. I sent the units back, again, on my dime. That was over two years ago!! I sent about 15, polite, periodic emails asking for an update, and got a response only once saying, “You are due a refund despite the fact that the units were returned damaged!” I received the units damaged, and he knows that!!! He ignores all my recent emails and I’m pretty convinced at this point, he’s not going to refund my money. I’m not sure how to proceed. I’ve considered threatening legal action, but that would probably require me to file in small claims court from out of state, fly 2000 miles on my dime to go to court, with no guarantee that he would even show up. And if I win the case, but he decides not to pay, I’d have to take him to court again and will have wished I cut my losses at $725. Any ideas on what kind of recourse I may have? Smearing his name on the forums would make me feel better, but probably diminish my already slim chance of getting a refund, as I’m pretty sure this guy is broke. So, what would you do? Thanks I’m advance for any ideas!
Best
Mitch
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Post by mitchkricun on Jan 31, 2019 8:36:25 GMT -6
Why not buy direct from Apple? Buy the extra RAM from OWC. I would not attempt to change the hard drive on the Mini. So, what does one do if the hard drive dies? Get a new computer?
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Post by mitchkricun on Dec 17, 2018 8:09:22 GMT -6
This thing looks really cool. But man, that guy in the first two videos is using a lot of reverb. I'm guessing that's not baked into the sounds? It looks like he's cranked up the reverb in Kontakt, maybe? I'm also not hearing much body in the samples in the videos. But in the acoustic guitar example toward the end of the third video, the guitars sound pretty thin to me also, so I'm wondering if it's just the way he's got everything EQ'd? Any thoughts from those of you who have it? I’ve had this VI for awhile now, and I agree. While convenient, I don’t think the samples sound that good. Btw, if you have Spectrosonics Stylus RMX, it’s even more convenient.
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Post by mitchkricun on Nov 26, 2018 17:14:15 GMT -6
Honestly, I’d have paid the $34 for the wobble and start/stop effects. They sound good and I’ll use them. I was thinking the same thing.
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 14, 2018 13:01:11 GMT -6
Which ones are you liking? I have Faraday Limiter, Panpot, Midside, Can Opener, and Good Dither. I may go head and get the Vulf Compressor while it's on sale. I loved it when I demoed it. I'm curious about Tiltshift and Tone Control. Anybody using those? I think Tone Control is great. Really beautiful results with very little fuss. Trem Control is another sleeper. I actually prefer it’s sound over Soundtoys Tremolator. Hope this helps!
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 14, 2018 12:52:52 GMT -6
I own Gullfoss and think it’s pretty awesome actually. It requires the user to make many decisions and then decide if they like the result. It’s no more cheating then products like Soothe or De Edger, and less cheating than finding a preset that “just works”, IMO. It’s just another tool that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. I’m not really that precious about it. If it makes the track better to my ears, I use it.
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Post by mitchkricun on Apr 4, 2017 15:03:44 GMT -6
Yeah, they sound great! I think I'm going to start mixing my toms louder after hearing this! The whole thing sounds really modern and traditional at the same time.
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Post by mitchkricun on Apr 4, 2017 5:02:38 GMT -6
Could be my browser... Safari. I'll try again tomorrow with Chrome. But what's strange is that after I get the spinning circle on Wiz's video, I click on another video from the list on the right side of the screen and it plays instantly. Same issue with a 2016 MacBook Pro and 2012 Mac Pro. But again, Safari on both. I'll report back Wiz. Good idea ... Johnkenn thought of that too.... Let us know how you go thanks Wiz Ok, I was able to view it in Chrome. Then I tried again on Safari and it played. I don't get it. I didn't change any settings and since I had the same problem the last time I tried watching one of your videos, I assumed there was an issue with the video. Now I have no idea. Sorry.
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Post by mitchkricun on Apr 3, 2017 16:33:28 GMT -6
Could be my browser... Safari. I'll try again tomorrow with Chrome. But what's strange is that after I get the spinning circle on Wiz's video, I click on another video from the list on the right side of the screen and it plays instantly. Same issue with a 2016 MacBook Pro and 2012 Mac Pro. But again, Safari on both. I'll report back Wiz.
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Post by mitchkricun on Apr 3, 2017 13:47:57 GMT -6
I liked E better than A, but I understand the need to be competitive and A still sounds really good. Great song John! Are you detuning the drums or is that just the samples?
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Post by mitchkricun on Apr 2, 2017 10:36:57 GMT -6
And to be clear, I've heard some less than stellar things about the Lindell racks, so when I see the Bento 6 and 10 sell for roughly the same price as a comparably sized Lindell, I begin to wonder about the quality of the Bentos overall, especially when compared to something like the Radials or BAE. What makes the Bentos better than the Lindells even though they are priced the same? I would assume that you still are getting what you pay for? I've had a filled Bento 10 for over a year with zero problems. I think it's great. The Lindell I used previously, worked ok, but the chassis bowed in the middle after a few months.
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 18, 2017 13:55:12 GMT -6
One of my all time favorite vocal mics! You will need to stand 2'-3' away, but I never had an issue tracking in a smaller room. Just lovely. Good luck!
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 10, 2017 7:49:26 GMT -6
I've pretty much accepted the idea that streaming is probably the future, and performance royalties HAVE to be more fair to the content creators, but am I crazy to think that a big part of the problem is that potential consumers don't have a digital product that's WORTH owning? If a (digital file) song or album purchase only gives you a picture of the album cover to look at while you play the song, playing that song on YouTube or a Streaming service, is pretty much the same experience, with the disadvantage of taking up hard drive space for the purchase. But what if your purchase actually gave you something that YouTube or Streaming didn't offer?
What about something like an "Album/Song App"? You launch the app and in addition to playing the song, you could have scrolling lyrics, liner notes (I used to love listening to music while reading the lyrics and pouring over who wrote/played what, where it was recorded, who produced, who engineered, etc.), video content, extra artwork/pictures, maybe some hidden bonus material... or whatever creative content the artist can think of. Each one would would be a unique piece of art, with artist and labels trying to push the envelope as to what kind of experience they can offer the consumer. Who remembers Dark Side of the Moon coming with 2 full sized posters and 2 stickers? I would love to see mechanical royalties becoming a significant part of the equation again. Just sayin'
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 8, 2017 6:31:03 GMT -6
Signed and shared. Thanks John.
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 7, 2017 15:57:06 GMT -6
Depressing to say the least. What do you think the solution is, John?
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Post by mitchkricun on Mar 5, 2017 10:22:48 GMT -6
I think this plugin is one of the only or very few instances where Waves is better than UAD... the UAD 140 is many years old by now and the Waves plate really seems to be closer to the real thing to my ear. It does use some CPU though. I concur.
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