antler

49 minutes ago, njm255 said:

Going to really dive into the MIDI since that's what everybody is raving about with Cubase. 

Please let us know if there's anything you find truly unique.

Glad to see they're trying to address some of the fears around subscriptions.

#3's a smart move too.

Could someone explain why I might like Cubase if I have Studio One Pro? (Please bear in mind I've enough third-party plugins to make 'better stock plugins' not an overly compelling argument for me.)

Also, I heard they got rid of the dongle. What's the copy-protection system now?

15 minutes ago, jngnz said:

You just reminded me I can get XXL via the ProTools affiliate thing for $199/year and it includes 10 plugins per year, so now I'm considering that...

It's a single all-or-nothing voucher; you don't get to sell the 'extra' plugins you don't want to pick up. But the voucher apparently lasts forever, so you don't have to use it before you're ready.

1 hour ago, Scott Kral said:

Loops. No playable instrument. Just loops. I’m waiting for Musio’s bagpipes… 

They're already here: CineWinds Pro includes the Border Pipes, Renaissance Pipes and Uilleann Pipes instruments (though they aren't the main focus of the library). (They're also in the Kontakt version of the instrument too.)

2 hours ago, ralfrobert said:

Phase Plant is not pink, so it will be difficult for him to find a good argument for buying it. 

True, but Phase Plant is skinable; there must be one in pink somewhere 😁

If you have any related Strezov Sampling libraries, it's worth logging into your Strezov Sampling account to see if you have any crossgrade discounts available.

6 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

BTW I still have that offer for Lush 2 for 39.  I don't need another synth,

Sigmund isn't a synth; it's a Delay effect (though you probably have enough of those too).

18 minutes ago, Release said:

Kinda off-topic but I have a question about the MEGA bundle for anyone who uses it:

At the end of the year, do you take pick your choice of ANY plugin (3, 6 or 10)... or is it the equivalent of how much your tier actually costs?

It's not super clear to me. I can't tell if you get a voucher for 3, 6 or 10 plugins or one for $150, $250 or $299.

If you subscribe to the yearly option, you get the voucher immediately.

It's number of plugins, not $ value. This arguably makes $299 marginally better value than the now unavailable F29 per-plugin: the former works out at $29.9 ; the latter $30 ($29 for the voucher, $1 for the purchase).

I suspect KK means banned from the NI forum (and that his products still work), but that's just my interpretation.

11 hours ago, projectm said:

I thought it was weird they’d invest in player compatibility for the cheap versions and not the flagship. I mean, you can still use full Kontakt for player libraries, but it is so convenient for NKS users to have the player compatibility.

I think the samples become locked once encoded as a Player library (not 100% certain on that though).

Just guessing here, but maybe they found the majority of people who bought their top end libraries have full Kontakt and want/would prefer direct sample access? With that, technically they'd be able to make versions of the libraries streamlined for their workflow. Again, just speculation on my part.

6 hours ago, projectm said:

And not Kontakt player compatible? Very weird…

It's not that strange; they did that with Apocalypse Percussion Ensemble too. In both cases, the top-end versions are Open Format, giving direct access to the .wav samples.

4 hours ago, ralfrobert said:

They may release an update to V2 and charge 80 bucks for it. Hasn't it been this way with another product?

Hard pass from me. 

Generally, the difference ends up being the price of buying the new version at list price.

They might pull this trick, but it's not mandatory to upgrade. You'll still have v1, and who knows - maybe there'll be a discount upgrade some time down the line. Or maybe not - I don't know.

Paul always did seem like one of the more honest ones.

13 hours ago, Kirean said:

Yet, I think I'm most irked by all the other smaller devs and their own weird online activation systems. I always feel like there's a good chance their system won't work in 5 years when they decide there's no money in plugin world (or the planet blows up/flood fills their basement and they didn't have backups/whatever)

Good point, but also don't forget that an iLok licence can also go the same way if you need a reset and in the process:

13 hours ago, Kirean said:

you have to go through the individual companies to get things sorted out

I'm not bashing iLok though; like others have said, it (like other methods) has it's pros and cons.

7 hours ago, CSistine said:

For me the only question is when do I need an audience choir?

One use might be for adding a live-sounding element to a rock anthem. I realise you might not write in that genre, but there's no way for me to know that for sure, so just offering an idea.

2 hours ago, Soundwise said:

I think, new generations - Millennials and especially Zoomers - are not very keen on creating music in old fashion, like it used to be common for old-timers such as ourselves.

Possibly one reason is that these tools require skill and patience to learn to use effectively. Many in the younger generations might prefer instant gratification from tools that are simpler to operate.

3 hours ago, PavlovsCat said:

He should have reported the facts first and shared his opinion afterwards.

I'm not sure if it was different before, but there're now two main sections: one for 'facts', the other for personal opinion. I know it's been edited though; I saw the article ~3hrs ago, and the main title contained the quoted phrase "sinking ship". Thing is, that wasn't a quote from anyone except the author's opinion section.

Doesn't work here either. Select credit card and it wants details (which I don't want to give for a free product). When I select PayPal, it does nothing (probably because there's no charge).

19 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

Own two of them.  Worth it (as long as you invest in some 3rd party packs or have a setup where you can capture your own rig.

Are there any packs that you recommend?

2 hours ago, mibby said:

I know I can do this, but I was hoping for a "system wide" solution so I can reference from Tidal or YouTube with my corrected EQ in place.

Not sure if this goes towards what you're looking for, but it might help

https://ddmf.eu/virtual-audio-stream/

If I understand correctly, feed your browser to its effects rack, put your corrective software on the rack, and output to your speakers.

2 hours ago, Kirean said:

What's the difference between Shadow Hills - Mastering Compressor and Shadow Hills - Mastering Compressor Class A?

I believe I remember seeing that green is smoother; red has a more aggressive edge.

2 hours ago, 53mph said:

This got me thinking....has CbB been putting hidden coding into mixdowns to make them copyright traceable?

I doubt it, but you could try an experiment: play your song and record it in real-time through a loopback interface, and try uploading that.

1 hour ago, PavlovsCat said:

Umm. really??? Was it really too much to simply state your expertise with something like, "I'm an experienced pro mix engineer that's mixed hundreds of tracks over by xx year career with hundreds of millions of streams,"

The language seems a bit over-the-top to me. That said, the reviewer's location is (supposedly) Netherlands; it might be an auto-translation thing? Or they could just be colourful.

In any case... I've always thought I have enough 'auto-finishers' like IK Multimedia's Lurssen Mastering, and various other plugins from PA and iZotope that I should probably use those (i.e. use the stuff I already have). Cloudbounce may (or may not?) be quicker, but it's not like I  personally have any tight musical deadlines; of course, those that do may feel differently.

6 hours ago, Paul Fogarty said:

and they try to get you NOT to make a backup copy

I've learned one trick. After the installer downloads and starts, go to Task Manager. In the details tab, find the process for the installer. Right click on that, go to it's location. You can then copy the folder (which will be the required setup files) as a backup and use it to install it offline (though you'll still need to go online for activation).