Craig Fowler

I really like the Acme - 'tis very squishy in a nice, interesting way. Of course, I don't exactly have golden ears, so maybe the obviousness of the effect appeals to me in ways that it doesn't to others. It's one of the few compressors I have that isn't just interchangeable with another, though.

Fwiw, the Trainwreck is pretty great imo. The dumble is good too, but less my cup of tea. I'd been looking for an amp sim that did exactly what the Train II does.

Vsl Yamaha Cfx. I bought a lot of piano VIs this year, and most have been very good-to-excellent. This one's so wonderful to play, though, that I'm getting back into proper practicing routines. I'm doing a lot less recording, but am really loving playing and have dusted off sheet music I gave up on 20 years ago! And... it's on sale this month!

Simeon, sorry if you speak to this in the livestream, but with so many Steinway libraries around, does this complement VSL and Simple Sam, or is it redundant? Honestly, as nice a freebie as the Hammersmith was, it didn't entice me to buy the full version or give up drive space for it.

It's a brilliant reverb for sure...Absolutely top notch.

Not to derail things, but have you tried the PA Fuchs Train II? One of my faves, and although I only demo'd the Z-wreck for a few days, it was closer to the Trainwreck sound I had in my head. I'm sure I'll update to AT5 at some point, but I'll bide my time for the next group buy!

I'd say better than decent! I have a bunch of other bass amp sims and can't think of a more 'expensive' sounding one.

And dangit if the demos don't sound great, too!

Could be interesting...As much as I like Nembrini and some IK gear, Kuassa stuff is just so easy to get good sounds out of.

Don't think so - I think the freebie is just an enticement.

Am looking forward to trying this out! Anybody able to comment on how the full version compares to other recent-ish Steinways (e.g., VSL; Simple Sam)?

Who doesn't? (apart from you!)

Anyone who's wanting an absolutely top notch piano should jump on this!

Zo, I'm just an enthusiastic hobbyist, so there'll be much better qualified people to comment. But, the two things that would make me enter or stay in the UAD ecosystem are (1) Unison, and (2) the reverb/spatial processing. Like Grem, I think the Lexicon 224 is terrific. So are the EMTs and the 480. For me, though Ocean Way, Capitol Chambers, and the AKG BX20 are the real superstars. IK's Sunset Studios is the one native reverb (aside from Relab's 480) that I sometimes prefer to UAD.

The demos certainly make it seem that way! I've only had it for 2-3 days, but my take is that there's *some* truth in the 'lots of room baked into the samples' idea, but there's maybe more to it than that. If you just use the close condenser mic and dial back the release samples, it's dry as a freakin' bone...no room to be heard! But, that's the only close mic included in the standard version, so as soon as you start bringing in the others, the ambience ratchets up pretty fast. With that said, so far I really like the blend of just the condenser mic and the mid mic mixed in at a lower level. I have the room mix and the Decca tree L/R and centre completely off, but am using a splash of the algo reverb that's built in to the Synchron player. That gets me a sound I really like that reminds me a bit of the sorts of settings I use in Garritan CFX: It's got plenty of direct sound, but a nice ambience to it as well. I'm not keen on shelling out another coupla hundred bucks for the upgrade to the full version, but I suspect that the additional close tube/ribbon mics would give lots more to play with for folks who *don't* want the full on 'concert hall' sound. As much as I like the D274, so far, I prefer the VSL CFX, which surprises me. I was worried it might be redundant given I have the Garritan version, but it's a different kind of lovely. With much, much shorter loading times!

Go on then, Fleer, convince me I need it in addition to VSL Steinway/CFX and Garritan 🙂 I wish I didn't like their modern upright so much.

*Really* wish they'd announced this earlier even if they weren't going to start the sale then...I've given all my piano money to VSL, and I *really* wanted Ravenscroft. ...Though the VSLs sound stellar, and the 4-for-3 voucher plus educational discount brings 'em to 50% off.

My threshold for buying the full version of JB was 40% off, so I plumped for the essential version instead. I only need a violin occasionally, and am hoping that I don't know what most of the "missing" articulations are is a sign I probably don't need them! I wish I could get their Walker D to play nicer with my system; it's the only Kontakt piano I can't get to run smoothly, and that's just the lite version!

The 360 is standalone, or you can insert it as a vst! It's pretty cool, and free from what I recall!

I really like the Matchlock, especially with the new-ish 360 host! It works much better than the Nembrini equivalent for me.

I want to know more! This has been on my shopping list for ages!

I'm hoping for a killer deal (but not holding my breath) on VSL CFX or D-274, but I'd settle for a nice price on Embertone's Joshua Bell library and VILabs' Ravenscroft. Oh, and I've been eyeing Relab's GoldPlate and Transatlantic Plate, but realistically...do I *need* another reverb?

Old Lady and White Grand have aged pretty darn well 🙂 And if you have the Old Lady install files/samples, keep them, because it's a goodie that's not available anymore! I don't use Rain Piano/Vertikal a lot anymore as I have uprights I prefer (that I paid literally 10-15 times more for, admittedly!). I still have them on my drive though, and they haven't suddenly stopped sounding good or being useable!

Our upright is a Petrof so I've a soft spot for 'em. Haven't found the sweetspot on the PT-Petrof yet, though!

Have you tried PT7 yet, Fleer? Just ordered the upgrade from 6 but won't have the chance to play with it for a while!