bitflipper

Yup, Dave's here and off his painkillers.

Unfortunately, it's an increasingly popular strategy for software vendors looking to establish annuity income.

I have a critical utility that I use in my day job that I originally bought 20 years ago for $80. It did everything I needed. Then one day it stopped working, and I was forced to re-purchase the product for $240. Two years later it stopped working again and the price had gone up to $360. When I reluctantly went to buy yet another forced upgrade, I was informed that I can now only rent the software for $36 a month. And they had the audacity to try and convince me they were doing me a favor.

Fortunately, we currently have the option of switching to another vendor. But only for as long as the industry is still in transition to the predatory model.  There are already sectors in which that option has been completely removed.

Microsoft has made no secret of the fact that they want to make Windows a subscription. Here's how I see it progressing:

1. Initially, the subscription model will be optional. It will appeal to some business users.

2. Subscription will then become the only way to "buy" Windows. Many DAW users will be unaffected, as they have stayed on Windows 7.

3. Older versions of Windows will be intentionally made obsolete. This will be done through developers, who will be told they must do X in order to qualify for the Windows logo, and X is incompatible with older versions of Windows.

4. The end game will be to make running older versions illegal.

Well, CH is the forum equivalent of the short bus.

But I say: embrace that specialness. It does not preclude one's potential for a top 40 hit, becoming a reality star, or for attaining the highest political offices.

Actually, Marc, I think you do qualify for membership. The quality of your posts has always been good, and anyway we do offer half-price junior memberships for youngsters in their 50's. 

Voxengo SPAN version 3.,3, adds two important features: LUFS metering and true peak / clipping detection.

I did not see any mention of these enhancements having been implemented in the paid version SPAN+, but presumably that'll be announced very soon.

I usually hate to make this kind of suggestion, but maybe it's time to let go of Session Drummer and migrate to something else.

It's been a very long time since I've used SD, but IIRC it uses standard GM mapping by default, so it should be easy to drop in a replacement drum sampler without needing to alter your MIDI data. In the meantime, you can substitute the TTS-1 so you can continue to work on your project.

Thanks, guys. Yep, it's gonna be great to get back to gigging.

Loving this new mic. "I been singin' with my band" ... Saturday's rehearsal, the first song I tried it out on was Fat Bottom Girls. Hitting those high notes and pulling back from the mic, the tone doesn't thin out like the '58 does. Not that the Shure sounds bad. I still think it's a good mic and an amazing value. But you need to stay right on it in order to get a consistent tone. I think the Sennheiser will work well for recording, too, which I hope to try this week.

Sunday went to a performance of the Seattle Rock Orchestra. That's a group of maybe 60 players, mostly young and mostly amateurs, consisting of strings, brass, choir, drums and electric bass. And four excellent vocalists. They cover classic rock albums.

The concert was in a nice-sounding old theater (The Moore for people who know of it) in Seattle. Sound reinforcement could have been better, and the performers flubbed a few cues. But overall it was very, very enjoyable. They played all of Abbey Road and several selections from the White Album. Maybe it was just the edibles, but when they did four part harmony on Because and Sun King I floated out of my chair a little. The encore was Long and Winding Road, which got a standing ovation.

In November they'll be back at the Moore doing the first two Led Zeppelin albums. Next Mother's Day it'll be Revolver and Rubber Soul. If I'm still alive then, I'll be there.

The goal of replacing the human component is well on its way...remember when buying gas or groceries, going to the bank, making an airline reservation, browsing for books, getting product support - all involved some kind of human interaction? 

Humans are complicated, and therefore complicate and reduce the efficiency of everyday transactions. In 20 years you won't drive your own car anymore. (At least that should eliminate automated traffic fines; of course if you do get one, well good luck contacting a human to appeal it.) In far less than 20 years, all pop music will be mostly generated by algorithms. Heck, many are seriously predicting the end of conventional male/female unions. Why endure the messiness of interpersonal relationships when a robot can service all your needs while never complaining about any of your limitations?

The ultimate end game, I fear, is finally achieving a perfect world wherein mechanical perfection replaces all human activity. Problem is, that will make us unnecessary, and by then, the machines will be smart enough to realize that. We may be the last blemish to imperfection to eradicate.

Or not. After all, jazz never died, it just left the Top 40.

1 hour ago, mettelus said:

^^ Hardcore right/wrong assessments of tool usage tend to miss the mark, but it does bring light to "studio" versus "live." No one will care how the end product was made (DAW, tools, overdubbing, etc.); but when live, those that rely on "studio tools" stick out much more prominently.

I've tried to convince my band that if I could just record my parts in MIDI, take them home and doctor them up, that when I came back the next night my live performance would then be impeccable.

Oddly, they insist on real-time sound generation. "The audience won't wait around while you edit the PRV", they said. Luddites!

Next, they'll tell me I have to use a real tambourine instead of samples. Now, that's just a safety issue - those things can give you bruises.

Point taken, Craig.

I'm not innocent. I'll admit to moving around a few kick and snare hits now and again. And I start every song with a click track, regardless of whether they're programmed or played drums. But that doesn't mean one has to be a slave to the grid. The click track goes away after the initial guide tracks have been recorded, and then every subsequent track is played by hand. Everything but shakers. My arms get tired.

I know some of you guys are old enough to remember when the IBM keyboard was the standard. Tough as a brick, those things were. And you could tell when you'd activated a keyswitch by the feel of it in your fingers. That meant fewer typos and faster speed.

Nowadays the main market for high-end keyboards is gamers. As a gamer, it does make a difference. As a touch typist, it makes a difference. As a speed typist, it makes a difference. Of course, if all you do is alternate between the spacebar and CTL-Z, then that Office Depot doorbuster special with the ten dollar rebate is all you need.

Think of it this way...when you play a center-panned mono track through your speakers, they are playing the same exact waveform through both speakers. This happens whether you're playing back in "mono" or in stereo. The end result of what comes out the speakers is exactly the same. 

So if it's impractical to re-export, just tell the engineer to whom you're sending the file to convert it to mono on his end. No harm will be done. Even then, he might elect not to bother if it's a centered instrument such as a vocal, kick drum or bass. 

On a related note, here are some timing tips from bass legend Carol Kaye. I especially liked the bit about making a metronome groove.

...quantize it.

Rather than approaching this as a repair exercise, think of it as an opportunity to upgrade your system. A quality keyboard is a surprisingly satisfying investment. Good ones are quite a bit more expensive than your Office Depot special, but still not a huge outlay, maybe $150-200. And it'll last a whole lot longer.

Are you sure you haven't poured any coffee over your keyboard?  

Just kidding. When a group of keys stop working, it's probably an electronic or electromechanical problem internal to the keyboard itself, as opposed to a cable or software issue. See if you can verify that by borrowing another keyboard to substitute. Your daughter's got one, right? Sneak it out of her room while she's at school.

^^^ This.

FIrst step is to determine whether the levels are really lower or if it's just because it's different software that's doing the playback. Quickest way to do that is what Chuck suggests: import the wave file back into your project and A/B it against the mix as you hear it normally within CbB.

If the exported wave is indeed lower in volume, then you have a routing issue. The quickest way to determine if all tracks are actually going to the master bus, simply mute the master bus during playback. Everything should go silent. If not, then you have some tracks that are going straight to hardware.

Whenever addressing this kind of mystery, try to use objective measurements rather than your ears. If the exported file has the same maximum peak and RMS values as what the meters read at the master bus, then you can be confident that the two files truly are the same, regardless of what you may be hearing.

Be aware that tracks can shift from mono to stereo (and back) internally with no visible indication. The DAW's decision to switch interleave internally is based on information each plugin provides to it. 

Most of the time, this works transparently without complications. Occasionally, though, it can produce unexpected results. Some plugins automatically sense mono input and adjust themselves to spit mono out. But not all of them do that. Some vendors (e.g. Waves, FabFilter) supply separate mono and stereo versions of their plugins, and it's important (most of the time) that you use the right one.

A good rule of thumb is that any time you knowingly insert a stereo effect into a mono track, just assume you'll need to manually change the interleave to stereo. This isn't always the case, but it is true often enough to just make it a habit. 

I don't believe that can be done. Kontakt has no knowledge of what's going on in your project.

You might, however, look into using Kontakt's favorites (AKA Quick Load; press CTL-F) feature as a way to narrow your choices. Every time you use a library in a project, add it to the favorites. Then at least your choices are limited to instruments you've used in the past.

I've noted that correlation, too. And now Denver has decriminalized shrooms. Will be interesting to see what kinds of unexpected consequences ensue.

OTOH, we've had a recent issue with airplanes falling out of the sky. That could be bad for the local economy. Luckily, we're still making completely reliable products such as Windows. And Amazon will soon be crashing drones into our homes and inventing a new sport: Skeet-shooting With Prizes. Oh well, we still supply toilet paper to the world (Weyerhauser), so there's that.  Now if we can just bring back Grunge...

After 40 years, my grand is still a baby.

I don't know if it's poor nutrition or neglect, but I've given up on the dream of seeing it grow up to be a concert Steinway. Good thing, I suppose - there'd be no room for the couch if it did.

Ironically, it's 80 degrees and sunny here in famously wet Seattle. (Psst. That rainfall myth is just what we tell Californians to keep them away.)

Nor do I, Ed. Nor do I.

Geoff, looking forward to catching up. Let me know when you'll be in town.

Today, in a celebration of life and a renewed confirmation that  "you can't take it with you", I bought myself a new microphone. Some would have gone for a new pair of sneakers or a concert ticket, but I went with a new mic. A Sennheiser e945 to replace my old SM58 standby.

These days I prefer a handheld dynamic over a condenser when recording my own voice. Mostly, though, this one's for stage use. I'm hoping its narrower pickup pattern will help with feedback issues - my vocal/keyboard monitor is an 8" QSC on a stand that sits to my left at ear level. It works well, but in some rooms I can't get as much volume as I'd like due to feedback.

You're making me feel guilty about neglecting my piano. I haven't played it in months. Or even dusted it, for that matter.

Today, however, I did have a cute girl playing it for me. She's only 3, but she'll no doubt do better once her feet can reach the pedals.

Press CTL-A to select all tracks, make sure "what you hear" is selected in the export options, and try again.