mettelus

I agree with Jack on this. If just using a DAW, i7 with 16GB will suffice. Those machines also have cheaper RAM upgrades if you get into bigger sample libraries (like $100 for 32GB). Even with the more CPU-intensive FX, an i7 is fine. That is more dependent on the system configuration and separating tracking from mixing (some FX will cause havoc during tracking).

There was a video I saw roughly 10 years ago that I have never been able to find since. It was called basically "the riff" (I cannot remember the exact title), but what it showed was the identical riff (bunch of old video footage daisy chained together) played on various instruments over a span of like 50 years. Definitely interesting to see with all of the suits that get thrown about. If it gets conceived, someone else has probably already done it.

The converse is also true where the same material will be used in successive works by the same person. I was at a pub once where the guitarist used the same solo three songs straight (just changed the key), but movie content catches my attention more often. I will run movies for background noise a lot, and while listening to "Gladiator" I suddenly sat up and thought, "WTF am I hearing the theme from 'Pirates of the Caribbean'???" Those common hits are more frequent than some realize, but if not watching the movie, they tend to stand out more.

4 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

What's holding Melda back is lack of how to videos.

+1000. So many of the videos posted have some variation of lacking presentation, become outdated due to updates, or lacking real-world application as walk throughs.

Ironically, my most recommended video remains Dan Worrall's "FabFilter Pro-Q - EQ Tips & Tricks" from July 5, 2010. I do not even own the plugin, but the reason I have always recommended that is because it packs a buttload of useful information into 10 minutes on using an EQ properly - things a new EQ user will readily grasp and be able to use (regardless of EQ brand). The application, presentation, and scripting of that video are stellar. Unfortunately, the converse of people rambling or posting content just to make a "weekly" seems to be more the norm, and I am often frustrated that those tend to be the first hits when looking for something (more Google's ad engine there).

MDrummer could use an easy screen, that is for sure. Most music uses standard beats without numerous variations on them, and all the common controls are on one screen. If you want to dive in deeper, great, but if not, you shouldn't have to. One of the "features" that wreaks havoc is that there is a buried setting to randomize the MIDI key (in that octave) for the beat sequence, so as you are working even within the DAW it will vary the MIDI note as it is putzing around. You suddenly go from one beat sequence to another even though you just wanted it static. Almost like creating your own Tom Sawyer rendition for every song you make without that setting shut off.

@Starship Krupa Those four columns on the quick setup are pretty useful to get started/loaded. The left two are for the kit and the right two are for the drum patterns (in generates them for all sections there). You can easily generate kits/FX, merge with another to build on that (the samples available are extensive), and get patterns initially created, but you can also easily overdo it and blow the kit up sonically, but even after that is done editing what was created isn't a simple task. A lot to drill into for something that should be simpler. In fact, a pop up that focuses everything needed to edit right in view would be great. I think due to its complexity, there was an effort to get everything into the minimum number of tabbed pages, but if there was something like clicking on the floor tom and BOOM... pop up a single page with only everything needed to edit that floor tom would be an awesome change. Too many menus.

I started a drum map to direct fire the kit pieces long ago, then thought I shouldn't have to; but as time goes by, I may end up having that as the "solution," although it bypasses a massive amount of the plugin by doing so. The samples are in a proprietary format, so you cannot simply import them into another VSTi either.

I admittedly often run YT videos at 1.5 speed or higher and multitask while doing so, especially if they have any length to them. While the commenting can be useful, YT videos that are not scripted tend to just be closed and forgotten.

8 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Right after the Waves debacle, there were a whole cluster of videos on the theme of "how to dump Waves". This one was pretty extensive.

One thing mentioned in that video he could not find a replacement for was"MaxxBass" and he specifically mentioned harmonic generation. That is a specific focus for MCharacter, but not sure how they compare side-by-side for his usage ( I would "assume" it is comparable). That particular plugin has gotten way more use than I expected when I first found it. After almost 6 years of owning MComplete, I still have probably only tested 50% of Melda's plugins to 30% of their capacity. MDrummer still gives me grief though, every time I force myself to sit down and focus on that I run out of time and on reset have lost ground (the 2 steps forward, one step back routine). For just creating tracks it is akin to BIAB in that it will generate things fast (blistering fast), but when you dive into editing that or have a set purpose, it is not as easy (if focusing work inside MDrummer).

Stepping back a sec, even with any difference, the point is actually moot. Music production isn't a cookie-cutter approach, which is why folks can take wildly varied inputs and tools to create a good/great product. Those who want to do will do the work required to accomplish the task (which often involves learning the tools); those who are easily swayed will find fault or excuses in everything else (but themselves) to rationalize why they cannot do.

There has never been a requirement on which computer/DAW/FX are required to make music. Musicians for centuries didn't even have the luxury of them.

6 hours ago, Zo said:

He doesn t need plugins but exorcism lol ...

Yeah, that is definitely not my genre and that track may not have been the best choice. I am not sure what the back story is (seems more promotional based), but it is a good perspective from someone touching them for the first time and making comparisons to others (in this case Waves). I like that he touched upon the MFreeFXBundle like he did, since that gets overlooked sometimes when new folks are asking about FX options.

I didn't check (and really don't know) the dates involved, but there may not be other videos after Waves recanted their position. I found the title of the video funny when it popped up, but it is not really applicable now.

I just happened upon some videos by @ChernobylStudios and this one was too funny not to share, because of the recent threads on Waves. He started a series on "Life WITHOUT Waves Plugins" (only one video so far)... and his choice for doing the entire post-production was Melda Production plugins.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of free plugins, but in most cases the guitar is real (not a VSTi). I just noticed @ChernobylStudios has a video up using all free VST plugins (in SONAR/CbB), and has a nice walk-through of the setup, but the guitar is a real one (Ibanez GRG7221 - budget 7-string). When you start getting into a VSTi guitar that sounds good/great, the term "free" is not often there (demo sometimes though). His video goes through the FX chain in CbB, so is a good resource, but again, the guitar is real. The only VSTis that come to mind for me for low end are AmpleSound's Hell Razor and ThreeBodyTech's Heavier 7 Strings (neither are free). Some folks may have other suggestions, but trying to feed samples that don't meet the genre into an FX chain are going to cause you grief.

Another thing to check with TH2/3/U specifically is that it defaults to a stereo input (not sure why) and this causes problems. The Master button at the top will open that window if you have not already changed it (left side). It should be either Left or Right with inputs set accordingly in the DAW.

Definitely don't take comments as personal affronts. I don't think that is anyone's intent here. When doing analysis, reducing the number of variables is important so that you can truly focus properly. Multi-variable analysis often yields differential equations as the "answer," which is not where you are trying to go.

@Colin Nicholls comment is where I would definitely begin, same test, same DAW, different takes. It is what most folks have been saying here. Many engineering processes rely on repeatable input->repeatable process->repeatable results. If the input is not repeatable, the process can never be refined properly to yield the expected results.

IIRC, refresh was the F5 key, same as for browsers.

Without knowing the VSTi, Z3TA+2 had the interesting anomaly that when oscillators were unsyched it would give you a different performance each pass with the same input... nothing changed but the start position of the oscillators on each pass.

On 4/27/2023 at 10:43 AM, William Wave said:

The first issue is that guitars seem to lose power on higher notes and start sounding too thin compared to lower-note sections.

Start with the basics here. Lower frequencies have more power than higher frequencies, and that ratio will not change by turning up volume on either end (before or after an amp sim) of things. The more effective solution is to EQ the guitar signal before it goes into an amp sim (-3 to -6dB on the high power portions adjusted for taste). Also realize that amp sims tend to create artificial harmonincs above 8K so that area should be tamed as well if needed. Voxengo SPAN is a good freebie to let you visualize this (and you can use multiple instances in the FX chain as well).

Plugins are stupid, they always work with what you feed them. Be sure the signal that goes into any FX is what you really want to be processed. Errors on the input are 10 times harder (or even impossible) to correct on the output side.

I agree with the above sentiment, and the situation is similar to trying to complete video work within a DAW. If you are working with a master track (or very close to it), the editing capabilities are sufficient; but when you get into the needs of composition (multi-track recording, comping, VSTi support, MIDI, sends, etc.) the limitations of video software becomes more apparent. They tend to want you to work with pre-existing final audio tracks in the same way that DAWs want for video tracks.

On 4/4/2023 at 2:17 PM, bluzdog said:

Thanks, too big for my space though. I came across this https://www.google.com/search?q=studio+desk+build&oq=studio+desk+build&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512j0i22i30j0i15i22i30j0i22i30l3j0i390i650l3.8413j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:dd8987d2,vid:Te6JA3zpwoU, it's built out of pipe and fittings. I did a search for desks built out of pipe and came across all kinds of interesting ideas. 

There are a lot of nice options out there if you have the tools to do yourself. Depending if you have the ability to join pieces, there are a few good lumberyards that sell wood to various degrees of finishing. Weight-wise, hardwood be stronger and lighter than pre-fab stuff (which tend to be veneered particle board), but a lot of things can be bought pre-made as well (like the top in his video). I saw the "butcher block" in the marker list and laughed when I clicked on it... I have an antique butcher block in my kitchen that is 14" thick (and weighs roughly 800 lbs)... I consider what he has a table top

On 4/27/2023 at 11:37 AM, jesse g said:

I did become fascinated with having a router and created some fancy edges on the rack which makes it look wonderful.

That looks really good! Another plug for solid wood for construction there. I ended up getting a cheap table router several months ago and kicking myself that I hadn't earlier (like 20 years ago). Precision with it is impressive, far more convenient than a hand router, and the router design alone amazed me... the motor just falls out of the casing so you can swap bits without touching the table/router casing mount. I paid more for a plunge router years ago that I suddenly no longer even like.

On 4/28/2023 at 9:11 AM, Grem said:

I don't remember that at all.

Correct, Adobe went subscription after CS6 (c. 2012), which is when many companies then sat back and pondered "Can I hold my software hostage too?" Many found out that they couldn't the hard way (the space for mature software is very competitive), and even Adobe is finding out that other vendors are chipping away at their space over time (so much so that some vendors will ask if you want to tailor GUIs on startup to look like its Adobe competitor). Fortunately for the younger crowd, those competitors are giving them a cost-effective solution to onboarding with Adobe, although as a student it is not terrible, so Adobe is pushing that in schools to get them hooked.

15 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

I've seen people rail against MeldaProduction's upgrade policies.

I find that a little ironic, but have heard there was a predecessor to MComplete that was replaced and didn't count. Some choose to be contrary to everything though, so those are the ones to watch out for. Once owning MComplete the price of all future upgrades (future creations)/updates are free, and Melda tracks what you own, so much so that they will warn you about trying to buy something you already have (if bought from them directly).

In general, the non-MB plugins are in the free bundle when two variants exist, and for some MB isn't going to get used extremely often. One of the features that is rarely talked about (and probably not used by most or even known about as a result) is the multiparameter capability embedded into Melda, which allows one to customize functions in ways other FX simply cannot (or are baked into other FX and your editing choices are limited). The tutorial series on multiparameters I never liked the format of (more the droning monotone of the presentation), but is worth reviewing if you own any Melda plugins. Even folks reviewing or demonstrating Melda plugins rarely ever go into that facet, but multiparameters also allow you to dynamically adjust parameters rather than just be a static FX across an entire clip/track.

Scaler will bind keys to a selected key, yes, but not sure if CbB can. I seem to recall a Cal script that did this (for editing), but would sometimes move an incorrect note in the wrong direction.

I seem to remember choosing scale also was visible in the PRV to assist editing, but that is also after the fact. I do not recall it locking out non-key notes though.

+1 to the above, there are a lot of keyboard shortcuts in CbB to make workflows easier. Finding them, or even knowing they exist, can be the real challenge. This forum packs a lot of knowledge, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

I tried to see the advice you were referencing but that site exploded into a massive popup on my phone so I closed it. Just so we are all on the same page, what are you trying to achieve?

For future reference, it is sometimes best to focus on the goal rather than a workflow. Some will rabbit hole you and make you think that theirs is the only solution, even when simpler and more effective ways exist. When you focus on the purpose you will often get several workflows (all viable) and then you can pick and choose what works best for you.

I love her distinction right off the bat. "...the pop world, and serious music world, and all over the place..." Most of us are probably in her "all over the place" bucket.

I have an older GNX3000 which seems a similar unit. It only served as a combination FX pedal (processed output). Internal DI paths and especially audio interface capability are on pricier units. I use a HELIX Floor now, but honestly do not use the interface functionality on it.

As @Byron Dickens mentioned first off, if you are going to run audio into a DAW, a good audio interface is required (comes with its own ASIO drivers). I would not recommend looking for that capability in another piece of hardware. Standalone audio interfaces are going to be more useful to you and much cheaper.

I am pretty sure that does not output a DI signal (both a processed and clean signal from the unit), just to be clear. I checked the manual quick, and didn't see that capability. There are processors that will output both, which is convenient if you want to tweak or even re-amp them inside the DAW.

I sort of wished he had played that on the fretless. I was watching a few videos on them recently, but the only ones who seem to take to fretless without a massive learning curve came from a fretless stringed instrument (violin, cello, etc.) in the first place. I then looked at my own style and realized I am too old to learn that precision!