Soundwise

Looks like they have also improved performance a bit. It used to be worse than AT5 in terms of CPU power consumption, now it's noticeably better.

13 hours ago, kitekrazy said:

These seem to take up a lot of disk space.

30 GB of hard disk space for each piano title. 🫣 The entire ST3 is about 33GB in size. I wish IK would continue to develop MODO line with MODO Piano, MODO Guitar, MODO Brass, MODO Strings, MODO Vox, etc.

I've never been banned from KVR, however a couple of one famous company representatives tried to bully me. Couldn't care less for their amateurish attempts, mind you, it just goes to show how much more friendly and cozy this forum is.

29 minutes ago, kitekrazy said:

They are all evil. 

I know, you were not kidding

18 minutes ago, Zo said:

 for moderator we will have "common sens and values" ....

I'd vouch for this moderator in a heartbeat!

6 minutes ago, kitekrazy said:

This is the new thing these days  The sad thing is eve good developers do this.

For developers who offer dozens of products a utility, that can help users install, update, remove, demo products is a great solution. For third parties and vendors like KVR, PB and other mediators such "manager" is a way to gain more control over the software market. I fail to see how an "extra mouth to feed" could be beneficial to developers and their clients.

Nah, it's just another crappy software manager totally uncalled for. All my software is perfectly managed and doesn't require another manager to manage existing managers.

Unless they are going to introduce bargain prices for industry standard software solutions on a rent-to-own basis, I don't see any reason to even look into it.

9 hours ago, Kirean said:

I'm getting this issue after the update. Got five nothing-burger instruments at the top of the list. Nice.

Three dots only has 'release notes' in it and clicking that brings up nothing ("No release notes available for this product.")

I got a mystery product, too.

Quite an update!

Maybe instead of trying to persuade people that you are not a dealer you should already become one? Then you won't have to fight false allegations and can make a living from what you do out of good will intentions.

I bet, most developers and manufacturers would be hard pressed to find a better dealer.

@PavlovsCat, I'm not sure about all possible connotations, but you'd feel the same way had I tried to introduce you to, say, Chopin or Debussy. Tim Henson and Polyphia have been around for more than a decade, and that's a lot. The entire Beatles' discography spans only 7 years, 7½ tops.

Since music is just content, this is a perfect example of using modern tools combined with lots of talent and creativity:

36 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

I present to you, Polyphia. TIm Henson

[...]

Don't go completely sour

20 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

But you stated that there's been a decline in hardware and software sales, when both have actually been growing pretty well (with more than 8% CAGR in music software sales over the past few years).

I think, there is a difference between a statement and speculation. Besides that, I was talking about old-school approach to creating music being on decline. Anyway, thank you for providing your expertise in this area and sharing numbers.

25 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

the demand for live music definitely appears to be lower than it was decades ago in the US and Europe. 
[...]

So once again, technology has changed the game.

[...]

Pop music is becoming more like simplistic ad jingles and I don't see that changing, as record companies know that simple music sells to a wider audience. 

[...]

Look at YouTube and you'll see a wealth of young musicians who play at a level the world hasn't witnessed in pre-web generations.

[...]

there are a heck of a lot of incredibly talented pianists, guitarists, bassists, percussionists, drummers, etc.

Beautiful points! I couldn't have put it better!

30 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

But the doom and gloom you're stating about the collapse of musical instrument companies and musical software companies is incorrect.

That's not exactly what I meant, but I agree that generally there's always hope and space for growth.

We don't need to persuade each other, that with abundance of great plugins the demand for hardware processors has significantly lessened throughout the last few decades. With virtual instruments that sound enormously good I hardly need drummers with their batteries of shells and cymbals, bassists, brass and woodwind players, guitarists, you name it. That's obvious.

On the other hand, replacing human performance with machine generated usually makes music sound and feel like ... background noise. At least, that's the way I feel about it. I want pure human performance with all its natural imperfections, direct artist-audience interaction, but what I get is machine precision and casual videos shot in a living room by someone who isn't able to rock their cat or grandma with their perfection and knows nothing about handling the live audience. Yes, they still get their share of popularity, checks with satisfying numbers. People do make money on this. All I'm saying, that the new way of making music is different from what it used to be and those old ways with human element are on decline. I might be wrong, hence there was and is IMO statement in the end.

8 hours ago, PavlovsCat said:

I've seen a number of folks post in this forum, now in this thread, a misperception that the digital music software production industry is declining when every study I've seen in the 12 months (a total of two) indicates that the industry is growing. The below linked study indicates a CAGR of more than 8% . The acquisitions in the industry aren't occurring because the industry is falling apart. The firms making these acquisitions do so because they anticipate growth, not decline. Well managed developers I know are doing well, not suffering. For anyone posting doom and gloom, it's not reality -- fortunately. 

https://www.globalgrowthinsights.com/market-reports/music-production-software-market-100157

Thanks for trying to burst my bubble. Unfortunately, this article just confirms my observations. The industry has ceased to be talent/creativity centered and is focused on music as product, where you can:

• autotune poorly performed vocals;
• quantize out of time playing;
• replace amateurishly played hits/plucks with industry standard samples;
• use all sorts of generators and engines that trigger pieces of arrangement with a single key press.

And then there are

It doesn't indicate total shutdown of the industry, just the end of the era of music creation as we knew it.

9 hours ago, Paul P said:

A couple of years ago I moved to a big city (which wasn't far away) and last year discovered a world of bands, ensembles and solo/duo performers that make the rounds in the various burroughs' community centres.  Tickets are mostly free, the most expensive is 13$ in a nicer theatre.  Small venues where you can sit 10ft/3m from the musicians if you get there early.   Styles can anything, jazz, blues, pop, classical, Caribbean, folk.  Mostly local musicians, some with reputations.  All original stuff.

I've been really surprised and impressed by the quality.  These performers are more young than old, mostly in the middle somewhere, so there are still people dedicating thousands of hours of their lives to making very enjoyable music.  It's a real privilege to be entertained by them.  They make it look so easy but having tried I know I'll never have the discipline or the drive to achieve anything remotely close.

Surely, the genuine musicianship has never been and never will be obsolete. However, what used to be mainstream now is niche. Gods vs nerds, stadiums vs small venues? Nah! Fugget about it!

Just now, antler said:

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.

Indeed. Also, when you think about outstanding young musicians like Charles Berthoud, what do his viewers/subscribers see? A guitar (bass) god? No! They see a successful youtuber with skills on bass. Do they want to play bass as good as he? Maybe some of them do, but mostly people just like being entertained. I He's not in a band, nor is he famous for any top hit records or just beautiful songs. Even though he's one of the best performers in the world, watching him play bass is like watching a bear riding a monocycle - awesome tricks, yet hardly practical or relevant. It's just an example of how modern musicians have a drastically different paradigm compared to our ideas of music creation.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not trying to imply that this is bad, wrong or pitiful. I'm ready to embrace this new vector and have courage to admit that nobody cares about music icons, heroes or gods anymore. The world has changed and so should we. IMO, of course.

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. IMO, that's the main reason why both hardware and software manufacturers face a decline in sales. We are still here, and we still buy their stuff and keep them afloat, but let's face it - the music part of show business is not about innovative records or talent anymore, it's just a craft with a niche demand. Music is just content crafted with little to no passion, soulful expression or extraordinary skills. We already see symptoms of the MI market collapse, so the crumbling down of leading MI software and hardware companies is inevitable.

KH Diamond Orchestra is nice for $49. I paid $75 for it a few years ago.

Also, don't forget to honor the one and only who keeps us in the loop by using his affiliate link. 🫠

23 hours ago, jngnz said:

let me add UAD dbx160. Incredibly low on CPU and there likely isn't a more "iconic" click/pop transient sound, at least not for kick and snare.

UAD plugins are great. Gonna look for any deals on this particular one. Thanks for sharing your experience. Meanwhile, I have rediscovered this plugin among my licenses. It does the job just fine.

It's not a bad sounding plugin, however, there's nothing special about it.

I'm looking for a compressor plugin with a distinct click/pop sound on attack. Any suggestions?

8 hours ago, Fleer said:

Got two of their Mini 3’s

Got one and am about to sell it. Could be useful as an extension for key-switching, additional controls, etc, but not as the main controller.

Direct link
https://www.overloud.com/products/hybrid-free#getfreelib

Overloud Rematrix reverbs are the best IME.

On 2/22/2024 at 5:31 AM, Bapu said:

Can I run Cakewalks with a Sound Blaster using ASIO4ALL?

That's how it worked for me 20 years ago. Les Paul replica into Korg Pandora to SoundBlaster and then Cakewalk Sonar with A4A driver. Those were the days, my friend!..

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! I wonder why he does?

44 minutes ago, kitekrazy said:

So does the redeem part mean registering with MS and you don't have to install it.

Turns out, it doesn't. You cannot get any keys from MS based on the SoS code. Activation can be redeemed only from within the newly installed OS. I've contacted support, and they say, that the code they give should be good for postponed redemption beyond 30 days, but after 30 days, you're no longer eligible for any assistance from them.