Reid Rosefelt

Silk is one of my favorite ujam instruments. Renaxxance is my all-time fave nylon guitar VI. I began a video not long ago where I played the same MIDI on every nylon guitar VI I own, including Nylon Sky, OTS, etc... Renaxxance won. And it's a pleasure to play.

No, it’s just a way to lure you into the Mister Horse ecosystem, as all their products work with it. And it worked with me. Their products are great and they will get business from me.

Thanks. 😃 Fixed.

The result of two years of work, version 1.7 is a free update to existing users. If it is as described, it may take away some resistance people have had to buying this classic library, as it seems like the legato will be easier to achieve. Listen to this video and I think you'll understand why this is one of my very favorite virtual instruments. Damn, it is so beautiful! And this is quite different from the old CSS I know and love. The shorts are amazing. This is amazing. And it's free. *Note: you need to do a backup into a directory to make it possible to play old music, plus this is a different library. What’s new in Version 1.7 Marcato mode (including runs) The new marcato articulation is much more powerful - it’s punchy, full of energy and grit, and can easily pull off fast, agile phrases with minimal editing. Play harder on the keyboard for a more pronounced attack, or to exaggerate a note within a legato phrase. You can play a snappy series of short notes, or a slower, more grand series of accented long notes. Playing a fast legato line will trigger the runs mode - you don’t need to enable anything or switch anything on or off - just play fast, and the script will do the rest for great-sounding runs. Improved sound The new mix mic is roomier, yet more detailed - lush, yet powerful. I spent a long time getting this balance right, and I feel that this mix should work well in a wide variety of styles and genres. Having said that, I really encourage you to experiment with the two spot microphones. These were mixed together into a single stereo track in the original version of CSS, but in version 1.7, you can now control them independently, allowing you much greater freedom to create your own customised sound. Low Latency legato I spent a (very) long time re-editing all of the legato transition samples, not only to significantly improve the timing, but also to ensure a more consistent volume envelope. This makes sequencing legato easier, particularly because it lessens the need for intensive “sculpting” of the dynamic modulation. In addition to these two factors, I also introduced a new “Low latency” mode, making it much easier to perform passages in real-time. Improved short notes All of the short notes in CSS, both bowed and plucked, have been re-edited to ensure better consistency of timing and length. I also improved the relative dynamic response between short note types, making it easier to switch between spiccato, staccatissimo (etc) without needing to pay as much attention to your playing velocity. Non-vibrato legato transitions Lastly, I have also improved the non-vibrato legato transitions. In the previous version of CSS I’d used simulated legato transitions, and while I didn’t record any new material for Version 1.7, I developed a technique to significantly improve the sound of these simulated transitions by editing the with-vibrato samples to create an all-new set of non-vibrato legato transitions. This not only sounds more realistic, but also makes the x-fade system more seamless and straightforward. For more information on all these features please read the Release Notes. *IMPORTANT - Before proceeding with the update: This update is designed to completely replace the previous version, therefore your old projects will not work properly. Do not update if you are in the middle of a project. If you would like to be able to open old projects, you will need to keep the previous version of Cinematic Studio Strings as a backup. The easiest way to create a backup is to do a search for your current "Cinematic Studio Strings" folder, make a copy of it right next to it, and rename the copied folder to "Cinematic Studio Strings original". (see image 1) After you have created the backup, run Native Access and locate "Cinematic Studio Strings" among your list of installed libraries. Right-click on Cinematic Studio Strings and select "Re-install". Native Access will download the new version of Cinematic Studio Strings. When this is finished, you should be able to re-open Kontakt, load a patch as per normal, and begin using version 1.7! You'll know that you're using the new version if you can see two separate Spot mics on the mixer. (see image 2) In Summary: You need to copy your current Cinematic Studio Strings folder and rename the copy to “Cinematic Studio Strings original” (or whatever name you choose). Then, right-click on “Cinematic Studio Strings” in Native Access and select "Re-install", and when that has finished, re-open Kontakt. Load a patch, it will be the new version (if there are mixer faders for “Spot 1” and “Spot 2”, you’ll know you’re using the new version). If you ever need to open an old project that was saved prior to updating, please follow these simple steps: Rename the new "Cinematic Studio Strings" folder to "Cinematic Studio Strings new” Rename the "Cinematic Studio Strings original" folder to "Cinematic Studio Strings” Open your old project, it should load without issue.

@tezza Are you aware of Premiere Composer from Mister Horse? I don't know if you use Premiere. They have something similar for After Effects. https://misterhorse.com/premiere-composer It's a free extension that allows you to put your folders into it and then you have access to all your sounds (plus other assets) while you're working in Premiere. Open up the extension and drag the effects directly into Premiere. I just found out about it and haven't really set it up fully yet. It also comes with a lot of useful freebies, like transitions, text effects, sounds, etc.

43 items for $25 $749 value Weapons, Footsteps, Combat Sounds, Zombie Sounds, Ambience, Survival Sound FX, Tool FX, Watery FX, Magic Spells, Farm Animals, Military Voice, etc. I keep buying these things and my FX collection grows and grows. https://www.humblebundle.com/software/sfx-and-music-for-your-games-software?hmb_source=&hmb_medium=product_tile&hmb_campaign=mosaic_section_1_layout_index_1_layout_type_threes_tile_index_2_c_sfxandmusicforyourgames_softwarebundle

Is this the piano from ABBY RUDE?

Great for amplifying scat singing.

Well maybe that's true. I wasn't paying any attention to any reported bugs.

I don't quite understand this, as there never was an announced date for Massive X, AFAIK. It was "whenever." It didn't come out until the summer. NI considered that so late that they felt bad and gave a $50 voucher.

I'm just saying, you never know. 😀 Here's the story on Komplete 7. This was apparently leaked on some forum.🤔 It may be bogus. In addition to the big news of the full screen HiDPI browser, there are two new effects--Psyche Delay and Ring Modulator. Plus "Factory Library 2" And here's the link to the VI:Control discussion. https://vi-control.net/community/threads/kontakt-7-leak.128982/

Komplete 11 came out on September 1st, 2016 Komplete 12 came out on September 1st, 2018 Komplete 13 was announced on September 1st, 2020, although it wasn't released until October 1st. So... maybe Komplete 14 will be announced on September 1st, 2022? (aka next Thursday?) Whenever it is announced, what new stuff would be included if you bought Komplete 14 Ultimate CE? Since at least 2016 (when I began paying attention) it has been every library that was offically released by NI since the previous version of Komplete. So... ACTION STRINGS 2 ASHLIGHT LORES PIANO COLORS PLAYBOX SEQUIS (Edit: forgot this one) SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION: EAST ASIA SESSION BASSIST – PRIME BASS SESSION GUITARIST – ELECTRIC MINT SESSION GUITARIST- ELECTRIC VINTAGE SESSION GUITARIST – PICKED NYLON PLAY SERIES 40’S VERY OWN DRUMS 40’S VERY OWN KEYS DEFT LINES EMPIRE BREAKS GLAZE MELTED VIBES STACKS Maybe.... KONTAKT 7? There's a rumor... Sometimes something new is only announced at the time when a new Komplete comes out. EXPANSIONS CONCRETE SUN, FREE FORM, YOUNG PHANTOM, MOTHER BOARD, LUNAR ECHOS, SATIN LOOKS, RHYTHM SOURCE, BURNT HUES, ELECTRIC TOUCH, BACKYARD JAMS, SACRED FUTURES, BUMPIN FLAVA, TRILL RAYS, BODY MECHANIK, NEO BOOGIE, SOUL MAGIC, LIQUID ENERGY, CRATE CUTS, CERTIFIED GOLD, Let me know if I made any mistakes or missed anything. What this list does not deal with is any changes having to do with iZotope and Plugin Alliance. Or a subscription offering.

I'm not suggesting they come out with Addictive Drums 3. Addictive Drums 2 is fine the way it is, IMHO. I'm talking about content. I believe the last drum set was the Mallets. My memory is they came out in 2016. And not a single MIDI pak since then AFAIK. How are Addictive Drums fans supposed to get excited about sale after sale after sale when they bought everything a long time ago? My point is that when the competition is bringing out a flood of new content and you sit on your *****... you are going to get left behind. Because when new buyers are making a choice of drum programs--they can count. They can see the page of content at Toontrack. And that makes me sad because I think Addictive Drums is terrific. If Max Martin is a co-owner, why doesn't he curate a new drum set and MIDI pak for them?

Such a weird company. They don't add anything to Addictive Drums for years and years and years. Nothing new to buy. Then they recently introduced four packs for XO. So I felt, "Oh I get it. They see XO as their future." But since then, there has been no more XO packs. It has been a while. And these are not labor-intensive for XLN to create, as they are programmed by outside artists. Get the patterns and hire a graphic designer to do the art. But no. I am very deep into Addictive Drums, because I like the sound. Aside from that, it seems like they are turning to new customers and demanding that they buy from Toontrack instead. Or even ujam, with their excellent Beatmakers. Any company that appears to still be in business, moving forward. In general, I feel that most existing drum programs are aimed at the 50+ crowd. 60s -80s Rock. Jazz. How long has Toontrack been making stuff and they have a single EDM pack? Toontrack and XLN have ceded the business for "new" styles of music (ie maybe only 20 or 30 years old) to sample packs and ujam. And this is why I felt XO was an excellent path forward for XLN. Put a toe into the non-codger/geezer market. But they have a very long way to go to fill in those blanks. I guess they pooped out with four packs. Time to take a long, long snooze. Wake me up in 2025 maybe. Compare that with Audiomodern. They introduce a new Playbeat 3 pack (mostly free) practically every two months. In no time it will be quite a collection, most of which will come free at time of purchase. And the two paid ones are super-expensive--five bucks! It's also now my favorite drum machine. Really exciting state-of-the-art tech. AI intelligent randomizing that slaughters Sample Logic IMHO, as far as drums go. It's one thing to randomize, and something else to come up with what is truly musically useful. Soon it will be the standard for young musicians and the future. Don't get me wrong, I think XO is a great program with a lot of potential. But imagine what Omnisphere would be today without all these brilliant programmers making patches for it. They continue to make it shiny and new by showing what is possible. I think that companies like Audiomodern and the Cube people understand this very well by putting out their own free packs.

Great Deal. I have all the Audiomodern products (including their sample packs) except for Atom. This isn’t good for me but it’s a great way for somebody else to get going with Audiomodern.

No. I really enjoyed doing the list the first three years, but the fourth year was torture. There were infinitely more sales. I was getting up each day at 5 am and working full time. All day long people were complaining that I missed something . So that was the last time. But I think that musicsoftwaredeals.com will fill in very well this year. Larry, however, is irreplaceable. If he doesn't come back, the entire world is screwed.

What happens with me when I get a high-quality Virtual Instrument is that it inspires me to make music with it. And I don't worry about what kind of music it is. But you're right, an Erhu is probably going to sound Asian. 😀

Just got this today. It is easily the best Erhu virtual instrument to date. And it's one of the best world instruments. As good as the Chinese flutes and stringed instruments from Ample and Three-Body Tech are, this is a much more ambitious undertaking. It's so much harder to create an Erhu, and they've pulled it off beautifully. I really love it.

It's a good bet that these three will turn up by Black Friday. 😀

Just to be clear, this bundle doesn't include the Veevums I want the most: Veevum Human and Veevum Sync Guitarscapes. As they usually sell them in threes, maybe they will be available with one more Joy de Veev added.

When I record my videos, I have to turn off my second computer, which is 12 feet away. Too noisy. But Jim's computer is running right next to me, practically silent. Everything he does is made with the musician in mind.

If people can't buy stuff on their phones, that's totally ridiculous. Not acceptable.

I love ProjectSAM. Rather than make a new player that makes it harder to use their instruments, they make it easier. The changes are so dramatic it's like getting new libraries in free updates. I liked what they did with the Symphobias so much that I bought TrueStrike. The big improvement is in making multis. Whenever adding an instrument, you can either replace the previous instrument or add it. So you can see ten of these instrumements on your screen at the same time. You can solo, change the volume. But here is the big thing. In the settings you can quickly move the instruments around on your keyboard into keyboard splits. Do you want two to play when you are on some keys? Do you want to be able to play one instrument solo on a different part of the keyboard. You can give each one a color which you can see. The thing I love is that it changes the colors on my NI Keyboard light guides. I am praying that they will do new interfaces for the Swing! Series. If they did Animator, it would totally change it. Animator has a lot of different kinds of sounds in each patch. For example, one patch might be a lot of funny cartoon percussion sounds. With this new interface you could just select the ones you wanted and then pair them with any sounds you like from the other patches. Just like you can with drums in True Strike. Very easy. It seems like I have bought a lot of ProjectSAM. I guess that's because I like each one so much,, it paves the way for more purchasess. If you aren't familiar with the Symphobias, one of the things they are known for is orchestral special effects. They have tons of things in the Symphobias that you can't really get with other libraries. Putting those kinds of things in makes an orchestration sound much more real. This is why a lot of composers may move to other orchestral libraries (the Symphobias are old libraries after all), but they continue to use the Symphobias. And you can see a lot of this kind of thing in The Free Orchestra. Also, they come with preset multis that are kind of ready-made soundtracks. ProjectSAM always plots their own course, which is why you can't compare the Swing! series to other jazz libraries. No matter what other library you choose, the Swing! libraries will give you a ton of stuff that is not in them. For them, a jazz library means it has drum grooves, Django Manouche, a lap steel, ukelele grooves, a harmonica, etc. But mainly all these different kinds of ensembles. It's not just trumpets and saxes. I did a video on the Symphobias vs Albion One some time ago. Apologies for the awful sound on my narration. This was the video that made me so mad that my wife, who had been listening to me rage against Vegas for so long, told me to shut up and get another editing program. This video switched me to Premiere, and I'm so glad. And of course, not long after I made this video, ProjectSAM changed the interface!

I tried that when I had Composer Cloud and I thought it was really, really bad. I was shocked. i particularly found the legato to be unacceptable. But install it and decide for yourself. The Female Soul Ensemble, on the other hand, is wonderful. I have a lot of female vocal libraries and this is one of the very best. Offhand, I can't think of any other female vocal library that's better for pop music. You maybe can get better effects in BIAB, but that's a very different thing. There is only one legato, an uh sound. but it is very good. But this is for background vocals, not lead lines. I think 8dio's Studio Sopranos is better for that. There are a variety of sounds-- uhs, ohs, ahs, ehs, mms, etc. There are sustains, scoops, and short and long swells. The doo and hahs are great. But the standout for me is the Marcato patch, which cycles through the various sounds. You can get some really nice effects with that. A++