antler

I believe it's a 'soft' copy protection mechanism. As it's a Full Kontakt instrument, it's very easy to copy it around. There's also some small text in there somewhere that explains how to unlock it. IIRC you just send an email to support from the account that you purchased with asking to unlock. They'll send you some special files (with instructions) to unlock it - the process is very easy.

Sorry - I can't comment on Songkey (I don't have it). I was just thinking that certain software will tell you the chords if you have the MIDI. Studio One has a chord view that can tell you the chords of both real-time and pre-recorded MIDI. Pianoteq will analyse chords in real time too; it's fairly pricy, but it is a great modelled piano instrument (i.e. small footprint) with expansions for some other instruments too - maybe one to add to the sales watch list if you like pianos and don't already have it. It sounds like ezKeys already works, but as you say, there's the cost of duplicating the track.

Are you recording audio or MIDI; and are you recording your left hand playing the chords/bass lines in addition to the right hand melody?

You get other Open Source licenses too, though they all pretty much mean you give away your product. That said, there are lots to choose from ranging from GPL3 which mandates that any derivative product must also be licensed as GPL3, all the way to MIT which is pretty much 'do as you will'.

In theory, I suppose so: ISW has a Reaktor chiptunes instrument. In reality, there's probably more to it than just the synth patch though - the hardware may have had certain characteristics to give it a special sound, as well the EQ profile that the speaker and console shell gave it; similar to how there are MegaDrive/Genesis sound chip emulators.

Sorry - I'm afraid I can't explain where a 72GB Gameboy library would be more advantageous than the standard version. Apparently, the UDS "(Ultra Deep-Sampled) features all the natural variations that occur when you retrigger the same key. Designed for professionals."... But it's a Gameboy; I didn't think it's sound chip offered that many different variations of the same note. That said, I don't have the library, so can't say for sure.

I guess it sounds better/less dodgy than something like 'play mini-guy' though ? At 72.81GB(!) for the UDS version, I think it wins for largest library in that category.

Hey Zo. You may want to check out the YouTube channel for FreeToUseSounds: looks like there are quite a few videos about field recording equipment (the guy basically travels the world, recording sounds). https://www.youtube.com/@FreeToUseSounds

I wonder if there's any coincidence that this is a Gameboy sound library (or at least the image would imply), and that ISW has a library that it describes as A truly authentic collection of sounds from the classic, best-selling “GB” handheld.

To be fair, I wouldn't expect the licensing services to use the same resources as Defender. The latter is scanning files for malware and it would make sense for it to slam the hard drives. My guess (I don't use iLok or Waves plugins) would be that the licensing services add CPU (to check dongle IDs, etc.) and network usage (if cloud enabled). I don't doubt that a malware scanner would be more resource intensive though.

The main differences are that you're not allowed to transfer to another machine, and you're typically not allowed to upgrade it (though IIRC W8 OEM users were allowed to upgrade to W10). I don't think buying one and using it is illegal: it'd be very easy for MS to block activation on their end for certain keys anyway.

Yes, please...

Lots of accusations in that thread. I wouldn't have any idea whether they were true or not. Some people claim to have proof of such and such; why not post them (or partially redacted screenshots) in addition to making assertions?

Well done - I did like that One more thing on Apple's product pricing: apparently, four wheels for a Mac Pro costs £699.00 https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MX572ZM/A/apple-mac-pro-wheels-kit

Like abacab mentioned, you have to visit the Epic store each week either with the link above, or by opening the Epic app (if you have it installed). I have a weekly calendar reminder every Thursday just to open up the Epic app and have a look.

This week, it's Divine Knockout, First Class Trouble, and Gamedec - Definitive Edition https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/

They're bug updates. Memory leaks don't mean data is leaking to other processes; it's more that an app is taking some memory to do something, not releasing it when the task is done, and then taking more memory to do the same thing again later. When done once or twice, it's not too much of an issue (though it's still bad in principle); it's when it happens in a loop for hundreds or millions of times that the problem becomes very apparent. That said, bugs and security updates sometimes get all bundled in the same update.

This seems to be a good overview of VST2 vs VST3. I'm guessing it'll depend on whether the developer makes use of the new features though. https://inmusician.com/difference-between-vst-and-vst3

Can you describe what happens when you try to use them? Do they crash the DAW? I don't use a Mac, but I'd like to understand what it is about the plugins that do not work.

Right - gotcha

Sorry, I don't follow: elysia and SPL are actual brands that make audio hardware.

If you wait long enough, chances are you'll get it for cheaper either with a $75 voucher, or during a flash sale. No idea how long that will be though.

Yikes - I hadn't noticed that! Can't really say it's unfair if it contains more plugins over time though.

Kerbal Space Program and Shadow Tactics - Aiko's Choice are now available https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/

Not sure if they're the same base sample set. 8Dio and Soundpaint are different platforms. Think of 8Dio libraries as more traditional sampled Kontakt libraries, whereas Soundpaint is a new proprietary engine that's probably more geared towards sound design rather than orchestral mockup at this time. There's a lot of marketing hype behind Soundpaint, but people don't appear overly impressed with Soundpaint libraries (yet) - though it is still early days for the platform. With Soundpaint, you can import different sounds and layer them up, so it could make for some interesting sonic textures. Be aware that Soundpaint libraries generally have larger disk footprints than their 8Dio counterparts.