Magic Russ

Includes kits, pieces, and MIDI packs https://www.xlnaudio.com/campaign/60_off_addictive_drums_2

Is it really lazy or is it done with the malicious intent of punishing users for not having upgraded?

I hate the expansions. Unless you are using Maschine they are so clunky. You get samples and a few synth presets, but they put all of these in their own directories without adding these to the preset management systems of the synths in question.

I got this on a previous sale, but it doesn't get a lot of usage. As you can see, it is dominated by string and orchestral machines. Some of these are quite good, but I'm not the guy who needs every variety of these. Overall a lot of these sounds are either things I have covered already elsewhere, or are fairly niche. For example, I'm guessing there aren't a lot of people who sit down to write something thinking "Hey, I need to have a Univox sound on this one". Even though this is not a collection of instruments I often use, I do have to say that the sampling, scripting, and design is done fairly well. I also have to give props to whoever did the demos. In my hands the electronic pianos just sound cheap and buzzy but they made these instruments sound playable.

I was running updates for the IK software manager and at the bottom of the list I was seeing T-Racks 6 as an option to try or buy. After updating ToneX I saw that this was gone. Has anyone heard any rumors about this and what it might include?

They called Kontakt 6 just plain Kontakt, and I was hoping they were going to keep on that track so that you don't have to keep older versions around. Unfortunately you will need to keep Kontakt 5 around for the ability to import certain external file formats as they lost licensing for the conversion code after that release.

If you bought GR7 when it came out, a Komplete Standard 14-15 update is a bit underwhelming. What's new? Kontakt 8, a couple of play libraries, Ozone 11.

Also, I am seeing similar changes throughout entire V Collection line.

The key word here is tiny. But still, I missed that this was out there so it was nice to be able to download it.

If you've been around long enough you will have picked up a few bundles at killer deals. You probably will have more compressors, eqs, and delays than you know what to do with. The same holds for distortion effects and modulation effects. Unless you are a discriminating keyboard player, you will have more than enough pianos for your needs. If you have both Komplete and the Arturia suite, there aren't a lot of synth sounds you can't get. You've probably picked up your fair share of samples. For me, there's not a lot that is going to trigger GAS. If IK were to release new components, I would probably pick it up. If ToonTrack puts an EZKeys library on sale, I will likely pick it up.

Both things can be true. One person could hypothetically have an issue where when you go through a bunch of projects in the spirit of "Is this any good? Do I want to work more on it?" and you open up the one file with a plugin you have used in a project here and there, like maybe RMV, and that plugin crashes. And the next time you open the file it is fine. If you are the type who is more focused or who comes to your DAW with mostly complete songs, this will not happen to you. You won't get the bug either if you don't have that plugin. You won't have it if you have audio you can preview. DAWs are complex and have a lot of bugs. Some people will hit them and some won't, depending on any number of factors. That's how both things can be true.

I always wondered about that. It should be straightforward enough to say that a certain size shoe should fit feet of certain sizes. Even worse, some brands can't even be consistent. My wife had shoes and slippers from Uggs on her wishlist. One pair of one style was too tight at size 8 and another pair in a different style was loose at size 7. Getting back on topic, Bandlab has put in a few nice features and fixed a lot of bugs and avoided any of the blunders of the Roland or Gibson years.

It still is. I have a few patches I created from way back that stand up to a lot of newer synths.

I also thought I saw the "Blackout" version of the DL-4 ver2 for $199.

I thought I saw a 4th gen Scarlett 2x2 on sale for $169. Also matched by Sweetwater.