Brian Walton

I posted something similar in January (I spent over $80 out of pocket in Dec and Jan). I got my first voucher (and spent it fairly promptly in Feb). They don't seem to formally publish the tiers, but it seems to be spend $50 in the last 6 month or a year as the entry point to get a $25 voucher. They note the process is automated and you may or may not continue to get them month over month.

Note the bottom half of the Audiority one can be hidden when you don't want the extra controls. The pulsar one has some pretty annoying logoing going on all the knobs.

For the Echorec, I grabbed this one instead (no-ilock, uses authorization files instead) and it is one of the most "analog" sounding guitar related in the box effects I've used. https://www.audiority.com/shop/echoes-t7e/ I bought it after getting the Tape Echo thanks to a 50% off sale, and ran the demo. It was quite a bit different (they are based on different delay technolgies).

I thought the same plus I couldn't figure out what format(s) they offer this free one in. Might be cool, but pretty poor website presentaiton of the product.

Ok, that is $300 laptop territory.

I'd do research on the games he wants/needs to play. $1K on a gaming system is pretty crazy. A console system is way less than that, and for a computer system you can run some nice games on a far cheaper system.

If you like Scaler at all...Scaler 2 is a big jump forward.

https://forum.scalerplugin.com/t/good-job-with-the-scaler-2-3-0-update/6374/6

I like my x-touch mini (which ironically I bought to control photo software, not a DAW) but in terms of killer new feature....this is a company built on copying the IP of others at a cheaper price. And the idea of developing anything on the level of Cakewalk in 18 months is just absurdity. I do agree some sort of inexpensive control surface for Cakewalk would be fantastic. As for the ability to run on Bandlab, no need for it personally. Just about everyone owns a laptop these days for some kind of on-the go. Using an android phone is basically a gimic for music production. Sure it can be done, but it is more of an annoyance than it is worth. IMO

uhh....WAVES is worse. I prefer USD via paypal, pm me for where to send it to. ?

If a few button clicks is too much for you, then "testing" plugins should be painful and I'd think you would want to focus on actual music production that would also be painful given the tedious nature of the creation process with a DAW and or instrument. Literally 20 seconds of testing out a plugin has far more movements than in the install process does. Installing one plugin is completly trivial. I've studied human factors and ergonomics, so ironically you picked the wrong person to try to have that argument with.

Just saw that in my inbox too. Super annoying getting a coupn for I product I just paid more for (at Plugin Boutique) less than 7 days ago. ?

Well if you can't afford the $9 (no shame in that) you should stay clear unless you have copious amounts of self control. If you just appreciate the education and experimentation, then a single installer is nothing and that makes getting rid of it after the trial easier. You already have ilok so you can't complain about that. I must own 10 izotope plugins not including the exponential audio ones. Guess what? Never used the manager as that is an extra program that just takes up space, unlike an actual installer for an effect. Perspective is key. If you are looking for legit professional tools for cheap, this is about as close as it gets.

Nimbus is basically Phoenix with more features. You don't need Phoenix for sound/feature reasons. You would have to demo R2 to see if you need it. The way I look at them is R2 and R4 are color reverbs like Lexicon. Not extreme color but you can hear more character to it phoenix/nimbus is more transparent sounding. And has really clean trails. I'm not sure everyone feels like they need both, but I think together they cover all the basic reverb needs, I only look elsewhere when I want more obvious and effect like verb.

I own all their albums and have tons of live concerts (I used to collect them). Honestly Pluse is the far better live show "best of" it doesn't suffer from sounding dated, the recording and performance are as good as it gets. The shows from the Delecate Sound of Thunder era, I'd actually argue is more of a stepping stone for the band. It paved the way for the Pulse show, and provided a vehicle for some of the respectable Momentary Sound of Reason (after the completly forgettable "the Final Cut" album and Water's departure). That said, the complete lack of some of the masterpieces like Echoes or Pigs (three different ones) in either show means one has to venture beyond those "best of" to really get a more complete PF experience.

Today is your lucky day: I'd run the trial. At $9 Phoenix is insane. And R2 at $19 if you are more into the traditinal Lexicon stye is also fantastic. Needs ilok (can be computer or ilock 2, or 3 authorize) and you only get one seat per purchase.

Even with the stupid 1 seat authorization on Phoenixverb, that still is a great price. hmm...do I need to buy a 3rd seat?

The TurboEQ might be the best "designed" Melda plugin from a user interface perspective. As they note in their own marketing, it sounds just like other EQs they have, it is just a simplified way of interacting with it that is closer to the classic analog EQ approach. Not sure I can swallow the asking sales price for it though given everything else I have. If it was half the sale price, I'd certainly consider it. TurboCompLE most of us got from Plugin Boutique for like $5. Annoyingly it doesnt' have actual attack and release times, etc. It sounds decent enough, but I tend to think I have better sounding compressors in the tool kit. At $5 totally worth it. Wouldn't have paid the sale price here personally, but I also have quite a few nice comps of different flavors. When you switch between comps the settings and output totally changes, so it isn't like you can A/B just by clicking next down the line....if you could, then I think it would get more love. Haven't really used the reverb as I don't feel like I have any holes in the collection there.

Pink Floyd created this for literally millions of people....Talk to one single person that saw them live that doesn't have that show (or shows) as a strong memory. Honeslty there is no other band I can think of that I think would encompas that statement better than Pink Floyd. They are arguably the greatest combination of Live and Studio band that has ever lived becuase they created those memories and experiences, and they played very well. They could create an overwhelming emotional expereince. People talk about bands like Led Zeppelin, who were also great, but Live they could be just down right bad/sloppy (or great, depending on the night and tour). I don't think anyone had the magic of both like Pink Floyd.

You don't have to like them. But it also sounds like you only listened to a single album of one of the most respected bands that constantly changed their sound (but always soudned like PF). I'd suggest listening to the entire catalog and then come back posing a different question. Since everyone else in the world bought their albums, listened to them over and over again, your OP just sounds like trolling. If you can't appreicate or connect with the music they created on an emotional level (Comfortably Numb one of the most iconic guitar solos of all time as an example) then they just are not for you. But I also can't imagine hearing their catalog of music and not finding something in it that speaks to you as a human emotionally on some level. It doesn't all sound like DSOTM or ABITW ptII. Neither of which do I think is their best work, though I can still appreciate the genius of it.

If I thought the free versions on the market were just as good I can assure you I wouldn't have purchased doubles of each product (due to single seat ilok liscencing that I'm a major critic of). Plenty of info out there on them. They didn't get a whole lot of market presence as they were prohibitivly expensive until the last couple years where they saw major sales. Only the rich can afford a single seat $300 stereo reverb (the surround is even more). And they also were first released under a new brand until Izotope bought them, though headed up by one of the most well respected Reverb experts in the world. They make some of the most respected Reverbs on the market, no question about it - just becuase you haven't done any research at all doesn't discredit those that have. https://tapeop.com/reviews/gear/103/r2-stereo-reverb-plug-in/ https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/exponential-audio-phoenixverb-r2 https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/exponential-audio-r4 https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/exponential-audio-r4 https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/logic-pro-expert/logic-pro-blog/2017/03/10/review-exponential-audio-r4.html https://www.gearslutz.com/board/product-alerts-older-than-2-months/1141701-exponential-audio-r4.html https://visualsproducer.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/exponential-audio-reverb-bundle-first-impressions/

Reverbs is an area I don't believe that is the case, assuming you are not counting free for limited time offers, or other give me a taste of the full version options (ala this one, Melda, Akon, etc) The free ones sound pretty good until you swap them out with something like Exponential Audio across all your tracks. This also depends on how you use reverb, if you are someone that just uses a super small amount across all your tracks, then of course the differences are negligable as you can barely hear either when they are on or off. All the free ones on the market are either crippled down, or flat out don't sound as good as the best paid versions. Poor quality reverb can distroy a mix, it is cumulative effect. Might sound good on one track, but as the track counts add up the reverb artifacts and lack of clarity also pile up.

This free one isn't. Not sure why they asked for ilok info at checkout.

Indeed fingers are part of the player I mentioned, a really importat part. Depending on the amp diming them out can put the control of the response back on the player and gear that come before yet....i.e. actually using the volumne knob to control gain. (Jim Marshall would actually call up Kenny from Trainwreck to discuss the finer points of amp design and tone) People have gotten so used to putting pedals in front of the amp which is fine for low end amps, but those really designed for interaction there is a lost art on that front for sure these days. Certianly there are exceptions to this these days (Derek Trucks comes to mind).

If you think in the box simulations such as Bias Amp2 can produce the same response and tone of a Tranwreck amp, then all I can say is it must be nice to not have to obsess over sound and feel like some of us do. I love digital recording, but the notion they have fully replicated the analog releam, especially with something as interactive as a a high end super responsive and dynamic tube amp is simply false. It makes recording general amp tone a lot easier that is for sure, but trying to replicate the full responsiveness and sound as a combination isn't there yet when you are talking about the creme of the crop, we will get there eventually but we are not there yet. If your point of reference is some mid range tube amps, I can understand the perspective. But when you are talking about the most responsive amps ever built it is another matter all together. And yes, there is also a clear audible difference between Evidence Audio cables in front of an amp of that caliber and a Monster Cable when you are standing in the room. These differences also fade as you record through digital gear and the lesser quality mic, pre-amp, and playback system you use it on. Many amps you basically can't tell the difference beccuase they are not responsive enough to the path, but a Trainwreck you absolutly can. The tone that is recorded is only a fraction of what thing is actually producing. As for forgivness, you missread and understand Trainwreck amps. Komet is a different line that is more forgiving to parts...real Trainwreck are not, every part was hand selected and tested in the context of the whole. The majority of Transformers were literally rejected and not used. This isn't like a console emulation, EQ, Compressor that at its core is a subtle coloration while trying to maintain the original signal. A guitar amp (a great one) is designed to truly interact with the player, the conrols of the guitar, the pickups, and becomes an instrument with complicated harmonics. It is very different than trying to replicate a pass through type of device that most of us are familar with in these "in box" emulations of "rack or console" type of gear