PhonoBrainer

So by "end of life", do they essentially mean that one day a new Kontakt version (like a Kontakt 9) may break the library? Any other end-of-life scenarios to be aware of?

Nobody's clapping for that price.

I'd say, nope. Unless you are a completist with bottomless disposable income. ?

Thanks for that, many good points about the context of the times. I liked the part about that bumper sticker! That's pretty LA. So a prodigy, then? Whoever figured out the harmonies on the hits certainly knew what they were doing. I never got into the breadth of the catalog but as the average listener, my fav song of theirs was "God Only Knows" . . .and even as good as those moving parts are, awesome melody over the changes, there's that part that has always struck me as a compositional wtf, the failure to resolve, at 0:42. I probably need to check out more of their stuff, to be fair. But as the Beatles continually come up as a point of comparison, really that's a bit of a reach, isn't it? And as I grew up Californian in the 60s and 70s, are we really so sure that particular slice of zeitgeist is so culturally critical? Let's see, cars, beach, fun, surfing, chicks. Got it. Are there any cultural fruit that hang lower? No disrespect to my friends in Australia! Anyway it's all just opinion without much basis, as I said I'm working off the hits I've heard on the AM radio. Maybe Wolfman Jack should have ventured off-catalog more.

Where to start? Any standouts or recommendations?

Cool faded guitar at the very end. Vocals were great, guitars sounded way better than I remember Guitar Rig being capable of, so very nicely done mixing those guitars! I suppose this is baked into an album format already? But if not, you might get a bit more drum programming variety going during the sung verses, that pattern became quite static. I also agree, that AKG C214 is a keeper, your vocals sounded great! cheers, -Tom

Fun song, I bet the original band was a good time as well. I liked this, it's a novelty song but also quite catchy. Good job on the vocals! Much to praise here, hope I didn't forget anything.

I watched the new doc and for me, I don't see as much genius as apparently everybody else on the planet does. I feel like I'm missing something. I am impressed with how he's survived the multitude of tragedies and trauma, and keeps being creative. But when I set just the music aside and examine it on what I think may be it's merits, I dunno. A lot of his compositions are certainly good, but not much of it really sticks the landing. For me at least. For my next trick, I'll tell you what a hack Shakespeare was from a point of view of no credibility whatsoever.

Wonderful. The spacey ear candy (and then the birds!) all fitting into that nice chord progression and a clean mix. And it wasn't overly long - a great 3:30 that didn't overstay its welcome . . . a pleasure to listen to, well done! cheers, -Tom

Not at all, Craig! I half expected my snarky little remark to generate a full-throated defense, and yours was well put. I agree about the quality! But do you find they have the room baked in? Nine pianos later, once I got Garritan CFX (on sale!) I was done looking. Cheers!

Apparently , 30% off of overpriced is about $400. Looking at you, Synchron.

Loved the vocal, the Geddy tone on the bass, the awesome guitars, the clean-yet-distorted chuggas! Amazing solo as well! I'd vote for maybe a little more low end in the mix somehow, for me, it tilts just a bit bright, but that's not a dealbreaker by any means. And no doubt that helps the clarity. Fantastic production. cheers, -Tom

I just appreciate how far you have come sonically from a few years back. It's friggin night and day. This is such an awesomely presented mix, super clean and clear. Loved the wiggly ear bits. The ending deserved more than a mic drop, but who's to say? cheers, -Tom

Breeze is brilliant. But this is an ill wind.

Is this a reboot? Clint's lookin' rough.

You must first convert them to Orange Slices, which gives you Orange Jam Slices. Then place those slices into Audio Plugin Deals Rewards wallet. That's how you earn enough Gear Credits to buy the Audio Deluxebucks . . . . . . which, of course, you exchange for real money, which you use to buy the thing.

If someone can't spend on Kontakt, will they drop 4 or 5 hundred on this? Whomever players were sampled must have been union. Still I'd give it a listen.

What do punk musicians think of their work now being referred to as "classic" ?

Focusing on the hate, after you play "You May Be Right" by Billie Joel 10,000 times, it gets a little stale after that. That song invited everybody with an overbite to come dancing. Which, of course, was the entire point, playing casuals in the '90's. This Boomer is not going to complain.

I've been preyemtid.

I don't like the direction this thread is taking.

It's always about you, isn't it???? All seriousness aside, what you have shared is a total win! One that I will share in, if only vicariously. I too bought into the Komplete ecosystem a couple of years ago, but I have no recollection if it was Ultimate 12 or Penultimate 11 or Deluxe Penultimate 13 Lite SE. All I know is, I have a crapton of NI instruments and effects now, some of which are killer, and 80% are bloatware that never get used. If you are just starting out in the game, Komplete is awesome! Especially Kontakt now at 199, that's a no brainer methinks.

As for that Top 8, I have six of them, sadly. So much $$$ and hard drive space wasted. Also sadly, I don't have the Ravenscroft, which obviously is highly regarded. One thing in the piano conundrum that gets overlooked is, how much room/reverb is already baked in to the samples? It's a bugger to mix sometimes if you can't start at dry. So that eliminates the EastWest and probably the Synchron. Run like Hades away from Ivory II. I can't believe that old dog is even on that list. Gross! Pianoteq, awesome to play, just meh to mix, but sooooooo easy on resources. Doesn't sound as authentic as they say, but in a mix, on a laptop, perfect. Keyscape is very very good, offers a lot of instruments, and will make you quite satisfied. Probably! The Addictive pianos are more two dimensional sounding but believe it or not, in a good way. And that program is so easy to use and light on resources. But on that list, the piano I would take with me to the desert island is beyond doubt the Garritan. Wish I had bought that one first, instead of last. There is electricity on that desert island, right?!?

This is so calming and wonderful, I really like your instrument choices and how the leads come and go, and blend in spots. Mix is very clear. My one crit might be I left the tune after having listened to it twice, without being able to recall any particular specific melody line. Do your leads just kind of improv meander without a central theme they are playing off of? Or did I just miss the main hook? either way it's pretty wonderful. cheers, -Tom