bitflipper

Their advice wasn't helpful to you because they're talking about dynamics and you're talking about envelopes. While related, they are not equivalent. Their advice was still good, though. Serious orchestrators use the modwheel and hand-drawn CC envelopes A LOT. It's a practice you'll definitely want to adopt. And in your specific situation, perhaps your only option. Full-featured libraries typically offer several features for adjusting attack times. There may be a global AR envelope, plus an automatic attack adjustment based on velocity. They'll also have multiple articulations that affect attack. Strings aren't synthesizers. How a violinist positions the bow, how they initiate contact with the bow, whether they strike the strings with the bow - all affect attack but aren't just about amplitude modulation. This is the difference between an expensive string library and a free one. That said, there are ways to modify the envelope of any instrument. Fast-attack lookahead compressors, gates with envelope controls, transient designers - these are all effects that can modify the attack time. Just don't expect it to sound like a real orchestra. For that, you'll need CC modulation, which even a freebie should support, especially one from Spitfire (my all-time favorite library vendor). Without a modwheel, you'll have to draw in the modulation in the PRV. Sounds like a bother, but it's actually my preferred method 50% of the time. It's more precise, I don't have to think about it while performing the part, and I can tweak it later in the context of a full mix. The good news is it's not difficult, just time-consuming. With practice, you can get natural-sounding strings very quickly. I'd encourage you to watch Christian Henson's tutorials. Christian is one of Spitfire's founders, and a good explainer.

When the quarantine went into effect, it didn't impact me all that much. Sure, it killed my business, but to be honest it's been a nice vacation. Yeh, gigs and band rehearsals went away, but that just meant I could focus on recording again. More time for reading and getting my blood pressure up watching political YouTube videos. But some of my bandmates were going stir crazy. Our singer, well, being a singer is what she lives for. She begged me to find a way for us to practice/jam online. We held a Zoom meeting during which I gave a lecture on how networks work and why real-time anything is impossible over the internet. To appease her, we did a singalong. And yup, it went exactly as you'd expect. Especially when the drummer joined in on cajone. Cacophony ensued, of course. But then this past weekend I got a call from a buddy of mine who'd been experimenting with Jamkazam. He swore it really worked, so I installed it and agreed to give it a go. To my amazement, it really did work. Well, after considerable hair-pulling (metaphorically speaking, as I currently have none to pull) we got it more or less working. The developer is struggling to keep up with the sudden popularity. Their server has crashed or become unresponsive many times. The software is 1.0 and looks it. But the core design is good. You can start a jam session as a private experiment, as an anyone-can-join open invitation, or as an invitation-only session. It's reminiscent of online gaming in that you get a list of open sessions, can see their network latencies (what gamers would see on their lists as "ping times"), pick one that's got reasonable response times and jump in. Choose wisely, because the session's overall latency is constrained by the slowest participant. Yes, there's video, so put on your pants first. I'm still experimenting, but am optimistic. Setup can be a bear. I won't go into the details, except to say that once everything's configured for Jamkazam my computer is essentially useless for anything else. At least I was able to do some housekeeping, vacuuming away years of cobwebs from behind my rack. Please don't try Jamkazam. You're only going to slow me down. But if you're already using it, I'd like to hear about your experiences. Here's a YouTube livestream from last Saturday that shows how cool it is when it works:

^^^ +1 for Craig's observation about NOT putting the compressor on until you're ready for, or at least close to, the mastering stage. Having it there from the get-go doesn't really do you any favors. In fact, I normally place NO plugins at all on the master while mixing. To be fair, not everybody agrees with that approach, with some preferring to mix into a compressor all the way. IMO, that's like making a cocktail underwater because you plan to add ice cubes later.

Master bus compression is pretty much standard practice nowadays. Even in naturalistic genres such as jazz, folk and classical. But it's only become standard practice in the digital era. While making the transition from analog tape we realized just how much mixing work the tape had been doing for us. Most engineers today are using gentle compression settings that mimic the effect of tape compression. Talking 1.5:1 to 2:1 ratios with slow attack, and 1-3 dB reduction. Which is good, because overcompression can easily suck the life out of your mix. Unless, of course, you're doing EDM or rap, in which case extreme compression is intrinsic to the genre. But for everything else, including hard rock and metal, do your heavy compression on tracks rather than on the master bus. It's a choice of "making it breathe" versus "letting it breathe".

Cannabis doesn't get you into trouble. That would be that vastly more popular drug, alcohol. "Your honor, I only beat up my girlfriend because I was high on marijuana!" Said no one, ever. I totally respect your decision to leave it alone. I feel the same way about snails. Eat 'em if it makes you happy, just don't bother offering any to me.

Frank, the short answer is yes, it's a good investment. Like many here, I've been a happy Ozone user for many years. Everything iZotope makes is top-quality, in the same league as, say, FabFilter. Maybe too good for their own good; I'm still on Ozone 7 and feel no need to upgrade. If you do make the plunge, you might as well spring for the Advanced edition. With Advanced you get the modules as individual plugins, as well as the Insight metering tool.

If I go for it, this will be my 5th major upgrade since starting with Melodyne at version 1. Each time, I told myself no, the old version already does everything I need and the new features don't justify the upgrade price. And each time, Celemony eventually came around with an offer I couldn't refuse. But that usually happened a year after the release. Not saying that'll happen again, but they've been consistent in the past. It's a sensible strategy: snag all the instant-upgraders in the first round, then come back later to scoop up the stragglers. I'll be one of those. I've done the same with Kontakt and Ozone, both of which have consistently seduced me into belated upgrades with an "ok, what about this price?" email.

I didn't say it was better, just that it has no equal. Truth is, when I want the reverb to be heard, I use one of the Valhalla plugins. Usually the plate. But if I just want natural-sounding spaciousness without an obvious effect (e.g. orchestrations), Pro-R does the job like no other due to its ability to shape decays non-linearly. Nobody else does that, AFAIK.

Here's what happened. I decided to try a trim on my own. The left side turned out pretty OK, but the right side came out shorter, so I had to shorten the left side. After multiple iterations of that process, both sides ended up being quite short. It was only then that it occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to do the back at all. Mullets are coming back, no? So I called my granddaughter (the 27-year-old, not the 4-year-old) and asked her to come over and shave it all off. She wouldn't do it, but said she'd get it really short. Well, turns out that when your hair is as light-colored as mine is, there is little cosmetic distinction between very short and bald. So I decided to leave it as she left it, about 1/8" long all around. I have a photo, but can't figure out how to copy it to my computer without signing up for yet another Google privacy scam. Used to be, all that was needed was a USB-C cable, but that doesn't seem to work anymore. Tried the built-in Windows app that's supposed to be able to import photos, but it doesn't see my phone. I guess that $29 direct-from-Shanghai deal wasn't such a great bargain after all. The hand-crank should have been my first clue.

Starise, you'll be pleased to know that the medicinal benefit is in the CBD component, which can be purchased in soda-drink form. Or as drops for your tea. The latter can be had, at least around here, from Safeway.

When you do, know that sweat pants are unaffected. Yoga pants, however, are quite susceptible.

Got some good news today...according to the government, I am not elderly! Woo hoo! Because of that, my check was for the lowest amount possible. My 19-year-old grandson got more. Me, I fall into the freewheelin' single-guy category. They know I'd just blow it all on beer and pizza. In other good news, apparently cannabis prevents COVID-19. No kidding.

Honest answer - probably not. Yes, they are truly excellent. Top shelf. But is a $200 limiter 4x better than a $50 limiter? The law of diminishing returns says no. OTOH, there's Pro-R, which has no equal IMO. As suggested above, be sure to let an existing user refer you for your first purchase. You get 10% off and the referrer gets a small credit in the store.

Oh sure, bring up science. In the Coffee House. Seriously, Craig? How's this for a newly-discovered scientific observation: living in quarantine makes your pants shrink. Anyone else notice this phenomenon?

Global warming, bring it on. My ears are cold. The back of my neck is cold. My whole head is cold.

I was just thinking back on the varying lengths my hair has been over the years. In 1968 I was hauled before the school board, along with my bandmates, and told that if we didn't all get a haircuts we'd be suspended from high school. We were chastised for being a bad influence on other students, told that we were heading down a path to damnation. Shortly after my father, an air force officer, requested an overseas deployment to serve out his last few years before retirement. They gave him a spot at a spy installation in England. This is 1969, the Beatles are still together and Carnaby Street dictates fashion the world over. I was quite enthused about being there. To me it was a pilgrimage. When I arrived at my new school, I was shocked that some of the teachers had longer hair than mine. The first friend I made let me know that hair rules were not a thing there. So I did not cut my hair again for three years. It was a magnificent head of hair, too. Voluminous - I looked like a walking tumbleweed - and rather long, past my waist. When "Almost Cut My Hair" came out, it caught my ear because Mr. Crosby was informing me about something I'd not been aware of. That in America you could be harassed for having long hair. Then I saw Easy Rider, and began to feel a bit apprehensive about returning to the US. So days before leaving the UK, I took a pair of scissors and reluctantly chopped off my locks. To a very conservative length, or so I thought: just past the shoulders. I felt I'd be able to blend in and not suffer Peter Fonda's fate. Turned out that shoulder-length was just the fashion in Seattle in the 70's, in fact almost a requirement if you wanted to work as a rock 'n roll musician. My guitarist had a fashionable "shag" haircut. I thought it made him look effeminate, but he enjoyed a rather impressive track record with taking barmaids back to the motel. The shag style wouldn't work for my wavy hair, but I got some tips from a beautician on how to manage long hair. She introduced me to the hair dryer, a device I'd not be without for many years. Every night before a gig I'd spend half an hour prepping my head. Eventually, I tired of the road and took a day job as an electronics engineer, thanks to my mentor and previous boss from when I'd taught electronics. On a hot day in July, I cut my hair "short" (not really) to mitigate the heat. It was kinda nice. No more blow-drying to straighten the curls. A tiny amount of shampoo would do the job. I could even wear a hat if I wanted to. And the shorter style seemed more fitting for the nerd look I needed to cultivate in my new job. But I couldn't leave music alone, and after a while formed a band and quit my job. Haircuts were no longer required beyond an annual trim. So dust off the hair dryer, we're on the road again. Nowadays I have my own business, work at home, and can present myself any way I want. T-shirts and jeans. Hair long, hair short, combed or uncombed, it doesn't matter. I cut my hair short for my annual trip to the Philippines, let it grow for a year, cut it off again. Doesn't matter to me which stage it's in. Until now, anyway. Time has caught up to me and is enforcing its own rules, rules that would have made my Nebraska school board proud. Sure, let those hairs grow as long as you like. But there won't be enough of them to obscure your scalp. Ha ha. BTW, today I am wearing a hat.

Please...I have hats.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Especially Kenny. Nothing holds credence like a been-there-done-that story. Update...the boy did not rise to the challenge yesterday, and refused me. I let it go. After all, the idea of having him do the deed first arose as I pondered the shock he'd receive when suddenly presented with a Boppa Dave who no longer looked like Boppa Dave. I do not wish to traumatize him. But now that the idea has been planted, I think he's been sufficiently prepared. His little sister, though, remains an unknown. Meanwhile, a poll of my household had proved indecisive: 1 for, 1 against and 1 abstaining. So I'll have to do it myself. Yes, photos will be posted. Now, where do I go for a tattoo to complement the new look? And just which look should I adopt? Perhaps the quiet smoldering look of a veteran of the Tet Offensive who doesn't like to talk about it. Or maybe the gruff retired biker, resigned to the fact that he's too old to bash heads but threatening for an excuse anyway. How about a wizened sensei character, an Obi Wan who only speaks in meme captions? There's the withered rock star look, still cocky but thankful that they make black leather jackets in his size. Maybe the soft-spoken but smoldering - ah, there's that smoldering thing again - retired seen-it-all cop. Or the crude tat of someone who probably once ruled a prison yard. As you can tell, I'm drawing on movie stereotypes of bald guys for inspiration.

The problem is that publishers have hired third parties to aggressively troll the internet for copyright infringement. There have been many indefensible injustices as a result. YouTube videos taken down because they had seagull sounds in them. Instructional videos using popular music to teach music theory. Videos shot while a radio happened to be playing in the background. Movie reviews forced to mute scenes. Even original music being claimed by the likes of Warner Music Group, the worst offender.

My last haircut was in January. I had had it cut short in anticipation of my February trip to the tropics, because as a northern denizen I have poor tolerance to heat. This has been a longtime practice. In past years, I'd subsequently let it grow for the remainder of the year, as evidenced by my avatar. That photo was taken just prior to a trip to the Philippines. While there, my wife cut it all off in our driveway, before an audience of the entire neighborhood. However, that tradition predates my hair noticeably thinning on top. It no longer grows uniformly. Now, letting it grow long means adopting the classic Krusty the Clown mushroom style. Not a style that appeals to me. Hence my current dilemma. Given that a) my personal stylist of 40 years is no longer around, b) I've no idea when another haircut might be possible during this pandemic, and c) I have no confidence that I'd be able to cut it myself and achieve anything close to satisfactory results, I've arrived at the only logical solution - to shave it all off. And I've decided that the deed should be done by my 6-year-old great-grandson. The boy is reluctant. Turns out his last hair-cutting experiment had evoked a rather negative response from his mother. Unfair, I think, given that his little sister had been a perfectly willing participant. Apparently, Mom did not consider 3 to be the age of consent. So he's struggling with some cognitive dissonance; Boppa Dave says it's OK, and Mom never contradicts Boppa Dave. We'll see just how much sway Boppa Dave holds over the little man's sense of propriety. (Needless to say, video game-loving rock 'n roller Boppa Dave has long been a source of questionable influence.) Today we merge our separately-sequestered families in celebration of Mother's Day. For a brief time, I will again be surrounded by three generations. And if all goes to plan, Boppa Dave will end the day bald. As is, I think, befitting of a patriarch.

If you're running on a laptop, make sure to disable your wi-fi adapter. Latency mon is a must. Be sure to let it run for a while so that it's gathering statistics while you get the noise.

This doesn't sound like any noise I've heard that's caused by the interface or buffer settings. It sounds more like an intermittent analog connection, e.g. a broken mic cable, or a mic that's had an internal mounting point broken. I've had that happen twice: once after tipping over a mic stand holding a ribbon mic, and after dropping an SM-58 onto concrete (yes, you can hammer nails with those things, but they're not indestructible if you set your mind to it). Does this noise go away if you increase buffer sizes? Note that MOTU interfaces do support zero-latency monitoring, meaning you don't need to set your buffers to extremely small values while tracking vocals. My interface stays at 2048 samples all the time, whether I'm tracking or mixing.

Maybe I'm just getting cynical in my old age, but it occurred to me that those face shields will probably fetch a much higher (like 10x) price than drum heads. Medical equipment is very profitable. I once met a multi-millionaire who lived in unbelievable luxury (e.g. he had a lake built next to his house for his float plane). The source of his great wealth? He invented a slide tray. A piece of molded plastic to hold slides and sold to hospitals.

That was fun.

I liked that a lot. Always thought that song could have benefited from an accordion. I like the guy in the back - he's got the Bavarian duds ("I'm with the band") but just sits and eats a sandwich. Their producer, perhaps?