Anybody Using This?

[mdiemer]

https://sonic-cat.com/purity/

Looks like a decent GM synth. It's a rompler (whatever that is). does anyone have any experience with it? does it have a complete GM set?

[Nigel Mackay]

Try the demo, that is what they are there for.

A rompler  is a VST that plays samples. As opposed to a sampler, which can capture/create/work with/modify/design samples.

[mdiemer]

Thanks, I don't know why but I can't keep in my head the difference. but that's a good, simple explanation that has a chance of staying in my head.

Good idea, I'll try the demo. The price is right, 49.00, so if it has what I need I'll probably give it a shot.

[mdiemer]

I tried the demo. Everything worked fine, but the sounds are not as good as I hoped. I was especially interested in the Bandoneon, but it isn't quite the sound I was hoping for. Oh well, cross another one off the list. 

Good GM sets are fast becoming a thing of the past. I guess the only way to get a decent one is to pay whatever Roland is charging these days for the Sound Canvass. Steinberg's Halion is over 300.00. Yikes.

Edited October 28, 2020 by mdiemer

[abacab]

3 hours ago, mdiemer said:

Good GM sets are fast becoming a thing of the past. I guess the only way to get a decent one is to pay whatever Roland is charging these days for the Sound Canvass. Steinberg's Halion is over 300.00. Yikes.

Just curious, but do you really need GM?

[mdiemer]

1 hour ago, abacab said:

Just curious, but do you really need GM?

Only for the occasional odd instrument I don't have in any of my libraries, which are mostly orchestral. Usually I only use such things for "spot" work, but when you need them, you need them. When my copy of NI Bandstand worked, I didn't have a problem. but NI won't let it authorize anymore, they've abandoned it. And since I can't get TTS-1 to work, well, that's the issue, I have no GM set. So I keep searching. I could buy the full version of Kontakt, and it will load and play the Bandstand files. but that costs 400.00. I could buy one of those sample converters and convert Bandstand to a format I can use, but that costs at least 150.00. And I already spent 100.00 years ago for Bandstand. NI wants me to pay 400.00 so I can use a 100.00 library I already paid them for, but they won't let me use...nope, not going to do that. 

[abacab]

6 minutes ago, mdiemer said:

Only for the occasional odd instrument I don't have in any of my libraries, which are mostly orchestral. Usually I only use such things for "spot" work, but when you need them, you need them. When my copy of NI Bandstand worked, I didn't have a problem. but NI won't let it authorize anymore, they've abandoned it. And since I can't get TTS-1 to work, well, that's the issue, I have no GM set. So I keep searching. I could buy the full version of Kontakt, and it will load and play the Bandstand files. but that costs 400.00. I could buy one of those sample converters and convert Bandstand to a format I can use, but that costs at least 150.00. And I already spent 100.00 years ago for Bandstand. NI wants me to pay 400.00 so I can use a 100.00 library I already paid them for, but they won't let me use...nope, not going to do that. 

OK. I understand. Just wondering because I have an old hardware rack Roland JV-1080 with a decent GM sound set that I haven't turned on in years.

Do you have the AIR Xpand!2 that was on sale for $1 a few years ago? 2500+ presets of mostly  bread and butter sounds.  I think it blows my old Roland and TTS-1 away. It's not GM, but has a good pallet of sounds, and is 4-part multitimbral. This used to be a part of Avid Pro Tools collection.

Currently $14.99 at Plugin Boutique:  https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/64-Virtual-Instrument/1560-Xpand-2

[user 905133]

6 hours ago, mdiemer said:

Thanks, I don't know why but I can't keep in my head the difference . . . .

Just a guess, but if you had experience with either a hardware or software sampler plus experience with a hardware rompler it would be intuitive. Hardware ROMplers have samples encoded in ROM [Read Only Memory]. They cannot create samples. So called soft synth ROMplers cannot create samples either--just like hardware ROMplers.    

 

[mdiemer]

1 hour ago, abacab said:

OK. I understand. Just wondering because I have an old hardware rack Roland JV-1080 with a decent GM sound set that I haven't turned on in years.

Do you have the AIR Xpand!2 that was on sale for $1 a few years ago? 2500+ presets of mostly  bread and butter sounds.  I think it blows my old Roland and TTS-1 away. It's not GM, but has a good pallet of sounds, and is 4-part multitimbral. This used to be a part of Avid Pro Tools collection.

Currently $14.99 at Plugin Boutique:  https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/64-Virtual-Instrument/1560-Xpand-2

I've looked at that before, but not lately. I will definitely check it out. Thanks.

P.S. Does it have a Bandoneon? Or Accordion?

Edited October 29, 2020 by mdiemer

[mdiemer]

1 hour ago, User 905133 said:

Just a guess, but if you had experience with either a hardware or software sampler plus experience with a hardware rompler it would be intuitive. Hardware ROMplers have samples encoded in ROM [Read Only Memory]. They cannot create samples. So called soft synth ROMplers cannot create samples either--just like hardware ROMplers.    

 

Thanks. I'll try reading that several times, maybe it will begin to make sense...

P.S. OK, I think I get it. Romplers are kind of like VST's, then, right? Like GPO, EWSO, etc. they can play samples but not create new ones?

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by mdiemer

[abacab]

26 minutes ago, mdiemer said:

P.S. Does it have a Bandoneon? Or Accordion?

It has a Tango Accordion.  I'm not a good judge of what they should sound like, LOL, but it's  in there.

Also Dulcimer, Harmonium, Banjo, Recorder, Sitar, Panpipes, Harmonica, Bottle blow, and many others among the 58 instruments listed in the "Ethnic" category.

Edited October 29, 2020 by abacab

[mdiemer]

1 minute ago, abacab said:

It has a Tango Accordion.  I'm not a good judge of what they should sound like, LOL, but it's  in there.

Also Dulcimer, Harmonium, Banjo, Recorder, Sitar, Panpipes, Harmonica, Bottle blow, and many others among the 58 instruments listed in the "Ethnic" category.

Hey thanks a lot. I couldn't find an inst. list anywhere. I think the Tango Accordion might work. From what I understand, the Bandoneon is the inst. you hear in Tangos. It's also used in French folk music from Quebec, which is what I need it for. (I'm not from Quebec, but I composed a piece about a trip I took there, and included the Bandoneon in a couple places to capture the ambience).

I was just looking at Garritan's Ethnic collection. They have one in there, but at 150.00, it's a lot to pay for a Bandoneon. Although it also has recorders, which I occasionally use.  But I've been thinking of getting another of their collections, Concert Band, for the saxes. Their stuff is very good, especially the winds and harps.

[scook]

here is a free one

https://syntheway.com/Free_Reed_Aerophone_Instruments.htm

maybe it will do

[mdiemer]

13 hours ago, scook said:

here is a free one

https://syntheway.com/Free_Reed_Aerophone_Instruments.htm

maybe it will do

I'm sure it would do nicely, but I'm pretty sure it's not free. There is a free demo, but it costs about 60.00 to buy. I think the word "free" refers to the nature of the reed. not the cost of the instrument. 

[mdiemer]

I got Xpand!2, definitely worth 15.00. The Tango Accordion is decent. In fact, the whole thing is decent, especially for the money. If I never get Bandstand working again, I now have a reasonable substitute. So mission accomplished there, I have a decent GM set again.

I just need to determine which Bandoneon sounds like an actual Bandoneon. The one in Xpand (the Tango Accordion), or the one in Dim Pro (which is Accordion 2). I'm going to do some listening to real Bandoneon recordings. I'm used to the one in Bandstand, and the Dim Pro version is very close to that. But it's possible the one in Xpand is closer to the real sound. 

Thank you abacab for the suggestion. 

[abacab]

52 minutes ago, mdiemer said:

I got Xpand!2, definitely worth 15.00. The Tango Accordion is decent. In fact, the whole thing is decent, especially for the money. If I never get Bandstand working again, I now have a reasonable substitute. So mission accomplished there, I have a decent GM set again.

I just need to determine which Bandoneon sounds like an actual Bandoneon. The one in Xpand (the Tango Accordion), or the one in Dim Pro (which is Accordion 2). I'm going to do some listening to real Bandoneon recordings. I'm used to the one in Bandstand, and the Dim Pro version is very close to that. But it's possible the one in Xpand is closer to the real sound. 

Thank you abacab for the suggestion. 

Glad you found it useful, but hate that you had to spend 15 bucks.  It's a handy grab and go ROMpler with a small footprint. I think the sample file is only 1.5GB, so it reminds me of the old days when Roland packed all of their sounds into a few MB of sample ROM waveforms.

AIR Music Tech was bought out by inMusic Brands and they've been selling it for cheap ever since. They  were practically giving Xpand!2  away a few years ago to promote the purchase of the upgrade to the full AIR collection from any single AIR product. The bundle is a bit old now, and hasn't been updated in years. But there are some good values in the bundle for someone who is not interested in buying only current high end instruments. It includes the AIR Structure 2 sampler with a 37GB sample library (the sample format is locked to the instrument).

The  complete instrument bundle upgrade is  still available for $74.99, and you now qualify with Xpand!2! https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/1-Instruments/58-Inst-Bundle/2294-AIR-Instrument-Expansion-Pack-3-COMPLETE-UPGRADE-

AIR Instrument Expansion Pack 3 COMPLETE UPGRADE Inst Bundle by AIR Music Technology

"NOTE: This is an upgrade for users who own previous versions of the AIR Instrument Expansion Pack, the AIR Instrument Expansion Pack SELECT or a single AIR Music Technology instrument (including Xpand!2  & Hybrid3).  For more information and to download a demo trial, simply click the product's user interface/image."

Edited October 29, 2020 by abacab

[mdiemer]

You know, it's weird, after I purchased it (Xpand), and was figuring out how to download, install, etc., I saw that I had previously created an account, and, lo and behold, I had an Xpand serial number already there, waiting for me. How long it had been there I don't know. But at some point, I was at least in the process of acquiring it. and the price? Around 3.00. So, I must have got it when they were practically giving it away, as you stated. and then, I don't know, I guess I just forgot about it. Maybe that was the last time Windows crashed and I had to reinstall. so, my total outlay was actually about 18.00, plus whatever inflation on the 3.00 had accrued.  Anyway, I have it.

I did some listening. both versions of the Bandoneon sound like real Bandoneons. The Dim Pro (Accordion 2) does sound better, but probably because the wizards who made Dim Pro enhanced it, as they did all the stuff on there. It's a great synth, as we all know. I then got the idea of trying to identify where NI got their Bandoneon for Bandstand. (Are all these words with "Band" in them confusing you? Then there's Bandcamp. and Bandlab, of course. Why is the universe so confusing?).  Anyway, they got it from Sonic Reality. I went to their site, but it's not to be found anywhere. However, in one of their collections, World something, they have Accordion 2. Which could be the same thing that Dim Pro has. I have previously wondered if the two inst's. were in fact the same. they sound very similar. And now it looks like they could in fact be identical. IOW, the Bandoneon in NI Bandstand and the Accordion 2 in Dim Pro may in fact be the same sampled inst. These samples do get around, don't they?

On the other hand, the Tango Accordion in Xpand, while sounding very much like a Bandoneon, is, I'm pretty sure, a different inst. So I've solved two problems here. I now have two good Bandoneons, one from Dim Pro, and one from Xpand. Plus I have a decent vintage GM-style VST or Rompler. (I prefer to say VST,  Rompler keeps making me think of Romper Room, which I hated as a kid).

Edited October 30, 2020 by mdiemer

[mdiemer]

You know, after further review, I think the Tango Accordion in Xpand sounds better than Accordion 2 in Dim Pro. It sounds more like a real Bandoneon. It just has more of that nasal, tangy, sort of sinister sound you think of when you think of Tango music. the more I hear it the more I like it!

[mdiemer]

I was doing some searching for a good free clarinet vst, and I came across this place:   https://www.fananteampro.com

The clarinet is very good. and they also have "Folkordion." It looks like it has a Bandoneon (it would probably be the Argentina mode). It costs 20.00, but that 20.00 also gets you access to several more instruments. The clarinet is free, but you need to register it after 30 days, which I believe then costs 20.00. but again, you get several instruments. most seem to be synth-like, but not all. they also have a Royal Pack, which costs 30.00. The clarinet (Clarinetica) and the Folkordion are just 20.00. I'm still not clear on whether the clarinet is free, but I'm going to pay the 20 bucks and get the folkordion as well.  Also their brass vst, which has trumpet, trombone, french horn and baritone sax. All for just 20.00. If the quality of the other inst's. is as good as the clarinet, this is a steal.

Amazing what's out there.

Edited October 30, 2020 by mdiemer

[abacab]

2 hours ago, mdiemer said:

I was doing some searching for a good free clarinet vst, and I came across this place:   https://www.fananteampro.com

The clarinet is very good. and they also have "Folkordion." It looks like it has a Bandoneon (it would probably be the Argentina mode). It costs 20.00, but that 20.00 also gets you access to several more instruments. The clarinet is free, but you need to register it after 30 days, which I believe then costs 20.00. but again, you get several instruments. most seem to be synth-like, but not all. they also have a Royal Pack, which costs 30.00. The clarinet (Clarinetica) and the Folkordion are just 20.00. I'm still not clear on whether the clarinet is free, but I'm going to pay the 20 bucks and get the folkordion as well.  Also their brass vst, which has trumpet, trombone, french horn and baritone sax. All for just 20.00. If the quality of the other inst's. is as good as the clarinet, this is a steal.

Amazing what's out there.

Just in case you were wondering, there's a few clarinets and bass clarinets in the 'Pop Brass and Woods' category in the AIR Structure 2 sampler (included in the AIR Instrument Expansion):

And in the 'World' category, accordions and more (never know when you might need a vuvuzela, a didjeridu, or a jaw harp: