NI Discovery Series Updates

[TheSteven]

1 hour ago, bdickens said:

Wait ...

 

So discovering things about cultures other than one's own is insensitive?

Not sure how you read that in my reply but definitely not what I meant to imply. 
Broadening one's horizons is usually a positive thing.

 

[kitekrazy1]

On 6/28/2021 at 9:39 AM, Magic Russ said:

Now it says changed the logo and image in the library browser.  Not exactly most essential release I've seen.

I guess it's easier to spot among all of those Komplete libraries.

[Zo]

On 6/28/2021 at 7:41 PM, jesse g said:

 

I don't care what it is, I just like updates to owned products.  ?

lol try with a 1mb / s connection and come back lol 

[Doug Rintoul]

10 hours ago, Reid Rosefelt said:

I didn't express myself well.  This is not about political correctness.  This is not about "sinister" overtones.   I am only looking at this through an aesthetic perspective.

It's just a question of accuracy in my book.  Music has never been about borders.  It flows like a river. Pretty much all of American popular music is a blend.

For me, using the term "World Music" just makes more sense than "Ethnic Music."   AmpleSound sells a banjo, which they brand as Ample Ethno Banjo.  If there's a young woman in Nashville who learned to play banjo from her father, and he learned from his father--does she think she's making ethnic music with it?  She just thinks it's Country.    But to a Chinese company like AmpleSound it is only an Appalachian instrument.  Ethnic music.

To me, when you follow this line of thinking, it doesn't make any sense, that instruments should be categorized as exotic just because of where they are played.

We all live on the same world, right?  Let people in the political world concern themselves we people who are "ethnic."  For us, everybody who makes music is part of our family. 

And by the way, there is no better example of this than forums like this one.  I've made friends from all over the world.

 

 

In a sense then, all music is "World Music" since we all live in the same world. I think, in some sense anyway, World/Ethnic music has come to mean non-Western music, or maybe even non-Western folk music. I actually think it has to do more with the target audience than the source of the music which you kind of hinted at with your banjo analogy. I sort of hate the term World music anyway. Why does Celtic music always get lumped in with yodelers from Switzerland?

[X-53mph]

13 hours ago, bdickens said:

Wait ...

 

So discovering things about cultures other than one's own is insensitive?

It's all about perspective. Did the Europeans discover America? There were already people living there. So if you are a Native American, terms such as 'discover', 'ethnic', 'exotic' are irrelevant to them.

It's all about perspective.

 

[X-53mph]

On 6/29/2021 at 8:41 PM, Reid Rosefelt said:

I didn't express myself well.  This is not about political correctness.  This is not about "sinister" overtones.   I am only looking at this through an aesthetic perspective.

It's just a question of accuracy in my book.  Music has never been about borders.  It flows like a river. Pretty much all of American popular music is a blend.

For me, using the term "World Music" just makes more sense than "Ethnic Music."   AmpleSound sells a banjo, which they brand as Ample Ethno Banjo.  If there's a young woman in Nashville who learned to play banjo from her father, and he learned from his father--does she think she's making ethnic music with it?  She just thinks it's Country.    But to a Chinese company like AmpleSound it is only an Appalachian instrument.  Ethnic music.

To me, when you follow this line of thinking, it doesn't make any sense, that instruments should be categorized as exotic just because of where they are played.

An interesting development that we will all have to get used to is the growing power of Asian music and the diminishing influence of 'Western' music.

While the West are wrapping themselves in knots trying not to offend other cultures, these other cultures are driving ahead and gaining ever bigger market share.

These cultures are far less worried about offending others music...and they have the weight of numbers on their side.

And if we follow this trend of 'numbers' dominating the arguement. It won't be long before western music becomes the 'other' or 'old world' of the music categories.

Just a thought.

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Philip G Hunt

[telecode 101]

I feel like globalization and migration in the world is also shaping the development of culture industries such as music on both sides. The seeping in of Asian artists and musicians IMO is progressing much faster than in years past and getting through to a much younger audience. A lot of it has to do with them copying and emulating what was sort of Western modern music and throwing it back at Western culture with their own take on it .In many cases it's a very interesting and intriguing copy of the music and aesthetic that was imported from the west.

Bands like Perfume, BabyMetal, are IMO pretty cool ideas. The production on those records is also really really well done. These guys really cool too.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2021 by telecode 101

[Yan Filiatrault]

I watched the walkthrough and I’m listening to the demos. It’s really high quality and a ton of stuff for a great price. Since I bought recently Jade Ethnic Orchestra and Silk, I will most likely wait on the next sale of upgrades to KU14CE when it’s available. Already Action Strings 2 and this one will surely make for an interesting upgrade, still this one remains very tempting now.

[X-53mph]

17 hours ago, telecode 101 said:

I feel like globalization and migration in the world is also shaping the development of culture industries such as music on both sides. The seeping in of Asian artists and musicians IMO is progressing much faster than in years past and getting through to a much younger audience. A lot of it has to do with them copying and emulating what was sort of Western modern music and throwing it back at Western culture with their own take on it .In many cases it's a very interesting and intriguing copy of the music and aesthetic that was imported from the west.

Bands like Perfume, BabyMetal, are IMO pretty cool ideas. The production on those records is also really really well done. These guys really cool too.

 

 

I totally agree that cross fertilization is healthy for music. In recent years there has been a watershed moment.

Until relatively recently, the biggest selling artists in the USA and the UK could all trace their roots back to a very specific origin, black music. Most major genres from rock to country, from Rap to Hip hop had their roots in black style rhythm and blues (early country blues being the precursor of them all), and by  extension, all of the music that followed from that including punk, indie etc... Then something changed. European techno. A genre that is so un-funky, so un-black. Major artists started sounding more and more Euro techno and less and less soulful (Lady Gaga comes to mind) and they quickly became the mainstream. Synth driven pop. Add to that the new growth in Asia pop, Middle Eastern sounds, and we are getting further and further away from the soulful black roots music that had dominated for so long.

As much as I know music cannot stand still, I really lament the loss of soul in new pop songs. They don't aim to seduce your ears, but to assault you.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Philip G Hunt

[kitekrazy1]

5 hours ago, Philip G Hunt said:

An interesting development that we will all have to get used to is the growing power of Asian music and the diminishing influence of 'Western' music.

 

I have no idea where you got that.  Asians study Western Music.   Watch an Asian film on Netflix.......seems like Western Music to me.  Interesting how this strayed way of topic. This was about NI updates wasn't it?

[X-53mph]

57 minutes ago, Paul Young said:

I have no idea where you got that.  Asians study Western Music.   Watch an Asian film on Netflix.......seems like Western Music to me.  Interesting how this strayed way of topic. This was about NI updates wasn't it?

Asia is a big continent - Bollywood music does not take its cues from Western Music in any way, and Bollywood is the biggest cinematic industry in the world.  

There are musical forms that do not take influence at all from the West and are proud of it. Would you class Bhangra as 'Ethnic' or 'World'? They don't see themselves that way, and 2 billion Indians make up a lot of listeners. Maybe it's time we changed our perspective, yes?

I'm not straying off topic, my response relates to the wording of Music Libraries and how shifting musical definitions are changing the titles of the Libraries. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by Philip G Hunt

[Glenn Stanton]

24 minutes ago, Philip G Hunt said:

There are musical forms that do not take influence at all from the West and are proud of it. Would you class Bhangra as 'Ethnic' or 'World'? They don't see themselves that way, and 2 billion Indian's make up a lot of listeners. Maybe it's time we changed our perspective, yes?

ah, no. The Beatles changed it for everyone around the world. all music is good. even the bad music. ? 

[paulo]

1 hour ago, Paul Young said:

Interesting how this strayed way of topic. This was about NI updates wasn't it?

Native Instruments made the natives restless.

[telecode 101]

26 minutes ago, paulo said:

Native Instruments made the natives restless.

nah... its still on topic. the NI discovery series is sort of something one could use to make more globalized forms of pop music. it good to discuss cross genres.

 

 

[telecode 101]

2 hours ago, Philip G Hunt said:

I totally agree that cross fertilization is healthy for music. In recent years there has, however, been a watershed moment.

Until relatively recently, the biggest selling artists in the USA and the UK could all trace their roots back to a very specific origin, black music. Most major genres from rock to country, from Rap to Hip hop had their roots in black style rhythm and blues (early country blues being the precursor of them all), and by  extension, all of the music that followed from that including punk, indie etc... Then something changed. European techno came along. A genre so un-funky, so un-black started up. Major artists started sounding more and more Euro techno and less and less soulful (Lady Gaga for one). Add to that the new abundance of Asia pop, Middle Eastern sounds, and we are getting further and further away from the soulful black roots music that has dominated for so long.

I would say that these new super groups are taking over. Here in Europe the sound youths are blasting from cars is much less soulful.

As much as I know music cannot stand still, I really lament the loss of soul in new pop songs. They don't aim to seduce your ears, but to assault you.

i guess trends come and go. all sorts of different European music. It does not all have to be Max Martin stuff. I think EDM is what it is. But there is lots of other European music that has lots of emotion and soul IMO. Nordic Death Metal and so on.Great stuff. I don't think all soulful music needs to be linked to black american music. The Romani and Bulgarian rhythms I find very interesting and soulful.  Same with Turkish influenced music. check out the work of Minor Empire. Cool band. .

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpireWT

 

Edited June 30, 2021 by telecode 101

[X-53mph]

9 hours ago, telecode 101 said:

 work of Minor Empire. Cool band. .

https://www.youtube.com/user/EmpireWT

 

Nice sound. I'm definitely reminded of John Zorn in the instrumentation. I'm not crazy about the singer, but that's just a personal thing, nothing to do with her ability. Just a personal preference. Thanks for sharing the link.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Philip G Hunt

[chris.r]

Anyone of you guys having a solid opinion on these cuba and middle east libraries? If I'd want to do cuban or middle eastern music and wanted good sound for it, are these really good or just average? Any good suggestions from other makers (preferably keeping it possibly low price range)? Thx

[telecode 101]

10 hours ago, chris.r said:

Anyone of you guys having a solid opinion on these cuba and middle east libraries? If I'd want to do cuban or middle eastern music and wanted good sound for it, are these really good or just average? Any good suggestions from other makers (preferably keeping it possibly low price range)? Thx

I never used any of these libraries before but this updated enticed me to launch a few and try them out. I tried Middle East and India yesterday. They are kontakt instruments and I guess have that digital NI sound. Sounds pretty good to my ears but I am not an expert and have no idea how they compare to other similar libraries by other vendors. I know I have seen other Middle East libs on sale at ADP.

 

https://audioplugin.deals/developer/rast-sound/

 

[X-53mph]

10 hours ago, chris.r said:

Anyone of you guys having a solid opinion on these cuba and middle east libraries? If I'd want to do cuban or middle eastern music and wanted good sound for it, are these really good or just average? Any good suggestions from other makers (preferably keeping it possibly low price range)? Thx

If you're looking for an interesting (and free) Kontakt collection of Eastern sounds, you might find something close to the sound you want in this collection mentioned in an earlier thread.  Direct link to library here: http://en.catsnu.com/Project/GugakVSTi.aspx

 

I've used several of their stringed instruments on projects to add an Eastern vibe. The stringed instruments played with hammers have a really great sound.

You might find it interesting.

Edited July 1, 2021 by Philip G Hunt