Harmony
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Posts posted by Harmony
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after I get my USB keyboard, I'll need a better sound card to reduce/eliminate latency... however, after I buy my USB keyboard I won't be able to afford much regarding a sound card... I won't need to record using the inputs, or need digital in/out, or MIDI ports or anything like that... I will just want the latency to be gone as best as possible for a cheaper card...
will the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme accomplish that? would anyone recommend it?
If you're only able to spend ~$50 and you're not looking to record, the X-Fi Xtreme isn't the worst card in the world. I'm not so sure that it's any better than the cheaper 7.1 Audigy cards though.
In any case, the fact that it's PCI gives you the possibility of very low latency, and if you were connecting via a MIDI port on the card itself (I don't think the Xtreme has this option), you could get one of the lowest latencies possible with any card. But with the USB connection, I would think that the Creative drivers will be a big factor in what your latency will be.
Are those drivers good? I'm not entirely sure.
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I won't give you the "there's no correct EQ" speech but I'll say that I like the non-eq version better. It sounds fuller and more balanced. There is a little low end (80~100Hz) rumble-jumble that could be toned down a decibel or two though. The EQ'd version lacks mids and highs to my ears. More quantitatively, the high end in the eq'd version starts to roll off pretty quickly above 10kHz which I think is too early. From the spectrum, it also looks like you've reduced the 3000Hz range, which may account for what I perceive as a lack of mids.
That said, go with your ears, there's no correct EQ
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Just a couple of comments. Not all "white noises" are alike! Use a spectrum analyzer on the output to make sure you're getting what you think you should be getting. mda test tone gives you a very nice constant white noise from something like 10Hz-30kHz and it's very easy to use. Just put it on a track FX bin and it starts pumping out noise.ELC sweeps can be done on a keyboard or synth. White Noise or Sine waves sweep through the 20-20 (20Hz - 20KHz, range of human hearing) out of your sound system (speakers) while a stand alone mic (rent one) records all the sounds your monitors (speakers) make in the room. Run the mic input through some spectral analyser and see how bad you bass humps are for the room. Adjust bass. Repeat process, see how bad bass humps are now. Adjust bass. Etc. until happy.I just did this to test out a new mic, but if you're trying to get the room response, be very careful about how your mic affects the sound, especially if you're using a dynamic mic which tends to drop lower and higher frequencies moreso than condensers. To correctly compensate, you'll need to subtract out the frequency response of the mic (usually provided by the manufacturer) from the signal that you record.
As rig1015 said, it's labor intensive but it can be fun and highly educational!
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I support this assessment.I think you're one of the newbs on a mission to make this a more boring place, a 'quick learner' that sneaks in authoritative undertones into his posts after having been here for a year, which reflect what he perceives to be the general OCR mindset.Lighten up, k? It's possible to post something on here without wanting it to be posted on the site.
And yes, you could say the piece is a joke, but a pretty ambitious one at that. It's a serious joke!
Plus, if a former judge/ OCReMixer/ musician extraordinaire calls it "Brilliant work", there's probably something more to it than a poor sample quality joke mix worthy of OLR
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Ok, this is awesome. The Dark Lich theme has never sounded more happy-go-lucky badass. And all with a discotastic finish! Nice work.
lol, so because YOU don't know the game well enough to tell what's what, the samples are horrible?I can't even tell what's from the original game audio and what's not. Your samples are horrible. -
Wow, I didn't know that.Garageband's lack of support for MIDI.Ultra lame.
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Google announced that the Chrome web browser will be the focus of it's Chrome OS, with a linux core. See the google blog post here:
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html
Definitely excited about it.
Hope it will play nice with MSN stuff, like Hotmail. Other than that, I love Chrome and I'll probably love Chrome OS.
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Shortcircuit is great, and so is HighLifeDoes anybody have any tips for software (preferably VST) where I can load drum samples and play them on my keyboard (as I do with soundfonts through an SF2 player). -
Simple, clean, crisp, sorta Protishead-ish. I likes. You gonna do any additional mastering? Feels a little more airy than I think it should...makes me want to apply a compressor to a master bus...
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Fun stuff, especially the second theme. Love the guitar too.
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I'm not impressed with my local Guitar Center's handling of this momentous deal. I was there on Saturday and there was no mention of the deal on any of the zillion sale fliers pasted around the store. Komplete was also not on display at all. I was there with a friend to buy it and they had to go to the stock room to get it.
That wasn't cool, but maybe it was some odd oversight. However, I was there again yesterday and Komplete was prominently displayed at the old price of $1000. No mention of any deals. I asked a salesguy and he had to look it up to make sure that it actually was $400.
For folks who work on commission, they sure aren't trying that hard to pull in these particularly easy sales.
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What an awesome birthday.
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Yes, definitely.
Being around and working with so many people who take music very seriously has taught me techniques I might not have been exposed to otherwise, broadened my musical understanding, encouraged me to actually practice (as opposed to just banging on things for fun), encouraged me to actually finish songs that I start (instead of just banging on things for fun then clicking "no, don't save"), and made me a little more humble. No, I don't rock as much as I thought I did...but with a little practice...
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Yeah, thanks for posting this Andy. Even though I don't think Black Eyed Peas are a good example of bad "good" pop, I totally agree with your premiseFor anyone on the fence about how good he was, can you think of a single pop musician on his level today? A combination of singer, songwriter and dancer with the stylistic range and consistency of MJ? I can't.THIS is considered to be good pop music today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIK-U6ZfyYE
Compare to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG5NhkxQJQc
More proof of MJ's musicianship-
http://www.jpfolks.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/733474/page/1#Post733474
Read IN FULL. He was NOT just 'made by his producers', like modern pop artists.
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I was disappointed to see that the 20% coupon for black friday was reduced to 15% last year, which didn't make sense to me because, as you said, the larger discount may have increased sales. Marketing economics are a complex beast though, so I'm not entirely sure it would have worked in GC's favor.
In addition to the mailing alerts on coupons and stuff like "the list" sales (great deals to be had there too), you can sign up for the e-mail coupons by either buying something from their online store or (I think) a simple no-purchase-necessary registration.
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Off topic, but Jimmy do you know if GC ever plans to bring back a 20% off coupon? That was the best time of the year for me. That would bring this deal all the way down to $320!*
*weak attempt to stay on topic.
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Awesome. Unfortunately (for my plugin collection) I've got other more microphone-related plans for that couponyeah, man, they will.
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if it hasn't been said (and I doubt it has been) then Caveman Games. Ahhh, memories of dragging your wife to the line, then hurling her downrange for distance. Good stuff
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yeah, I know! I just saw this today and was kinda ticked that I just paid $250 for Kontakt 3 alone a couple of months ago. I wonder will Guitar Center's 4th of July 15% off coupon apply to this as well, making it an even more amazing deal?
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Congrats OA, you're gonna be awesome!
...Don't start slacking on hanging out with OA junior though
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Having a semi-valid excuse to bring women into your bedroom and serenade them with song should be a pro, not a con. In fact, I think it says something about that on the Axiom's box.
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Ahh, I guess I read too far into your original post and assumed you were looking into formal (read: classical) piano lessons aimed at proficiency. If you're looking to learn the piano to improve your ability to write, sequence, and just generally create music then my recommendations will definitely change. Weighting is, as you said, the feel of the keys. Are they easy to press down? Do the move smoothly to allow for subtle nuance (weighted) or are they light (synth-action) to make playing faster easier.Bear in mind, though, that I'm specifically interested in learning to use a digital keyboard, not just how to play piano.So, if I'm understanding what you're looking to do, I'd stay away from fully weighted keys. You're paying for the feel of a real piano that you don't need right now. If you're ok with being tied to a computer, I'd say the best route is to go with a semi-weighted midi controller like the Axiom 61 ($300). It is as fully featured as they come, without breaking your budget. Going the midi controller route means you don't have onboard sounds, but the sounds that you can buy or get for free online will be better than your onboard sounds anyway, especially in your price range.
If you want something more stand-alone and with onboard sounds, I could make a few uninformed suggestions, but I don't have much experience with them so I'll leave that to someone else.
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If you're trying to learn to play the piano and you plan on sticking with it for more than a few months, I would strongly recommend against anything except an 88-key piano. IMO, even 88 synth-action (unweighted) keys are better than 61 fully-weighted ones.
That said, if you do go with a 61-key model, I wouldn't pay more than $200 or so. Above that price, but still within your price range, you'll most likely be paying for more/better onboard sounds/fx, and they don't do anything for the budding piano virtuoso.
I also like the CDP-100. It feels great and at your price range, I don't think you can find anything much better new. Unfortunately, I haven't seen one in either of the two music stores I hang out in so it may be hard to try before you buy :-/ If your $400 isn't a hard budget and you want to make a good investment in your piano future, I REALLY like the Casio Privia series. The entry level PX120 ($500) has very smooth and solid action, and it's bigger brother the PX320 ($700) feels similar with the benefit of having the optional 3 pedal setup as in an acoustic piano, and better audio output options, should you want to record the onboard sounds. There is actually a cheaper Privia, the PX110, but it has a limited 32 note polyphony which is a big turnoff for me.
Good luck.
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Rebirth may be something that would interest you. As far as I know though, it only operates as a standalone, not as a plugin.
Maybe you mean that you're looking for audio samples instead of synthetic sounds? If so, there are tons of good soundfonts out there. Don''t remember where I got it, but I have a generic but useful Roland drum machine soundfont that I could give you if you send me a PM.I never use MIDI, so I'd prefer something that produces "pure" audio, but I'm open to check pretty much anything out.
Secret of Mana - Danger (Chip/Funk/Rock)
in Post Your Game ReMixes!
Posted
Very cool. I guess I feel a little differently about some criticisms. The compression add lots of tension to me, which is a good thing for this frantic piece. Plus, things open up when they need to (1:52-2:10).
The melody that comes in at 2:13 feels underdeveloped at first, but it fleshes itself out and resolves nicely by the time it leaves the scene around 2:35. I think what would help it not feel so weak at first is if you hold off on the drums at 2:13 until a few measures later. They're going full steam from the get-go but the newly introduced melody is just building up momentum. IMO, that's a mismatch.
I think the ending is fine. It SMACKS of SoM flavor, especially the driving kick and snare dominated percussion palette. awesome