XPRTNovice

Shipped mine out! You'll be getting yours in two packages since the stuff I wanted to get you came from two different places and they may not have my gift message in them. But if you randomly get two packages, you know why! I also might not be done getting you things...

Awesome, thanks guys!

Hi guys. I sprung on a Groupon deal that gave me a 3DS (not XL) for $109 and came with Paper Mario. Hopefully I don't regret not getting the bigger screen. For a guy that isn't familiar with DS/3DS content at all, what's my "Must Play" list? I'm a fan of Zelda and JRPGs in general and tend to dislike games that don't have a point (Tetris, angry birds, etc) or plot (Final Fantasy XIII). Even aside from suggesting games for me personally, what's YOUR 3DS must play list?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CHZG1FE/ref=gb1h_tit_c-3_7982_7c79a686?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=09MGRKHDA030YPP6VWKZ&pf_rd_i=5550342011&pf_rd_p=1673797982 FL Studio 11 $60.

One last caveat - IMHO don't buy a used upright piano that is more than 20 years old, and have a technician check it out first. Older pianos are going to be the same as a digital piano in cost, it's outrageously bulky and annoying (you can't stick headphones into it) and antique pianos, unlike some other instruments, do not play well. The key action will degenerate as well as the soundboard, and you'll end up conditioning his hands to play on something like a cheap keyboard anyway -- except THIS piano requires semiannual servicing and constantly goes out of tune, buzzes, etc. That's why, believe it or not, you'll actually see a lot of "FREE PIANO!" ads on craigslist. If you're not willing to shell out a couple grand, stay away from used pianos.

I've seen it on gamestop online at $40 now used..I think the days of the $150 xenoblade are over (I'm not accusing you of overcharging, just musing)

I don't know about this one specifically, but Yamahas are usually a good bet. I feel like you could find one cheaper though. I liked the nocturne because it had ZERO bells and whistles. It just played piano. You could probably find one of those used on ebay.

My opinion: make sure it has weighted keys and a pedal. I use the Yamaha Arius, which is about $600 and might be more than you want to spend for just a test to see if your son wants to play it. But if you think he'll be serious about it, don't get him a casio with spring action keys; his hands will not develop proper technique if he's playing on that junk. Weighted keys are extremely important. Feel free to post links to the ones you're considering here for group evaluation This is mostly useless since the product is discontinued, but this is one I always liked and was relatively cheap http://www.zzounds.com/item--YAMN100

Guys, had a bit of a family emergency for a while, so sorry to my recipient but I'll be sending something soon. For me, I did just buy a 3DS and have no idea what to play on it, but games are expensive (and I always buy used). Nerd swag is good - I'm a FF/Zelda/Mario/Xenogears fan and not so much a pokemon/angrybirds/etc fan. So is OCR swag though I already have a sweatshirt. Ummm... I'm an ass to shop for, sorry. My wife hates it and I don't see how any of you would like it either. My T-Shirt size is typically medium. Ummm...Playstation Store monies? ... Ummm... I'm struggling here, guys.

I'm looking for a good 49+key midi controller (preferably 88 key) if anyone spots a sweet deal... If anyone else is looking for something specific feel free to post and I'll shout if I see it in my journeys.

That's so long it's OVERCLOCKED.

I've only ever gotten 3 VGM jobs, all of which were competed for and won via the OCR forums, only two of which have come through with payment, and only one of which has actually been released. The other paying music composition jobs I've gotten were in conjunction with voiceover jobs, where I offered a bundle deal to a commercial client. Any other ways I've attempted to gain VGM jobs have yielded nothing. In short, I am of no help at all.

So Darker than Black WAS on Hulu, thank you very much. I'm about 12 episodes in. I kind of have the same problem as I did with Cowboy Bebop in that it's too episodic. Before you jump up my ass for criticizing EPISODES for being EPISODIC, I'll say that I love anime that has broader story arcs that eventually play way more of a part than the individual episodes. This series seems to focus on 2-episode arcs and then ignore the results. I know better than to judge an anime before I've completed it, so I'll finish it, but that's my feelings midway. It's cool, and I won't consider it wasted time even if it continues in this way. I have a feeling it'll pan out - there are far too many unanswered questions for them to continue ignoring them and focusing on seemingly unrelated shorter stories. Strangely, I also have been watching this subbed. I typically like dubbed, because the Japanese version of acting, in my opinion, is just too intense and over the top (a la Attack on Titan where everyone screamed everything). But the American voice actors on this one just weren't convincing to me. I like that Hulu gave me the option to try both.

Q: How do you tune two oboes? A: Shoot one of them.

Hi everyone. I've been getting lots of requests lately for wind instrument collaboration, and it kind of hit me yesterday that very few people are familiar with dealing with live wind instruments in their mixes. So, while I'm far from an expert, I thought I might offer up a couple of tips. Others that have experience, pile on. I'll just touch on two of the biggest things I hear: dryness and variable volume. - Dryness. The major problem I hear is that the recording is too dry in the final mix. I know for me I try to record in as dead a configuration as possible, so if you were to just drop the wav into the mix it's going to sound really out of place, like someone with an actual sax is standing in front of your speakers playing along with the track. Made sure to add verb; I prefer to keep the reverb relatively dry, but it has to be there, and it should probably match whatever other reverb you're using for your other samples. If your other samples have baked in reverb and you can't just copy/paste the send effect, some light room verb is usually good enough. Adding a touch of delay is nice too, in the right circumstances. - Variable volume. A live instrument produces sound from a lot of different places at the same time. On clarinet, for example, it depends on how high or low the instrument is playing; sometimes the sound comes out at the bell, and sometimes it comes more from the fingerholes at the top near the mouthpiece. While 12 inches may not seem like a lot, it means a lot when you don't have the ability to really mic the instrument perfectly. Your samples/VSTs are ALREADY adjusted for this, but the live instrument isn't! If you were to just drop it into the mix as is, some notes would get buried and some would be screaming. I use a mix of compression and volume automation to get the even sound. It's not all about the mic placement, either. The dynamic range of a wind instrument is huuuuuge compared to most other instruments, so a player putting in some expression will often have a wide range of dynamics that you'll have to adjust for. Even a perfectly miced part (particularly if it's just a solo and the player is doing whatever he/she wants) will have more variation than you're probably used to. Just some thoughts from a wind player. Would love to see other people's comments/discussion.

It's too bad I'm unREASONable.

It used to be that I worked out 5-6 times a week, but the key is to keep it varied. You don't want to lift heavy every day. Mark Sisson of the Primal Blueprint says that every week should be: 3x Move Slowly, Rest or Play 2x Lift Heavy Things (weights) 1x Sprint 1x High Intensity Interval Training I've found that to be a really nice schedule, because it changes things so they don't get boring and makes you work different places on different day.

Soreness is also about variation as well as weight. Doing different KINDS Of pushups, etc, will also help you keep working different parts of muscles. I've heard it said that soreness really just indicates doing something you're not used to.

Oh damn I just noticed I got ChimpPimped.

Man, this made me laugh so hard. Laugh Like AAAAAAAAAAH HAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA HAAAA

happy mirbday!

Confirmed. And annoying. But I like FF8 in spite of that.

FFIV cuz that's what I started on. And I also think that the SNES games are the ones that really brought Final Fantasy out. Mystic Quest was literally designed to introduce people into the genre, so maybe that one.

Baaaahh I CAN'T! It's not on any of my TV services right now - it was taken off Netflix and it's not on Crunchroll either. I ended up starting Gardenia on the Verdurant, or whatever that title is. I enjoyed the first 4 episodes and I think I'll continue. I'll definitely check out Log Horizon. I liked Sword Art Online, but I thought it was a great example of how to complete a wonderful story arc in a really satisfying way...but then continue anyway for 8 episodes with 70% less tension.