big giant circles

Play and MOTU instruments both use iLoks.

I'm down sometime.

Alright So I just ordered my upgrade to Komplete 6 from Zzounds using the affiliate link (click me). You should too! It's only $149 there, instead of $169 if you get it direct from Native Instruments. Affiliate link in the first post.

The hardware specs are comparable to yours. Running Windows 7 and FL9.

once again, I can't even get Ethno to work in FL. So far, I haven't had any problems with PLAY on my system, so I'm not entirely sure that you're making the best choice there... But maybe it's just my machine.

I don't own Vienna, but I'm sure it's no worse than any other comparable plugin. 4 Gigs of ram is plenty, though you might want to invest in jBridge (it's like $22 or so) to help make better use of your RAM. Ethno actually crashes consistently on my machine for whatever reason, so I haven't touched it in months.

I have both. MOTU Symphonic is pretty decent, although it's kind of unstable in FL, similar to PLAY, so there's your catch 22 on that product. MOTU Ethno I'm not as impressed with compared to say, QLRA. Also, both require an iLok to use. Also, did you specifically ask GC to do a chain search? Or just have them look in store? I can tell you the one here in Knoxville does NOT have QLSO Kontakt version in stock, but if you just ask for an Assistant Mgr, they can look it up across the chain. There's a chance you may still be able to track one down. Stores sometimes have left-over or discontinued inventory that they don't carry on the website. If you've narrowed it down between Philharmonik and Vienna, go with Vienna. 400 GB is plenty for now. And hard drives are cheap nowadays. I used a 500 GB external drive for a long time before building my new PC, so really, there's no need to worry about running out of space.

nah, you'd be better off looking in stores. call Guitar Center and have them do a chain search for you. or sam ash or something. most places will ship to you.

on an unrelated note, but still relevant to Metroid 2, wasn't someone doing a remake of this a while ago? I haven't heard anything of it in quite a while, but it sure would be nice if there was. on a more related note, one of these days I would like to dig out my old "Anthem" project file and revisit it with my newer plugins. I think I could doctor it up into something with a little more polish, and definitely do better than FL Slayer for the guitar nowadays

IK Miroslav? Eh, it's not bad, exactly, but you'd be better off trying to track down a copy of QLSO Kontakt edition, or Vienna Symphonic. Also, remember that Komplete 6 comes out here in a couple days.

Alright, so there's a pretty good chance I'll be attending this. However, it's only fair to say, that my Brother and his wife are expecting Twins anytime next month, so if they happen to pop out right before the meetup, we might have to miss out on the house party. Hopefully all the timing will be good for everyone, though. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Checked out Dome, pretty groovy take on a pretty crazy track! Metroid 2's music was very atmospheric and effective in mood establishment for the game, so it's definitely one of the more challenging OST's to remix, except for a couple of the tracks. Nice work with your remix, though!

Hope it's a good one!

Well, good news for you. Since you already own Cubase AI, You qualify for a discounted upgrade from version AI4.. You can get the full out Cubase 5 for $399 and Cubase Studio 5 for just $199. Which do you need? Well, technically, you don't need either as Malcos has already mentioned that you can do a lot with AI4. However, I will say that Cubase 5 has a lot of nifty new features such as these. that I don't believe 4 does. Also, many DAWs besides Cubase have tiered versions of their program. In most cases there's usually an LE/light/home version, a Studio/mid-grade version, and a Producer/full version, or something along those lines. LE/Light ($0-200) Studio/Mid ($2-300) Pro/Full ($300+) Cubase LE/AI Cubase Studio Cubase FL Fruity Loops Ed FL Studio FL Studio XXL Sonar Home Studio/XL Sonar Studio Sonar Producer Ableton Live LE - Ableton Live (or Suite) Apple Garageband Logic Express Logic Pro/Studio Sony Acid Music Studio - Acid Pro - (lol yeah right) Digidesign Protools LE Protools "costs more than your car" HD Those are all probably the most well-known or widely used DAWs out there. So anyway, I would suggest playing around with AI4 for a bit before deciding to sink money into a major DAW. Also, whichever route you decide to go, make sure you compare the features between the different versions. Personally, I would suggest steering clear of the LE versions, as they're usually either really limited, or in some cases (Cubase and Ableton) come free with the purchase of an audio interface (like Lexicon, Tascam, Yamaha, M-Audio). Lastly, if/when you purchase, remember to purchase from Zzounds by using our affiliate link here. Like Guitar Center (or everywhere else thesedays) they will match the lowest price (usually their price is already as low as you can find), plus they throw OCR a small percentage of the sale. So it's a win/win for you and the site. Keep us updated on what you decide, bro!

I rue the day you were all brought into this foul world! Except for Hybound, Vivi, and Lizz. You guys are cool. Pleasant wishes for your day, guys and gal.

For a comparable price range, AKG makes some decent (and comfortable) headphones. Although, despite what Jay's saying, I'm not sure I know a better value than the HD280's for paying under $90 for a pair. I don't know from personal experience, but I've heard that Beyer Dynamic makes pretty decent stuff. Personally, I've got the M-Audio Q40's. They sound great, but I'll be the first to admit, they're uncomfortable as hell, even after breaking them in for a year. ***** Remember, use our affiliate links with either Amazon or Zzonds, and not only do you still get the best deal, OCR gets a small percentage of the sale. Win/Win!

Is it just me, or am I counting 10 walls inside TSF's studio? That picture is a mind-trip Very nice guitar, btw.

Cynical much, fellas? Cool screenshots, btw.

Pretty nice rig. What's your buffer currently set to?

Can anyone actually tell if a TV is 1080 below like 37"? Also, nothing wrong with 32".

That may be the widest I've ever seen Andy open his eyes.

yes, but to be fair, there's plenty of people on the M-Audio support forums who have claimed to get 1ms latency as well. Or course, I am absolutely chaotic when it comes to pushing my hardware's capabilities... I'm sure my tendency to use too many plugins doesn't help at all.

I'd say some of that rant was meant for Scott. Overdefensive, maybe. And I know that you were partially jesting. But you can't deny that you were asking for the "there's nothing wrong with using a tool" rant.

Dang. That is a pickle. While I love my Profire, I must admit that for whatever reason I have to set my buffer higher than I'd like, thought I'm not entirely sure that's the interface and not my computer. You know, it's like Halle Berry and Jessica Biel just asked you out on a date and you're just trying to figure out which one you'd regret not taking the least I mean, your choices definitely aren't too shabby either way! What I think I would do if I were you is find out whether or not you have any kind of trial/return period--I'm not sure you do. But if so, I'd try out the Lexicon first. And if it's not savvy enough for ya, then return it and snag the 2626. Definitely a tough call man. I would say the Type IV conversion is the Lex's biggest selling point, and I'd personally love to try that thing out. That being said, I do love the sound of my Profire... Flip a coin perhaps?

Geez people, it's merely a tool. Nothing wrong with that. So it's not for you, that's cool. But drawing assumptions like "This is everything you need to NOT be making music" is just retarded. So you're telling me you've never sliced a loop ever? How about Stylus RMX? How about a preset on any synth? Have you used any of those? If so, then sorry, y'all have no right to be hating on something like this. Besides, would you say the same thing about the regular EZD kit? Or any other Drumkit VST? They're the exact same thing - a collection of sounds arranged conveniently so you don't have to build an acoustic kit yourself from one hits, not to mention the fact that you get round robins. I also mentioned that EZX's are loadable in Superior Drummer 2.0 as individual hits, so yo don't even have to load/use the entire kit. As for the MIDI files, once again, they are merely tools. A person can still be creative even if using MIDI loops. Sure, there will be people who might use ONLY the loops, but who cares as long as what they do sounds good? Same thing goes for people who use garage-band loops. Hell, look at Logic Pro. Are you even aware that it comes with like 30+ GIGS of Audio and MIDI loops in all the jampacks? That's EXACTLY what jampacks are, but I don't hear y'all condemning it. Y'all are entitled to your opinions, and if this particular piece of gear is not for you, that's totally cool. But (I don't mean this to be insulting, really) get off your horses and stop being so short-sighted. Like, take Roz's reaction for example. That's a cool assessment to make, but I don't hear him looking down on anyone who might think otherwise. Y'all need to be more like that. Sometimes it's more practical to use a screwdriver. Othertimes a drill. Is it wrong to have both?