big giant circles

I would agree with you that most are. However, the Ionix's really is quit above par, as is the Fast Track Ultra's (Octane Preamp in that one). Really great tone straight out of the box on either of those. You just have to hear it, I guess

I doubt that. I don't think any other country is as spoiled rotten greedy as us Yanks. They also seem like a generally pretty sensible lot, which also rules out that likelihood.

Yeah, there's a small handfull of all-in-one-keyboard/interfaces. I believe M-Audio and EMU make them as well. They're pretty good if you are in dire need of a keyboard and want to stay as mobile/compact as you possibly can. That being said, I guarantee the preamps in the Ionix are going to top the Line 6's. Not to seem biased against Line 6 (because I'm not), if it were me I would get the Ionix and something like the M-Audio Oxygen v2 or Keyrig 25. That being said, the KB37 does look pretty snazzy.

Oh, totally my bad for not mentioning that. Thanks, Jay! Richard Devine is a beast. If you kids like crazy electronic awesomeness, give him a quick google search.

I don't think they can. Someone tell me if I'm wrong, but I heard that they monitor post, and if they detect something that has been banned, they send a trained pack of angry wallabies to your house and eat your face. Right? I'm pretty sure I'm an expert on Australian culture, custom, and protocol.

I am excited about this. http://www.toontrack.com/products.asp?item=55 It may not have any more/better sounds than Battery, but it's sure to come with an onslaught of handy MIDI files that cover lots of electronic styles. Toontrack has always been a great company. Some people are a little anal about EZ Drummers simplicity/limitations compared to stuff like Addictive Drums, BFD, etc (all of which are also great products), but it's still undeniably a great value. Plus, you can load EZX sounds into Superior Drummer 2.0, so that solves that issue if you don't like EZD's interface Set for release in November, I will most likely be picking this fella up as soon as it's out.

Well, I know the UX1 does, but y'all are recommending a POD in his "I need a USB interface" thread. Not that it's a bad gadget, I'm just saying

I have the least experience with Line 6 interfaces, so I can't really say good or bad about them. I hear they're pretty ideal for guitarists who don't really need much else. Is there no XLR inputs on that thing?

Oh man, that sucks. I am sorry to hear that, my Aussie friends. I can't wait to hear what Yahtzee has to say on the matter, which surely we will eventually. Bummer. I'm sure Valve isn't happy about this either.

$400? I'd go for either the Lexicon Ionix or the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra. They're both pretty awesome and have great preamps. There pretty on par with each other, so if you can get the Ionix for $75 cheaper, that's probably what I would do.

I've been ribbing people in this discussion all in good fun but seriously. What is wrong with you?

lol, I have never before heard anyone assess a "hug situation" so analytically. If you even have to think if it's ok or not to hug someone, you probably shouldn't. And I maintain that seeing as it's usually 90(+)% guys at these meetups, why is this even being discussed?

What is with you people. There are far too many dudes at any of these meet-ups to sit around babbling about "*~*Oh gOsh, I duNNo iF I'd gIvE hugZ or nOt, I am sO sHy, LoL *~* I mean, listen to yourselves. Also, stop covering for an excuse to hug Jill, Jade, or any other of the OCR ladies if you ever meet them in person.

Native Instruments hates you for no reason. Sorry about that.

Well, yeah, I wouldn't say it blew me away either. Between the preexisting Kore FX and Glitch and a few other things, I can already get most of those FX sitting down in the studio. However, I don't think any of them are nearly as intuitive for live performance. Their phone support sucks, yes, but I've never had any issues with their forums.

How do we feel about it so far? http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/powered-by-kore/the-finger/ I think it looks pretty darn spiffy. I'll probably pick it up in the near future to use for live stuff.

The first time I saw Taucer do a barrel roll I got all hot and bothered. Same thing goes for Mazedude's backflip.

Fair enough. Beware though, Image-Line is a larger forum for this sort of stuff, so with the increased number of knowledgeable people comes a HUGE increase in egotistical pricks and idiots.

If you're insecure here, why would you not be insecure at other places?

Well, to be fair, the first run through took about 7 hours.

I think it would be good for zircon to weigh in on the matter. I can see both sides of the coin, and I'm personally not sure which call is the "proper" one.

How do people think up stuff like this? I am amazed on at least a couple different levels.

Haha, indeed. Look fellers, Edge and Damned have really just simplified this whole matter with what they just touched on. Determining the value of a product based on how much you use it. It's a pretty sensible idea, really. I paid $45 for L4D, and I have probably got 200+ hours of fun out of it. If we run with our Metroid Prime example, I've played through both probably 3 times each. At ~6 hours per run-through, that's ~36 hours. I'm willing to wager that every single person (out of the 45,000+ members) of the boycott have played the game at least 50 hours. Personally, I'd say they've got their money's worth. And yet when presented with a sequel, they immediately forget all the satisfaction they have got (and that many are still probably getting) from playing the game for hours and hours and hours, and start demanding that they receive more for free or cheap. That's just unhealthy, plain and simple. Naturally, I suppose Valve's generosity with TF2 was ultimately the damning motion in this pathetic Catch-22 that they're in, which again, I find exceptionally sad, disappointing, and disgusting. Here's an analogy. Let's say I saw that my neighbor's lawn was getting too long and one day I decided to be a good neighbor and mow it for him without expecting compensation. In a couple weeks, the grass is long again, so I mow his lawn again. Repeat this process a few more times. Then, a couple weeks later, he shows up on my doorstep and demands to know why I haven't mowed his lawn again already. I would be livid. I'd probably spit right in his face. Instead of gratitude or excitement, he has taken advantage of a courtesy I provided and displayed contemptible greed and and selfishness. His fictional behavior is not unlike the actual behavior of all the participants (past or current) of the boycott. And for the possible few (I'd imagine very very few) who are boycotting who have only played the game for a few hours, I suppose I wouldn't want to pay full price for a sequel either. But 1)Why do you care? You don't even play the game much. and 2)Lucky for you Valve will probably be having a 1/2 off sale very shortly. And if they don't, it'll be down to $30 in a few months anyway, and probably $15 or $20 within a couple years. The rest of us are willing to pay a higher price to play the game right away. You do not have that right if you don't pay up. Do you have a problem with this? Too bad, that's how games/movies have always worked. Better learn to live with it.

Echo! echo... echo... echo...