The Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2018 thread

  • Anyone ever buy the 50% off Black Friday deal over at puremix? One day left, wondering if anyone has ever used the service or benefited from the knowledge. I suppose there's some valuable info (to a degree, for each individual's needs), but does it justify the $225 CAD clams lol.


    I'm seriously on the fence with this one and passed on it last year! :/

  • Yikes! Thanks for that, Michael.


    Well, I guess everyone but those on Mojave should be OK then. Still undecided about moving to 10.14 here; it'll require a new graphics card for my trusty 2012 Mac, and apparently one loses the "splash" / startup screen and option-boot "options"...

    Nicky,


    My wife has the late 2011 Macbook which requires a different video card vs. my mid-2012 which does not, in order to update to Mojave. From everything I've read, there is NO way to obtain a video card or other hardware to pop inside the 2011/early 2012 versions to allow Mojave to work. Please let me know if you find out differently, as I'd love to get her moved over to the latest OS.


    Later,

    Jeff

    Shred 'til yer dead,

    Jeff in Houston

  • I have the same issue with my late-2011 lappy, Jeffro. It's my home stereo / movie / entertainment system - that hooked up to a flat-panel TV via a TB->HDMI convertor.


    You're correct; there's nothing we can do, so my (and her?) machine will have to remain on High Sierra. Thankfully, iTunes and VLC updates (I use these apps for audio and movie playback respectively) should support High Sierra for quite some time to come.


    If I'm not mistaken, the iTunes pref and library files should still work when I transfer them from the "serious" computer to the lappy, which I do every odd month or so after significant changes to the library. I don't make any changes on the home-stereo 'puter 'cause that would confuse the issue. The second said files aren't readable by iTunes on the lappy, probably due to an iTunes version's no longer supporting the OS, I'll have to upgrade to a slightly-more-recent machine, but I know for sure I won't be jumping into the recent TB / USB3-centric-model ranges; I honestly feel there's no need, especially for music-and-movie playback.


    Sorry I've not better news for your missus. The GPU upgrade is theoretically-possible, but I know of nobody who's been game-enough to try it. My guess is that at the very least you'd have to be super-handy with a soldering iron... and a friggin' genius.

    Their “analogue” option? :D Just add hiss!

    Yeah, so many folks were peeved that Waves added noise for "authenticity" and yet provided no option for silencing it, SamBro'. The company finally gave in a while back and now you can turn the noise on or off.


    As for your sterility comment, I agree, however there's been a definite move towards products with more mojo.

    Cobalt Saphira, Infected Mushroom Pusher, some of the CLA compressors, Vitamin Sonic Enhancer, the PuigTec EQ's, Eddie Kramer's tape and drum channels, Scheps Parallel Particles, Scheps Omni Channel , Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain, Abbey Road Vinyl, Abbey Road J37 Tape and Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter spring to mind as not being sterile-sounding; not by a long shot. Point being that progress is being made, as it is everywhere, to be fair, but at least the company appears to have listened to the legitimate complaints about sterility. Having mentioned it, I should say that by all accounts the Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain is something special. It's modelled on a tubeless, transformer-based setup, but man, people have been getting awesome results not only from the plugin as a whole, but also using the components à la carte.


    One of my major criticisms of many of the bundles is that they tend to lump all the old sterile-sounding stuff together for them, so the Musicians Bundles 1&2, Gold and whatnot are fine if you have nothing (and great value if you score 'em "cheaply"), but more-or-less-useless, mostly-redundant vanilla add-ons if you already have a half-decent collection of plugins.

  • Damn you Waves! Cyber Monday deal (which seems to be on-going for now) - $39, which at first glance makes it yet another no-brainer...


    External Content youtu.be
    Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.
    Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.


    FM Synth – Flow Motion | Waves


    The blurb:


    Design deep basses, screaming leads, rich pads and growling FX with this hybrid FM synth, featuring an intuitive graphic interface that makes FM synthesis playful and easy, an innovative 16-step snapshot sequencer, and a rich library of over 1000 presets.

    Flow Motion combines the best elements of FM (frequency modulation) and analog-style subtractive synthesis in one powerful instrument.

    The Flow screen eases your way into FM synthesis, with a uniquely designed graphic FM modulation matrix that connects four powerful mono/polyphonic oscillators with independent waveform and pan controls. You can easily modify assignments between the oscillators, using four independent floating LFO/envelope modulators with intuitive drag-and-drop manipulation.

    The Motion screen lets you further control filters, amplitude, EQ and FX in a ‘traditional’ subtractive way, for added power and flexibility.

    The 16-step snapshot sequencer enables you to easily capture 16 different states of the synth and switch between them in real time. With 16 recallable snapshots per patch, you can quickly create jaw-dropping sequences, on the fly and in the flow.

    With an additional 16-step note sequencer/arpeggiator and built-in FX, this hybrid synth will let you take your ideas to new sonic territories. Huge on tweakability, but light on the learning curve, Flow Motion will advance your creative flow whether you’re a beginner or an expert synthesist.


    • Hybrid FM synth combining FM and subtractive synthesis
    • Intuitive graphic FM modulation matrix with instant visual feedback
    • 1000+ strong preset library, including exclusive artist presets
    • 4 high-resolution oscillators
    • 4 flexible LFOs and envelope modulators
    • 16-step snapshot sequencer: sequence up to 16 recallable snapshots per patch
    • Built-in note sequencer/arpeggiator
    • State-of-the-art studio-quality FX
    • Use as standalone instrument or plugin, in the studio or live
    • NKS-ready for NI Komplete Kontrol and Maschine

    It just wouldn't be kosher to ever complain about FM synthesis made simple, right?

  • Monkey_Man I have the Puig, CLA, Kramer and Vitamin plugs/collections, and only the Kramer tape gets any use here. Not quite sure what that means, but I always reach for Slate/Soundtoys/Softube if I want mojo.


    Having said that, Waves are very generous with their soft synths/VIs. I picked up their piano a couple of years back for peanuts and that has definitely been value for money! In fact, I just used it on a Chopin piece I used for an ad. I reamped it through the stereo in the kitchen at work for some ‘authentic’ ballet room reflections. Worked a treat! Convinced everyone :D

  • Hmm... I hear you, Sam. I specifically described that list as being examples of Waves' newer offerings' being less-sterile and having more mojo. That's not to say they all had mojo in the way we usually use the term - just more than the "classic" plethora of lifeless offerings you and I referred to.


    Not surprised you favour the Kramer tape; I compared it with AR Tape and it wins (more mojo!) IMHO, although I only had online clips to go by.


    Those in the list are all less-sterile sounding than the legacy gang 'though IMHO. I actually forgot to include a couple that definitely have mojo in that list, but have subsequently forgotten which ones they were; it'll have to suffice as-is.


    Agreed, some of its VI's have been ridiculous value. I bought Grand Rhapsody Piano too, and Bass Slapper, Codex Wavetable Synth, Element and Electric 200 Piano. All are excellent value IMHO, with some being OTT-cheap.

  • Thanks, monkeyman... The "problem" comes with the current version of Mac OS X (Mojave), as this requires V10 of the plugins.

    I've finally found a definitive solution for you, Michael, if you're interested:


    This is a quote from Waves via Julian Fernandez over at BeerGutz:


    Since the release of Waves V10, online installations are available for V10 only.

    V9 plugins can be installed via Waves Central using a dedicated offline Installer. There is no need to install Central Legacy. You can use Central V10 to install V9 offline.

    Please follow these steps to install your V9 plugins:

    Quit any host application.
    Download the v.9.92 Offline Installer for Mac.
    Unzip the folder to your desktop.
    Launch Waves Central 10 and click on Install Products.
    In the left panel, click on Select Offline Installer.
    When prompted, highlight the Waves- 24.5.18 folder on your desktop and click Select folder/Open.
    In the middle panel, select the V9 products you wish to install.
    Click Install.


    HTH you or someone else, mate.

  • The Digital Performer keyboard cover I ordered from KB Covers finally arrived.


    I must say that it's sensational, and I'll be using it covering the LogicKeyboard Digital Performer keyboard I've been using for years. Due to the black backgrounds of every key, it completely obscures the colour-coded, printed (with DP's key commands) physical keys of the keyboard.


    The pics I saw on the site suggested it would do this, but I had to order one to be sure. It's a beauty!


    For those who missed it, here's my post from earlier in this thread, complete with pics for other DAW's if you're interested:


    Monkey's KB Covers Post

  • thanks Micha22 but I have posted my question here in the OTHER GEAR section.. I am not interested in kemper profiles offers but in general that I could have missed: new plugins, new interesting gear ecc

  • New plugins an gear usualy won't be on sale on BF. Too short time span for something new. Next year? Probably. Is it any specific you're after?

    Think for yourself, or others will think for you wihout thinking of you

    Henry David Thoreau

  • New plugins an gear usualy won't be on sale on BF. Too short time span for something new. Next year? Probably. Is it any specific you're after?

    Obviously he doesn't mean only new plugins, just stuff he missed. That said, there are quite a few new plugs that dropped in time for the BF crazyness.


    Hallan , what might you be interested in? Drum samples/one shots, mastering stuff (soundtheory Gullfoss is new, and it a must own imo). I have a trick to get kontakt 6 full for $125, just tell me what kind of music you do, what kind of plugs you like, and I will point you to a place. Maybe not the right place, but a place. :D


    Edit for clarity because that sounded really shady. I am happy to tell you where the deals I know of are happening, I will not fileshare or facilitate that kind of shit, full stop.

    Disclaimer: When I post demo clips for profiles, there will be some minimal post-processing, unless stated otherwise. I normally double-track hard L/R, and add to the main buss a small amount of EQ and a limiter/comp set pretty light as well. Sometimes I get test profiles in advance of release, though 90% of my clips will be from packs I have purchased.