How should I spend my $250?

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:10 am

starfinger wrote:USB midi devices do not require other midi ports, so that's cool.

Regarding latency, do you know what the toneport is giving you now?
What driver are you using and what is your buffer size/length? FL Studio can give you this information on the Audio Settings page

-craig

The latency setting on the TonePort = 2 if that makes any sense. The drop down gives you a choice between 1 and 20.

The driver varies depending on if I'm running the TonePort or not since the TP uses an ASIO driver and I can't have it running in two programs at once (as addressed earlier). If not the ASIO driver then I use the default Microsoft driver. As for the buffer size/length...this is a slidebar so it could be whatever I set it to, but so far (and this isn't exact because I messed around w/ it when u asked

) it's been set to around 1500 length/30something milliseconds.

Edit: I went back and listened to the MP3 samples of that Korg KLC1. They sounded good, for what they were, though the type of music they demonstrated is miles away from what I'm trying to do. What I'd really like (in lieu of actually being able to afford these things) is a synth that could recreate some of my favorite sounds. Things like the Fender Rhodes, the Hammond B3, and...what was it the Doors keyboardist always played? and those types of sounds are what I'm looking for.

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:34 pm

I know Native Instruments makes a Hammond B3 clone software called the B4 II. However I don't think you're going to get an emulator that will also handle the Rhodes. You could possibly go the other way and just get sample-disks that include both of those instruments, if you just want sampled sounds.
-bill

Edit: Also see NI's Elektrik Piano for Rhodes etc.

starfinger · Post by **starfinger** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:43 pm

are you thinking of the Farfisa? B4 II can emulate that too, as well as a vox continental, and a pretty cool approximation of a harmonium.

it sounds like you'd be best off with a softsampler though.

-craig

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:43 pm

HeuristicsInc wrote:I know Native Instruments makes a Hammond B3 clone software called the B4 II. However I don't think you're going to get an emulator that will also handle the Rhodes. You could possibly go the other way and just get sample-disks that include both of those instruments, if you just want sampled sounds.
-bill

Edit: Also see NI's Elektrik Piano for Rhodes etc.

Ok, so again, pardon my ignorance but if I had a MIDI controller, I would be able to use this clone software? And if that's the case, the type of MIDI controller is un-important, yes? Sheesh, I wish I could just watch someone do this for a few minutes so I'd get it. Sad that I don't have any knowledge about a protocol that's existed for decades.

starfinger · Post by **starfinger** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:45 pm

kill_me_sarah wrote: Ok, so again, pardon my ignorance but if I had a MIDI controller, I would be able to use this clone software?

that's the idea..

-craig

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:53 pm

Somehow the idea of playing this crazy telephone operator patch system keyboard type of thing to make sweet, sweet Rhodes and other sundry organ sounds appeals to me greatly...

Edit: I just listened to this sample from that Native Instruments site. Listening to it on headphones makes me nauseous and agitated. Does it have that effect on anyone else?

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:48 pm

Okay, I apologize for my question tourette's

but I just stumbled on this ad for a Made in Mexico Fender on Craigslist and was wondering if you all had any thoughts about the value/price/etc.

Edit: Pics included here, hereand here.

It also, apparently, comes complete with a nudie plate cover on the back (not pictured)

Reist · Post by **Reist** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:39 pm

Rabid Garfunkel wrote:Musical Saw! Musical Saw! Musical Saw!

My uncle can play the saw pretty good.

deshead · Post by **deshead** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:08 am

kill_me_sarah wrote:wondering if you all had any thoughts about the value/price/etc.

They sell for $300-$350 new, so $250 isn't a *great* deal. (There are a bunch on eBay with buy-it-now prices less than that.)

In case you care, here are some thoughts on the differences between Mexican and American strats:
http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=10846
http://guitar.about.com/library/reviews ... caster.htm

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:48 am

Thanks for the links des. I was bouncing these ideas off my wife yesterday, asking whether I should upgrade something I already have or buy something I don't have and she said "what do you feel like your music is missing most right now" and I had to say probably keyboards, in some form or another. She also said why bother upgrading from a Squier to a MexiStrat if, at some point in the future, I'll want to upgrade from a MexiStrat to an AmeriStrat. So I think I've narrowed it down to wanting a synth or a MIDI controller (probably the latter).

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:04 am

kill_me_sarah wrote:Somehow the idea of playing this crazy telephone operator patch system keyboard type of thing to make sweet, sweet Rhodes and other sundry organ sounds appeals to me greatly...

Be warned: The controller that comes with the korg legacy edition is awful. I've had a short tinker with it in the local keyboard shop, and it's no more than a toy, just a lump of cheap plastic horridness. You will not want to use that as a controller. (If you want confirmation of this, you should google reviews of the product.)

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:24 am

obscurity wrote:Be warned: The controller that comes with the korg legacy edition is awful. I've had a short tinker with it in the local keyboard shop, and it's no more than a toy, just a lump of cheap plastic horridness. You will not want to use that as a controller. (If you want confirmation of this, you should google reviews of the product.)

Hmm, I'd wondered about that because I actually hadn't been able to find many reviews on Google that weren't from the Musicians Friend or other eTailer sites. Have you had any experience with the Edirol or M-Audio controllers in the same price range?

obscurity · Post by **obscurity** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 11:42 am

kill_me_sarah wrote: Hmm, I'd wondered about that because I actually hadn't been able to find many reviews on Google that weren't from the Musicians Friend or other eTailer sites. Have you had any experience with the Edirol or M-Audio controllers in the same price range?

I'm afraid I haven't tried either of those, sorry.

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:59 pm

I use an Edirol - it's the PCR-30 - which looks like it's no longer made and was replaced with this: PCR-M30.
It's great, I like it a lot. Tho I mostly use it to control my Virus hardware synth, I can also simulataneously use it to control my Audiomulch (a software program on my laptop) - that is, if I turn on the "V-Link" button.
I had this thing at SF Presents @ PA. I think it travels very well.

For online reviews, my favorite place is Harmony Central - however just now their reviews all seem to be 404. What!?!
-bill

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:18 pm

So my wife just bought me about the coolest thing ever. I had no idea what it was until I looked it up online, but it's a Magnus Organ. It's an organ with a small compressor that forces air through pipes. It has a two octave keyboard and then 6 different chord buttons. It's got a really awesome sound, expect to hear it on an entry soon (any of u mixing whizzes have suggestions for filtering out the sound of the compressor?). And at $7 I'm hardly dipping into my budget

Dan-O from Five-O · Post by **Dan-O from Five-O** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 6:29 pm

(Big sigh) Dude......

You're like a kid in a candy store sometimes. You know what I'm talking about? The one that's never been there before and goes all sugar rush on the rest of the people in the store. What's this? What's that? Oooh I want this! No wait! I want that!! This is cool! Oh man this is even cooler!

(Sugar kicks in)

WhatdoesthisdoisitfunisitcoolcouldIhaveoneoftheseorwhoawaitaminutecheckout
thecolorsonthatgeeIwonderifthatsthestuffIneedheymistercouldyouexplaineverything
inthissottomebecauseatsomepointinmylifeIhavegottohaveeveryoneofwaitaminute
whatisthatovertherecomewithmeIneedyoutoexplainallofthisstufftome...........

STOP IT! Just take a breath and forget everything MTV taught you about having a short attention span. Spend some time absorbing the MOUNTAINS of reference material folks here have willingly laid out in front of your inattentive eyes.

Christ.....here is the answer. Specifically the part about "Gates". Here it is for quicker reference.

kms again wrote: Also, I remember reading on here a while back about using Gate to, I guess, siphon out undesired frequencies. Can anyone tell me what these are?

Starfinger wrote: Not frequencies, but quiet sounds that were not intended to be in the track, like people talking in the background or something. Since a compressor will make these sounds louder, it's good to cut them out prior to compressing, and the gate can do that automatically.

You specify a volume threshold and if the sound is quieter than this threshold, it won't make it through the gate.

=craig

Explained again, a Gate is exactly what it sounds like. You set a threshold (the minimum amount of sound it takes to open the gate) and boom, anything else gets shut out by the Gate closing it off. The sound of your air moving device (not to be confused with the compressor's described on the link I've provided) is exactly the solution to the problem you are describing.

I'm really not trying to be a dick but man, you're wearing me out reading this stuff. I know, I know, I could read other stuff here. But I like coming here for the information as much as anyone else wanting tips on how to improve.

What bothers me is you doing the same thing but obviously not retaining it or doing any sub-research on your own when someone throws out a term you don't understand.

Here's the thing, learn something. Don't overwhelm yourself trying to learn EVERYTHING. Just learn the one thing and move on to the next.

Please.

Plat · Post by **Plat** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 8:11 pm

kill_me_sarah wrote:It has a two octave keyboard and then 6 different chord buttons.

I understand your excitement - I got a Magnus chord organ (three octaves, twelve chords, and four legs to stand on) for about $10 at Goodwill a while ago. I love the sound but miss having a volume control.

I recorded this song using one mic (shure ksm-27) for vocal and the chord organ at the same time, and quite enjoyed it.

Looking forward to your new songs; sometimes cheap is swell! I love my ~$2 Stylophone from Goodwill too, and I brought a ~$3 Casio to practice at Songfight Live when the real gear was being timesucked.

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 8:47 pm

Plat wrote:
kill_me_sarah wrote:It has a two octave keyboard and then 6 different chord buttons.
I understand your excitement - I got a Magnus chord organ (three octaves, twelve chords, and four legs to stand on) for about $10 at Goodwill a while ago. I love the sound but miss having a volume control.

I recorded this song using one mic (shure ksm-27) for vocal and the chord organ at the same time, and quite enjoyed it.

Looking forward to your new songs; sometimes cheap is swell! I love my ~$2 Stylophone from Goodwill too, and I brought a ~$3 Casio to practice at Songfight Live when the real gear was being timesucked.

Yes, I'm realizing I need to keep my eyes peeled for more sound-making goodies. That recording turned out surprisingly well for how it was recorded.

starfinger · Post by **starfinger** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 8:51 pm

the cheap m-audio controllers, like the oxygen 8, are pretty horrid

-craig

catch · Post by **catch** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 8:59 pm

Plat wrote:I love my ~$2 Stylophone from Goodwill...

Omigoodness, I want a Stylophone!

Kill Me Sarah · Post by **Kill Me Sarah** » Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:43 am

catch wrote:
Plat wrote:I love my ~$2 Stylophone from Goodwill...
Omigoodness, I want a Stylophone!

Wow, I misread that at first and thought he'd said xylophone. That is cool. And it looks like you got a pretty awesome deal on it.

rogerroll · Post by **rogerroll** » Sat Sep 02, 2006 12:55 am

Ahem. MIDI Guitar.