kim_otcj.
LevendisCheck out this thread. A one-stop-shop for a list of Free VST’s (←click), as compiled by users, complete with links 😀
kingtubby@The Telenator
Sorry to nitpick, but just for the sake of accuracy I’m almost certain that there is no connection between Meldaproduction and MDA. Also, the classic series fx are by the now defunct Kjaerhus audio and Bootsie is the creator of the Variety of Sound plugins. Anyway, carry on… 😳 I’ve enjoyed your posts so far – some good contributions.
The TelenatorRight. What kingtubby said. It’s been a while since I’ve had to look any of these up. BTW, the melda production does offer a long line of various VST effects, but of a more modern quality. The confusion of the variety of Sound/Bootsy is the naming of those various effects —
Should be pointed out that the Classic series VST stuff is NOT defunct and still available, only Kjaerhaus. Note my mix up with that name and KVR! lol Good basic units for users who don’t want to have to read a 20-page manual with every device they install.
The TelenatorLevendis, Yeah, that’s where I’ve done some of my free shopping, of course! Altogether, there are many similar sites that are run by the owner of each device or series of devices.
kingtubby@The Telenator wrote:
NOTE also, that I do not use 64-bit VSTs anymore. Thought them too much hassle. Until state of DAW straightens out with all this 32/64 issues going around, I am staying free of all that. Just give me a 32-bit host and 32-bit VSTs that will run on my W7 64-bit, and I am happy as a clam (inset your own choice of happy creature here).
Likewise. I’m in no hurry to to move to 64-bit during this transitional phase and my 4 year old pc is still quite able to handle what’s thrown at it…though the Diva beta from u-he does push it a bit 😆
The TelenatorWow, kingtubby, that’s one I hadn’t heard of. You can almost guess from looking at the UI that it’s going to push things some.
kim_otcjI want to add that I love my .WAV-clip-playing SuperDrumFX. It is nothing that modern but the drum sample sets I’ve build sound so spot on. I have John Bonham’s drumset there, hands down!
This past year or so I’ve been sampling drums myself (because I like to use all-original content on my recordings). For my first attempt, I tried sampling the hire kit at my local rehearsal studio. The room was a little noisy, and the kit rattled a bit, but in context, it doesn’t sound bad at all. I made it available for other people to use here (you’ll need 7-zip to unpack it):
http://www.filefreak.com/files/812386_wbiyj/Kotcj_Kit.7z
I did try SuperDrumFX a couple of times, but for my drum sample player I prefer SoftDrum LTD:
The TelenatorKim, thanks for the files, I’ll check them out. One of the features of the Bonham set is that it has a squeak on the foot pedal of the kick I think it is, just as can be heard on the first two LPs clearly. That makes sense, because it is a careful studio-quality sample of his old Ludwig set taken way back in the good old days.
I admire that you would go sample the drums yourself. Do you go all-out and get floor and carpet, under snare, and do a second, distance mic on them? Also, I was wondering, unless you own an actual drum shop, you would be limited in access to the $3k and $4k sets, right? I mean, the rental set from any regular store is likely to sound like doodoo. How do you get access to the world’s greatest sets? That, to me, is the advantage of obtaining professionally made samples. I’ve even had a couple drummers ask me to use their archived samples, which I thought very flattering of them to even care what I was using in my home studio. And if the stores have been renting to kids and amateurs, the sets are gonna need a tuning. Do you go into all that, too, to get a set on tape? I don’t know, man, it makes me tired just thinking about all that trouble. I’m so busy with all the business side of my music that I hardly can make time to play my guitars in the first place!
I’m going to try the SoftDrum, also, so thanks for posting that, too. Somehow I’ve never heard of that one, but from a good look at the UI I’d say they mean business.
kim_otcjI admire that you would go sample the drums yourself. Do you go all-out and get floor and carpet, under snare, and do a second, distance mic on them?
Heh, no nothing like that (although, now I’ve got a laptop, I’m tempted). It just happened that I turned up for band practice 45 minutes early one day, and the kit was already set up. So I borrowed some sticks (because I don’t actually play drums), set up my portable recorder about a metre off the front of the kit and went for it.
I got plenty of room noise that way, including the air conditioner and the buzz from the PA. The kit itself was a rental kit, so it was pretty beat up and had plenty of rattles and squeaks. But I actually like how rough and ready the samples are. It sounds like someone just set up an overhead and said, “Yeah, whatever, that’s good enough.”
The drums in commercial sample collections sound really good. They’re all close-miced, and are bright and shiny and pristine. But that sometimes means they don’t sit well in a project — especially if the other parts aren’t recorded with thousands of dollars worth of mics in an acoustically treated studio. So I’m glad to have at least one kit that goes in the other direction.
Also, I was wondering, unless you own an actual drum shop, you would be limited in access to the $3k and $4k sets, right?
Ooooh. There’s a shop near me that specializes in drums and percussion. I’d love to get in there for a couple of hours, after closing time. 😀
I’ve met a couple of drummers who had really top notch gear, and the difference between that and typical Pearl Export kit (with the blanket in the kick drum and the Sabian cymbals with the cracks in) was phenomenal.
The TelenatorI play several instruments — none nearly as well as the guitar. I can get by on keyboards to record parts well enough. But in almost I’ve band I’ve had I always hear the same stock commands:
“STEP AWAY FROM THE DRUMS!”
Levendis@kingtubby wrote:
…though the Diva beta from u-he does push it a bit 😆
u-he’s ZebraCM (*CM for Computer Music magazine) is one of my bread and butter synths. I had a little play with Diva and am impressed with its fuller, maximised sound. Knob tweaks shift timbres with well scaled nuance too.
Thanks for the heads up kingtubby 🙂
kim_otcjComputer Music magazine puts some interesting things on their cover disks. I quite often use the Dominator synth, just because it’s so intuitive and I don’t have to study it to figure things out (because I’m lazy like that).
In fact, a pretty large chunk of my VST folder comes from the 99 plugins special they put out last year.