u/MusicNursingCoffee

Wanted to post this on local llama but couldn’t, being strapped financially and gun to your head one or the other, what’s the best option here? Do I have what I need with my current GPU’s to run the best local models or is it worth trying to go for the 512 or 256 Mac Studio?

I don’t want to bottleneck and I want to be able to run the best local models possible (within reason obv)

Wanted to make this post in the case it helps anyone else out that's in a similar boat to me.

TLDR: Roland 2000 keyboard feel is not even close to Yamaha 525/515, RD88/RD08, even the Nord stage or piano like you read online. Only comparison is the Nord grand/Hammer Kawai like VPCs.

I was looking for: a mid-tier/intermediate keyboard that played and felt like a real piano so playing would translate, a midi controller for Keyscape/ableton, and something I could potentially take out and gig with once I don't suck.

Price range was 500-$2500, it's a buy it for life kind of thing so I could justify spending more. All the recs you read online and on here are good, like none of these are bad by any means, but reading things online about how keys feel versus actually going to try them out are HUGE and I can't stress that enough. I would've wasted $1500 dollars had I not drove out 30 minutes so find somewhere you can test them out.

Was deadset on the Yamaha p525 or 515 since it seemed like best value for price for around $1500, and while that's technically true (it plays way better than the RD88/RD 08, and honestly even better than the Nord stages/piano), if you can justify spending a little bit more for the key-bed there is a huge difference in play-ability. After trying the Yahama's first and feeling a little disappointed coming from the Native instruments MK2 S88, I tried the Roland RD88 and RD08 thinking I would do one of those instead. Those both felt like plastic-y toys and worse than the Yamaha P525, so what gives. Then I touched the Roland 2000 and holyyyyy, that's exactly what I was looking for without breaking the bank for the Nord Grand. The Nord Stage and Piano while insane build quality and great for gigging out, the keybed just doesn't feel like a real piano's although the best "keyboard" feeling one if that's what you want.

So tier-list for a keyboard that actually feels like a real piano: Nord Grand (2500-5k) If you can find a good used Nord Grand/Kawai with same keybed for a similar value like around 2500ish, that's #1. #2 is the Roland 2000 Ex/reg, #3 is Yamaha p525/p515. Despite what you read online there's a gap between the p525 and the Roland 2000.

The rest of these are pure preference if you like going for a more "keyboardy" feel but still weighted or semi-weighted hammer action. The Roland V-stage felt similar to the Nord Stages and Pianos. The RD08 and RD88's felt like a step down from that, although fun to play on and jam. Would be good for just playing out since they're lighter too. Biggest takeaway, is go out and try them, and if you can afford the next level, just go for it because it is worth it and will make you want to practice and play more!

Wanted to make this post in the case it helps anyone else out that's in a similar boat to me.

TLDR: getting into the $1000's range, the Roland 2000 keyboard feel is not even close to Yamaha 525/515, RD88/RD08, even the Nord stage or piano like you read online. Only comparison is the Nord grand/Hammer Kawai VPCs.

I was looking for: a mid-tier/intermediate keyboard that played and felt like a real piano so playing would translate, a midi controller for Keyscape/ableton, and something I could potentially take out and gig with once I don't suck.

Price range was 500-$2500, it's a buy it for life kind of thing so I could justify spending more. All the recs you read online and on here are good, like none of these are bad by any means, but reading things online about how keys feel versus actually going to try them out are HUGE and I can't stress that enough. I would've wasted $1500 dollars had I not drove out 30 minutes so find somewhere you can test them out.

Was deadset on the Yamaha p525 or 515 since it seemed like best value for price for around $1500, and while that's technically true (it plays way better than the RD88/RD 08, and honestly even better than the Nord stages/piano), if you can justify spending a little bit more for the key-bed there is a huge difference in play-ability. After trying the Yahama's first and feeling a little disappointed coming from the Native instruments MK2 S88, I tried the Roland RD88 and RD08 thinking I would do one of those instead. Those both felt like plastic-y toys and worse than the Yamaha P525, so what gives. Then I touched the Roland 2000 and holyyyyy, that's exactly what I was looking for without breaking the bank for the Nord Grand. The Nord Stage and Piano while insane build quality and great for gigging out, the keybed just doesn't feel like a real piano's although the best "keyboard" feeling one if that's what you want.

So tier-list for a keyboard that actually feels like a real piano: Nord Grand (2500-5k) If you can find a good used Nord Grand/Kawai with same keybed for a similar value like around 2500ish, that's #1. #2 is the Roland 2000 Ex/reg, #3 is Yamaha p525/p515. Despite what you read online there's a gap between the p525 and the Roland 2000.

The rest of these are pure preference if you like going for a more "keyboardy" feel but still weighted or semi-weighted hammer action. The Roland V-stage felt similar to the Nord Stages and Pianos. The RD08 and RD88's felt like a step down from that, although fun to play on and jam. Would be good for just playing out since they're lighter too. Biggest takeaway, is go out and try them, and if you can afford the next level, just go for it because it is worth it and will make you want to practice and play more!

Let me preface, I'm a huge fan given his history obviously a talented musician and been in the business for a long time and have loved everything so far. But like at around 1:50 in the new song, is that not the same exact melody/chorus from Fearless or am I high, did anyone else think this?

Bottom text

I, like many other people, were brought into or back into Overwatch via Stadium. The design was fresh, abilities were fun and creative, and third person Overwatch was a new and fun experience that should NOT be discarded for the sake of a third person shooter audience. That means: Fortnite (Getting rid of this mode means alienating any of them that could play but want a similar experience), MR (Can't put this here without getting flagged?), and Roblox, Mobas, etc. where people would want a more fun experience vs the regular game mode.

Another huge benefit to this mode and third person as a whole: MONEY FROM $KIN$. I'm by no means a whale, maybe more on the poor side, but I've spent at least $400 dollars buying skins for Stadium Characters only, gladly carrying credit card debt to enjoy seeing more of my characters and skins, as well as effects from them in Stadium mode. The social aspect of it was better than regular by a longshot actually getting to talk with your teammates, brainstorm on ideas between rounds, and most importantly the matchmaking chat with even the other team.

Lastly, competitive (and casual) matches on there (when you get close matches from proper matchmaking), are the best nail-biter situations. You have fun whether you win or lose, and believe it or not, has a very high skill ceiling and strategies when everyone knows what they're doing (I'll touch on this). Not having to play Counterwatch and swapping every minute as a tank was the best feeling, and being able to spec into things between rounds when my healers weren't up to par or my DPS weren't doing the best, made the mode amazing for solo queue.

There's Two main issues on why there's 6% of us, it's EDUCATION, and CHARACTER SUPPORT.

Someone on here said it felt like stepping into an Airplane Cockpit due to all the terminals and buttons of items with little to no explanation of what they do. If I didn't have borderline autism, I wouldn't have hyperfixated on it so much to learn what they did, a tutorial/guide or something would be great for people who are not familiar with what to do or how to make an optimal build. Balance changes also need to be more frequent vs making something busted and leaving it for weeks on end.

And for characters, a dude brought his whole setup to a Whole Foods to play Lifeweaver. The people who main their characters truly will NOT play a game mode that does not have them, I almost stopped since they did not have Hampter when I first tried it.

Sorry for the long post, stopping true support and adding new characters is the nail in the coffin due to Poor Management Execution versus a game mode being bad. The potential is still there, MORE PEOPLE WILL BUY SKINS=MORE MONEY because you can actually see your character, you CAPTURE OTHER SHOOTERS' MARKET CAP instead of relying on this playerbase and FPS's, which= MORE MONEY, and ADDING CHARACTERS + EDUCATION FOR NEW PLAYERS to create a better experience=MORE MONEY. Thank you for your attention to this matter- A Top 500 and Legend DPS/Tank/Support 6%er.

Uhhhhhhh I haven’t seen anyone talking about their new album, probably some of their best and heaviest songs to date and caught me off guard with how good it was.
Anyone listened through it yet?