Late game boss character that I was definitely under-levelled for.
Fortunately they only had two base attacks for most of the fight and a third towards the end. All were simple to parry, particularly for an older gamer who lost his lightning reflexes decades ago.
Happy to share where they are in a >!spoiler reply!< if anyone feels like a grind and bulk level-up.
In 1969 mankind landed on the moon.
In 2026 plugins still don't install to where we ask.
I know my way around a compressor and the other shiny things that make my tracks go wub wub.
I understand the concept of multiband compression - it's regular compression for individual frequency ranges. What I have pondered for too long is when and how to use one.
Any thoughts and opinions?
Disclaimer - I am not in any way affiliated with the product or dev. Also Windows only at this point, Mac version is on its way.
The dev of this plugin is a true synth nerd. His new plugin Liminal Space 2 sounds beautifully rich and dreamy. Heaps of algorithm options and massive amounts of control over the reverb, so maybe not as suitable for rookie producers who just need something simple. The interface isn't pretty but the plugin sounds great.
Not a bad buy for those suffering a bit of plugin GAS, and I love to support indie devs.
Universal Audio currently has a sale running - 11 plugins for $99. Notwithstanding that I probably don't need more plugins, the opportunity to pick up some spare decent compressors, reverbs or the Minimoog emulation sparked my interest.
Thoughts on the package? If positive, what would you choose?
I'm a casual single player gamer. I dig a game, play it for a season, then put my controller away and focus on life things for a few weeks. Gaming is not a primary obsession for me.
I love creative builder games with sandbox modes that retain a purpose. Currently I'm loving Frostpunk 2 - sandbox mode is challenging yet slow-paced enough that I can enjoy the ride and what I've built, and the sense of mission remains.
Other titles I played:
- Frostpunk 1. Not bad but definitely overshadowed by its sequel.
- Cities: Skylines.
- Against The Storm. Nice, never really jelled with it though.
- Railway Empire. No real purpose but trains are fun.
I also love first person RPGs with decent graphics, lore, engrossing stories, and interesting characters. Titles I played include:
- Mass Effect series. Loved them, except Andromeda. That one was repetitive and lacked soul.
- Fallout 3, 4, amd New Vegas. Great series. Tried FO76, didn't enjoy it. Too many online players needlessly cluttering my screen.
- The Witcher 3. An all time favourite.
- Cyberpunk. Beautiful and original game. Still I felt a little underwhelmed at times. Not sure why.
- GTA V. It was okay. Not particularly my thing.
- Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2. Both beautiful games. Second is a little slow for me.
- Elden Ring. Not my cup o' tea at all. Far too intense.
Thoughts on what to play next?
By serendipity I came across this in the Asian groceries at Woolies several weeks ago. Sichuan chilli oil. Pretty sure Coles stocks it too.
It is incredibly good. I put it on essentially *everything* - stir fry, steak, bolognese, soup, steamed vegetables, mashed potato, you name it.
It has a fair kick to it but it's certainly not overpowering if you like chilli, and it makes anything taste better. I reckon I'm up to my fifth jar now.
I'm a huge advocate for clippers and use them in all my projects to maximise headroom and tame naughty transients.
StandardCLIP has been excellent for all my clipping needs. That said, it is also the only paid clipper I've used.
KClip 3 gets a lot of love on the interwebs. Yes I know there's a demo available. Is it really a superior clipper to StandardCLIP? Anyone care to weigh in with their experiences?
I am a fan of Kazrog, however don't wish to spend extra on a plugin just to satisfy possible FOMO when that money could be spent on essentials like groceries and beer.
I'm a recent convert to CapCut for content for my music channels. Loving the experience so far. CapCut is so much easier to use than Davinci ResolveAll the features are so intuitive. I'm glad I made the switch and I subscribed to the pro version.
The provided resources are excellent. Occasionally I can't find something I'm 100% happy with. Can anyone point me in the direction of free or budget third-party resources like LUFs, filters, effects, and transitions please?
Specifically I'm looking for content that isn't fireballs, exploding galaxies or effects that make my projects look like an energy drink commercial or ten year old's video project. I'm after add-ons that give my content a stylish sheen (sorry I can't think of any other way to describe what I'm chasing!)
Pleases and thank yous. It's great to be part of this community.
One for the wavetable geeks. I came across a free wavetable library from Echo Soundworks. 400 wavetables, free download.
There is some cracking good content inside such as wavetables based on hardware synths such as Prophet, Roland, etc. I've been using it to create some killer sounds in Serum. The tables are very musical and I have found them excellent for melodic house, soft sounds, and analog basics.
I started writing this as a comment to another post. It is important enough to talk about that it deserves its own post. Long post, I know, but worth reading.
Clipping is super important. Those reading this who use clippers already may think I'm stating the bleeding obvious. In my experience many producers, including advanced ones, don't know about them.
Inside your track there are invisible volume spikes. Peaks you don't intend and don't hear. Ever bounced a track and wondered why visually you see thin spikes poking up where they don't belong? That's what I'm talking about.
**Those spikes are stealing headroom from you.**
Headroom is the volume gap between your loudest peaks and the maximum point they can reach before they start distorting. Headroom is a useful thing when mixing. When these inaudible spikes occur, they decrease this headroom.
If you want to shine a spotlight on what I'm talking about, grab an oscilloscope like s(m)exoscope (free!) and put it on individual track elements and the master. Hi hats are a good one to try this on.
Do you see any thin spikes sticking up like stray hairs? They are headroom thieves. They move unseen and sabotage your tracks. They seek to betray you. There is only one fitting punishment for such a crime... *cut off their heads.*
Clipping, like limiting and compression, is used to decrease dynamic range (the volume distance between the quiet parts and the loud parts). Limiters and compressors squash volume down to a manageable level. Clippers chop the tops clean off.
When done in a controlled way, clipping brings down your peak volume *with no perceivable audible change to your sound*. It is particularly useful for percussion like snares, claps, and hi hats. It will tame the sharp spikes and bring your sound under control. Try it - you will soon see what I mean.
*But what clipper should I use?*
As with all things, it's a budget and personal taste thing.
StandardClip is the default answer to best all-rounder. It is used widely by pro sound engineers. I use it and love it. Ignore the Windows 95 vibe, it is a solid plugin and reasonably priced.
Kilohearts Essentials is a free collection of mini effects plugins that includes a clipper.
If you're feeling cashed up, Gold Clip is frequently cited as an ultra premium option for master busses.
TL;DR - You need a clipper. It will trim inaudible volume spikes that cause hidden problems in your mix
I have enough instrument plugins. Where I am falling down is a lack of good mixing and mastering tools that aren't a magic one-button affair.
Any recommendations on decent plugins that won't cost me a kidney?
Amongst other things I need is a decent EQ. I've been using the free version of TDR Nova - solid plugin but it seems to either colour the sound or just boost the gain in a way my stock Ableton EQ Eight doesn't. Earlier it was causing distortion issues even without gain compensation. I can't afford PRO Q4.
I also like nifty toys such as Kazrog True Iron, which when pushed gives a sweet amount of sparkle to my tracks.
I've used all the Ableton stock stuff already. If you feel strongly enough that I should revisit one, please chime in.
To preface, I have Diva and it sounds amazing. Not particularly user friendly but once you learn how it works it can get some spectacularly rich sounds. It does have a few small limitations but it does its job well.
I'd certainly be interested in something more traditional - just analog-modelled oscillators, envelopes, filters and effects. Any suggestions?
I'm a preset design journeyman and have used a small handful of synths over the years for sound design. Currently I am loving wavetables in Serum 2, although not always the CPU load when my presets become too complex.
A couple of weeks ago I thought "what the hell" and upgraded my version 3 of Nexus I'd had for 15 years. I'd read the architecture had been opened up and it was now possible to create presets from scratch.
Here's my *initial* thoughts from a preset design perspective. These may change as I dive further into it:
- Nexus is still light on the CPU.
- Interface is pretty but clunky. I hope reFx improves on this but I doubt it.
- From an educational perspective it's interesting to be able to study the sound design choices behind some of the better stock presets, as well as those from previous expansions.
- Wavetables feel a little light. I'd like more selection.
- Samples sound top rate, although they still kinda have that Nexus "sound in a can" quality (which is good or bad depending on your perspective).
- The effects are excellent. I note the addition of more modern effects such as a tape flutter, dynamic noise generator, and extraordinarily easy to use vowel filter. There's also a six band EQ.
- Unlimited layers, plus layers within those layers. Sounds like overkill but is actually quite useful when one of your layers needs fattening or some extra colour.
- Each layer can be routed into its own modular effects buss before all layers are routed to a master effects buss.
- Slightly limited envelope curve adjustment.
- Granular mode seems to be very limited.
- The modular routing layout is good enough but could be so much better. This was one of the strengths of Massive X.
- Comes with a vintage Nexus 2 GUI option.
- Love the reverbs.
I was able to make some truly stunning shimmery pads with very little effort. Haven't focused on leads or basses yet. This will be next.
My final initial thought.... it's still a preset machine, but at least now it doesn't have to be. It won't replace Serum 2 or Pigments in my workflow, but it compliments it nicely. For trance and harder EDM genres this would fit really well.
I'm an EDM producer who bought a turntable controller to complement my skillsets.
I can now do basic EDM mixing using the EQs (and DJ filter) to mix tracks in and out of each other. I have musical training and can key mix. Years ago I even made some short mix intro tracks.
What should I be learning next?
I'm tired of recording automations with my mouse in Ableton Live. Brains trust of Reddit, help me choose a controller that suits my needs.
**Criteria:**
- Budget level controller.
- Endless rotary encoders (knobs that can spin forever) are hugely preferred.
- Compact (I don't have much desk space).
- Other features such as beat pads or a mini MIDI keyboard would be great but are not essential.
**Controllers I have looked at:**
Arturia BeatStep: Looks fantastic and has endless encoders. It is an old controller and user reviews are mixed.
Korg NanoKontrol2: No endless encoders, no other features to make up for this. Nicely priced.
Akai LPD8: Nice looking controller with pad features and at a great price. No endless encoders.
Novation Launch Control: What a stunning controller. A little expensive and few other features (although it does have assignable buttons).
Thoughts anyone?