Do you buy impulse responses?

Sampler and Sampling discussion (techniques, tips and tricks, etc.)

Do you buy impulse responses?

yes
21
33%
no
24
38%
it depends
15
23%
maybe
4
6%
 
Total votes: 64

RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

I've always wondered if people bought impulse responses or if it's something you expect to get for free?

Same thing with groove templates for FL Studio. Is there something similar that exist in other DAWs and is it something you would buy? (If you don't know what groove templates are, here's some free MPC grooves for FL Studio: http://www.mstrismusic.com/2008/08/free ... fl-studio/).

We all know about sample libraries that are musical or percussive, but impulse responses and groove templates are other types of "samples" that I rarely see people talk about which is strange because they are really useful in music production.

What are your thoughts about this? Is it too specialized?

Post

You can get a huge library of IRs free by Googling "Bricasti" . Top rated stuff. So to answer your question, no. I use the free ones or import my own wavs, and the latter is for special effects, not space/room emulation.
Check the re-sellers, don't check the re-sellers. I don't care.

Post

The big problem with both of those is finding a way to categorise them so they are easy to search! I love IRs and templates but hate searching. There's a kvr IR thread.
(I also like your Maize plugins & look forward to updates for 64-bit osx!)
d o n 't
w a n t
m o r e

Post

Michael L wrote:The big problem with both of those is finding a way to categorise them so they are easy to search! I love IRs and templates but hate searching. There's a kvr IR thread.
(I also like your Maize plugins & look forward to updates for 64-bit osx!)
I'm working on a big update for my plugin line, but it takes time because the update must be worthwhile so I'm adding new sounds, I'm updating the GUIs, etc. Plus Maize has some new features I want to use for the updates. The wait will be worth it! :)

Post

soundbylaura wrote:You can get a huge library of IRs free by Googling "Bricasti" . Top rated stuff. So to answer your question, no. I use the free ones or import my own wavs, and the latter is for special effects, not space/room emulation.
Indeed, the Samplicity IR library is great! But I had more effect and texture based IR in mind as I think there's already enough reverb IRs. I have a collection of guitar pedals that would be interesting to sample as IRs. I also have some cool oldschool effect units that are hard to find (like the Effectron Junior for instance).

On YouTube, I've seen some cool videos showing creative use of IRs. In one of them IRs are used to emulate the vinyl tone. The result was really interesting imo.

Post

SampleScience wrote:
soundbylaura wrote:You can get a huge library of IRs free by Googling "Bricasti" . Top rated stuff. So to answer your question, no. I use the free ones or import my own wavs, and the latter is for special effects, not space/room emulation.
Indeed, the Samplicity IR library is great! But I had more effect and texture based IR in mind as I think there's already enough reverb IRs. I have a collection of guitar pedals that would be interesting to sample as IRs. I also have some cool oldschool effect units that are hard to find (like the Effectron Junior for instance).

On YouTube, I've seen some cool videos showing creative use of IRs. In one of them IRs are used to emulate the vinyl tone. The result was really interesting imo.
Oh I see what you mean. I've had fun using sparkly sounds as IRs for special effects. Not sure I would buy special IRs, though. Probably just grab some files from my SFX libraries and see what happens.
Check the re-sellers, don't check the re-sellers. I don't care.

Post

I think I bought two IR library in my whole life... maybe three if I include getting a second IR reverb plugin because of its library. The problem is that I'm not fond on using convolution reverbs, so I rarely buy such libraries (and I rarely use those I already own).

I use an IR reverb only when I can't get the same results with an algorithmic (because I want the control and the movement offered by the latter). Given the current choice of good and affordable itb reverbs, I use an IR reverb only when I need something different, for example if I want to use a reversed IR (as a creative FX), if I need a real space (very rarely, I mainly make house/techno music) or creative reverbs which would require a lot of processing. It has to offer something I can't get with my "standard" plugins (or that would require a lot of effort or to slow down a lot my workflow), otherwise I prefer having full control on the parameters.

A few years ago I bought two libraries by MoReVoX because they give me something different from the algorithmic reverbs I could buy. I rarely use them because I rarely work with IR reverbs, but I'm still happy because they widen my sound (reverb) palette. I could consider another IR library if it covers a similar ground and if it's up to that quality, or if it's like those Bricasti libraries (anyway I'm not looking for IR currently). I have to feel it like a proper tool which gives me something I can't get elsewhere, not like something pre-cooked that I could make by myself by getting a few tools (maybe spending more, but that's not the point as long as they are affordable).

If I were to work in a completely different area like post-production, maybe I would have a different opinion and I would be more interested to IR.


Talking about groove templates, I never bought any (I use the mpc grooves and the daw swing, of course), I think they can be useful but I don't need many of them. I would also spend very little on this kind of things.


Just my opinion, of course!
free multisamples (last upd: 22th May 2021).
-------------------------
I vote with my wallet.

Post

sin night wrote:I think I bought two IR library in my whole life... maybe three if I include getting a second IR reverb plugin because of its library. The problem is that I'm not fond on using convolution reverbs, so I rarely buy such libraries (and I rarely use those I already own).

I use an IR reverb only when I can't get the same results with an algorithmic (because I want the control and the movement offered by the latter). Given the current choice of good and affordable itb reverbs, I use an IR reverb only when I need something different, for example if I want to use a reversed IR (as a creative FX), if I need a real space (very rarely, I mainly make house/techno music) or creative reverbs which would require a lot of processing. It has to offer something I can't get with my "standard" plugins (or that would require a lot of effort or to slow down a lot my workflow), otherwise I prefer having full control on the parameters.

A few years ago I bought two libraries by MoReVoX because they give me something different from the algorithmic reverbs I could buy. I rarely use them because I rarely work with IR reverbs, but I'm still happy because they widen my sound (reverb) palette. I could consider another IR library if it covers a similar ground and if it's up to that quality, or if it's like those Bricasti libraries (anyway I'm not looking for IR currently). I have to feel it like a proper tool which gives me something I can't get elsewhere, not like something pre-cooked that I could make by myself by getting a few tools (maybe spending more, but that's not the point as long as they are affordable).

If I were to work in a completely different area like post-production, maybe I would have a different opinion and I would be more interested to IR.


Talking about groove templates, I never bought any (I use the mpc grooves and the daw swing, of course), I think they can be useful but I don't need many of them. I would also spend very little on this kind of things.


Just my opinion, of course!
Thank you for your detailed answer. It really helps me understand how people see IRs in the soundware marketplace.

Post

http://www.voxengo.com/impulses/ these are great and free
my music: http://www.alexcooperusa.com
"It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am." Muhammad Ali

Post

Impulses taken from reverbs and such, no... There are relatively easy to make and there's plenty free. But real spaces, is another game, there's always space for a good one here.

Post

I voted "it depends" because, although I haven't purchased one yet, I might. I think that I would apply a similar line of reasoning that I do to samples. They would have to be unique and special in some way. So pretty much the same kinds of things that make samples special and unique, but, to an even greater extent because it would be harder for IRs to stand out.

To riff on this a bit further, while other people may view old and rare fx responses as unique, I don't really. That's not what I'm talking about. I have some of the IRs of unique places, like under some overpass, or some particularly interesting sonic space out in nature. Those were free, however, so it was easy to grab those, if I were to pay for something like that it would have to be both unique and genuinely interesting.

I think that this is easy to do with samples. For example, I think that the SonicCouture Novachord is really interesting. It goes beyond just sampling the Novachord, it samples the one that Phil Cirrocco painstakingly rebuilt. I also think that Rhythm Robot's Platter instrument is unique and interesting. In both cases it's not only that I can't just go out and sample the thing myself, it's that I can't really get anything that sounds approximately the same and that there is a rather interesting and unique process that's embedded in the library. Maybe an IR of some old fuzz is interesting to some people, but I could build a clone in an afternoon and make a half dozen IRs of my own, or, more likely, I could just find something similar that's free. I can't do this with either of the above products, so, whether I would do it not is beside the point, rather, it's that thought process that makes me think of something as unique.

I can't really think of anything off of the top of my head that I'd be willing to pay for, but I think that is the essence of the matter. You have to bring something to the table that makes me say "woah, that's cool, I didn't think of that, I really want that but I can't really do it myself."

In other words, if I could think of it quickly, it's probably either not that interesting or near impossible to get. I'd pay for an IR of the inside of the Chernobyl sarcophagus, for example; pictures required.

Post

Voted "depends".

One could say you're paying for impulse responses by purchasing the plugin itself when there are obvious free options. Such is the case with EastWest Spaces which is the one I use the most. I bought it because the impulse responses are top notch and the plugin in stable so one could argue that yes, I bought it for the IR's themselves. That said, would I buy a library that didn't come with a plugin? Probably not. Even if those IR's were top notch like the ones in Spaces... maybe. It would depend highly on price. If we're talking $5-$10 for a buttload of them that would work natively in a plugin I already know and use all the time, it's possible. It would depend how it sounds compared to what I have and use already.

There are people like EchoThief who have recorded some very interesting and original IR's and distribute them for free. That's hard to compete with.

Post

No, but I do impulse buys :hihi:
No band limits, aliasing is the noise of freedom!

Post

Sure. Love Spirit Canyon Audio's stuff.

Post

No. But pretty much because I really don't know, do I need them or what they can offer me.

There are IR files that comes with Reason 8, and there are IR files for free that cover all kinds of stuff. Aaaaand I rarely use either. Realistic space reverb? What the heck do I do with that? I don't want realistic. I want something that sounds wild n wicked and generally.. Good :D

Post Reply

Return to “Samplers, Sampling & Sample Libraries”