This coming NAMM is going to be SICK!

[Caleb]

Squids - the only thing that name drops more than you are your latest product offerings.

You are going drum sick my man. Every time you open your mouth, drum sound sets or loop libraries fall out - usually with bigger names behind them than that of the previous product.

If I can understand Ocean Way a little better, they are all I-Mapped kits in Kontakt 2 format? What other formats do they come in - ST2???

I think this product sounds more like a set that you would get if your drum programming included live playing - via V-Drums or keyboard, rather than programming in note-by-note. At the moment, I've never tried to be a proficient keyboard drummer - so the product probably isn't for me.

Also - although I appreciate (in my limited lay-person way) that enormous effort would have gone into creating such a collection, I'm inexperienced enough in the way of great recording studios not to fully appreciate the subtle differentiation in quality between professional recording studio A to professional recording studio B.

I'm sure if I were a different person though, I'd be getting ready to clear out most of my drum sample sets in preparation for this set.

I still don't understand Studio Profiles much, but one day I might buy one of those downloadables in eSoundz to get an appreciation for what these things could do for me.

Of course RAW is still high on my list however.

Miroslav Classik sounds like a great idea - but owning the full version, it's not as significant for me.

But of course, even without much of the NAMM content particularly appealing to me, you're still my favourite sound pimp Squids.

You've just got a new honorary title - MASTER SOUND PIMP.

I'm still hoping for a Squidsilicious downloadable sounds year though. I'm sure you won't disappoint.

Regards
Caleb

[funkychickendance]

...although I recognise the importance of JH in the history of the evolution of electric guitar, I can't say I was a fan of his sound, which probably was revolutionary in the 60's but not to me in 2007.....
once again just my 2 cents.
rsp

Agreed. It's called 'flogging a dead horse.' What we think of as a Hendrix guitar sound basically died with him, because few ever achieved the right balance of off-the-wall frenzy and graunchy equipment sounds simultaneously...

It was when I recently saw huge posters in my local guitar wankers store of some new Boss (or whoever) pedal with multiple 'Hendrix' and 'Clapton' settings that it was clear the game was up. I mean, who cares?

Kids need to find their own shit to play, not copy music from forty years ago. And old geezers -- yes, I'm one too -- need to do the same. Otherwise you're as ridiculous as the Elvis impersonators.

/fnx

[DocAtlas]

You can also look forward to a sample library with Alan Parsons and I revisiting Dark Side of the Moon instruments, effects and classic APP albums (in fact, that's a secret project, npi, but go ahead and let me know if there is any sound on any Alan Parsons Project album and I will see if we can extract it from the masters for his library which I just sneaked you a peak on).

This may be the most interesting thing I've heard about this week, and it's the middle of NAMM! Any idea of when this may be out? And what about the SS2 update? I'd love to see more sets of sounds for it; 8 gigs is just not enough!

[beergeek]

Just call me Elvis and untalented I guess

[telebunke]

Kids need to find their own shit to play, not copy music from forty years ago.

Hey, they need to do whatever they want to.
So if they wanna reproduce the sound of JH, here is a tool to do it. And if they wanno use HIS equipment to produce their own sound, here is a tool to do it.

tele

[telebunke]

So are we gonna see some of the new stuff in a Total Squids bundle?

tele

[Squids]

I guess I had my hopes on some revolutionary vsti or something of that nature.
Haven't heard the Ocean Drums but they are already so many excellent drum libraries that aren't recorded in such a famous place by such a famous person but kicks butt. I therefore personality would not consider that "mind blowing" by any stretch of my imagination, but that is just me. Especially when I consider the drummer being the biggest reason for a great drumtrack. Different strokes for different folks.
And although I recognise the importance of JH in the history of the evolution of electric guitar, I can't say I was a fan of his sound, which probably was revolutionary in the 60's but not to me in 2007.....
once again just my 2 cents.
rsp

Well, here's the thing. On the Jimi Hendrix Edition you have two aspects of it. You have the modeled rig and presets that are meant to get that Hendrix sound but you ALSO have some of the most desirable vintage pedals and amps in there too which have been used to get quite a few different guitarist's sounds (not to mention room for you to get your own unique sounds especially dueto AT's engine abilities to mix and match components of the amps). It's an awesome collection of vintage guitar effects and amp models. That's how I personally look at it... the Hendrix part just adds to the fun if you are a Hendrix fan which of course many people also are (including me). Oh I met Eddie Kramer today!!! He's cool.

Okay, on the other thing. The reason I'd say it is mind-blowingly cool is this. One thing is that it sounds STELLAR and I mean AMAZING and on another level than ANYTHING I've heard before including our own samples. I LOVE our samples and I can also appreciate some of the great sounds out there in BFD and other formats. I am aware of it and have an appreciation for what's good as much as the next person. But, this is something REALLY special and unique. It's not that drum sounds out there are so bad (although Allen Sides isn't satisfied with what's out there) it's that if you want what all of these bands pay BIG BUCKS to get in terms of the sound of their record when they have a major label budget well... we are SOOOOOOOOOOO lucky that a little (relatively little) company like Sonic Reality should get the chance for a studio to NOT have say Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Radiohead etc. record in the room (which would bring in say $5K a day times a month's time... $150K of studio time maybe? More perhaps?) just so we can make an esoteric boutique high end sample library???? That's not even considering how in demand their own PERSONAL time is!!!! Like I said, Steven Miller can't even come to NAMM because he's recording Dave Matthews. The fact that we have Allen Sides in one spot for 4 days to talk about this is totally amazing (luckily he is also there to talk about his $65,000 speakers... which by the way, if that wasn't going to be sold through Guitar Center Pro we might not have even gotten HIM to be there at NAMM for us).

Today we had Chris Lord-Alge come by and I did a quick video of him saying how he LOVES Ocean Way Studio B and recorded Joe Cocker and all of these different albums there and can not praise it enough. Here is a man who does more albums than almost anyone on the planet. Allen himself has worked on over a thousand I found out tonight. A thousand! This is serious stuff! I only hope that you guys can see what we've been able to do and appreciate it. Sure you can get generic drums from anyone and they may be good. But there's only one drum collection recorded at Ocean Way with these recording techniques, this mic selection, this room, this console, this outboard gear and Sonic Reality's I-Map, V-Drum Map and other expressive programming.

[Squids]

You can also look forward to a sample library with Alan Parsons and I revisiting Dark Side of the Moon instruments, effects and classic APP albums (in fact, that's a secret project, npi, but go ahead and let me know if there is any sound on any Alan Parsons Project album and I will see if we can extract it from the masters for his library which I just sneaked you a peak on).

This may be the most interesting thing I've heard about this week, and it's the middle of NAMM! Any idea of when this may be out? And what about the SS2 update? I'd love to see more sets of sounds for it; 8 gigs is just not enough!

Well, consider that a very rare sneak peak of future potential products in the works. Normally I wouldn't tell you so soon but I wanted to give you all a scope of what we're after here! If you're with me then this is going to all be exciting stuff. Afterall, who do we do this for? You!

[beergeek]

Oh I met Eddie Kramer today!!! He's cool.

Ok, I concede...you are now officially hipper than me plus I hate you

I don't get how playing an original song using the tone that Jimi used on "The Wind Cries Mary" makes me an Elvis impersonator. By that logic, EVERYONE using a vintage Marshall stack or a Fuzz Face or a '68 Strat is unoriginal.

Jimi and Eric are my guitar heros. While they may not be yours, I think I have a lot of company in my camp. To each his own.

--Rob

[funkychickendance]

I don't get how playing an original song using the tone that Jimi used on "The Wind Cries Mary" makes me an Elvis impersonator. By that logic, EVERYONE using a vintage Marshall stack or a Fuzz Face or a '68 Strat is unoriginal.

Jimi and Eric are my guitar heros. While they may not be yours, I think I have a lot of company in my camp. To each his own.

--Rob

Le Whatever. Personally, I'd rather play an original song in a tone that I thought was appropriate to it, and forget 'whose' it was. This is part of a modern obsession with brand names and cachet. There was nothing particularly magic about all this old gear -- it was the best they could do at the time, that's all. And it wasn't the gear, it was the players.

Boring argument, and I have nothing more to say. The old hippies have turned into their parents...it's not like it was in my day, why I remember when...'

/fnx

[Squids]

You don't have to even defend your love for those classic rock icons and their sound. It's not so uncommon and rare. People covet those sounds and pay even up to $50,000 for a Jimmy Page Les Paul. The Clapton Gibson isn't cheap either. Sure the associations are in a large part marketing. But, whether you want something special to you because it is close to your influences or you simply want a GREAT instrument a great effect to do WHATEVER YOU WANT to do with it whether it is to play Jimi Hendrix covers, to play riffs in your own tunes but with sounds you've liked from classic albums and who CARES when that was? Go back to the 50's even. Music of different eras has always been a fascination with musicians and of course underneath EVERY band you like there is some six degree connection to Hendrix or the Beatles most likely.

Again, anyone who dismisses the AT JH Edition COMPLETELY because they think "give it up who wants to sound like Hendrix" (even though clearly many do if you read guitar magazines even last month) should really at least think about the OTHER aspect of the product which is the modeling of vintage gear. Now if someone says "yeah but the Univibe is decades old man, give it up" then I'd have to say that to accurately model something that achieved such a great analog sound is a great thing for any musician to be able to have, particular AFFORD because they are rare and expensive. Those stomps and amps are KEY to getting fantastic guitar sounds whether you want to classic rock, punk rock, alt rock, new, old... these are what people still use on records all the time. So for everyone to be able have an emulation of a nice set of them for this price is... well, something I don't think too many guitarists (or keyboardists, songwriters and producers for that matter) would or should miss out on. Just my opinion of course but let's see what happens in reality anyway. If you get it or don't get it, that's always the user's choice in the end and each person has their perspective, their reasoning, their appreciation or even their motives in the forum ie. some people on here side with the competition or just like to bash companies as well which we all know happens by now, even if we don't always know who. But it's okay. Most of us know what we like regardless. ie. I shouldn't have to twist your arm to want a Univibe and these great fuzz boxes if you are a guitar player!!!! Haha. It's a fuzz workstation.

[Squids]

. There was nothing particularly magic about all this old gear -- it was the best they could do at the time, that's all. And it wasn't the gear, it was the players.

/fnx

Actually when it comes to most guitar player's tastes I believe you are wrong on that and even though this is subjective I am willing to bet that if you like ANY rock bands from any era there is likely some vintage gear in their set up and there IS a reason which is the CHARACTER of the sound that these analog boxes and tube amps were able to achieve. With the changes of technology over time sometimes you LOSE something such as parts no longer being available or tubes being to expensive. IK actually had to BUY all of the gear that was modeled and I got to see all of those amps and effects and hear them (ones I didn't have... the Vox Wah was actually mine). It is some of the best sounding stuff and I think that without things like modeling those sounds will be more and more scarce... or at least reserved for only those that are lucky to have them or access to them.

The GEAR is absolutely important to the musicians who make music and if you want to sound really great then you have to have the right gear... or better if you want to have a sound that has a certain character you can bang your head against the wall with some gear not knowing that to get THAT sound all you need is... a Fuzzface! Germanium transistor sound. It DOES have a sound.

Of course, whether you like the sound of a vintage amp or a boutique amp or even a generic amp is entirely up to each musician's tastes in the end. But, let's not pretend that no guitar players crave vintage gear now!!!! Maybe you don't. You realize you are in a small percentage of people that don't though right? Maybe you do, maybe you don't. I am sure everyone else does though. Doesn't mean you can't have your opinion in here. Hope you don't mind that I give mine for added perspective though.

[andywright67]

Squids,

Will the drums be available as an add-on pack for BFD? I remember hearing a while back that you and the FXpansion guys were working together on doing some cross-compatible packs?

Cheers for any info

[funkychickendance]

Again, anyone who dismisses the AT JH Edition COMPLETELY because they think "give it up who wants to sound like Hendrix" (even though clearly many do if you read guitar magazines even last month) should really at least think about the OTHER aspect of the product which is the modeling of vintage gear.

Which I must agree is absolutely fine. And, to cheer you up even more, it's competitively priced, for what you get.

I buy a lot of vintage modeling and sampling -- in keyboards and synths -- but nobody tries to sell me the 'Keith Emerson edition,' or the 'Keith Jarrett edition.' There's just something fundamentally creepy about this Hendrix cult. Inventive player, some amazing tracks, saw him several times, bought all him stuff...but, really...

/funxi

[Squids]

Squids,

Will the drums be available as an add-on pack for BFD? I remember hearing a while back that you and the FXpansion guys were working together on doing some cross-compatible packs?

Cheers for any info

The Studio ProFile drum kits most likely yes. Ocean Way is done differently with submixes even though it DOES have the individual channels. I guess it depends on how much Allen and Steven like BFD. They don't like the sounds that are in it now (even if I do for the most part... but I like a lot of things and these guys are way more picky... but they make way more albums than all of us so...).

We'll see. I am for it generally though. I love BFD and products like that.