GROUP BUY: Ocean Way & Drum Masters Ultimate Studio Drum Bundle!

[yarimurray]

I'll tell you a funny story that involves Yngwie. It's so bizarre actually. ...

It would have been SWEET! That is uhhhh... if we were able to at least do a sound check or rehears a SINGLE note of it!!!!!

This is where Yngwie comes into the story. The short version is that he took up ALL of the sound check/rehearsal time jamming with his band and no one (not us, not Nuno, not anyone else) had a chance to try anything... and my ambitious last minute obscure combo needed it the most! I thought we'd at least have ONE run through! Nope.

Your story made me laugh as I remembered a gig I had many years ago in a smallish venue in the Inland Empire (Southern California). Alcatraz were the headliner and so got to sound check first. Well, you guessed it. Yngwie noodled around and "tweaked" his sound endlessly for hours and no one else got any sound check time.

I recall Yngwie being quite the diva in other ways as well. One of the techs in his band came to our assistance when our kick drum was falling off the stage. As he returned to his duties Yngwie quite loudly and with a flourish brow beat him in front of everyone and all but fired him for "daring" to assist another band. Mind you, we were the "nobody" local act lucky enough to even be there.

Funny thing is we had chartered a couple of buses to bring fans from Orange County where we normally played so we had a large, enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people for our opening performance. It seems that we brought out the most people since, due to the charter agreement and driver overtime, etc., our bussed fans (along with many others I assume) left prior to Alcatraz being up. By the time they were on four bands later there were about fifty people in the place.

Ah, memories . . .

Michael

[rocketeer]

Wow, Squiddie, you need to write SquidStories...! I would've like to have seen that 'Owner of a Lonely Heart" (I love 90125!), thanks Yngwie, indeed! We see him tooling aroundin his 308 all the time... he's unmistake-able in his Ferrari hat, giant gold Ferrari-logo chain, and often shirtless. They guy must worship Michael Shumacher!

Sounds like you've had some great experiences.

[duojet]

Squids,

Is the ambience not separately controllable in that you cant control it PER kitpiece? In other words, is it in a separate kontakt instrument where you can control the total ambience, OR is the ambience within the kitpiece instrument itself, and therefore not adjustable as a whole or individually. In other words, even on the ambient kits, is there one slider where I can control the total ambience for the entire kit?

This question applies to both multitrack and stereo kits. I will find out the answer when I download anyway since I have already joined the GB, but I'm just curious.

Well it is different depending on whether we're talking about the discrete multitrack kits or the stereo/multichannel kits of this group buy (apart from the bonus which includes the other). So I will talk about both:

For the STEREO/QUASIMODO :

In this group buy you have the stereo kits with individual level, pan and effects processing for each kit piece. A kit piece is a "snare" or a "kick" or an individual "tom" etc. You ALSO have some impulse response ambience that you can apply like you would a reverb (so each kit piece has a "send" to this effect and then you have a return at the bottom next to the mixing for the levels of the drums). So in that way you can add a variety of "convolution" ambience to the dry and medium mix kits... not as useful on the kits that already have ambience mixed in though. For those there isn't anything you can do about making them less ambient. But they sound great because they have the real ambience of the live room in the sample which IS better than convolution. Just less flexible.

For the MULTITRACK with discrete mic mixing (bonuses in this group buy and something you find in the full version of the main Drum Masters 2, OWD Gold etc.):

All of the kits can be mixed to be dry, medium or ambient yourself. You DO have control of the actual room mics per kit piece as well as overall too at the bottom (like a mix buss). So total flexibility for ambience with the Multitrack kits.

Does that help?

Yes, that helps, thanks!

[Squids]

There will be an option to buy the Infinite HD and then do a custom data order for your Infinite Player format sound downloads to be put on the hard drive. But that route is $199 for the hard drive plus around $50 for custom data compiled from your Infinite Player sounds in your download area onto the hard drive so it is pre-installed and ready to go. Although the Infinite HD will come with a Download Card with credits for more sounds so it's actually a very good deal (it's 250 gb, 7200 2.5 hard drive with FW400, 800 and USB 2.0, buss powered and portable). It's just that from $99 (this GB) to another $250 is a big jump but it might make sense for some people either in the sticks or even just for the sheer convenience not having to wait to download and install everything. It's all on the hard drive pre-installed in the right hierarchy ready to go.

But you can choose that option later if you want as well. The downloads stay in your account so you can try to download them whenever you want and/or if at any time you want to get these sounds onto this custom Infinite hard drive we're going to have that option soon!

Unfortunately we don't have this product available on DVD though.

[yarimurray]

There will be an option to buy the Infinite HD and then do a custom data order for your Infinite Player format sound downloads to be put on the hard drive. But that route is $199 for the hard drive plus around $50 for custom data compiled from your Infinite Player sounds in your download area onto the hard drive so it is pre-installed and ready to go. Although the Infinite HD will come with a Download Card with credits for more sounds so it's actually a very good deal (it's 250 gb, 7200 2.5 hard drive with FW400, 800 and USB 2.0, buss powered and portable). It's just that from $99 (this GB) to another $250 is a big jump but it might make sense for some people either in the sticks or even just for the sheer convenience not having to wait to download and install everything. It's all on the hard drive pre-installed in the right hierarchy ready to go.

But you can choose that option later if you want as well. The downloads stay in your account so you can try to download them whenever you want and/or if at any time you want to get these sounds onto this custom Infinite hard drive we're going to have that option soon!

Unfortunately we don't have this product available on DVD though.

Thanks for your prompt response. I certainly don't need the hard drive (and probably don't even need more drums!) so I guess I'll just have to take my chances. How large are the download files? Are they separate or combined into large files? If they are a bunch of smallish files I'll be fine (it will still take a long time but I'll have fewer re-dos).

Thanks again,

Michael

[hydemusic]

Squids, I know this is OT. You mention your studio in Miami in a few posts and then it hit me that's a ways down I75 from esoundz. Just a trivial observation.

[Squids]

Wow, Squiddie, you need to write SquidStories...!

Sounds like you've had some great experiences.

I've had some really diverse and interesting experiences in the music business. One of the things I enjoy about it looking back is just how unlikely and unusual the stories are. They're often surreal and even absurd! Here are some highlights (not in order... I can't figure out the order). I've said many of these stories on here over the years but I've never compiled any kind of summary of them. This is kind of like the scene in the Albert Brooks film "Defending Your Life" where they compile a bunch of life misjudgments... although these are life gems to me. These stories aren't just about "hanging with celebrities". I am not a "Mr. Hollywood". Despite living in LA for 10 years I was never one looking for that or anything... never even been to the Grammys, don't know any bouncers at clubs etc. It's just stuff that fell into my lap and the experiences are truly esoteric. I mean, do you know anyone who has a story involving Brooke Shields, Chastity Bono and a Mellotron?

Many of these are a "How did I get here?" kind of situation. Here we go:

• Plays daring hack-jazz keyboard solo with Lily Haydn at the Viper Room not knowing Herbie Hancock was in the audience... he said he "dug it".

• Flirts with D'Arcy for a second before showing the surprisingly TALL Billy Corgan how to use an Arp 2600 on the Smashing Pumpkins Adore sessions. He said Flood or Brian Eno usually help him... must be nice. When they're not around though Squids to the rescue (the filter has to be modulated for it to make a sound on that one).

• Engineers session with Michael Bolton that ends in tears!

• Flirts with Peter Gabriel's daughter while touring with Shankar on the WOMAD festival but blows it by bringing some girl backstage in Indiana (I was innocent though - totally G rated situation).

• Nice chat with Sinead O'Connor delicately avoiding any sensitive subjects that might inspire her to punch me in the face (which had happened to someone on the tour)

• Plays The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway with Kevin Gilbert and out of nowhere Bill Botrell (producer/engineer for Thomas Dolby, Sheryl Crow, Elton, Linda Perry and Michael Jackson - Bill also did the rap in "Black & White") does the house sound! How? Why?

• A drunken Julian Lennon heckles at a gig at Luna Park in LA with Kevin and afterward we hang all night at his place in which I end up at 6am in his living room alone looking at a picture of him and his dad, then he walks in alone without saying a word and I look at him, then at the picture and think "This is so odd that I am here right now." and of course "His DAD was John Lennon! Man... that's insane."

• Engineers a rap song with Mickey Rourke about John Gotti which ends up being played on Howard Stern. I do imitations and at the time I had memorized the best lines from the movie "Barfly" which I boldly performed for him... and he got a big kick out of that - especially since it was such an obscure film that no one barely mentioned to him. "To all my frieeeeennnnnndsss"

• Brings a Mellotron to George Massenburg's studio called The Complex where at the front door flirts with Brooke Shields (not knowing who it was). She offers to help move the Mellotron! The session was for Cher's daughter (now son with a beard) Chastity Bono who had a band called "Pandora's Box". I don't think we really want to know what's in that box.

• Recreates the Moog synth sound and plays the keys for a remake of "Here Comes The Sun" with Lyle Workman for the Parent Trap remake featuring Lindsay Lohan's first film appearance... before she became infamous for less innocent roles.

• Watching "Last Temptation" and the next day my Mom almost running over Wilem Defoe in NYC by accident. Jesus!

• Watching a Nicholas Cage movie, imitating him all day and then going to a party with him standing outside telling us the party is lame so we hung with him outside instead... totally bizarre.

• Hanging at the Dresden Room (from Swingers) to listen to Marty & Elaine... "Stayin' Aliiiiiive". I wonder if they're still there... or aliiiive for that matter.

• The band "Starship" opens up for a cover band I was playing in at in Ft Lauderdale... why the other way around? Who knows?

• Plays live gig with Keith Emerson in the audience who offered to help move my Wurlitzer... years later we are doing a sample collection with him (coming soon to an Infinite Player near you ).

• Tells Tony Banks of Genesis that I used to think his keyboards could make ANY sound as a kid, then later in life made a company that "samples everything" (from orchestras to guitars to drums to keys to voices...) and now he uses my sounds! That moment of pause where we both looked at each other and he said "So it's come full circle" was priceless.

• Ex-roomate (Gavin Lursen) wins the first Grammy given to a mastering engineer. His girlfriend is Fran Drescher, the Nanny. I think there's a story there WAITING to happen. I did hang with him and some of the guys from Spinal Tap last time I was in LA but it wasn't as humorous as you might expect. Just bizarre.

• Ex-roomate (Robbes) becomes engineer for Van Halen's studio... but before that he had a dominatrix living in our LA house for awhile and I picked her up from "work" once. TOTALLY bizarre. Not pretty either. Really odd. In fact, other ex-roomate stories would blow your mind but I'll stop there at Robbes (from Germany... hence the pluralness to his name... Robbes Schtiglitz or something like that! Cool guy though.)

• Drives to and from a Genesis concert with Phil Collins and his family in NYC and lost a side view mirror in traffic! Got to critique the show to him afterward.

• Accidentally spilled a wad of plastic cuttlery (at the time my studio -which was rented from Grover Jackson of Jackson guitars... who left his Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister Gold records on the wall - had no sink so we used plastic cuttlery)... anyway, spilled it all over Barbara Streisand's immaculate white room floor! What's worse is that they were sporks from Wendy's! (We'd all grab some extras for the studio each time we were there... does it get any more peasant contrast to extreme wealth than that? Her house is a block long in Bel Air).

Those are some highlights that come to mind - things that are particularly unusual. As I think about it there are many more classic moments in studios and at concerts or just in LA or Miami and other places... one time I stayed at the CEO of IK Multimedia's place in Italy and I had a tooth ache, drank all of his expensive Cognac to numb the pain and then walked around the local food market in Modena swirling wiskey in my mouth like a wino! That scene was adapted into one of the scripts I'm working on because there's more to that story and it was hilarious.

I am a magnet for certain situations I guess. I love adventure. I try to just go with the flow and see what happens. Then without hesitation I grab the opportunity when it is within sniffing range. Your ability to immediately and boldly say YES and take a leap can put you into some exciting challenges that often lead to some good stories... and that's whether or not it involves famous musicians or actors. For me that was just a by-product of being in and around the entertainment business and living in a place like LA where you just can't miss. SOMEthing is going to happen. You're asking for it!

[Squids]

Squids, I know this is OT. You mention your studio in Miami in a few posts and then it hit me that's a ways down I75 from esoundz. Just a trivial observation.

Well, you know the office we have in Sunrise. I used to live conveniently right down the street! But now I live in Miami near the beach close to an hour away so I come in to the office half the week and then work at the studio which is near the Hit Factory in North Miami. But, we run that as a project studio for actual music as well and high profile commercial gigs where someone needs specialized vintage mics, drums, keyboards and of course plenty of samples.

Keyboard Magazine did a video blog on the studio. It's a gear fest. Quite impromptu and early in the morning but if you want to see it here's a link: http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/vint ... 009/103381 We were in the middle of doing a record with Simon Collins (Phil's son) and he makes a short cameo. That itself is is bizarre considering I'm playing (rather sloppily) various Genesis riffs on analog keys and right there is Phil's son who was there (granted 5 years old) when some of those parts were originally recorded. But I love it. Priceless irony and unique, quirky, one of a kind moments I'm grateful to be a part of and share with others.

Of course, besides all the funny stories there is also music and sounds to create which are no joke. I take that very seriously.

[Squids]

I'll tell you a funny story that involves Yngwie. It's so bizarre actually. ...

It would have been SWEET! That is uhhhh... if we were able to at least do a sound check or rehears a SINGLE note of it!!!!!

This is where Yngwie comes into the story. The short version is that he took up ALL of the sound check/rehearsal time jamming with his band and no one (not us, not Nuno, not anyone else) had a chance to try anything... and my ambitious last minute obscure combo needed it the most! I thought we'd at least have ONE run through! Nope.

Your story made me laugh as I remembered a gig I had many years ago in a smallish venue in the Inland Empire (Southern California). Alcatraz were the headliner and so got to sound check first. Well, you guessed it. Yngwie noodled around and "tweaked" his sound endlessly for hours and no one else got any sound check time.

I recall Yngwie being quite the diva in other ways as well. One of the techs in his band came to our assistance when our kick drum was falling off the stage. As he returned to his duties Yngwie quite loudly and with a flourish brow beat him in front of everyone and all but fired him for "daring" to assist another band. Mind you, we were the "nobody" local act lucky enough to even be there.

Funny thing is we had chartered a couple of buses to bring fans from Orange County where we normally played so we had a large, enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people for our opening performance. It seems that we brought out the most people since, due to the charter agreement and driver overtime, etc., our bussed fans (along with many others I assume) left prior to Alcatraz being up. By the time they were on four bands later there were about fifty people in the place.

Ah, memories . . .

Michael

Great story! Let's just hope he doesn't know how to use Google... you're at least far away.

[yarimurray]

. . .

Ah, memories . . .

Michael

Great story! Let's just hope he doesn't know how to use Google... you're at least far away.

Ha Ha. I doubt I need to worry about Yngwie "Googling" me. I'm still a "nobody" lucky to be here (and indeed quite far away at the moment). Besides, he probably has somebody doing his Googling for him.

Thanks for all of the stories. It's funny what life throws at us if we're alert and go for it.

Michael

[BERFAB]

• Engineers session with Michael Bolton that ends in tears!

Yours, or his?

[Reverend Rhythm]

• Engineers session with Michael Bolton that ends in tears!

Yours, or his?

I read right through that! I think we need the entire story.

And while I'm here...

Here is the group buy link: http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?Prod ... ode=USDKVR

We are right now at 440. On to 500!

[Squids]

. . .

Ah, memories . . .

Michael

Great story! Let's just hope he doesn't know how to use Google... you're at least far away.

Ha Ha. I doubt I need to worry about Yngwie "Googling" me. I'm still a "nobody" lucky to be here (and indeed quite far away at the moment). Besides, he probably has somebody doing his Googling for him.

Thanks for all of the stories. It's funny what life throws at us if we're alert and go for it.

Michael

Nobody's a nobody... and nobody is immune from getting the wrath of Yngwie on them either. So don't think you're all "safe" up there either. He has a Ferrari and if he decides to do a road trip you're screwed! haha. For me... well, if the person he has Googling for him alerts him to my post I could be Calamari. Just kidding. Could be worse!

[Squids]

• Engineers session with Michael Bolton that ends in tears!

Yours, or his?

I read right through that! I think we need the entire story.

And while I'm here...

Here is the group buy link: http://www.esoundz.com/details.php?Prod ... ode=USDKVR

We are right now at 440. On to 500!

In my mid 20's I used to do all sorts of gigs and one of them was being the technical guy running samplers and synths for songwriters who needed a bit of help in that area. So, one of the people I used to work with was Andy Goldmark. Nice guy. He lived down the street. Although one time I went to his house with my roommate and we got an eyeful of his girlfriend stark naked. Actually I missed it but my buddy Karl described it to me in graphic detail. Andy was shopping a deal for us that never came to be (there's those stories too you know).

Anyway, Andy wrote songs for people like Celine Dion, Michael Bolton, Eric Carmen... not really my taste in music but it was work and rent in LA isn't cheap. So one day he says to me he needs my assistance for a session with Michael Bolton. It was supposed to be just a demo session in Andy's home studio but I opened my big mouth and suggested we do it at a friend's 24 track studio. The problem was, the engineer never showed up so I just did it... even though I was supposed to just program synths and I didn't know that room yet or how that weird console worked (it was a Sound Workshop board or something like that... this was Gardner Cole's studio - he wrote for Madonna and a bunch of other artists like that. I worked on a Rod Stewart song with him once for Richard Perry and actually I met L. Shankar through him which led to the Gabriel Womad stories...).

There's all kinds of little bits to the story I'll just leave out and get to the tears part. Nothing worked right in the studio. The main computer was one of those old Mac II SEs!!!! It was running Performer (not even Digital Performer existed yet). Gardner came in and said "hey man, sorry, studio time's free ok?" and then Michael Bolton says to me after Gardner left "You tell him that he owes ME money. My lawyer says my time is worth 4,000 dollars per hour and... bla bla bla." That line became legend since! But anyway I did feel really bad and after the session I apologized to Andy and well... I was perhaps a little teary. But then when I explained that the engineer didn't show up (Toto's engineer actually) and I was trying to just help them do the session anyway but didn't know how the room was wired etc. he said it was okay and got Bolton to apologize to me for being a hole. (well, not exactly but some sort of retraction of threats about owing him money for his precious time).

If your time is worth $4,000 per hour then imagine how much money you lose taking a shower! Better be quick!

[yarimurray]

. . .

Ah, memories . . .

Michael

Great story! Let's just hope he doesn't know how to use Google... you're at least far away.

Ha Ha. I doubt I need to worry about Yngwie "Googling" me. I'm still a "nobody" lucky to be here (and indeed quite far away at the moment). Besides, he probably has somebody doing his Googling for him.

Thanks for all of the stories. It's funny what life throws at us if we're alert and go for it.

Michael

Nobody's a nobody... and nobody is immune from getting the wrath of Yngwie on them either. So don't think you're all "safe" up there either. He has a Ferrari and if he decides to do a road trip you're screwed! haha. For me... well, if the person he has Googling for him alerts him to my post I could be Calamari. Just kidding. Could be worse!

I guess I'm fortunate that there is no road that will get you where I am. He'd have to fly (gasp) coach to get here (if the weather allowed).

Michael