New eSoundz GROUP BUY: Xpansion Tank 7 for 1 + exclusive bonuses

[Squids]

I don't know if I agree there. I think the best stuff is within each collection. There things in Sonik Synth 2 that are some of my favorite sounds or Miroslav Philharmonik too... we went to town programming that! SampleTron is great too but of course the sounds in the first place are lofi. SampleMoog, particularly because we did this with the official rights from Moog (even from Bob while he was alive which was a great honor) we had to "represent" so Erik and I really went crazy to try to get the essence of Moog in there... in fact, we may do more at some point. I have samples of Keith Emerson's modular and a bunch of other things that didn't make it into the first one.

[zedd]

...but it has always been my impression that Samplemoog is perhaps the best sampling achievement in the whole series of ST-engined instruments.

I also don't agree. Great work in SampleMoog, but all of the SampleTank products have their own kind of magic. SampleMoog and SampleTron are the things I go to the least, but that's mostly because I am working on musical styles which don't draw as much from those kind of sounds these days. When I get back to my Stevie Wonder style project, I will definitely starting using SampleMoog a little bit more.

Let's not forget the Goat's Milk. I actually use that one regularly.

How embarrassing!

I misquoted my own often used phrase... it's the Goat's Cheese, man. It's the Goat's Cheese.

But the milk definitely plays a roll.

And eSoundz instruments are the milk and honey of my sample library!

[roundabout71]

We do have beta testers in house. I had one guy go through every sound in this... but I wasn't completely thrilled with his notes... better to have multiple testers ideally. I am also always looking for really good outside beta testers (we have some that do it just in trade for the product itself and that sometimes works out). But that stuff all has to be organized well to work best. We have a new Managing Director at Sonic Reality that just came on board. I used to work with him when he managed the keyboard division of Alesis. His name is Erik Norlander and he's a keyboardist who goes out there and does all sorts of gigs too. Here he is featured on the Moog site: http://www.moogmusic.com/artists/ Anyway, Erik has a very methodical and practical approach that I always liked. We're fortunate to have him and a talented team to work with. It's all about the chemistry of people and procedures... like any team or band or... but you gotta find a balance and we find ourselves overloaded to try to pull off EVERYTHING but there are schedules to meet and bills to pay... we just do our best and are fueled with a lot of drive and passion to offer something compelling.

Oh check this out. Erik is also featured on the home page here with some pretty cool pics of him amidst a load of keyboard gear. Look at that Modular Moog rack. Erik actually helped me sample the Moogs for SampleMoog as did a friend on KVR who lent me his Multimoog! Look at this though: http://www.moogfoundation.com/ Erik is an even more pretentious proghead than me! In other words, he'd wear a Wakeman Cape. I am more of the Tony Banks school of keyboard playing and he's more of the Wakeman/Emerson... and actually he got to play with both of them. Not too shabby. He has some great samples of Emerson's GX-1 as well... for the upcoming Keith Emerson Collection we've been working on with Keith for years. Anyway, Erik is now officially part of the SR team.

Hey, Squids! I love this forum so much! And I am constantly by the number of artists you know. One of the things I enjoy so much are the Squids stories. How about regaling us with a story about Keith Emerson. Dang, just when I think I can slow down on my software purchases, here comes another library. Keith Emerson...I an so there! Anyhow, you might tell Zedds to lay off the goat's milk. He's getting giddy! Also, how many group buys can we pull off? I'm already committing myself to two. Already promised the epointz to standalone and Zedds, so I guess you're left out in the cold again. Maybe I can throw some your way, if it's feasible, or sensible to make 3 purchases. Found my glasses, found the
Best Regards,
roundabout71

[Squids]

I do have a few good Keith Emerson stories. Here is the one when I first met him.

When I used to play with Kevin Gilbert we'd do all sorts of gigs - including real crappy ones at local clubs in LA (divey ones too like the Alligator Lounge on Pico Blvd). I remember we had a gig booked there on a week night and practically no one was there. But when I pulled up to the front to bring in my keyboards I noticed Kevin talking to someone who appeared to be... Keith Emerson? Why? Why would he be there? So I pulled Kevin aside and said "Is that Keith Emerson?" and he said "Yeah, you wanna meet him?" and I said "Of course I do! I'm a keyboard player." So I met Keith and he was so friendly he even offered to help move my Wurlitzer Electric Piano into the gig. He said jokingly "Is it okay if I could be your roadie for the evening?" It was hilarious and surreal... here's a legendary rock keyboardist somehow helping me move one of my keyboards in for a gig playing to 10 people in this dinky little bar. What are the chances?

Well, what I didn't know at the time is that Kevin had worked with Keith on some stuff and invited him over to see the gig... why he wanted him to see that gig, who knows? But, anyway, that is how I met him. I have programmed sounds for him later on (including that gig opening up for Led Zeppelin... I helped him and Keith Wexler create the Fanfare synth lead) and now we're doing the sample library with him. Really nice guy though. I have a video of him visiting a sample session we were doing with Rod Morgenstein that we're going to post on our http://www.sonicreality.tv

[eDrummist]

Hey Squids, ELP was the first big rock concert I saw (I was maybe 9 years old or younger). My sister took me to see them for my birthday. Funnier than that, my mom -- a very talented, professional pianist/organist and music teacher -- actually turned me on to Keith Emerson, referring to him as probably the greatest keyboardist in rock music (okay Squids, that isn't meant to date you -- I actually think I am probably a few years older than you). More than a decade later, when I was in my twenties, I treated my mom to see Rick Wakeman live, who I consider one of the other greatest rock keyboardists. Now, both Keith and Rick are SR customers, I believe, right? I know, it's amazing how many of my favorite keyboardists and drummers use SR stuff (well, it's even more amazing how you seem to be releasing drum kits from so many of my favorite rock drummers -- you just need to get Vinnie Colaiuta and Simon Phillips next!).

[Squids]

We've got something with Simon Phillips coming this year most likely. Also Carmine and Vinnie Appice a good possibility as well. Drum Masters continues on... Ironically Vinnie Colaiuta uses our refills for Reason. I've told that story a bunch where I was at Ocean Way Studios and in walks in Vinnie who saw a Sonic Reality sign there and said "Hey I use their refills" which was one of the best intros to me talking to someone in a studio ever... Otherwise if you're hanging at a studio like Ocean Way you're not really supposed to be talking to the artists recording there unless they start talking to you. You can't just chase someone down the hall and ask for their autograph. Hey Vinnieeee!!!!!!!! Wait! (booted)

[eDrummist]

We've got something with Simon Phillips coming this year most likely. Also Carmine and Vinnie Appice a good possibility as well. Drum Masters continues on... Ironically Vinnie Colaiuta uses our refills for Reason. I've told that story a bunch where I was at Ocean Way Studios and in walks in Vinnie who saw a Sonic Reality sign there and said "Hey I use their refills" which was one of the best intros to me talking to someone in a studio ever... Otherwise if you're hanging at a studio like Ocean Way you're not really supposed to be talking to the artists recording there unless they start talking to you. You can't just chase someone down the hall and ask for their autograph. Hey Vinnieeee!!!!!!!! Wait! (booted)

Hey, Squids, if their is a 50/50 chance that you can work out a deal with Vinnie, I say it's worth the risk of getting booted. As far as the Simon Phillips library -- I can't wait for that one. He's an awesome drummer who always plays a very nicely tuned kit, usually with lots of toms. I have a library he did a long time ago through Wizoo, but today's more sophisticated libraries would be a really nice to have -- especially if you map it for V-Drums (sorry, I realize that's a little V-Drums advocacy on my part! However, I think the V-Drums community has shown SR a considerable amount of love, so there!).

[roundabout71]

Hey, Squids, your Keith Emerson story was great! Too funny! Interesting that you helped with the Fanfare programming. Say, in your spare time, why don't you write a book? I'm sure you have a million great stories to tell.

[Rabid]

For me, the timing of this is really good. I'm setting up a notebook for music and need sample content. I don't want to fill up the notebook HD with a 40GIG orchestra or 20GB of drums. I need good sounding sample sets that don't require an external HD to hold them all. This is giving ST2XL and SS2 new life for me and these packs fill in the areas that I need more selection from.

When SS2 and ST2XL came out they were big for a PC. Now they are just right for a laptop.

[MountainKing]

Feel free to visit this referral thread and choose one of the members that you can refer at esoundz check out:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=217796

Note that referrals will work for ANY (download) purchase at esoundz (not only for Group Buys).





esoundz: MountainKing

[Squids]

Hey, Squids, your Keith Emerson story was great! Too funny! Interesting that you helped with the Fanfare programming. Say, in your spare time, why don't you write a book? I'm sure you have a million great stories to tell.

I should really do a proper blog somewhere. I do have a surprising amount of music stories... But a book... I need to accomplish some more before I do anything like that. I do write stories for fiction film screenplays... but those are only loosely based on real life experiences. Finding enough time to do that... priceless.

There are also funny situations like last night we were in the studio and Kelly the guitarist walked out of the room. Then Simon and I proceeded to talk about him a little bit and then he walks back in and says "You DO know I can hear EVERYTHING you're saying right?" He had his ear buds in still and in the live room there were a million mics on... woops. Then we had to have an uncomfortable conversation about what we were talking about. However, I think I mediated REALLY well and kept things from getting heated. You could see it going there... the typical rock band argument and someone storming out except that I like to think I saved that from happening... which I am proud of in a small way.

Hey speaking of Keith Emerson stories, Erik Norlander who is Sonic Reality's new Managing Director has some himself. He played a gig with Keith once dueling keyboards. That's pretty amazing to me. Well done Erik! It's pretty funny... Erik's main job is helping me run Sonic Reality but his side gig is playing in the band Asia - the one with John Payne (there are two Asias now... the original line up and then the one with John Payne who was the lead guy for the last 20 years or whatever). So he does the Geoff Downes parts when they do gigs. I am sure it's fun... somewhat Prog. They're doing a show in Orlando this week in fact. Anyway, he's a very good keyboard player and he has some cool stories featuring Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman - his two favorites growing up. I am more of a Banks fan myself but I love those guys too. They're also both very very nice and actually most keyboard players are I've found.

[eDrummist]

They're also both very very nice and actually most keyboard players are I've found.

...As opposed to lead singers, lead guitarists and drummers, who tend to be real bastards!

Just kidding! But your statement about keyboardists being nice guys does beg the question, who are the not so nice guys? Fess up, Squids! I've never done a sampling session, but I bet it would be a pretty tedious undergoing and you get a good idea of how much patience a musician has when they have to do some pretty monotonous work for hours and hours -- especially for some of the complex Kontakt-based libraries you've been making lately.

Okay, these are broad generalizations, but...beyond lead singers, I'd say I've found lead guitarists are generally the second most challenging personalities in a rock band. I've found fellow drummers, back when I was actively playing, to generally be pretty nice, down to earth guys, with some notable exceptions here and there -- but they tend to have ADD, so that might come into play during a sample session and put them in the "not the easiest personalities to work with" box. But still, overall, generally nice guys. Hah! That coming from a guy who once hung out with Buddy Rich after a show! But Buddy was super cool to me -- however, I was just a 16 yr old kid who was in awe of his drumming skills (although some musicians are still jerks to even their most adoring fans, as a skids story with a famous rock drummer proves). Unfortunately, he wasn't as kind to his bass player. Now, Louie Bellson (jazz drumming legend), there was one of the sweetest people I've ever met and very humble. But, of course, those are both jazz drummers. I met Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins) before he joined the Pumpkins (he noticed me at his show and walked up to introduce himself to say he knew me from a couple of bands I played with and liked my drumming; it was a great moment, because my main band was with me), and he was really nice. So, there! Okay, hopefully I've helped to vindicate drummers a bit. That said, I'm perfectly okay with your ripping on lead singers and guitarists (although I never really ran into many bass players who were trouble; they've generally been amiable types in my experience -- probably more so than drummers).

[roundabout71]

Okay, zedd, and standalone, your epointz are in. I joined twice this evening. Not sure where we are count-wise, but hope this bounced us closer to that 2500 mark. Just want to thank you guys, and Squids, for supporting me while I get used to posting in a public forum. I think Squids can verify that when I say the check's in the mail, it is. And a special thanks to Squids, for making these things happen. Keep the stories coming.

[zedd]

Okay, zedd, and standalone, your epointz are in. I joined twice this evening.

Thanks roundabout71! I received my e-mail notification from eSoundz. Much appreciated.

[standalone]

Okay, zedd, and standalone, your epointz are in. I joined twice this evening.

Thanks roundabout71! I received my e-mail notification from eSoundz. Much appreciated.

Me too. Thank you very much, roundabout!.