New Sonic Reality Products at NAMM 2010

[KindredSpirit]

Imagine they did a short(ish) tour with fans voting for the song lineup + maybe new material. Recorded in HD and presented in a high quality DVD/Blu-Ray comaparable to the Led Zep release. The concert to end all concerts

[KindredSpirit]

Of course the "stop by and visit" is for those who are visiting or live in California. I've met up with quite a few KVRians and VDrumians and Gearsluts at the show. For those of you that can't make it to this perhaps I'll see you in Frankfurt. Or you can watch the vids!

Ah just found out it's held in March...........

[eDrummist]

Speaking of Tron I am going to do a Squids Tron 2 (with all of Tron 1, all of SampleTron and a bunch of previously unreleased tron stuff - the whole archive) some time this year for the Infinite Player.

Squids,

Please, please! A Squids Tron 2 would be -- using my best Montgomery Burns voice impression -- excellentand the sooner the better! It would make a great next Group Buy! Come on, you should be able to take that one to at least to 400 people.

[Squids]

Was that a photo of your brother Gary at IK I saw getting the AmpliTube Fender wins Electronic Musician 2010 Editors' Choice Award?

Yeah, I got my brother a job at IK years ago. Although he comes from the business/sales world and doesn't play a note of music. Cool to be able to hang around with him though. When he used to do stocks and commodities in New York and I was in LA I'd never see him. Part of the reason I moved back to Florida was to be closer to my family which is East Coast-based. I'm glad I did because I got to spend the last couple of years with my grandmother before she died. We called her "Memom" and she was so cool, funny and adorable. I had been in LA away from the fam for like 10 years so it was good to be back.

I still miss LA though but you can't be everywhere at once. If I was still in LA I might have made it into that Mellotron movie a little easier. There's no tron movies going on in Miami unfortunately. Except when Robbie Gennet is in town!

Did you guys see the 3 page spread they did in the Feb Keyboard Magazine? Any idea how much MILEAGE I got out of that being the NAMM issue? I'd be talking to a new potential distributor trying to explain the whole SR philosophy about "Sample Everything" and they nod but then I say "No, I mean we REALLY sample EVERYTHING!" and then I pull out the mag and show them the back pages so they realize what sort of degree of insanity I'm talking about. If I knew they were going to do that I would have launched our new vintage museum of keyboards library! (it's coming)

[Squids]

Speaking of Tron I am going to do a Squids Tron 2 (with all of Tron 1, all of SampleTron and a bunch of previously unreleased tron stuff - the whole archive) some time this year for the Infinite Player.

Squids,

Please, please! A Squids Tron 2 would be -- using my best Montgomery Burns voice impression -- excellentand the sooner the better! It would make a great next Group Buy! Come on, you should be able to take that one to at least to 400 people.

I have more stuff sampled and we got our Optigan working again last week. Plus I found some MASTER tapes that I had from Chamberlin and I just need to be clever on running those off... I think I have a way. The irony is that I need to use these tape heads that I luckily have because I bought a bunch of Chamberlin parts off of a guy who worked for Chamberlin. But because I had a bunch of them I actually gave away some as prizes in a past group buy. That was really funny! People loved that. Who would expect it? Can't always do that... but each time we do a group buy or a special promo there's something fun in it for everybody.

Anyway, I am a little tired of seeing other Mellotron/Chamberlin related things and we're sitting on one of the coolest collections of that stuff... I mean SampleTron itself which we did IS really fantastic. But there's more that can be done for those that love the quirky sounds and rare stuff. Plus you could sample the SAME violins and flutes and choirs on different Mellotrons and they'd sound different! There's also different age and usage of tapes. Luckily I have some with very new tapes although the old used up stretched tapes have a character to them as well!

[hydemusic]

Did you guys see the 3 page spread they did in the Feb Keyboard Magazine? Any idea how much MILEAGE I got out of that being the NAMM issue? I'd be talking to a new potential distributor trying to explain the whole SR philosophy about "Sample Everything" and they nod but then I say "No, I mean we REALLY sample EVERYTHING!" and then I pull out the mag and show them the back pages so they realize what sort of degree of insanity I'm talking about. If I knew they were going to do that I would have launched our new vintage museum of keyboards library! (it's coming)

Squids after reading all the articles and the threads on KVR throughout the years, visiting your facility a few years back and observing how Sonic Reality/ Esoundz does business and operates is just fantastic! Who has ever heard of a CEO thinking of the consumer needs and not putting out product for only the shareholders to devour with profits? Your company truly has their finger on the pulse. You perceive what musicians want and need while your methods are somewhat unorthodox enough to drive most with any business acumen totally insane. But it's that fortitude and vision in IMHO which places you at the head of the class from all the others. You know if I was 20 yrs younger, I couldn't of think of a better company anywhere that I would want to share my passion with In this society of obscene corporate greed it's refreshing and uplifting to see both the consumer and company win one..

[Kevin63101]

Did you guys see the 3 page spread they did in the Feb Keyboard Magazine? Any idea how much MILEAGE I got out of that being the NAMM issue? I'd be talking to a new potential distributor trying to explain the whole SR philosophy about "Sample Everything" and they nod but then I say "No, I mean we REALLY sample EVERYTHING!" and then I pull out the mag and show them the back pages so they realize what sort of degree of insanity I'm talking about. If I knew they were going to do that I would have launched our new vintage museum of keyboards library! (it's coming)

Squids after reading all the articles and the threads on KVR throughout the years, visiting your facility a few years back and observing how Sonic Reality/ Esoundz does business and operates is just fantastic! Who has ever heard of a CEO thinking of the consumer needs and not putting out product for only the shareholders to devour with profits? Your company truly has their finger on the pulse. You perceive what musicians want and need while your methods are somewhat unorthodox enough to drive most with any business acumen totally insane. But it's that fortitude and vision in IMHO which places you at the head of the class from all the others. You know if I was 20 yrs younger, I couldn't of think of a better company anywhere that I would want to share my passion with In this society of obscene corporate greed it's refreshing and uplifting to see both the consumer and company win one..

True, but I think Squids just likes to mess around with the best gear on the planet while hanging out with iconic legends.

Congrats on the Keyboard mag spread!

[Squids]

Haha. You're both right actually. I love music, sounds, musical instruments, great musicians, producers, engineers, recording equipment, studios, designing software features... that stuff fascinates me and I enjoy building off of relationships I've made in the industry so that it can be of benefit or interest to others. I love it so much I'd consider turning SR into a non-profit organization that preserves the sounds of music history like a museum and then I'd spend the rest of my time doing other things in life like writing screenplays for film or scoring them or both... I am a musician first (I actually came up with that slogan for IK btw). I am only a businessman or salesman because I have that side in me and those are good skills to have if you want to make sure your creations get from A to Z (Z being in the customer's hands - the people that would appreciate it the most). Otherwise you can make the coolest thing in the world and it'll just sit there in obscurity.

But, I don't sit and look at numbers all day. That would bore me to tears. I don't wear a tie much either and my car (just like yours) is a mess inside. The sign of a true musician! Just kidding. Anyway, there is a balance between art and commerce, a balance between wealth in money and wealth in the things that just make you happy. Achieving that balance to me is a greater success than being in the Fortune 500 and miserable... or even being a famous pop star and miserable (and I know some!). ANY of us in any financial state, job or jobless, top pro or hobbyist have the ability to find that balance... and if you're happy then that is ALL that really matters.

For me, I love gear, I do love being in the industry and privy to all of the things I've experienced. At the same time I could dig being on an island alone fishing and cooking what I catch and just looking at the ocean and the sky. No virtual instruments, no email, no analog synths... just sand, water and air. I have a philosophy of "work with what you've got".

That said, if you've got toys, instruments, gadgets and other things you enjoy there's nothing wrong with that! Have fun with them, make music, create, expand your skills, talent... it'd be a shame not to. So I just go for it. Whatever my passion is - if I love old keyboards (which I do obviously) then I'll GO TO TOWN with it. It's fun! But to see that three page spread in Keyboard Magazine after all these years reading that mag... it was sentimental. Finally they could see the monster they created.

[Squids]

This was from another forum in response to the announcement of Neil Peart Drums: Vol. 1 The Kit


When it comes to the artist kits there's really two different appreciators of it. Obviously if you're a fan of the drummer then it's something special right off the bat. I am fans of all of these drummers so for me I'm just loving it - both having their kit sounds and also working with them as well is something I've enjoyed immensely as you might imagine. But, what about the people that aren't particularly fans of that drummer? Should they just avoid that kit? Maybe. Maybe not. There's a difference between being a fan of their playing and liking the sound of their drum kit. If you can separate the two and think about, for example, what sort of deluxe kit DW makes for someone like Neil Peart... if you like the sound of DW kits then you'll probably like this one because he's going to have one of the best they've got.

So, for me I think the artist's personal kit has that dual purpose. One it is their sound. But two they get the top of the line stuff from the companies they work with. Maybe even pick and choose out of a bunch until it is the absolute best because they have that luxury that most of us don't. Sometimes that makes a difference and sometimes it doesn't but I like to sample drums that a drummer or producer has said "this is the one". Recommendations from people making records as opposed to just off the shelf at the local store... not that I turn my nose up to that at all but if I have the choice then I might as well go for the least accessible and most custom or rare vintage drums that you can't buy in the local store so easily.

Anyway, that is the only trick to sampling an artist's kit. It isn't JUST for fans of that artist or even the style of music they're known for. I bet Woody Woodmansey's kit (that was the drummer from Bowie's Spiders from Mars) will be someone's favorite hip hop kit. Bob Siebenberg (of Supertramp) has this really low fat kit but if you pitch it up I've noticed it makes the most enjoyable tight funk kit I think I've ever played. I would have never thought! But actually there's something to low tuned drums pitched up in the sampler that kills and I might have to do more of that. I'll show examples of this stuff soon.

[Squids]

Here's an article from the LA Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/14 ... -2010jan14 We're mentioned at the end. It was funny watching Gene Simmons with the axe guitar... stole the pre-media show with that. I told Ken he's going to have to stick out his tongue to steal the attention and he declined. This pre-media show the day before NAMM was the first time I got to play an Eigenharp which is the next Squids obsession following the Continuum Fingerboard!

[Squids]

http://www.loopinsight.com/2010/01/14/n ... ollection/

Some more press... man look at that FRO! I was in that uncomfortable hair stage of letting it grow. Now it's long again like it was 15 years ago... but the question I ask myself: will I cut it again? Hmm. Eventually, I suppose I'll have to but not sure when. It takes so long just to get it to this point. I PURPOSELY kept it in a ponytail at NAMM to avoid any comparisons with Ron Jeremy this time though (for those that remember LAST NAMM) but if you want to know something HILARIOUS... Ron Jeremy actually stopped by the booth!!!!!!!!! We missed a photo opportunity though and most of the SRians didn't know the joke. But Berfab, Rhythm and everyone else who remembers that last year... it would have been a classic photo. I would have had him posing doing finger drumming and everything. Oh well. Probably best to NOT be associated with hairy 70's porn stars anyway.

Speaking of porn, I will tell you a funny story. Years ago in a place we used to have the office there was someone shooting a porno next door. The reason we knew is in one of our rooms we could actually hear the moaning and screaming through the wall which was quite distracting! Imagine making a sales call and in the background is THAT! Who could take you seriously? No one walked over there to actually SEE it. I had to tell everyone to get back to work and ignore it. So in the 12 years SR has been in business we've seen (or heard) it all. Luckily we moved to a nicer area where we don't hear our neighbors so easily. What an ODD distraction.

[Reverend Rhythm]

Speaking of porn, I will tell you a funny story. Years ago in a place we used to have the office there was someone shooting a porno next door. The reason we knew is in one of our rooms we could actually hear the moaning and screaming through the wall which was quite distracting! Imagine making a sales call and in the background is THAT! Who could take you seriously? No one walked over there to actually SEE it. I had to tell everyone to get back to work and ignore it. So in the 12 years SR has been in business we've seen (or heard) it all. Luckily we moved to a nicer area where we don't hear our neighbors so easily. What an ODD distraction.

Since you sample everything...

I'm just wondering....

[Reverend Rhythm]

Squids mentioned this on the GB thread: http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2010/01/ ... pik-drums/

Good video!

[soulata]

Ron Jeremy actually stopped by the booth!!!!!!!!!

He might have been mislead with "we sample everything" or "infinite player". Maybe he was looking for "those" expansion refills... who knows.

That said, damn, Infinite Player does sound wacky if used out of the original context.

k

[Squids]

Speaking of porn, I will tell you a funny story. Years ago in a place we used to have the office there was someone shooting a porno next door. The reason we knew is in one of our rooms we could actually hear the moaning and screaming through the wall which was quite distracting! Imagine making a sales call and in the background is THAT! Who could take you seriously? No one walked over there to actually SEE it. I had to tell everyone to get back to work and ignore it. So in the 12 years SR has been in business we've seen (or heard) it all. Luckily we moved to a nicer area where we don't hear our neighbors so easily. What an ODD distraction.

Since you sample everything...

I'm just wondering....

No, but I am sure that would have been a fun field sampling session if I had assigned it. We don't sample that kind of stuff but I think Frank Serafine has. Since we've done the A to Z of sound effects that is in there (our Serafine FX Tron sound fx workstation for the Infinite Player) along with burps and farts as well... not exactly something that makes one feel professional (although never underestimate the quality of a 24 bit burp with round robin! or slowing down a fart and running it through a phaser) but if you're working on a film and you need EVERY type of sound effect we do have it. But we got it from a sound effects pro who does that for films. When WE say "sample everything" we really mean two things: Instruments and Cuisine. I'm a classy guy. Heyyyyy.