Very cool. I like it. It has a very cool vibe to it. As we discussed in OPEN MIC, we share a lot of similar influences. I love The Cure, Depeche Mode, Joy Division and other influences you mentioned. While I can hear those influences in your music, I think you and your band bring all of those influences together to create your own sound, which is…Read More

On February 25, 2026 at 4:33 pm Brian said
Very cool.  Just learning about the “PresetShare” site was worth the visit.  I don’t have the patience or brain capacity to build patches from scratch, and sifting through hundreds of presets is a buzz-kill.  Best to find something “close” and tweakable using a search like this.

Thanks for the feedback…Read More

5 to 7 will make it in.

My picks:

• Jeff Buckley. 1 million percent. He was an incredible talent. And yes, I was a fan when he was alive and turned my wife on to his music shortly after we made, and he passed away less than a year later.
• Joy Division / New Order. They were incredibly influential. Even Billy Corgan claims them as his greatest…

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On February 25, 2026 at 9:54 am jude77 said
I know I say this a lot, but it’s amazing what we are able to get for free.  For someone who is on a tight budget these are great days to be making music!

Exactly. I’ve spent a ton of time compiling the curated lists of the best free Kontakt and non-Kontakt sample libraries and sampled instruments, be…Read More

Some of you are naming multiple bands. So I’m not complaining — I just want to join in!

While my top rock band would be The Beatles, here are my other rock bands I would love to reunite for one show (this is pure fantasy, so that includes members who have passed on):

Jeff Buckley – he and his band were perfection, but I’ll take any combination…Read More

@mrfigg Have you done the trial of Analog Drift? If not, you have to! And then share your thoughts. Again, I realize this stop is very subjective, but I love it and I rarely use delays.

With all that’s going on with NI’s insolvency, I’m certain that many music producers will be researching alternatives like Soundbox, UVI/Falcon, HALion, SoundPaint, Musio, etc. It’s a very good time for these companies to step up their presence.

On January 29, 2026 at 10:28 am jude77 said
I guess it depends.  If someone like OTS had a big sale I would be all over that.  Likewise if it was an obscure instrument I had always been looking for I’d be in (“Oh wow! Look here’s a model of a 1966 Farfisa organ with a dead middle C note just like John Lennon once kicked over”).  Otherwise…

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@fretman I’ve known from developers and pro musicians have told me about various issues with libraries. I can’t say which ones told me about various libraries, but the problems are not that rare. Although I will share one because of the developer’s ethically problematic practices of using his contractors to attack his competitors and make shill…Read More

On January 24, 2026 at 11:11 am fretman said
These guys are really scratching the old skool jazz itch. Their demos really sound great, IMHO. If I understood jazz, I’d be all over these.

I absolutely love jazz. I haven’t released some jazz-y stuff I’ve recorded. Attempting to pull of triplet-based stuff like shuffles and jazz drumming is the m…Read More

On January 23, 2026 at 2:11 pm Jaap Visser said
I should not have read your follow up post first haha, now I can’t unhear it! But enjoyed your cover Peter, it’s one of my favorite tracks from the Beatles. For a raw take you have already a solid foundation. The voice and the instrumental parts sounded a bit “disconnected” mix wise. They don’t s…

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This video covers the amp modeler included with Fender Studio Pro.

Continuing down the strategy analysis path, Fender is clearly trying to take market share from BandLab. But BandLab has one of the most difficult strengths to displace, the social ecosystem they’ve built. While they’ve done a terrible job on the DAW end, my guess is that they’ll soon bail on Cakewalk Sonar and buy an established DAW to grab the…Read More

I can use some advice on this one. I use Analog Lab Intro and have bought a bunch of expansions. I’ve been waiting for _Ambient Explorations to go on sale — and I absolutley love what I’ve heard in the demos. I could upgrade up to AnalogLab V / Pro for just $39, but I’m questioning if the factory sounds are all just basic bread and butter sounds…Read More

On December 24, 2025 at 4:13 am Magic Pill Music said
Brian Auger

Bill Payne

Chuck Leavell

Bob Mayo

This may surprise you from my doing so many Beatles covers (that’s because I love their music and it’s super easy to play) and my picks being very prog-y, but I was mulling over whether or not to put Billy Powell on the list. My tastes in music…Read More

@patrickwichrowski I’ve seen every keyboardist on your list except for Vangelis.

I liked the first version of Rosewood Grand, but it wasn’t one of my top favorite grand piano sample libraries.

The second version, which is literally two new sample libraries, the regular piano samples plus a new felt piano library, tied with my longtime favorite grand piano sample library, NI Noire. And it does what Noire doesn’t. It cuts…Read More

I installed this and tried it out last night and really like it. There are straight tongue drum samples, there are sound design patches, there are synth pads they made, and there are arps. It’s a great freebie and it would easily have been worthwhile if they charged for it too.

Just a reminder, it works with the free Kontakt Player, so you don’t…Read More