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Your Black Friday (November) Purchases 2022

Wow, that is some very cool scores. That would be a lifetime of study for me and still probably fail to get through them all.
I’m not going to study them from cover to cover. But I’d like to see how they are constructed thematically, harmonically and orchestrationally. It also humbles me to see the work of such musical geniuses. Some of these scores were composed in only a few weeks. As someone who takes forever to finish anything that’s mind-blowing to me.
 
My only software BF purchase this year was "Ethera Gold: Atlantis". Although BF has come and gone (at least for me), I just purchased "Epic Choir" from Spitfire.

This concludes my present collection of SA libraries, most of which are recorded at AIR (incl. the Originals). "Epic Choir" was on my wishlist for quite some time. As I don't use choirs and vocals very often, my only dedicated choir library is "Olympus Elements". I always thought this is a well-rounded library, however "Epic Choir" seems like a more immediate tool when you need a touch of the choir. Also, from what I've heard so far, I prefer its sound overall.
 
it seems all 2.5 SSD's top out at 500/s ..
Finally got the NVMe 1T samsung and an enclosure .. getting 900/s on USBc from the OWC TB3 chassis extra TB i/O.... less if directly plugged into the MBP M1/16ram like 800..

using the tb3 /usba cable its down to 300/s. Like my storage drive WD 14T level.

using the internal MBP drive as a work drive for some sessions, its at 1500/s

the NVMe world is so much better.. but there are very few chassis options in that world yet. but the prices for a NVMe are about the same as SSD 2.5. investing in more SSD 2.5 format seems not ... wise
SSDs can usually go much faster than their enclosures and connections. So, usually a 2.5 SSD could go much faster except it is sold within a form factor that uses the older SATA connection that limits the speeds. Sometimes with externals, the cables limit the speeds. Other times the computer motherboard connection is where the potential speed gets limited. You might already know all this.

 
SSDs can usually go much faster than their enclosures and connections. So, usually a 2.5 SSD could go much faster except it is sold within a form factor that uses the older SATA connection that limits the speeds. Sometimes with externals, the cables limit the speeds. Other times the computer motherboard connection is where the potential speed gets limited. You might already know all this.

Yes I always see the specs, but .. i dont know, perhaps their doing that in a RAID config. If theres some $$$$ case that gets these speeds Ive never had one. Since Im on MBP M1, I dont have motherboard PCI access as I did in the cheese grater days.
I buy this stuff after "wasting" a bit of time doing research of speeds etc, online and the effects are better but far from anything they advertise.

USB3 Im getting 300/s... SSD 2.5 in OWC usbC chassis,w TB3 OWC cable Im getting 500/s... NVMe in 15$ elclosure hung off OWC extra usbC port 900/s
a few string Libs [HOOPUS] and SDX is on the NVMe,..

these forums have helped more than most benchmarck click bait articles.. as those are perhaps theoretical
thanks again
 
Planned-For Purchases
  • Superior Drummer 3 w/Decades
  • Divisimate
  • Two Standtastic 3-tier Keyboard Stands, with additional wall-mounting hardware
  • Eventide Anthology XII (Complete your bundle upgrade)
  • Slate + Ash Choreographs

GAS Attack!
  • Synthesizer V Pro + Solaria & Weina (semi-planned, still haven't clicked "check out" yet).
  • Behringer 2600 Blue Marvin ($200+ off)
  • Newfangled Invigorate
  • The Ton (had two already, got AR1 Sparkling Woodwinds for $8)
  • Moogerfooger Bundle

Unplanned but Read VI-Control "No Brainer at this Price" Comments
  • Black Rooster All Bundle
  • Fuse Audio (VCS-1, VREV-305, TC-68, DrumsSSX, VCL-373, VCL-864U, VPRE-31A)
  • Nembrini Audio PSA1000 Bundle
  • Cherry Audio Rackmode Bundle ($13!)

Planned or GASsed, But Showed Restraint (For Now)
  • Arturia V9 and FX Collection upgrades
  • Heavyocity Gravity, Fury
  • The God Particle
  • Spitfire Hearth & Home, Mercury (I do most Spitfire purchases during Christmas sale)
  • SM/AM Brass, Woodwinds, Strings (need more research)
  • Joshua Bell Violin, Shire Whistle, Recorders

Happy with things overall, especially since I exercised far more restraint during the year than I normally do. I'm not sure about the Black Rooster or Fuse Audio plugs, not because they weren't a great value or high quality (I've been happy with initial experiments), but more because they are largely redundant with other products already in my workflow. Same with Invigorate. The FOMO was too great, though.

My only "regret" on things not purchased is probably the SWAM bundle, but I need to do a lot more research before I decide whether I'm going modeled or sampled (or both) for my planned foray into big band experiments.
 
The final tally. I think I expelled a little too much GAS but I'm liking what I purchased. This is my first black friday purchasing so please don't judge too hard :).

Libraries:
Sinoxinema Intimate Legato Cello - beautiful cello that goes a little more subtle than Tina Guo
Cinebrass Core - the sound is beautiful. Reaching for Infinite Brass first and then this to layer
Cineperc - Amazing. I love the sound of this percussion.
Infinite Winds Bundle (Brass + Woodwinds) - just get it. This is such a powerful set of libraries
Spitfire's The Ton (Fragile Strings, SStB, and Sparkling Woodwinds)
Spitfire Chrysalis - Awesome harp textures
Bunker Strings Vol. 1 and 2 - Ready to make some horror tracks
Audio Imperia Areia - Awesome sound and awesome workflow. My new goto for hybrid strings.
8DIO Intimate Strings, Woodwinds, and Brass (Brass on the glitch sale)
8DIO Jenifer (on glitch sale) - older library but the voice is beautiful
Native Instruments Noire - Pure inspiration
Sampletekk Rain Piano
Embertone Jubal Flute - Has that fantasy sound for a flute.
Embertone Walker Lite

Synthesizers:
Zebra 2 before legacy release and then downloaded legacy (with cheap upgrade option to get zebra 3 later)
Novum

MIDI/Workflow Plugins:
grumpymonkeyplugins niente - This plugin is just pure awesome
grumpymonkeyplugins xfade - Excited to try this on different libraries to morph
plugin guru unify
divisimate - Amazing for orchestration and workflow

Audio Plugins:
Gullfoss - the magic pixie dust to add 5-10% clarity to your mix
The God Particle - it's fun composing / mixing with this.
Wavesfactory Spectre - Warmth and crispness to any instrument. This will get a lot of use.
kclip3 - The ability to visualize the clipping and the punchy sound on drums
Liquidsonics Tai Chi - My new sound design reverb to go along with eventide blackhole
Liquidsonics Cinematic Rooms Pro - It sounds beautiful and is the goto orchestral reverb but also because Hans :)

Learning:
The Evenant Bundle for all courses
Mike Verta Composition 1
Orchestration Recipes Volume 2
 
Well I went with Audiobro MSS, but I also ended up with Genesis Choir as well after listening to examples and Audiobro giving me an extra $50 off so that is was $120, when buying with MSS.

This is almost certainly my most expensive Black Friday, hopefully not to be repeated anytime soon.

EDIT: looks like I wasn't quite finished as I got Synth V and "Kevin" Voicepack
I did the same thing except I already had MSS, so it was Modern Scoring Brass and Genesis for me this time....heck of deal. I'm glad you went with MSS...you won't be disappointed, but do the necessary reading with the manual.
 
After adding some more purchases, I ended up with:

Upgrade to Pianoteq 8 Standard from 7 Standard $28
Elysia Phil's Cascade (tube saturation emulation) $25
D16 Phoscyon 2 $59
freebie of Cherry Audio CA 2600 (Arp 2600) $0 (Plugin Boutique deal)
SOUNDTOYS:
1990 Modern Grand C7
1990 Modern Grand C7 Prepared
Palindrome I UDS - UDS EDITION
1987 Alto Flute Savana
1999 Soprano Sax Moonlight
1980 Tenor Sax Spectralius
Cymbal Effects
1975 Soul Guitar
1985 Passionate Grand C5
Free ASMR (the price is nothing to scoff at).
Free Angels
Bazantar
Free 1928 Piano
(using 15% off newsletter code - $267.75 USD)

$370.75 (if I did my math correctly..Ooops)

Updating the list, I added:
Morph EQ $49.00 US (Minimal Audio)
Needlepoint, NEOLD U17, SPL DeVerb Plus, all 3 for $24.99 (with a coupon & sale)
Pitch Innovations Fluid Chords $24 (Audio Plugin Deals)
Virharmonic Bohemian Violin ($149)
Baby Audio Spaced Out $34 (including BF sale plus DOM10 coupon from the Cubase tutorial guy Dom (Spaced Out is a multi-effect with echo, modulation, filter, ducking, pumping)
Massive World Bundle $99.99 from Impact Soundworks from Audio Plugin Deals 88% off
(https://audioplugin.deals/product/massive-world-bundle-by-impact-soundworks/ )

Total of $750.74 spent.

All for the good of science.
 
The final tally. I think I expelled a little too much GAS but I'm liking what I purchased. This is my first black friday purchasing so please don't judge too hard :).

Libraries:
Sinoxinema Intimate Legato Cello - beautiful cello that goes a little more subtle than Tina Guo
Cinebrass Core - the sound is beautiful. Reaching for Infinite Brass first and then this to layer
Cineperc - Amazing. I love the sound of this percussion.
Infinite Winds Bundle (Brass + Woodwinds) - just get it. This is such a powerful set of libraries
Spitfire's The Ton (Fragile Strings, SStB, and Sparkling Woodwinds)
Spitfire Chrysalis - Awesome harp textures
Bunker Strings Vol. 1 and 2 - Ready to make some horror tracks
Audio Imperia Areia - Awesome sound and awesome workflow. My new goto for hybrid strings.
8DIO Intimate Strings, Woodwinds, and Brass (Brass on the glitch sale)
8DIO Jenifer (on glitch sale) - older library but the voice is beautiful
Native Instruments Noire - Pure inspiration
Sampletekk Rain Piano
Embertone Jubal Flute - Has that fantasy sound for a flute.
Embertone Walker Lite

Synthesizers:
Zebra 2 before legacy release and then downloaded legacy (with cheap upgrade option to get zebra 3 later)
Novum

MIDI/Workflow Plugins:
grumpymonkeyplugins niente - This plugin is just pure awesome
grumpymonkeyplugins xfade - Excited to try this on different libraries to morph
plugin guru unify
divisimate - Amazing for orchestration and workflow

Audio Plugins:
Gullfoss - the magic pixie dust to add 5-10% clarity to your mix
The God Particle - it's fun composing / mixing with this.
Wavesfactory Spectre - Warmth and crispness to any instrument. This will get a lot of use.
kclip3 - The ability to visualize the clipping and the punchy sound on drums
Liquidsonics Tai Chi - My new sound design reverb to go along with eventide blackhole
Liquidsonics Cinematic Rooms Pro - It sounds beautiful and is the goto orchestral reverb but also because Hans :)

Learning:
The Evenant Bundle for all courses
Mike Verta Composition 1
Orchestration Recipes Volume 2
People seem to like the God Particle. Joshua Jaycen apparently revealed his Ozone 4 preset, which people say God Particle may roughly be based on (not sure if that's from his words or assumed). I thought I'd try to use Ozone to test it out the way this guy does - haven't tried but I saved this video for later. It might be interesting to watch even though you have the plugin, in case it can be eye opening in other ways.

 
Earlier this year I officially reached the “I have everything I’ll ever need” point and have pretty much found my true loves…aka go-tos.

So I doubt I’ll be making many more “big” purchases moving forward and this Black Friday proves that, since not a single library I got was over $100! ….though it still adds up quickly

- Feathersome Strings
- Piano in Blue
- The Ton (Fragile Strings and…others lol)
- Intimate Legato Cello
- Soundiron Sonespheres 1-4
- Ethera Atlantis 2.0 Upgrade
- Fluffy Audio Simple Cello
- Fluffy Audio Simple Opera Upgrade
- SWAM Violin
- Sonuscore Origins 1-5
- Sequis
- Hearth and Hollow
- Toska
- Omen
- RDC Acoustic Guitar
- Unify
- Dan Keen Soft String Textures
- Marcus Ciscar Metallophones
- Ilya Efimov Tin Whistle

Feels much less stressful and enjoyable this year being able to make smaller purchases for simple joy and not having to worry if that $300+ bread and butter library is gonna be as good as I hope. Great Black Friday, can’t wait to fully dive in with my new various trinkets!
 
I had only one library on my list and it was Wavelet Audio Groth, but VAT again came to the rescue. So I spent on other things instead.

- Sonixinema Intimate Cello - before BF
- Audio Imperia Nucleus - 125$ crossgrade from Jaeger.
- Synthesizer V Pro with Solaria - instant purchase.

I have most the libraries I wish for so felt that it was good enough.
 
I've seen a few people post about AudioLens, but it was free in the Izotope installer anyway wasn't it? I only have the old version Elements and a few other bits so know it wasn't due to owning full versions.
 
I've seen a few people post about AudioLens, but it was free in the Izotope installer anyway wasn't it? I only have the old version Elements and a few other bits so know it wasn't due to owning full versions.
I wanted MGranularMB anyway, so it was a good excuse to get Audiolens. I don't think I checked the Product Portal, but in my account it showed $25. I own several of the Advanced versions like Ozone / Neutron.
 
I wanted MGranularMB anyway, so it was a good excuse to get Audiolens. I don't think I checked the Product Portal, but in my account it showed $25. I own several of the Advanced versions like Ozone / Neutron.
Ah okay. For me it was free under the "trial" tab, but that was in the week it first came out so might have just been one of those "new release" offers.
 
I had only one library on my list and it was Wavelet Audio Groth, but VAT again came to the rescue. So I spent on other things instead.

- Sonixinema Intimate Cello - before BF
- Audio Imperia Nucleus - 125$ crossgrade from Jaeger.
- Synthesizer V Pro with Solaria - instant purchase.

I have most the libraries I wish for so felt that it was good enough.
Oh wow, I have Jaeger too. Is that $125 crossgrade a Black Friday thing?
 
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