Changing ears???

[MusicaL]

Here's the deal. I am working on this piece for the piano compliation CD Vol 6, and I am trying several piano patches. I used to love my S80 piano patches. Then after a while, I *hated* 'em. So, I bought the Piano collection (from Sonic reality) for SampleTank. I loved a particular patch on it, and now I am not so sure I like it anymore.

 

So, I listen to the S80 piano patches and I A/B it with the Piano Collection sample, and lo and behold, the S80 sounds fuller. What is happening here? Am I going crazy? Are my ears changing? Is my brain unreliable? Whassup?

 

Does this happen to you all. You hear some patch that sounds great to your ears, and after a while it just sounds one dimensional, without depth, just kinda boring!@@@ Is it me or do you all get the same syndrome? Could this be another form of GAS?

 

So, now I am thinking about the PLG 150 PF. My local GC doesn't have it loaded on any of the boards, so I have to go on memory from the time I played with it a couple of years back. Actually, if memory serves, I wasn't that impressed at the time...

 

Well anyway.. I feel much better now that I got this off my chest...

 

aL

[analogman1]

Hey "Al",

I notice that happens to me whenever I try out synths at the store. I came to the conclusion that the *initial* volume at which I start "migrating" from synth to synth tends to have an overall effect on my ears. For instance, if I start out at a pretty loud volume, a Korg Triton will of course sound thunderous; bet then again, so will an Alesis 8.2 (not bashing Alesis gear, just you know they are quite different synths

It's when I lower the volumes and rather than listen for hugeness and thunder in a sound, I begin to listen for sonic detail instead and then my ears are influenced again.

So....I'm pretty much in the same boat as you are! And I think a LOT of other people are as well...I just think that most musicians won't admit it.

Big T from NY

[MusicaL]

Yeah!! Volume can have that effect on our ears. I bought several pieces of music gear because they sounded sooooo good at the store, only to take them home and be very dissappointed. (combination of volume and bkgd noise?)

 

I am starting to think that romplers cannot be the basis for any good recording, unless it's a full mix; i.e. the details of each instrument are being masked.

 

If it's not the authentic instrument I think all emulations will be just that: emulations. Romplers are fine for rock, dance, pop, etc... But, for any solo piece, or song that has a piano, EP or organ intro, man we're really wasting our time with them romplers.

[Byrdman]

Originally posted by Music*aL:

Am I going crazy?

Over time I think ones ears get familiar with any given patch and you start to concentrate on the deficiencies. Going to a different sound simply gives the ears a rest. I find the same thing with various piano patches.

[Dave Pierce]

Originally posted by Music*aL:

Am I going crazy? Are my ears changing? Is my brain unreliable? Whassup?

Not unless I'm crazy too. Oh wait, maybe I am...

 

But seriously this happens to me constantly, especially with piano and Rhodes patches. I think it's because a ROMpler isn't capable of capturing all the nuances of the real instrument. So I'll like a particular patch because it capture once piece of the nuances well. Then later, I'll be tired of that piece, and want another.

 

I suspect that it might be possible to make this problem go away with a sufficiently good Rhodes patch. Piano, though, I doubt if it will ever be 100% captured by anything that doesn't have long strings and felt hammers.

 

--Dave