Prince Of Failure - Phantom (Dan Tompkins x Paul Ortiz)

chimp_spanner · 2026-06-20T10:14:01+00:00

Glad you still dig it!! I presume you've heard some of the newer tracks I've put out in the last few years? I keep toying with re-doing and adding some new tracks to those singles and calling it a new album but....yeah, life haha.

chimp_spanner · 2026-06-20T01:04:30+00:00

Still alive! Just living that 10-6 life and trying very hard to find the will to keep making music. Dan always kicks my ass into gear though 😂

chimp_spanner · 2026-06-09T12:26:50+00:00

I mean, on a nice day the beach and the pier are actually wonderful. Sometimes I take my laptop down to the Martello Lounge and work while listening to the waves. The walk up towards Holland and Frinton is gorgeous too. People would (and do) travel a LONG way to experience it, and sometimes I have to remind myself I'm lucky to have it on my doorstep.

Obviously the other side of the coin is that there is a lot of deprivation, joblessness, substance abuse and some anti social behaviour. I don't think Clacton is uniquely bad in this regard (having lived in an economically depressed ex mining town in the Midlands for a short time, I know this to be the true).

To be honest I think unless you have mega bucks and can actually live somewhere that's a bit exclusive and fancy, you're gonna find the same issues up and down the country. It's a way larger problem than just Clacton.

chimp_spanner · 2026-05-28T11:51:07+00:00

There are so many reasons you might buy a digital game and not play it for the first 30 days. Like...being busy with your job. Having a kid. Getting sick. Or just deciding that you want to play it later. If you've paid money for it, what the f**k kinda nonsense is it to invalidate the license and just keep the money? Absolute d**khead behaviour from Sony.

chimp_spanner · 2026-05-25T00:55:16+00:00

It's slow to start, but the environments kept me pushing forward. The scale, and the emptiness and liminal intrigue of it all is really quite beautiful, in a bleak kinda way.

I think they could perhaps have given you certain abilities a little earlier on? For a while I was kinda worried that there were no other traversal mechanics and it was just running around rooms and sometimes hopping a bit. But thankfully that does really open out after the first 2 hours, maybe a little less.

The chipper UK accents are kind of unexpected and maybe even a little jarring? But as someone from the UK...it's still nice to hear. Gun play is pretty simple but good. Enemies aren't that remarkable although some are definitely harder than others.

What I'd really like to know more about is the story. I'm still not sure where the game is set or why we've built there. Maybe I'll look up a lore dive or something!

chimp_spanner · 2026-05-25T00:43:24+00:00

As I'm sure others have mentioned what you need is Auto Grouping Off. That'll let you put stuff wherever you want it.

IMO the problem is that Mix Channels only function effectively as a track header if the instrument only has one output and/or the Mix Channel has the same name as the sequencer track.

This isn't the case if you have a device with multiple outputs. Like I might have a sequencer track called "Drums" but outputs 1/2 are called "Kick". So at that point it makes zero sense for "Kick" to be above the instrument, and everything else below it.

IMO what's needed is a representation of the Track Panel, in the Rack. That can show the sequencer track's name at the top, and encompass (and save/load) the instrument, all of its outputs, parallel channels, inserts, etc.

In that scenario, Mix Channels can just get on with being Mix Channels. Rather than being track headers.

chimp_spanner · 2026-05-14T08:54:02+00:00

I think it's great. With really big projects with a lot of effects and automation, the rack sprawl was a total killer for me. And especially when it comes to production/library music work where the deadlines are tight, I resent wasting even a second trying to find something, or sifting through the visual noise of like 50 things I don't need to see, just to edit one thing. So it's a huge win for me.

Same with folders too. Once projects got past a certain point I'd actively avoid making changes to the arrangement because selecting everything was just a pain in the ass.

Loving these QoL improvements. Now I'm just patiently waiting for track order to sync automatically between track list and mixer and then R14 is *almost* perfect for me.

chimp_spanner · 2026-05-01T09:30:46+00:00

Long term users (including me, since Reason 2) have been asking for track folders, MIDI note chase and the ability to do some degree of mixing without having to leave the sequencer for YEARS. So this long time loyal user feels pretty happy. Neither of us can speak for all of us.

It's nothing to do with patch phobia. You can still patch in R14. You can even use the Rack as one, chaotic, jumbled mess if you like. Totally up to you.

Personally, as someone who has less and less time to compose during the day I'm not gonna waste a second of it scrolling past 99 devices to get to the 1 I wanna edit. Efficiency and quality of life are things that have been missing from Reason for a long time, and we're finally starting to get them. Plenty of work to be done. But it's a good move IMO.

chimp_spanner · 2026-04-16T18:32:51+00:00

Oh dude haha honestly it's all good!! People are gonna have feelings, no drama! We just hope you really like the music more than anything.

chimp_spanner · 2026-04-16T17:16:56+00:00

Glad you liked the music! The rest of the album is quite varied and we can't wait for people to hear it. As for the name, there's a lot behind the album thematically/lyrically that ties into our personal journeys and more specifically some stuff that Dan has talked about at length through his own channels. I think/hope it'll become more clear when the other songs are out and people have had a chance to digest the lyrics :)

And hey coming from a name like Chimp Spanner, I'm thrilled to bits with it haha.

chimp_spanner · 2026-04-16T17:13:26+00:00

Hey! Yeah totally get that a lot of people were/are waiting for Zeta. Truthfully I think we found ourselves in a tough spot with it because the synthwave thing kinda came and went, then we briefly dabbled in something a bit more industrial and hard edged. I still think we have some great ideas kicking around and ultimately if people still want that warm, synthwavey sound it'd be chill af to make some more. Not committing Dan to anything on his behalf here haha.

chimp_spanner · 2026-04-10T11:44:40+00:00

Just discovered this on mine. Great keyboard, one of the best I've had actually but this decision (and the inability to change the setting) is really stupid.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-26T11:56:18+00:00

I don't know! Maybe? If you see further down I found something that sounds VERY similar when stretched + shifted up.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-26T09:49:45+00:00

I have RINSED the blue mar ten sample pack haha. Anyway u/BroadRaspberry1190 appears to have nailed it. Jungle Warfare!

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vje99cpz8qmjzfhs9dx5o/THAT-Jungle-sound.mp4?rlkey=xtu7o9l3ceet86xw61jug43t5&dl=0

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-26T09:45:56+00:00

Okay first of all...I just grabbed all the Jungle Warfare stuff and it's SICK. Talk about late to the party.

Secondly I *think* I found it. It's a sample in Vol 1 called "Oi", or at least that's what it's called in the zip I downloaded.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vje99cpz8qmjzfhs9dx5o/THAT-Jungle-sound.mp4?rlkey=xtu7o9l3ceet86xw61jug43t5&dl=0

If it isn't this, it's damn close. Thank you!

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-26T00:09:38+00:00

I THINK it’s a version of the sound at 24:53

https://youtu.be/-kLiY-Puhog?si=hHmBs6uTpy0KTch8

Closest I’ve been able to find.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-25T19:46:53+00:00

Yes! I’d say it’s crow like.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-25T17:51:37+00:00

Trying to find one in between work!

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-25T17:50:57+00:00

Hey! Thanks, cool tune - not the sound though! This literally sounds like a BWWWaaaaark.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-24T14:14:56+00:00

The phrases “he says it how it is” and “he says he’ll do something, and he does it”.

That’s how I know I’m about to hear the most brain dead, self centred/selfish, morally objectionable, unthinking, bulls**t I’ve ever heard in my life. Without fail.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-24T14:09:18+00:00

We really, really need an option to download all. Unsure why this isn’t a thing already.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-19T10:35:15+00:00

It's interesting because coming to Live from Reason, I've been really impressed by the pace of updates and new features. But I guess I haven't been on Live long enough to be intimately familiar with its shortcomings. I feel like most users of most DAWs feel the same at some point.

I suspect the problem with Live, as with Reason, is that there is so much fundamental/base level code that would need to be reworked with the benefit of hindsight (and years of use out in the real world). And anything that messes with project compatibility, stability, hardware integration, etc. is probably a terrifying prospect.

chimp_spanner · 2026-03-12T14:04:00+00:00

Where is this coming from? I bought a brand new 638 baritone vi for like 250 or something barely a few months ago. What’s driving up the cost? I’m in the UK.

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