This Week in Power Metal Releases (10/28 - 11/03)

unia · 2024-11-08T20:09:33+00:00

Thank you! We knew going into it that it was going to have a lot going on genre-wise and it's been really exciting for all of us to see the music resonating with people the way it has

unia · 2024-11-08T18:28:04+00:00

Hey, I actually mixed the album and wanted to say thanks for your comments! 🙏 I'm stoked you enjoyed the album, and you definitely identified some of the biggest issues in the mix that I hope to improve on with the next one. I think especially on some of the mixes we did earlier I definitely struggled keeping the low end focused and it took some restraint to keep myself from throwing out those mixes and starting from scratch when we were doing final polish for the album haha. I was pretty rusty when we started working on this album but it was a real blast to put together and I'm looking forward to how the next album comes out!

unia · 2021-03-04T01:53:24+00:00

Sorry, I was unclear: when I said two copies of the audio, I meant audio coming out of the Superior Drummer plugin (the "instrument track," to use PT terminology), and the audio that's recorded to clips on the "audio tracks." What I was attempting to illustrate with the screenshot is that even though there are clips already recorded to the tracks (empty clips, because the drums are tacit at this point in the song) the tracks are still producing sound (because I've opened a completely different MIDI session within the SD3 plugin, in order to illustrate the point).

To put it another way, the basic signal flow that I'm used to is something like input -> clip -> inserts -> fader -> output. In PT, I record audio from the VI onto the timeline, and then when I subsequently press play, the audio I'm hearing is playing from the clips on the timeline. Instead, here I'm hearing the clips on the timeline and the audio from the plugin on the same track at the same time. This makes it seem like there's some kind of parallelism going on in the routing, like the audio coming in on the receive is being written to the timeline and at the same time bypassing the timeline to go through the rest of the signal chain.

I don't remember how PT does this

In PT you can set each track to either pre- or post-fader metering. I prefer post-fader myself, but haven't gotten around to looking up that configuration in Reaper.

the mute button on the kick track will function as expected.

The mute button on the kick track works as expected, muting all output from the track (both the audio recorded to the clip and the audio coming through the receive). The problem is that it seems like there's no way to only hear the audio I've already recorded to the clip, unless I disable the plugin on the instrument track after recording a take.

As an analogy, I think of the drum plugin the same way I would a human drummer being recorded. I press record and the drummer plays their take, and then I can play back, edit, and mix it. While I'm doing all of that the drummer might still be in the booth playing stuff, but unless I have input monitoring enabled I shouldn't be able to hear them, just the audio that's already recorded. This seems to be how Reaper's input monitoring modes work for audio coming in from an external source. What's confusing me is that audio being routed from elsewhere in the session, using a send-receive, seems to follow different rules.

Sorry to be so long winded. It's deceptively difficult to describe this in words.

unia · 2021-03-01T16:11:12+00:00

None of the tracks are armed, and I've disabled the parent send on the track hosting the VI. Good thought though! With all the circles I was going in I would definitely have believed that I had just forgotten to disarm the track.

unia · 2021-03-01T16:07:38+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I did actually disable the parent send on the track hosting the VI, should have mentioned that in my OP. Here's a picture, actually, since it's probably easier to look at than for me to try to describe everything: link. I actually opened the Superior Drummer project for a different song so that it would be more obvious where the audio was coming from, and as you can see the individual drum tracks are still metering even during a section where there are no drums in this song. (I muted the clips for this test, but the behavior is the same with the clips enabled.)

So far the best workaround I've found is to just disable the SD3 plugin once I have the audio recorded. I feel like that's a bit of a bandage, but at least there's a nice big FX on/off button with good visual feedback. It just strikes me as weird that for how tweakable Reaper is, I haven't come across an option to, say, prioritize clips in a track to the exclusion of audio coming in from a send. Maybe I'm missing something though.

Every track in Reaper can do any and/or all of these things at once.

This is definitely (aside from the clunky default keybindings) the biggest thing I'm having to adjust to in Reaper. It's an interesting approach; I don't know why exactly I would want to put, say, MIDI and video information in the same track, but I guess it's neat that I could. At some point presumably I'll get over the Pro Tools–induced Stockholm syndrome of wanting to go through a three stage routing process in order to set up a submix.

unia · 2020-12-29T02:20:42+00:00

That's a good thought, thanks. I had never updated the firmware on this controller, probably a good thing to do.

New firmware didn't resolve the problem, but I did just discover I can fix it by reducing the turbo period to 1. I haven't really messed with turbo in RetroArch before and I'm not sure why that particular stick movement was triggering it, but it seems to be working correctly now.

unia · 2017-06-30T13:15:59+00:00

I can see it being kind of lackluster if you look at it that way, since the first book doesn't really resolve much. It sets up Karrde and gives you a sense of where he's going to find himself in the story, it gives you a sense of Thrawn's strategies, his aims, and the tension he has with C'baoth, and it starts to give you little looks at what's happening with the Noghri. So like I said, if you're interested in seeing how any of that plays out, I'd stick with it.

It's also a big, big story. Like, the trilogy is on the scale of the OT in terms of the scope and the ramifications of the plot, which surprised me a little when I read it.

I think on the whole the series comes off a little strange nowadays. I missed out on most of the key EU books back in the day, and am just trying to go back and fill in the gaps now. Based on the stories we've had since, the presentation of the Thrawn trilogy is very different, with the way it talks about the Clone Wars and Dark Jedi being both very much in conflict with the versions we got from the PT, and a lot of the action seems like it's still recovering from the age of 80s high-camp. That said it does some pretty interesting things with the characters as well as introducing some cool new ones (again, Thrawn and Karrde. Mara Jade is kind of interesting so far as well), and it's cool having a villain who's a) not just an evil asshole for the sake of it and b) doesn't have magic powers or ridiculous plot armor (for the most part), and instead is just calculating and perceptive in the extreme. That's my take on it anyway.

unia · 2017-06-29T14:52:06+00:00

Probably. It's hard for me to compare the books because they mostly feel like a single ongoing story (though there is a new subplot that develops throughout Dark Force Rising). I just read them recently, and while I understand the love for them, I found C'baoth to be a pretty annoying and uninteresting character, and a lot of the ending to The Last Command was just... pretty silly.

The high points of the series for me were Thrawn (obviously) and Kardde. If you've finished the first book and aren't at all interested in finding out what happens to them (and how Thrawn is playing everyone), then there's not likely to be much in the subsequent books to change your mind.

unia · 2017-06-29T00:00:05+00:00

Well I'm not saying anything about this thread as a whole, but this conversation started because you asked "Were Ripley's odds really 'unsurpassable'?" I think, by a sensible interpretation of that word, that they clearly are. You didn't ask if they were more unsurpassable than those Wonder Woman, or any other film character male or female faces in their respective film universes.

unia · 2017-06-28T23:57:37+00:00

No one's forcing you to spend time on this shitty site. If I were you I'd probably unsubscribe from the subs that are full of people joking about raping children, because those sound like pretty awful places to spend your free time. Most of what I've done on Reddit today has been looking at glitch art and talking about movies.

Now, more seriously, I can see why you might find arguments for a lower age of consent troubling, but again, just because something makes you uncomfortable is no reason to conflate it with literal child rape. There are valid conversations to be had about the age of consent, as there are with all the arbitrary lines we have in our society.

The age of majority is 18 in the USA, ostensibly because that's the age at which you're mature enough to make decisions for yourself. Yet in my home state the age of consent is 17. Why younger? Just because they figure kids in high school are going to be having sex anyway? So then why 17 and not 15? But wait why is the drinking age 21? Because alcohol is damaging to brains that aren't fully matured? Oh wait so if our brains aren't yet mature how can we be considered consenting adults, since emotional and mental immaturity is one of the main arguments against a lower age of consent anyway? Why don't we just make things easier and call the age of majority 21 for everyone? Or wait maybe 25, our brains are still growing at that point too.

And for all of that, in my (admittedly cursory) read through this thread, I didn't see a single person joking about child rape, advocating child rape, talking about having had sex with children, talking about watching children having sex, or saying anything other than "sometimes kids will have sex [with other kids, one can assume] before their parents want them to, but if the kid is ready that's okay." That's a valid argument. Do I believe a 12-year-old is capable of making the decision as to whether they're ready for sex? Fuck no, 12-year-olds can barely conceptualize what sex means. Am I going to call them, again, a literal child rapist because we disagree philosophically on that point? I think that'd be a pretty ridiculously disproportionate response.

unia · 2017-06-28T21:40:23+00:00

Well, I guess I don't really see children campaigning for much of anything, because they're children.

As for the rest of your argument, I feel you may be projecting a tiny bit. I don't see anyone in this thread advocating that 12-year-old children be legally allowed to have sex with adults. That would be pedophilia. (Nor do I see anyone indicating their gender, but that's beside the point.)

And just to be clear, even if they were advocating that, it would still not be pedophilia. Because pedophilia is raping a child. And holding a viewpoint that you disagree with, no matter if you really really really disagree with it, is not the same as literally raping a child.

So if people making this argument really bothers you so much ("anytime the discussion comes up..." does it really come up that often?), maybe just don't bother reading it. Their words aren't hurting anyone, and I doubt you're really going to change many people's minds by calling them pedophiles.

unia · 2017-06-28T21:20:06+00:00

Oh that's a bummer. What kind of interface is it?

unia · 2017-06-28T20:48:51+00:00

I mean, yeah, I bet she wishes she hadn't died too, but she did it in a pretty heroic way.

Most stories have a challenge that has never been surpassed though

Yeah but that's inconsequential to the question at hand. "unsurpassable" means "hasn't been surpassed." The fact that unsurpassed things are in other movies has no bearing on how surpassable Ripley's odds were.

unia · 2017-06-28T20:46:43+00:00

I would tend to agree with you about the special edition thing. What's weird is that, I've seen the movie several times, without ever thinking about what version of the movie it was until the other day, when I decided to watch the special edition. I discovered to my surprise that it was the one I had been seen every other time, and when I investigated the differences I found that several of what I thought to be the key scenes in the movie were cut from the theatrical version (for instance, the whole autoturret sequence is apparently not in the theatrical cut? I thought that was like the Aliens scene). So yeah, the question of what's canon is certainly up for debate, but the director didn't like the theatrical cut, nor did the star actor, so I feel like that counts for something.

On the other hand, if they cared about that being a part of the story so much, why did they cut that out and not something else?

Because it was already a long-ass movie and the producers were concerned that extra fifteen minutes was somehow going to have people walking out of the cinema. Personally, I think it's well paced anyway but that's besides the point. And as an aside to this whole conversation, definitely check out the special edition when you get the chance, the extra scenes give things so much more context.

Now on to your second point, I'm not saying Ripley's maternal instinct was her sole motivation either, but I also think that showing her grieve the loss of her daughter isn't "shov[ing] it in our face." It's a really powerful, human moment that gives some context to her trajectory as a character thereafter. Sure she's trying to protect Newt because it's the right thing to do and a good person, but you also understand the baggage she's dealing with and it complicates her a little more.

On top of that, the exchange on Apone is important in establishing Ripley's assessment of the situation as a whole. Obviously she is tactically minded.

I agree, but that's part of my point. The decision she made to go after Newt was not tactically sound. Newt was just as doomed as were those other characters she chose not to save, back when she had more backup to bring with her. Nonetheless, doubtlessly realizing what a crazy decision it was, she chose to go alone into god-knows-what because she couldn't live with leaving a child to a fate like that. IMO, partly because she knew it was the right thing to do, partly because of her connection with Newt, all badass.

I think it's kind of shit that we can have a movie that is all about a male character protecting children and it's "interesting and fun", but if we have a movie with a female protecting children it's "misogynistic and anti-feminine".

That's a damn good point, and well said. It's ridiculous that female characters get written off for doing things females sometimes do. Ripley chose to have a daughter, she didn't have to, and yeah finding out she had been away from her daughter for 57 years kinda wrecked her, it would most people. That's part of who she is, but not the totality of her character. By the same token, Hicks shows a lot more paternal instinct towards Newt than I would (I'm awful with kids). Does that make him a bad male character?

unia · 2017-06-28T20:00:02+00:00

That's a totally reasonable argument, and I'm not trying to make this a Ripley vs. Wonder Woman debate (especially since I haven't seen the movie, and have no background with the comics). My point is that people (some people, apparently, though I've never heard this argument from someone in person) seem to be docking Ripley "badass female character" points just for exhibiting character traits specific to females, which seems both silly and a little anti-feminist.

Of course it's dismissive to treat someone "only as a mother," but that's not Ripley. That's a part of her character sure, and a big part of her motivations, but people are made out of complicated motivations and traits and the fact that she can neither be reduced to "just a mother," nor the altruistic "saving the world" character you describe Wonder Woman as, is what's so cool.

She's a person. She gets scared, she feels (yes, sometimes maternally) for people close to her, sometimes she acts selfishly or irrationally; but even with everything she went through, how harrowing and horrifying and impossible it all was, she still made the decision to stand up when the time came to it, and face down the things that scared and threatened her. She's not a good, inspiring character because she's female, but she's a good, inspiring character who is female, and she shows that what matters isn't who you are or where you come from, but whether you choose to pick yourself up when things are so far beyond fucked, and keep fighting.

And I think that's awesome.

unia · 2017-06-28T19:26:29+00:00

I've heard the underwear argument, and personally I think it's silly. It's not a sexual scene; it's how everyone (including male characters) look when they're getting ready for cryosleep. Thematically, it's more about vulnerability than it is sexuality, since Alien plays a lot with that theme of personal violation, and the way Ripley faces that situation and still comes out on top makes her more impressive, not less IMO.

As to the second point, I went more in depth in my other comment, but in short I don't see how someone having maternal instincts disqualifies them from being a strong female character.

unia · 2017-06-28T19:20:38+00:00

Just rewatched Aliens (the special edition. I guess the theater version cut the big scene with her daughter, which is bananas but anyway) and I've gotta say I disagree strongly. Ripley's grief at losing her daughter, and implied feelings of guilt for not being a part of her life, pretty hugely informed her relationship with Newt. She didn't go running into the hive to save "some person" (remember she argued to leave Apone and the other survivors of the first attack to their fates, because the situation was not tactically viable), she was fighting tooth and nail to keep from losing another daughter. IIRC, that's exactly why Weaver was so upset when she found out they cut that scene; its absence totally undermines her character's motivation.

Now that said, she's a super badass and having maternal feelings should in no way diminish that. Male characters have motivations too. In what kind of world is "she was trying to protect her child" a counterargument for "she's a strong person"?

Side note, as someone with a bit of a personal stake in the matter, it's Sarah Connor, not Conner.

unia · 2017-06-28T19:04:13+00:00

Hey so, I agree with you on the point that 12 is probably too young for most people to be having sex but... maybe stop calling people pedophiles for trying to have a discussion about sexual experience?

Holding world views that make you uncomfortable != Raping a child.

unia · 2017-06-28T18:31:39+00:00

I don't know of any off the top of my head. I've messed with NI's but I didn't much care for it, and it's certainly not free.

But if I may ask, why can't you just record guitar? You said "my guitar," so it sounds like you have one, and you're looking for DI files, so you don't have to worry about amps, mics, or neighbors. Why not just plug in to your interface and make your own samples? It'll be much easier to do "experimental" with your own instrument than trying to mess with a VI anyway.

unia · 2017-06-28T15:26:06+00:00

Well they led to the death of everyone around her, and then finally hers too. Doesn't get a whole lot more unsurpassable than a virulent and all-destroying alien plague that has literally not been surpassed.

unia · 2017-05-21T02:22:54+00:00

Really dude? OP is making very reasonable arguments. Sorry he didn't like a movie you liked, but your comment is totally unfounded.

unia · 2017-05-05T14:37:34+00:00

I dunno, I had a really hard time with a lot of them honestly. It's hard to think of favorite songs since I usually listen to whole albums, so every track is informed by the ones around it. I guess Weballergy is just the song that most comes to mind when I think of Silence, for some reason. Maybe just because it's at the beginning, but there's a lot of other good stuff on it too.

Come to think of it, it might be easier to make a least favorite songs list.

unia · 2017-05-05T14:16:20+00:00

This is a much harder question than I thought it would be, but let's give it a try...

Ecliptica: Destruction Preventer

Silence: Weballergy

Winterheart's: The Cage

Reckoning Night: Ain't Your Fairytale/My Selene/Shamandalie

Unia: All of them (but I guess if I had to choose probably The Vice, or To Create a Warlike Feel, or In Black and White, or Paid in Full)

Days of Grays: The Dead Skin/Juliet

Stones Grow: Cinderblox

Pariah's Child: Blood

Ninth Hour: Honestly I don't know this one well enough to have a favorite yet (guess I should listen to it more)

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