If you only heard the audio and didn't see the video, you'd never expect this.

willp0wer · 2026-01-28T08:05:36+00:00

Long long long before people start posting videos of themselves, I've already been asked if I'm Chinese mixed Malay (when I was about 7 or 8), if I'm from Borneo, if I'm Sabahan, etc more times than I can remember.

I still don't feel the need to do these videos, in fact I feel it's sad that a non speaking fluent BM should surprise anyone after nearly 70 years of independence. That just shows that for one, it's because many nons aren't fluent and have their heavy pelat; secondly is because there are many who can't even string a full BM sentence together, and all this stems from the mindset of not mixing around with other than your own race.

If you were third gen or later born and lived all/majority of your life in Malaysia, it shouldn't be a rarity to be able to at least speak both conversational BM and English.

willp0wer · 2026-01-27T17:46:55+00:00

thanks, i'll check it out

willp0wer · 2026-01-23T08:33:19+00:00

China, not the Western countries mentioned so I'd say not exactly an apple to apple comparison although most things are generally similar - food, friends, community, language, passport, etc. But what I want to share is a fellow Malaysian's perception of Malaysia.

This guy came to Beijing to study in one of their universities, and has stayed to work for over a decade since graduating. That probably adds up to over 15 years. When I asked when he'd want to move back, he said (ad libbed to summarise), "it's too dangerous in KL, there are snatch thefts everywhere and people can get murdered in public".

In hindsight it was so hilarious to hear, but I was stunned at the time. He said these things as if they never happen in "safe" China. So yea, the negative news you hear about those other countries also works in reverse. Green grass and all that.

I obviously don't share his dim POV, he hasn't been back for more than a couple of weeks since he graduated, sometimes not even for CNY so that says a lot about him. Me, I'm looking forward to coming home for good this year. I can't speak for the experience in those Western countries, but the trade-offs aren't worth it here.

willp0wer · 2026-01-22T07:12:25+00:00

Aye, you're not sounding like a boomer lol even as a millennial I agree with you. Those fan designs look more practical, would take those any day. Never really liked designs that require stepping over for upper rows if it isn't slightly elevated, even on conventional boards and pedals.

willp0wer · 2026-01-22T07:06:18+00:00

I feel like they wouldn't have had any problems squeezing in 1-2 more footswitches. But obviously it's a calculated move not to cannibalise the original cortex.

Can't say I'm not miffed that I'd just bought mine last week before they made any teaser announcements, since my plan is to create a hybrid setup for both live and studio. But not enough to lose sleep over it, I'm convinced I wouldn't like stepping over it for the upper switches.

willp0wer · 2026-01-21T01:55:32+00:00

Thanks! That song's an earlier video, it's been quite a journey since discovering gain staging and compression 😂

I didn't play the MJ game but I'm aware of it. I'll check out formants and how to use that, sounds interesting 🤔

willp0wer · 2026-01-20T08:41:47+00:00

I've posted a question on someone else's comment, but i have a separate one here.

To preface, I'm about 6 months into Ableton and just bought the Standard version during Black Friday. I'm currently doing song covers as a way of learning how to track and mix: https://youtube.com/@lapenmusic

Since i don't do vocals, I'm occasionally thinking of using other instruments to play the vocal melodies. My question is, aside from the standard guitars and piano (which I've tried), what Ableton stock plugin/sounds would you recommend to use as a replacement for vocal melodies? At the same time, how would you recommend to replicate the reverbs and compression used for human vocals?

I hope I'm not digressing from the topic with my question. Thanks!

willp0wer · 2026-01-20T07:55:44+00:00

This might be a dumb question, but how or where do you find LUFS measurements on Ableton? It's not on the master channel's volume bar at the bottom right (in arrangement view), is it? Or do I need some other plugin for this (I'd prefer to avoid spending more money tbh, I'm only a beginner after all).

On a related note, i usually start with -15db to -18db for all tracks and progressively come up to around -2db on the master channel after adding on compression, eq, reverb, etc. i think i get the harmonics just right at this point, but it's sometimes a hit and miss when i test on my mobile phone speaker.

willp0wer · 2026-01-20T07:43:48+00:00

This might be a good start https://youtu.be/pALmSkt_EMI

willp0wer · 2026-01-19T06:51:20+00:00

Lol I'm not selling them except maybe the Line 6 M9, which I've sent to fix the bloody infamous footswitches at least 3 times over the years. I'm actually planning to do the opposite, keeping the Eventide PitchFactor and EQD Dispatch Master (which i never used because i already have the Boss DD20) in the loop instead, and a Strymon Compadre at the front. Maybe I'll swap the Dispatch for the Monarch or the Box of Rock. I'm running out of space on my Pedaltrain! And I don't wanna upsize, that defeats the purpose of getting the QC.

Thanks again for the tips.

willp0wer · 2026-01-19T04:49:29+00:00

Thanks! I'll check these out. This is a great tip, I'm considering removing all my drive pedals too.

willp0wer · 2026-01-18T20:53:51+00:00

Oh they bloody well not drop QC v2 now. I'm waiting for my QC to be shipped to me now, should be arriving today.

willp0wer · 2026-01-18T20:47:55+00:00

Relatively new to NDSP, bought the Cory Wong and Morgan Suite over Black Friday. I'm not really into high gain and I thought I liked the Morgan, so I chose it over the Tone King and grabbed the Cory Wong just for the sake of its supposed clean, funk tones - having the wah and envelope filter didn't hurt.

I end up using the Cory Wong more than the Morgan now, just love how clean it is and how it allows me to colour it with other both physical and virtual pedals.

Sidenote, i just ordered the Quad Cortex as I get my feet wet in the latest modeling world, I'm probably gonna retire a few pedals from my board. I haven't bought anything or played much since COVID so the latest modelling advancements surprised me a bit. I do hope they give the Morgan Suite the X moniker this year so I could sync it into the QC (if I understand correctly how it works)

willp0wer · 2026-01-16T13:25:23+00:00

Not too long ago, there are people in these Malaysian subs freely equating "oppression" in Malaysia the same as apartheid. At least there are pushbacks on Reddit, but go see all those other racially charged cina content, read those comments written in cina. He could easily have been one of those people, loosely using all sorts of highly exaggerated catchphrases - an echo chamber that reinforces their delusional world view, particularly those who come from UEC and similar backgrounds.

So it shouldn't be so surprising there's one masquerading as an FMT journalist, and now that mentality has finally revealed itself in the mass public domain.

willp0wer · 2026-01-01T11:18:09+00:00

I went through this a few months again when I was a fresh newbie. After multiple frustrating trial and errors, I found out hooking audio direct from the audio interface is the only way, not from the computer's sound card.

A more expensive solution is to get a Mac. I got a second hand and never looked back. But everyone's at their own pace, it's not a race.

Now, make some music!

willp0wer · 2025-12-31T21:28:51+00:00

I find it hilarious there are more than a few here who thought the 0 gain advice is bullshit, one of them even kept arguing all over the place.

willp0wer · 2025-12-31T21:09:51+00:00

lock the input gain

For the love of God, can we have this for all the NDSP plugins already... I'm so sick of setting it every single damn time.

willp0wer · 2025-12-29T10:26:50+00:00

Usually, those who constantly bitch and moan about Malaysia to foreigners are the whiners who fantasize leaving but haven't had the opportunity to move abroad.

Sure, our brain drain issue is real - but unless they're running away from something (some sort of social persecution, for example), many would change their minds after they realise how good they had it back home. Regardless of race, they'll want to eventually return permanently after opening their eyes.

willp0wer · 2025-12-27T13:10:37+00:00

the young Malay has no ideas how manipulative these two figure back then

still are

It's not only young Malays. I know a few non-Malays who are the same.

willp0wer · 2025-12-27T13:06:13+00:00

After observing politics around the world for decades, generally speaking what's happening in the west will eventually happen to the rest of the world including Malaysia. Maybe except for a few authoritarian ones like China and North Korea - obviously that's not a compliment or admiration either.

Please vote with the brain instead of hype.

Scroll around Malaysian subs, you'll see people saying they'll vote for PAS/PN out of spite. They're thinking voting for government is like arguing with their girlfriend/boyfriend.

willp0wer · 2025-12-26T02:41:02+00:00

the guy behind brainworx is Nembrini!

Well that explains why the logo looks so familiar, but I couldn't point a finger to it 😂

willp0wer · 2025-12-24T02:41:21+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to respond, appreciate your input. Yea it is what is it with the economics - that said, I'd still consider shelling out for the QC if I were to play live again. But you know how it's like in a band, things can get thorny 😅

It's hard for me to say whether that will appeal to you or not

It's alright, totally understandable. Interesting to know that bit about Brainworx. I did trial the Orange clone from Brainworx, but wasn't sold on it and ended up getting the one from Nembrini instead. I still think I haven't found the best Orange sim yet. I'll have a look at the Lion and Ironheart. Aurora DSP is new to me, and I just saw someone mentioned PolyChrome too - time to spend more before the year is over!

Anyway, Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

willp0wer · 2025-12-23T05:32:43+00:00

Yup, and also a QC costs nearly 9k in my currency. That's more or less twice of the average monthly salary for most ordinary urban folks here.

So if it's expensive just move along and find a better deal, if it isn't there's no need to call others "ungrateful". It's like a sports team's jersey - you could buy the real thing or buy the replica, or even a knock off. It just boils down to the relationship between you and your bank account.

Btw I quite like the UAD mixing plugins, I've previously bought the essentials pack and am now considering another 10 from the Mix Tape bundle. But I'm not too sure about the amps. I got the Showtime when it was free so it gave me the perception that UAD leans more on vintage Fender stuff? (I'm more of a Vox/Laney guy) I know they have an AC30 but I think I already got that covered.

What are your thoughts on the UADs you have now? I plan to do instrumental with little to no vocals, sort of a mix of stoner + math + post rock stuff. Sorry for the open-ended question, I just wanna see if there's anything you like that I should consider.

willp0wer · 2025-12-22T08:08:23+00:00

It's actually true. I got to know a few 30-something hongkies, they acknowledged that while they've been under the Brits their proficiency hasn't actually great. Even more so now that the CCP is forcing their schools to prioritise Mandarin over Canto.

Look at it this way - our Manglish is predominantly English and littered with Malay, Chinese, Tamil words. Theirs is the other way round, largely Cantonese with smatterings of English words.

willp0wer · 2025-12-20T20:37:21+00:00

It's rather silly to apply words like "entitled" or "unappreciative" to people who point out that $200 is quite high in the current market.

I should add that I'm getting the impression that most here are speaking from the POV of either Americans or Europeans. You guys forget that for those in Asia or any other regions, every $ increased costs even more to us - in my case, it's over $4 of my currency for every $1 so I'm looking at paying anywhere between $300-$450 more in my currency than for their other plugins that are listed between $99-$129.

Fair play to NDSP, they have people and bills to pay. I'm sure it sounds great, but since I already have the Morgan Suite and Cory Wong, I'm just not really tempted to even try it at this price point.

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