@nicks@aubergine.co.uk said:

[quote=dpcon][quote=PaulR] In fact the Queen Mary is there. How come we Yanks always end up with old bloated British cast-offs?

(a) I didn't post that and (b) Elizabeth Taylor is American

Born in Hampstead, London in 1932. Close enough for me - I didn't know her parents...

@nicks@aubergine.co.uk said:

Born in Hampstead, London in 1932. Close enough for me - I didn't know her parents...

Good Lord. So was my mother. Do think they're related? [I]

Oh, for God sake Nicks@selectionofvegetables.com, Evan Evans was born on Alpha Centauri in 1847, but he's still an American! [6]

PaulR (English with Scottish, Austrian and German Ancestry)

That explains a lot about Evan... [[:|]]

Heavens!

An entire page of retorts to my silly post.

Look, if Liz Taylor feels bloated she ought to take something for it.

Alpha Centauri is in this galaxy so Evan could not possibly have been born there: ridiculous notion.

Thanks to the Tuba King for properly identifying the band from Liverpool who now tower as colossal figures in 20th century music.

Dave Connor

P.S. Did we scare that poor chap out of here?

I really hate to see that. I don't think we should be so insular here as to keep people out unless they are less then civil. I hope it's not are own snobbery that won't tolerate other viewpoints - even highly critical ones.

My own reaction the Nafai's comments was no reaction at all. It's exactly what I would expect from a player in an orchestra. In another thread I distinguished categorically between real orchestra's and samples with sole operator. I think it's fair to compare the two only in the sense that we are trying to get as close as possible to the real thing in all aspects. If someone comes along and says, " Very good but still lacking utterly for countless reasons (count 80 people/80 articulations per 16th note (Tutti)/80 souls/80 sons and daughters on and on.) I can't blame someone who sits in the middle of this to call a spade a spade (to them anyway.) So what!

I'm thrilled with Andy's accomplishment. It's the new benchmark. But if you give me a choice between a good live orchestra and MIDI. I will go with the ensemble at a million to hundred ratio.

But I'll probably do a mock up with VSL first.

Dave Connor

@nafai23 said:

anyway..this snob will leave you guys alone now. I think the tech is great and andy did a great job of displaying that. This just got off topic.
good luck to all and good bye

That poor chap scared me. Anyway, for myself, if I had any part in his forum demise, in my defence, I was very, very drunk at the time. [:O]ops:

@dpcon said:

But if you give me a choice between a good live orchestra and MIDI. I will go with the ensemble at a million to hundred ratio. ... Dave Connor

That's 10,000 to 1 for those less mathematically inclined.

[[;)]]

Evan Evans

@PaulR said:

That poor chap scared me. Anyway, for myself, if I had any part in his forum demise, in my defence, I was very, very drunk at the time. [:O]ops:

Okay Pauls come clean now what happenend to the rest?

[:D]

Dave

So being drunk is a defense? All right!

Ah Yes, the "I Was Drunk " defense. Okay I understand. All the regulars here at VSL have a drinking problem.

Now what I want to know is: What was that guy's excuse?

Dave

Sorry if this has been answered already but--

Andy can you give us details of your hardware set up? I'm interested to know how much horsepower you needed to do this sort of mock up. And did it all run real-time or did you need bounces? Thanks and congratulations on an amazing piece of work!

Go to the Northern Sounds Forum:

http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=007538

Hi Gang,

I just heard the Debussy piece, and my congratulations to Andy B.

My comment on the ensuing discussion is this:

The computer and samples are an instrument, like any other. I disagree with the notion that Andy did not display outstanding musicianship. He did indeed, and fine taste as well. His interpretation is delightful.

I have, by the way, also done my share of live playing.

When we come to this "putting musicians out of work" argument, I tune out. More musicians are working now than at any time I have ever seen, and it is a privelege to be working at a time when many people in many professions are not.

At any rate, I felt the need to jump in.

A gifted musician can bang two rocks together and create something of beauty. Whether a person is scratching a bow across an assembly of wood and wire, or stringing together one-note recordings, the proof of the musicianship is in the listening.

This is some fine musicianship--on a difficult instrument. Congratulations.

Ditto, Bruce. Well said.

Fred Story

I agree very much with Bruce about how the sampler - with a specific library - is a musical instrument in itself, of great complexity and difficulty. And this performance of Debussy is a wonderful demonstration of mastery of this new instrument.

@Bruce Richardson said:

When we come to this "putting musicians out of work" argument, I tune out. More musicians are working now than at any time I have ever seen, and it is a privelege to be working at a time when many people in many professions are not.

How come that?

@Bruce Richardson said:

When we come to this "putting musicians out of work" argument, I tune out. More musicians are working now than at any time I have ever seen, and it is a privelege to be working at a time when many people in many professions are not.

How come that?

Why do I tune out, or why do I think it's a privelege to be working?

Well, I tune out because it's tired. In the 1970s people complained that musicians were being put out of work because no one was hiring big-bands in the studios to do commercials any more. Then it was "synthesizers" putting players out of work. Now it's samplers (actually that bitch has been around for years...it's just getting revived online).

I just don't believe it, and I think it's kind of an annoying, whiny position to take. When a person enters the music business, it's business. Music business, to be sure, but still "music" is secondary to "business," when it comes to being in the "music business."

You do what it takes to be a successful businessperson, or you don't stay in business. So that means being flexible and open minded, and learning to enjoy whatever it is you have to do to make a buck. And the great thing about being in the music business, is that you can still make a lot of satisfying art, and nourish your soul and touch others while making your money.

I'm a trumpet player--that is what I do better than anything. But I mostly play the "computer" now. I could get uptight about it, but why? That's the gratitude part, I guess. I feel extremely fortunate to wake up every day, make coffee, and walk to my studio to make my living. For me, that is enough, and I consider myself lucky beyond imagination to be able to do it.

So, I guess that's why I tune out when I hear about musicians being put out of work. If you're just making art for art's sake, and you believe the only way to do it is scraping a bow across a string, or buzzing your lips into a monstrosity of plumbing--well, I guess that's one way to feel. But it seems to me that it ignores the larger picture. Media is everywhere. It all needs music. Everyone must adapt to his environment, whether it's a cockroach or a musician. To me, adapting to the current music business environment has always been painless enough, and a pleasure compared to many worse fates.

Bruce,

This is a post I wish I'd written...only I think you said it better than I could have.

If I'm ever in Dallas, I'd like to take you out for a beer. We think alike.

Fred Story