#has to be some special circle of hell for software engineers

[fantastic-nonsense]

however bad of a day you're having, know that it's not nearly as bad as whatever the Crowdstrike security team is going through since waking up this morning

[one-of-us-must-be-crazy]

As requested via message:

12. a hoarse whisper “Kiss me.”

The walk back from the dive bar isn’t more than twenty minutes, and usually Ripley enjoyed it as a chance to sober up before going home. 

Friday nights with the other workers from the shop wasn’t exactly the same as the small circle of friends she had in her late teens on Terra, nor were these people very fond of her but someone had been pushing for her to go out more and this was at least semi-structured. The shifty music bar had almost nothing in common with the neon venue her live-in housemate-boy/man-friend- person would take her to. That place was classy, safe, almost refined. 

She fit in better at the dive.

Going out on her own and and walking back wasn’t as risky though as her lover had been worried it would be; Ripley knew her limits well and stayed within them, fully aware for the drift home. If she wasn’t feeling great, she’d jump onto the trolley shuttle back to the district of their apartment building.

And she hated to admit it but...it had been nice going there for a while. A flicker of a sense of normality that she wasn’t getting at home; people around her age laughing and telling stories with voices ranging from stone-sober to absolutely trashed. It wasn’t quite like college was, but it was...nostalgic somehow. 

Still, each Friday night, long before last call, she’d find an excuse to leave. Tonight was no different, and she left even earlier than usual with the memory of Samuels worried face at the incompatibility of what was left of his software and the newest mandatory WY update. “Amanda what if I...crash.�� “You won’t crash.” “I-I’ll be out for a short while at least--I won’t be able to walk you home if you call.” “I’m a big girl I can get home on my own.” She didn’t drink tonight either. Samuels would have messaged her if something felt wrong, she told herself. Samuels wouldn’t have interrupted her doing anything more important than checking her email even if he was dying, she replied back to herself.

“I should go,” she said, her half-full glass of soda still; it’d done nothing for her but upset her stomach.

“Come on Rip, Jac here hasn’t even started to embarrass herself yet,” Thompson, the youngest of the shop, possibly no more than nineteen was a relative of the boss, and the only one allowed to get away with saying anything like that about her.

“No, it’s fine I need to--”

“One drink? Just one and I’ll buy it.” Jason, who looked uncomfortably like her first boyfriend, whom she once considered hooking up with after work. Fate sent in an employee of Weyland-Yutani not long after she started considering it though, which put a stop to any thoughts on it she might have still had.

“I don’t want any--”

“Are you feeling alright?” Trixie, the closest to her in age was probably the only one out of the whole shop that had any measure of empathy.

“She’s just eager to get home to the suit,” Jason drank the last of his current bottle of beer, looking about as annoyed to be there still as Ripley felt.

“Suit? Really?” she made a motion to walk away but he continued.

“That guy that keeps walking you to work,”

“That’s not a guy,” Jac interjected, looking back to her crew and away from the barmaid who made Ripley wonder what she ever saw in Jason. “That’s her synthetic, she won him in a We-Yu payout.”

“There’s no fucking way,”

“He looks just like them!” Trixie protested. Ripley sat back down onto her bar stool, wanting to vanish but unable to move.

“I’ve caught Ripley--... saying bye to him in the morning, they were at the back door of the break room.” Jason said, as if his witness statement would be the deciding factor. 

“I’m with him,” Thompson added, “I heard you’ve got a synth, but that’s your--your something that walks you to work, right?”

Ripley just nodded dumbly. She wanted to go home. 

“You look sick, babe,” Trixie made a motion to touch Amanda’s forehead, she leaned back away from her. “You sure you didn’t drink anything? Or leave your bottle alone too long?”

“I didn’t. I’m fine. I don’t know why any of this means shit anyway,” She finally managed to stand up, pushed her drink aside and took her jacket off the hook under the bar.

“Ripley you’re not---?”

“Not what?”

“Trix thinks you’re knocked up.”

“Wait what?”

“Are you?”

“Is it the suit’s?”

“I would have put actual money on you being a lesbian--no offense, Jac.”

“None taken, I would have thought so too.”

“Not that any of you need to fucking know, but I’m here for both sides of the--wait-- the fuck--Why do you think I’m knocked up? That’s not possible,” she insisted; zipping up her jacket felt like adding another shield between her and these people, and their questions, all their questions...

“You’re on something right?”

“That’s none of your gddamn business.”

“Harsh.”

Thompson hadn’t said anything in the last minute, but had a distant, mathematic expression on his face. 

Ripley could hear the kid’s gears clicking into place.

“The suit is your synthetic.” he stated.

“Does this matter?”

“It does becuase I know I saw you shove your tongue down his throat last week.”

“Thanks Jason,” Ripley’s claws were out, she felt like a cornered alley cat.

“You didn’t deny it,” Thompson was asking for a broken noes but Ripley held back. “You said ‘not possible.’“

“What do you want me to say?!” 

“Rip--”

“I’m going home,”

---------

For this walk home, Ripley truly wished she wasn’t sober.

Maybe no one would remember, or care; maybe they’d keep on teasing her for having a stuffed shirt for a boyfriend and calling her “housewife” every time she left work or the bar early. She could live with that. But there was something very backwards about her relationship as it stood and on some level she thinks both of them know it. Samuels has yet to be eager for the single person at his old office that ever treated him with respect to know about his living arrangements with a human woman. 

And was it so bad to think that either of them could pretend to be normal for what they were long enough to make friends? But now they’ll see her as somehow defective, or deviant, or even an idiot for thinking that a corporate drone was anywhere close to human--even if she knew the truth of it. Explaining it to people, even trying to, would only make it worse.

She’s still worried too about how he handled the updates; she had been so eager to get out of the house, get tipsy with humans her age and not have to try to be the perfect partner, get to choose her carefully constructed shell for the night instead of being around the only being in the galaxy that she was incapable of tricking with masks and careful words.

They were defenseless around each other in ways that bordered on codependent and maybe that’s part of why she wanted some time away from their flat. She didn’t like the lack of privacy. He was unreadable to her, yet he still seemed like he could see right through her skull. It could get infuriating.

At the door to their building she still has an elevator ride and a hallway to go, and highly considers wandering off for a little while longer.

-----

“Amanda?”

“Who the hell else would it be?”

“No one, but...You’re very early.” he was seated on their couch, hurriedly trying to pull his sleeve down over the point where the data cord was pulled in. As if hiding the point of connection would be enough to make her forget what he was. “Did something happen? Are you alright?”

Reading her, clearly and perfectly as always.

“I should be the one asking that. I’m sorry I didn’t stay with you for the updates.”

“It’s fine; and I’m glad you’re home now, becuase I’ll have to sleep for a few hours while they install and--”

“Is there that much of a chance your systems will reject it?”

“They won’t reject it, they’ll only crash if it’s no longer fully compatible.”

“You didn’t say that before?!” She turned around from the fridge where she had been trying to find her last beer, and Samuels looked guilty.

“I...did tell you? You assured me that I wouldn’t crash, and I know that you have an awareness of my systems but you aren’t a software engineer and--”

“I thought you were just being anxious! If I thought that this was life or death then I wouldn’t have gone to a fucking bar!”

“Amy,” he started softly as he watched her pop the cap off her beer on the side of their kitchen counter, “What happened tonight?”

“Nothing.”

“Not nothing, please... Let someone in.”

“Christopher you don’t seem to grasp the special case that you are, and how little normally people usually get into my life. You’re the first person I brought into my apartment in over a year. If I wanted to-- I normally stayed at someone else’s place. You have more access to me in every definition of the word than anyone has in a long, long time. If I want to keep one, small thing out of your sight then let me.”

“Did someone hurt you?”

“Did you hear anything I just said?!”

“Yes, however if you’ve been insulted or even injured I’d like to know--”

“No--You’ll find out eventually anyway, and right now I want to sleep and forget it.”

“Is there anything that I can do, or tend to that would--”

“You could stop being a medic droid for five minutes and try act like you live here and not work here.” It was cold steel she just shoved through him and on some level she knew it and regretted it before saying it. 

Realizing that there was very little chance of her forgetting for any time at all tonight that he was what he was; he rolled his sleeve up again. A faint yellow light below the skin where the cord attached shifted to green and he pulled the cord. It was small, smaller than the cords used to charge their datapads, and instead of a plug on the end there was a needle, a superfine point jack connection meant to go into the skins so that ports could be fully hidden on the androids.

Injury to insult.

“I’ll have to sleep soon. And I’m...” He had hoped she’d go to bed with him, hold close so that if this was it, then her presence would be the last sensation he’d have.

“It’s your room too, you don’t have to ask permission,”

“Will you be coming?”

“...Fine.” 

------

This isn’t the first time that Ripley’s retreated into herself, but in the past months when it happened he’d been able to busy himself with something, anything, in the main room, letting her simmer down overnight. Mornings she was back to normal. 

“I’m sorry I know that you don’t want--”

“Samuels I didn’t say I don’t want you here.” last name.

“You’re upset with me.” it wasn’t a question, but his voice ticked to almost make it one when he watched Amanda strip graceless down to underwear and pull her bra out from under her tshirt. 

“I am,” she didn’t bother dressing in nightclothes, just going straight to bed, facing the wall.

“...I didn’t want to frighten you with the odds or guilt you into postponing whatever it is that you’re trying to process but--It’s more likely than not that if I wake up it won’t be with my memories...or self...complete.”

“Why can’t you ever just tell me the truth and not--”

“Becuase the less I have to act like a ‘droid’ around you the better.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine; I understand that this isn’t--....typical.”

She’s quiet, but the slowing of his systems scares her, and she knows it’s more likely than not just his anxiety and that he’ll be fine but--

“They found out.”

“About us?”

“About us..and you.”

“...I don’t know how to apologize for that, or even respond at all.”

“Some of them guessed you were my boyfriend, others guessed you were the synthetic that I’m on record of owning, and then someone put the two together.”

“Amanda--”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry--”

“Can we just..?” she’s ready to cry, and in her voice is wavering between wispy and hoarse. She turns around to face him, and she’s always surprised how much more human he looks up close, and how much more artificial he feels up close. He’s both. 

“You’re the one who said this wasn’t going to be normal or easy,” he brushes at a tear that falls down and across her face; she never washed off the eye liner she had put on before leaving and it started to blur. He’d wash the pillow cases in the morning if he was still sound enough to do so. “After...everything, I have no expectations, only a little hope that this keeps going.”

“I swear I’m trying for--”

“Not for me. You don’t have to; do it for yourself, luv...”

“Kiss me”

He looks confused, even in this dim light she can tell.

“Chris?” he doesn’t answer her, but leans into her nonetheless and kisses her gently. “I do love you, even when I’m mad.”

“I know,” he answers, as drowsy sounding as he can get, and carefully, slowly enough that she can push away if she wanted, he holds her closer.

[thetapelessworld]

Interview with Jesús Ginard from Wavesfactory

Here’s an Interview We Did with Jesús Ginard from Wavesfactory

Wavesfactory is and Audio Plugins and Software Instruments Company Based In Spain. Wavesfactory was Started in 2010. With the goal to deliver high-quality audio tools for musicians and engineers. A mindset on improving on every product release in terms of audio quality, ease of use and powerful but simple features.

- What got you interested in music?

I grew up in a family full of musicians. My two grandfathers played in the same band when they were young, both my father and my brother are superb drummers and my uncle is a band director. It's no surprise that I got interested in music from an early age. I've been studying classical music since I was 6 years old and followed studying modern music, guitar, piano and drums.

- Do you remember the first piece of music that moved you? And how has that influenced you?

I remember precisely the moment where a song really moved me for the first time. I was like 9 years old and I was listening to the song "Everything's Alright" from Jesus Christ Superstar's soundtrack. There's a crescendo when Jesus ends his part that gave me goosebumps all over my body. I was like "What the hell did just happened?" and my father that was next to me told me "this is because you like music so much".

- What are some of your favourite musicians, composers or sound Designers. and how Does that influence Wavesfactory?

I really like musicians who do all on their own because I feel sympathetic to them as I do everything in Wavesfactory.

People like Gotye who made a whole album on his parent's barn.

There're two spanish musicians that I also like very much: Guille Milkyway and Damien Lott. Both make stunning records in solitaire. They compose, produce, play, record and mix their own songs. That's definitely inspiring for me.

- What made you decide to start making sample libraries?

"Find something you'd pay to do and make that your job". That's what my father said to me at the time I ended my studies. I love computers, I love music, I love recording. If you do the math the outcome is Wavesfactory.

- I've been a fan since you started making cool inexpensive Kontakt Instruments. Wavesfactory has come a long way. Wavesfactory has great libraries and plug-ins.

Thank you! When I started in 2010 sample libraries were just too expensive for me, there wasn't libraries priced at less than €50. I decided to start offering sample libraries at a lower price point.

Since I was just learning I think it was just fine at the beginning, but over the years I learnt a lot and the libraries were still priced at €9.95. So in mid 2016 I decided to make the switch to a higher price point because I think that the instruments really deserved it.

- I would say everything Wavesfactory releases has character. What do you think sets Wavesfactory apart from others and makes you unique?

I think that what makes Wavesfactory different from the rest is that Wavesfactory is just one person and it's inevitable to print my personality in everything I do.

If we were a team of 30 people surely there will be a "company image" because every company has it, but it won't be that personal.

- Where did the Idea to Make Mercury Piano come from? It's a great piano library.

Thanks! I've been a Queen fan since I was 12, it's the only band that I listened in my childhood. I was following Metropolis Studios on Facebook and I saw a picture of the Studio A with their Fazioli with the title "Freddie's piano".

I know Queen recorded Innuendo and Made In Heaven in that studio, the 2 final records, so I asked "is this Freddie's piano or you just call it that way?". They said that it's actually Freddie's piano so we started arranging the sampling session.

- What  are some of Mercury Piano's  special Features?

Mercury is a very special instrument for me because I wanted to make it perfect in every way. I didn't want to make something that was just "ok", so I wrote down a list of my personal favourite piano libraries like Orange Tree Samples Rosewood Grand, Native Instrument's Alicia's Keys, Cinesample's Piano in Blue and also some others suggested by customers. "I won't release Mercury until it is at least as good as these libraries". It was a big challenge as you can imagine!

It took me a year to make the script, always comparing Mercury's current state with the big piano libraries. One day I came up with a new way of dealing with release samples that was much more realistic than the previous one (the one that everybody uses). When compared with the big boys Mercury sounded superb and alive. Going back to the other libraries was disappointing, I wanted to keep playing Mercury all the time. That was the time I said "OK, this is perfect!".

- Two of my favourite Wavesfactory Libraries are Drum Circle and Newmello I and II. Making Drum Circle must have been fun and challenging. Can you tell us about recording the library? And what are some of the most important features?

Drum Circle is a very special library since it was the first one that involved a large number of people and a big studio.

It's also the first library that featured Kontakt Scripting since that was the time I first started coding. For the first time I was able to implement the features I wanted like articulation remapping and built-in effects.

Perhaps the best feature on the library is being able to select any number of drummers playing at the same time.

Looking at it in perspective it feels to me like I took a big step forward.

- You guys were known for Kontakt libraries, where did the idea of making plug-ins come from? Track Spacer is definitely a one of a kind plugins. What did the idea come from?

I was recording original music for a tv documentary and in the mixing process I just thought I needed a plug-in like Trackspacer that will make the job much easier. I googled it, searched on forums for some time and I didn't find anything so I thought "I'm going to do it on my own!". At the time I didn't had the knowledge to code plug-ins so I got in contact with Xavier Oudin and together came up with Trackspacer.

- Can you explain what it does?

Trackspacer is a unique plug-in, no other plug-in can do what Trackspacer does even 6 years after its release.

It analyses the frequency spectrum of the side-chain signal, then it uses and internal 32-band EQ in order to reduce that frequencies in real-time.

It's similar to side-chain compression (or even multi-band compression), the difference is that a compressor will just analyse the envelope of the side-chain as a whole and will reduce the volume also as a whole. A multi-band side-chain compressor will analyse the envelope of the side-chain as a whole and will reduce the volume on multiple bands independently with different compressor settings. Trackspacer will analyse the side-chain in 32 chunks and will reduce each chunk separately. It's like having a 32-band EQ that reacts automatically inverting the spectrum of the side-chain.

Imagine you have a kick drum and a bass that are in conflict with each other. You will insert Trackspacer to the bass channel and have it listen to the kick (side-chain). Every time the kick hits Trackspacer will analyse the frequency content and will reduce it to the bass. That way the kick will always get on top of the bass when needed, but the bass will still retain all the frequencies when needed too.

- You have just released your second plug-in Spectre. So it’s an eq/saturation and enhancer all in one.  Can you tell us about Spectre? Where did idea come from? Can you explain and tell us what it does.

Spectre is a sound-shaping tool that combines the best features of an enhancer coupled with a graphical parametric equaliser.

It processes the difference between the input signal and the EQ signal, introducing harmonic content to just the part of the spectrum that you want from a variety of saturation algorithms based on classic recording hardware.

I have loved enhancers since I tried the original Aphex Aural Exciter, then BBE Sonic Maximizer and on. I always thought of a plug-in like those in which I could set the type of saturation applied and exactly where and how-much. That's possible with a graphical EQ.

You can use Spectre as if it was a classic boosting EQ with different sonic colours and a very special sound.

- I love the idea of being able to saturate the signal as I want. I think you’ve got a hit plug-in on your hands with this one.

Thank you! It has been very well received by the audio community and I'll keep releasing updates with new requested features.

- What applications do you see people using Spectre for tracking instruments, mixing and mastering? Please give some examples of what you think we should use it for.

Spectre is great on mixes, sub-mixes and mastering too.

I use it to make a fuller bottom-end on kick drum and bass by boosting on the 60 hertz range just a little bit using the Tape color with aggressive setting.

It's also very useful for getting sparkle on the top end by boosting the high-shelf on the Tube setting.

Try boosting the high-shelf in 'Side' processing mode and you'll get a stereo spread that's more natural and pleasing than regular stereo wideners.

- What are some sample instruments (non Wavesfactory) that you like or wish you made?

That's a very good question. I would probably say the Toontrack product line.

- Who are some of your favourite Kontakt developers? (non Wavesfactory)

I have special admiration for small developers that do all on their own like AudioThing, Orange Tree Samples and Fluffy Audio.

I also like Native Instruments, Spitfire Audio and Cinesamples.

- What are some of your favourite plugins (non Wavesfactory)?

I use Xfer’s Serum all the time for all types of synths, I think it’s a masterpiece. I recently discovered OP-X by 'sonicprojects' and I absolutely love it. I don't know what it has but it triggers the nostalgia bit on me on every patch.

- Who are some of your favourite Plug-in developers? (non Wavesafactory)

If I had to choose only one I'd stick with U-he. I love their philosophy and style.

- Which Wavesfactory product are you most proud of?

Tough question again! When creating something there's always a feeling of "I could have done that bit better". I don't have that feeling at all with Sharine. Sharine sounds great, I love the interface (which took me a long time to do!) and it fixes a common problem with shakers and tambourines that wasn't even tried to be solved before. I'm referring to the problem that these percussion instruments have an amount of pre-roll or pre-shift before the main transient and you have to manually shift the midi notes in order for the transient to be placed on beat. Sharine advances the midi notes for you depending on the sample that it's going to be played.

- What’s your favourite hardware or software gear to process samples?

The only process that I do to the samples is de-noising and I think iZotope RX is the best on the market right now being able to de-noise in bulk.

I don't process samples with EQ or compression not even at the recording stage, I like to provide samples as raw as posible and then provide effects in the library.

- What are some dessert-island things you use?

I recently discovered 'Talkbox' by 'mda' and I'm using it all the time for vocals, maybe just a touch of it on a saw-tooth synth following the main chords and the vocal gets fuller instantly. It's also a good way of getting that doubler effect.

I couldn’t live without Celemony’s Melodyne and Voxengo SPAN. I recently got a copy of Soundtheory’s Gullfoss and I think I’m going to love it…  

- What direction do you see Wavesfactory taking?

I would like to continue delivering unique plug-ins and Kontakt instruments as long as I can since it's what I love to do.

- Are you working on something that you would like to tells us about?

I'm working on new plug-ins, new Kontakt instruments and also new versions of old libraries like The Tack.

I have a few ideas for audio plug-in effects that have never been done before (like Trackspacer) and I don't know if they are useful or not until they are released, so I hope you like them! I’m sorry I can’t explain more on future projects…

- Anything else you would like to share?

Thank you for the interview and good luck with The Tapeless World!

Also Be sure to check out there Plugins and Sample Libraries

https://www.wavesfactory.com/

I  Highley Recommend Trackspacer.  https://www.wavesfactory.com/trackspacer/

Trackspacer is an award-nominated plug-in that creates space in a mix by carving the frequencies that the main track needs into another track in real-time.

Trackspacer is no ordinary plug-in, it is similar to a sidechain compressor plug-in but much more powerful, transparent and precise.

TapeOp said: “TrackSpacer is a ridiculously affordable, easy way to get various elements of your mix to interact in useful and musical ways… Final words: buy it! It works!”

https://www.wavesfactory.com/trackspacer/

Also Be sure to check Out

MERCURY PIANO - THE ICONIC FAZIOLI GRAND PIANO USED ON LEGENDARY HITS

Mercury piano is a grand piano instrument for Kontakt Player featuring a Fazioli F-228 recorded at Metropolis Studios in London.Mercury piano was one year in the making, taking care of the smallest details in order to make it perfect.The combination of the unique tone of this piano, exquisite recording and leading coding leads many to consider this as one of the best piano instruments on the market.

https://www.wavesfactory.com/mercury-piano/

Spectre is a sound-shaping tool that combines the best features of an enhancer coupled with a graphical parametric equaliser.Spectre processes the difference between the input signal and the EQ signal, introducing harmonic content to just the part of the spectrum that you want from a variety of saturation algorithms based on classic recording hardware.Spectre can be used on individual tracks, sub-mixes, the entire mix and is ideal for mastering.

https://www.wavesfactory.com/spectre/