Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fx

VST for Linux?

Squid Voltaire — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:26:55 -0800

What do Linux people do for realtime music effects? I used to play around with AudioMulch and a whole bunch of sweet VST effects on my Windows machine, and it was great. You know, stuff like Transverb and the like.

Now I use Linux, and while there are a host of advantages, there is no VST (something about the license from Steinberg, I think?). In fact, the DAWs I've used (Audacity and Ardour) don't seem to be set up for effects processing at all.

I'm assuming that you are meant to do you effects processing upstream, and chain it into the DAW at the last step (I use JACK, so this wouldn't be a problem) but that's just a guess. So...

A) What do Linux people do for digital audio effects? Is there maybe a nice converter or emulator or something I could run that will let me use my old windows stuff?

and B) I presume that there's some sort of program that takes in audio, runs it through an effect, and spits it out again, right? What is it? I use Rarkarrack, but that's only good for a certain number of effects (and is also impossible to spell).

Any advice?

YESFX!!!

god particle — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:12:14 -0800

Where can I find some interesting effect pedals? I'm bored by the more "traditional" selection of effect pedals from big-name makers such as Boss or Digitech, so I'm looking for some more interesting, lesser-known producers of effect pedals. I have a taste for noise and crunchy distortion and glitch and lo-fi but I also appreciate delays and spacey, ethereal sounds...in short, I'm open to anything.
I do have a DIY pedal somewhere in my closet but I haven't gotten the courage to try putting it together just yet, so I'm also open to resources related to building your own or modding pedals (I don't have any electronic experience so beginner stuff is best).

Does anyone watch FX's show "Damages"? If so, who WAS that guy...?

newfers — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:43:55 -0800

On the February 11th episode of FX's show "Damages", I saw an actor in a small part, who I know from another show, but I'll be damned if I can remember him, and I missed the credits! In the scene where Ellen returns to the apartment she shared with her fiance before his murder, a neighbor walks into the apartment to hand Ellen a gift that had arrived in the mail.

The actor who played this part looks terribly familiar, and I just cannot find any information online as to who it was. I'm sure that when I find out who he was, I'll slap myself on the forehead and go "of course!", but for now, I am drawing a total blank...

Help me relieve this mental indigestion, mefites, please!!

Pro Sound Effects?

lore — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:42:37 -0800

How do professionals handle sound effects? I'm wondering what a professional starting out in radio or animation would do for sound effects.

I'm aware of a number of Web sites and CD collections of sound effects. I'm not looking for help finding them, I'm looking for personal recommendations, preferably from professionals or semi-pros.

If you were starting a new, say, radio station and needed effects for ads and morning show shenanigans, where would you get them? Is there an industry standard library for sale/license?

Why the big price gap in guitar FX pedals?

spiderskull — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:08:41 -0800

What is the essential difference between guitar effect pedals in different prices ranges? Also, are the DIY stompbox kits worth it? I'm in the market for a delay pedal, and the gaps between prices are huge (especially for such a simple effect). Is there anything intrinsically wrong with Danelectro's pedals? Why are they so much cheaper than, say, Boss pedals?

I've read this question and its answers (namely, these two), and they were helpful.

I've also got an engineering background and am handy with an iron, so building my own would be no problem. The thing is, the kits aren't any cheaper than just buying a production one. So are they worth the extra effort for sound quality?

FX gives me a headache

barrakuda — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:46:02 -0800

I am permanently moving from the US to Europe in about a month. I have about $50K in savings in HSBC high (and ever-falling) interest account. I am at a loss as to what to do with this money. Money-savvy Mefites, please come to the rescue. So I have all this money sitting in savings. For the next four months my salary will continue to be paid in dollars. I am a horrible, albeit charming, investment ignoramus. On one hand, I feel terrible about converting my savings to euros, on the other I don't know whether I want to leave my money in the States especially if the dollar is to further depreciate against the euro. I considered buying an apartment in Washington, DC and renting it out; but I wonder if there are other means of managing my hard-earned money and assuring that it will not loose its value. Ideas? Comments? Anyone? Bueller?

currency exchange

jeffburdges — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:31:57 -0800

Any opinions about foreign exchange brokers? How can one even tell who does only trades & who actually converts currency? I'm mostly interested in moving currency from dollars to euros, but trading is an option.

I was almost done with XEtrade's week long signup process, when they screwed me over by being unable to correct a type-o, restarting the whole bureaucratic nightmare. So I'm done with them.

But most curency brokers I've found only care about trades, they won't actually convert anything! For example, OANDA is primarily about trading but offers various toy features for "travelers" & such. Forex.com doesn't even pretend they'll convert currency.

Custom House, the muscle behind XEtrade, apparently has everything you'd want, but their site sucks, especially in Safari.

Experiences?

p.s. I never was sure who gives better deals : Custom House or XEtrade.

Would the stars really look like that?

eustacescrubb — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 04:37:39 -0800

Would the stars really look like that? I was watching Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan last night and during the opening credits, the names appear in what was probably a futuristiic-looking font in the 80s, and as the credits progress, the stars seem to slip past the screen, starting out from the center and then progressing offscreen without passing through the center again.
Would it really look like this? How fast would one have to be going for it to look like that? Wouldn't some of the stars be larger than the others from the p.o.v. of the viewer's spaceship?

How can I safely make sparks for a film shoot?

MattS — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 16:08:14 -0800

I'm looking for a safe way to generate a lot of sparks for a film. In the shot the character is connecting a large power source to an electronic device, like a computer. When he does it I really want the thing to light up with sparks. The only ways that I can think to do this don't seem very safe. I can shoot the sparks separately and composite them in afterwards.

I've considered doing the whole thing as a computer-generated special effect, but I'm sure that it will look fake.

Help a Freelance Artist find a Tax Accountant

matthelm — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 06:33:17 -0800

I am getting pretty serious into the vfx industry and wanted to know where to look for accountant to deal with my taxes as a freelance artist... I am getting pretty serious into the vfx industry and wanted to know where to look for accountant to deal with my taxes as a freelance artist. I live in the Venice, Culver City, Marnia Del Rey area of good ole' California and just don't know where to beign to find someone who works with such artists and is not too expensive...any help will do...

thanks