My friend Eric sent me a link to Native Instruments, which is a bunch of plug ins and virtual instruments for music stuff.

I just find it insulting honestly. It's not really yours, or even anyone else's work. When I play my drums or my guitar, that's me. It's my instrument, the way it's been tuned, my choice of strings, heads, picks, sticks, whatever. My technique, my intensity, how everything links together. It's mine. No one can ever do that.

So here this company is and they put people like me who put years and money into what we do out of business. Ok, not really, but things would be better with live players. You can't replicate soul, passion, and life.

He means well, I know that. They are good tools, but I will never think they should substitute the real thing. But I'm sure if people had the resources they would use the real thing.

The way they set things up, with swing, intensity, velocity, room set ups, and whatever. It just makes it so dead.

If they are used to get ideas out and create a basis to be worked from, fine. But if they are used as a final product, then they are what's wrong with the music industry. I say "When I get rich and famous" a lot, but really I'm in it for the music. Not to write some catchy tune and have everyone humming along. I want it to be interesting, and make people think, but also make them love it. Not just whitewash to go with all the trendy crap that dictates what's in and what's not.

Fuck the conventions of society. Well, not too much.