Making a Beat with Xpand!2

[@gen-amb]

I think this is a great tool to have. I got it bundled with my little AKAI controller. The sample library is very cleanly recorded it’s extremely broad in what it covers, it’s compact just 2GB to load it all, there’s even third party patches you can get for it the effects don’t sound horrible and it’s very adjustable and controllable and reliable I found. I think people a) they hate it because it’s 44.1kHz 16 bit samples (and some people seem to think that means LITERALLY the same as 11.025khz 6-bit samples or something) b) it’s no longer developed and the Ux is locked. (Get OBS) c) it’s been sold for $4.99 as a promotion. (So that must “PROVE” it’s terrible!) My experience has been it’s very reliable and offers sophisticated control by MIDI or host automation, and it has a ton of high and low level tweakability and customization. Like anything complex it takes a little study and practice to get the best results from it but I’ve found it works really great and if you were smart enough to get it when it was free or $5 you really were smart IMHO. It’s a powerhouse.

[@latenightluke]

Yeah, I definitely agree with you! It's like the classic saying: "If it sounds good, it is good." Sometimes people are too concerned with cost to trust their own ears.