May 9, 2022 Thank goodness it has finally started to warm up. Spring fever is here. Mother’s Day brought flowers showng their colors. Feel free, take home some gif starters for your garden. DOWNLOAD FREE REVERB IMPULSE RESPONSES Reverb is an integral effect in a recording studio and it has been for over 70 years. And many of the reverbs that were popular in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s are being sought after again. Once upon a time, back when people still recorded to tape (1990s), there was a recording desk style reverb called the Alesis Wedge. It was a hot item and had a cool reverb sound. However, to revive and hear the sounds of this machine once again, especially if your DAW doesn’t have one (like the Reaverb), you’ll need a reverb convolver. The two best free ones I found last week were the MConvolutionEZ by Melda Production and the Convology XT at Impulse Record. I prefer the excellent sounds and ease of installation of the MConvolution (although I downloaded and got the complete library of free effects with reminder-ware). The other story; the Convology XT has an excellent interface, and you get to experience some great old reverbs, but they only offer a 7-day trial period. To get around this problem your valuable music must be put at risk and be connected to the internet. I hope no one is that foolish. So in this case it becomes a decision; how often will you use a convolver? If the answer is “often” then get the MConvolution. After you’ve downloaded your convolver of choice (if needed) then download the Alesis Wedge reverb IRs. Then plug these throw-backs from 1997 into your DAW, kick back, and stroll down amnesia lane. I feel like I’ve reverberated here before. Maybe I have and I just don’t reverber it. Reverber? Is that a word? Anyway, if yet more 1990s nostalgia is what you’re after then download the reverbs from the Lexicon MPX-1. It came out in about 1996 and was a hit for a short while -- some reviewers at the time said it was an audio equivalent to the Lexicon PCM 80. Conversely, some people also enjoy traveling farther back in time to the main-stay reverbs of the 50s through the 80s. Old plates, oil cans, guitar amp springs, and expensive early pioneering digital processors were the cutting edge workhorses of the time. Many of those sounds are now considered curiosities, but occasionally a discerning engineer will pause, reflect, and decide to download Reverb Relics of the past. And do you know what modern recording engineers call old reverbs? They call them old reverbs. And the new reverbs available today are really worth listening to... This modern reverb collection has over 400 original sounds: ambience, bass drum, recording studios with tall ceilings, rockin’ guitar rooms, big rock club stages, arenas, and more. None of them are real places; they are imitations of the real thing. But they sound damn cool. And they are free. Once again, these IRs require a reverb convolver to work properly. So get one (if needed), and after that… click here to download over 400 free reverb IRs. You never know, you might find a few you can actually do. And if you need more simply download this Free BONUS room reverb pack with sounds ranging from a trailer park closet to a home improvement center kitchen to a modern service garage. These two reverb impulse response packs contain over 700 reverb samples and over 400mb of data. Add them to your collection -- there’s no need to buy reverbs. And to my ear these free ones sound better anyway. But that’s enough about reverbs, let’s enjoy another refreshment from the limo bar and talk about… FREE GUITAR CABINET IMPULSE RESPONSES Who’s got the best free guitar cabinet impulse reponses? Where can I download them? You asked for it… Here’s the final word on free guitar cabinet impulse responses… drum roll please… The Top 11 Best Free Guitar and Bass Cabinet Impulse Responses for 2022 (in alphabetical order…) 01. Albrecht Productions (requires email signup) 02. Allure IR pack by Line 6 (requires email signup) 03. Djammincabs 04. faIR Modern Rock (requires email signup) 05. Free Celestion Impulse Responses (requires email signup) 06. Free Redwirez IR Library (requires email signup) 07. God’s Cab by Wilkinson Audio (requires email signup) 08. Kalthallen Cabs (requires email signup) 09. Overdriven (requires email signup) 10. SNB Impulse Response Files (requires email signup) 11. Soundwoofer (requires email signup) Hmm, it looks like it’s that time again,… exit, stage left… Knowledge, art, and music for all. That means you too, Sonny Jim. Fred

APRIL 25, 2022 Very soon it will be time for Americans to make an- other excuse to celebrate, and this time it’s Cinco de Mayo. Enjoy a large totilla filled with a few tequila gelatin shots. Listen to your favorite mari- achi band. I always liked the horn section. Put a wedge of lime in your mug of beer and try to do a hat dance without spilling any. It’s a serious chal- lenge after the tequila gelatin shots. And menudo is excellent for curing a morning-after hangover, especially if you also eat the bowl. Djammincabs Guitar Cabinet Impulse Responses 400 FREE Cabinet Impulse Responses It sounds impossible -- a superlative of the superlatives -- but add them all up and you get four hundred cabinet impulse responses. The Djammincabs download page has been quite popular for those who enjoy using bass or guitar cabinet impulse responses. “Cool sounds.” “I really enjoy your stuff.” “These are better than the paid ones.” “Great impulse responses, and no e-mail sucker. Beautiful.” “Thanks, a nice addition to my collection.” There’s a bunch to download on the Djammincabs page and here’s some more for good measure… Click here for 50 free bass cabinet impulse responses. Click here for 50 free guitar cabinet impulse responses. “What free convolver do you recommend to use with these guitar cabinets?” Here’s a download link to the zero latency dual convolver by STL Tones Ignite NadIR. Once you download and install the Emissary guitar amplifier plugin it will au- tomatically install NadIR onto your system -- they come together. It’s my favorite convolver; it’s free, simple, stable, and powerful. Emissary/NadIR download link. Dangerous Neighbors originally recorded a tune way back in 1988 called Stowaway. It wasn’t a great recording; it was a demo done in a 4-track studio lo- cated in the upstairs of a well known Chicago mortuary. This version was recorded again in about 1998. Enjoy. And here’s another old forgotten tune that was written in 1979; The Underwear Song. It was re-recorded in about 1996 for a comedy show that never materialized. Dangerous Neighbors changed their name to The Dog Polishers and here’s the lineup; “Snuggy” -- sax machine, “Taz” -- drums, “Buddy” -- bass, and “Heathcliff” -- guitar and vocals. The tune is ridiculously stupid -- out of tempo and out of tune -- but that was the intention. Here’s the shortcut to hear both Dangerous Neighbors tunes. If you need Pendulate patches or presets you can download them here. It was also suggested that the download link for the Pendulate synth be added to the site so others can find it readily. You’ll have to give up your e-mail for the download but it’s worth it. This is the link to download the free Pendulate synth plugin. And one more thing before I go back to peering into the night sky and wondering if there is any life out there in the uterus, April is poetry month, at least for some peo- ­ple. And here’s one of my all time favorites… The First Greeting Soft bedside whispers left far behind; a final sighing breath the surest sign. Deaths’ call heard o’er the gale beckons way through life's secret veil. A beautiful most precious day, lone trek begins by making the way... pursuing sweet voice... calling the name of Eternal Homes’ most recent claim... Welcome to the Abyss of Forever. Paul William Leah 1834-1873 Michigan poet That’s all folks. Knowledge, art, and music for all. Fred

April 11, 2022

Easter is upon us April 17, 2022 and that means marshmallow Peeps, chocolate rabbits, col - ored eggs, and plastic baby ducks for the bathtub. Too bad no one has ever invented color - ful festive baskets full of beer. What’s new at Zystrix? About three weeks ago it was suggested that bass players also enjoy impulse re - sponses. I can believe that. So here they are… Download 100 free bass guitar cabinet impulse responses. Enjoy. To download yours simply click on the red audio/video link above and follow the link or click on the above shortcut. Don’t forget to download the 50 free bonus bass cabs. Pink Man is hiding behind the bass cabinets. Free guitar cabinet IRs are always popular. Sorry if you missed the last 121 cabs that were listed, but you’ll probably love these too. Don’t forget to download the 50 free bonus guitar cabs -- tell Pink Man I sent you. Here’s the link… Download 100 free guitar cabinet impulse responses. A beard doesn’t make a person wise, but it does save on razors. Knowledge, art, and music for all. Fred

May 23, 2022 Memorial Day (last Monday of May) is the U.S. federal holiday to pay our respects and mourn our fallen soldiers who died while in service. Many people place flowers or a small flag on a loved one’s grave. In the absence of that over this holiday weekend -- if you feel so moved -- please tip your hat and/or refreshment to those who believed in freedoms. Salute! DOWNLOAD ALL ORIGINAL FREE DRUM SAMPLES Drums are the backbone of almost any kind of popular music today. And the sound of drums can range from playful to aggressive. Probably the most popular drum set consists of a snare drum, bass drum, and three tom-toms -- this is called a five-piece kit. This Zystrix special download will cover only the sound of bass drums. On the face of it that sounds simple enough, but the range of bass drum sounds covers many stripes. This will be just a fraction of those, mainly in the rock genre, but it contains over 200 orginal samples of cool sounds. Stay tuned -- over time the other parts of a rockin’ 5-piece drum kit will be covered. That being said, try these free bass drum samples in 48K. Most are pretty basic, some are experimental, and a few are drums of pending doom. Plug them into your favorite sampler or sampling drum machine, use them in your musical projects, and please share them freely. Enjoy. Click here to download over 200 free bass drum samples. DOWNLOAD MORE FREE REVERB IMPULSE RESPONSES The Alesis MIDIVerb 4 came out in the 1990s and it was an affordable reverb that offered some great features. In my opinion it wasn’t as cool as the Alesis Wedge, but it held its own as many of the sounds were the same. It’s not very popular anymore, but the reverb sounds live on in 48K impulse response form. If you’d like to experience or re-experience these forgotten reverbs simply download and plug these impulse responses into your favorite reverb convolver. Then kick back and enjoy the Alesis MIDIVerb 4 cutting edge sounds and technology from the 1990s. Click here to download all Alesis MIDIVerb 4 reverb impulse responses. “This website… has a colorful carnival-like atmosphere and the best fee downloads. Fuck Sonny Jim.” Thanks -- always tryin’ to keep it true ... Knowledge, art, and music for all. Fred Have a safe Memorial Day