Finally got around to installing UVI player and all those free libraries I've received during promotions. My previous experience wasn't all that great, and I guess that my laptop was underpowered for the player. This somehow affected my perception because I simply couldn't rely on it. Cracklings and clicks somehow casted a shadow over the actual sounds.
 
On the new iMac, things are much smoother, though this thing is still pretty CPU intensive at times. When I started playing with Digital Synsations, the minute I messed with the filter, I got a severe case of crackling. Likelwise, the (free) Mellotron seems particularly heavy for such a small library. I realize that my computer isn't the fastest machine on the market, but with nothing else going on, I'd expect a synth to run smoothly. After all, the same comp can handle relatively big Kontakt libraries in full sessions and lowest latency.
 
I was wondering if any of you guys experienced similar issues with it.
 
Overall, though, it's now entirely possible to use the UVI Player and I've realized just how good the free instruments they offered were. I wasn't impressed when I heard demos of the Model D piano they gave away through Audio Deluxe a few weeks ago - I almost skipped installing it, but I'm glad I didn't. It's much better than I expected. 
 
This also means that they'll probably make a lot of money with me since they have plenty of interesting instruments that I want. Last night I ordered their E-MU Emulator/Drumulator combo, which AD is selling for $29. I'll probably grab their Beatbox anthology as well because it's also on sale and I'm a sucker for beatboxes, and even though I own a bunch of sample collections, I like the convenience of having one huge collection.
 
 

I took advantage of that offer as well, and am very pleased with UVI Digital Synsations.  I hope I don't end up getting drawn into buying anything from UVI from promos in the future, but for free that was a heck of a package to get just for hearing about the free offer and jumping on it.
 
 

As far as free goes, so far I've received Digital Synsations, Analogic Piano 9, Grand Model D, and Mello.
 
Though something like Analogic Piano 9 is of marginal use, in the end, even just for the freebies, it's worth having UVI player installed, fo me anyway.
 
At that rate, I'm pretty sure there'll be other freebies down the road.
 

I got the free UVI Grand Piano D when I bought the EZ Keys from Audio Deluxe. It's nice to have it since I don't have the Grand for EZ Keys. I tried it out and messed around with the program a bit to get used to it, and I was pretty impressed with the sound. I'm not sure what the difference is between all of the Grand presets, but it sounds good. It also has some nice effects too.

I just tried out the Grand Piano D yesterday myself. Very happy with the sound. I don't have many pianos and I don't have the full Kontakt either. Most of the sampled pianos like from Sampletekk require the full kontackt except the $100 Black Grand (one offering will work on Kontakt player) I think. I've always balked at that even when I saw it on sale for $50, so this for free made me pretty happy even after playing it a bit.

I jumped on the Neo Soul 5x Ultimate "for UVI" set from Gospel Musicians.
It's on sale and has some of the finest electric piano's.

Well, it seems that they got me hooked.
 
I'm liking the E-MU combo a whole lot and I've just ordered their Beat Box Anthology. I'm a sucker for beat boxes, even though I have a fair supply of them in my DAW. Theirs seem like a quite extensive collection.
 
I also grabbed their more generic Plugsound Pro, which was used in a couple of projects I've worked on with a friend. Again, a few instruments but mostly beat boxes which I liked when I dug back the archives recently. JRR Shop had it for under $60.

I've got about $110 in vouchers with them I have to use or lose before years end. Looks like I'm in for some listening tests.

yorolpal
I've got about $110 in vouchers with them I have to use or lose before years end. Looks like I'm in for some listening tests.

I kind of regret disregarding all those promotion e-mails a while back - as I mentioned, I had a negative impression of the player. But now that this has changed, practically everything in their Vintage Vault would interest me, as I'm a huge fan of most of those old synths. For whatever reason, I often seem to prefer sampled synths.

Well, even Mello has been mocked, but IMO it's a fine instrument.
BTW, you can still get Synth Legacy, the special synth collection launched for Guitar Center's 50 years. You can also purchase the download version at Musician's Friend.