Where has all the magware gone?

[nineofkings]

Maybe this is your opportunity to get better at buss processing. By changing levels within the plugin to drive multiband and normal compressors, it's surprising how strong of a drum sound you can get.

[ghettosynth]

Two things: A magware isn't free, but you pay the price of the mag.

Yep, this can't go both ways, right? Since we make a big deal around here of saying that magware isn't freeware, that you have to buy the mag, then one can't claim that magware is free when it's convenient for an argument.

Whether it's a good deal for either the vendor or the magazine isn't really the consumer's concern.

I'm pretty sure that I've never installed stix so I have no skin in that game, but, there have been no shortage of magware titles that were just annoying enough that I uninstalled them. The thing is, that's worse than giving away something for free, because not only did your product fail to entice the consumer into upgrading, it also left a bad taste in their mouth for that particular brand.

I can't speak for others but my sense with magware is that I've purchased a valid, but limited in some way product, that I'm in no way obligated to upgrade. For me, they're most successful in terms of driving future purchases when they are genuinely good value and the limitations do not prevent them from being a great product in their own right.

[idfpower]

Yep, this can't go both ways, right? Since we make a big deal around here of saying that magware isn't freeware, that you have to buy the mag, then one can't claim that magware is free when it's convenient for an argument.

Whether it's a good deal for either the vendor or the magazine isn't really the consumer's concern.

I'm pretty sure that I've never installed stix so I have no skin in that game, but, there have been no shortage of magware titles that were just annoying enough that I uninstalled them. The thing is, that's worse than giving away something for free, because not only did your product fail to entice the consumer into upgrading, it also left a bad taste in their mouth for that particular brand.

I can't speak for others but my sense with magware is that I've purchased a valid, but limited in some way product, that I'm in no way obligated to upgrade. For me, they're most successful in terms of driving future purchases when they are genuinely good value and the limitations do not prevent them from being a great product in their own right.

+1

There are maybe 3-4 magware synths that I'm still using; and those prolly because I just (slightly) tweak the onboard sounds. Otherwise, I'd feel quite limited. The only ones that felt solid to me were Dune and Renegade.

[rsalen137]

FL Studio 12.4.2 user here. I was able to get out of the "Stix CM GUI disappearance upon changing skin error" by messing with the "preferences data" that Stix CM writes; I re-installed it first, then I temporarily copy-pasted "ControlMIDI", "options", and "pit.sLtyoSAXRn" found in my Users\Public\Documents\XILS-lab in another folder and let Stix CM create them again (by re-opening in FL). This was also in combination with refreshing FL while making it write a new fst file for Stix CM (in the plugin database). Fortunately it worked.

To put it shortly, I was making random moves in hopes of bringing the GUI back, and it worked for me.

[Lotuzia]

StiX CM and 'GUI Color Change' bug : Here's the answer :

According to Xils-Lab :

The version that CM published is an old version. These bugs have been fixed and CM has the correct version, and had it prior to the date they released StiX CM officially, BUT, for whatever reason, they published the wrong version.

So that I don't know if they (CM) are able to change the version on their servers, or simply willing to do so, and are even aware of the problems, but the error seems to be obviously on their side, and I think that probably the best to do for every StiX CM user, is to contact CM ans ask them to put the right version.

A workaround : (as rsalen found it) 1/ Just Erase the 'option' file in StiX folder. StiX CM will automatically recreate a proper default file with correct settings.

[Joe CM]

Hi all,

The updated StiX CM installers can now be downloaded from the CM244 Vault.

Cheers,

Joe Rossitter
Editor
Computer Music

[chk071]

Just wondering, but... what does this mean?

[Distorted Horizon]

You hit that "get for free" and you'll receive a serial for Stix CM.

[chk071]

Ooh... thanks dude. Guess i should have just clicked on the button.

[Lotuzia]

Hi all,

The updated StiX CM installers can now be downloaded from the CM244 Vault.

Cheers,

Joe Rossitter
Editor
Computer Music

[provoc]

I spent a good part of day experimenting with Stix CM (including watching all the CM tutorial vids and reading the full manual from start to finish) and it definitely has potential but I do have one particular issue that I thought I would discuss in case Lotuzia chooses to pass it on to the devs.

Please keep in mind this feedback is mindful of the challenges of providing a useful CM version while still protecting the devs’ investment and providing motivation for upgrading to the full version so I am not asking for extra functionality.

I actually think the current balance is pretty good and as Lotuzia said the EASY page provides a number of sound shaping possibilities including the step modulation, macro knobs, and polystep, and lack of multi-outs can be worked around with bouncing or multiple instances.

BUT:
The biggest challenge I had is that with the advanced screen being completely hidden, using the synth becomes largely a case of trial and error. i.e. search through the presets for something plausible and then tweak the easy screen knobs trying to work out what they do with no understanding of how the oscillators and especially the envelopes are configured.

This may end up being a showstopper for me because I like to approach sound design from an informed/technical perspective but Stix CM leaves little scope for this since without experimenting we really have no way of knowing how any of the controls will interact with the completely unknown oscs/envelopes behind the scenes.

So my suggestion would be to make the ADVANCED screen VISIBLE but LOCKED. This would not provide any more functionality but would at least inform the manipulation on the easy screen so it was not such a case of shooting in the dark. I suspect it might even inspire more people to buy the full version through understanding exactly how particular sounds can be created.

In summary, I took the time to write this for two reasons:

1. There has been some fairly negative feedback (across the two threads Stix CM is discussed) that I thought was a bit unfair
2. As it stands now despite spending some time investigating it I probably wouldn’t use Stix unless I happened across a preset I particularly liked and didn’t have to tweak much.

Cheers,

provoc

[Lotuzia]

I spent a good part of day experimenting with Stix CM (including watching all the CM tutorial vids and reading the full manual from start to finish) and it definitely has potential but I do have one particular issue that I thought I would discuss in case Lotuzia chooses to pass it on to the devs.

Please keep in mind this feedback is mindful of the challenges of providing a useful CM version while still protecting the devs’ investment and providing motivation for upgrading to the full version so I am not asking for extra functionality.

I actually think the current balance is pretty good and as Lotuzia said the EASY page provides a number of sound shaping possibilities including the step modulation, macro knobs, and polystep, and lack of multi-outs can be worked around with bouncing or multiple instances.

BUT:
The biggest challenge I had is that with the advanced screen being completely hidden, using the synth becomes largely a case of trial and error. i.e. search through the presets for something plausible and then tweak the easy screen knobs trying to work out what they do with no understanding of how the oscillators and especially the envelopes are configured.

This may end up being a showstopper for me because I like to approach sound design from an informed/technical perspective but Stix CM leaves little scope for this since without experimenting we really have no way of knowing how any of the controls will interact with the completely unknown oscs/envelopes behind the scenes.

So my suggestion would be to make the ADVANCED screen VISIBLE but LOCKED. This would not provide any more functionality but would at least inform the manipulation on the easy screen so it was not such a case of shooting in the dark. I suspect it might even inspire more people to buy the full version through understanding exactly how particular sounds can be created.

In summary, I took the time to write this for two reasons:

1. There has been some fairly negative feedback (across the two threads Stix CM is discussed) that I thought was a bit unfair
2. As it stands now despite spending some time investigating it I probably wouldn’t use Stix unless I happened across a preset I particularly liked and didn’t have to tweak much.

Cheers,

provoc

Hello Provoc,

I think it's a VERY GOOD idea + you're right it should be more incentive to upgrade to the full version + certainly good for pedagogy/learning

Possible cons : Should take a bit of additional work (easier to just cancell access to Advanced Synthesis Page) though. And I don't know how easy it would be for CM to publish a new version.

But I'll transmit the idea to Xils, ... and support it as much as I can.

LtZ

[provoc]

Hello Provoc,

I think it's a VERY GOOD idea + you're right it should be more incentive to upgrade to the full version + certainly good for pedagogy/learning

Possible cons : Should take a bit of additional work (easier to just cancell access to Advanced Synthesis Page) though. And I don't know how easy it would be for CM to publish a new version.

But I'll transmit the idea to Xils, ... and support it as much as I can.

LtZ

Hi Lotuzia,

Thanks for considering my suggestion and glad you like it. Regarding CM updates, even though I have heard of some cases where devs provided updates that were not released, CM do sometimes release them especially for their flagship products. E.g. At the start of this year, about a year after its initial release, CM provided an update to vielklang CM which fixed a number of bugs. Zebra CM has also received some updates over the years and there are definitely others too.

But as you say all you can do is try, so let’s hope for the best

Cheers,

provoc

[Lotuzia]

Xils CM will have an update in the near future (as well as StiX) with an improved handling of the beat number page and it's consequences.

For the 'hide' advanced page, it was a request of CM, so that the instrument appears more as an instrument in itself, and less like a limited version fo StiX. It's cosmetic and symbolic, but I can understand their motivations. In a way, that's what we try to propose, a fully independant instrument where you can heavily tweak drum sounds with powerfull macros, write sequences, have mutiple drum sounds and presets ... for free.

However, I though of something : if you want to have more insight of the deep synthesis behind a certain drumpad, a turnaround is to install StiX demo version, where the Advanced page is fully accessible. (or the time limited but full access version) This is the best way to understand the complex synthesis machinery of StiX. Well, otoh, not all people will have this particular desire to know about the ins and outs of the sounds syntheis. Well, here again, it's difficult to satisfy everybody : Some request from the different POV ( Xils, CM, Different users etc) diverging too much.

[provoc]

Hi Lotuzia,

Thanks for following up! Interestingly I had actually thought about the demo but then figured because of the ilok protection there wouldn’t be a normal demo .. I guess I should have checked

Anyway I have now installed the demo and as you say it actually gives me exactly what I wanted which is to inspect the advanced synthesis params so all is good now, I can have another play

Cheers,

provoc