Quantum Leap Colossus -- yikes!

[Patrick de Caumette]

You have to at least admire their marketing scheme. Selling hacked up versions of old libraries with 'new' programming for a cool G. I should take lessons from them.

Right on!

These guys are shrewd businessmen.

For someone that doesn't own many libraries it might be worth considering, once they do a 30% off promotion....

[dougrogers]

I too was a little shocked at the sticker. Having a GM set that doesn't sound like dick would be a very cool tool - but... if you are someone interested in a GM set, you don't have a grand to blow on it. Because if you had that grand in the first place you would be buying instruments like GOS, SAM Brass, BFD or SID, VSL Overdrive, etc.

The idea is there, the price is four times what it should be...

Size should never EVER figure into cost, the cost should directly reflect the quality and "worth" of the instruments you are buying. There are some 4GB libs I would spend $500 on, and other 32GB libs I wouldn't throw $299 at.

So let me get this straight, you want us to sell 160 instruments, that offer superior fidelity and dynamics to anything currently available in any keyboard workstation for $249?

Colossus works out at $6 an instrument! Many library developers (including us) would sell one of the pianos alone (there are two) for $200! It includes 15 Gigs of brand new instruments that have never been released before and another 17 Gigs of our best award-winning instruments, that benefit from major improvements in today's sampling technology. These instruments were re-programmed from scratch for Colossus.

Also, we believe size does matter. You can't develop 160 expressive instruments with uncompromised fidelity and multiple velocitiies under this size. Most, if not all of the keyboard workstations reduce the file sizes (and quality) of the original recordings way too much to save manufacturing costs in our opinion.

Colossus Live is like a super high-quality Proteus, something we feel has been lacking in the market for many years. The street price, including the hardware, Colossus 32 Gig soundset, and 1.25GB of ram - $1995. There are many musicians that can't be bothered with computers, and you can put Colossus Live (2U rack-mount, and light) under your arm to take it to a gig or the studio. You can add a screen to it, but you don't need one to select the instruments from the front panel.

The software version will ship next month, and the hardware version in March.

Thanks for all your feedback, if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them after NAMM finishes today.

[Alan Lastufka]

removed.

[dougrogers]

Hey Doug,

I don't expect anything, just dropping my opinion. Someone in the market for a GM soundset - regardless of its fidelity - is not someone who can drop a grand easily in my opinion.

If someone has a grand, as I expressed before, they will be buying non GM instruments, such as StormDrum, VOTA, Gold or your full orchestra. It is, in my opinion, alittle high for the audience you are trying to capture.

As I said, its a great idea, alot of the products you guys offer have great concepts... c'mon, Godzilla with Drums Sticks - I love that line... but I, as a hobby music-maker, cannot afford your tools.

That's why I am building my own personal orchestra piece-meal from Garritan, Project SAM and Kirk Hunter, because I can afford those tools on my salary as a teacher. I do not write music for pay - I write it for enjoyment. I work as a teacher.

I wish you luck with it as I do with all your libs (other than the new Choir 'cause I'm currently helping in production on the direct competitor's choir ) but I think it's overcharging for the intended audience, regardless of size.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion, but the reaction to COLOSSUS at NAMM and the orders we have taken in the first two days prove otherwise.

Also, it's not just a GM soundset, it functions just like all our other libraries do, this is just an added feature for those that want it.

I also think it's a good idea to declare your confilct of interest up front when commenting on a competitors product in case forum members think it's an unbiased opinion.

Hope NAMM is going well for you.

[Alan Lastufka]

I also think it's a good idea to declare your confilct of interest up front when commenting on a competitors product in case forum members think it's an unbiased opinion.

Hope NAMM is going well for you.

You are right, I am a part-time Producer and Product Consultant for Bela D Media, but that has no reflection on my opinions. I will remove my comments (and compliments) if you feel I have a conflict of interests here. Sorry.

Enjoy your time at NAMM.

[dougrogers]

I also think it's a good idea to declare your confilct of interest up front when commenting on a competitors product in case forum members think it's an unbiased opinion.

Hope NAMM is going well for you.

You are right, I am a part-time Producer and Product Consultant for Bela D Media, but that has no reflection on my opinions. I will remove my comments (and compliments) if you feel I have a conflict of interests here. Sorry.

Enjoy your time at NAMM.

Thanks, NAMM is a zoo, but we're getting through it, and reaction to the new products has been incredible.

Say hello to Frank for me.

[torhan]

Doug -- thanks for stopping by!

I've been looking for software to possibly replace my Trinity Rack...and I think this may do it.

[torhan]

Only 18 days before release

[torhan]

Got an email from SoundsOnline --

If you own other QL products, you can pre-order Colossus with a 30% discount. Very tempting...

[Jules2000]

I've been looking for software to possibly replace my Trinity Rack...and I think this may do it.

I think this will make my Triton Rack among other things collect dust.

Someone in the market for a GM soundset - regardless of its fidelity - is not someone who can drop a grand easily in my opinion.

What? I'm doing this for a living. Why would I not want a huge quality allround soundset. And I already got SampleTank 2 XL, a Triton, a JV1080 and a XV-5050 for alround soundsets.

This huge thing is CHEAP compared to what I gave for sound modules back in the day. Stop whining. Huge soundset are the future like it or not. I like!

[tq]

Sorry, guys, but I don't understand the whining in this thread. A company offers a huge collection of sounds, and the people start to complain without even listening to this thing - because it's *too big*. What's wrong with you? Afraid of the size?

I own a few plug ins by East West (Stormdrum, HardcoreBass, Symphonic Orchestra Gold), and they are among the best sounds I have. These guys might be business men, but they are also top producers. If you have ever listened to one of their collections, I doubt you would write such a BS. And nobody forces you to buy their products...

TQ

[TrekStar]

You have to at least admire their marketing scheme. Selling hacked up versions of old libraries with 'new' programming for a cool G. I should take lessons from them.



Course, I'm a Garritan fanboy so my opinion isn't worth the time it took me to type it.

they all do it. also garritan. think of the strings in gpo.

[defjamm]

Sorry, guys, but I don't understand the whining in this thread. A company offers a huge collection of sounds, and the people start to complain without even listening to this thing - because it's *too big*. What's wrong with you? Afraid of the size?

I own a few plug ins by East West (Stormdrum, HardcoreBass, Symphonic Orchestra Gold), and they are among the best sounds I have. These guys might be business men, but they are also top producers. If you have ever listened to one of their collections, I doubt you would write such a BS. And nobody forces you to buy their products...

TQ

exactly my thoughts, their products are kick-ass, among the best(for my taste).

[nenoseR]

Jus about the *size*
Professionals are always in need of multi-sampled instruments with nearly all *articulations*.
Sure that Jeremy Soule will not write and play a First Violins section like most of amateurs!
Explains: when you are a composer (pro I mean..) and you need one instrument, you should know how to play it (the real..), all types of playing, articulations, etc.
Then, you look for the best library for this one that can contain all those articulations and the size will be huge! *32go*? You'll never achieve the *sound like the real thing* with cheap and small libraries!
About the Kompakt thing, consider that Howard Shore and James Newton Howard bought the same Dulcimer library. They will use it 'as is' because they bought the best and the bigger one because of the most complete articulations.. Then they don't need a "Mega Tweaker Sampler" because the 'sound' is already awsome;
they just record the performances and they process the sound when in the box, the same as if they were recorded a drummer or a pianist: they just process what is needed! Ear, reverb, low/high pass for James Newton Howard because the Dulcimer should sound far and old, slight comp and EQ for Howard Shore because it should sound right as it is the main instrument that plays the main theme! That's it..

[DevonB]

Sorry, guys, but I don't understand the whining in this thread. A company offers a huge collection of sounds, and the people start to complain without even listening to this thing - because it's *too big*. What's wrong with you? Afraid of the size?

I own a few plug ins by East West (Stormdrum, HardcoreBass, Symphonic Orchestra Gold), and they are among the best sounds I have. These guys might be business men, but they are also top producers. If you have ever listened to one of their collections, I doubt you would write such a BS. And nobody forces you to buy their products...

TQ

exactly my thoughts, their products are kick-ass, among the best(for my taste).

Exactly. Anything that has Nick Phoenix involved has been among the best for its time, and even now. I've been quite pleased with the quality of the libraries, regardless of the size big or small.

Devon