Samplitude resources for you

[escalation746]

I haven't seen too much awareness of Samplitude here, which is maybe not surprising given the lack of info on the web. So I have started to collect useful info on my site, the theatre of noise. You can link directly to the FAQ or the resources page.

I hope that this helps some of the users out there. I would love contributions from anyone who thinks they have something to offer!

[TheStorm]

Thank you. I don't know why Samplitude isn't more widely used. Other than the fact that there's no hand-holding whatosever. I think it's primarily aimed at production studios, not the average user. That is, I think it's supposed to compete with Nuendo/Pro Tools, etc.

[escalation746]

There are a few reasons I think why Samplitude has never been as popular as it warrants:

* poor promotion & distribution
* expensive
* interface quirks
* poor MIDI support until recently
* deficient documentation

I will expand on these on my blog.

[unidyn]

After reading a nymber of unofficial forum threads, as well as the Newcomer forums from the Samplitude/Sequoia site. I've concluded that MAgix is trying to secure their programs by making as little information available as possible. Site mods indicate the same thing. The message is: you buy the product, you get into the official forum and also get updates accordingly. They're almost like the Mason's or other bizarre member's only association that no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Because of this "chastity belt" type security measures, they have a small cult following, though advocates like to lean on how well it does overseas. Persdonally, I feel it's short-sighted and an ignorant stance, unless you're happy with a small cult market. Too bad. it is a very nice program. I've used it and it is stable, feature rich and likely better sounding than virtually any other similar host. Midi has improved greatly and it can do everything from record to master to burn red-book cd's.

Don't get me wrong, Id buy it in a minute, I'm that impressed over any other host app., but I don't appreciate their paranoia. It inevitably makes the price of the product higher, limits distribution, limits experiences and limits information. Way to expensive for a word-of-mouth app with no certainty they will help you when needed. The irony is, all this trouble and these companies wonder why there's warez. The flimsy excuses that "companies want to protect their investments" is almost as ignorant as the trouble, expense and limited protection said to protect against. It is no wonder why Sonar, Cubase, Nuendo, Live, etc., sell more. Most have forums we can all go to. Most generally all have demos, and those that don't should be avoided anyway. Any company that grosses what these companies do, in spite of what you hear, that will put greed above the good of it's customers, does not deserve one red cent. Live does a wonderful job. Adobe Audition has a great forum (two) and demo (though it needs a major revision to be considered close to its' competetors). I certainly digress, therefore I won't try to defend any responses trying to poke holes in my viewpoint, but I for one, will never give a dime to a company who is so wrapped up in whether Jimmy Squibbins is using a cracked version, that efforts to stop it raise the cost for you and me and make us all feel like pirates. Hmmm, if you look like a duck and sound like a duck....? Is that the answer? Well, that's a rhetorical question. The bottom line is that it is too bad a great program is damaged by the company that owns it, with all its' infinite wisdom (obviated by all the "what's Samplitude?" questions). You're right, that is why you don't hear or find much info on Samplitude. Pity.

[escalation746]

I think you're dead on. I also dislike the attitude I see. But perhaps it is also a cultural difference, and I only say this because other German tech support from companies with great products seems a tad brusque. Or often downright rude. I am thinking here specifically of RME.

BTW, the newer independent newsgroup forum seems to be the definitive place to get Samplitude pre-sales info now.

Great post!

[unidyn]

Well, maybe it isn't such a great post. I sometimes get a sense of regret when I speak my mind, not because I've changed my opinion. I just hate being too cynical, but it is a reaction born from much evidence in that direction. I do not advocate illegitimate usage of software. That said, I do not like being made to feel my integrity is in question either. Piracy is not my fight, nor my concern, and when a company puts me (a consumer) in the middle of that, I do take offense. I guess the long-short of it is I've come to this realization from speaking to official company "ambassadors". I did not care for the methods in which potential customers are expected to be satisfied before spending big dollars. I will say I was NEVER treated rudely, never. Without making this a negative thread, and redirecting the path I may have started, I really do love Samplitude. Once the company understands that the product will sell itself as soon as they get out of its' way, the sooner that WILL happen. They just have PR issues and a shift in marketing priorities and they'll be better off. Thanks for the comment though, nice to know when there's others sharing a similar opinion. BTW, thanks for the great blog, at least your trying to make a difference, good for you (and us!)

[5.1]

I read this thread with interest, and have to say that my experience with Samplitude, so far, has been very good.

I was referred to Samplitude by a user on the Neundo forum so I went to their site and downloaded a copy of v8.0 to try on my system. When I ran into some technical issues I emailed their tech support who replied promptly and were happy to work through the issues with me. This is all before I made any purchase. Steinberg, on the other hand don't provide a demo of Nuendo you can download and their tech support seems to be provided by their end-users.

I will probably end up buying Samplitude. It's a very powerful program and the built-in FX are superb. I hope that the after-sales service will be as good as their pre-sales support, though it did surprise me to read that their official forums are only open to users of the latest version of their products (according to escalation746).

[HanafiH]

Not much I can offer but emotional support.

I think it’s important to understand Samplitude’s history. Five years or so ago, when I first looked at this program around early version 6, Samplitude was owned by SEKD, and however great the sound engine undoubtedly was, it was easily the most complicated and unusable sound host going. Since then, under Magic’s ownership, the user interface has improved markedly.

I get the impression that Samplitude is being developed by a relatively small core of programmers. If this is the case, Magic probably don’t want the time-cost of a large, ignorant user base just yet, particularly when the company’s other audio products do sell in mass-market volumes.

The curious thing about its pirate strategy is that it actually appears to work. There’s very few Samplitude or Sequoia nodes compared to Cakewalk or Steinberg nodes on the P2P I use. Perhaps the company is run on the basis of its true product market, not the perceived lost-to-crack market – that’d be a revolution in the industry.

Yet the product is undoubtedly better and the customer interaction is a dream compared with Steinberg. I’m old enough to remember that snotty woman at Arbiter.

[TheStorm]

I think Samplitude is a fine product and is heads-and-shoulders above Logic, Cubase, etc., in terms of features and flexibility. But here's the problem, IMHO, although I'm hardly an expert: People stick with the sequencer/software studio they learn initially, and Samplitude is definitely NOT for beginners. From my (admittedly limited) experience, Samplitude appears to be squarely aimed at pro studios, not the average user.

Sometimes people dis Cubase as a beginner's tool - and maybe it is - but it also has one of the most accessable user interfaces I've seen in sequencer software. (But I should add that I'm just an amateur.) While there are those that tout Samplitude's power and flexibility, I've gotten the impression that you have to already know what you're doing in the software to take advantage of it. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's kind of unusual from the publisher of such excellent starter tools as "MIDI Studio" and "Magix Music Maker," both of which could teach the Samplitude team a thing or two about usability and accessability. Just my opinion, of course.

[5.1]

From my (admittedly limited) experience, Samplitude appears to be squarely aimed at pro studios, not the average user.

I've had 21 years audio industry experience and the user interface still took me some time to get used to . Once you get used to it though, you realise how the way they've designed it makes the program so powerful.

Yet the product is undoubtedly better and the customer interaction is a dream compared with Steinberg.

That's been my experience so far. I really wanted to try Nuendo, but Steinbergs' lack of product demos and apparent lack of after-sales service (judging by forum.nuendo.com) has turned me off.

[christianmusicmaker]

I hope that the after-sales service will be as good as their pre-sales support, though it did surprise me to read that their official forums are only open to users of the latest version of their products (according to escalation746).

Hi 5.1.

Are you saying that a Samplitude 7 legitimate user cannot get into the official forums unless he upgrades to v.8?

[5.1]

No, that's what escalation746 says on his "Resources" website (see the first post in this thread).

You can't post to the Samplitude forums at all unless you supply a Samplitude registration key. You can, however, view the forums in "read-only" mode by using this link:

http://support.magix.net/boards/samplitude//index.php?

[TheStorm]

Let me see if i've got this straight: You can't post unless you've got a key (understandable, but a hassle, I'll agree), and they won't support anything but the current version on the message boards? Um...

[dlt123]

Hi all, just a quick FYI for those looking for a great buy on Samplitude V8.2...

Samplitude V8.2 for sale in Market Place (Buy / Sell / Special Offers)

DennisT