Yes, it was quite clear that SampleTank was required to run the sounds. I was aware of that when I made my decision to get Sonik Synth 2 instead. Had I known it would take so long, I might not have done that, but anyway, it's all done now.
I understand how you feel Dachilles, but given that SR is already offering everyone that was in the Group Buy the engine to run the sounds without having to wait (which I wasn't aware of), I now think there is considerably less to complain about (as long as you were part of the Group Buy)... Yes, it's taken WAY too long for it to release, but everyone that was in the Group Buy DOES have the majority of the sounds and IS capable of playing them. Furthermore, they have received an additional plug-in for free, which they can already use as well...
Anyway, Allen promptly responded.
Can We Start the Hype Now?????? StudioPhonik!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
- KVRist
- 41 posts since 29 Aug, 2005 from Virginia, USA
-
- KVRian
- 1014 posts since 19 Apr, 2008
dachilles sounds just like my family asking me when my album is going to be finished... no... telling me that I have no talent and that I'm not a real artist because I haven't yet delivered the goods.dachilles wrote:Forthcoming? Absolutely NOTHING has been forthcoming!
You said you were finishing up your end of the sound for IK a month or more ago... LOL this is truely absurd.. How long ago was the group buy? How long ago was Studiophonik announced ?
Fortunately, I don't put too much credence in the negative opinions of my family.
Some things are beyond our control.
Somewhere in the background zedd
-
- Sonic Reality Head Chef
- 8566 posts since 11 Mar, 2002 from Florida
As a matter of principle I agree with Dachilles. Whoever's idea it was to let it take this long to deliver the rest of the sounds as promised was not handling it to the standard the company is striving for. Unfortunately that was me and being the owner of the company I am also the one who sets the standard and this is one that I've admitted several times was not handled well.
Even if, as Ryan pointed out, that everyone really DOES have MOST of Studiophonik (and got a free plug-in in that group buy - so it was a stellar deal) and even if the other issues (like Ryan's) were ironed out, it is in my opinion still not a good policy for a sound developer like us to think that means it is okay to take our time to deliver the rest of it. This is a legacy issue that will be behind us once we get past it. Lessons learned.
My philosophy is that if a person or a company makes a mistake you own up to it and make up for it. SR is an ambitious company. We do a lot of things right and some things are just not "up to par" but no one's perfect. We want to be able to offer ALL of these great products AND do group buy deals AND keep everyone happy so we can only do the best we can.
Regarding SampleTank, there are things that I cannot get into detail about such as the authoring tools we have don't work the way they used to and creating sounds now takes us many times longer. The other thing I can't go into detail about is the future development of the SampleTank range except that, naturally, there will be improvements and enhancements to look forward to in the future from IK. This will also make it smoother and more efficient to create sounds for it for SR. I have to admit that between other commitments we've made to artists we've worked with since 2004 and the ease of programming in formats that have a mapping editor we've been gravitating toward development on Refills and our Infinite Player. We can do it much faster (even though scripting is its own little mess of "waiting/testing" - another animal that is a bit of a cludge in the current process of authoring), plus we have more control over the final outcome. We actually DON'T have the final say when it comes to SampleTank sounds that IK is going to sell world-wide like this and I got a list of particular details from IK's QC team in Italy that we need to go through before it can be released. It's a back and forth thing overseas and sometimes it goes fast and smooth and sometimes it can take that much longer to fit into the ongoing business schedules of both companies.
Now, can we say "Yeah but they do HAVE most of it" about those that were in the group buy? Some say "Sure, we're just happy to get the extra sounds and got a great deal in the first place". Others say "Make good on your promise Squids!" which I also agree with. I've had a few blunders in past group buys (also a "Moog Photo e-Book" was promised in the Moog GB which I need to get clearance on and will have it by the time we release the Moog Refill we're working on... but I don't like that this was offered either with such a delay so I've changed my policy on offering the "vaporware" from now on). Of course, most people know that these extras were done for both the GB's success and the bang for the buck for everyone. It's sad to me that anyone can't see a glass half full though even without the extras. That's where it starts to not make sense to offer the extras... well, especially if we can't deliver on them in a timely manner. It's obviously not worth it. So believe me I've taken note.
I on the other hand as a consumer would want the extras personally and even if it took a year or more before I got it I would still rather have it than not! I love after market value and it's actually a rare thing. When it happens I really appreciate it. Most of the time I run the company according to how I would personally feel as a consumer. But not everyone thinks like me and it's clear to me what to do next time to avoid a mess like this.
We sincerely hope to always keep all of our customers and at the end of the day if you are a musician, composer, producer etc. and we've captured something that is useful for your music then that should be the most important thing I would hope. I don't know why or how anyone could really deprive themselves of what they want. We hope that our customers are understanding, especially those that have participated in limited time promotions and group buys. These are largely experimental covering new ground for companies. What makes each one work is a mystery and we do our best to make them exciting. Out of the 18 group buys we've had (something like that) only a handful have had some lingering issues like this. Every single one of the undeniably offered a GREAT deal though and we hope that people are happy about that.
Even if, as Ryan pointed out, that everyone really DOES have MOST of Studiophonik (and got a free plug-in in that group buy - so it was a stellar deal) and even if the other issues (like Ryan's) were ironed out, it is in my opinion still not a good policy for a sound developer like us to think that means it is okay to take our time to deliver the rest of it. This is a legacy issue that will be behind us once we get past it. Lessons learned.
My philosophy is that if a person or a company makes a mistake you own up to it and make up for it. SR is an ambitious company. We do a lot of things right and some things are just not "up to par" but no one's perfect. We want to be able to offer ALL of these great products AND do group buy deals AND keep everyone happy so we can only do the best we can.
Regarding SampleTank, there are things that I cannot get into detail about such as the authoring tools we have don't work the way they used to and creating sounds now takes us many times longer. The other thing I can't go into detail about is the future development of the SampleTank range except that, naturally, there will be improvements and enhancements to look forward to in the future from IK. This will also make it smoother and more efficient to create sounds for it for SR. I have to admit that between other commitments we've made to artists we've worked with since 2004 and the ease of programming in formats that have a mapping editor we've been gravitating toward development on Refills and our Infinite Player. We can do it much faster (even though scripting is its own little mess of "waiting/testing" - another animal that is a bit of a cludge in the current process of authoring), plus we have more control over the final outcome. We actually DON'T have the final say when it comes to SampleTank sounds that IK is going to sell world-wide like this and I got a list of particular details from IK's QC team in Italy that we need to go through before it can be released. It's a back and forth thing overseas and sometimes it goes fast and smooth and sometimes it can take that much longer to fit into the ongoing business schedules of both companies.
Now, can we say "Yeah but they do HAVE most of it" about those that were in the group buy? Some say "Sure, we're just happy to get the extra sounds and got a great deal in the first place". Others say "Make good on your promise Squids!" which I also agree with. I've had a few blunders in past group buys (also a "Moog Photo e-Book" was promised in the Moog GB which I need to get clearance on and will have it by the time we release the Moog Refill we're working on... but I don't like that this was offered either with such a delay so I've changed my policy on offering the "vaporware" from now on). Of course, most people know that these extras were done for both the GB's success and the bang for the buck for everyone. It's sad to me that anyone can't see a glass half full though even without the extras. That's where it starts to not make sense to offer the extras... well, especially if we can't deliver on them in a timely manner. It's obviously not worth it. So believe me I've taken note.
I on the other hand as a consumer would want the extras personally and even if it took a year or more before I got it I would still rather have it than not! I love after market value and it's actually a rare thing. When it happens I really appreciate it. Most of the time I run the company according to how I would personally feel as a consumer. But not everyone thinks like me and it's clear to me what to do next time to avoid a mess like this.
We sincerely hope to always keep all of our customers and at the end of the day if you are a musician, composer, producer etc. and we've captured something that is useful for your music then that should be the most important thing I would hope. I don't know why or how anyone could really deprive themselves of what they want. We hope that our customers are understanding, especially those that have participated in limited time promotions and group buys. These are largely experimental covering new ground for companies. What makes each one work is a mystery and we do our best to make them exciting. Out of the 18 group buys we've had (something like that) only a handful have had some lingering issues like this. Every single one of the undeniably offered a GREAT deal though and we hope that people are happy about that.
-
- KVRist
- 100 posts since 13 Oct, 2008 from Upstate NY, USA
Squids,
While you are in business model re-evaluation mode, I would like to ask that leaking info about upcoming (but not immenent or announced) projects be scaled back a bit...... In particlar for me, it started with the Neil Peart project. On Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 8:37 am, you announced that you we in the studio with Neil recording his drums for a Sonic Reality library you were working on. That of course was exciting and I followed the thread in hopes of it's eventual release. That was 18 months ago, and I have seen numerous estimates for timeframes where it may be complete, but here we are.......
I do understand that you guys have alot of thnigs going on, and that you are subject to circumstances beyond you control (others poeple's availability, etc.)but it seems to be a trend with SR that things are delayed to point where I have become flat out skeptical or "tired" of checking back to see if there have been any updates.
I know some folks will probably read this and think, get a life
, stop waiting for software 
, make some music . Those are valid points and I am doing all of them!!! 
Lastly, I would like to point out some positives about SR / esoundz from a customer service veiwpoint. You guys have always been excellent during and after the sale regarding immeditaly taking care of any problems and offering personalized service (many thanks to Allen!!) I would also add that your deals are the most "bang for the buck" around, which has also kept me as a customer.
This is just my 2 cents anyhow.
Oh yeah, and will the Neil Peart BFD be ready in time to add to my Christmas list?
Thanks for your time,
Mike
While you are in business model re-evaluation mode, I would like to ask that leaking info about upcoming (but not immenent or announced) projects be scaled back a bit...... In particlar for me, it started with the Neil Peart project. On Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 8:37 am, you announced that you we in the studio with Neil recording his drums for a Sonic Reality library you were working on. That of course was exciting and I followed the thread in hopes of it's eventual release. That was 18 months ago, and I have seen numerous estimates for timeframes where it may be complete, but here we are.......
I do understand that you guys have alot of thnigs going on, and that you are subject to circumstances beyond you control (others poeple's availability, etc.)but it seems to be a trend with SR that things are delayed to point where I have become flat out skeptical or "tired" of checking back to see if there have been any updates.
I know some folks will probably read this and think, get a life
, stop waiting for software , make some music . Those are valid points and I am doing all of them!!! Lastly, I would like to point out some positives about SR / esoundz from a customer service veiwpoint. You guys have always been excellent during and after the sale regarding immeditaly taking care of any problems and offering personalized service (many thanks to Allen!!) I would also add that your deals are the most "bang for the buck" around, which has also kept me as a customer.
This is just my 2 cents anyhow.
Oh yeah, and will the Neil Peart BFD be ready in time to add to my Christmas list?
Thanks for your time,
Mike
-
- Sonic Reality Head Chef
- 8566 posts since 11 Mar, 2002 from Florida
Well, you have a good point. Although there's a difference between official announcements/press releases and us basically "blogging" about what's going on. Technically the Neil Peart drum collection has NEVER been officially announced to the press yet at all. But when I am posting about what's happpening at SR people ask when something will come out so I make a guess. A lot of times my guesses are wrong though. It isn't on purpose. You never know what could hold something up. In this case we've also got Nick Raskulinecz, Rush's producer, involved and he's a busy guy as is Neil and the band's label is involved (a bit more complicated contract-wise and logistics than normally). Plus there's also FXPansion involved for the BFD version and they're overseas (in two different countries now in different time zones) so there's some back and forth ping ponging going on in these final stages.
I can tell you that I've played the kit in BFD from a V-Drum set and it is just outrageous! It's really REALLY good. It is at the fine tuning stage at the moment but there's also mixes from Nick to be added. The audio grooves for Infinite Player were worked on by someone and we didn't like how that was going so we completely redid them. That took some extra time. But the end results are going to be a fantastic product.
Some people like that we talk about what's going on so I wouldn't want to deprive them. Reading my posts about this stuff IS optional. But when it comes to official announcements I agree. I don't want to announce anything that is more than 3 months out...ideally. We'll see. Very few companies do that.
I can tell you that I've played the kit in BFD from a V-Drum set and it is just outrageous! It's really REALLY good. It is at the fine tuning stage at the moment but there's also mixes from Nick to be added. The audio grooves for Infinite Player were worked on by someone and we didn't like how that was going so we completely redid them. That took some extra time. But the end results are going to be a fantastic product.
Some people like that we talk about what's going on so I wouldn't want to deprive them. Reading my posts about this stuff IS optional. But when it comes to official announcements I agree. I don't want to announce anything that is more than 3 months out...ideally. We'll see. Very few companies do that.
-
PointOfDeparture PointOfDeparture https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=58735
- KVRist
- 111 posts since 22 Feb, 2005
Man....this thing is reminding me of Sonic Station, although at least in this case all the sounds work perfectly out the zip file.
-
- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 110 posts since 6 Aug, 2005
This is getting WAY BEYOND ridiculous. At this point, I think Esoundz should re-offer the StuioPhonik Instruments GB because this delay is getting very old. I have Reason 4.0 and will be purchasing ReCord very soon. I know that I've mentioned it before, but can your team develop a StudioPhonik-like refill for REcord/Reason users...or a rare instruments refill???!!
EPhraZe IzReal Music....Ig you need hot beats hit me up.
-
- Sonic Reality Head Chef
- 8566 posts since 11 Mar, 2002 from Florida
I agree it is beyond ridiculous. Although, as pointed out earlier, you guys that were in the GB DO have most of the material already anyway. Just some extra cool stuff coming for free as promised... and delayed but I'm making it extra special for the people in the GB to hopefully make up for that delay. Plus future developments in the ST range will also make it all worthwhile.
As for Reason, we do have plans to do a high end drum refill. For Guitar and Bass the current Triple Guitar and Bass are very good as is the Acoustic, Electric and Bass Guitar Capsules which are in Reason. There will be a fancy Guitar & Bass refill though following the drum refills though. Not sure when and since we just did the Reason group buy we're going to be focusing back on SampleTank and Infinite Player format stuff for a bit here and then get back to Reason.
There IS a FREE Ocean Way Drum kit refill to be had in the meantime if you go to the FREE SOUNDZ section of www.downloadablesoundz.com
As for Reason, we do have plans to do a high end drum refill. For Guitar and Bass the current Triple Guitar and Bass are very good as is the Acoustic, Electric and Bass Guitar Capsules which are in Reason. There will be a fancy Guitar & Bass refill though following the drum refills though. Not sure when and since we just did the Reason group buy we're going to be focusing back on SampleTank and Infinite Player format stuff for a bit here and then get back to Reason.
There IS a FREE Ocean Way Drum kit refill to be had in the meantime if you go to the FREE SOUNDZ section of www.downloadablesoundz.com
-
- KVRist
- 172 posts since 6 Jan, 2007
Rofl Squids ! april 09 and still .. hey guys its coming. I promise .Soon.Squids wrote:Announcement about it will be made official this month. Release is scheduled for next month. Some changes have been made about it. More news coming. There's at least 1 gigabyte of extra content though that's not in Prelude (that is FREE to all SPK Group Buyers).
SUCH A LOAD! Ever try selling used cars? That's the credibility you have for me.
Is it still SR work that needs finished ? or is it IK. Either way I dont believe it.
-
- Sonic Reality Head Chef
- 8566 posts since 11 Mar, 2002 from Florida
As noted before the main core of the product HAS already been released. We're talking about only the extra sounds. It is still promised and we are late for the extras - no doubt. But it's not stopping anyone from using 90% of the product already. There's nothing in the extras that would require anyone to wait "I NEED that Premier snare!" or "I gotta have that Strat mute sound!". You guys are waiting for some more sounds that we offered. It WILL be cool. But not the biggest thing to wait for. Maybe some people still are confused about what they are waiting for? We had some confusion before regarding it. Remember that the SampleTank engine (plug-in part of the product) WAS given away for FREE with the Studiophonik Group Buy. If anyone didn't get it and was part of that GB they should contact support (at) esoundz (dot) com.
-
- KVRist
- 349 posts since 14 Mar, 2005 from Germany
The sounds we got are good, no doubt about that. But I also joined the group buy because of Studiophonik and now this product seems almost non-existent and consists "only of some extra sounds".
In addition to the delay that's a bit disappointing.
In addition to the delay that's a bit disappointing.
-
- Sonic Reality Head Chef
- 8566 posts since 11 Mar, 2002 from Florida
This isn't new news. This is why the SampleTank engine was offered in the group buy. It's the exact same thing (even more features actually) but just graphically different.
So, again, I do understand the confusion and we want to make up for any disappointment. Doing the graphic part is out of our control as we don't do that part. We do the sounds. We got you guys the engine to play them AND the sounds and even more sounds to come later... granted that "later" turned out to be a lot later than expected and we apologize for that. But, you still have most of what Studiophonik was ever going to be and for a price about a third of what it was ever going to be. With that perspective I hope there's not too much to complain about.
This product was announced years ago and we've had many difficulties getting it released. But we were sitting on those sounds for so long that we wanted to make them available to those that really desired them. This was for either SampleTank users or for new users (since it came with the ST engine). Considering it's still not "officially" released I would think that those that are into those sounds would be glad we did a pre-release of most of the sounds so they could make use of all that work. But, in the end, I am not sure we hit the mark with our good intention there. A glass half empty/half full situation. All depends on how you choose to look at it. At least you know what we were thinking - even if there were flaws in how it was done. I am here to clarify it though.
So I hope people are reading what I'm saying and understanding what they have and don't have from this group buy. The only thing left are some "more sounds". Some more drum kits, guitars and basses. The new stuff is very good and some really nice patches. The sample content coming isn't any better than what you already have (even though that's subjective, you may very well LOVE what's coming) but it's still nice to have and it was promised so it will be given as promised with a little extra as a token for your patience. Anything beyond that is out of our control.
The one thing I will say, and I've mentioned that I have to tread lightly here, is that in the future of SampleTank-land the "Powered By SampleTank" modules (like SS2, Miroslav, SampleMoog etc.) will be dealt with differently and at that time the Studiophonik sound content will have more of a face but that is ALL I can say about that considering I'm not allowed to discuss future unannounced products. However, when that happens I think you'll understand better. Also your Studiophonik sound content will be enhanced in the future in ways I cannot yet discuss. Use your imagination. Bottom line is though I don't think there's going to be too many people disappointed that they got the Studiophonik sounds at that price. I wouldn't be. Not for what can be done with it now with the current SampleTank engine it came with and even more for what will be possible as the PBST series evolves.
So, again, I do understand the confusion and we want to make up for any disappointment. Doing the graphic part is out of our control as we don't do that part. We do the sounds. We got you guys the engine to play them AND the sounds and even more sounds to come later... granted that "later" turned out to be a lot later than expected and we apologize for that. But, you still have most of what Studiophonik was ever going to be and for a price about a third of what it was ever going to be. With that perspective I hope there's not too much to complain about.
This product was announced years ago and we've had many difficulties getting it released. But we were sitting on those sounds for so long that we wanted to make them available to those that really desired them. This was for either SampleTank users or for new users (since it came with the ST engine). Considering it's still not "officially" released I would think that those that are into those sounds would be glad we did a pre-release of most of the sounds so they could make use of all that work. But, in the end, I am not sure we hit the mark with our good intention there. A glass half empty/half full situation. All depends on how you choose to look at it. At least you know what we were thinking - even if there were flaws in how it was done. I am here to clarify it though.
So I hope people are reading what I'm saying and understanding what they have and don't have from this group buy. The only thing left are some "more sounds". Some more drum kits, guitars and basses. The new stuff is very good and some really nice patches. The sample content coming isn't any better than what you already have (even though that's subjective, you may very well LOVE what's coming) but it's still nice to have and it was promised so it will be given as promised with a little extra as a token for your patience. Anything beyond that is out of our control.
The one thing I will say, and I've mentioned that I have to tread lightly here, is that in the future of SampleTank-land the "Powered By SampleTank" modules (like SS2, Miroslav, SampleMoog etc.) will be dealt with differently and at that time the Studiophonik sound content will have more of a face but that is ALL I can say about that considering I'm not allowed to discuss future unannounced products. However, when that happens I think you'll understand better. Also your Studiophonik sound content will be enhanced in the future in ways I cannot yet discuss. Use your imagination. Bottom line is though I don't think there's going to be too many people disappointed that they got the Studiophonik sounds at that price. I wouldn't be. Not for what can be done with it now with the current SampleTank engine it came with and even more for what will be possible as the PBST series evolves.
-
- KVRist
- 349 posts since 14 Mar, 2005 from Germany
Squids, I really appreciate your work and I don't blame you. There are some things you cannot influence the way you want.
I am happy with the sounds I got - probably most of us are. It's just that some of us were probably looking for a new product including a lot of good guitars/bass/drum sounds.
You are very good at advertizing your products and that's what you did with Studiophonik. What we got is good, only different from what we expected at that time. And let's forget about the delay as long as we get good offers in the future...Where is SAMPLETANK 3??? I only hope it comes out before Germany will be flooded as a consequence of global warming. 
I am happy with the sounds I got - probably most of us are. It's just that some of us were probably looking for a new product including a lot of good guitars/bass/drum sounds.
You are very good at advertizing your products and that's what you did with Studiophonik. What we got is good, only different from what we expected at that time. And let's forget about the delay as long as we get good offers in the future...Where is SAMPLETANK 3???
I only hope it comes out before Germany will be flooded as a consequence of global warming.