Uhbik-X box Jelly?

[Bronto Scorpio]

I hate to say that but another aspect is Zebras GUI.
I love it, and I think everyone else who uses it loves it too. But when you first see it it doesn't look very "I have to check this out"-ish.

It's very ergonomic and really well designed but it just doesn't have the slightest "Wow factor".

The same with MFM and Filterscape.

Just my 2cent.

Cheers
Dennis

[DF2R]

We'll have a small hardware controller for ACE soon

Oh yay!

[Urs]

A quick search of "Zebra" or "u-he" on SOS's pages doesn't bring up a single reference to u-he products.

They have been oblivious towards me for years. A little MFM 1.0 mention in 2003, and then a very comprehensive and fair review of Uhbik in 2010. Then an SOS Awards nomination for Uhbik last year.

Other than that... I have drained about a dozens of NFRs down the drain of alledged SOS reviewers, but to no avail.

I think they just don't take us as a serious business. Thus we're throwing our advertising budget at CM who have been doing fair and great reviews for 7 years without any adverstisement from us. Also, I got a fair deal with their advertisement section. (I got an even better deal with MusicTech, but they haven't reponded by doing more reviews either)

[hakey]

Here's an idea - you've mentioned doing some blind Analogue vs Modelled Analogue tests. Why not see if you can get a magazine, perhaps SOS or CM, interested in running a feature on it?

A bit like this:

http://emusician.com/tutorials/showdown ... -software/

[ezelkow1]

Going along with the CM thing, maybe see if they can do another review of it now that its even past 2.5. The last review on the musicradar site is from 2007 and Im assuming that was based on zebra2. So maybe see if they can review it again with all the new features that have been added for free so they can do a comparison against stuff that has even come out recently. Knowing the reviews I see online and in their mag Im sure it will still get a 10/10

[zerocrossing]

Interesting. From my little myopic view of the web (mostly here and GearSlutz) U-HE comes up constantly. Yet, when I do a google search for "modular synth vst" neither ACE or Zebra come up on the first page. Interestingly, Fabfilter Twin does and unless there's a new modular version I have no idea why. So maybe some work to help get your google hit placement on the first page would be good.

So I hear your frustration. It reminds me of a time when I tried to take the thing I loved (pop music band) and turn it into a real money making business. I was never more frustrated and unhappy. I spent tons of time and money working on our music and doing promotion, and no matter what I seemed to do NOTHING put asses on barstools better than having a popular (socially, no one knew her as a musician, it was her first band!) lead singer. When that lead singer left to do music of her own it was like Flowers for Algernon.

So that's my advice. If you can somehow get an artist like Deadmau5 to endorse you things will happen. Trust me, I don't like his music at all, but I saw everyone drooling over DCAM after he mentioned he had a beta version in some article. DCAM turned out all right, but I think it didn't quite live up to the hype.

[thelizard]

As someone who has used your software for a few years now, I think your advertisements tend to be too conservative.

I would add a list of soundtracks that Zebra has shown up on (If it's showing up in the new Batman movie--and why wouldn't it?--milk that for all it's worth). That, and a choice quote from some currently popular producer. Your products are innovative as hell, but when it comes to advertising, the average new producer just wants what the other guy has.

[Urs]

Don't get me wrong - I'm not unhappy at all! I'm also not even frustrated.

We've just started to push some triggers, and we'll keep pushing more.



Nevertheless:

I won't buy opinion from random artists.

If artists want to endorse me then they'll do that on behalf of their own honest opinion, and after buying my software. Hans Zimmer does that famously. So do Gareth Jones and Daniel Miller of those who I know in person. (Alex Hacke got Zebra as a birthday present, dunno if he counts)

As for the feature films, we have our little list. Funny enough some of these movies appear on other plugin manufacturer's advertisment even though we know for sure that some these plugins weren't used at all. Nevermind.

For me it's a rule of thumb: If Artist appears on website, artist has never used that software. It was given to him for free, he has no other interest in it.

Urs

[fmr]

Zebra update to version 2.5.1 got mentioned in the magazine I write to. Go to www.paudio.com.pt
Soon in the Brasil and Spain web sites too. And it has been mentioned several times in my monthly column about synthesis.

[Urs]

Zebra update to version 2.5.1 got mentioned in the magazine I write to. Go to www.paudio.com.pt
Soon in the Brasil and Spain web sites too. And it has been mentioned several times in my monthly column about synthesis.

Thanks Fernando!

[justin3am]

Ugh... sales and marketing, my least favorite aspects of this stupid industry. I wish I had some advice for you but we are a hardware manufacturer so I'm not sure there is much overlap between what we do and what you do. If you do end up selling boxed copies, get in touch with these folks...
http://www.musicstoreowners.com/

A network of independent music store owners.

Advertising and promotion work so contrary to my nature, I don't want to give any advice there either. I honestly appreciate your humble, low key approach to sales but I also know that approach doesn't move SKUs.

Sorry, I wish I could be of more assistance in that regard. Good luck.

[pdxindy]

A bit of an aside... The new Zebra page could use more audio demos.

Oh, and if you hire me for marketing I guarantee to put you out of business...

[ThomasHelzle]

(Alex Hacke got Zebra as a birthday present, dunno if he counts)
Urs

Wow, then his latest patch library is even more amazing!
I would count it and even count it double - if something you just got from somebody as a present makes you create such brilliant and unusual patches, zebra has magic that even works if you give it away for free...


Quite a different question:
I lately play with Sonigen Modular (http://www.sonigen.com/)
It is a very very good sounding modular soft syth (don't go by the presets, most of them are a bit lame (some can be improved by setting Unison to 5), but the audio demos show more of it's real potential - or even better: try it).
The interesting thing is, that it is relatively light on CPU even with high unison and several voices.
The page claims that it uses JIT Assembler to accomplish that.
Since ACE and the Bazille beta are so extremely CPU hungry: Is that something that can be used to make them faster?
It sounds supernerdy to me though...

On my machine, CPU use is so high with ACE and Bazille, that I often go for something else instead.
So reducing that CPU consumption may help marketing as well...


Cheers,

Thomas

[opus_diaboli]

As for the feature films, we have our little list. Funny enough some of these movies appear on other plugin manufacturer's advertisment even though we know for sure that some these plugins weren't used at all. Nevermind.

For me it's a rule of thumb: If Artist appears on website, artist has never used that software. It was given to him for free, he has no other interest in it.

Yeah, there's so many annoying marketing buzz around, it's really unbelievable. Whenever I read that musician X is using plugin Y on a developers website, I mistrust those statements.

[djsubject]

Compressor is a definite must... like most Uhbiks it's something that has been lurking in the drawer for a while (ask DJ Subject about it...)

if you recall Urs? i promised not to mention it in till you did!?

now bring it out the cupboard & add it to the next Uhbik update

it really is a good comp!!



Subz