Groove Blox Live Virtual Instrument - 30 day demo now available for download

[Karmacomposer]

I am proud to announce my newest virtual instrument:



Full Image:

http://www.supersynths.com/images/groovebloxlive.png

Download the 30 day demo (comes with 28 GrooveBlox):

http://www.mfelkerco.com/downloads/groo ... oxLive.exe

(installer automatically installs it to c:\program files\Vstplugins)

Groove Blox Live is a performance instrument that allows you to load up to 8 channels of wave files - and comes with the 388MB Groove Blox library (350 Groove Blox in 5 categories) - and then play them in any order you wish - especially useful for stage performers, bands or anyone who loves to create grooves on the fly. It is also a great tool for instant inspiration or to lay down that groove and then play guitar, bass, trombone, etc to it.

Groove Blox Live has a on-screen latch keyboard that allows the channel to keep playing even after you release the key or never press one to begin with. You can also choose to perform with your MIDI Keyboard instead of the graphical one since it is possible to define which groove is played by which MIDI note.

The 8 MUTE buttons allow you to turn one or more of the channels off and on. You can compose in realtime with Groove Blox Live.

It has a complete effects section with Reverb, Tempo Synced Multi-tap Delay, Limiter and a great LFO/Filter section.

Nearly all controls are learnable with your control surface or keyboard, so you can assign the MUTE buttons to your control surface buttons or pads and assign the LFO effect knobs to sliders or knobs on your control surface. Same goes for the full mixer and panning section - all learnable.

Every Groove Blox channel has a full envelope (ADSR) section and volume. You can also assign each groove track to a separate MIDI channel for use with sequencers or DAWs.

Prominently displayed on each track is the GROOVE SLICER and LOOPER, which allows you to interactively assign MIDI notes to the groove, add or delete sections and slice the groove any way you wish - with multiple ways to play back the groove. Even more interesting is the fact that you can also assign the IN/OUT points graphically for instant looping! What's more, it is VERY easy to use and learn.

Finally, there are two controls to the right of each groove slicer: one to allow you to nudge the audio left or right and the other to pitch shift the audio up or down.

Groove Blox Live is ready to go.

Introductory price is $30. This will go up to $40 in a few weeks.

Video tutorial is coming next.

Read more info and listen to audio demos at: www.supersynths.com

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

While i'm proud to announce my latest project, I have to ask all of you something that has been bugging me for many, many months now: is there really any interest at all in my products (samples and synths) or am I just spinning my wheels?

Lackluster sales of Klang and all my other products have lead me to one of three conclusions:

(1) The market is THAT bad due to a global crappy economy or

(2) I am either the WORST predictor of what people want or

(3) I have been blacklisted or am hated here - or my products simply don't matter

I would really appreciate some HONEST feedback from all KVR members. I would also value feedback on my prices. Are they too high? Too low? What should I adjust?

I really, honestly and sincerely thought that I was going in a direction that people wanted. I mean, really, do we all need yet ANOTHER analog synth - there are only hundreds of them to choose from. Same goes for the synthesis types - additive, subtractive, grain, etc, etc, etc - so many of them that there is almost no reason to make more.

I decided a long time ago to go the sample route. First, I made GARGANTUAN sample sets and people complained they were too big. Then I made small ones all to lackluster sales.

The reviews of my synths have been overall quite good. User views, the ones that talk to me, have also been quite positive. Very few people had bad things to say and NO ONE has told me my stuff is SHIT.

Mike

[bob bobwood]

buy, buy, buy, but why, why, why no demos ? (for vsti)

I appreciate you want to make something from your endeavours and don't have any qualms about that. Personally I can't afford anything at all and don't have credit/debit/banking facility anyway to do online transactions. So as a confirmed none-buyer, I'm not your target audience.

There's no ill feeling at this end, and they look great, just isn't gonna happen. With demos, I believe you'd create more interest and more feedback.
It would require more of your time but could possibly result in more sales.

[Karmacomposer]

That is good advice, and if I were creating synths, I would release demos.

However, my main products are always samples. Once I give them away in a demo, that's it. No reason to buy. The synths I create are usually to utilize the sample set(s).

In Groove Blox Live, you can use your own samples, but it comes with Groove Blox - so if I release a demo of it, it has to come with the sample set.

The only way I can consider a demo is if I release a tiny subset of grooveblox as a freebie and if you want the whole thing, then you can purchase the entire product. I can also make the synth lockout after a specified number of days or have it create annoying tones or dropouts. However, once you have the samples, those cannot be locked - you can freely use them (they are wav files afterall).

Would this sound like a solution?

I'd love to hear other's opinions on demos of my sample-based products - is this the possible reason for no sales? I usually release a video and audio demos, so it's not like you don;t see what it is and what it can do. However, I could certainly make more videos that show off each feature - but would that sway anyone better than or worst than a product demo would?

Your thoughts?

Mike

[Timfonie]

When I visited your website the first thing I tried to do is to stop or silence the loud demo trailer which starts automatically. I couldn't because that Flash based window doesn't seem to have any user controls. For me it's reason enough to leave the page immediately. If you choose to use a Flash based demo trailer, at least provide visitors the option to stop or silence it.

This demo trailer might have chased away quite a few visitors (& possible customers) prematurely.

[revo11]

can't you have a time-limited version with a limited sample set like most other devs? The video on the website is definitely not helping you. You should probably also try putting it on youtube, and while you're at it, put some example performances on youtube as well... there's a lot more traffic there and it's one of the first places i look up new products i'm interested in.

[Cordelia]

Hey Mike,
I just wanted to say that Groove Blox looks really great. I've been keeping an eye on it. It is a very cool idea. For me it is all about lack of money. I have zero budget for vsts. I will buy something for Android because the apps are so cheap.

I've been watching this because it looks like a perfect groove tool for Android but I am unclear on what that means. I think just the loops are compatible rather than the whole plugin? Please clarify if that's not true.

Prior to this I was wary of Prizm, although the demo sounds are very impressive, because of the Wusik connection. I was very excited about Wusik for a little while but after William's last rant against his customers I permanently uninstalled all Wusik from my computer.

If Groove Blox is cool on Android I am sure I'll get it.

I think a YouTube video would be a great idea. That's where I go for gear reviews as well.

[Karmacomposer]

When I visited your website the first thing I tried to do is to stop or silence the loud demo trailer which starts automatically. I couldn't because that Flash based window doesn't seem to have any user controls. For me it's reason enough to leave the page immediately. If you choose to use a Flash based demo trailer, at least provide visitors the option to stop or silence it.

This demo trailer might have chased away quite a few visitors (& possible customers) prematurely.

That is very weird because I built play controls (start/stop/pause and mute) into the player.

I will be doing a site re-design anyway and I will not have any automatic videos playing.

I am sorry that happened to you.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

can't you have a time-limited version with a limited sample set like most other devs? The video on the website is definitely not helping you. You should probably also try putting it on youtube, and while you're at it, put some example performances on youtube as well... there's a lot more traffic there and it's one of the first places i look up new products i'm interested in.

Great ideas. I did put the Groove Blox trailer on youtube, but I will be creating a Supersynths channel and all tutorial videos will go there - and then i'll link to them - that should really help in that department.

Yes. I will create a 30 day time-limited version later today and offer it as a free demo with around 20 or 25 grooveblox included.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

Hey Mike,
I just wanted to say that Groove Blox looks really great. I've been keeping an eye on it. It is a very cool idea. For me it is all about lack of money. I have zero budget for vsts. I will buy something for Android because the apps are so cheap.

I've been watching this because it looks like a perfect groove tool for Android but I am unclear on what that means. I think just the loops are compatible rather than the whole plugin? Please clarify if that's not true.

Prior to this I was wary of Prizm, although the demo sounds are very impressive, because of the Wusik connection. I was very excited about Wusik for a little while but after William's last rant against his customers I permanently uninstalled all Wusik from my computer.

If Groove Blox is cool on Android I am sure I'll get it.

I think a YouTube video would be a great idea. That's where I go for gear reviews as well.

GrooveBlox is a sampleset of wave files. They are loops that seamlessly work together in any way you want to use them.

I have used them on my Android phone and tablet with Audio Evolution with no problems of any kind.

I have used them on my iPad with a multitude of digital audio multitrack apps with no problems. My best experience was with Meteor.

The instrument, which is PC ONLY, allows you to utilize the groove blox (and any wave files really) with autolooping and much more as explained at the top of this thread.

Mike

[Timfonie]

When I visited your website the first thing I tried to do is to stop or silence the loud demo trailer which starts automatically. I couldn't because that Flash based window doesn't seem to have any user controls. For me it's reason enough to leave the page immediately. If you choose to use a Flash based demo trailer, at least provide visitors the option to stop or silence it.

This demo trailer might have chased away quite a few visitors (& possible customers) prematurely.

That is very weird because I built play controls (start/stop/pause and mute) into the player.

That's weird indeed, I didn't realize because in both Firefox v11 and IE v9 no controls were shown. FYI: I'm running Win7 x64 and Adobe Flash player is up to date.

I will be doing a site re-design anyway and I will not have any automatic videos playing.

That's a good website design decision.

[Karmacomposer]

I just finished creating a Groove Blox demo. It will be fully functional for 30 days. After 30 days you will have to purchase or no longer use (a registration screen will pop-up and it will mute all sound).

I have a few things left to do to make the demo function properly. As soon as I have that finished and make a few presets and a video tutorial, I will release it.

It will come with a sampling of Groove Blox (25 of them) from every category.

Somewhere between tomorrow and Thursday it will be released and ready for download.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

As per several people's suggestions, I removed the annoying video from the front of the site - now you can go there in peace and quiet.

I will be re-designing the entire site this week anyway.

Mike

[MDMK]

Hi!

Why wouldn't you send free copies for professional or semi professional gear and software reviewers? I can't link any youtube channels here because of spam alert, but I mean kinds of Sound and Gear and SonicState. You'll find them with google or with youtube search.

Well, just a thought.

A 30 day free demo is a good idea anyway. I doubt that you can sell a VSTi without one.

Best of luck!

[Karmacomposer]

Once Groove Blox Live is totally done, I will certainly send it to review sites.

Thanks for the suggestion.

UPDATE: Demo is done. Just testing it out for a few hours (make sure it works) and choosing the 25 GrooveBlox that will accompany it. After that, I will release it.

Mike