Are we seeing the decline of the plug-in industry?

[pdxindy]

Yet there's still a secret law about it: The more resistance you put into perceiving obstacles or enemies - the more you attract them.

Doesn't seem like much of a secret if it is being talked about on the internet...

[Nightpolymath]

The beauty of one-way encryption schemes is that most of these algorithms are in the public domain, developed and tested by the some of the best brains in institutions like the NSA and MIT (and around the world). The whole idea is akin to giving someone the design for a lock, and asking someone else to design a key to be able to unlock it. Not easy with one-way hash functions.

[chaosWyrM]

I encourage developers to try to figure out a way for illegal software to literally melt processors.

sooo...your answer to the illegal act of theft of intellectual property is the equally illegal act of wonton vandalism of actual property?

sounds legit to me...im sure no one would get sued over that probably.

[Urs]

That's why we only melt the user interface

[digitalboytn]

That's why we only melt the user interface

That's why we only melt the user's face

[johnwoo]

How i see it , the problem is not the crackers or hackers or god knows who !
The problem is that nothing new come to market ! Everybody emulates something , combine emulation of something, emulating combination of emulation of something!
I still use like my main sound source the good old Korg Triton with his Moss!
Why ? Because is not CPU eater and is still fast enough .
Wanna do something new ? Make an analog workstation , 16 parts , different engine of synthesis , something like Korg Kronos and the we talk about .
But that is not gonna happened ever , it will be too much for too little .

[The Telenator]

Hi, everybody! Hi Urs! This is a hot topic lately -- well, I don't necessarily mean 'decline of the industry'. No, I have trouble with the word 'decline'. I think it's more like 'shakedown' or maybe 'reality check' time.

I don't think it has anything to do with people going around cracking software, either. I won't deny theft of intellectual property isn't some sort of factor, as in making some devs paranoid, or causing them to devote an outrageous amount of time on protection efforts. There are great changes going on and, happily, we all get to be witnesses. It's all been in the last 1 to 2 years, too.

First, the wonderful people who gift us with freeware are producing at an all-time high -- something new every day of real value. Yeah, more than just quantity, the quality of this freeware is just astounding, some of it giving the makers of over-priced, over-hyped product a serious kick in the pants. How can anyone suggest any decline in this niche of the audio software industry with so much and so wonderful a selection of freeware available a click away?

Then there is what I call 'cheapware'. This market is flush with product too. Ask most devs and, if they'll be honest with you, they tell you there is just too much of each kind for sale. Thus, we now see even the snobbiest software being cut 50% in price and on sale almost every month. However, just below the snobware is what I'm thinking about right now. The good commercial software that was never what anyone would have considered over-priced is often marked down all the time now, as devs seek to find a price point that will both keep their products moving and also keep users talking -- i.e., keep their products name or their brand's name on the tip of everyone's tongue. You see what business defines as 'loss leaders' all the time now -- one product marked down dirt cheap in order to bring in potential customers whom the company then will attempt to offer their latest greatest invention at full price.

Good grief, market decline? There are more choices and types of product than ever before, and so far it shows no sign of letting up. IF you need some proof, consider that one of the biggest issues now with DAW owners is that their plugin folders are simply overfull with plugins . . . to the point that some can never decide which brand of compressor to use, or others who can't even remember what some of their many plugins do! It's not uncommon at all now to hear of people having some 500 or more plugins in their collection. This was practically unheard of a mere 2 or 3 years ago.

And what of the softsynth, the work horse instrument of DAW World? One trusted news source reported just last week that the softsynth has now become the world's most popular instrument, surpassing the acoustic guitar and even the electric guitar, instruments that have shared that title since the god Elvis walked this earth. If you think about it, this is a world-view changing event. For the first time in human history, a software programme and not an instrument made of wood, metal, or plastic is the first instrument of choice! Now fancy that.

There's more to it than this, though. Once upon a time, a good softsynth would have cost you a full month's mortgage payment or rent. Computer musicians routinely ate almost only Ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches all month long to finance their musical instrument needs and their creativity. But now? Well, we just had a commenter on this thread who offers, among other items, 4 or perhaps 5 of the finest freeware synths ever designed. These are, in fact, far better than many commercial synths you could have purchased just two years ago. After testing as many as 200, I have a folder with about a dozen of the ultimate best freeware synths ever made.

If that's not good enough for you, some designers are offering incredible sale prices on their commercial synths on a regular basis. If you keep your eyes open and read the several daily news blogs and websites that cover our art and technology, you will routinely come across synths on sale for anywhere from $5 to $20 that normally sell for 5 to 10 times more. Going even further, the day of the $299-and-up softsynth is almost done. It's become almost laughable to many people to consider a synth at that price. Replacing it are many synths at far more reasonable prices. The brand new Waves Element synth is priced solidly at $99. The exact same is true of the very well-updated Z3TA+2. In fact, Arturia's entire collection of its 4 or 5 V series synths are all this $99 each. u-he's ACE modular is priced at $89.

I could go on almost forever but you ought to see the writing on the wall by now. I tell you and I have absolutely no doubt -- after this current shakedown, forcing firms large and small to sell their synths at more rational prices, every universally top-rated synth aside from very, very rare exceptions will be available for the new limit -- this $99. Further, you can expect this shakedown to work its way through the DAW market as well, and it's coming to your town soon! The price of top-rated Reaper at $60 and Podium at $50 will soon be much closer to the norm, while Ableton's Live at some $400 USD and Steinberg's Cubase at something like $540 to $600 will be things your children will read of someday in books about the history and beginnings of home digital recording.

Declining? Well, if you are talking about the prices, then, yes, and it's about time, but otherwise production, variety and the number of plugins, and the constant reoccurring upgrade releases have never been higher! You truly couldn't be in this game at a better time! So happy plugin hunting! Cheers!

[Crackbaby]

Jezes... could you try to shorten whatever you write to one tenth? If you want to get your point across, people must read it first. Few have the time to read an essay in the form of a post no matter how interesting it is..

[hakey]

Hi, everybody! Hi Urs! This is a hot topic lately -- well, I don't necessarily mean 'decline of the industry'. No, I have trouble with the word 'decline'. I think it's more like 'shakedown' or maybe 'reality check' time.

I don't think it has anything to do with people going around cracking software, either. I won't deny theft of intellectual property isn't some sort of factor, as in making some devs paranoid, or causing them to devote an outrageous amount of time on protection efforts. There are great changes going on and, happily, we all get to be witnesses. It's all been in the last 1 to 2 years, too.

First, the wonderful people who gift us with freeware are producing at an all-time high -- something new every day of real value. Yeah, more than just quantity, the quality of this freeware is just astounding, some of it giving the makers of over-priced, over-hyped product a serious kick in the pants. How can anyone suggest any decline in this niche of the audio software industry with so much and so wonderful a selection of freeware available a click away?

Then there is what I call 'cheapware'. This market is flush with product too. Ask most devs and, if they'll be honest with you, they tell you there is just too much of each kind for sale. Thus, we now see even the snobbiest software being cut 50% in price and on sale almost every month. However, just below the snobware is what I'm thinking about right now. The good commercial software that was never what anyone would have considered over-priced is often marked down all the time now, as devs seek to find a price point that will both keep their products moving and also keep users talking -- i.e., keep their products name or their brand's name on the tip of everyone's tongue. You see what business defines as 'loss leaders' all the time now -- one product marked down dirt cheap in order to bring in potential customers whom the company then will attempt to offer their latest greatest invention at full price.

Good grief, market decline? There are more choices and types of product than ever before, and so far it shows no sign of letting up. IF you need some proof, consider that one of the biggest issues now with DAW owners is that their plugin folders are simply overfull with plugins . . . to the point that some can never decide which brand of compressor to use, or others who can't even remember what some of their many plugins do! It's not uncommon at all now to hear of people having some 500 or more plugins in their collection. This was practically unheard of a mere 2 or 3 years ago.

And what of the softsynth, the work horse instrument of DAW World? One trusted news source reported just last week that the softsynth has now become the world's most popular instrument, surpassing the acoustic guitar and even the electric guitar, instruments that have shared that title since the god Elvis walked this earth. If you think about it, this is a world-view changing event. For the first time in human history, a software programme and not an instrument made of wood, metal, or plastic is the first instrument of choice! Now fancy that.

There's more to it than this, though. Once upon a time, a good softsynth would have cost you a full month's mortgage payment or rent. Computer musicians routinely ate almost only Ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches all month long to finance their musical instrument needs and their creativity. But now? Well, we just had a commenter on this thread who offers, among other items, 4 or perhaps 5 of the finest freeware synths ever designed. These are, in fact, far better than many commercial synths you could have purchased just two years ago. After testing as many as 200, I have a folder with about a dozen of the ultimate best freeware synths ever made.

If that's not good enough for you, some designers are offering incredible sale prices on their commercial synths on a regular basis. If you keep your eyes open and read the several daily news blogs and websites that cover our art and technology, you will routinely come across synths on sale for anywhere from $5 to $20 that normally sell for 5 to 10 times more. Going even further, the day of the $299-and-up softsynth is almost done. It's become almost laughable to many people to consider a synth at that price. Replacing it are many synths at far more reasonable prices. The brand new Waves Element synth is priced solidly at $99. The exact same is true of the very well-updated Z3TA+2. In fact, Arturia's entire collection of its 4 or 5 V series synths are all this $99 each. u-he's ACE modular is priced at $89.

I could go on almost forever but you ought to see the writing on the wall by now. I tell you and I have absolutely no doubt -- after this current shakedown, forcing firms large and small to sell their synths at more rational prices, every universally top-rated synth aside from very, very rare exceptions will be available for the new limit -- this $99. Further, you can expect this shakedown to work its way through the DAW market as well, and it's coming to your town soon! The price of top-rated Reaper at $60 and Podium at $50 will soon be much closer to the norm, while Ableton's Live at some $400 USD and Steinberg's Cubase at something like $540 to $600 will be things your children will read of someday in books about the history and beginnings of home digital recording.

Declining? Well, if you are talking about the prices, then, yes, and it's about time, but otherwise production, variety and the number of plugins, and the constant reoccurring upgrade releases have never been higher! You truly couldn't be in this game at a better time! So happy plugin hunting! Cheers!

tl;dr

[ZenPunkHippy]

The irony of the warez side of this thread is that many warez users will think nothing of paying $799 for the "new" Korg MS-20 but won't pay any price for a far more powerful plugin synth or effect.



Peace,
Andy.

[pdxindy]

don't think it has anything to do with people going around cracking software, either. I won't deny theft of intellectual property isn't some sort of factor, as in making some devs paranoid, or causing them to devote an outrageous amount of time on protection efforts.

you talk like the devs are just paranoid. It takes money out of their pocket in the form of lost sales. If it was out of your pocket you would be screaming bloody murder... no doubt

[Gamma-UT]

These are, in fact, far better than many commercial synths you could have purchased just two years ago. After testing as many as 200, I have a folder with about a dozen of the ultimate best freeware synths ever made.

And yet you still make that distinction. I'm impressed that you value your time so poorly as to download just about everything free you can find to test it. Other people make different decisions over how they value time vs the money in their pocket.

If that's not good enough for you, some designers are offering incredible sale prices on their commercial synths on a regular basis. If you keep your eyes open and read the several daily news blogs and websites that cover our art and technology, you will routinely come across synths on sale for anywhere from $5 to $20 that normally sell for 5 to 10 times more. Going even further, the day of the $299-and-up softsynth is almost done. It's become almost laughable to many people to consider a synth at that price. Replacing it are many synths at far more reasonable prices. The brand new Waves Element synth is priced solidly at $99. The exact same is true of the very well-updated Z3TA+2. In fact, Arturia's entire collection of its 4 or 5 V series synths are all this $99 each. u-he's ACE modular is priced at $89.

If free is so good, why is $99 good for something else? Why not $50, $20, $10, $5? The race to the bottom proceeds quickly until you get the pileup down there. If free is good (and there is no technical reason why it cannot be), why is paid-for better?

Declining? Well, if you are talking about the prices, then, yes, and it's about time, but otherwise production, variety and the number of plugins, and the constant reoccurring upgrade releases have never been higher! You truly couldn't be in this game at a better time! So happy plugin hunting! Cheers!

There is a phrase in economics: "exponential blow off". The pile of sand keeps building up - and people go "wow this is great" until the point of collapse.

You need to look more closely at the motivations of freeware developers and ask yourself: is this environment sustainable in a situation where there is no prospect of ever selling any product in this field for a living wage? Some will continue for the challenge of programming or because their work scratches a particular itch. Others may find their ability to earn has suddenly ground to a halt because the thing that was paying for them to build freeware synths has been choked off.

[ZenPunkHippy]

As Gamma-UT is getting at: if you run a professional business composing music then you need tools you can rely on, you need support when things go wrong, you need some kind of guarantee that future updates won't mess up the sound of your existing projects.

In short: reliability.

The disconnect on sites like KVR is partly related to the fact that you're on a forum where some of the tools are intended for 2 different markets: professionals who need the above support, and bedroom or hobbyist producers - who's work is no less important, but they won't starve if the tools suddenly stop working.

It's the same reason a professional might purchase a $4000 computer that could easily be replaced by a $600 computer - but there is a guarantee with the $4K computer that the generic brand cannot provide.

Do you have time to fix your computer when charging clients $200 to compose music? The deadline is this afternoon

Peace,
Andy.

[Crackbaby]

which makes a broken ilok sound like risky business!

[Gamma-UT]

which makes a broken ilok sound like risky business!

Which is why people have a spare and ZDT.

Imagine trying to get C/R counts reset in a hurry after a hard drive or motherboard meltdown. It's much the same thing. However, that is why licence files or codes trump both unless you are moving frequently between workstations (where the iLok does save time).