Tone2 Firebird+ is freeware (download available now)

[fluffy_little_something]

Well, I suppose it takes some time for the synth to stick its nose into my entire computer

[D-Fusion]

That is the point. If their stuff does not phone home, nor change any Windows files, then all they needed to do is say so affirmatively.
There are things a good piece of software should simply not do if the makers don't want it to be considered spyware or worse.

I took part in the discussion which was leading to Tone2 leaving KVR.
Personally i have no interest to continue that discussion which IMO was full of BS posted by several people.

I am quite sure that Tone2 will not publish details about their copy protection and AFAIK the only people that ever had "problems" (intended ones...) with the copy protection were people that had one or more illegal Tone2 licenses on their computer (and AFAIK no internet connection is necessary for that).

That's it from me concerning that topic.



Ingo

Wrong...
I never use Illegal software and i had the same problems and was called a pirate back then too which made me really angry.
I showed them proof that i was a paying customer.

But anyway past is past and we can all have a bad day even company owners

Looking forward to Firebird+ with more optimizations even if it is great as it is

Tone 2 is a great company and very helpfull if you encounter any problems

[BBFG#]

I still have 2 of the Tone2 demos on my system. Even though I haven't used them much, I find myself returning to them because of their sonic power and they're just fun to play. I'm sure there hasn't been any 'phoning home' from them (at least that I or my software can detect) and the only reason I haven't made the leap into buying the two I like best (Rayblaster & Gladiator2) is because of price. Still hoping for a real sale (not the $10. off for a month they do sometimes). Give me a 2 for 1 though and I'll jump at it. At least a 30% off would make me seriously consider it.

[fluffy_little_something]

Actually, I like it that some companies don't do promotions. If you got two synths for the same price I paid for one before, I would be pissed

[BBFG#]

It's the nature of sales though, you always pay more for being the first on the block to own it. The only reason I bought SynthMaster was beacuse of one sound set I liked and the 'discount coupon' that made it a no brainer in purchasing. It would be nice to see some more style range in sound sets for Tone2 too. Or at least the ability to get the 'extra features' without having to buy the whole sound set with it.

[fluffy_little_something]

The white Saurus skin for instance, it looks very nice, but afaik it is not part of the regular version.

I also think additional sounds should be the only thing included in paid addons. When I buy a synth I want it to include the full feature set etc. including all updates. Since I never use other people's presets, I would not want to pay a single additional cent just to get the white skin or even additional synth features.

[Ingonator]

The white Saurus skin for instance, it looks very nice, but afaik it is not part of the regular version.

I use an unpublished modified version of thev white Saurus skin (with light blue knobs) and i love it.

Same about the white skin for Rayblaster that was included with the "Futuron" soundset (besides 50 additional waveforms done by myself with DNR Wave Designeer...).

BTW for those who did not notice Himalaya got a very nice Saurus soundbank too:
http://www.electric-himalaya.com/tone2_ ... _bank.html


Ingo

[fluffy_little_something]

Got a screenshot of that skin?

[Ingonator]

Got a screenshot of that skin?

Here is a "collage" i made with that modified white Saurus skin and the white Rayblaster skin:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/532 ... ns%201.png


Ingo

[Ingonator]

Some details about the updated version of Firebird (no native 64-bit support as already discussed here):

New features and enhancements:

- Enhanced sound: Less aggressive treble, more smooth
- Ultra quality is selected by default
- Lower CPU because of SSE2 support
- Faster loading and saving of songs
- Smart installer which automatically detects the correct location
- Enhanced host compatibility
- Accidently visiting the website by clicking on the logos is not longer possible
- Reworked some graphics
- First patch was clipping in some hosts

Changes:
- The product is now freeware
- Keyfile is not longer required
- Iqm is switched to off by default

Further notes:
- is downward compatible with previous versions
- CPU can reduced by selecting a lower quality in 'setup'
- For technical reasons there will be no 64 bit or Mac version

Ingo

[Halma]

Some details about the updated version of Firebird (no native 64-bit support as already discussed here):

New features and enhancements:

- Enhanced sound: Less aggressive treble, more smooth
...

Ingo

More smoother than now? I already find it pretty smooth esp. the Warm mode on particular waveforms. Damn, things are getting interesting. Hopefully the overall sound does not change that much because I really like some of the harsher sounding EL waveforms.

But I am looking forward to this...

Now some more info about this harmonic auto correction would be cool. Have not found any good information on this subject since I started using FB+.

Regards
Sebastian

[fluffy_little_something]

Got a screenshot of that skin?

Here is a "collage" i made with that modified white Saurus skin and the white Rayblaster skin:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/532 ... ns%201.png


Ingo

OK Actually I find the dark knobs better on the white skin...
The white skin makes the signal flow more obvious, including what I have always found odd about the osc section...

[fluffy_little_something]

What's iqm?

[GaryG]

I think 64bit support is just a major convenience for a lot (most?) people now, no need to mess around with bridges etc.

Sound quality/memory handling irrelevant, people just want to call up the plugin without any fuss.

Exactly.

But the main thing here is that Firebird is offered for free.

To make an issue about it being a little fuzzy to use a bridge in a 64 bit environment, is to me like getting a free dinner served, and then making a fuzz about the chore of having to put the dishwasher on afterwards

Absolutely. Mine was a general comment on why you'd want a 64bit version even if it didn't use loads of memory etc etc.

And I'm still in 32bit land so you won't hear any complaints from me.

[fluffy_little_something]

Saying that for technical reasons there will not be a 64-bit version is odd, though. Like saying the Ecuadorian president's plane had to land in Vienna for technical reasons