Another warez user featured in an FM video?

[chk071]

So the scene can keep the ball rolling? I'm afraid but since 99,99% of the warez users will never make big money in their life with music they can keep using warez now with the blessing of a dev?

I don't know where you read that out of the statement, because he never said that. But yeah, as you wrote, the big artists don't pose the problem, especially when they own a valid license. I don't even know if the 99,9% of the warez users who just wanna be cool pose the problem, as only few of them would have probably bought a license anyway. The problem here is rather that FM frequently releases videos with artists who use warez, and that's not cool.

A big part of the problem is probably that you can't verify 100% who really uses warez instead of a license he maybe have bought. And that problem, as i wrote earlier, probably relates to the availability of warez on the internet. It's just so easy to pass by, and grab it. And in the case of Sylenth1, obviously it's not too hard to crack it, and it's very popular, so there'll be a lot of cracks.

[KingClarkie]

Btw, i know you were making a joke, but the car theft comparison displays once again the mistake in thinking. Using warez is like stealing the license to use the software (well, not even that... as the "license" is not something which is individually available...), not the software itself. That's why these kind of comparisons are not applicable at all. Not sure why they come up so frequently.

Yes, I don't usually like the comparison to theft either. My joke was aimed more at the lenient response from LennarDigital rather than a comment on the use of warez.

When I dicuss piracy with people I normally prefer to compare it to other forms of unauthorised use such as sneaking into the cinema, riding a train without a ticket, or (in the UK) watching TV without a TV license. As with software piracy these are all acts which individually seem harmless but if everyone does it no one gets paid. Sadly it's much easier to get away with piracy than any of these.

[cron]

LennarDigital is at the forefront of this because he happened to design a GUI that shows the name on the license unusually clearly, while Team AIR developed a crack that fills this space particularly obnoxiously. It's possible to use other cracked software far more discreetly in your promotional videos for FM. As such, I don't really give any larger a shit about his particular stance on the piracy of his own products than I do anyone else's. So what if he's lenient? The problem is much bigger than him.

[cron]

Also, this whole thing about people using warez before they make money being more acceptable is bullshit too. "I'll pay when I start making money"? f**k you! How many other hobbies do people take this attitude with? Fishing? Skateboarding? Swimming? Drawing? Why is making music exceptional?

[RunBeerRun]

Both sides of the argument are losers. Get out while you can, it's a sunny day and we have gas money, food....

[murnau]

Also, this whole thing about people using warez before they make money being more acceptable is bullshit too. "I'll pay when I start making money"? f**k you! How many other hobbies do people take this attitude with? Fishing? Skateboarding? Swimming? Drawing? Why is making music exceptional?

The thing is that all this guys are already somehow in a position where they earn money (otherwise they wouldn't be in those FM videos) and they still use cracked stuff and then their is the developer statement which is only a big LOL. I tell you what: If i would be a teenager, a better excuse for using warez is really hard to imagine.

I only see Urs concerned while this Lennard statement is a big smack for any of his customers who paid their hard earned money for Sylenth. I can't believe what i read there.

that they used pirated copies in their videos, possibly because they forgot to install their legal licenses, or were simply too lazy to do so. However, none of them earned big money with pirated software as these websites claim.

Piracy obviously is a major problem for our company, by missing revenue to invest in further development and otherwise because cracked versions usually are buggy and unstable and give wrong impressions of the software.

Also there is a contradiction: First forgot to install their legal licenses (still using the cracked version) then a sentence later beware cracked versions usually buggy..

[notinterested]

I'm suckered in by this thread.

Lemme put it to you like this: A bunch of punks made MAD CASH off of something called the "amen break" and didn't pay a cent. What makes anyone think that people (regardless of popularity) are always paying for stuff? These are the same people that are worth millions off of a genre that is BUILT off of ripping off stuff from records.

Makes me mad as hell too, but when you consider just twitter/youtube what do you think? Everyone has a good moral compass? That would be a no. "They" think that saving money, using tools that are right there for anyone on the net is the way to go. Mom and dad probably have loads of cash. It's not how people think. They are smart enough to say "I can get it for free, why pay for it?"

My compass doesn't go there. Maybe that's why I'm not rich and famous.

[bongo_x]

I once responded to an add over at Gearslutz, a 'pro' studio clearout.

The dude was selling a hi spec Mac Pro for about €4.5k with a lot of software licenses included. When I dug a little deeper it turned out his Waves Mercury bundle was in fact pirated, but 'it was ok because all the studios do it'.

I love when people say this kind of shit. I’ve been in a lot of studios. Only once have I been in one that had cracked software. The assistant told me it was left there by another client who works there a lot. I told him he’d be staying late after we finished because I wanted it all gone by the time I came in the next day.

Here’s a tip if you have a commercial studio; get your system drives set up perfectly, clone them, and then after each client wipe the whole thing and reload from the clone.

[Compyfox]

Also, this whole thing about people using warez before they make money being more acceptable is bullshit too. "I'll pay when I start making money"? f**k you! How many other hobbies do people take this attitude with? Fishing? Skateboarding? Swimming? Drawing? Why is making music exceptional?

Well, let's take a closer look:

For swimming (unless you do it professionally), you only need a swimsuit or swim-pants and either a pool, a pond/lake or a yearly fee for a swimming hall. I recently checked prices myself for a new outfit, possible goggles, maybe ear protection and a yearly fee. I came to about 150-200EUR as stock, with the majority (roughly 50EUR) for the season-pass at swimming halls.

Drawing can be started with very less money, until you go apesh*t advanced and need water color pens, oil paint, copic markers, etc. With less than 30-45 bucks, you can already get very far!

Skateboarding... unless you really want an expensive piece of gear with all bells and whistles, you can get a board for barely any money these days. Longboarding is a "trend" over here currently.

Fishing among this example is the most expensive hobby as you simply can't start with a wooden rod, a hook and some strings. Well, you can, but this won't get you that far unless you're happy with really small fish.



I am not saying that "using warez" is adjusted if we take these examples in comparison. But I am baffled sometimes that people only go by "I need to get this, I need to get that! Only then I am considered 'a pro' " - which is a BS argument that was made up by elitist musicians and engineers up until over a decade ago. Well, until the VST/VSTi freeware realm really booted off and equipment got more accessible. (studios have still their right of existence - see the KVR industry focus)

Nowadays you can get exceptional(!) pieces of gear for barely any to no pocket money. I mean... look at it:
get a CM magazine and you get a "basic synth/plugin set" for like 5GPB, buy a BEAT/KEYS special and get a suitable Cubase version for 15EUR, buy a back issue of a Synth Special for addition 10 bucks to supercharge your collection. Or jump on Reaper for 60USD as "low budget studio". Do you need Kontakt? Only if you want fancy third party stuff, the freeware realm however can keep you busy for years(!) to come (CWItec's sampler plus freeware content on KVR, GS, Rekkerd and BPB!). Fancy ADC/DAC? You can get an outstanding microphone (large membrane) and USB ADC/DAC set for less than 250EUR these days.

So all in all - invest roughly 500EUR max if you already have great speakers or headphones and a PC/Mac to boot. And you get a more than outstanding entry level project studio for that. Even with additional "full versions" thrown into the pool (some ADCs come bundled with non LE versions of synths and plugins).

Compared to how I started (early to mid 90ies) with Cubase (expensive) and hardware (you needed the actual synth, adapters, and ADC to record, etc), this is the land of milk and honey! For newbie musicians/engineers to high rated professionals!





This is what can drive you absolutely crazy as part of this discussion.

Along comes a magazine with EDM focus (a fast paced genre/market anyway), making a video about a DJ that can(!) make several thousands a night with two turntables and a Laptop (though odds are he doesn't and is just playing big - we'll never know), he has created a couple of songs and is therefore declared "famous", has gear worth of 5 numbers (10E4 range, or 10k+). And he still uses a cracked version of Sylenth, worth 139EUR (sans VAT) - not for demo purposes mind you - but out of laziness to install a license file? And he wrote a hit record with it?!

Now come on!


It is one thing if you wear a grey vest and go by the argument "I only use warez for testing purposes - if there is no demo, the demo is crippled, or my old demo times ran out/there is a new version and the company refuses to reset my demo periods - if I like the software, I will buy it". Which is more than a grey zone argument - I have to agree. Then again, all has it's good and bad sides.

But this particular example is(!) a slap in the face towards all paying customers. And those musicians that save up their really hard earned pocket money in order to buy one synth every two years, while maintenance up"grades" have to be pulled back in terms of priorities.



The audio realm is not an elitist expensive paving anymore. Sales, second hand gear, freeware...
As I said - the land of milk and honey.

It can go different. Why it doesn't, is sometimes beyond me.
And then we wonder why we have this argument every one in a while.

[Tricky-Loops]

Fishing among this example is the most expensive hobby as you simply can't start with a wooden rod, a hook and some strings. Well, you can, but this won't get you that far unless you're happy with really small fish.

Ever seen fishers in Polynesia?

It's not (only) about what you use, it's about how you use it!

[GeckoYamori]

The "it should be acceptable to use warez when you're just a poor hobbyist bedroom producer" line of reasoning doesn't sit well with me either, but probably for different reasonings. In my opinion, that is moreso doing a disservice to all the cheap and even free excellent software that exists and is well within reach for this alleged demographic. If you can't afford Omnisphere or the Waves suite, then why not support the smaller plugin makers instead who sell their products at much more reasonable prices?

[andrew71]

I think that there's a whole generation now that has grown up with digital products that feels entitled to whatever their broadband connection is capable of downloading, and they associate no value with those products. Even though they are stealing, as they aren't technically walking out of a shop with something concealed under their jacket, they don't see it as a crime. Someone will download Sylenth or Massive simply because they've watched someone create a lead or bass sound in it on YouTube and they lack the skills to translate those settings into a free or cheaper synth.

It's going off at a tangent, but look at how the games industry is hooking kids by masquerading DLC with toys. Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Nintendo's Amiibo are all created with the sole purpose of giving the parents something to feel they've actually spent their money on, even though it is effectively just downloadable content in a game their kids already own. The whole marketplace exists so that parents can see something tangible rather than just seeing their wages spent on in-game content.

[RunBeerRun]

Don't look up to sound, but rather look up to talent. I'm just getting into mainstream sounds, wait until you hear me with U-he gear. Sylenth is dated, it's less modernly polished, still quality if course.

[2ZrgE]

LennarDigital is at the forefront of this because he happened to design a GUI that shows the name on the license unusually clearly, while Team AIR developed a crack that fills this space particularly obnoxiously. It's possible to use other cracked software far more discreetly in your promotional videos for FM.

You can assume that if you see a cracked Sylenth in a video, then chances are big that some other plugins are cracked too, especially the expensive stuff.

There are a lot of videos on YT where some producer kids have their VST folders stuffed with Waves or Sound Toys - I'm sure most of that stuff is not legit. Of course you cannot tell because there is no big "TEA..." on it.

[murnau]

But they bought it all, there were just to lazy to install it. They rather download, unpack and followed the instructions to install the cracked version. Proved by Lenny,,