Cost of soundbanks - often expensive

[Torchlight]

Yeah, they seem too expensive to me. I'd buy a lot more if they were cheaper.

Given that sound designers need some reward for their effort, I suppose the question comes down to whether the increase in sales from a lower price would lead to a higher total revenue. My hunch is that it would, but it's no more than a hunch. If soundsets were 5 quid or so, then they're at the impulse buy level where you don't even need to think about it. Above that, you have to pause to think.

Presumably, though, some sound designers would actually have tried this strategy and could offer some feedback? Xenos's sets, for example, seem pretty cheap, at least at their intro prices. I'd probably buy any new set of his for a synth I had at the $5-6 price he typically debuts them at.

[Wildfunk]

I'm sure I remember a time when nobody would attempt to bring out a soundbank without 128 presets in it, and they were generally well under £10, for 128 presets.

And how many of these banks where really big hits and had unique sounds included?

Usually these banks were just made by schoolboys hunting for some pocket money.

[Xenos]

...And often those making sound banks are also the ones who make factory presets, which is not a good omen

Native Instruments, Camel Audio, and U-He are pretty picky about who they hire for factory sounds. Lots of good stuff can be heard in synths from those companies. I can see where you are coming from with more budget synths, though, as smaller companies often don't have the funds to hire out sound designers.

[elassi]

then there's artwork...

On a side note: Did anyone ever saw well done artwork for soundbanks? Not that I care - it is only interesting from the sales psychostuff perspective - but there are mostly "pretty" awful examples out there.

A rare example for well designed ones are the free sample sets of 99sounds - imho.

[ctype]

I quite like the look of the artwork for all the sound sets by The Unfinished.

[aMUSEd]

Samplephonics have some lovely artwork

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... k#p5778948

[Kriminal]

Who gives a f**k about the artwork? Are you buying sounds or images...

Mugs

[Kriminal]

Yeah, they seem too expensive to me. I'd buy a lot more if they were cheaper.
.

Mostly, you get what you pay for, but in preset land, anyone can copy/paste/tweak and call themselves a 'sound designer'... so you can still pay more than average and end up with very average.

Its easy to spot the patterns and signs of those who do it.

[elassi]

Who gives a f**k about the artwork?

Mussorgsky?

[Ghostwave]

Mostly, you get what you pay for, but in preset land, anyone can copy/paste/tweak and call themselves a 'sound designer'... so you can still pay more than average and end up with very average.

Do I sense some frustration in your tone?

[Kriminal]

Mostly, you get what you pay for, but in preset land, anyone can copy/paste/tweak and call themselves a 'sound designer'... so you can still pay more than average and end up with very average.

Do I sense some frustration in your tone?

No, why?

[mcnoone]

I can't afford to buy presets much anymore...they're too expensive.

[gnosis123]

I'm generally willing to pay a bit extra for sound packs that contain original samples (e.g. Simon's soundsets), as opposed to synth presets. I don't have a psaltery, oud, etc -- or the sampling chops to get a superior instrument out of it all. Plus, I can often use the samples on their own for other stuff.

Apart from being a lesson in programming the synth, a great preset can be an entire instrument in itself, with its own playing techniques, etc.

[bmrzycki]

It's simple: vote with your wallet.

The ones priced too high won't be purchased enough and the author will stop making sets or lower the price. I loved the Camel Audio sounds but the price was too steep for me, especially with the exchange rate from GBP to USD. I'd patiently wait for their sales and pick them up at what I thought they were worth.

Another way of thinking about it: suppose there's a sound that you love in a commercial bank. How much of your time would it take to recreate it? Or hire someone to do so? I can only imagine how much Howard Scarr charged Hans Zimmer to make all the Dark Knight, Inception, and Da Vinci sounds. Yet we can purchase a large chunk of those sounds for $99 (around $4 a sound not including the custom ZebraHZ and free upgrade to Zebra3).

Complaining on a forum won't get anyone anywhere. Rewarding those that price right and penalizing those that price high is a much more effective means of getting your message across.

[mcnoone]