Which companies have the most reliable and fair policies?

[Taika-Kim]

I like U-He and Cockos for example. Updates and minor features are not marketed as new versions, and the copy protection is user friendly.

I had to turn UEFI off when I installed Linux, and now I need to re-authorize all my plugins in Windows too, which is something I deeply loathe doing, having to dig up all my old passwords, etc etc.

Then there is Izotope for example, that makes good products of course, but since I bought RX2 I think three years ago, and now version 5 is already just around the corner. Every time it´s a paid update. Also they have dropped several plugins completely.

What do people think about issues like this? Of course R&D needs money, but at least I´m totally put off by the Izotope policy, and have been staying with RX2, since it anyways does what I need well.

Also copy protection does not make that much sense, since there are very few plugins that you can´t find for free in the internet in five minutes if you want. I have still the bought versions installed of the software I own, since I´m worried that the cracks might break something in the software, but the inclination to install them just to get rid of copy protection is strong

Also it´s strange, that some very small companies have much more quick and friendly user support than some large ones.

What do people think? What are your favourite companies in this regard?

[reusenoise]

Xfer (Serum/Nerve) non intrusive copy protection,lifetime free update.

Imageline (FL studio and many vsti) non intrusive copy protection,just a simple reg code,lifetime free update,but some updates take a life;-)...the only drawback if you want to sell second hand,you must sell your account.

One Small Clue (Poise/Grace) Good developer,if you report a bug,normally takes a couples of day to resolv...and afaik lifetime free updates...

[dsan@mail.com]

What you describe is just the way it is Taika-Kim.

There are greedy people and there are not.

There are helpful people and there are not.

Since companies are run by people the principles above apply.

If I cannot get along with the principles and ideologies of a company, I do not support them by buying their products.

I look at software purchases this way - do I need a new car or just want a new car? If I need that new car then I of course I have to shop for one. But I do not have to shop at those places that are not customer friendly and are greedy. Mostly we just want those things we do not need.

As for your piracy issue - do not give into temptation. There is nothing to gain from installing pirated software. There is a lot to lose though. Like possibly more of your money than what it would have cost to stay legit.

If you want software that does not offer a demo, and you really need to demo before you decide to buy, simply do not support a non customer friendly company. Of course, keep in mind, some software just cannot be demoed.

Companies like u-He are my favorite types of companies. Customer friendly and an eye on good business policies. Fair copy protection that does not penalize the honest person. Not a greedy company.

Cheers!
dsan

[chk071]

There are greedy people and there are not.

Are there really greedy people in this business? I'd rather say most of them just do what they have to do to survive... the big players like Native Instruments, Steinberg aren't exactly big either. But every license transfer means extra work, if not in the form of manual license transfer work, then in giving support to 2 people about potentially the same issues. Considering many companies are either one man, or have 2 or 3 employees, you can figure how much manpower they have to serve hundreds or thousands of customers. I think this kind of discussions is a first world discussion, with people not seeing what goes on behind the curtains. Or just arguing from their customer view point.

[Taika-Kim]

I meant installing cracked versions of software I own legally.

I'm not saying Izotope (for example, it´s just the first that sprang into mind) is greedy, I´m sure they are employing people and need to pay them... But since I have scant money anyway for purchases, I will try to support companies that are nice ALSO from the customer´s point of view

Also good demos are mandatory, U-He does nice ones. I wanted to check out Monark from NI, but there was no demo, so...

[lfm]

When it comes to instruments and plugins I don't care about updates so much - just maintenance of bugs is enough.

So just serial number, or a code generated from your credentials or burned in watermark of your credentials is good. Best if not bound to a specific machine at all.

Personally I never bothered selling stuff, unless with hardware like Arturia.

So Cakewalk, Liquid Sonics, DDMF, BlueCatAudio are good in my book.

When it comes to a daw it's a bit different, I want updates all the time with new features and that product is improved as time goes by.

So Cakewalk are best in my book, they want to improve more than anybody I've seen.
And it gave results too, Sonar is very good today.

Cockos and Image-Line seems good at first glance, but looking at the big picture it really takes longer for major things to be improved. You get free updates for a very long time, but as anybody know running a software business you hardly can live off new sales on software products - the obvious and accepted policy is that you pay in between for updates - and you also get them sooner. Cockos and Image-Line give me the impression owner just like the lifestyle of being their own - they don't care if business grows or not - just my personal view of course.

Since Syncrosoft key eLicenser software seems to work well these days, I don't object so much to those locks. Five years ago was another story. So Steinberg is ok in my book now.

Presonus - nothing wrong with licensing as such, I guess. Just a bit strange policy in having two entry level daws that don't have VST support as standard. Producer version was suddenly dropped and it was steep upgrade to go with v3, I felt. And two years ago I was met by new policy not to use their ticket based support system - and referred me to contact local dealers only - meaning much longer distance to get anything through to devs. So Presonus is a gonner for me.

[Hank the Knife]

@chk071
True, most audio soft companies don't have many employees. For example;
Website: http://www.steinberg.de
Headquarters: Hamburg, Germany
Size: 51 to 200 Employees
Founded: Unknown
Type: Company - Private
Industry: Information Technology
Revenue: approx. €7,5 million to €35 million
Competitors: Unknown

[MillerSam]

Steinberg is Yamaha

[Sampleconstruct]

IBTL

[TheKid]

U-he and Xfer were mentioned. I also like Hornet and Klanghelm (best copy protection, nice devs, software with no frills). Also great: Cytomic, Tritik, Sugarbytes.

Companies with bad copy protection: all companies using PACE, elicenser and challenge/response. Too many to list them all. You know who you are.

Companies with bloat: IK Multimedia (Custom Shop, Quicktime, installing non-purchased VSTs).

[chk071]

@chk071
True, most audio soft companies don't have many employees. For example;
Website: http://www.steinberg.de
Headquarters: Hamburg, Germany
Size: 51 to 200 Employees
Founded: Unknown
Type: Company - Private
Industry: Information Technology
Revenue: approx. €7,5 million to €35 million
Competitors: Unknown

Well, considering they're one of the real big players, it's a very small company... there are quite a few equally sized companies in my small home town.

[Aloysius]

McDonalds

[ThomasHelzle]

I really love Camel Audio. Great company to work with, very nice guys, very fair prices, great products, good support, one of the best companies ever.

Oh wait, it's 2015.

I really hate Camel Audio. Sold out to Apple, I would have to buy a huge dongle and use a DAW I don't like to get Alchemy 2, the other products were dumped, no support for non Apple/Logic users anymore, no updates, no redownload, no reselling, biggest suckers ever...

This is tongue in cheek of course, but shit happens even to the best out there so in the end it's like with everything else in life - don't get too attached, things do and will change - and break sooner or later.

I personally love u-he, AAS, Dmitry Sches, Bitwig and many other small companies.
I normally avoid big companies although I have to say Native Instruments does a pretty good and fair job IMO.
Reaktor 6 is the first paid update in 10 years, Kontakt 5 also is up for a long time and saw constant improvement.
I buy only single products so I'm not in the Komplete Cycle of Torture.

iZotope is weird and I don't understand them. Iris 2 could have been a lot of things to love but overall was a pain as an update, only got one small bug fix after the release and it's major target was EDM producers - huh? Somehow they don't seem to understand their audience...
I pretty much avoid them and similar companies.

IK... Well, they so to say live on the other side of the planet from where I go shopping...

Overall it's a pretty brutal business, so I appreciate it even more if companies are able to stay friendly and approachable.

Cheers,

Tom

[rod_zero]

Fabfilter are fair , and their DRM is non intrusive. They reward you buying their products with additional discounts.

Native instruments too, at least to me their service center is non an issue. They prodivde updates all the time and have regular discounts on upgrades.

I recently tried products using ilok (non physical) and it went smooth, really no toruble as far as activating demos, if it weren't for transfer fees I can't see the problem really. But well if you don't like it it's Ok.

[UncleAge]

I think fair policies extend beyond copy protection schemes. Things like accessibility to supporting documentation and pricing schemes that are consistent are important to me as well.

There are a ton of companies that I have had no reason to interact with after the purchase like Artificial Audio, Sonic Charge, XLN Audio and 2C Audio. All seem reliable and have been consistent in their interactions as far as I can tell. There are others that I only had to contact about license transfers like NI, Linplug, Sugarbytes, Ableton and Audio Damage. Every transaction was handled very well and above my expectations.

I won't list companies here that I don't like to do business with as I don't think it is fair to do so. I handle that in private emails.

However if I were to list company(s) that I feel good doing business with it would be easy to add U-he and FabFilter to such a list. Both companies employ copy protection schemes that I feel are fair and non-intrusive. Both have provided plugins that have required zero support. Both have put in the work to provide good documentation and also video tutorials that are insightful. Both have pricing schemes that I think are fair. U-he usually does a discount near launch time for early adopters and then keeps their pricing the same from then on out. In addition they provide a very generous selection of free/magware plugins that are really great. On the other front FabFilter's plugins may be a bit pricey but just like U-he's plugins I think I have gotten more than I paid for. And more importantly their pricing plans that feature increasing discounts based on the more plugins you own is a model I wish all developers would adopt.

And lastly one of the often under appreciated things that U-he and FabFilter (and quite a few companies) offer is cross platform support. As a user of Windows and OSX systems this is important to me. Should I need to switch platforms for a project or whatever, I need my tools to travel with me. I have made this a business rule and it weighs heavily in all future purchases. With that said, I don't mind spending a bit more to support them as long as I can continue to check those boxes.

On a side note the increase in companies requiring heavy transfer fees is starting to get on my nerves a bit. So much so that I have greatly slowed my purchases regarding all plugins. IKM, 2cAudio and Fxpansion require higher fees that I do not find fair. I don't rule their products out but I am less likely to buy them new because of that one thing.

The only plugin that I have that is NFR is Serum. And it will remain the only plugin that is NFR. I got it dirt cheap and knew I would not need/want to sell it. However, I don't want to support that practice either so I will look closely at companies that use this policy on transfers as well.

Please keep in mind that I have products from IKM, 2C Audio, Fxpansion and Xfer Records and I am very happy with all of the plugins that I have. They have a right to their policies just like I have a right to not like them and voice my dislike. However, that does not translate into dislike for the company(s) at all.