UPDATE: T-RackS Saturator X is released

[MogwaiBoy]

I tend to agree with the above comments. Having to continually explain the ins and outs of the Jam Points/Credits perhaps indicates that it's not well designed to begin with - which is not ideal for both IKM and its customers.

I was clicking around in Custom Shop trying to figure out how much this plugin would cost me too. It said I didn't have enough Credits, so I'd have to purchase some. Only then did I see that I could convert my Jam Points to Credits. Naturally I entered my full total of Jam Points... it then said that I could not apply that ammount. I then had to work out in my head what 30% of the product price was worth.. and then enter the exact Jam Points amount to apply it as a discount.

A better system would be a more streamlined one that tells me from the get go... You have XX Credits towards this plugin but you can also redeem XX (auto-calculated) Jam Points from your account, bringing you to a final total of XX. Would you like to proceed? etc etc.

[Harry_HH]

...

I tried to recalculate how much exactly i need to pay for Saturator (it's more complicated, i have another account with partner) but i ended with saying "clusterf***" ...

It looks to me that you guys intentionally flooded your users with some sort of deceptive savings and what not and you did it by introducing very convoluted non existing "currency" with which you are manipulating public appearance and cost of your product. That's my impression/opinion. No disrespect intended.

If you wanted to give your users discounts you could do it as other 99% online shops do it. Simply by adding variable discount rate at the checkout. Recalculated by various options (amount of products, amount of past products etc.etc.)

Oh damn...

I hope my kids won't need to have degree in online shopping just to buy some damn thing.

I remember when I was little kid and travelled with my parents to the U.S.S.R. We visited Leningrad and Moscow. In the border all the visitors had to exchange some minimum amount currency to local rubles. This was nuicance because the street rate for the $ was about 90 times better than the official rate. You lost money. This was just the way for the state to get foreign currency, with an abstract, unrealistic official rate.

An other problem was that there wasn't anything you could use your rubles.

I've given up for a long time - I have loads of Jam points in my accout, all useles. The conditions to use this currency are too hard, you get better price by buying stuff from sales/dealers/second hand.
In these days 70 % sales are rather common - not a very lucrative idea to use your Jam points when the amount of the real money in addition to that is anyway much higher than the street price in the sales.

[bmanic]

Tested Saturator for a few days. MY impression is that IK became one amazing company developing amazing plugins. Peter you should really be proud of your team.

May i just say that as someone who wasn't visited your shop for years (i was there before jam something thingie) i am really confused by shop "currency".

As much hard you are trying to help people to understand this concept and to look at it as something normal- It is not.

I tried to recalculate how much exactly i need to pay for Saturator (it's more complicated, i have another account with partner) but i ended with saying "clusterf***" and decided i had have enough of it.

Ok maybe i am old and does not understand new shop concepts but...The single fact that even years later of jam/credit introduction you need to toute people on public forums (in this same thread and in every other thread) and to explain them how to work with your credit things - is telling me that it's not me with the problem.

It looks to me that you guys intentionally flooded your users with some sort of deceptive savings and what not and you did it by introducing very convoluted non existing "currency" with which you are manipulating public appearance and cost of your product. That's my impression/opinion. No disrespect intended.

If you wanted to give your users discounts you could do it as other 99% online shops do it. Simply by adding variable discount rate at the checkout. Recalculated by various options (amount of products, amount of past products etc.etc.)

Oh damn...

I hope my kids won't need to have degree in online shopping just to buy some damn thing.

100% in agreement here. Well said!

[cprompt]

I have no problem with JamPoints - I buy something, I get some points that I can use towards a future purchase. Whether or not that future purchase is economically viable or not is another question, but the JamPoints cost me nothing so right now, I could get 30% off Sat-X if I wanted to because I have enough points.

The credits, on the other hand, I still wonder what benefit they bring. There was a time when buying a product with credits was much cheaper than buying it with cash - the €/Credit rate was very good - a €100 product I could buy with around €70 of credits. Now the € to Credit ratio is 1:1 (for "normal" amounts anyway) and buying credits has absolutely zero use any more.

Of course, I do appreciate the free credits we all got recently because I only need 50 credits now to buy Sat-X, and I have enough JamPoints to get 30% off those 50 credits, so in this instance, the system works in my favour, but it does beg the question: why buy credits?

May i just say that as someone who wasn't visited your shop for years (i was there before jam something thingie) i am really confused by shop "currency".

Go here http://www.ikmultimedia.com/shop/index. ... aturator_X and you can buy Sat-X for good old-fashioned cash, no weird shop currency required

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

May i just say that as someone who wasn't visited your shop for years (i was there before jam something thingie) i am really confused by shop "currency".

Go here http://www.ikmultimedia.com/shop/index. ... aturator_X and you can buy Sat-X for good old-fashioned cash, no weird shop currency required

...or just buy it that way right inside Custom Shop too. This option is there for those that do not want to use Gear Credits.

Though it does seem that a lot of people also like and/or understand how to use them, considering one of the top requests we get year-round is "when will you have another Gear Credits sale?". Whatever way one feels, though, that opinion is legit and one has an alternative option to suit (even purchasing inside Custom Shop) so I hope that helps.

Note that you are presented with your JamPoints balance and the percentage you can use (though no calculator there to assist you or automatic calculation - I'll let the team know you've requested this) when you go to purchase Gear Credits in Custom Shop:


Edit - For those that are confused, we do have (as pointed out earlier in this thread) help in Custom Shop that seems well-labeled and informative with regard to Gear Credits and a page on our web site at http://www.ikmultimedia.com/jampoints/ explaining JamPoints. I will relay the confusion of a few folks in this thread even with those resources to see if they could be improved (as well as the request for automatic calculation of 30% as referenced above - though you are presented with your total already as shown in the screenshot). Thank you for your input.

[cprompt]

...or just buy it that way right inside Custom Shop too. This option is there for those that do not want to use Gear Credits.

I did not know that. Is there any difference/advantage to doing it through Custom Shop or do all roads lead to Rome, as it were?

One question: when will you have another Gear Credits sale?

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

...or just buy it that way right inside Custom Shop too. This option is there for those that do not want to use Gear Credits.

I did not know that. Is there any difference/advantage to doing it through Custom Shop or do all roads lead to Rome, as it were?

One question: when will you have another Gear Credits sale?

1. There is no advantage outside of the convenience/alternative there, so all roads lead to Modena.

2. I don't know, but I will put it on the table as a requested promotion as I typically do.

[sidrat]

I don't have a problem with the current system either, but...

Maybe if JamPoints were simply renamed "IK Rewards Points" or something similar, it might make things easier for people to grasp? Putting a calculator on the purchase page also makes a lot of sense. Just my .02 credits.

[vata44]

Now that QuickTime is no longer supported for Windows and poses a security threat, when will IK Multimedia get rid of its need in installation?

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

Now that QuickTime is no longer supported for Windows and poses a security threat, when will IK Multimedia get rid of its need in installation?

It is optional in T-RackS but will be addressed (removed) in subsequent releases. QuickTime is only necessary for importing MP3 files into the standalone version so you can safely remove it without affecting the plugin version at all and without any effect if you don't use the standalone or do not import MP3s there.

[Christian_D]

Automatically applying 30% of your jam points is a good idea.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

Automatically applying 30% of your jam points is a good idea.

I would lean more toward automatic calculation myself, not application, as people use their JamPoints toward different purchases so the choice would still need to be there for the purchaser to make themselves. You are notified what you have available, though, in Custom Shop per the screenshot I posted (as well as in our online shop) but the 30% isn't calculated automatically for you.

[bmanic]

Peter, a wish for Saturator X update: Negative gain range for the input (and thus positive for output). As it is now, some sounds immediately hit heavy distortion territory even with the gain at 0dB. This means I need to put a 3rd party plugin before Saturator X to lower the input volume.

Cheers!
bManic

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

Peter, a wish for Saturator X update: Negative gain range for the input (and thus positive for output). As it is now, some sounds immediately hit heavy distortion territory even with the gain at 0dB. This means I need to put a 3rd party plugin before Saturator X to lower the input volume.

Cheers!
bManic

I have sent this request to the team, thanks!

[Christian_D]

Automatically applying 30% of your jam points is a good idea.

I would lean more toward automatic calculation myself, not application, as people use their JamPoints toward different purchases so the choice would still need to be there for the purchaser to make themselves. You are notified what you have available, though, in Custom Shop per the screenshot I posted (as well as in our online shop) but the 30% isn't calculated automatically for you.

Yeah that would work better.
Calculating 30% of your jam points and then giving you the option to easily apply that during check out.