How do (did) you choose the DC Entries that you vote(d) for?

[Dominus]

I saw another topic that seems to have turned into an argument and almost posted this in that thread, but decided that this would be a better way to foster discussion without further devolving. (Although, this is KVR, and anything is possible! )

Years ago, I would have picked instruments and effects that let me create weird evolving textures. When I just needed to clear my mind, I would load up Sonar, and throw some stuff together and have it play while I read.

These days, I've been picking up my favorite instrument (guitar) and tend to pick out the entries that would let me shape the sound of that.

How about you?

[Aloysius]

I picked the best ones.

[harryupbabble]

I have this recent belief that songwriting tools are more important than sound-shaping tools and virtual instruments. I'm not saying that sound-shaping tools and virtual instruments are not important. It's just that, in terms of availability, the ratio of songwriting tools versus sound-shaping tools seem to be 5/95. I think, for example, the song Greensleeves, will remain Greensleeves no matter what synths or sound-shaping tools are used. I think the melody and harmony and rhythm are more important than what instruments (virtual instruments included) are chosen to play them.

So, to answer your question simply, I chose what gets my highest vote based on whether the product will be helpful to me in the creation of songs. But since there is only one of that type of software in the DC16 then I will choose the other 4 products based on how much varied sounds I can get from them.

[DSmolken]

Stuff that has the best chance of still being used by me on a regular basis in a year or two. And, not gonna lie, personal bias.

[idfpower]

Stuff that has the best chance of still being used by me on a regular basis in a year or two. And, not gonna lie, personal bias.

+1

I normally couldn't care less about fx. But there are some things I'm interested in, and some of the entries ticked all the right boxes. So I don't know...I normally vote for instruments 'cause that's what I use and new supplies are always welcome, but the 2016 synth drought continues, so nothing in this department really caught my attention.

On a different note: I was expecting a lot of the more established developers to submit some work for this DC. I mean it's been a while since their last freebie - I was thinking they'd save it just for such an occasion. Bu maybe this way newcomers will have more chances to draw attention, so in the end it's all good

[DSmolken]

My thinking is: last time Acon Multiply won. It didn't get my vote, it seemed not terribly interesting compared to some other stuff, but, well, here I am, using it more than anything else from any previous DC, so in retrospect it did deserve 4 or 5 points from me. So this time I'm trying to think less "this is neat" and more "this will be useful".

As far as synths, I mostly use my own sample-based instruments, so it's hard for me to say, but it might be that the revolutionary commercial synths of today (I'm thinking UVI Falcon or MODO Bass) are big, complex things that take a huge team. Maybe that's what's changed, and making something small and free that's anywhere near that level is just becoming harder.

[Taron]

I saw another topic that seems to have turned into an argument and almost posted this in that thread, but decided that this would be a better way to foster discussion without further devolving. (Although, this is KVR, and anything is possible! )

Years ago, I would have picked instruments and effects that let me create weird evolving textures. When I just needed to clear my mind, I would load up Sonar, and throw some stuff together and have it play while I read.

These days, I've been picking up my favorite instrument (guitar) and tend to pick out the entries that would let me shape the sound of that.

How about you?

AH, Dominus, completely appropriate!
That's a really proper way of asking about this and right to the point.

To me it's important that the entry inspires me without dominating my ideas, which I would consider a distraction. Anything that either supports the sound development in form of effects, for which uniqueness and/or quality matter, or what allows me to create new sounds in a fresh and inspiring way. There are a number of entries, that really fit the bill for both those criteria.
However, anything rompler or prefab related really doesn't interest me at all.

Again, great thread title, thanks for posting this and I'm sure it will give us all some interesting insights!

[funky lime]

It's difficult; I think we should have a whole year to decide, or at least more than a couple weeks. Sometimes the flavor of the month loses its magic after a bit. For instance, I don't use Multiply anymore, even though I liked it at first. Or I might check out the DC page for that year several months after the voting has closed, and find new appreciation for an entry I had previously overlooked.

But then, a (not-insignificant) part of me just wants to imagine xoxos at NAMM. And personal politics does play into it a bit; it's hard not to vote for someone like him or Bootsie or whoever, who has been a long-time contributor to the (especially-high-quality) freeware scene. And while that may go against the spirit of the competition, it is indeed a factor, kind of like how in political elections people will vote for "their" party's candidate no matter what.

Then there's stuff I just don't really see myself using. For instance, I almost never use synths (and when I do, I mostly just fiddle with presets), so I'm not even sure how I would go about evaluating the worthiness of a synth plugin. So that's when presentation becomes extremely important to a voter like me; does it look inviting? Are there useful presets? It could be the best-sounding synth in the world, but if it's not intuitive to use, then I won't even make it that far. This is where something like an intelligent randomizer could win a vote from me, kind of like that one Ugo synth from years ago, Element of Surprise (of course, him mentioning me in the manual may have swayed my vote ).

So really, it all comes down to intuition. For instance, I'm a vegetarian, but I have cooked meat for a living. So while I can't really rate a meat-based meal on flavor, I can make inferences based on other qualities, or based on my instincts.

TL;DR- I vote for whatever "feels" right.

[Aloysius]

I've revised my votes four times so far. How the developer behaves is a factor. Did they put in a buggy entry and not bother making any effort to update. Are they currently not able to update for personal reasons. I know one developer mentiond that. Have they been actively listening to users and acting on bug reports and feature requests. Etc ...

[Taron]

Ugh, man, don't remind me, Aloysius, I'm going nuts here, not being allowed to upload all improvements and having to wait until voting is done...
On some little things I don't quite know, if it would be legit to post a new version, like I just added buttons to step through the presets, but they are kind of a "new feature"...
...aaaaaand now I feel like I sound desperate, hmmm...
Anyway, it's a tricky topic and may not be notorious laziness, when some devs choose to firmly close their eyes until they are allowed to really continue again. It's just, ehm, bad form?!

[Aloysius]

If nobody is allowed to upload all improvements then it's a non issue.
If you don't know the rules then seek clarification.

KVR members will vote on the entries and pick the eventual winner using whatever criteria they choose to.

Good luck with your entry!!!

[Taron]

Well, I did, of course, fix issues that were not in the gray zone, hence v1.0.2. It's just so exciting to keep taking it higher and higher and once you've started sharing your "lovechild", you kinda don't wonna stop sharing, you know... or, hm, at least that's what it's like to me. That can get ugly, too, if excitement makes me share too early, but I keep working on such "bad" habits for many years now, though from another field (graphics).

Thanks, though!

[Aloysius]

[sjm]

I use the tried and tested KVR meme checklist. The more boxes get ticked, the more points.

• Does it sound analogue?
• Does it sound like a Virus?
• Can I use it to make tarnce?
• Can I use it to make ambient death polka?
• Can I be sure the developer has never done something (possibly, allegedly) deemed dubious by a KVR member?
• Is it 64-bit only?
• Does it work on Windows XP?
• Is it made with something other than Synth Edit?
• iLok or serial?
• Is it better than the old KvR?
• Is it the last entry, and is it called "Fish"?

To me its really important that I vote for something that reflects the sprit of the KVR forums; after all it's the KVR challenge, not the "what do I think is useful to me" challenge. I would urge others to follow suit!

[Taron]

...I now will go search for ambient death polka! Thought it was a tattoo style!