Is propellerhead the next cakewalk?

[gas pump]

I haven't done a search but I'm guessing that there is 50 threads in the last 10 years on Kvr containing " Propellerheads cannot survive if they don't add Pdc, Vsts, comping, upgrade prices etc" in the contents. They are still here and doing well. I may be naive but do competing companies start threads on popular forums to raise doubt in their users? (I'm not accusing the original poster).

Propellerheads cannot survive if they don't add Pdc, Vsts, comping, upgrade prices etc

Well then I guess they added PDC, VSTs, Comping and recently had a $99 deal on their upgrade prices because they don't want to survive? I'm confused.

[gas pump]

Majority buyout from a VC firm is not usually synonymous with the term beneficial to the end user.

I wasn't suggesting otherwise, just that the circumstances are quite different. I think both companies still have great potential.

Native-Instruments recently got a $59 million dollar investment, does this also mean they are synonymous with non-beneficial results to their end users?

Let's hope not. I think they are busy working on a DAW, that was predicted years ago, and they need some of the money to help pay for all the development. I wouldn't be surprised if they go the route of Presonus and also develop matching mixing consoles and controllers.

[DrFolder]

I haven't done a search but I'm guessing that there is 50 threads in the last 10 years on Kvr containing " Propellerheads cannot survive if they don't add Pdc, Vsts, comping, upgrade prices etc" in the contents. They are still here and doing well. I may be naive but do competing companies start threads on popular forums to raise doubt in their users? (I'm not accusing the original poster).

Propellerheads cannot survive if they don't add Pdc, Vsts, comping, upgrade prices etc

Well then I guess they added PDC, VSTs, Comping and recently had a $99 deal on their upgrade prices because they don't want to survive?

I think you missed the context. I meant there has been a large amount of chat over the years about Propellerheads falling behind other daws and that they will go bust if they don't address users requests. They have addressed most of the issues over the last year or so and people still think they will go bust. I guess they will never please some users ever.

[THE INTRANCER]

I wouldn't be surprised if they go the route of Presonus and also develop matching mixing consoles and controllers.

There's more chance of pigs flying than that happening, anyone remember the doomsdays of that Balance interface ?

[gas pump]

I think you missed the context. I meant there has been a large amount of chat over the years about Propellerheads falling behind other daws and that they will go bust if they don't address users requests. They have addressed most of the issues over the last year or so and people still think they will go bust. I guess they will never please some users ever.

I see your point. My point is, if companies don't listen to their user base and deliver the features they want, the users will abandon ship. A company can survive a long time on history and reputation, but eventually it catches up to them.

Like Cakewalk? I think Propelleheads is okay for a while at least with the large financial investment. I would be more concerned with Image-Line and FL Studio. They recently sold off their Deckadance DJ Software to Gibson, what a small world. I'd be more concerned with their financial statement.

[gas pump]

I wouldn't be surprised if they go the route of Presonus and also develop matching mixing consoles and controllers.

There's more chance of pigs flying than that happening, anyone remember the doomsdays of that Balance interface ?

I meant Native-Instruments would develop them.

[ATS]

let's see if they offer a lifetime update deal first...

[progtronic]

let's see if they offer a lifetime update deal first...

[gas pump]

let's see if they offer a lifetime update deal first...

Not much of a money maker for a company, it forces them to rely on outside development.
Which usually results in the need to develop outside plugins and mobile apps.

Haven't seen much coming out lately that's actually innovative or exciting either.

[Coxy]

Native-Instruments recently got a $59 million dollar investment, does this also mean they are synonymous with non-beneficial results to their end users?

Let's hope not. I think they are busy working on a DAW, that was predicted years ago, and they need some of the money to help pay for all the development. I wouldn't be surprised if they go the route of Presonus and also develop matching mixing consoles and controllers.

To me both the current and back story of NI speaks a lot differently, NI have extensive and tangible product portfolio which includes their well established market share in hardware with Maschine and fairly well established Traktor controllers(with software), obviously their synth and sampler software and sound libraries, so they have many corners covered and for the most part their products seem to be doing well so I'd suspect the grab for money was about taking their business to the next level, perhaps taking on DJ scene head on with better Traktor stuff and as you say DAW software.

Prophead on the other hand, their product portfolio (from the outside) looks the same as it did 15 years ago, Reason, Refills and recycle, obviously now including the RE stuff.

Very little growth, incredibly slow progress to get to RE stage and each Reason iteration is hardly groundbreaking,

Their toe dip into hardware has been abandoned, the Audio interface called 'Balance' they ditched citing "Software only plans" for the future. So to me an investment like they've had either screams 1. wow they plan something big in the future or 2. shit we could be in trouble if we don't re-align ourselves, but we need help with that.

For me their current state points to number 2.

[tincture]

My view is that they went down some blind alleyways with some apps and Allihoopa.

However, i think opening up to VSTs will really help in reinvigorating their best product - Reason.

Some people will have judged Reason a long time ago and never go back but judging by the appearance of new users at the forum Reasontalk since vsts were introduced a fair few are trying for the 1st time or giving it another go.

As for Rack Extensions, well you never know. They might collapse somewhat in the face of vst competition but there's a slim chance that with a growing Reason user base trying them out they will appreciate some of the advantages they possess such as easy one stop installation, upgrade and maintenance.

Who knows? But im not worried about them going under.

[Jace-BeOS]

They will be if they don't get that GUI scaling sorted in the next 5 to 10 years.

Fully agreed. I stopped buying upgrades at version 7 specifically because of this. I also stopped using it.

[Jace-BeOS]

Majority buyout from a VC firm is not usually synonymous with the term beneficial to the end user.

I wasn't suggesting otherwise, just that the circumstances are quite different. I think both companies still have great potential.

Native-Instruments recently got a $59 million dollar investment, does this also mean they are synonymous with non-beneficial results to their end users?

I'm personally concerned about BOTH companies for this very reason. I've watched this crap happen with graphics/design software companies and it can be miserable (Fractal Design/MetaCreations being a particularly grievous example)

[jonljacobi]

They don't seem to be acting like a company on the edge. Only a few DAWs scale, and as far as I know only a couple scale everything. Scaling is actually important to me, but I don't think young eyes care. It's a real nice program that's being improved at a dramatic rate and I'd like to see it hang around.

[Coxy]

It's a real nice program that's being improved at a dramatic rate and I'd like to see it hang around.

I guess everything is relative, but in the world of software I definitely wouldn't call their development rate dramatic.