New 'preset browser' for Softube Modular and Heartbeat

[martinjuenke]

My view concernng Softube is this:
I first noticed their business as a sidekick of NI, where they did a pretty cool job in emulations (vintage bundle eg is extraordinary).
They build up a portfolio of plugins following a high price strategy which worked in previous times.
Than they came up with instruments (Heartbeat is okay, but nothing special), especially Modular should have been their master stroke. But due to poor timing (NI released the far more capable and versatile and cheaper Blocks) and technicalities (presets are a nightmare and other things) compared with excessive pricing of additional modules this was a move into the wrong direction.
Next a tape sim (very innovative, hihi) as a rather defensive move and a phaser (wow!), all of them priced not competitively...
Now a compressor for 500 bucks which functions you can have for 50 bucks otherwise...
We see a company in decline, trying to survive with marketing speech and socket puppets giving statements how cool this stuff is.
If it‘s not such sad development I would laugh out loud...

[fmr]

Than they came up with instruments (Heartbeat is okay, but nothing special), especially Modular should have been their master stroke. But due to poor timing (NI released the far more capable and versatile and cheaper Blocks) and technicalities (presets are a nightmare and other things) compared with excessive pricing of additional modules this was a move into the wrong direction...

Modular was a well done job that sunk due to a really bad strategy:
1. They should price the extra modules much more competitively.
2. They should have add some extra modules for free, since the original stock is really "spartan" (I'm trying to be polite). Or, alternatively, "collections" of four or five extra modules for like something between 40 to 60 euros. But selling the Low Pass Gate for 39, or the Buchla Twisted WG for 99 is simply kicking people away.
3. The preset management system should have been done in a couple of months, even if they had to stop anything else they were doing. Actually, it should have been there since the beginning. Modular should have never been released without a patch browser and management.
4. They should have been more practical and modest in their approach.

Regarding the Preset Browser alone, since it is common to all plug-in, the current preset browser may look good to some, but is definitely "overkill" (really, I think having a relatively simple plug-in like FET Compressor, and when I click "Presets" it opens a new window with four times the size of the GUI, taking a lot of screen real estate, to allow me to choose among thirteen presets, makes me think: "WTF, are they kidding me?"

As someone already said: "We just need a window that allows us to choose presets in a list, and maybe with a couple of filters". But we certainly DON'T NEED a window that takes two thirds of our display, just to choose a handful of presets. And we certainly don't need pictures. We are not babies, I think we all can READ. If they remove the pictures, and hide the tips, showing them oine by one ONLY if and when we need them, they will be able to make something much more manageable and small.

That's the kind of advice a Beta Tester should have told them (assuming they have Beta Testers).

[jancivil]

Looks like this is one update I won't be installing.

Boggles my mind how this is my best selling library with all the ridiculous problems it has just saving a damn patch. And now this train wreck?

I'm convinced this company is run by a bunch of idiots.

...says the biggest idiot of this board

Go f**k yourself

Seriously, you got a ways to go to deserve that award, Wags.

[Jax Pok]

I think they did good with Modular they got emulations of real gear and the sound is about on par with my Korg Odyssey. Modules can't be free because they have to pay the makers of the real hardware.

The preset browser I'm not sure about all I want is one like u-he Pro-One it looks like they went for the Spectrasonics way of doing it which I don't mind but the u-He way is faster.

[fmr]

I think they did good with Modular they got emulations of real gear and the sound is about on par with my Korg Odyssey. Modules can't be free because they have to pay the makers of the real hardware.

If what they pay to Intellijel makes them ask for more than 100 euros for just three modules, and what they pay to Buchla makes them ask for 99 for just one module, they should have emulate some that were not "labeled" but would get the job done, like NI did, and add them to the packge, to "sweeten" the deal. The way it is, it is "neither, nor".

Heck, they could even come to Portugal, and have "emulated" some of the modules of this guy: http://www.cluboftheknobs.com/modules.html

We have too few modules to have a Doepfer, too few to have an Intellijel, and we certainly don't have a Buchla, with just one module (and I don't see anyone paying 500 dollar/euros to get five Buchla modules).

[Jax Pok]

Got to give them time just look at how many plugs other companies release who are of a similar size.

[fmr]

Got to give them time just look at how many plugs other companies release who are of a similar size.

They HAD time. They wasted it.

Now, we have a lot of alternatives in the "modular" front, and the VCV is presenting itself as a much better one, right now, IMO.

And we have this: http://www.solostuff.net/shop/

And this: https://www.pulsarmodular.com/products/

Both have already more modules, and are cheaper. And both are single developers, not a team like Softube.

[wagtunes]

Of course, a preset browser comes with it's own format, which means existing presets will have to be resaved, but that's a minor.

Hey, that's a brilliant idea !
Wagtunes, do you think you can convert your soundset to the new format ??

This could be the solution to your problem if you did it and had this new format on your site (and in a private message to my attention or in response to a personal email of mine with a proof of my buying)

If I knew how, I would. In fact, the software doesn't even load its own files off disk. Think I'm kidding? Go and delete the factory presets that are located on your hard drive. Then go back into the software and try to load a patch.

It loads.

Why? The sounds are internally stored in the software.

And since the new "browser" doesn't load FXP or Vstpreset files, I wouldn't be able to load them in the first place even if it was possible to convert them.

[nordickvr]

...
Heck, they could even come to Portugal, and have "emulated" some of the modules of this guy: http://www.cluboftheknobs.com/modules.html

Not so sure there's enough knobs in them club.
But where the f*** is the browser????????

[morelia]

did that but it says I still need it setup a Goobler account, I don’t think I needed any account before as they are all iLoked anyway so downloads should be safe

Yes sorry. You need to log into your Gobbles account but don't need the app installed.

I find this particularly crazy. To download products the old fart way you need to give permission for Softube to view your Gobbles account. Wah?

[murnau]

My view concernng Softube is this:
I first noticed their business as a sidekick of NI, where they did a pretty cool job in emulations (vintage bundle eg is extraordinary).
They build up a portfolio of plugins following a high price strategy which worked in previous times.
Than they came up with instruments (Heartbeat is okay, but nothing special), especially Modular should have been their master stroke. But due to poor timing (NI released the far more capable and versatile and cheaper Blocks) and technicalities (presets are a nightmare and other things) compared with excessive pricing of additional modules this was a move into the wrong direction.
Next a tape sim (very innovative, hihi) as a rather defensive move and a phaser (wow!), all of them priced not competitively...
Now a compressor for 500 bucks which functions you can have for 50 bucks otherwise...
We see a company in decline, trying to survive with marketing speech and socket puppets giving statements how cool this stuff is.
If it‘s not such sad development I would laugh out loud...

You forgot to mention their excellent hardware controller console1 which was a great step in the right direction for this company imo.

[fmr]

And since the new "browser" doesn't load FXP or Vstpreset files, I wouldn't be able to load them in the first place even if it was possible to convert them.

Did you try the "stupid" method of drag and drop them over the GUI?

[wagtunes]

And since the new "browser" doesn't load FXP or Vstpreset files, I wouldn't be able to load them in the first place even if it was possible to convert them.

Did you try the "stupid" method of drag and drop them over the GUI?

No, because I didn't bother downloading the stupid browser in the first place.

[VariKusBrainZ]

The browser comes as a feature of the current Modular, you dont download anything separate

[wagtunes]

The browser comes as a feature of the current Modular, you dont download anything separate

I would still have to update my Softube which is pointless because the browser they built into it doesn't load fxp or vstpreset files. And since I can already do that through Cubase, I have no need for the update.