Frankly impossible to take FXpansion seriously at this point.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 2301 posts since 11 Jan, 2009 from Portland, OR, USA
Thing is, I really love this company's products. I want to keep supporting them, but it's damn near impossible to have much respect whatsoever left for this company. The ROLI buyout seems to have shrunk their team to 1 or 2 guys who need a few years per update of a single product, meanwhile posting nonsense in their forum about how Geist 2's promised bugfixes are "coming soon" -- they pop in to say this every six to nine months or so, if you can find it among all the spam.
So now the big thing is Cypher 2 with the Roli integration, which came out about two years after its originally scheduled release -- ok fine, it happens... but apparently with the focus on this synth, everything else was forgotten / ignored / discontinued / who cares, apparently.
And that's the real issue here: They flat-out gave the middle finger to their entire userbase by discontinuing / making 'legacy' more than 50% (maybe 60? 70 even?) of their product line. Own Tremor? Maul? Amber? Bloom? Etch? D-Cam Dynamics? All of them, no longer supported. Sorry! Woops! Sucks to be you, supportive consumer! Most of them still had issues and bugs, but of course these were never solved, the projects were just dropped, though many of them -- Tremor for example -- are only a few years old. Tremor was an extremely promising product, and there's not much else like it on the market (purely synth-based drum sequencer). I used tremor all over the place in a zillion songs of mine, and I'm seriously wondering if, say, my next computer down the line will even be able to open it.
And how about their forum? It's 99% spam now, written in chinese or something. Who cares, right? who cares if your user base wants to communicate with you, ask you questions, get updates on bugfixes.... Just let the weeds grow over everything, let the spam bots destroy the place...Oh, but occasionally show up in the Geist2 sub to say "update around the corner!" and then disappear for 6 more months
The products themselves are (mostly) excellent (though I have my niggles with Strobe2 and all its absurd visual 'flair' going on). Tremor is amazing (when it's not buggy) and Geist2 is also amazing (when it's not buggy) and I've heard good things about Cypher2, but I'm not about to pay money for it, what with Everything I Just Said Above. It'll probably get discontinued next year and show up in their Legacy Line, you know, the place where most of their products go to die.
So Angus, since I know you like to post here at KVR, maybe just kill the fxpansion forum (it's dead anyway, seriously, go look at it) and open an Fxpansion space here on KVR, just like U-He and a bunch of other companies have done. I mean, *especially* if your company is going to do things like, I dunno, suddenly discontinue half or more of your entire product line, you could have a space to communicate with your user base and help them know / understand what's going on. Just a thought.
/end vent.
So now the big thing is Cypher 2 with the Roli integration, which came out about two years after its originally scheduled release -- ok fine, it happens... but apparently with the focus on this synth, everything else was forgotten / ignored / discontinued / who cares, apparently.
And that's the real issue here: They flat-out gave the middle finger to their entire userbase by discontinuing / making 'legacy' more than 50% (maybe 60? 70 even?) of their product line. Own Tremor? Maul? Amber? Bloom? Etch? D-Cam Dynamics? All of them, no longer supported. Sorry! Woops! Sucks to be you, supportive consumer! Most of them still had issues and bugs, but of course these were never solved, the projects were just dropped, though many of them -- Tremor for example -- are only a few years old. Tremor was an extremely promising product, and there's not much else like it on the market (purely synth-based drum sequencer). I used tremor all over the place in a zillion songs of mine, and I'm seriously wondering if, say, my next computer down the line will even be able to open it.
And how about their forum? It's 99% spam now, written in chinese or something. Who cares, right? who cares if your user base wants to communicate with you, ask you questions, get updates on bugfixes.... Just let the weeds grow over everything, let the spam bots destroy the place...Oh, but occasionally show up in the Geist2 sub to say "update around the corner!" and then disappear for 6 more months
The products themselves are (mostly) excellent (though I have my niggles with Strobe2 and all its absurd visual 'flair' going on). Tremor is amazing (when it's not buggy) and Geist2 is also amazing (when it's not buggy) and I've heard good things about Cypher2, but I'm not about to pay money for it, what with Everything I Just Said Above. It'll probably get discontinued next year and show up in their Legacy Line, you know, the place where most of their products go to die.
So Angus, since I know you like to post here at KVR, maybe just kill the fxpansion forum (it's dead anyway, seriously, go look at it) and open an Fxpansion space here on KVR, just like U-He and a bunch of other companies have done. I mean, *especially* if your company is going to do things like, I dunno, suddenly discontinue half or more of your entire product line, you could have a space to communicate with your user base and help them know / understand what's going on. Just a thought.
/end vent.
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- KVRist
- 53 posts since 5 Jan, 2003 from chicago
Its all about selling hardware now...there is big money investors behind roli...if the product dosnt tie into the hardware it will be dropped...i worry about the drum software now unless they come out with drum hardware. The guy behind roli was an intern at fxpansion before...buying out fxpansion was just cheeky
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el-bo (formerly ebow) el-bo (formerly ebow) https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=208007
- KVRAF
- 16369 posts since 24 May, 2009 from A galaxy, far far away
That move was 'instrumental' in my decision to exclude much of my 3rd party content from the fresh install I am about to start (Etch won't make it. As an OSX user, compatibility drops with every new iteration).
I get that sometimes software can be difficult to support (Plugs built on old code etc), or sales haven't made it the investment worthwhile. But to suddenly ditch all the effects plugins in one fell swoop feels like a completely different move. The only thing that might salvage the situation came in the form of a cryptic comment that was made by Roli in a thread, around the time of the release of Cypher2, in which they seemed to advise that something was in the works and that owners of these plugs would likely benefit. My far-out prediction is that they might be looking to release a multi-effects plugin a la 'trash2'
Until such a thing either does or doesn't happen, I'm a little conflicted. Owning a 'Rise49' means that I'm unlikely to be able to swear off of all Roli/FXP wares, but I am nervous. Hopefully, once the Roli/FXP merger has rid itself of these early teething problems, things might start to work out again.
- KVRAF
- 25417 posts since 3 Feb, 2005 from in the wilds
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 2301 posts since 11 Jan, 2009 from Portland, OR, USA
Don't forget -- TREMOR was also ditched, and that's an instrument, not an effect. It also happens to be my *favorite* product of theirs, which is certainly a big part of why I'm so pissed.el-bo (formerly ebow) wrote: ↑Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:36 pm But to suddenly ditch all the effects plugins in one fell swoop feels like a completely different move.
- KVRAF
- 6980 posts since 28 Dec, 2015 from Atlantis Island
I bought Tremor 2nd hand just a few months ago. Without support it will be soon no longer working for me because I‘m on Mac and have to update the OS more or less regularily. Selling it again is practically not possible because of the ridiculously high transfer fee of $50. I‘m not amused!
Last edited by martinjuenke on Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sampleconstruct Sampleconstruct https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=191286
- KVRAF
- 16149 posts since 12 Oct, 2008 from Here and there
I wasn't happy about the discontinuation of Tremor, but over the years so many devs vanished, their products stopped working, what the heck, let's just move on.
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el-bo (formerly ebow) el-bo (formerly ebow) https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=208007
- KVRAF
- 16369 posts since 24 May, 2009 from A galaxy, far far away
I'm not forgetting it. However, it's far less significant (Not for the userbase, of course)) to drop one from their line of instruments than it is to just drop ALL of their effects...in one move. It's almost as though Roli turned up to the offices one day declaring that "FXPansion will no longer be an effects company!". Like I said, however, I do get the feeling that an outside company might have felt it better to consolidate their product line (Multi-fx). Moreover, it's not impossible to conceive that in the same spirit of consolidation Tremor might end up rolled into Geist. Of course, none of that explains why they couldn't have rolled strobe2 into Cypher2mholloway wrote: ↑Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:53 pmDon't forget -- TREMOR was also ditched, and that's an instrument, not an effect. It also happens to be my *favorite* product of theirs, which is certainly a big part of why I'm so pissed.el-bo (formerly ebow) wrote: ↑Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:36 pm But to suddenly ditch all the effects plugins in one fell swoop feels like a completely different move.
Who knows?
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Distorted Horizon Distorted Horizon https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=392076
- Banned
- 3882 posts since 17 Jan, 2017 from Planet of cats
Glad I didn't buy anything from them.. I was going to though, waiting for some sales like black friday but now everything (except geist 2) that I was going to buy are "legacy" products.. Damn..
- Banned
- 697 posts since 29 Oct, 2016
Andrew Simper (Cytomic) created much if not all of the DCAM line (Strobe, Cypher, etc.). I'd gladly put my faith in his products. If he can recreate those natural timbres in Strobe/SH-101 White, Cypher, he did for FXP. I'd buy that Cytomic synth instantly. Start a thread called Andrew Simper Instruments to get his attention so he knows the demand is there. Between Cytomic, FXPansion, and Beepstreet (Dagger and Zeeon). These are my absolute top synths/effects, and all of them are circuit simulators.
SLH - Yes, I am a woman, deal with it.
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- KVRAF
- 35434 posts since 11 Apr, 2010 from Germany
TBH, i'm glad to be on Windows, where products don't just stop working. Or, at least, the least of them. The way i always read it here and elsewhere, Apple seems to change a lot of things, breaking compatibility with older software. Which is a shame, because, backwards compatibility is a really important thing.Sampleconstruct wrote: ↑Fri Oct 05, 2018 5:02 pm I wasn't happy about the discontinuation of Tremor, but over the years so many devs vanished, their products stopped working, what the heck, let's just move on.
Not to start a Windows vs. Mac OS flamewar. It's just something i sincerely think is important in computing, and should not be neglected, or dismissed.
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- KVRAF
- 35434 posts since 11 Apr, 2010 from Germany
Nope.
Not sure if i wouldn't do, though. I like to use and see new stuff. Especially as it's typically an improvement. But, if i always had to fear to end up with my stuff not working anymore, i'd definitely think twice before upgrading. As i mentioned, hardly an issue in the Windows world. Wonder why it has to be in the Mac world.
Not sure if i wouldn't do, though. I like to use and see new stuff. Especially as it's typically an improvement. But, if i always had to fear to end up with my stuff not working anymore, i'd definitely think twice before upgrading. As i mentioned, hardly an issue in the Windows world. Wonder why it has to be in the Mac world.
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- KVRian
- 1134 posts since 22 Aug, 2004 from Edge City, the Low Country
OK, OT, but Microsoft can also pull stunts! Example: I recently after years wanted to play a game and I found out that it couldn't run because MS had issued a security update which blocked the copy protection(!) of that game!
So a vital part of a great number of quite high-profile games is now deemed a threat by MS!
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gentleclockdivider gentleclockdivider https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=203660
- KVRAF
- 6111 posts since 22 Mar, 2009 from gent
You mean Roland Lamb ?nyx wrote: ↑Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:25 pm Its all about selling hardware now...there is big money investors behind roli...if the product dosnt tie into the hardware it will be dropped...i worry about the drum software now unless they come out with drum hardware. The guy behind roli was an intern at fxpansion before...buying out fxpansion was just cheeky
Can't seem to find any info that he was an intern at fx pansion
https://roli.com/press/roland
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