The "NEW" Plugin Alliance?

[perfumer]

Just out of interest, has anyone here subscribed?

Yep, the subscriptions fits really well to my needs (maybe as I'm mainly need mixing and mastering plugins as the rest is done with outboard equipment).

And I must say, I don't get most of the reaction here in the forum. Yes, PAs marketing is shit, that's nothing new. But I get the impression that you guy's didn't had a problem with that, as long as you get the plugins for 4$ at the end. And now starting to cry, as you fear that those offers maybe will stop in the future (I'm aware that this is a simplification of a more complex discussion).

The discussion isn't all that complex. Some people want cheap plugins. They don't make a profit with their 'music', and some of them don't even make 'music', just tinker with software/make some noise. Put the regular discounts and sales under a big question mark and you get them whining.

Well, guess what, pro plugins weren't made for you guys.

[DawnInEden]

Just out of interest, has anyone here subscribed?

Yep, the subscriptions fits really well to my needs (maybe as I'm mainly need mixing and mastering plugins as the rest is done with outboard equipment).

And I must say, I don't get most of the reaction here in the forum. Yes, PAs marketing is shit, that's nothing new. But I get the impression that you guy's didn't had a problem with that, as long as you get the plugins for 4$ at the end. And now starting to cry, as you fear that those offers maybe will stop in the future (I'm aware that this is a simplification of a more complex discussion).

The discussion isn't all that complex. Some people want cheap plugins. They don't make a profit with their 'music', and some of them don't even make 'music', just tinker with software/make some noise. Put the regular discounts and sales under a big question mark and you get them whining.

Well, guess what, pro plugins weren't made for you guys.

I think, the main problem was the way PA announced the changes. An announcement about removing the pickpack and exchanging it with something "better" would have been fine with me.

Also an announcement about their new releases sale would have been ok.

BUT if you raise huge expectations with lowering proces of old plugins and a deal of your life, even a "New Plugin-Alliance", you have to deliver or take the blame.

A little bit of decency and this thread wouldn't have grown so much and people wouldn't have become upset.

[SiliconDeath]

I just want the Shadow Hills comp. Don't need it. Can live without it.

There's the SKnote version, but I'm not sure the meters are quite working as intended, and the UI is a bit on the rough side in general.

[Klinke]

I think, the main problem was the way PA announced the changes. An announcement about removing the pickpack and exchanging it with something "better" would have been fine with me.

Also an announcement about their new releases sale would have been ok.

BUT if you raise huge expectations with lowering proces of old plugins and a deal of your life, even a "New Plugin-Alliance", you have to deliver or take the blame.

A little bit of decency and this thread wouldn't have grown so much and people wouldn't have become upset.

Yes, this is for sure also some aspect in the discussion here. And I'm really fine with making fun about this marketing behaviour, they deserved it. But there is also a lot of drama here is this thread where my reaction is just

[lwj]

Sure some people overreact.. just ignore it. But I honestly expected something like a subscription version of pickpack, eg. pick any 5 or 10 for a monthly fee. Which would be awesome. Not this, this is just a shitty deal for almost anyone. I also don't see how this is gonna make better business for PA.. as opposed to a more flexible subscription like I propose.

[mgw38]

BUT if you raise huge expectations with lowering proces of old plugins and a deal of your life, even a "New Plugin-Alliance", you have to deliver or take the blame.

Announcing lower prices and then doing just the opposite was indeed a mistake on their part. I understand that they had to make changes. They maneuvered themselves into a situation where everybody was a heavy hitter and nobody was buying anything without super deep discounts anymore. I also understand that they wanted to motivate people to switch to a subscription model. But they way they did that was as clunky as it can get. Still no reason to get all nuclear about this.

[jens]

And I must say, I don't get most of the reaction here in the forum. Yes, PAs marketing is shit, that's nothing new. But I get the impression that you guy's didn't had a problem with that, as long as you get the plugins for 4$ at the end. And now starting to cry, as you fear that those offers maybe will stop in the future (I'm aware that this is a simplification of a more complex discussion).

You see, yes, that's me in a way... now I wouldn't even pay 29$ anymore for most PA plugins - I got a whole lot of them already anyway and barely use them.

I paid around 140$ in total for 2CA Breeze 2 and Precendence. Deal of my life. What an amazing mind-blowing value for money.

I paid (iIrc) 75$ for Bluecat Destructor and it's the same. These tools are just amazing and worth every single penny I paid for them and more.

I even paid ~120$ for B2 and would gladly do it again.

And don't get me started on Valhalla, who keep adding new algorithms for free years after you paid 50$ for the plugin.

You can see how much brilliant, creative and forward-thinking work and how much love went into these plugins and they keep getting updated and improved with new features yadda yadda - until now even for free.
These kind of developers are what we need more of. They will always have a business. All they need to do is their job, no marketing antics whatsoever. Their products sell at reasonable prices because their are just great.

Dirk on the other hand relies on hired guns who may from a merely technical-viewpoint do a perfectly good job, but that's just that. There's no creative spark whatsoever in most any of these. They just emulate another EQ, another compressor and copy the GUI without any sign of intelligence, musical knowledge or insight.

Look at Museq as a great example:



For the mono version they basically simply cut the left channel off.

Look at the huge round thing. It is not a control (clicking on it opens the about screen, that's it).

Now look at the little yellow dot on its right side. That's the output volume. Could you believe?
Apparently they didn't have enough creativity and/or insight to think of using the screen estate wasting huge round thing as an output control. They e.g. could have added a narrow orange-red - right/boost and blue cut/left (the colour they used on the plugin else where) ring around it in order to visualize the current output level or they could use the same colours to increasingly colour the white center depending on the amount of gain or boost. This would look great, would be highly functional and would really transport it over from being hardware to being a plugin. People would love it.
And some of their "premium" (haha) plugins don't even have an output control at all.
And if you forgot what these weird buttons on the Museq do exactly (which state is cut and which is boost again?), there's no mouse-over help to inform you. They just didn't implement that. And the 3d angle makes it even harder to use.
Or look at that miniature-sized VSM-3 where no GUI update is in sight. And this all is not really surprising either, considering that Dirk has to pay his developers (most likely) by the minute. It's just business for them and hence they do their plugins half-arsedly, There doesn't seem to be real love for their work. And that is why they struggle.

It's not that we are not willing to pay good money for good plugins.

[phaded]

Issues:

1. Promise of business model with lower prices → false

2. Summer sales made with knowledge of imminent subscription model → unhappy customers.

3. Subscription model → several criticisms: (a) lack of ownership; (b) eliminates incentive to innovate; (c) massive overlap / redundancies in the catalog; and others

4. No loyalty path for previous heavy hitters → unhappy user base.

Issues are not distinct. Subscription model bad because false promise of lower prices, because no upgrade path for heavy hitters, because #3.

Pardon they style of post, tired, going to sleep.

Maybe a sleepy post but on point.

The 'New PA' rollout was- as many pointed out- a near-ripoff of Slate's style of promotion. Its was a bit sad in that sense.

What really hurt though was that they took all the marketing style of Slate's subscription rollout without baked-in marketing strategy. I know I got personally got all kinds of loyalty offers for Slates bundle for a free/heavily discounted first month or two. This even though I only own one Slate product (RC-Tube).

The free months offered had the effect of softening the blow for those who were ready with pitchforks at the idea of a subscription. It didn't stop the backlash towards Slate altogether, but its hard to complain when you are initially getting a free trial (not that I took them up on it). It also gave Slate some room to evatuate the reaction of his customer base and tweak the system during the initial offering.

I mean, most everyone saw the subscription coming; It wasn't the idea but the execution.

Racing car jokes aside, I hope PA gets it right eventually as their concept as a company to date has been forward-thinking with quality offerings. I would hate to see them fold.

[edit: spelling]

[mgw38]

Look at the huge round thing. It is not a control (clicking on it opens the about screen, that's it).

The GUI is a more or less exact recreation of the original hardware unit.

[J4R1O]

Just out of interest, has anyone here subscribed?

Yes, to Kush.

[jens]

Look at the huge round thing. It is not a control (clicking on it opens the about screen, that's it).

The GUI is a more or less exact recreation of the original hardware unit.

Yes - is that not what I said? That's exactly my point. PA don't sell hardware though, they sell plugins.

[Teksonik]

Well, guess what, pro plugins weren't made for you guys.

Well guess what, Plugin Alliance doesn't sell "Pro Plugins" (with the exception of DS Thorn). I find all the PA effects plugins I've tried to be bland and common sounding barely worth the super sales price. Their business seems to be geared to those who don't know any better or are easily suckered by 90% off. There is a difference between Pro Prices and Pro Software.

[jens]

I would hate to see them fold.

But why? In the examples we have seen so far the actual developers did/do much better on their own. Dirk himself is not a developer. He's a business man.

[lwj]

I would hate to see them fold.

But why? In the examples we have seen so far the actual developers did/do much better on their own. Dirk himself is not a developer. He's a business man.

Maybe he bought the subscription?

[soulone82]

Just out of interest, has anyone here subscribed?

Yes, to Kush.