KVR Audio

tonedef71 · Post by **tonedef71** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:19 pm

Orb Composer has always been on the pricey side. I am not sure how I feel about paying 79 euro to upgrade from version 1.4.5 to 1.5.0. I remember when you could purchase Orb Composer Artist S 1.4 from Plugin Boutique for 79 EUR; to upgrade to the next point release, it feels like you would essentially be paying for it all over again.

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:35 pm

Hmm, I didn't get any info about upgrade yet, you're first to tell it.

Either way, there are some great changes. I'll hold on and wait for official info.

bharris22 · Post by **bharris22** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:44 pm

tonedef71 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 7:19 pm Orb Composer has always been on the pricey side. I am not sure how I feel about paying 79 euro to upgrade from version 1.4.5 to 1.5.0. I remember when you could purchase Orb Composer Artist S 1.4 from Plugin Boutique for 79 EUR; to upgrade to the next point release, it feels like you would essentially be paying for it all over again.

I agree. Looks like you get a big 20 euro credit for being an Artist S 1.4 owner. That is a slap in the face.

I think a 20 euro upgrade fee from 1.4 to 1.5 would be much more reasonable.

daklaron · Post by **daklaron** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:13 pm

I've just got into a debate with hexachord on youtube "Plugin scanner fix" about charging 80 euro for basically improving AI and workflow. I paid 400 euro for something so clunky and awkward it dampens creativity. My biggest software regret is buying Orb pro.

tonedef71 · Post by **tonedef71** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:55 pm

daklaron wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:13 pm I paid 400 euro for something so clunky and awkward it dampens creativity. My biggest software regret is buying Orb pro.

When did you buy your copy? I heard something about early adopters (those who pre-ordered the 1.0 version) not having to pay anything to upgrade to S 1.5. Also anyone who purchased the software on or after August 15, 2019 gets a free upgrade.

mgw38 · Post by **mgw38** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:13 pm

I didn’t even notice that they put out an upgrade. Pricey, indeed.

Btw, is the plugin scanner working now?

Guitarrist · Post by **Guitarrist** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:22 pm

Total rip off in my opinion. I regret that i have bought Orb pro.

tonedef71 · Post by **tonedef71** » Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:34 pm

mgw38 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:13 pm Btw, is the plugin scanner working now?

Possibly. There is now a YouTube video covering that very topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK8JaH_GLIg
There is also supposed to be a downloadable demo version available in which fitness of purpose for software features may be tested.

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:08 am

So there's a demo video on their website, in a middle of which error message pops up

I can't even...

Product infancy is one thing, but such hilarious incompetence won't get them many customers.

The new AI engine appears great, and their simplified interface so it's more user-friendly rather than composer's encyclopedia.
However, I'm worried about new "melody import" feature, which creates completely new melody. I want to preserve the old one, and make Orb just compose harmonies and accompaniament, as it did for my track "Hubris".

tatanka · Post by **tatanka** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:14 am

However, I'm worried about new "melody import" feature, which creates completely new melody.

Dont know where you got that info from but if you just look threw the short "smart melody harmonizer" video you can clearly see that this is NOT true, the melody is completely preserved only the accomapniement gets created new evrytime you import that melody again.

You CAN then in the clip editor change from "user melody" to melody and create a new melody for that created accompaniement. Even then you can change back to "user melody" evrytime and have 100 % your imported melody back.

tonedef71 · Post by **tonedef71** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:23 pm

Today I received the official Orb Composer S 1.5 announcement email from Hexachords. Here is a snippet with the official upgrade policy:

mgw38 · Post by **mgw38** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:21 pm

Yes, I also got a bit confused by that. Is it now free or not? Or does this mean you can use it for free until October 31? Confusing does not even cut it.

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:26 pm

They explained it on their Discord (sic). Only people who paid higher, old price and recent buyers receive it for free.

From what I've seen so far it seems they're small, closed team fixed on their mindset and not seeing their own issues.

Might be difficult to get far this way.

Asterune · Post by **Asterune** » Tue Oct 08, 2019 7:41 pm

I am not experienced enough in complex arrangements to evaluate the strength of Orb composer.
Is that new melody harmonizer worth anything please? (ie, better than Liquid Notes, etc.)
Is it any better than Aiva? ( https://www.aiva.ai/ ) (and I am not an affiliate)
I own Orb Composer Pro 1.4, though. That 1.5 upgrade is the hardest pill to swallow (or not) from a vendor this year

It reminds me of that Ableton Live 10 upgrade, which I never bought.

tonedef71 · Post by **tonedef71** » Wed Oct 09, 2019 2:17 am

Asterune wrote:Is that new melody harmonizer worth anything please? (ie, better than Liquid Notes, etc.)

From watching the new Orb Composer 1.5 demos, I get the impression that Orb Composer creates usable melodies and harmonies that meet or exceed what you can get from most other music software. As with any content generated by software, one must manipulate the generated content to make it his/her own and to give it some genuine human expression.

Asterune wrote:Is it any better than Aiva? ( https://www.aiva.ai/ ) (and I am not an affiliate)

I am not sure. I still need to actually sign into my free Aiva account and try to create something.

Orb Composer S 1.5.1