Amplitube5 - Release Date 15-16/12/2020

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Yeah. I am participating in multiple forums discussing the Amplitube 5 release. I am trying to make a case for existing Amplitube 4 customers and owners who also bought other IKM Amplitube collections that they should be getting a slightly better deal than just someone who bought something from Tracks 5 for $99. Existing AT 4 owners w/other AT 4 gear should get an upgrade offer of $99 to at least Amplitude 5. What are you gonna do about it? Sue me?

This has been IK's business model for years. Every time there's an upgrade to one of their products, it's the same story. Existing customers feel burned. There's backlash in the forums. It's just an IK-thing at this point. Kind of like the "T-Racks installs all plugins" nonsense. Their whole business model is not about giving existing customers great upgrades, it's based off getting customers of one product to buy another. "Own Sampletank? You can now get a sweet crossgrade price on Amplitube 5! Own a bunch of Amplitube 5 stuff? You get the same deal. Both of you can just JamPoints for your loyalty. Own one T-Racks plugin? Here's all of them! Try them! Buy more!"

You're not raising awareness on this business practice, most people on KVR and Gearslutz are well aware. It's clear just from reading IK's site. If you think you're going to convince them to change, you're wasting your time and effort. How much time do you think you've put into your Gearslutz and KVR posts on the topic? It's your business how you want to spend your time but you're not going to get them to change their pricing model. What might? People not upgrading at the crossgrade price at all. If you have a problem with it, you'd be better off voting with your wallet versus typing at your keyboard.

Just my two cents.

[telecode]

Yeah. I am participating in multiple forums discussing the Amplitube 5 release. I am trying to make a case for existing Amplitube 4 customers and owners who also bought other IKM Amplitube collections that they should be getting a slightly better deal than just someone who bought something from Tracks 5 for $99. Existing AT 4 owners w/other AT 4 gear should get an upgrade offer of $99 to at least Amplitude 5. What are you gonna do about it? Sue me?

This has been IK's business model for years. Every time there's an upgrade to one of their products, it's the same story. Existing customers feel burned. There's backlash in the forums. It's just an IK-thing at this point. Kind of like the "T-Racks installs all plugins" nonsense. Their whole business model is not about giving existing customers great upgrades, it's based off getting customers of one product to buy another. "Own Sampletank? You can now get a sweet crossgrade price on Amplitube 5! Own a bunch of Amplitube 5 stuff? You get the same deal. Both of you can just JamPoints for your loyalty. Own one T-Racks plugin? Here's all of them! Try them! Buy more!"

You're not raising awareness on this business practice, most people on KVR and Gearslutz are well aware. It's clear just from reading IK's site. If you think you're going to convince them to change, you're wasting your time and effort. How much time do you think you've put into your Gearslutz and KVR posts on the topic? It's your business how you want to spend your time but you're not going to get them to change their pricing model. What might? People not upgrading at the crossgrade price at all. If you have a problem with it, you'd be better off voting with your wallet versus typing at your keyboard.

Just my two cents.

All you say is true. But things change. The guitar sim market had changed a lot since IKM released Amplitube and there are lots of new players in the market space. IKM will have to adapt to the times or fade away. You can't keep selling cars in the US and keep thinking you are the only car maker around.

We wait and see how CS pans out.

Re; Awareness. I think I am starting to see what some posters alluded to when saying people churn through the IKM pipline of products. You get hooked in by one of their deals, then become a customer, then realize down the road that you don't get the same incentives to stay a customer, so you leave the IKM ecosystem and someone else takes your place.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Re; Awareness. I think I am starting to see what some posters alluded to when saying people churn through the IKM pipline of products. You get hooked in by one of their deals, then become a customer, then realize down the road that you don't get the same incentives to stay a customer, so you leave the IKM ecosystem and someone else takes your place.

Yep. That's exactly what happens. But there's nothing wrong with waiting for a huge sale to jump in every now and then. But the whole "pay a crossgrade price to pre-order a product you can't demo" schtick gets old quick. I'd rather wait until Christmas or whenever there is a huge sale, after I've had the chance to demo it first, then decide if it's worth the $70 or so I'll eventually pay to upgrade. Not paying $149 to upgrade with no demo for 5 new amps and 2 stomps I don't necessarily want.

Don't get drawn in by all the "pre-order pricing" stuff. Patience pays off big time.

[ariston]

Don't get drawn in by all the "pre-order pricing" stuff. Patience pays off big time.

Sage advice! Meanwhile, if you, like me, are itchin to spend some dough on guitar paraphernalia, why not check out Audiority's awesome new amp and their beautiful collection of stomps? No preorder, no weird pricing scheme, just great quality. And on sale at the moment.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

@ Peter from IK

Sorry if I have missed this, but I have not seen any official answer to the many questions regarding being able to hide gear/presets you cant run as you don't own the gear?

This has dominated previous A4 threads and is sites as one of he main reason people (including me) don't like using A4

Please confirm that this will be the case in AT5, it is probably the most important feature as far as I am concerned.

There will be a filtering system which will include filtering out gear you don't own. It will also apply to presets with gear you don't own. That's what I was told in a software meeting this morning.

[SLiC]

@ Peter from IK

Sorry if I have missed this, but I have not seen any official answer to the many questions regarding being able to hide gear/presets you cant run as you don't own the gear?

This has dominated previous A4 threads and is sites as one of he main reason people (including me) don't like using A4

Please confirm that this will be the case in AT5, it is probably the most important feature as far as I am concerned.

There will be a filtering system which will include filtering out gear you don't own. It will also apply to presets with gear you don't own. That's what I was told in a software meeting this morning.

Fabulous, that all I needed to hear. I look forward to owning Amplitude 5 on release

[beltrom]

That filtering system might make me throw some money at IK sooner than I expected. At least I will evaluate my options again.

[Echoes in the Attic]

@ Peter from IK

Sorry if I have missed this, but I have not seen any official answer to the many questions regarding being able to hide gear/presets you cant run as you don't own the gear?

This has dominated previous A4 threads and is sites as one of he main reason people (including me) don't like using A4

Please confirm that this will be the case in AT5, it is probably the most important feature as far as I am concerned.

There will be a filtering system which will include filtering out gear you don't own. It will also apply to presets with gear you don't own. That's what I was told in a software meeting this morning.

See how many thumbs up you got from that?

[Mr Arkadin]

See how many thumbs up you got from that?

I would thumbs up but I'm a bit of a cynic. I'll wait till I see it.

[jinotsuh]

Yeah. I am participating in multiple forums discussing the Amplitube 5 release. I am trying to make a case for existing Amplitube 4 customers and owners who also bought other IKM Amplitube collections that they should be getting a slightly better deal than just someone who bought something from Tracks 5 for $99. Existing AT 4 owners w/other AT 4 gear should get an upgrade offer of $99 to at least Amplitude 5. What are you gonna do about it? Sue me?

I dunno, it maybe just me, but who gives a flying f**k what deal someone else can get it for?, I couldn't care less, good luck to 'em. I'm only concerned about what I get it for.

I'm not a MAX owner, but I own every single thing that has been released up until this stage, so I have more than the MAX package. I can get Amp 5 for $105 on Pre Order now, so when it's released I'll still have everything plus ALL the new features and additions, sounds reasonable to me, so I went for it. I sure as hell get far more use out of Amplitube and a couple of others than I do out of the likes of S-Gear2, Nembrini, and the NueralDSP amps I own. I haven't touched S-Gear in years, Nem and Nueral never get used, they just don't do anything for me.

To still have everything + Amp 5 and all the new stuff for $105 . . . Bargain!!!
Not really that much difference between $99 and $105? (Although the $105 price is time limited, but hey, such is life).

[acousticglue]

Amen

[jamcat]

I have a Fender Strat that I've played for many years. I also have a Fender bass. So imagine my surprise when the rep told me if I wanted a new Tele, I'd have to pay the same price as someone who doesn't even own a Fender. There's something seriously wrong with that company.

[Mr Arkadin]

I have a Fender Strat that I've played for many years. I also have a Fender bass. So imagine my surprise when the rep told me if I wanted a new Tele, I'd have to pay the same price as someone who doesn't even own a Fender. There's something seriously wrong with that company.

Not quite the same thing. Plus you'd be able to at least demo the Tele before buying it.

[Echoes in the Attic]

I have a Fender Strat that I've played for many years. I also have a Fender bass. So imagine my surprise when the rep told me if I wanted a new Tele, I'd have to pay the same price as someone who doesn't even own a Fender. There's something seriously wrong with that company.

Did you already own three quarters of the tele that you wanted to buy? And was that the same price for someone who didn't own any part of the tele?

I don't care that much about the fact that there is no difference between upgrading Max 4 to Max 5 and crossgrading from a single product like the Fender collection. It just means I wouldn't go for it unless I first sold a bunch of stuff. And maybe I'll do that. Since users get a pretty great platform using CS with existing gear, there is still a good amount of value with MAX 4. I might just use Max 4 with CS, or maybe I'll sell it and go for the Max crossgrade, we'll see. But I do think IK would get more upgrades if they had an actual Max 4 to 5 upgrade path.

[revvy]

I have a Fender Strat that I've played for many years. I also have a Fender bass. So imagine my surprise when the rep told me if I wanted a new Tele, I'd have to pay the same price as someone who doesn't even own a Fender. There's something seriously wrong with that company.

Worst analogy evar!