Please Improve the Installer.

[wpostma]

What I would like is to have the same experience installing my melda plugins that I have when I install native instruments (via native access) or uvi plugins, or any other medium size or big plugin company plugins.

1. download installer. (preferably it's 10-20 megs, because it downloads the content it needs)
2. log into my melda account.
3. get the things I own installed, downloaded, installed and activated.

At no point in the long list of items #1,#2,#3 do I want to go look up and see that I own MTurboFoo, MBUndle1, MThisThat, and MThisMB, but not MThis, and not MThatThis. I do not wish to check checkboxes. I do not wish to tell you what you already know which is what I own. If I want a trial, that should be done by its own step after installing things I just bought.

Computers are, it turns out very good at figuring out what plugins I own, and every other plugin vendor does this right. Why is melda, which is so good at making plugins, so bad at making installer?

I also do not grasp why the content download for mdrummer and the sampler/synth products is separate, or why it's so glitchy. I gave up on trying to even get the content installed because the separate stage for content install just never works for me at all. I probably won't buy MPowerSynth ever just because when I tried to demo it, I could not get the content to even install.



Warren

[wangeroge]

Good points!

[sparella]

This is the first post I think I've seen here actually in favor of an online installer. Most are adamantly against online installers and highly supportive of offline activation.

[Frankie.T]

If they do that i'll quit Melda in a second and i'll start to rant as a kid!

I think Melda have the best installer out there, you don't need an internet connection, you just download the installer and you are ready to go. You can install only the plugins you want, or updating everythings with a click, it's very handy and user friendly.

I don't need other BS installed into my pc just to update some software, or as other companies does even running in background to waste my cpu/ram that can be used for things i really need, not to call home every seconds and to run some other checks.

[Steve W]

My experience with the MeldaProduction installer has also been very positive. On the other hand over the years I have consistently experienced issues with NI's installation/update process. Please do do use NI as an example of what to do.

I have used some installers that are almost as smooth as Melda's, but there are others that are problematic. If Melda will be making improvements to the installer, please don't scrap what works by trying to imitate what other companies do. It is a crap shoot. Doing what other companies do might result in pleasing some people, but there is a risk that by abandoning what currently works well the result will be worse for many users.

[zerocrossing]

My issue with it is that I can’t install things in sub folders. Perhaps I want MSoundFactory in a different folder than MDrummer.

[jonsson]

I do prefer the Melda installer to most others out there. I just upgraded to the complete bundle so I don't have to worry about what plugins to install, but that really wasn't an issue for me in the past ten years or so either.

[78deluxe]

I think I should start a thread titled "don't change the installer"

While it isn't perfect offline install and auth is a huge plus.

The only challenge I've really had with it is the "add on" packs such as the Pianos, Drums, Essential, etc as I can't ever seem to get the program to simply read to a drive I put the installed products on when transferring that SSD to another machine as the size of those is not something I have room for on my OS drive.

[wpostma]

People are so silly.

You can keep offline mode.

Just LET people either (a) select what they want or (b) somehow get exactly the right set of items clicked without having to manually select the 4, or 8 or 18 items from the 80 that are available, when they don't own all of them and don't want the 80-100 items they don't own installed.

I'll give the installer a point for remembering your last choices. For people who own only one thing this is not annoying.

I won't be buying anything more from melda until it gets easier to do a proper reinstall without having to make notes on paper about what checkboxes to check.

While NI is not perfect, I have wasted 0 hours in the last year on NI, whereas with Melda, installing is a giant pain and almost don't want to bother installing this stuff. For now I'm making google docs which show what settings I have to click if I have to reinstall melda after an OS rebuild, which has happened a lot to me this year for various reasons (disk failure, OS update bricking system, etc).

I am certainly NOT going to upgrade to the complete bundle just because the installer is dumb.

[Frankie.T]

If you do not remember what you own, need and use don't blame the installer.

[Hexspa]

I made a video on Native Access and the only comments were people complaining and looking for support.

[wpostma]

> If you do not remember what you own, need and use don't blame the installer.

Clearly I own too many melda plugins with confusing dumb names.

MTurboThing MThing MTurboThingMB etc.

[Steve W]

Clearly I own too many melda plugins with confusing dumb names. MTurboThing MThing MTurboThingMB etc.

Perhaps you could start a new thread, list 3-4 plugins either with similar names or that have similar purposes, and ask Melda users for a summary of the differences, when someone might use one of them over others, etc.?

To me Melda plug-ins are quite deep and I would probably benefit from replies to help me, too. I have watched several videos by Chandler which cover some of the differences between similar modules and have benefitted from watching them. In fact for several videos I have loaded them into my DAW and done hands-on exploration along with the videos pausing along the way to do some independent tinkering with each plug-in. Maybe that will work for you, too.

I don't think Melda users will think bad of you if you ask for help sorting them out.

[Frankie.T]

> If you do not remember what you own, need and use don't blame the installer.

Clearly I own too many melda plugins with confusing dumb names.

MTurboThing MThing MTurboThingMB etc.

I understand what you are saying, cause they offer lots of stuff that may feel you disorienting. The key is to change the approach.

I see people throwing random plugins on tracks just because they saw it on some tutorial or because they think it makes the sounds better, without any real clue. This is because how the world goes right now and because marketings went crazy.

Melda is different, and that's the reason i love them.

They have never done shitty marketing, they develop useful tools for different purposes. The downside is you can buy a bundle and have different tools you may don't even need, cause they are designed for people with a different need, so you find these MThingMB to be confusing.

It's not their issue, but a wrong approach other companies along influencer spreaded for too much time.

The correct approach when you work on something is to fit certain needs. You need an EQ? what Melda offer? So you search for their eq and use what fits better your needs, it's MAutodynamic? Or maybe MTurboEq because you want some vintage curves. You need a compressor? You may just need a precise and easy to use MModernCompressor, or if you search for an 1176 use MTurboComp instead. Do you need it in a multiband version? So you load the ThingsMB

Reading some comments it appears to be the opposite. Like you have some stuff you don't know what to do with. This is not a videogame you need to play, these are tools you may need or not.

I think if you take some times to understan your general needs, then search what Melda offer for these needs, it may change the way you look these plugins, names and such.

I love Melda plugins for lots of factors. First of all, i own the plugin. I don't need their server for installation or authorization approval. I spent my money for something i own and control.
I started to play with music in 1999, since then i saw companies rise and fall, some of them had some shitty systems, and i lost my money because of that, in the long run this is something i'm not anymore willing to accept.
Having a system like NI is silly, did you forgot what happened with Waves few months ago? They had to shift back cause the ammount of shit storm, but when you don't really own something this is what can happen.

Then there is a big elephant in the room, a lifetime free upgrade. This is not just about support and investment over tools that keep being mantained without the need to pay them monthly (i hate subscriptions), but also a different approach from the dev to make valuable tools.
I also run a youtube channel and i test lots of plugins, i can tell you i see lots of companies just to reskin plugins changing few internal value and release it as a brand new plugin, this is silly. They just are selling presets hardcoded inside, while with Melda i.e. you can build your own compressor or eq.

I know i'm not the only one who care about these stuff, and i think the way they do business works also because they are targeting that kind of customers. Taking a different route will just make the in the position of other companies, then the difference would be just about money, and you can certainly get cheaper stuff elsewhere.

I'm not saying Melda plugins are for everyone and this is true for every company, i just say the way they run business it's the most customer friendly, and the plugins they make are for lots of usage and are able to go very deep in a way i don't even think there's a man in the world who use all that stuff, but they cover (almost) all the needs in the audio world.

[murnau]

i just say the way they run business it's the most customer friendly

Especially the NFR and the complete insane update prices or the custumer friendly transfer fee of 20% of the full price.