Checked out Melda again

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Hay.
This new install manager MPluginManager i have missed. But anyways, what i liked is that some of the plugins have real-like gui now. Not all plugins have that generic look. I dont know if i have posted about this before. Anyway, what do you think?

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Every time I've tried the Melda plugins, I remember why I uninstalled them the last time. I do not like the sales pressure nag screens on the free plugins. They're not really "free plugins" the way free plugins are from every other developer. They exist only as a means of railroading unsuspecting plugin hunters into buying a paid bundle. The install manager exists for the same reason, too.
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP

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You're being hyperbolic jamcat. I don't get the nag screens because I paid for the upgrade. If you want free as in free, yeah Melda is not the place to be, but I found the nag to be a fair compromise. And Melda's install manager is not IK level abusive. They even took some of my complaints about the bloat into account and improved it after release. They have some good effects and genuinely practice continuous improvement and the lifetime upgrades go a long way.

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They have some pretty decent DSP, but I’m in the camp of people who are turned off by the GUIs. I’ve tried to get used to it through the years because I care more about the sound.

The designs just don’t click for me. If a plug-in bundle like MXXX was released with a sleek user interface, I think more people would be willing to make the investment. Because that’s a beastly, monster of an effect! :love:

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kidslow wrote: Sat Nov 02, 2024 2:16 pm I don't get the nag screens because I paid for the upgrade.
:scared:
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP

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I wouldn't say it's a "nag screen"—it's more of a "nag button", and I think it's fairly unobtrusive/inobtrusive/unintrusive (pick one). And unlike some developers who offer freebies, the nag button doesn't even need to be acknowledged/clicked to let you use the plug-in. That said, I thought the "nag notice" previously said you could make the notice disappear (or change color, to be less noticeable) just by logging into your account. I've never bothered with that, but now that I'm on the latest version, I only see the notice to upgrade.

@BrokenTrance, which plug-ins have you found with a GUI other than the stock Melda one? I just opened MSpectralDelay and saw the middle section with a...um...quite obtrusive GUI for about 70% of the image. The other 30% is the stock blue, rectangular stuff. It is not very aesthetically pleasing, and it looks like one GUI was simply grafted onto another. It also doesn't even display the same parameters the way the old version did. I don't even know where some are now, which kind of screws up the workflow.

Steve
Here's some of my stuff: https://soundcloud.com/shadowsoflife. If you hear something you like, I'm looking for collaborators.

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I have found the upgrade of MfreeFx to be one of the best values of my many purchases so mock all you want jamcat. I use them regularly. They aren't for you, and your hyperbolic point has been made. Isn't there a pedal emulation thread you can complain on?

Ones that I have with a non-stock improved GUI are MUnison, MPhaserMB, MHarmonizerMB,MWaveShaperMB, MGranularMB, MCombMB, MAutopanMB, MRatioMB, MDistortionMB. It would seem to be most if not all of their MB catalog.

It's taken me years but I've finally gotten used to their UI. Never has been visually aesthetically pleasing, nope. It is consistent and you can automate quite a bit.
Last edited by kidslow on Sat Nov 02, 2024 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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I think Melda is not for musician. The UI and workflow are counter produictive.

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I hear nothing but good things about Melda Production's plugins from people who use them. So I've always wanted to like them. I have previously installed their free bundle on an older device, but was put off by their (imho) very depressingly uninviting-looking and user unfriendly designs.

Perhaps, that seems shallow to advocates of the aforementioned. But bear in mind, I was already accustomed to the extremely clean and user-friendly eco systems of Fabfilter and Kilohearts (the latter of which also now have an excellent completely free effects bundle.)

I don't doubt the usefulness of Melda's software. Too many swear by them to be wrong. But, their UIs and UX would have to vastly improve before I would willingly choose them over others without such issues.

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MdynamicEQ became my goto EQ. The free stuff is great. However, the industry moves fast and Melda is looking more expensive these days compared to the competition, particularly as they fragment the product lineup as much as possible, with single and Multiband versions, and a lot of overlap between products. On top of that the upgrade paths confused me at times... I think the bundles don't create upgrade paths for the individual plugins.
Every day takes figuring out all over again how to f#ckin’ live.

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jamcat wrote: Sat Nov 02, 2024 1:37 pm Every time I've tried the Melda plugins, I remember why I uninstalled them the last time. I do not like the sales pressure nag screens on the free plugins. They're not really "free plugins" the way free plugins are from every other developer. They exist only as a means of railroading unsuspecting plugin hunters into buying a paid bundle. The install manager exists for the same reason, too.
How entitled must be you be to think that "unsuspecting" people are being "railroaded" into anything by a small visual reminder that they're using a free but otherwise unrestricted product? It's not really strange for a business to hope you may choose to buy from them.

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Well, it’s because these “free” plugins are actually crippled nagware versions of paid plugins. They say you can “extend” the features of the Free Bundle… for a price. Not so “free” anymore. Everyone else just gives you free plugins with no strings attached. Compare Melda “free” plugins to Kilohearts. World of difference there.

Life’s too short and actual free plugins are too numerous to waste your time with Melda.
Last edited by jamcat on Sun Nov 03, 2024 12:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP

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Melda seems to be like Acustica:
You love or you hate it.
Nothing in between.

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kidslow wrote: Sat Nov 02, 2024 3:36 pm Ones that I have with a non-stock improved GUI are MUnison, MPhaserMB, MHarmonizerMB,MWaveShaperMB, MGranularMB, MCombMB, MAutopanMB, MRatioMB, MDistortionMB. It would seem to be most if not all of their MB catalog.
:tu:

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jamcat wrote: Sun Nov 03, 2024 12:45 am Well, it’s because these “free” plugins are actually crippled nagware versions of paid plugins. They say you can “extend” the features of the Free Bundle… for a price. Not so “free” anymore. Everyone else just gives you free plugins with no strings attached. Compare Melda “free” plugins to Kilohearts. World of difference there.

Life’s too short and actual free plugins are too numerous to waste your time with Melda.
With Kilohearts it seems you most create account to download the free plugins. That annoys me more then some "nag screen" honestly. We are all different i guess.

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