DCO Files, copyright

[andreTSV]

I've finally found the time to listen to all the waves for the DCO Player, which are really very interesting and I'd like to learn more about them.

1/ Were they created with the help of crusher-X?

2/ Copyright
I asked a question about copyright in this forum 7 years ago. Since then, I've been trying to find out more, as I often use samples in my music. But the more I dig into the subject, the more I'm convinced that the risk of infringing copyright is never zero, whether it's with free samples you've downloaded (from freesound or musicradar, for example) or commercial samples you've bought. If I'm still asking a question on this subject, it's mainly because the situation has changed insofar as accSone has called in sound designers (third parties). So I'd like to know if I have the right to use all crusher-X content (presets and waves) in a commercial work, even without modifying them?

3/ Generally speaking, is it possible to always keep the same wave in the DCO Player without having to reload it if you want to see what it sounds like using other presets? This would be very useful, especially as you can now load 8 files at a time. In other words, is there any way of making the DCO Player independent?

[sandandpaint]

the only advice I have seen from sample developers says that you can use their commercial ( or free ) samples in commercial products such as songs or film scores - makes no sense if you can't.

Limitations I have seen are no usage to make other commercial products such as sample libraries or sample based synths - no matter how much you alter the samples. That is, you can use the samples to make art/musical works but you can't use the samples to make other products which can then be used to make art/musical works.

And you cannot make something that exposes the raw unaltered sample in a form it can be copied from ie you couldn't string the raw samples together and call that an artwork without violating copyright as someone could just take your string os samples and slice it up into the original

[andreTSV]

When you're cautious, you inform yourself about copyright issues, and once you've informed yourself, you become even more cautious. Then, one day, you come across new information and you start to get paranoid!
For me, it all started in the 2000s when I stumbled across a set of 10 CDs for a ridiculously low price in a French supermarket, the Giga Sound Pack, which I still consider to be a product of exceptional quality. At the time, I wasn't concerned about copyright, but the Internet expanded and suddenly we had access to a lot of information. I had composed an electroacoustic work using a lot of these samples, particularly industrial machine noises, and as I consider it to be one of my best works, I wanted to publish it on YouTube. So I decided to write to the firm that had published the CDs, but the firm had disappeared in the meantime. Then, new hope, the same collection had been released in Germany by DATA BECKER, the Monster Pack Sound Library. However, masterbits no longer exists !!!!!!! One last hope for me: it's not impossible that these samples come from the USA and I could possibly buy them, but who could I contact?
So I started using freesound samples until someone wrote that the person who uploaded them wasn't necessarily the author. In that case it's a fraudulent act and the law says that if I use that sample, I'm guilty too. Then I turned to musicradar free samples because this institution can be fully trusted and I recently came across this reddit discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/musicproductio ... ?rdt=52109
In 2020 I discovered sonniss GDC's free samples and used many of these (metal) samples in a piece. I took the trouble to write to the soud designer of each sample I used; many replied, some felt flattered but a few didn't reply, so I had to recompose my work.
So now I buy commercial samples, but there's always the risk of fraud. It's a pity I can't use freesound samples any more, as there's a huge choice in every field (or can you buy such a collection of church bells, a foghorn, etc.?).

[sandandpaint]

Just use commercial libraries then - there are many companies selling sounds. eg
https://hissandaroar.com/v3/
plus some sample Kontakt library companies make their samples available as wavs too. Soundiron often do that eg this one says unlocked 24bit wavs https://soundiron.com/products/hopkin-i ... es-pop-ice

[andreTSV]

The sounds you've listed are very good, and the Hiss and Roar ones fit perfectly into the category of sounds I'm interested in. I know there are a lot of vendors out there - you only have to look at a site like asoundeffect to see that. There are also big differences in quality. I recently bought samples from Jonathan Shaw's General Library to have a wide range of sounds. Otherwise, I record sounds myself (foley, metal, water, glass, plastic, etc.) and if I need sounds that are difficult to obtain, I buy them. For example, for a piece I needed a lot of broken glass sounds and I bought them from Bluezone Corporation. As far as fraud is concerned, I'm in the clear with these two collections!

[whyterabbyt]

In 2020 I discovered sonniss GDC's free samples and used many of these (metal) samples in a piece. I took the trouble to write to the soud designer of each sample I used; many replied, some felt flattered but a few didn't reply, so I had to recompose my work.

No you didnt. The Soniss site makes the terms of use of the GDC samples completely clear.

Each year we give away thousands of dollars worth of sounds for free in celebration of the Game Developers Conference. This is our archive. All of the sound effects are royalty free and commercially usable. No attribution is required and you can use them on an unlimited number of projects for the rest of your lifetime.

[andreTSV]

Yes, you're right to point out the terms of the license. If I recomposed my piece, it's partly because I hadn't received the sample's authorization from its author, and partly because the site's author hadn't replied to me. I wrote to the sound designers because I know that some of them don't want their samples to be heard unaccompanied. That said, if the reddit discussion I mentioned is to be believed, there would still be a risk of one of the sound designers lodging a complaint even if the site's author gave the green light, as you've just shown.

[whyterabbyt]

That said, if the reddit discussion I mentioned is to be believed, there would still be a risk of one of the sound designers lodging a complaint even if the site's author gave the green light, as you've just shown.

That 'risk' isnt actually removed just because the sound designer gives you permission by email.
But if a complaint was raised, then your protection is the permission given to you, whether that's by the sound designer themselves, or their agent ('site author') who has themselves been given the specific permission to redistribute the sounds.

In other words, if a supermarket sells, (or gives) you a can of coke, Coca Cola inc can claim you stole it from them, but you can prove you obtained it legitimately.

[andreTSV]

That said, if the reddit discussion I mentioned is to be believed, there would still be a risk of one of the sound designers lodging a complaint even if the site's author gave the green light, as you've just shown.

That 'risk' isnt actually removed just because the sound designer gives you permission by email.
But if a complaint was raised, then your protection is the permission given to you, whether that's by the sound designer themselves, or their agent ('site author') who has themselves been given the specific permission to redistribute the sounds.

In other words, if a supermarket sells, (or gives) you a can of coke, Coca Cola inc can claim you stole it from them, but you can prove you obtained it legitimately.

Thanks for this interesting comment!