Presonus : "So we are targeting 3-4 "major" feature releases every year..."

[Crossinger]

2026 will be all or nothing based on whatever these guys cook up in Q1 2026.

And to add insult to injury, the discount promotions are over by the end of the year. Even if they come around the corner with a decent update in Q1, the vast majority of existing customers will wait until next sale to renew their license. Which means: Presonus will probably face a gap of revenues.

[Vocalpoint Studios]

I just hope (and I'm using that word a lot) they make a good choice about how to put that right.

Sad part is they really only have one chance here.

If this next update lands with a thud - OR they do not get their act together with a value/payment structure that makes sense - users WILL bail.

Tons of us are in waiting mode right now - in the best place we can be - free from any payments or responsibility and many will take a look at the next release and either say "Wow - they are back!" or "Is that it?".

If it's the latter - the real trouble begins.

The only way to avert a long painful exit here - is to drop an update like we haven't had in a long time. Like a really long time...

VP

[soulata]

I am hoping that enough of their existing customer voted with their wallet and didn't upgrade

Given that recent commentary from Gregor (early December?) - it is clear (to me anyways) that their little plans crashed and burned out fast.

Firstly - given the complete lack of anything new for years now - why anyone would ever go the sub route is beyond me. That plan never made any sense even dating back several years (and iterations) of the name of that plan.

And "Annual Updates" were simply a cash grab that never had a chance to survive without putting your code where your mouth is.

If you really want me to pay annually - for updates - you better serve up meaningful worthwhile updates - in a regular cadence with plenty of meat and potatoes.

If I were to speculate - I would estimate that possibly 60% (or more) of us - who took the v7 plunge back on Oct 9, 2024 - are all running free and clear of any financial obligation to Presonus right now. That is a very dangerous place for them to be in.

2026 will be all or nothing based on whatever these guys cook up in Q1 2026.

VP

Yeah, maybe not in Q1 but better not too late.
I'm on v6, whatever they come up with must be really great AND affordable (79$ max) to lure me over.

They've lost the momentum and the trust they built from v1 to v5, maybe v6. Change of pricing and updates, while great for the new users, was a middle finger to the old userbase. Coupled with ok but not good or even great v7...well, it is what it is. A mess.

[Vocalpoint Studios]

They've lost the momentum and the trust they built from v1 to v5, maybe v6.

I was still very impressed with the v6.5 update (ATMOS) and the work that went into it.

Not my cup o tea for sure - but I did think to myself "This is some killer work here"

It is that kind of stuff - where these guys "elevate" beyond every other DAW out there - that has been lacking SINCE v6.5 was released.

Something is definitely going on over there and while I refuse to give in just yet - even after this lame ass 2025 cycle - it sure feels like we may be in for some very rough waters...

VP

[SLiC]

I have zero confidence in Presonus now, its been a shambles. It's a shame, I was a big fan around V4...

[Vocalpoint Studios]

I have zero confidence in Presonus now, its been a shambles. It's a shame, I was a big fan around V4...

Who you really should have no confidence in right now - is Fender. They are the driver of this latest sad bus trip - specifically starting in late 2024 and all of 2025.

I simply do not believe the actual Presonus crew (Development team etc) ever wanted any of this pricing nonsense, severe dropoff in update quality and/or any negative vibes whatsoever.

But like it or not - everyone has to answer to someone. This is what happens when ALL of Presonus great management team from Rick Naqvi (on down) either get shown the door or choose to find the door themselves.

It has been nothing but a downhill slide since this merger took place.

VP

[greymattre98]

To me, they are one in the same. When I plead with PreSonus to communicate something to help guide their customers, I'm hoping they (PreSonus) would actively take these concerns to Fender and use them as ammunition to gain back some goodwill. If the PreSonus employees aren't willing to do that, then they are just as guilty. The ONLY way they can bridge a gap in their cashflow is to start communicating and restore some faith that they aren't spiraling into a death cycle. Silence only reinforces this downward spiral and perhaps even the PreSonus employees know it and are just waiting to move on to greener pastures.

[Vocalpoint Studios]

I'm hoping they (PreSonus) would actively take these concerns to Fender and use them as ammunition to gain back some goodwill. If the PreSonus employees aren't willing to do that, then they are just as guilty.

But how can you know this hasn't happened?

What if they did take these concerns to Fender directly and politely got back - "Thanks for the concerns - we'll take it from here."

Or maybe "someone" values their job. Maybe taking stuff like this that high up the ladder represents a possibility of being shown the door. Who would want that?

Again - everyone answers to someone and "we" have no idea how this company structure works or what discussions go on (or don't go on).

One thing is for sure - when you own the company - you can do whatever you want - customer concerns or no customer concerns.

VP

[jkez]

This has begun way before the Fender takeover ans was evident the minute they introduced the sub option and sidelined the perpetual owners as second class citizens.(remember the "new industry standard" era)

With the subscription the updates became more and more scarce(take note how many maintanance updates were in early version per one point update, now one or two mostly)-they thought everybody will turn to sub and theyll nicelly and slowly suck constant income with minimal effort.

And i guess by their rep comments on YT it blew in their face a bit and theyre going back to perpetual. It will be rough waters since they alienated quite a few of their users. Ill wait on the sidelines and observe what will happen. I have no intention of buying yearly upgrades upfront without knowing what will happen- tried this with Bitwig and it doesnt pay out as planned.

[greymattre98]

But how can you know this hasn't happened?

We have no way of knowing. I should hope that they HAVE actually done so. In which case, the fact that we still have heard nothing indicates they have lost the battle - which is a bad sign. And if they HAVEN'T done this, that's also a bad sign.

So what I was saying is I no longer care to distinguish between PreSonus and Fender because at this point the only thing to claw back some good faith is to explain why they fell short and what they plan to do about it.

We are on the same page - hoping a lack of cash flow will eventually lead to a turn-around in their approach. But the longer this goes on, the more people will move on and try other DAWs. That is the #1 thing they should be trying to stop and there is no effort (yet) to give us hope.

[Vocalpoint Studios]

We are on the same page - hoping a lack of cash flow will eventually lead to a turn-around in their approach. But the longer this goes on, the more people will move on and try other DAWs.

Agreed. But it still doesn't make any sense.

Why would Pacific Servco drop the cash that they did to buy Presonus in the first place - just to watch this merger sink like a stone?

You would think that in making that investment - they would want to enrich it and increase it's value. AKA - better everything. From customer service to industry best software, hardware etc etc.

But the way this is playing out right now - it appears that whatever they could find to damage the brand from poor pricing strategies to lame software improvements, hardware being lost to time and everything in between - they did it all - in order.

When I have seen this same playbook executed in the past - it never ended well. And some of you might remember some of those names and products from about 10 years ago

It will be interesting to see where this goes...

VP

[lfm]

Big companies make big mistakes and they reorganize and try something else.

We think about Presonus alot for StudioOne, but they were heavely invested in hardware, mixers, studio monitors, high end preamps and much more.

Music and live scene is very much Fender,

I have a live concert Bryan Adams and it was stacks and stacks of Fender everywhere.

Another with Biffy Clyro, and same thing.

Was StudioOne any big part of turnover for Presonus at all?
- interest from Fender could be all about their live knowhow and gear they had

I saw this kind of documentary where a couple of marketing firms were fighting for the account for Gibson Pro Audio. To create some kind of markering profile or something that they will go by.
- at about the same time they purchased Cakewalk
- then there were economic crisis and they dumped Cakewalk

Now they are back to basics, since guitars were always good it seems.
- now they run "learn to play guitar with the Gibson App"
https://www.gibson.com/en-eu
- down the page a bit

"Get three months free with guitar and amp purchases on Gibson.com"

Maybe realize why go by all these distributors and start selling directly to retailers it seems.
- promoting even buying from their site directly, and ship all over
- why drop so much money to wholesalers, distributors and then retailers?

I remember back in the 80's or so many big companies went by "diversify" and remember Volvo went into food industry. Some many big companies went into different branches following this idea.

The two decades later it was "back to basics" and Volvo got rid of food industrial companies etc.

Big companies have new management and they go by totally new ideas.
- what is fashionable right now, kind of

I wonder if Fender give any thought about StudioOne?
- the business model was so strange to begin with, no entry level product left to reel in newcomers?????
- are there any major daws that do that, even Avid had free entry level stuff????
- how is that going to work with just pro-level pricetags?
- it will be a niche product only for a few

Magix sold Samplitude and Sequoia to BorisFX, no idea how that goes.

Presonus might drop StudioOne like Gibson did with Cakewalk.....and Gibson go all in for guitar and people that want to learn to play and make music....

[Fidelitymusic]

Let's hope they've done enough damage that they decide to sell it off to someone who cares, someone who isn't involved in the guitar manufacturing business.

What are the piano manufacturers up to these days? Can we get Roland back into the DAW business.

[Vocalpoint Studios]

We think about Presonus alot for StudioOne, but they were heavely invested in hardware, mixers, studio monitors, high end preamps and much more.

It was very clear (to me anyway) right from November 2021 that this was about getting the hardware business. No secrets there - but if the plan is to watch Studio One die on the vine - that is about as bad a decision as I can remember.

Then again - what do we expect from a parent company (Servco Pacific) whose only real claim to fame is the automotive sector?

VP

[andypryce]

We are on the same page - hoping a lack of cash flow will eventually lead to a turn-around in their approach. But the longer this goes on, the more people will move on and try other DAWs.

Agreed. But it still doesn't make any sense.

Why would Pacific Servco drop the cash that they did to buy Presonus in the first place - just to watch this merger sink like a stone?

You would think that in making that investment - they would want to enrich it and increase it's value. AKA - better everything. From customer service to industry best software, hardware etc etc.

But the way this is playing out right now - it appears that whatever they could find to damage the brand from poor pricing strategies to lame software improvements, hardware being lost to time and everything in between - they did it all - in order.

When I have seen this same playbook executed in the past - it never ended well. And some of you might remember some of those names and products from about 10 years ago

It will be interesting to see where this goes...

VP

Gibson bought Oberheim and Opcode and sank them asap. So you never know..