No demo, no sale?

[tapper mike]

The one product I bought that didn't have a demo version I loved and continue to love. Band In A Box
https://www.pgmusic.com/

I'm currently running version 2023 and have been using it for over 30 years now.

[IvyBirds]

I use Windows 11 so as long as I can get a VST3 version I have extreme confidence it will work now and long into future as I don't fear OS updates

When new plugins come out I am usually able to very quickly tell if I have any interest

If I do, I try to find some YouTube videos selling it. I pay attention to the sound and the GUI, and read forum posts around it

Usually at that point if I still have an interest I will either just buy it, or put it on my mental list to buy it when it goes on sale. I almost never download any demos

The only time I ever mess with Demos is if I am on the fence and almost always I end up not buying it

The biggest factors that lead to a sale are
1.)does it sound good and offer something new and interesting
2.)how much it costs relative to my interest

I don't think Demos are nearly as important as they used to be

[Benedict]

If there's no demo, I simply do more research. Best example I can think of personally is Falcon.

Falcon is a bit of an edge-case in certain ways. It is deffo not just another $49.99999 steak-fest; Falcon comes from a (mostly) credible company. I did do my research as much I could with YT vids from users and UVI. Still...

I will say that the lack of ability to try it kept it on the sidelines for me - that as well as price as that part of town ain't cheap (Halion etc).

That part of town are a real "kitchen sink" kind of scenario which could see the dev concerned that when people download 'n' dabble, they fall in a whole of WTF. Which is what it felt like with Halion for sure. Powerful stuff but OMG!!!. Who wants to casually commit a decent mid-tier mobile phone for something that seems impossible to use? That said a mid-tier mobile is less important in real life than a musical instrument that helps me get there

I did end up reviewing Falcon based on a 1-month review license from UVI. And I did like it, but I also felt a bit disappointed that for all the amazeballfulness of what it could do on the website, it was also full of clunky half-baked modules, which meant that the x number of cool things in the box was quickly more an f (in the alphabetical scale of things). I made an album with Falcon for all sounds and many fx in that time and still like the sound etc but the demo actually had me happy that while Falcon could do some things, Reason could do it easier (for me with my decades in that world).

[JsinOwl]

dev concerned that when people download 'n' dabble, they fall in a whole of WTF.

I believe your right about why there's no Falcon demo. I think UVI, probably rightly, are concerned that if someone just opens it casually and gets immediately bewildered, then they'll nope the f**k out. If someone buys it, now they're invested and are incentivized to take some time with it and learn how it works. I also completely understand why no demo would be a non-starter for people, especially at that price point.

[pekbro]

Indeed there was a public beta on Falcon before release.