Want to Help Build an Audio Plugin? We'd Love Your Thoughts.

[OisinC]

Note: We've updated the post below based on the feedback received so far. Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to comment.


Hi everyone,

We're Lú Music Technology, a small Belfast-based startup developing HRF (Harmonic Reinforcement Filter).

We're looking for honest feedback from people who are willing to put HRF through its paces. Try it on material you know well, compare it with your usual tools, and let us know what worked, what didn't, and what you'd change.

Based on community feedback, we've already extended the free trial from 14 to 28 days, and we're continuing to improve both HRF and how we present it.

If you try the free trial, please share your feedback here on KVR and email us at [info@lumusictech.com]. As a thank you, we'll happily give you 20% off your purchase. Every suggestion genuinely helps shape future updates.

Demo videos:
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Some useful links:
Free Trial: https://lu-music-technology.moonbase.sh/download/hrf
KVR Profile: https://www.kvraudio.com/developer/lu-music-technology
Website: http://www.lumusictech.com
Perpetual Licence: https://lu-music-technology.moonbase.sh/buy/hrf
Rent-to-Own: https://lu-music-technology.moonbase.sh ... ent-to-own

[billinder33]

I've not tried it, but just looking at the front panel, the goal is to exaggerate note specific harmonics?

A feature that might make sense is the ability to select a chord or scale, with a knob to increase the notes in the selected chord/scale and a second knob to decrease the notes not in the selected chord/scale.

If I'm misunderstanding the purpose of the plugin, the please disregard.

[OisinC]

I've not tried it, but just looking at the front panel, the goal is to exaggerate note specific harmonics?

A feature that might make sense is the ability to select a chord or scale, with a knob to increase the notes in the selected chord/scale and a second knob to decrease the notes not in the selected chord/scale.

If I'm misunderstanding the purpose of the plugin, the please disregard.

Thanks for the suggestion, and no need to disregard it at all - it's an interesting idea.
HRF actually takes a slightly different approach. Rather than boosting the harmonics of selected notes, it analyses the harmonic relationships within the incoming audio and progressively attenuates the less-shared (more dissonant) harmonic content. The harmonics that are already shared between musical elements are left more intact, which tends to increase perceived cohesion, clarity and separation while preserving the natural character of the source.
The Optimizer is intended as an intelligent starting point based on the incoming audio, and we've found that some users like to fine-tune the result further in Manual mode to suit the material or their own taste.
The kind of chord/scale-aware processing you describe is certainly an interesting concept. We'll certainly consider how it might fit with the direction of the product. At the moment, though, HRF is designed to work directly from the harmonic content that's actually present in the signal, rather than requiring the user to specify a key, chord or scale.
Really appreciate the feedback and the suggestion!
Thank you.
Do let us know your feedback, if you ever get a chance to try it out!

[motomotomoto]

Hey plug-in sounds cool but FYI getting user feedback and detailed information is something EVERY plugin dev wants and usually give something away in exchange, such as a discount coupon or whatever. I’m not mad or trashing you guys just saying you might get more feedback and participation if you incentivize users with something beyond, “download the demo”.

[Benedict]

Honestly, it looks like a "No" from me as:

The website comes over all AI and everyone is stock-photo 19yo beardy tattoeed hipster types. The opposite of professional for me.

Dipping into videos that claim to introduce or even masterclass me are the same hipstery 'everyone cool knows already' kinda thing. I am left assuming this is just more of that auto-EQ AI-ish palaver. Esp seeing the demos are talked over, so for all I know, they do nothing, or nothing I want to hear (assume weird 'cheese grater' vibe). Get a real presenter who can show the product for what it does instead of reading a script over the product.

Finally, the demo seems more a sign-up thing than just a "here, try this".

As you see, I got nowhere near that product itself as everything put me off the company and the product by putting its social agenda markery BS ahead of what matters to me: the product.

[OisinC]

Honestly, it looks like a "No" from me as:

The website comes over all AI and everyone is stock-photo 19yo beardy tattoeed hipster types. The opposite of professional for me.

Dipping into videos that claim to introduce or even masterclass me are the same hipstery 'everyone cool knows already' kinda thing. I am left assuming this is just more of that auto-EQ AI-ish palaver. Esp seeing the demos are talked over, so for all I know, they do nothing, or nothing I want to hear (assume weird 'cheese grater' vibe). Get a real presenter who can show the product for what it does instead of reading a script over the product.

Finally, the demo seems more a sign-up thing than just a "here, try this".

As you see, I got nowhere near that product itself as everything put me off the company and the product by putting its social agenda markery BS ahead of what matters to me: the product.

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed response.

What strikes us is that none of your feedback is actually about HRF itself. It's entirely about your impression of our website, branding and videos, which is fair enough, first impressions matter, and we'll continue improving those.

We're also very aware that communicating concepts isn't something you get perfect on day one. As a small startup, we're constantly refining our website, demonstrations and the language we use based on real user feedback and how people respond to it.

That said, it's difficult for us to take conclusions about the product from someone who openly says they never reached the point of trying it.

HRF isn't an AI auto-EQ, and it certainly isn't asking anyone to buy into a "social agenda." It's simply an audio tool that either helps your workflow or it doesn't. That's why we've extended the free trial to 28 days from 14. We'd much rather people judge us by what comes out of their speakers than by the people in our photos or the style of our website.

Interestingly, we've also received feedback from other users who appreciated things like our straightforward Rent-to-Own option, our lack of FOMO-style marketing, and our willingness to build openly and listen to community feedback. Different people clearly value different things, and that's okay.

If our presentation put you off, that's useful feedback. If you ever decide to evaluate the plugin itself, we'd genuinely be interested in hearing what you think about the sound, the workflow and where it succeeds or falls short. That's the kind of criticism that helps us build a better product.

Either way, thanks for taking the time to comment. We appreciate it.

[zerocrossing]

If you're looking to generate interest in your plugin, there are some things that I like to see. First, start making tutorial videos of real-world use cases for your plugin and post them here. They don't really need to be slick, or well produced. I just bought a suite of plugins from a company who did a great job making a good looking video, but whose developer had the presentation skills of a potted fern. What he lacked in charisma, he made up for by providing clear information and good sounding demos.

Second, provide a good demo period, with little friction. Don't make people give up information to try your software. A music shop doesn't make you fill out a questionnaire before you check out their stock, and neither should you. Offer a "early adopter" discount, where you give the first people to buy it a healthy discount for a period of a month or two. Being a new developer who's trying to establish a reputation, that period should probably be on the longer side.

Good luck. Around here, a good product with a fair price and customer service with integrity will get you a lot of fans, and though it might take time, word of mouth can go a long way.

[zerocrossing]

I just had KVR kill my detailed reply, so here's the fast version. Offer a good product at a fair price, and create a series of detailed tutorial videos and use case examples, and maybe give an early adopter discount for a few months. The videos don't have to have slick production, just clear information and good audio. Don't make your potential customers have to jump through hoops to demo your software. A simple download link is sufficient. A music shop doesn't have you fill out anything to come in and check stuff out. Good luck.

[edit] I guess my post was posted... I sure wish KVR would fix it's issues with Safari.

[Munin]

So this is a different algorithm than something like Chroma or Pitchmap? It's not fully clear to me.

[OisinC]

If you're looking to generate interest in your plugin, there are some things that I like to see. First, start making tutorial videos of real-world use cases for your plugin and post them here. They don't really need to be slick, or well produced. I just bought a suite of plugins from a company who did a great job making a good looking video, but whose developer had the presentation skills of a potted fern. What he lacked in charisma, he made up for by providing clear information and good sounding demos.

Second, provide a good demo period, with little friction. Don't make people give up information to try your software. A music shop doesn't make you fill out a questionnaire before you check out their stock, and neither should you. Offer a "early adopter" discount, where you give the first people to buy it a healthy discount for a period of a month or two. Being a new developer who's trying to establish a reputation, that period should probably be on the longer side.

Good luck. Around here, a good product with a fair price and customer service with integrity will get you a lot of fans, and though it might take time, word of mouth can go a long way.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this.

Those are all very fair points. We'll definitely keep working on more real-world use cases and clearer demonstrations, and we'll continue looking at ways to reduce friction wherever we can.

Thanks again for the thoughtful suggestions and the kind words. We really appreciate the support and hope you'll get a chance to try HRF sometime!

[OisinC]

I just had KVR kill my detailed reply, so here's the fast version. Offer a good product at a fair price, and create a series of detailed tutorial videos and use case examples, and maybe give an early adopter discount for a few months. The videos don't have to have slick production, just clear information and good audio. Don't make your potential customers have to jump through hoops to demo your software. A simple download link is sufficient. A music shop doesn't have you fill out anything to come in and check stuff out. Good luck.

[edit] I guess my post was posted... I sure wish KVR would fix it's issues with Safari.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this (twice!). We appreciate the encouragement and thanks for sharing your perspective.

[florencediana]

So this is a different algorithm than something like Chroma or Pitchmap? It's not fully clear to me.

Thank you for asking, that's a great question!

Yes, HRF takes a fundamentally different approach.

Tools like Chroma or Pitchmap are specialised pitch-processing plugins. HRF, on the other hand, is a harmonic processing plugin. It doesn't retune notes, remap pitches, instead, it analyses the harmonic relationships already present within the incoming audio and adjusts the balance of harmonic content. It promotes greater perceived clarity, cohesion and separation while preserving the musical material that's already there.

While the end result may sometimes seem similar, helping musical elements work together more effectively, the underlying approach and workflow are quite different.

If you've used Chroma or Pitchmap before, we'd genuinely be interested to hear how you think HRF compares after giving it a try. Thank you for the question.

[whassup]

Interesting that I read many words, most of them with no meaning or content.
Buzz words, newly invented buzz word, getting remembered what "the goal" is.
But even in your 3 minutes video you didn't even dared to give one simple example.
As in audio example to listen to what you are talking about.
You rather give me vague marketing phrases and think I am interested.
Nope, I am not.
Putting theoretical value on something I don't even know what it suppose to do and giving me prices ("oh, it MUST be valuable because they put a bold price tag on it").
So there you have it.
And you guys (or bots?) wonder why people don't talk about your tool.
Because you refuse to let the tool speak louder than your marketing.
Not impressed.
And no, I will not tell you for free how to do it right.
Read: The incentive is missing. Ups.

[florencediana]

Hey plug-in sounds cool but FYI getting user feedback and detailed information is something EVERY plugin dev wants and usually give something away in exchange, such as a discount coupon or whatever. I’m not mad or trashing you guys just saying you might get more feedback and participation if you incentivize users with something beyond, “download the demo”.

Thank you so much for the suggestion, we really appreciate it. We're actually working on a few ideas at the moment, so hopefully we'll have something to announce soon.

[florencediana]

Interesting that I read many words, most of them with no meaning or content.
Buzz words, newly invented buzz word, getting remembered what "the goal" is.
But even in your 3 minutes video you didn't even dared to give one simple example.
As in audio example to listen to what you are talking about.
You rather give me vague marketing phrases and think I am interested.
Nope, I am not.
Putting theoretical value on something I don't even know what it suppose to do and giving me prices ("oh, it MUST be valuable because they put a bold price tag on it").
So there you have it.
And you guys (or bots?) wonder why people don't talk about your tool.
Because you refuse to let the tool speak louder than your marketing.
Not impressed.
And no, I will not tell you for free how to do it right.
Read: The incentive is missing. Ups.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. We genuinely appreciate the honest feedback.

As a young startup, we're continuously refining HRF, and with the ways we are communicating itself; experimenting with different ways of explaining the concept, demonstrating real-world use cases, and making it easier for people to understand where HRF fits into a workflow. Feedback like yours genuinely helps us understand what works and what doesn't.

On the incentive point, we're currently working on a few ideas, so hopefully we'll have something to share soon (by the mid of next week!).

Regarding the demos, you're absolutely right that hearing the plugin is what ultimately matters. We do have a couple of videos with more direct demonstrations, and we're actively creating more A/B examples and use-case videos based on suggestions from the community.

If you have a moment, we'd love to know whether either of these is closer to what you'd like to see:

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Thanks again for taking the time to comment. Even when the feedback is critical, it genuinely helps us improve.