Minimal Audio Current…subscription

[CRAFTMATIX]

I was curious to know if Current is as good as it looks...So I decided to do the free trial. Then I realized they want my credit card number first. Of course they do. Nevermind. I'll just try it when the synth is for sale.

[zeph]

I was curious to know if Current is as good as it looks...So I decided to do the free trial. Then I realized they want my credit card number first. Of course they do. Nevermind. I'll just try it when the synth is for sale.

WTF - its a bloody free trial. Not a means of getting your credit card details !!!

[AcrossTheSky]

Maybe ....
Yeeeeaaaa.....Noooo Pigments 5 Cannot wait Arturia Thx for no bul...t subs etc... Guys - Keep creating using what you paid for & it's 'yours' (sort of)

[pierb]

the sound quality is un-matched, content, and UX is unmatched

the bias is strong

[midi sentinel]

Hey everyone, just want to share that we are aware of this thread as painful as it is to read. I want to apologize for that tweet about pricing, it was in direct response to a discussion -- and it was an expression, not an MSRP for Current, or an official stance. We are obviously unable to respond to every comment and are aware some people are extremely disappointed. We are not "doubling down" -- but Current as of right now, is directly tied to the Stream, unlimited downloads, and no restrictions over any of our products be it perpetual or subscription. We cannot change that so quickly and after years of working on this, we're proud of what we've launched today. We will continue to hear you out and evaluate in the future. I hope you'll give us the benefit of the doubt that we will continue to release amazing products.

Just sell the synth, and offer an all in subscription model. Why keep the pain train in motion like this? Lol

Unfortunately it's not easy to build this immense architecture, and then at the same time, build our split offering which separate the synth vs stream.

I have to attend to a lot of stuff today, but I leave it with this. We just as an incredibly small and indie company, built a product which competes or is greater than $50M - $100M company products in my opinion. It is extremely painful to wake up and read abuse here and even in my personal DMs, wishing for myself to starve and fail, over a product which yesterday, no one even owned.

As I said, we're going to be continuing to add a ton of value to Current, we have current 4 more unreleased effects, a lot more content, as well as plans for more sound engines. -- I understand that not everyone is interested in the content side, and would prefer for the regular update system. -- But what seems to be completely brushed over is the product itself. I really think you should try it -- it is different than the other synths on the market, the sound quality is un-matched, content, and UX is unmatched.

Alright, now please continue to make me want to die lol.

Report any abuse.

Why did you build 'this immense architecture' without doing a feasibility study first and figuring out the market/users? If you have built it without understanding who you will sell it to - then it's really on you.

Also, 'product itself' can be the best synth in the world, but as you can already see, many people will never, ever get it if it's a subscription model. Product quality is irrelevant.

I truly can not understand who your target audience for this synth is supposed to be.

I understand that you have built something you think is amazing but you also need to understand that you might be completely disconnected from your (potential) customers.

Good luck.

[CRAFTMATIX]

I was curious to know if Current is as good as it looks...So I decided to do the free trial. Then I realized they want my credit card number first. Of course they do. Nevermind. I'll just try it when the synth is for sale.

WTF - its a bloody free trial. Not a means of getting your credit card details !!!

It seems one of us may be misunderstanding the other. Do you think that I think they would try to steal my card info?

To clarify-- if it's free I shouldn't need to provide anything. Basically I have to "subscribe" in order to get the free trial. Have you never forgot to cancel something and ended up paying more than you intended?

[GeneralQ]

I feel like there is a little bit to much emotion in this thread. Threating the devs or individuals from the company is not the way. No amount of messages you are writing here is going to change they opinion. A lack of money will.
There are two options:
1. enough people subscribe to the synth and remain subscribed. And they keep it as a subscription.
-> You are not the target audience then. The synth is made for people that like to preset surf. Use the many other synths you probably have and enjoy making music.
2. They don't make enough money from their subscription because no one in their right mind is buying it. Only then will they change.

But if that doesn't happen nothing of value is lost. The "vote with your wallet" thing actually works. So either save your money or if you want, buy something from a company whos pricing your like to support their development. Donate to a freeware synth dev or whatever.
Companies like waves, bitwig or unity don't row back because someone writes them mean messages. Their row back if they realize their decision leads to less money.

[plexuss]

If Minimal did not determine the risks associated with going sub-only then that is a giant business failure. There is tons of data out there that subscriptions are generally considered anti-consumer by consumers. Minimal, maybe buy a business strategy book or two. Seriously. It's important to be able to do accurate market and risk analysis in order to be successful.

[liquidsound]

The still unbelievable aspect of this...

...is the extent of drama that people have reached in their reactions here. People are acting like Minimal Audio betrayed them somehow and can no longer be trusted. It's frankly ridiculous.

Don't like the subscription thing? Don't subscribe. But you don't have to get super angry about it and boycott the company forever

The Drama is their story.
I run a successful profitable business.
My customers reactions is a mirror of my business. Don’t blame the mirror.
You like the subscription thing? Do subscribe then. Things need to be addressed asap to have a long and healthy relationship.
That’s what’s happening here.

[liquidsound]

I feel like there is a little bit to much emotion in this thread. Threating the devs or individuals from the company is not the way. No amount of messages you are writing here is going to change they opinion. A lack of money will.
There are two options:
1. enough people subscribe to the synth and remain subscribed. And they keep it as a subscription.
-> You are not the target audience then. The synth is made for people that like to preset surf. Use the many other synths you probably have and enjoy making music.
2. They don't make enough money from their subscription because no one in their right mind is buying it. Only then will they change.

But if that doesn't happen nothing of value is lost. The "vote with your wallet" thing actually works. So either save your money or if you want, buy something from a company whos pricing your like to support their development. Donate to a freeware synth dev or whatever.
Companies like waves, bitwig or unity don't row back because someone writes them mean messages. Their row back if they realize their decision leads to less money.

No.
A company that wait for the wallet to suffer is not run well especially the warnings are written on the wall and have history.
We are providing a tough feedback and of course nothing is perfect but they should get the message before the wallet gets it first.

[JoeCat]

Taking a closer look, I think the problem is that "The Stream" content platform maybe wasn't as front-and-center in the initial rollout (I certainly thought it was just a "synth with sampling"). Realistically, it's gotta be more than just presets, but building on curated wavetables / sampling.

IMHO though the rollout's given the impression of a "$15 / month synth", rather than maybe a "120 a year workstation", which (at the yearly sub price) feels like a better value. But it'll take some time to see what that content is before properly reviewing whether a yearly subscription is worth it. Some solid content there would make it unfair to compare Current to a $50 synth (which I myself did a few pages back).

Personal attacks though - jeez, the entire world is getting more angry and entitled.

[liquidsound]

Don’t focus on personal attacks.
You loose focus of the real issue.

[noiseboyuk]

Unfortunately it's not easy to build this immense architecture, and then at the same time, build our split offering which separate the synth vs stream.

I have to attend to a lot of stuff today, but I leave it with this. We just as an incredibly small and indie company, built a product which competes or is greater than $50M - $100M company products in my opinion. It is extremely painful to wake up and read abuse here and even in my personal DMs, wishing for myself to starve and fail, over a product which yesterday, no one even owned.

As I said, we're going to be continuing to add a ton of value to Current, we have current 4 more unreleased effects, a lot more content, as well as plans for more sound engines. -- I understand that not everyone is interested in the content side, and would prefer for the regular update system. -- But what seems to be completely brushed over is the product itself. I really think you should try it -- it is different than the other synths on the market, the sound quality is un-matched, content, and UX is unmatched.

Alright, now please continue to make me want to die lol.

I agree with the poster a few above - report abuse. Zero justification for that.

The best thing imo is to figure out a new alternate business model as fast as possible, then fix the technical hurdles you need to implement it as fast as possible. It's clear that people like your stuff, it's equally clear that this model won't work to charge for it. Trying to convince people the model isn't so bad is wasting precious time and will rub more salt into the wounds - the earlier you can mea culpa, the best chance you have to restore your reputation.

Some diehards will never forgive, but plenty will if the new pricing model is solid. Waves are back in the game - it took them several weeks to get themselves straight, but they did it. It can be done.

Rightly or wrongly, Current will never get a fair hearing while subs is the only option. It was a failure to understand the market, and it's in your hands as to whether or not the product as a whole is a failure with it. You've clearly put a ton of time, money and resources into it, sounds like it deserves a fair shot. Reckon it'll be doable.

Genuinely wish you the best, I know this cannot be fun.

[worldfever]

Hey everyone, just want to share that we are aware of this thread as painful as it is to read. I want to apologize for that tweet about pricing, it was in direct response to a discussion -- and it was an expression, not an MSRP for Current, or an official stance. We are obviously unable to respond to every comment and are aware some people are extremely disappointed. We are not "doubling down" -- but Current as of right now, is directly tied to the Stream, unlimited downloads, and no restrictions over any of our products be it perpetual or subscription. We cannot change that so quickly and after years of working on this, we're proud of what we've launched today. We will continue to hear you out and evaluate in the future. I hope you'll give us the benefit of the doubt that we will continue to release amazing products.

Just sell the synth, and offer an all in subscription model. Why keep the pain train in motion like this? Lol

Unfortunately it's not easy to build this immense architecture, and then at the same time, build our split offering which separate the synth vs stream.

I have to attend to a lot of stuff today, but I leave it with this. We just as an incredibly small and indie company, built a product which competes or is greater than $50M - $100M company products in my opinion. It is extremely painful to wake up and read abuse here and even in my personal DMs, wishing for myself to starve and fail, over a product which yesterday, no one even owned.

As I said, we're going to be continuing to add a ton of value to Current, we have current 4 more unreleased effects, a lot more content, as well as plans for more sound engines. -- I understand that not everyone is interested in the content side, and would prefer for the regular update system. -- But what seems to be completely brushed over is the product itself. I really think you should try it -- it is different than the other synths on the market, the sound quality is un-matched, content, and UX is unmatched.

Alright, now please continue to make me want to die lol.

Well...I'm not a fan of the subscription model, but was willing to give it a shot.
I don't really get the argument about giving them your credit card info, it's not like they are gonna steal your money, and if you're worried about privacy make proxy prepaid debit cards for online purchases which is good practice anyways

Can't really find many replies here from people that actually tried it, the synth is actually top notch, probably one of the best modern ones I've tried in a while and does stand up to Serum/Pigments/Phaseplant yada yada for sure... I could see this becoming my go-to synth, the UX and sound design capabilities are truly outstanding I have to agree, and the presets that you can download are really top notch, didn't expect anything else from your plugins.

I would gladly pay 200-300€ for a perpetual license, but paying 120 to 180€ for a single plugin every year, even if it comes with new preset packs regularly seems a bit much, especially if I plan to use this for multiple years to come. Even if I wanted an audio sub, the price tag is a hefty, considering other subs that I've seen out there, Melda comes to mind as someone already mentioned.

I know people are passionate about this topic, but I think people are overreacting a bit here with unnecessary fronts.
Definitely consider making the subscription optional - not everyone wants new presets all the time- might be some work, but I think it would for sure be worth it cause its a truly good product. I was really looking forward to it and sad now the entire online debate (understandably) has to be about the sub model

[Cyforce]

Nowadays it`s probably hard for developers to create something "new" - like e.g. Pigments (since Current is visually pretty much close to its workflow- and layout-wise)... Pigments give a lot for features and great quality, basically covering the full range of non-vintage-emulation (layout wise..) so how or what should developers pull out of their magical hat - that is just something "new" and able to compete with Pigments, Avenger, Hive etc etc...

Maybe, just as a wild guess, they thought as a normal price scheme (lifetime license, expansion packs additional available for purchase) they wouldn`t have many users who would instantly prefer their plugin over others like Pigments, and hmm thought - "maybe some people don`t like the higher one-time price and with subscription only the entry(!)-price is lower = more people will start to use it" ? .....

But even if so - past showed (e.g. Waves) subscription only is bad, except for things with a lot higher value in return like Roland Cloud, or Splice with Astra as a bonus next to the content downloads.
The dual way like UVI did, offering their plugins for one-time payment OR subscription would be the better way... just give the users the option to choose their preferred model / which suits their needs the best.

I didn`t test Current, but from just the short video, I wonder - if I already own Pigments - I don`t see much, why I should enter the subscription...

Unfortunately it's not easy to build this immense architecture, and then at the same time, build our split offering which separate the synth vs stream.

I have to attend to a lot of stuff today, but I leave it with this. We just as an incredibly small and indie company, built a product which competes or is greater than $50M - $100M company products in my opinion. It is extremely painful to wake up and read abuse here and even in my personal DMs, wishing for myself to starve and fail, over a product which yesterday, no one even owned.

As I said, we're going to be continuing to add a ton of value to Current, we have current 4 more unreleased effects, a lot more content, as well as plans for more sound engines. -- I understand that not everyone is interested in the content side, and would prefer for the regular update system. -- But what seems to be completely brushed over is the product itself. I really think you should try it -- it is different than the other synths on the market, the sound quality is un-matched, content, and UX is unmatched.

Alright, now please continue to make me want to die lol.

With ALL fairness - surely it must be a very frustrating day for you / company, working for a long time on a bigger product, putting effort, time, and heart into it, and on the day of release, getting this... feedback.

But - also as part of the fairness - everyone knows, KVR can be harsh and at the same time it`s very honest feedback in most cases, from basically potential long-term customers.
Every developer should (must!) know already, that subscription-only is a no-go, a red flag, doesn`t matter how good a plugin sounds.

Picture this, imagine Moog brings out "Subsequent37 on steriods" at let it be the best Moog of modern times, and superb sounding, features etc - but you only can get it with a subscription/rent - and have to pay each month 200 bucks to be able to have and use it - people would react the same - even if it would be the best hardware synth in decades.

So by this, as one here already mentioned "self-awareness" - you completely overseen or ignored the red flag of subscription-only. And now, even with probably a lot of demotivation, frustration (understandable) etc - what does the audience read? Quotes like you have to compete with 50-100M companies - no you don`t. These companies in this range do hardware, and/or have a catalog of +50 plugins etc. You praise the "un-matched" sound, UI and workflow - but come on....

... just UI= Pigments clone, no offense but just the modulation visuals 1-to-1 as pigments, the primary difference is the effects are vertically ordered and not horizontally. Feature-wise the same, wavetables granular etc ... which can be fine - but not if you "sweet-talk" it, like it`s new/not already existing. So, users react based on such things - for that, you can`t blame them, and also don`t be frustrated.

The reason for this negative initial feedback was built by you/company. Be it the Pigments-Clone impression on the first looks, the Subscription-only concept, or the pricing etc. If you (and all others working on it) didn`t notice these things as potential negative issues - well...