KVR Audio

kbaccki · Post by **kbaccki** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:29 am

I understand those that can't download 30GB due to link restrictions... what I never understood are those that don't back up the expensive files they download.

Oh well, to each their own I guess...

Personally I think the whole idea of "boxed version" is such a wasteful, outdated concept. Money-wise, environment-wise. Delivery points like Sweetwater should have authority to drop authorized copies of products onto $10 USB sticks and throw that in a small, rigid box, pop it in the mail. Less plastic, less cardboard, less "bulk". $10 per stick has GOT to be cheaper than the whole let's manufacture 300,000 DVDs plus 100,000 5-page paper install "manual", then throw those into 100,000 8"x10"x3" cardboard boxes, and spend a lot of time, money, and fuel shipping all of those things from one end of the world to the other, then put all of that into large money- and resource-sucking warehouses, etc. etc. etc. What a waste.

mhog · Post by **mhog** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:55 am

Nowadays 30 gb is not that hugeness. People who still need the dvds probably ignore that cd/dvd industry has almost become obsolete. Even money is becoming "virtual" (paypal, credit cards, bitcoins etc.). The boxed version due to "backup needs" is kind of a joke: 30gb backed up on a 32 gb USB 3.0 are much better. In case of re-install, it's a question of minutes. With dvds (I guess 4 dvds in this case?) it keeps at least half an hour. Besides, "boxed" is the contrary of "virtual" (as in "virtual instruments"). Not to mention the waste of resources in terms of ecology (environment).

Bombadil · Post by **Bombadil** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:58 am

People like the illusion of 'ownership,' another out-dated concept in the age of EULAs and digital doo-dads.

megapiano · Post by **megapiano** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:30 pm

I have been trying to troubleshoot my network connection with my internet provider for a while...transfers get interrupted constantly and retrying often ends up having to start all over again instead of continuing even with a good download manager, and so I can only download relatively small files. In any case, the above comments are still irrelevant in that IK Multimedia has offered a boxed version for customers whether it is obsolete or not, and the boxed version pre-order has not been good.

mhog · Post by **mhog** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:46 pm

megapiano wrote:I have been trying to troubleshoot my network connection with my internet provider for a while...transfers get interrupted constantly and retrying often ends up having to start all over again instead of continuing even with a good download manager, and so I can only download relatively small files. In any case, the above comments are still irrelevant in that IK Multimedia has offered a boxed version for customers whether it is obsolete or not, and the boxed version pre-order has not been good.

That is another good reason to avoid dvd/cd boxed versions IMO.

kbaccki · Post by **kbaccki** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:56 pm

I'm not arguing the need or not for physical product... 30gb is a breeze for those lucky enough to have 25, 50, 75, 100, or even more(!) mbit connections... But that's a minority of the target audience, yes? Perhaps 20%, 25%, 30%? I just think the distribution channel is a joke from the dark ages. Like nobody buys music CDs anymore... But that good ol' boxed software dinosaur is still alive and well. If SW was allowed to drop a USB stick in the mail for you, you would have been intalling ST3 a couple weeks ago.

Gosh · Post by **Gosh** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:11 pm

sorry for the OT, but e.g. UVI's vintage vault is available on a usb stick. it still comes as a box though (however, a really solid and nice looking box plus a nice bonus poster of the UVI versions of the included synths). installing the complete collection (around 60 GB) from the usb stick was fast (without having to change DVDs) and painless. i'm not against a download only option but sometimes when you just want to have a physical product i think a usb stick is the way to go.
cheers

edit: to be back on topic, i think i might reconsider my decision to not ugrading to sampletank 3 if IK Multimedia would also provide the boxed version on a stick

Bombadil · Post by **Bombadil** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:13 pm

kbaccki wrote:I'm not arguing the need or not for physical product... 30gb is a breeze for those lucky enough to have 25, 50, 75, 100, or even more(!) mbit connections... But that's a minority of the target audience, yes? Perhaps 20%, 25%, 30%? I just think the distribution channel is a joke from the dark ages. Like nobody buys music CDs anymore... But that good ol' boxed software dinosaur is still alive and well. If SW was allowed to drop a USB stick in the mail for you, you would have been intalling ST3 a couple weeks ago.

We still buy CDs. Again, ownership, and the ability to do with them what I want when I want.

mhog · Post by **mhog** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:40 pm

All these cardboxes and useless plastic sleeves are such a shame, though... Environment suffers, so one should avoid all this waste of plastic (oil+water) and paper (trees), having much better alternatives, such as "download" and server/hhd backup. It's a question of conscience. After all we are talking of VST (as in VIRTUAL) instruments.

Peter - IK Multimedia · Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:18 pm

We are shipping the boxed version of SampleTank 3, by the way. If you ordered the boxed version from us, you should have received notification that your shipment is on the way and if you have not you will very soon. Thanks for your patience.

kbaccki · Post by **kbaccki** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:45 pm

Bombadil wrote:
kbaccki wrote:I'm not arguing the need or not for physical product... 30gb is a breeze for those lucky enough to have 25, 50, 75, 100, or even more(!) mbit connections... But that's a minority of the target audience, yes? Perhaps 20%, 25%, 30%? I just think the distribution channel is a joke from the dark ages. Like nobody buys music CDs anymore... But that good ol' boxed software dinosaur is still alive and well. If SW was allowed to drop a USB stick in the mail for you, you would have been intalling ST3 a couple weeks ago.
We still buy CDs. Again, ownership, and the ability to do with them what I want when I want.

10 years ago wifey and I owned probably 500 physical CDs. And that's a low number... I know people who have (had) 1000, 2000 CDs. Today we might have 30-40 on a shelf. It doesn't mean they're not useful or you shouldn't have access to them. I'm not sure they require Tower Records scale 4-story storefronts and train boxcars full of plastic disks, however.

kbaccki · Post by **kbaccki** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:49 pm

mhog wrote:All these cardboxes and useless plastic sleeves are such a shame, though... Environment suffers, so one should avoid all this waste of plastic (oil+water) and paper (trees), having much better alternatives, such as "download" and server/hhd backup. It's a question of conscience. After all we are talking of VST (as in VIRTUAL) instruments.

Well, don't be fooled into thinking "running the Internet" is zero cost environmentally. All those data centers and telco headquarters aren't exactly powered by solar panels and wind turbines.

mhog · Post by **mhog** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 3:38 pm

kbaccki wrote:
mhog wrote:All these cardboxes and useless plastic sleeves are such a shame, though... Environment suffers, so one should avoid all this waste of plastic (oil+water) and paper (trees), having much better alternatives, such as "download" and server/hhd backup. It's a question of conscience. After all we are talking of VST (as in VIRTUAL) instruments.
Well, don't be fooled into thinking "running the Internet" is zero cost environmentally. All those data centers and telco headquarters aren't exactly powered by solar panels and wind turbines.

I know it, but there is no alternative: the net works like that, you can't choose. On the contrary, downloadable products are a better, more economic, more "environment friendly" and more comfortable alternative to polluting boxed ones, made of plastic and paper. IK had to avoid the boxed version IMO. For those rare cases of "poor connection" or whatever (...how many cases? 1%?) there was no need of a boxed product: they just should have ensured support via usb sticks sent home by request, or similar solutions. After all ST does not even need dongles or whatever "physical" to be activated, but a simple C/R. See Apple (Logic etc.), it just works, and well: samples, software, manuals etc., even the OS itself: all downloadable. A good trend, IMO. Besides: no more dust on the shelf!

kbaccki · Post by **kbaccki** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 3:59 pm

I'm still flabbergasted at how much paper, plastic, metal ends up in the recycling bins (2 bins) each week... And that's not counting the 1.5 to 2 bags of trash that can't be recycled.

We're talking about 3 people here. I can only imagine what a family of 5 generates.

mhog · Post by **mhog** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 4:08 pm

kbaccki wrote:I'm still flabbergasted at how much paper, plastic, metal ends up in the recycling bins (2 bins) each week... And that's not counting the 1.5 to 2 bags of trash that can't be recycled.

We're talking about 3 people here. I can only imagine what a family of 5 generates.

Well, yes... things have to be seen in perspective and "large scale", that is why I think the small VST community should give an example. Even if it does not change anything in terms of small numbers, I think it is a question of conscience.

IKM SampleTank 3 (ST3) Now Available