Groove Blox Live Virtual Instrument - 30 day demo now available for download

[munchkin]

Out of all your plugin GUI's I like Prizm because it's not too cluttered and the colour tones you've used integrate well.



A more 3D and less boxy appearance would enhance it I think. Colour can create a 3D effect. Using different tabs to get at different parameters keeps a GUI tidy. And removing 'PRIZM' from the GUI would make it look less busy. Maybe use a complimentary colour to make some areas stand out like Magix have done with Revolta 2 (terrible name!) Complimentary colours are used a lot because they're so effective. Here is an article about the use of orange and blue complimentary colour grading in film. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.

http://theabyssgazes.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... -stop.html

Colour can be used to 'zone' areas and create visual relationships with related parameters. Revolta 2 is a good example of this. A bit of colour theory is very helpful in design. I think you make use of this in some of your designs but not effectively enough.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors

Here are some examples of how other developers have used a similar colour palette to Prizm on their synths. Similar (or related) colours used but a variety of designs:



'Revolta 2' by Magix.



'Aalto' by Madrona Labs.



'Blue' by Rob Papen.



'DCAM SynthSquad' by FXPansion.



'Absynth' by NI. (Using turquoise tones.)

IMO this isn't the direction to go in either in colour or layout:



'Discovery' by DiscoDSP.

Out of the examples above my favourite designs are Revolta 2 and Aalto. I hope this is of some help.

[Karmacomposer]

If an enterprising artist wants to create some free skins for Groove Blox Live, that's fine by me.

However, I have done the artist hunt - paid for skins in the past that were hyper realistic and had to dump them because the artist was using illegal graphics software (ie. SuperCore silver is a perfect example - just gorgeous - but it was created by an artist using illegal software (he admitted) - so it never saw light of day.

One of my better selling plugins is ugly as hell, but has a great sample set - Monstrous. It is probably my best seller - possibly because of price, possibly because of good quality sounds.

PRIZM is a Wusik engine synth and the skin was created by a very talented artist whom I could not pay enough because PRIZM never sold as well as i'd hoped. Possibly too expensive or possibly because of other factors (the sound quality not being one of them).

In any case, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you feel it is too harsh on the eyes, I can always go with my favorite color scheme - blues.

Perhaps I will create a few versions with different color skins.

What is not fair is that many of the above mentioned skins are by larger companies (except for maybe DiscoDSP - and while it is a GREAT sounding synth, I was never in love with its looks - i bought it anyway) with money available for artists - possibly on staff. I am a one-man operation who is attempting to eek out a meager living by, among other things, working his ass off to create synths and sounds that others can use and enjoy.

If any artists want to create a nice skin for GB Live, they will get a free copy of all of my synths and sounds - how's that. I cannot afford to pay anyone cash (very cash poor right now), but I can trade for my products.

Mike

[munchkin]

I think your offer of free synths for skins is a great idea. You did ask for feedback which is what I gave. I'm sure you work very hard on your creations and the main criticism seems to be about the design not the quality of your sounds. Even though you rely on yourself I don't think that a consumer cares or knows about this. All they're interested in is what the synth sounds and looks like. I still think the design is as important as the sound when marketing a plugin product.

[Karmacomposer]

I decided to create another skin - a blue one - with more normal buttons, sliders, etc:



Full image:

http://www.supersynths.com/extimages/gr ... e_blue.png

As mentioned above, I added EQ per channel and a better Reverb. I feel this really rounds out the sound quality and effects section.

I hope you guys like this skin better.

I just need to finish the website and then I will release this.

Mike

[koolkeys]

Mike, I've always respected you and I watch as you work your tail off to try and be successful in the sound design/samples field. So I hope you take this all with the tone that is intended.

I think one of the problems with your products is a lack of perceived organization. I think what happens is that you are so eager to MARKET your products that you sometimes lack the patience to wait and get a refined product out the door. You can't wait to run bundle deals and sales for products that nobody has seen or heard. And that's a problem for most people.

For instance, Prizm, which I believe is actually VERY good and is your best product, was released without the full sample set. But this is just one example. Monstrous was released with extra sample sets promised for how long?

It would seriously behoove you to COMPLETELY finish a product, audio examples, manual, sample set, and everything else, and THEN put on the marketing hat. Nothing wrong with a good teaser here and there, but if that teaser is promoting a product that even you don't know what it will end up like, imagine how confusing it is to a potential customer? It's very damaging to ALWAYS be "in development" in the public eye. It's not good to always be promoting an upcoming product, selling it dirt cheap before anyone can see it, and then having loads of different bundles for it.

I think you devalue your own products too much. Nobody is going to buy a product that they know will continue to go lower and lower and lower because the dev is so desperate for sales. Instead of having so many blowouts and "deals of a lifetime", build the VALUE of your product at it's ACTUAL price. Convince people of that. If you put the energy you normally put into sales into creating more content, you would be amazed how many people may jump on board!

Also, ditch the two websites(unless there are legal partnerships or whatever preventing that, of course). Just have your entire product line under one roof. Honestly, I know who you are and even I have been a bit confused as to why the sites are like that.

Your interfaces aren't necessarily bad, but they don't stand out. Some of the bits just scream Synthedit(yes, I know that's what you use much of the time, but it's OBVIOUS that you use it in some cases). I can't make any good recommendations here that haven't already been made, but you get the idea.

Next, and this is actually very important: refine your marketing copy. I've seen claims in your descriptions such as "there's no sound you can't create!" and other things like that. Unfortunately, these kinds of words typically turn people off. So I would tone down the marketing speak just a bit. Get excited without going overboard. I don't think this current product is bad in terms of copy, but some definitely have been. There are very few products that can apply to "all" genres, so I think it is important to not lose focus in the product. Don't try to be usable in all genres.

If I've learned one thing about marketing, it's this: people don't want to buy your product. They want to buy a solution. They don't want the king of all string machines. They want just the right string sound to enhance their tracks. They don't want that bottle of liquor. They want to get drunk. See where I'm going with this? FOCUS on specific needs. This is why a lot of people will say they built a product based on their own personal needs, and it developed into something they released to the world. I can't stress this enough!

Good luck my friend. I honestly and genuinely mean that, and these comments are based purely on what I've learned over the years in my line of work and as a writer and somebody who pays very close attention to the market. It's a tough economy, and that doesn't help. But I think you have the passion, the knowledge, and even the products to succeed. You just need to rethink your focus a bit!

Brent

[munchkin]

I decided to create another skin - a blue one - with more normal buttons, sliders, etc:



Full image:

http://www.supersynths.com/extimages/gr ... e_blue.png

As mentioned above, I added EQ per channel and a better Reverb. I feel this really rounds out the sound quality and effects section.

I hope you guys like this skin better.

I just need to finish the website and then I will release this.

Mike

Wow! That was quick! That's looking a lot better IMO. Is it possible to add a bit of 3D to the design? Have you tried changing the background of the wave images to orange and removing 'GROOVE BLOX'? I think this will make that area of the synth pop out.

I've never tried creating a skin but I'm willing to give it a go as an experiment and for a bit of fun. Is it possible to download this skin and play with it? Is is made up of image files that I can edit in Photoshop and Illustrator?

[Karmacomposer]

I decided to create another skin - a blue one - with more normal buttons, sliders, etc:



Full image:

http://www.supersynths.com/extimages/gr ... e_blue.png

As mentioned above, I added EQ per channel and a better Reverb. I feel this really rounds out the sound quality and effects section.

I hope you guys like this skin better.

I just need to finish the website and then I will release this.

Mike

Wow! That was quick! That's looking a lot better IMO. Is it possible to add a bit of 3D to the design? Have you tried changing the background of the wave images to orange and removing 'GROOVE BLOX'? I think this will make that area of the synth pop out.

I've never tried creating a skin but I'm willing to give it a go as an experiment and for a bit of fun. Is it possible to download this skin and play with it? Is is made up of image files that I can edit in Photoshop and Illustrator?

I made it with Skinman. It was a full day of work, but I only had to change the color schemes. 3D where? I took away the 3D (all the areas were embossed and textured, but was told it was annoying, so I made it more flat).

I can make the readout orange. I'll give it a go and see how it looks.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

Mike, I've always respected you and I watch as you work your tail off to try and be successful in the sound design/samples field. So I hope you take this all with the tone that is intended.

I think one of the problems with your products is a lack of perceived organization. I think what happens is that you are so eager to MARKET your products that you sometimes lack the patience to wait and get a refined product out the door. You can't wait to run bundle deals and sales for products that nobody has seen or heard. And that's a problem for most people.

For instance, Prizm, which I believe is actually VERY good and is your best product, was released without the full sample set. But this is just one example. Monstrous was released with extra sample sets promised for how long?

It would seriously behoove you to COMPLETELY finish a product, audio examples, manual, sample set, and everything else, and THEN put on the marketing hat. Nothing wrong with a good teaser here and there, but if that teaser is promoting a product that even you don't know what it will end up like, imagine how confusing it is to a potential customer? It's very damaging to ALWAYS be "in development" in the public eye. It's not good to always be promoting an upcoming product, selling it dirt cheap before anyone can see it, and then having loads of different bundles for it.

I think you devalue your own products too much. Nobody is going to buy a product that they know will continue to go lower and lower and lower because the dev is so desperate for sales. Instead of having so many blowouts and "deals of a lifetime", build the VALUE of your product at it's ACTUAL price. Convince people of that. If you put the energy you normally put into sales into creating more content, you would be amazed how many people may jump on board!

Also, ditch the two websites(unless there are legal partnerships or whatever preventing that, of course). Just have your entire product line under one roof. Honestly, I know who you are and even I have been a bit confused as to why the sites are like that.

Your interfaces aren't necessarily bad, but they don't stand out. Some of the bits just scream Synthedit(yes, I know that's what you use much of the time, but it's OBVIOUS that you use it in some cases). I can't make any good recommendations here that haven't already been made, but you get the idea.

Next, and this is actually very important: refine your marketing copy. I've seen claims in your descriptions such as "there's no sound you can't create!" and other things like that. Unfortunately, these kinds of words typically turn people off. So I would tone down the marketing speak just a bit. Get excited without going overboard. I don't think this current product is bad in terms of copy, but some definitely have been. There are very few products that can apply to "all" genres, so I think it is important to not lose focus in the product. Don't try to be usable in all genres.

If I've learned one thing about marketing, it's this: people don't want to buy your product. They want to buy a solution. They don't want the king of all string machines. They want just the right string sound to enhance their tracks. They don't want that bottle of liquor. They want to get drunk. See where I'm going with this? FOCUS on specific needs. This is why a lot of people will say they built a product based on their own personal needs, and it developed into something they released to the world. I can't stress this enough!

Good luck my friend. I honestly and genuinely mean that, and these comments are based purely on what I've learned over the years in my line of work and as a writer and somebody who pays very close attention to the market. It's a tough economy, and that doesn't help. But I think you have the passion, the knowledge, and even the products to succeed. You just need to rethink your focus a bit!

Brent

Brent,

Likewise, I consider you a friend. I appreciate your comments, but disagree with a bit of it.

Monstrous is certainly a finished product. I sometimes may create a new sampleset or two and just throw it in the download area of my site as an extra. That's what I mean when I say there may be more samples later on. It's not that the product's unfinished, it's just that I believe in value added.

I do agree that I may rush these things a bit (ie. don;t have a manual created, for example - chalk that up to ADD - but I will be creating video tutorials for all of my synths eventually), but I am excited to show the world the next thing I've been working on. Don't confuse that with not being finished.

Groove Blox, for example, is FINISHED. It needs nothing else because it is a very simple product that does something awesome (IMO). I hope others agree.

The only website I am updating is www.supersynths.com. I have pretty much given up on www.hardcoreharmonics.com and will be allowing it to eventually run out with the domain registrar. Not sure how to change my forum name here (would love Hardcore Harmonics to be changed to Supersynths).

Anyway, I will take what I can from your advice. Perhaps you are right about my sales - but they do result in some purchases, which is better than nothing - which lately is what I am getting.

Mike

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[koolkeys]

Brent,

Likewise, I consider you a friend. I appreciate your comments, but disagree with a bit of it.

Monstrous is certainly a finished product. I sometimes may create a new sampleset or two and just throw it in the download area of my site as an extra. That's what I mean when I say there may be more samples later on. It's not that the product's unfinished, it's just that I believe in value added.

I'm not saying that it NEVER got finished. And I'm not even necessarily speaking of just the product. I'm just talking about being prepared with audio demos and such. It's happened that you announce and start promoting and selling a product before it's even ready to show. Of course, adding value is something different and you absolutely do a great job in the value department!

Groove Blox, for example, is FINISHED. It needs nothing else because it is a very simple product that does something awesome (IMO). I hope others agree.

Well, it may be finished. But you asked about opinions in general about your products. And I notice that many times, when the heavy promotion starts and even when you start selling it, they are still waiting to be finished. I believe I remember Prizm even needing more of it's samples recorded when you were promoting it.

Don't get me wrong, most devs aren't finished completely with a product when they start promoting it. But it just seems like many times, whether intentional or otherwise, it appears that the product is still in the place where the primary work is still being done. Now, this may not ACTUALLY be the case. It's just the perception that I know some get.

The only website I am updating is www.supersynths.com. I have pretty much given up on www.hardcoreharmonics.com and will be allowing it to eventually run out with the domain registrar. Not sure how to change my forum name here (would love Hardcore Harmonics to be changed to Supersynths).

Great! I think the focus will help to not confuse anyone, and probably end up being less work for you(and more time for cool addons!)

Anyway, I will take what I can from your advice. Perhaps you are right about my sales - but they do result in some purchases, which is better than nothing - which lately is what I am getting.

Mike

Well, I don't doubt that they result in sales. I only mentioned it because I fear it devalues the product so when you're not having a sale, people don't buy because they are waiting for the next "best deal ever" instead of paying full price. William K has run into this as well. People don't see Wusik as worth full price(even though it's worth that and more, IMO) because he so frequently had group buys and huge sales. I've seen you have sales on current products, offering future products as part of the sale that weren't even ready yet, and all for bottom dollar. In the long run, I think this hurts a company.

So I just notice that some devs who constantly have big sales and bundle deals(IK, anyone?) end up having to rely on a sale to sell a particular product, and it's no longer at the value it was originally at.

Please don't think this is a criticism of the products themselves, or your work ethic or anything else. It is ONLY the observations of one single person being honest to help. I am alright with you or somebody else disagreeing, as I'm definitely not always right and I obviously don't represent the perspective that everyone may see!

I think you'll break out of the funk you're in. Times really are just tough. But you're always just one product away from success, right?

Best of luck!

Brent

[Karmacomposer]

Hi Mike, i told you a while ago why i thought your sales might be poor via pm.

For me, i had to send you about 6 email exchanges to find out which synths were mac and if they were 64 or 32 bit, and what plug in format they were actually IN and something was not gelling with you and you just didn't seem to get it. For example one of your synths said mac and pc, 64 bit. I was asking you if it was an audiounit or a vst. If the MAC version was 64 bit. By the time i got the info i gave up and got put off. That should all be clearly laid on your website, but to be honest i haven't been back there since then.

Also i made a comment you needed more thorough and better audio demos.

I wanted to support you and bought some samplesets anyway, all cool, just telling you from my point what made me lose interest, as that's what you asked at start of thread.

You are absolutely correct.

Thank you. I will make sure this kind of info is 100% viewable at a glance.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

Brent,

You are a gentleman and a scholar (seriously, I am not being snide). Most of what you say is right on and I will do what I can to improve.

Mike

[Karmacomposer]

OK,

Took your advice and 3D'd it up a bit (just a tiny bit) and made the entire waveform area a 3D orange which looks a bit lit up (I am not an artist, so this is the best I can do with my meager petty abilities).



Full image:

http://www.supersynths.com/extimages/gr ... lue_v2.png

Hopefully this is acceptable to all so I can work on the website and release this.

Mike

[koolkeys]

Brent,

You are a gentleman and a scholar (seriously, I am not being snide). Most of what you say is right on and I will do what I can to improve.

Mike

Well, not sure about the scholar part, but I'm glad you took it all the right way. It was definitely intended to help, and really nothing more than just another perspective. Nothing I said was a matter of right and wrong, but just perception.

By the way, the new GUI with the orange background, etc. is MUCH improved. I think it shows that you've worked hard to improve it. Kudos!

Brent

[Spitfire31]

Huge improvement, to my eyes! This latest GUI looks positively inviting and the control layout is quite clear within the given paradigm.

Looking forward to the demo!

Best,

Joachim