KVR Audio

Tendou · Post by **Tendou** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:00 pm

Im wondering why noone mentioned kilohearts until now. They are the only Company doing it right imho

Rommelaar · Post by **Rommelaar** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:13 pm

"Best subscriptions, I've tried" ... That would be none

Chrisk-K · Post by **Chrisk-K** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:19 pm

Amazon Prime, Spotify and Roland Cloud

martinjuenke · Post by **martinjuenke** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:30 pm

Another vote for Apple Music

Spitfire31 · Post by **Spitfire31** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:44 pm

The Guardian

gaggle of hermits · Post by **gaggle of hermits** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:49 pm

Tendou wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:00 pm Im wondering why noone mentioned kilohearts until now. They are the only Company doing it right imho

unless I'm missing something, it doesn't seem radically different from most of the other subscriptions. unless you just mean they aren't trying to push subs really hard.

sQeetz · Post by **sQeetz** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:56 pm

I've subscribed to Plugin Alliances subscription once. But they have too much of the same. Using vouchers and discounts I just got the ones I really liked and ended it.
Also tried Presonus Sphere twice... but cancelled it after just a couple of days. Studio One and me just aren't meant to be.
Reason's 3 months for 3$ is also something I had. But I already have Suite and didn't see any value to continue it.

Hewitt Huntwork · Post by **Hewitt Huntwork** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 6:57 pm

I think the problem with subscriptions for music making tools is that the kind of added value they can provide is too narrow. We all as musicians want things to be faster, easier, more inspiring, and more fun. The answer to that is probably better and better tools, not more and more tools. I know "better" means different things to different folks, but I believe the preceeding statement to be true regardless of what "better" means to you.

The best $12.71 USD I spend each month is to get YouTube ad-free. I know we are talking about music-making tools, but this year I decided to stop using Groove3, and YouTube, being an alternative resource, definitely contributed to that decision. I tried YouTube ad-free for less than a day and said, "I'm never going back to watching/skipping obnoxious YouTube ads." Bear in mind I watch YouTube at least as much or more than I watch TV and movies, so for me it is worth it. YMMV.

I also stopped Splice last year, which, I love the idea of, but I just wasn't using. I found it hard to find things I really wanted or could use. I used Splice a very specific way (to find drum one-shots) so I could easlily see someone with different needs an methods getting great use out of it.

And then there's the mess of Output Arcade. Just a mess. I subscribed to V1 for over 2 years and got zero use out of it. But again, I'm taking songs and trying to arrange them. If somebody is starting from nothing and wants to get some ideas happening, all the way to finished beat, I could see them getting great use out of it.

Ultimately, the reason non-music-making subscriptions work for me (Prime, Netflix, Amazon Music Unlimited, YouTube Premium) is because each of them offers I N S A N E value to me. Convenience and overwhelming selection can be good and fun when you're looking for the next series to binge, or you heard there is a new Elvis Costello song, or you want your vitamins to show up in less than 24 hours. When it comes to music making tools, I would argue there is no equivalent to the real world conveniences and values of my media/lifestyle subscriptions.

The most comparable thing, to me, is not a subscription at all. It's Plugin Boutique. It keeps a lot of my stuff under one roof (which was a HUGE convenience when I upgraded my music machine after 11 years of faithful service), it rewards me with discounts for my loyalty, and it never has fewer than one zillion sales going on. I know it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it is an example of how a retailer figured out how to create added value to their website, and in the process made themselves my first stop when I'm looking for something new.

Last month, I bought a pair of premium Sony noise cancelling headphones that allow you to leak in as much or as little of the sound from your environment as you wish. I wanted to be able to listen to music all day at work but still be free to converse with my co-workers. I purchased them without fear, knowing that if they weren't the right thing, Amazon makes returning them extremely easy. They weren't the right thing. Back they went. I next fearlessly purchased a pair of Shokz bone conduction headphones. The sound quality is comparable to the way we used to hear music on Walkman headphones back in the 80s, aand they allow me to hear everything/everyone perfectly at the same time. They're keepers.

The point is, Amazon's return policy (rather the no-hassle EASE of returns) made my shopping experience successful. I didn't WANT to return anything. I wanted all my careful online research to have been just right the first time and to have been delighted with my purchase. The fearlessness with which I can make purchasing decisions from Amazon, along with their fast/free shipping and useful user reviews and massive selection (I know their customer rating system is flawed, but my experience is that if you learn how to read it you can still get a lot of useful information) are all reasons why I'd rather shop at Amazon than anywhere else. Yes, I know they've got a long way to go towards not being an evil empire, but hey, baby steps!

I share all that to illustrate that what makes a subscription successful is more than just what you get and how much you pay. It's an ecosystem, maybe like iOS or Android. It's a way of saying, when I need X, I do Y. It anticipates needs and addresses them. It's not just, "hey! What if I told you for the price of a hammer a month you could get a whole toolbox?" </Steven Slate voice>

licasto2 · Post by **licasto2** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:05 pm

Field & Stream when I was a kid.

licasto2 · Post by **licasto2** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:13 pm

On a serious note, the PA mix and master is a good deal imo. You get a voucher worth the cost of the sub after a year of trying out all the plugins and with that you can purchase the ones actually used. I personally need to use a new plug for more than a few projects and different styles of music to determine if I actually need the tool. A 1 year tryout was more than enough time for me to decide what tools I actually NEEDED and USED.

soulata · Post by **soulata** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 8:06 pm

Kush, Netflix, Google Play (under some other name now).

k

Atlatnesiti · Post by **Atlatnesiti** » Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:51 pm

Love Roland Cloud - subscribed from day 1 and more recently Reasonstudios Reason.
Both 2 thumbs up.
Love subscriptions, hope more vendors will jump on this rather brilliant subscription bandwagon
Btw; and yeah, I do have subscriptions for Apple Music and TV+, Netflix, YouTube Premium including YouTube Music, Spotify and Disney +
The way I see it is, that most KVR posters will be subscribing to one of those and yet they are totally opposed for the same model applied to music production software… WTF?!

Atlatnesiti · Post by **Atlatnesiti** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:14 am

Rommelaar wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:13 pm "Best subscriptions, I've tried" ... That would be none

So you don’t watch movies or listen to music? Apple Music, Spotify, Netflix, etc;…
Or are you using PirateBay and such like… that would explain everything

N__K · Post by **N__K** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:04 am

pdxindy wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:34 pm IMO, the only good subscription is no subscription.

This.

I quite understand why developers would want stable, regular source of income, but I'm past trusting any companies (or individuals) not to swing the vendor-user power disparity in their own favor when it suits them.

Nowadays I only buy software with possibility of permanent licenses and fully offline activation (registration code / key file etc. that can be backed up by user and remains valid indefinitely).

I don't see myself starting to trust any "true subscription" schemes of software or digital goods. Payments in parts for DRM-free offline versions, yes. Subscriptions that effectively amount to paying rent or be denied the use of the product - no.

In Star Wars terms, I've been on Lando side of Darth Vader's "I am altering the deal, pray I don't alter any further" enough times to learn the lesson

D-Fusion · Post by **D-Fusion** » Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:18 am

Atlatnesiti wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 12:14 am
Rommelaar wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:13 pm "Best subscriptions, I've tried" ... That would be none
So you don’t watch movies or listen to music? Apple Music, Spotify, Netflix, etc;…
Or are you using PirateBay and such like… that would explain everything

There are other ways to see movies legaly and listen to music like internet Radio and some of the Video Vendors do offer free Service with Commercials.

I am Subscribed to HBO Max with a lifetime offer at $4 each Month and Netflix and Discovery + which are Cheaper than monthly Cable tv which i have no interest in.

I don't see them as great but something i have to do if i want to watch Movies.

I just Renewed my Splice Studio one Pro Plan today which i find some value in since i own the Product in the end so for me Splice to own and Roland Cloud Lifetime Sub are the best.

Best subscriptions you've tried