End of development: There will be no new Tone2 products

[mdstudio]

Feel better man!

[DashOfLime]

Well, there's that and there's the fact that not all people are meant to be customer facing.

100% this. Saw a lot of victim card over the years as well (despite the age of this account I have been on kvr a LONG time before this...2004. got locked out of my old account due to losing access to the email address I had set for it).

I hope he's able to deal with his physical/mental health issues. As someone with both as well I know it makes it very hard to enjoy work, or much else sometimes.

[pdxindy]

I understand what you say, unfortunatly music communities became somehow too much harsh, and too many trolls are around there, without even considering every word they toss, can hurt people for real.

Well, there's that and there's the fact that not all people are meant to be customer facing.

That's because only certain people can put up with KVR. It's a mean place. It's a constant stream of sarcasm, oneupmanship and dick wagging. Make a little misstep and always posters there ready to jump on you... and then keep bringing it up for years.

[ozinga]

but I recently saw Marcus snap at someone who was really just suggesting a very reasonable feature.

It might be the cumulative of all negative things over the years. You dodge everything but one day simple things can make you snap. Then you know it is time to do a change. It is at least my experience with some clients anyway and usually how I end the relationship.
On top of that I believe nobody -developer or not- has to be so strong against rudeness or harassment. It is in fact those people that need the education and treatment. Being rude and dirty over a piece of software you bought is miserable.

[PieBerger]

but I recently saw Marcus snap at someone who was really just suggesting a very reasonable feature.

It might be the cumulative of all negative things over the years. You dodge everything but one day simple things can make you snap.

That's one explanation, but given this recent announcement it seems more likely the behaviour of someone who, before going public, had already decided to throw in the towel and therefore didn't need to put on their "customer facing hat" anymore. Just to be clear, this isn't meant to be a criticism, it's just an observation.

[gruberman]

o7

[DrGonzo]

Well, there's that and there's the fact that not all people are meant to be customer facing. Some can be great, and it helps their company a lot, Urs Heckman comes to mind, but I recently saw Marcus snap at someone who was really just suggesting a very reasonable feature.

Urs does not always have the patience of a saint. I've seen him snap hard right here. Sometimes sh!t gets to you. That's just normal.

I think this is the the reason why many developers decide to not have an presence on forums any longer. The amount of vitriol you get just by saying anything these days - not just about plugins. Can you imagine that there are still people in this world who get upset because you have the audacity to say you are working on a Mac? I mean ... seriously? Everybody is so on the bloody edge these days.

In either case, I'm really sad to hear Marcus is pulling out, but I am sure he thought about this for a long time. I'm happy he is considering making an Icarus 3 though. That synth is one of my best pals.

[glokraw]

It will be good to hear that as a couple years go by, you are experiencing better health,
and finding new ways to use your talents and energy. There's a book called Paycheck To Purpose,
and also a career assessment course, from Ken Coleman, many youtubes available, he's smart and funny, part of a top-3 rated national radio call-in show in USA. Better advice than Gearspace



(shorter episodes)

[Synthman2000]

Look after yourself Markus, you made some superb and unique products that were out of the ordinary. It is commendable that you are doing all the right things moving forwards with the existing users, products and website/licensing.

Get the work life balance correct and all the best with recovering from any health issues. With a new pace new thoughts and directions will appear. And you can do that at a pace that suits yourself should you wish.

The hardest thing with big decisions is the decision itself. Once done energy, adaptation, planning can commence. Life goes on

[BONES]

Very sad to hear of Markus' troubles. When you pour your heart and soul into something, criticism can bite hard and if Tone 2's products show us anything, it's that Markus has poured everything into them. Thank you so much for all your blood, sweat and tears. You should know that the vast majority of us out here really appreciate your efforts and we are sad to see you go.

I understand your decision and, honestly, I'm surprised anyone puts up with half the krap that gets thrown the way of small developers. Far too many childish people think the whole world exists to cater to their needs, they don't stop for a second to think how much time and effort goes into making some of these amazing tools we inevitably take for granted. Saurus is one of my go-to synths. Whenever I am stuck for a sound, I know it will deliver and it never lets me down.

Thank you very much for all your hard work and dedication over many, many years. Take good care of yourself and all the best for the future.

[adamszabo]

Very sad day indeed, I wish you all the best Markus, health and family is the #1 priority, everything else comes after!

[sengoku]

Firat off: simple amazing work Markus, thank you so much. Your synths are unique, well-designed, and have inspired me a lot.

Secondly: entitlement is the ugliest side of humanity and forums like this are full of it. I don't know how anyone can bear to read so many self-important posts from people who actually offer nothing themselves.

But anyway, I wish you the very best of luck Markus and enjoy life

[zerocrossing]

I understand what you say, unfortunatly music communities became somehow too much harsh, and too many trolls are around there, without even considering every word they toss, can hurt people for real.

Well, there's that and there's the fact that not all people are meant to be customer facing.

That's because only certain people can put up with KVR. It's a mean place. It's a constant stream of sarcasm, oneupmanship and dick wagging. Make a little misstep and always posters there ready to jump on you... and then keep bringing it up for years.

Wait, should I be wagging my dick? I didn’t know…



Sure, KVR can be a bit mean, but IMO, no meaner than anywhere else on the internet, and a lot nicer than most. Maybe I benefit from the ability to put someone on ignore that he couldn’t do, but some ass-hat jumped on me for saying that Zebra wasn’t a DX-7 emulation and hounded me incessantly, but now I just don’t see his posts. Problem solved.

But mostly things are pretty mild here, and the last outburst I saw was definitely not about asking for a more robust mod matrix. Something’s going on behind the scenes, we just don’t know what. A lot has to do with how he handled the request. Instead of just saying either nothing, or “that’s an interesting idea, I’m not sure I could implement it, but let me think about it,” he argued as to why it was a bad idea, and it definitely not a bad idea. It was like he was fishing for a conflict. When I asked DiscoDSP for polyphonic aftertouch, he calmly explained that because of how his synths are set up, it’s a huge job for a feature that only a handful of people want. I made my case and that was that. No conflict.

They also handed the phone-home-gate scandal very poorly. Instead of admitting it and making a change, they denied and fought people who were angry that they couldn’t use the plugin they bought without an internet connection. That was a long time ago, but the fact that he did it is a good indication of what he thinks of his customers.

Again, I don’t think I could handle being the spokesperson for a company on the internet. I can handle the sarcasm and even oneupmanship, but the inflated sense of entitlement… that I couldn’t handle. People seem to expect the moon for $169. I feel bad for all developers that people expect to be able to sell their licenses. I know what software development is like, and I’m sure they’re not getting rich as it is, seeing people get my software without me getting a dime would piss me off too, but that’s why I don’t run my own business. I’ve had clients try to rip me off, or expect work for free because they changed their mind. It’s not good, but at least our interactions were done in private.

[AdvancedFollower]

I think this is the the reason why many developers decide to not have an presence on forums any longer. The amount of vitriol you get just by saying anything these days - not just about plugins. Can you imagine that there are still people in this world who get upset because you have the audacity to say you are working on a Mac? I mean ... seriously? Everybody is so on the bloody edge these days.

The linear Forum format also isn't really well equipped to deal with this level of vitriol. While posts that clearly break the rules can be removed and users banned, there's no real weighting of posts based on quality.
Reddit might not be a shining beacon of civility and respect, but it's more self-moderating than forums. Quality posts tend to get upvoted until they rise to the top of the thread while toxic posts get downvoted and made less visible. So as long as you don't scroll too far down or use the cursed "Sort by Controversial" feature, it's a more pleasant environment.

[zerocrossing]

Well, there's that and there's the fact that not all people are meant to be customer facing. Some can be great, and it helps their company a lot, Urs Heckman comes to mind, but I recently saw Marcus snap at someone who was really just suggesting a very reasonable feature.

Urs does not always have the patience of a saint. I've seen him snap hard right here. Sometimes sh!t gets to you. That's just normal.

I think this is the the reason why many developers decide to not have an presence on forums any longer. The amount of vitriol you get just by saying anything these days - not just about plugins. Can you imagine that there are still people in this world who get upset because you have the audacity to say you are working on a Mac? I mean ... seriously? Everybody is so on the bloody edge these days.

In either case, I'm really sad to hear Marcus is pulling out, but I am sure he thought about this for a long time. I'm happy he is considering making an Icarus 3 though. That synth is one of my best pals.

Oh, Urs has snapped at me too, but it’s very different than what we’re talking about. Of course people are going to get angry. No one is expected to be a saint, especially on the internet. You shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make something and then have a bunch of people who live in their parents basement hounding you for dumb crap and expect it for free. I’m not saying it’s easy, but there’s a way to deal with that. Just don’t publicly engage. There will always be trolls, or people who you just don’t like, but feeding the trolls and maintaining public battles with people is going to drive you crazy, and here we are. You’ve got to adopt a Neo-style attitude. Hold your hand up to the bullets and say, “this isn’t actually something attacking me,” and let the bullets fall. I’m personally more of an agent Smith character. The smell…