Sonic Academy - Vela (Out Now!)

[whassup]

Gamechanging..... Ultimate..... Etc
Jeeeez
Such hyperbole let me lose my interest immediately

It almost lost me there, too.
It hast to be seen if it does what it does at what...
price
usability
CPU usage
amount of good and usable presets
etc.

But yeah. Marketing can be a bitch.

[chagzuki]

I feel particularly over the last year or so that everything in the plugin world has already arrived, so I don't see a great deal of scope for improvements. However, the curve controls in this do add some extra adjustability, particularly nice with the decay setting. Filter curves are quite nice, though also a little more fiddly to quickly dial in.
To compete in this market means doing everything a bit better, to combine the best features of currently existing reverbs... or of course to do it at a lower cost.

[Vortifex]

First thing I noticed is that the fonts are very small and indistinct (see comparison below). Even if I expand the UI to fill the screen they're still not great.

Issues I noticed immediately:

1) When you drag one of the EQ nodes to the bottom and let go, it disappears and there's no way to get it back.
2) The plugin is slow to respond to decay time changes. If I switch from minimum to maximum decay it takes about 2-3 seconds before the new setting is implemented.
3) In the Spacey & FX preset section Super Massive is listed twice.

[billinder33]

2) The plugin is slow to respond to decay time changes. If I switch from minimum to maximum decay it takes about 2-3 seconds before the new setting is implemented.

This was my experience as well. Not sure if there is a technical reason for this, or if it's a bug that can be fixed or improved.

[jamcat]

Wouldn't be surprised if this listed in the $125 - $150 price range. If I was a reverb junkie, I'd be all over this one for sure.

We have no idea, though, and that should put people on alert. By calling this pre-release demo a ‘beta’ and not disclosing the eventual cost, people may think they’re getting something for nothing and won’t be taking the unknown price into account as they start integrating it into their songs.

But what’s going to happen when you build a song around this reverb and you suddenly discover you can no longer access it without paying some high price that is potentially many times greater than you were anticipating or can afford?

[chagzuki]

We have no idea, though, and that should put people on alert. By calling this pre-release demo a ‘beta’ and not disclosing the eventual cost, people may think they’re getting something for nothing and won’t be taking the unknown price into account as they start integrating it into their songs.

But what’s going to happen when you build a song around this reverb and you suddenly discover you can no longer access it without paying some high price that is potentially many times greater than you were anticipating or can afford?

Channelling my inner Bones, that would be a really stupid thing to do.

[billinder33]

Wouldn't be surprised if this listed in the $125 - $150 price range. If I was a reverb junkie, I'd be all over this one for sure.

We have no idea, though, and that should put people on alert. By calling this pre-release demo a ‘beta’ and not disclosing the eventual cost, people may think they’re getting something for nothing and won’t be taking the unknown price into account as they start integrating it into their songs.

But what’s going to happen when you build a song around this reverb and you suddenly discover you can no longer access it without paying some high price that is potentially many times greater than you were anticipating or can afford?

Sonic Academy has been pretty clear it's a beta and testers would eventually have to pay for it. Testers should understand not to build anything with intended permanence. Ultimately it's just a reverb, relatively easily replaced with one you already own.

[jamcat]

Sure, but they should disclose how much it is going to cost. You were saying you think it will be in the $150 range. I was thinking it would be in the $50 range. Maybe it will be in the $250 range. It really could be anything, perhaps subscription only.

Why would I want to demo "beta test" it if it's gong to be outside of my price range or subscription? And how can I even determine if it will be, right now?

[billinder33]

I'm just making an educated guess based on similar plugin company's flagship reverbs - Pro-R $179, 7th Heaven Pro - $299, Baby Audio Crystaline $99, Neoverb - $99, Polyverse Comet - $149.

I don't need another reverb, so don't really care what they sell it for. I beta tested because I like trying out new plugins and comparing them to my existing tools. I have a dedicated project for testing new VST's and VSTis, things I may or may not end up purchasing. Ultimately everyone will have their own personal reasons to beta test new releases or not.

[chagzuki]

I'm just making an educated guess based on similar plugin company's flagship reverbs - Pro-R $179, 7th Heaven Pro - $299, Baby Audio Crystaline $99, Neoverb - $99, Polyverse Comet - $149.

Sales prices are the real prices, generally speaking. I doubt anyone pays the sorts of prices you listed now for reverbs. Even the Valhalla plugins are looking a little on the expensive side these days.

I did end up spending a lot on LiquidSonics products, but all during sale times and using the voucher system.

If Vela can do everything that a combination of three or so LiquidSonics products can then a high price tag would be justified. My initial impression with it is that it tends towards something somewhat grainy, but I need more time to form an opinion. And with so many modes it would take a long time to get to know them, rather like VVV.

[jens]

Sure, but they should disclose how much it is going to cost.

I think that's clearly their own choice entirely.

Why would I want to demo "beta test" it if it's gong to be outside of my price range or subscription? And how can I even determine if it will be, right now?

I for one wouldn't - that's why I have no interest to test it before they will have disclosed more information. That choice is completely yours to make - simple actually, innit?

[jamcat]

So... you're saying the same thing I am for the same reasons, then. OK

[jens]

So... you're saying the same thing I am for the same reasons, then. OK

Not quite - because I am neither complaining nor thinking they have any kind of obligation
towards me/"us" whatsoever.

[pekbro]

This is pretty cool imo, I like it so far, seems very efficient...

[Teksonik]

This is exactly what Betas are for!! Good catch!

Do testers get any kind of benefit for testing this for you?

We’ll be throwing any active BETA users a discount code that they can use against it

Obviously BETA testers are performing a service to the company.

So I don't think it's asking too much in return for the company to answer simple questions like how much will the plugin cost and how much of a discount will people get for the beta testing work they're doing for the company.

Is the company legally obligated to answer those question? Of course not but one could certainly argue that they're morally obliged to do so.

Speaking for myself I'm not going to bother beta testing a product for a company until I know what my compensation will be for that effort and whether the plugin will be in a price range I feel comfortable paying.

So the company is asking for help testing their plugin and those who might be willing for perform that task are simply asking for some clarification.

Remember, companies exist because of customers. KVR collectively seems to have lost sight of that fact. It's clear to me who has an obligation to whom.