iZotope Iris 2

[lococontrol]

Whenever I open Iris 2 I become instantly allergic.

It actually gets me sick myself!

[Gribs]

Well... maybe next year for me.

[Sampleconstruct]

Sounds like a case of iZotopitis?

No, their other apps are fine and don't cause that, it's more likely a serious case of venous Iris2-oedema.

However, my shrink did say that I should try to overcome my Iris 2-trauma by gently approaching her a bit more each day, so here is today's therapy session:

[Ben H]

However, my shrink did say that I should try to overcome my Iris 2-trauma by gently approaching her a bit more each day, so here is today's therapy session:

Sounds nice.

Did you manage to get it to save properly for you?

[Sampleconstruct]

However, my shrink did say that I should try to overcome my Iris 2-trauma by gently approaching her a bit more each day, so here is today's therapy session:

Sounds nice.

Did you manage to get it to save properly for you?

As I made it from scratch in v2, saving wasn't an issue here, but it'll probably be gone tomorrow morning anyway

[zerocrossing]

As much as I appreciate Brad joining here, I wonder: why didn't iZotope try to make a polished update from the start? Now they are promising their best efforts to make it right. But why didn't they have the pride to make a good update from day one? Did they think nobody would mind? Do they really care that little about existing customers?

I fear that this is just damage control and when this is over (one way or another), they are back to their old policy: practically no point updates for their products with expensive upgrades to new full versions with dubious improvements.

Hopefully I'm completely wrong and they actually learned something from this case and Ozone. But the fact that they have investors to answer to makes me fear the worst

I think it would be more clear to anyone who's done software development. No one sets out to "half ass" it... well mostly no one. It's more an effect of the fact that it's very hard to estimate exact development times. Engineers get sick. Hell, one of our main engineers, a brilliant guy who went on to work on Rendeman at Pixar, was out for a few weeks after his wife's digestion problems escalated into the birth of a little girl. (true story)

So, you have the project managers, app designers and engineers all trying to reach their goals. Project managers are projecting possible earnings and a budget that's got to be held to if they want to earn a profit. App designers want to see the coolest features realized, and the engineers are trying their hardest to make everyone happy. Unforeseen issues and delays crop up, and the dance begins. Do they add production time? If so, you may miss the holiday season and increase the budget making for a less profitable release. If you're not going to make enough to pay your employees, then why do it? So maybe you compromise and add some time to the development cycle, but at the same time kill, or shelve features that the designers really wanted.

It's not an easy process. I suspect part of the problem is that iZotope probably has either higher earning expectations or high overhead, and that hurts things a bit too. My guess is that Iris 1 was not the moneymaker they had hoped for and part of this is about making up for that shortfall. Regardless, I'm totally sure it wasn't malicious to release Iris 2 in the state it's in now, even though I am a bit disappointed as well. Less about the patch conversion issues, and more about the lack of interesting new spectral features for a fairly substantial upgrade cost. I know, more sample content, but I do already have a fair amount of this.

I kind of look at it this way. If I, and all of us, fail to upgrade, there will be no Iris 3. Someone at iZotope is going to look at the books and make a hard choice to kill it. A small guy working at home can do a labor of love (or labour if they're on the other side of the pond) but a larger company has responsibilities to it's owners and employees that can't be ignored. Remember, Bob Moog designed great synths, but was a poor businessman and there was a long time where there was no Moog because of it. So, I choose to upgrade more as a vote of confidence in future development than anything else. We've voiced our concerns, they've acknowledged them. Now comes Miller Time™.

[Michael L]

zerocrossing. you are a game developer so I will respond with a game analogy:

1. Izotope creates the hiqh-quality "Iris Game." It is unique and creates a following of hardcore players.
2. It uses 2D graphics and stereo sound
3. Izotope sells many character add-ons such as weapons, powers, outfits and sidekicks, and so do others.
4. The big mainstream game market develops 3D graphics and surround sound
5. iZotope wants the big mainstream market so after 2 years with no update, they hire a mainstream manager who releases an expensive new version of Iris with 3D graphics and surround sound.
6. When their hardcore players buy it, they find iZotope did not change the actual game AT ALL, and the add-ons that iZotope and others sold them NO LONGER WORK.
7. iZotope and the new manager bet that the new mainstream market will make them more money than their old hardcore players.
8. They "misunderestimate" (as Dubya would say) their old hardcore players, who feel BETRAYED! They see no reason to buy the new version AT ALL.

To use your Moog analogy, we want Iris to be like a classic Moog synth that continues to work decade after decade, and not like a disposable iZotope 'Legacy' product that is worthless after a few years.

[midi sentinel]

After reading a lot of iZotope threads in past few weeks, It feels like iZotope has been hiring EA (Electronic Arts) 'executives'.

[Ben H]

However, my shrink did say that I should try to overcome my Iris 2-trauma by gently approaching her a bit more each day, so here is today's therapy session:

Sounds nice.

Did you manage to get it to save properly for you?

As I made it from scratch in v2, saving wasn't an issue here, but it'll probably be gone tomorrow morning anyway

That's true.

[zerocrossing]

6. When their hardcore players buy it, they find iZotope did not change the actual game AT ALL, and the add-ons that iZotope and others sold them NO LONGER WORK.

That's just not true though. Iris 2 does have a fair amount of expanded functionality. They've also committed to getting Iris 1 patches to transfer over to the new version as good as they can get it.

...but yes, they did push for a bigger audience at the expense of going "deeper" in the functionality that we all love about Iris 1, but we can't say they didn't add anything useful. Hell, just the improved UI is something to like a lot.

I'm not trying to be a fanboi or shilling for iZotope. Believe me, I'm disappointed too, but I was just trying to help paint a more balanced picture of how a small software company works. I can guarantee that they're not a bunch of robber barons tying young girls to the railroad tracks because they're trying to foreclose on some land.

[aMUSEd]

Hell, just the improved UI is something to like a lot.

I think in terms of modulation the ui is improved but not in terms of looks, the combination of pastel colours and comic sans font and all those irregular edges on the knobs looks very amateurish and thrown together to me, the old gui was much cleaner and slicker.

[Michael L]

...but yes, they did push for a bigger audience at the expense of going "deeper" in the functionality that we all love

Yes, that was the point of my 'game' analogy: they added modulation (3D & surround sound) but did not change the core spectral tools (the actual game). iZotope are the 'good guys' but need to get their train back on track....

[Sampleconstruct]

So during/after the recent trouble shooting process with Brad it becomes clearer now, that with the new architecture in Iris 2 certain modulation assignments present in version 1 patches don't translate at all, so when the new version is released I will have to manually go through all my 400+ subscription patches and make adjustments, simplify certain things and then jump out of my studio window

But we're getting nearer...

[TwoToneshuzz]

So during/after the recent trouble shooting process with Brad it becomes clearer now, that with the new architecture in Iris 2 certain modulation assignments present in version 1 patches don't translate at all, so when the new version is released I will have to manually go through all my 400+ subscription patches and make adjustments, simplify certain things and then jump out of my studio window

But we're getting nearer...

Now you stay away from that window, well get a army of little elves to help you translate your patches for you!

[Sampleconstruct]

Now you stay away from that window, well get a army of little elves to help you translate your patches for you!

It's winter, so the windows are mainly closed anyway. Elves don't do the electronic music thing, they are concerned with more relevant things, so I'll have to do it myself.