Can I use Trilogy on Music Libraries or Film Trailers?

[memyselfandus]

Can I use Trilogy on Music Libraries or Film Trailers?
Yes, this is fine. Some soundware companies restrict this kind of use, but Spectrasonics doesn't.

This is on the spectrasonics site.


So what companies prohibit this?

[chilln]

Great question!

In my collection:

Zero-G, Q-Up Arts, and AMG are the ones that I usually see listed with library restrictions. Also, most loops from devs, you can't use.

East West, imo, (minus their loops, afaik) are the best when it comes to their licensing. Smaller developers usually are good, too. I'll have to look into purchasing Spectrasonics libraries, next. =)

[BERFAB]

What do you mean by 'music libraries?'

If you can't use commercial products to create music for commercial distribution, then what good are they?

[chilln]

What do you mean by 'music libraries?'

If you can't use commercial products to create music for commercial distribution, then what good are they?

I totally agree. Which is the reason we purchase these licenses in the first place, to use the samples. I try to stay away from any vendor which includes these clauses in the license (the best I can). I respect their decision, though.

Music Libraries (as I think he means) are vendors you provide original music to, and then they include it in their cataloge and license it to their clients for use in advertising, movies, games, etc.

[Compyfox]

East West, imo, (minus their loops, afaik) are the best when it comes to their licensing.

Actually it's the other way around. Zero-G can be used nearly everywhere. In terms of EWQL and Symphonic Choirs, you're prohibited to use this particular VSTi for trailer music, but you're allowed to use it everywhere else.

Even if this song is part of a soundtrack, and that is later used as track for a trailer - forbidden!

Then again, producers for trailer music are rare, as this is a hard battled for section. Parttime/Hobby Musicians don't care for most of those licensing "rules" anyway. And mostly it's really only important if it's about "creating and selling your own sounds". Else you're 99% of the time free to use in your productions.

[BERFAB]

East West, imo, (minus their loops, afaik) are the best when it comes to their licensing.

Actually it's the other way around. Zero-G can be used nearly everywhere. In terms of EWQL and Symphonic Choirs, you're prohibited to use this particular VSTi for trailer music, but you're allowed to use it everywhere else.

Even if this song is part of a soundtrack, and that is later used as track for a trailer - forbidden!

Then again, producers for trailer music are rare, as this is a hard battled for section. Parttime/Hobby Musicians don't care for most of those licensing "rules" anyway. And mostly it's really only important if it's about "creating and selling your own sounds". Else you're 99% of the time free to use in your productions.

OK, now I'm really confused. First off, I don't know that I've ever purchased samples or instruments with any restrictions (or at least restrictions on use in my own compositions). Mostly IK and NI stuff with a few small devs from KVR sprinkled in.

But you're telling me that if I buy the EWQL and Symphonic Choirs, which, IIRC, are among the pricier collections out there, and I use it in a song that becomes a hit, and then that hit gets used in a movie which also winds up on the trailer, I'm in violation of the EULA? WTF? Honestly? It's an instrument. I play the instrument. I make the music. Why would anyone want this instrument if they didn't own the rights to their own performances?

Are there folks out there that have actually run into trouble with this?

[eduardo_b]

Even if this song is part of a soundtrack, and that is later used as track for a trailer - forbidden!

This is beyond arbitrary. What is the point, purpose, reason for this sort of nonsense?

[Compyfox]

But you're telling me that if I buy the EWQL and Symphonic Choirs, which, IIRC, are among the pricier collections out there, and I use it in a song that becomes a hit, and then that hit gets used in a movie which also winds up on the trailer, I'm in violation of the EULA? WTF? Honestly? It's an instrument. I play the instrument. I make the music. Why would anyone want this instrument if they didn't own the rights to their own performances?

If it's a hit: allowed
If it's used on the soundtrack: allowed
If it's used in a trailer: not allowed

There was a large commotion regarding this VSTi the time it came out, but the developer was sticking to his rules. Some people assumed that the creator wanted to keep the market for himself in that section, and I mean, it's his right to do so. It's a cheaper solution to score a track, and highend productions for movies are rerecorded anyway, with some exceptions of course. It's their rules.


The most things that stand out in samplepacks are usually the clause, that you can use the stuff for productions, you can sell your finished productions. No problem on that. You can create your own sounds with it, also no problem. But...and this is mostly the only rule... you're NOT allowed to resell these sounds. Either not without permission (which includes lots of fees) or even totally.

Spectrasonics is a bit different in that area. They're like "heck, do whatever the hell you want with that stuff - you're free to use". And if you listen closely to the billboard chards, I've heard tracks where basic loops were used, unaltered, throughout a complete song! Looop packages, with slices from RMX mixed with other, oldschool stuff.


It's not as difficult as you think it is. If you're only a consumer, you barely have any problems (only that sometimes "reselling" isn't allowed either), only if you're a sounddesigner, create samplepacks and want to make money with it.

In short, yes these EULA's are fracking confusing and it takes time to read them, BEFORE I can actually use them in my productions. But like Morpheus said to Neo in the first Matrix movie: "Some rules can be bent, some can be broken". You just need to know when that applies.

[SuperFly76]

But you're telling me that if I buy the EWQL and Symphonic Choirs, which, IIRC, are among the pricier collections out there, and I use it in a song that becomes a hit, and then that hit gets used in a movie which also winds up on the trailer, I'm in violation of the EULA? WTF? Honestly? It's an instrument. I play the instrument. I make the music. Why would anyone want this instrument if they didn't own the rights to their own performances?

Are there folks out there that have actually run into trouble with this?

I know a few luthiers (guitar builders) who have a similar license. They believe that each guitar and it's sound is a piece of art which they created. If you buy one of these hand made guitars and use it in a hit song they have the right to a certain percentage of all royalties made. They also must be credited for the creation of the guitar and it's tone otherwise you are in violation of their respected patents and copyrightes.













I am of course just kidding... Shows you how ridiculous some of these EULAs are for virtual instruments. Could you imagine any instrument maker (non virtual) making you sign similar agreements before you could purchase it? People would laugh. Oh well...

[BERFAB]

Well, to be clear, I do understand the restriction on using samples in re-distributed "sample packs." This is pretty standard EULA language, which, I presume is meant to prevent what is, essentially, profiting off of the creator's hard work.

But the limitation on performance is something I can't fathom. I don't do trailer work, but I would never buy such a collection on principle, and I wonder why others do. Is it THAT good?

Also, I think there's MILES of difference between samples that are part of an instrument (SampleTank 2.5, Kontakt 3, Battery, etc.) and sample packs (Sonic Reality's excellent RAW packs, Dusted William's Funky Ass Loops, or even CM's monthly freebies) which are often intended to be used "as is" in their entirety. I would definitely understand if the latter group would not want their naked samples used commercially without additional permission/compensation. To my knowledge, none of the 3 I've listed here have any restrictions other than the usual 'no inclusion in sample packs' EULA language. But others do, and I think that's OK.

But if IK or NI want to charge me EXTRA for using their sample-based instruments, that's the day I stop using them altogether.

BTW, Superfly, you had me going there for a minute. But stranger things have happened...

Cheers
-B

[zvenx]

This is east-west's:

http://www.soundsonline.com/help.php?section=conditions

rsp

[whyterabbyt]

This is east-west's:

http://www.soundsonline.com/help.php?section=conditions

rsp

nothing about 'trailers' in that, I notice.

What can't I use the sounds for?

You cannot use the sounds in isolation (i.e. when they are not used within musical compositions) as part of a commercially released project. For example, you cannot use the sounds to make another Sample CD, or include them as individual sound samples on a multimedia CD, gaming machine, or toy, that is commercially distributed. You must add substantial instrumentation to loops* (*loops are compositions that contain a combination of sound samples that can be repeated to form a continuous piece of music). You cannot upload or download the sound samples to any database or server, unless they are used in a musical composition (in combination with other sounds) created by you.

[rlahalla]

Spectrasonics is a bit different in that area. They're like "heck, do whatever the hell you want with that stuff - you're free to use".

Well, not 100% correct. If you use any Spectrasonics stuff in embedded video game music/SFX then you need to pay an additional licensing fee IIRC.

[zvenx]

I think some of East-West's earlier libraries had restritctions but I think they changed all of them to a more modern approach
rsp

[zvenx]

Spectrasonics is a bit different in that area. They're like "heck, do whatever the hell you want with that stuff - you're free to use".

Well, not 100% correct. If you use any Spectrasonics stuff in embedded video game music/SFX then you need to pay an additional licensing fee IIRC.

Can I use Spectrasonics Virtual Instruments in multimedia or game music projects?
Yes, this is OK unless you want to put samples created with Spectrasonics Virtual Instruments directly encoded into the game. That requires an additional license.