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Great update but do I really need it?

José Herring

Lost in Cyberspace
Have we reached a point in software development where each new update is kind of lackluster or have I just turned into a Luddite.

I'm on Kontakt 5.(whatever) Kontakt 6 comes out, I can't find one new feature that i'm interested in.

Cubase 10 came out, I'm on Cubase 9.5. Nothing in C10 is of any interest to me musically.

VEPRO7 was just released. I'm doing well on VEPRO5.

I love Reason. I've faithfully updated Reason. I am now on Reason10 but I never use it. If I do rarely use it I use it in much the same way I was using Reason5.

There is an electronic artist Jon Hopkins who I like and he is still using the same programs that he used in the late 90's.

So it has me thinking. With advancing technology over the last 10 years, I haven't seen an increase in better music. Maybe better produced music but certainly not better music.

So all this has me thinking, as companies promote the next new thing that is going "revolutionize" music production. Is it really getting any better? Is my focus on tech too narrow minded? Or as I head into middle age, have I turned into one of those old curmudgeons that bemoans about how good things were back in my day when people were REALLY revolutionizing the way music is made?
 
Not sure about K6. The ability to incorporate wavetables seems interesting.

I want Cubendo 10 mostly for the auto audio align feature.

I’m good w VEPro6 and see no reason to move (especially w three licenses going down to one, is that right???).

For me, the most interesting things out there that are fairly newish or haven’t completely taken hold are MPE/Roli, Acustica Audio, and IRcam Spat.
 
I got the update to VEP7 but I think the improvements are small and hardly worth the price. If I need to use more than one VEP server I will not hesitate to uninstall it and go back to VEP6 frankly. I didn't mind paying for one license in order to be up to date and the improvements are appreciated, but I do think they are charging quite a lot for very small improvements and loss of multi-machine setup without paying even more. It is what it is..
 
I agree completely, it is becoming increasingly difficult for developers to persuade me to part with my hard earned cash - I can do stuff with the tools I have now that I could not dream of 30 years ago (before the revolution.) Or even 10 years ago. But 1 year ago? Not so much.

So far the only thing in VEPro 7 that remotely intrigues me is the VM-1 thingy.

The only reason I updated to Superior 3 was because they twisted my arm, and I waited till pretty much the past day to do so. I have discovered some new features that are useful. But I also discovered I lost access to my beloved Superior 1 kits. UGH!

DP 10? Same thing. Wavelab whatever it is at? Ho hum.

The tools are mature, we've long since passed the days when every release held great promise for new tricks and toys.

Plugins are a bit of a different story - do I really need another delay? Well it does do this? Do I really need another OB SEM? Well this one does this. And so on. So I'm a little more likely to add a plugin to the pile.

And libraries? I'm doing my best to resist, but I do think libraries continue to be different enough to quite often be worthy of attention. Not necessarily purchase, but I do pay attention.

Which brings us to hardware. There are numerous hardware categories where I do trade up more frequently. I'm always on the lookout for cool microphones, stomp boxes, and until recently I was on an amplifier kick. Now I'm thinking about a modular synth.

So I haven't given up on expanding the studio, just don't do so with software as often.
 
The vi I'm using the most is the kontakt factory Library ! And it's old, but to me it's still the best rompler ever ! :roflmao:
 
I'm at middle age ;) but I'm the opposite, I'm taking full advantage of the awesome technology that's available. I'd say nearly every paid upgrade of made has improved my workflow. VEPro 6 is a huge improvement over 5, especially the way you can organize your instances and move them around. Not sure about Kontakt 6 yet...I'll inevitably upgrade but just waiting until all the issues are sorted out first. There's no way I'd be able to work the way I do now, if I were on software from the "days of old"...no way. We live in an incredible time for music creation. If someone wants to work on antiquated gear and software from the late 90's, go nuts, but I can't even imagine. I suppose ignorance is bliss.
 
Every time I've updated Cubase I've had way too much trouble getting back into my workflow, and stopped downloading after 8.

8 has everything I need for now! As far as Kontakt, I haven't met an update from NI that messed me up yet, but my mileage may differ.
 
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