Shady business practices

DunedinDragon

@Fragletrollet

I guess I'm disappointed in watching all these trends unfold, a company that valued the knowledge needed to operate their software so much that they printed hardware manuals in order for you to really master the intricacies of their machines, now promote an approach to music production that is based on premade material, instant gratification and a never ending search for an elusive answer to one's own lack of satisfying results; namely promoting a view that by just swapping out the preset, the softsynth, the daw or what have you… then you'll find it. It's a use and toss mentality that I believe to be fostering generic art, inducing writers block, promoting branding as opposed to knowledge and practice. No, let's hire ghost producers, while we all strive to sound exactly the same. Let's make music making so simple that any fool can have a voice.

How is it the company's problem if the customer base wants to be more efficient and clamor for the tools to do so? They didn't change the industry, the industry and tastes changed and they responded to it. That's just life in the big boy world.

There was a time I toured all over America for years playing six nights a week and making a good living playing in various lounges with my band. Then Disco came about and that opportunity disappeared. That didn't stop me from pursuing music. I just found different approaches and outlets. And it's been a constant change in popular opinions and approaches over the years. Those changes you talk about are never ending and it's up to you to determine how you'll make use and benefit from them or complain and give up…NO ONE ELSE.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/169513#Comment_169513

True artists should be able to create a masterpiece with Komplete 5. They would not need to wade into this thread.

And yes - as impossible as it may seem - I pick and choose as my needs require. Customer loyalty is not an expectation I can relate to.

I am the same boat as @DunedinDragon

A transaction occurs. I get my thing and that is the end of it. And I am off to the next thing.

If I can somehow get a decent upgrade to the next thing - so be it. But if not - there is always something else to choose. No shortage of choice.

But I do not waste time complaining about Vendor A and how their business model might make me cranky.

Would rather be creating and these are just tools. I can always get more somewhere else.

VP

Fragletrollet

Hey, I just made two pages worth of thoughts, and entertained myself and a bunch of others too it seems

True artists should be able to create a masterpiece with Komplete 5. They would not need to wade into this thread.

A true artists would cut his ear off and that would be his legacy.

Yep most amazing art was made by very well centred people with no need for self pity, we all know that

An artist can make art with anything, if inspired.

But what we're really talking about here is the industry being affected by business strategies well known in other industries, which I find unsound for the human spirit.

So I fire up Massixe X and focus on the sound

Skijumptoes

It's easy to find yourself in a place where you're lusting 'more'. And that's when the offers, upgrade routes, and limited use of voucher codes feel a bit of a sting.

However, if you step back and look at what you already own and ask how much of that you have really scratched into. You soon realise what a mammoth collection of sounds and variations is in any of the Komplete bundles.

So, while I can appreciate your OP. At least NI aren't the sort of company where you 'need' to update - their licensing is very good in that you can just log in to a machine and retrieve your products too. And also, you can own a ton of content and even if you got massively out of date with Kontakt, you can still use the player with the packs that you own. Komplete kontrol, also, a free platform too.

Outside of Kontakt, there's also no paid versions for the likes of Massive, Massive X etc. So no requirement to keep Komplete version updated to still receive updates for those either.

Compare with the Waves model where you need a service plan to use a plugin on two different machines unless you want to move a dongle around, for example.

When you upgrade, you're basically paying for content and the ability to use it for inspiration in your own projects. To me, it's no different than supporting a musical artist really. They're curators as much as they're a plugin company.

chk071

Posts "I'll show myself out". Continues to post novel long posts preaching about how evil NI is.

Totally proves my point above.

Fragletrollet

yeah some people just don't know when to leave, right?

Scoops

This is just so much fun.

It's clear that there are some intelligence chromosomal attributes that are blocking some peoples abilities to respond in an intelligent manner

This is what I have come to expect out of NI forum.

Stephen Bish

You don't actually "own the product". You own a "licence to use the product". That licence is transferable.

I have considered selling my Komplete Ultimate 12ce license rather than upgrading it, but I'm also considering upgrading and buying a Kontrol s49. Point is what I have is not a total loss. I can sell and someone else can upgrade if they choose to. Better than I can say for my Presonus RM16ai Firewire mixer which was sold as "the future of mixing" and made redundant a few years later by the death of Firewire.

It would be a bit like compiling that my 11 year old MBP won't run current software, or that my s88 keyboard can't use the latest Komplete Kontrol software. At least I was able to instal an earlier version which works with it.

Might as well complain that my 1956 Morris Minor does not come with disk brakes all round and air conditioning.

dwerth

I hate to bang the drum here but I started with Ultimate 8 and each upgrade I bought was reasonable with very good software.I always upgrade when the update comes out and I am waiting diligenty for Komplete 15 Ultimate Collectors edition.I was dissapointed it did not come out this summer.After seeing all the new software that has been released recently I am hoping Komplete 15 is here soon!

BIF

I've been here since Komplete 2 I think. $2,000 to $4,000? That's CHEAP compared to what some of us have spent, lol.

I'm looking forward to Komplete 15 later this year or whenever it's available. OP, you'll probably be absolutely unhappy with it. So let's make a deal…you just give me the money and I'll do all the worrying for you; I promise you'll have no more stress with this stuff! 😉

red_nick

OP, you should probably note the following when you purchase FL Studio:

Includes ALL features and native plugins available at the time of purchase.