CSistine

If there wasn't additional tax applied in Europe, maybe I would grab a plugin! But for $37.50 they don't have anything for me right now!

PA have become expensive! ?

I read it partly then! ? 

Though today I've read the whole post! ?

You have forgotten one thing happening in such software companies: 

Department head: "Okay, welcome John! As initial work as junior developer you will define the specification for VST4. After that I propose you specify and develop the new Software Manager program for our customers! These are 2 tasks that are independent of our former software and they are self-contained, that's why!"

I had experienced crucial jobs given to juniors several times in my development career! Horrifying!

10 minutes ago, Starship Krupa said:

Ah, so they use the API that allows a host to query a plug-in dll for its presets. Having only ever installed the VST3's, I didn't know that brainworx did that.

That mechanism actually does exist for VST3's, but for some reason brainworx mostly don't use it.

I know of 2 Plugin Alliance plug-ins that do use it, Millenia NSEQ-2 and Lindell TE-100. They're VST3's and their factory presets show up right there in the Sonar preset menu. Go figure.

I've been lobbying the Cakewalk developers for years to have Cakewalk/Sonar read the .vstpreset files from the canonical folder locations and populate the Sonar preset menu, but my pleas don't seem to have gotten any traction. That's why we put together that project to make .SPP files for as many of them as possible. At some point beating your head against the wall becomes tiring, and the end result was the same, I get to have my presets in the Cakewalk Sonar menu.

Both Studio One and REAPER read the .vstpreset files from their canonical locations and populate their native preset menus with them automatically. I sure wish Sonar did.

If anything, the VST3 spec made it easier by specifying folders rather than having to embed the presets in the DLL's. All the plug-in installer has to do is drop the .vstpreset files in the right spot, all the host has to do is read the files. Simpler. The problem is that so few plug-in manufacturers actually follow that part of the spec. I would so much prefer to have plug-in presets show up in the hosts' own menus rather than having to hunt around the plug-in UI for the location of the preset manager.

In this case, at least, I can't blame the VST3 spec itself, rather the companies that failed to implement this part of it. Which is Cakewalk, some other DAW's, and the majority of plug-in makers. And as I said, the mechanism that VST2 plug-ins used to use still works for VST3 plug-ins. Very few use it though.....

I guess it is more likely that the VST2 spec really included the factory preset handling, because I never had a plugin/DAW that did not support it (100%)!

That's completely different with VST3, where there are just some kind of recommandations! This may also be the reason why many providers implemented their own preset system. IMHO, this is very awkward from the user view, it couldn't be more diverse as it is nowadays, absolutely no standard! This is the reason why I still blame the VST3 definition, Steinberg did a bad job in my opinion! ?

Also VST3 is a PITA for the users, because the plugin substitution (vst2 > vst3) and the use of old versions (settings) is not handled in a well-thought-out way! I am sure that there would have been much better solutions to introduce some technical improvements!

Grabbed this one as it sounds great, is easy on resources and has user friendly authorization!

I like to support this kind of plugin providers! ?

9 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

In those cases, Plugin Alliance for instance, is it easier to use presets for the VST2 versions? I'm assuming you refer to the factory presets. If so, how is it easier?

It's easier, because you can choose them from the preset list on top of the plugin window!

9 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

I know that brainworx-made (Lindell, elysia, Shadow Hills, etc.) plug-ins use the canonical VST3 locations for factory presets, so in order to load a factory preset for those, you have to load them from the VST3 menu in Cakewalk's plug-in header.

It's true that they are in the standard locations, but in Cakewalk you have to click on the VST3 button, search to the respective folder and then select the preset and each time when you want to select another one you have to go thru the VST3 button. Very cumbersome! (In Reaper this is not an issue, because the VST3 factory presets are shown on top of the plugin window as with VST2 presets).

9 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

For most of the Plugin Alliance brainworx-made ones, forum members, including me, have converted most of them to Cakewalk's native .spp format.

Though this solves the problem it is a lot of extra steps you have to do for each plugin provider that does not have an own preset management built into its plugins! But YMMV!

Overall I dare to say that this is one of the big issues of VST3! Each plugin provider or DAW provider has to reinvent the preset system. With VST2 this was solved at least for factory presets.

For some VST3 plugins it is very cumbersome to use the presets in CbB (e.g. PluginAlliance). In those cases I still prefer to use the VST2 version.

The VST3 version of PSP InfiniStrip crashes in CbB on mono tracks (interleave = mono), VST2 runs without problems.

Frankly, I am antipathetic to UA! First, because their installation is so weird even their plugins are iLok authorized and second, because they start processes to do updates when you are using their plugins (I did not find out how to avoid this)!

1. Seeing the Apple sign in his video all the time, I am not sure whether I should mistrust this guy! ?
2. He has forgotten that the handling (UI) of the EQs is quite different and everyone has another taste! E.g. for me an EQ without direct number input is almost unusable or if the text is too small ... A user interface has to be comfortable for you as individual!
3. He also forgets the limits of a plugin. Maybe the maximum freq is only 17000 Hz, or Q cannot go high enough ... (For example I was searching a long time to find a Gate/Expander with all the functionality required for a special task.)

Other than that I believe that he is right!

2 hours ago, MrFigg said:

All babies look the same. Stop showing me pictures. 

As long as they're babies, but then?

Purchased DIFIX with my credits!

I am surprised, how well this plugin works! Incredible, how a DI guitar together with an amp sim can sound much more realistic with this plugin!

It's a pity that I always have trouble with offline authorization for T-RackS! Some plugins run fine, other not and it's always different!

By the way, I purchased the Essentials Collection straight from Softube in april, it was the best price (410 SEK = ~$38.30)!

4 hours ago, pwal³ said:

not true in the eu, software can be re-sold no matter what the eula says ?

That's a lot of academic theory! Yes, you can re-sell the software, but in many cases the buyer will not be able to activate it!

8 minutes ago, audioschmaudio said:

Is that why you're no longer CRistine and have moved a letter higher to CSistine? ?

I am even not PRistine!

But after all IMO iLok dongle auth is definitely less prone to failure or trouble than CR!

Sure, my preference authorization is real offline (none, file based or offline key) over iLok!

So this is my authorization order:

1. none
2. Real offline based (file or key)
3. iLok dongle
4. CR with offline variant
5. CR
6. Account login
7. Permanent online

I stopped purchasing products using 5-7 and even type 4 I use only with verdors that I know!

It is a real nightmare setting up a new system having many 4-7 types.

10 hours ago, antler said:

If it helps you decide, Softube needs iLok (don't know if a dongle is required; I don't use it), whereas Arturia doesn't.

It would be easy for me! Nowadays I don't hesitate to choose iLok dongle over CR authorisation!

I have had so much hassle in the last years with all those "island" CR authorizations!

4 hours ago, Bapu said:

Izotope Portal is wonky,

That's mildly said! But yes, I totally agree!

I tempted my fate just to regret now the purchase!

Waisted hours! First so much trouble with the Product Portal and then the offline activation for my 2nd computer failed also! I don't know what I have done wrong (it's really not the 1st offline activation that I did with them)! I had to activate it onto my iLok, now at least it runs!

3 hours ago, Heath Row said:

Have you given the latest a shot?, they've been moving fast on the updates lately, the release notes are interesting, and seem like they are moving in the right direction, apart from including that NAM thing, I would rather they stayed alone.

I really don't like those monster products (including a lot of gear), because I don't like the hassle of permanent updates caused by adding new gear.

Also, the quality of their software has dropped a lot. Very often they have to deliver a fix short after a release. The "old" products were right from the start most of the time! But YMMV!

I wonder if it's possible to sell the none-iZotope stuff that you get? Because if you purchase the update, you have a lot of doubles!

Does anyone know?

This was the advantage of the "pre-Amp Locker" products, there weren't permanent updates, you could focus on making music!

I don't like the "new" Audio Assault, I prefer the legacy!

4 hours ago, antler said:

They're annoying, but they're better than their predecessor where you had to guess what some mangled letters and numbers were.

I'm guessing you already know. But for everyone else, they help* with preventing brute-force password hacking attempts by adding an additional layer so you can't just write a script to send a series of login requests with different passwords until one succeeds.

If someone is visually impaired, I suspect the headphones icon gives an audio alternative; I've tried it with the mangled character ones (where I couldn't recognise the characters), but not this generation of reCaptcha.

It looks like its possible to set the language for reCaptcha tests as a Website author; I suspect this is/should be part of website localisation.

* apparently AI can do these reCaptcha now, so there may be even more annoying challenges in the future.

The sad thing is that the same folk (engineers), that create nowadays a lot of such security stuff and force you to do endless security updates, are the ones that created a lot of unnecessary backdoors in the internet with "cool" features and language extentions!

Now it's the same thing with extended, unnecessary usage of internet access in music software and plugins (authorization, documentation, automatic update checking, home page access ...). IMHO it should be forbidden, that plugins use internet access! This causes a lot of holes in the security of our systems for almost no benefit! The more plugin developers use it, the more bad code will be available for hackers!

11 minutes ago, cclarry said:

I'm confused....the installers are downloaded to your "Downloads" folder and you can put them on a flash drive and take them
wherever you want.

Yes, if you want to use the Product Portal. But I hate it ? (takes much longer, takes the computer hostage, does not support to define a download folder, does not show the update number and changelog ...). These are the reasons why I prefer to download straight from the iZotope homepage! 

Oh, I forgot there is another important reason: I don't want to install everything on my weak laptop just for download purpose!

Oh, how I am happy that I still use Kontakt 6! I skip the risque!

As always the downloads for the single installers are not current! ?

I need those ones, because I also want to update my offline systems! There the Product Portal is of no use!

Great deal, regrettably not available here!