Dave Maffris

Anyone using this?....I've been sort of looking for something like this or it's alternatives...for when I start gigging again (not now because of Covid)..

Arrived yesterday! Have not put it to the test yet, but hope to do so very soon...

Not sure the procedure, but I was sure I wanted it, so whatever happens, as long as I get it within a month or so, I can live with it.

currently out of stock everywhere, it seems, but I went ahead and reserve ordered it from Sweetwater, too good  a deal to pass up, and I have been wanting to add to my mic locker, and this one will be perfect for a lot of my typical use cases. Probably not available for about 1 month, but I can wait.

One of my favorite music retailers. Lots of good experiences with lots of gear. Recommend.

update for me would be $399 now. But I bet on Thanksgiving or in the Spring 2021 it will be 50% off that, and I can certainly wait for that....

On 8/15/2020 at 3:51 PM, Fleer said:

Do get. Pianoteq. I’m telling you. 

+1

On 8/15/2020 at 10:44 AM, Tomgu said:

What have you found? I'm thinking about - and demoing -  Pianoteq (last day of their sale).

Been on Pianoteq for years, it's my go-to piano, and I am a pianist. The others are good, too, but Pianoteq has a slim footprint (physically modeled) and can be customized nicely in a variety of ways (the standard or pro versions are best for customization). Highly recommended. 

On 7/26/2020 at 10:42 AM, Tezza said:

That's more like what a bouncer on the door of a nightclub would say when you've hit one to many clubs for the night. Or if you don't meet the dress standards. Have you tried putting on a shirt and tie with decent shoes and then resubmitting the request?

LOL. Actually, I got on the list another way...(slipped a tip through the  door), but I still haven't purchased the piano yet...

However, I got this when entering my email and hitting the submit button:

13 hours ago, Christian Jones said:

If you buy it be sure to subscribe to their email list first if you haven't already, to get an additional $5 off, so $45 instead of $50

Awesome, thanks for the tip...

4 hours ago, jude77 said:

Please leave us a brief review if you do.

Will do, didn't get to it today, but tomorrow is likely. 

On 6/10/2020 at 5:32 PM, Christian Jones said:

I watched live. Nice piano, but dang there's just too many great pianos out now. I want something I could dig  better than the Grandeur. I should demo Pianoteq. This piano you reviewed is $49? Do you think it as good or better than Noir or anything else? 

Hey man, do you take requests? If so it'd be cool if you played some of The Young and the Restless in one of these videos. That's the riff I use lately to help guage if I like a piano or not lol

Pianoteq is my go-to. I may give this one a buy, however. I also love OrangeTree Samples Rosewood Grand, a Yamaha emulation that is great. Rarely use anything else, other than the real samples from my Nord Keyboard. But this demo is compelling. I used to sell Steinways. They have the sound down. 

I'm not even looking for another piano, but I think I'm gonna get this. Very impressive walkthru video. Sounds wonderful. 

2 hours ago, cclarry said:

Prices show up on page, but not there when you click through...
probably not ready yet...
https://www.jrrshop.com/celemony?dir=desc&order=special_from_date

Hey when the heck did JRR shop come back online? Also, I upgraded to v5 as soon as it came out, and the update is significant and well worth it, has added features that help enormously, like sibilant reduction, fades on notes/blobs, etc. Although the split note tool seems different now, I think it's just user error not knowing how it's changed. Indispensible tool for me, especially as a producer. 

3 minutes ago, antler said:

The only way to know upfront would be to ask them. Alternatively, you could contact the PreSonus sales department directly and discuss your situation. You've laid out your reasoning in detail here, and you clearly have a moral compass, but we are not PreSonus; our opinions do not influence PreSonus' disposition to this scenario. I'm sure they'll be able to offer you a discount code to use in their online store if they agree with you

https://www.presonus.com/about/contact-us

 

Thanks. I'm fine with either purchasing the best price online or waiting a bit, it's not my main DAW, but some of the newest features might make me use it more. A deal is great, but it's not really something I'll spend too much time or jumping through too many hoops, as I've paid whatever the best price has been at the time (I think I got my last upgrade to 4 from 3 for about $100, which I thought was fair).

Thanks. We'll see how it all shakes out, and in the meantime, nothing is carved in stone.

I think the way it works is that Presonus will require the name of the educational institution and your status as a student or teacher, before issuing the license, so it would stand to reason that they could withhold the license or simply charge you the full price to get your license after purchase. This is why I didn't purchase, because I'm not into making shit up, and enrolling in something and then dropping out just seems like too much trouble to save a few bucks. So most likely the best deal is at Best Service (126 bucks) or waiting to see if a sale is announced at some point.

On another related topic, is anyone interested in Sphere? Now that I've looked at the details, I don't think it offers that much for me, but I could see others doing it to get the full range of instruments, samples, etc., as well as the cloud storage, "community" and other social/educational features, etc.d Don't think it would be worth it, I have most of the stuff they are offering re: instruments and effects with other vendors (NI, Orange Tree) and it seems like redundancy to me. But interested to know who, if anyone would consider the subscription, since it is a relatively affordable way to pay as you go and not shell out as much up front.

3 hours ago, paulo said:

 Whilst immediately doing exactly that......... 

 

Yes, that is so true. 

Not to belabor this topic even more, but let me share a story that may help somewhat. My music studio is a modified shed; I purchased the shed "shell" from a local retailer, a very nice lady near where I live in NC.  This is a local company, not a conglomerate, although they had a reputable product, and they are, I believe franchisees or independent contractors.  She gave me a "military discount," even though I told, when asked that  I was not a veteran. But she knew I was a serious customer, I was still spending a lot of money on one of their more costly products, so for her the discount was just sharp business. I never lied about anything to her. Should I have refused the discount, because it would be "fraudulent.?" C'mon! Though I draw the line at obtaining "cracked software" or music FOR FREE.  And I would NOT lie  and say I'm a teacher or student or make up anything,  if asked. In this case, I was at the checkout, and was not asked to verify anything. So really, tell me you wouldn't buy something at half price if given an opportunity?  Snagging a good price is smart, and if the vendor is willing to do it, then they sure as heck know how the game is played, and, they are still making money, in fact more money than not getting a customer to buy at   all, or to wait until later, when they go on sale, anyway. I promise you this update will be discounted at or close to the "educational" price down the road, and most likely Black Friday or way before there is a new version released.  If the company is serious about limiting the discounts, they can always require (as Apple Does) actual proof of their choice, up front-it's up to them, it's not up to us, it's simply doing business the way business is being done.  Getting stuff for free, knock-offs, etc.? That hurts people, I won't do it.Bottom line, I have not purchased yet, because for me the real issue was I did not want to either be encouraged to lie (which I would not do) or purchase it, thinking I had somehow been allowed to do it, and  then be out the cost because later on the software is uninstallable. To me that would be rather unfair on their part, but it's their product and their company, and as always, buyer beware 

17 hours ago, RSMcGuitar said:

If you aren't a student. That would be pretty lame and selfish.

16 hours ago, RSMcGuitar said:

If you aren't a student. It IS being a cheat and selfish. Sorry, but that's the reality here. You're asking if it's OK to scam the system, what did you expect? A pat on the back?
If you're out of work and strapped for cash, maybe spending money on the latest and greatest isn't a smart priority. 

ETA: Notice I didn't even call you a 'cheat' or 'selfish' I said that committing fraud is both of those things.

1 hour ago, Carlos said:

Sod off the haters. No one's opinion should matter to you. Ever. You don't need them at all (Neither them nor their opinions). In other words you don't need, nor should seek validation from others.

Unless it's someone you love or your boss.

Look at it this way, if you would care about my opinion 😂: if you don't make ANY money with your music, where you used this DAW, you're a student.

Or like Reaper's scheme: if u won less than a million dollars a year, you just pay 60 bucks for it.

U wanna bet how many people paid the full Reapers price?

Also, anything that has severe bugs doesn't deserve full price. Ever.

I could write books about this so... I  will stop here: I support you clicking that button (but you shouldn't care I do).

 

Hugs!😊😋

 

Not worried about opinions, they are like...well, you know the rest...everyone has one. But not going to take it without firing back. I agree with you, and thanks for the comments. There was a lot I could have said, but wasn't worth the effort or time, I have music to make...

you may visit to see some recent work of mine--ps, I made the videos, too.  

Well, Presonus is likely making a profit, even from the ed licenses, or they simply wouldn't be able to afford to offer it.  I have purchased SO version 3, upgraded to 4, and each time I took advantage of a sale price, as it is not my primary DAW  I also use a Presonus Quantum interface, which I also purchased as B-Stock, like new, but for considerably less than full retail price. Sales and Educ. discounts are simply marketing tools that put product into more hands, and this is good for Presonus. Would they prefer I pay $149 for my upgrade? Of course. But if I do not buy it at all, until/unless I can get it at a lower cost/better perceived value, they are losing the sale. I've sold a lot of gear over the years, I'd rather sell it, then insist on top dollar and wind up getting nothing. Offering an ed discount brings in more business for Presonus, it's not a loss for them. I think they appreciate every sale. And it is definitely on them to implement the restrictions, require proof of educational institution or teaching license, etc. 

10 hours ago, artturner said:

@Dave Maffris As far as I know, Presonus accepts the "due diligence" of the retailer. Steinberg is the only really picky one I've run across. Educational also means teaching too, which is how I qualify. 

2 minutes ago, Fwrend said:

FYI, many also allow religious institutions to qualify for the Educational versions.  As a worship leader, I've taken advantage of this  for years with Finale and Fabfilter.

I have the normal version and upgraded to 5 myself but I have a teacher friend that will benefit from this and the xChange version 2 he recently aquired. 

Thanks @Dave Maffris!

You are welcome, and it did occur to me that at least I let people know about the possibility of a discount if they qualify. Believe me, I can afford the regular upgrade price, despite my circumstances at the moment--they aren't that bad compared to others. So good for you, I hope you can spread this info to those folks that can take advantage of it. 

I do not need a lecture from anyone about cheating, scamming, morality or anything else. Yes, I asked the question. Yes I considered doing it. Oh boy. I hope your glass house is protected well from any stones you may throw. Hey, you want to engage in an argument, that's fine, but this forum is supposed to be a civil and tolerant space. I've been here a long time, and I'll be damned if I'm going to take your attitude smiling. So go on, you can say whatever you want. You have no idea, and your opinions are yours. Just remember, not every thought needs to be expressed. I won't stoop to any retaliation, but leave it rest, and I'll do the same. 

1 minute ago, RSMcGuitar said:

If you aren't a student. That would be pretty lame and selfish.

Wow. Just wow.  I'm an out of work musician in a hard-hit Coronovirus area. Didn't expect to be called a "cheat" and "selfish." Never stole anything in my life, and was just curious. A simple answer would have been fine.  Your opinions are yours, and you are entitled to them. But sheesh. Really? Not necessary to flame someone you don't even know. Been on this forum since the 90's. Maybe it's time to sign off. Thanks for nothing. 

The price for professional upgrade from 4 to 5 is only $75, half the standard upgrade price, and way below the best price of $128 I've seen online. But anyone know what the requirements are. At B&H photo I could put it in my cart and check out, but at what point will the "educational institution" prevent one from installing and/or operating it?

Anyone know, I am too chicken to just hit the "Place Order" button....