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Not A Deal - My Experiences As A New IK Multimedia Customer


husker

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I have never been an IK Multimedia customer, but I have watched them from afar.  Some of their practices don’t have the best reputation around here, which has also kept me away from IK.

However, I started following the thread, and got a bit interested when I found I could get into the $200 tier for around $112.   I have recently started to learn guitar (and failing miserably), so  I was most interested in Amplitude.  I’m a synth guy, and though I don’t need them, I had been eyeing SampleTank and Syntronik as well.   I don’t have too much interest in TRacks, as I have more effects than anyone could ever use - much like everyone else around here.

I decided to buy into the group buy, and I thought I would put my thoughts down for anyone who is thinking about it, but has never had any dealings with IK.

  1.  Their purchase process is extremely convoluted to me.  Jam Points, Gear Credits, Custom Shop – it all seems needlessly complex.  IK should really streamline this process.    I purchased 200 gear credits, and was able to join the Group Buy successfully.  I purchased Amplitude 5, chose SampleTank, Modo Bass, Modo Drums, and Syntronik Deluxe as my freebies.   Special thanks to @abacab and @cclarry for their guidance.
  2.  The installation and authorization programs are simply abysmal.   There is no reason it should be this difficult.  I “computer” for a living, so I’m very familiar with these processes.   The disparate installation and authorization routines (oh, you have to use “this” authorization app for this, and the “other”authorization app for that) are just simply “dumb.”   The inconsistencies are extremely frustrating.  IK should really take a good, hard look at this.  Modo Drums and Modo Bass were simple;  everything else thus far has been a pain, and very confusing.
  3.  In practice, the plugins work very well, and sound great.  No real complaints at all about the actual plugins.  They really are outstanding.
  4.  Support – during my authorization and installation saga, I decided I would try out their support.   In real life, I am an IT Director for a large corporation that has locations in 20 US states, as well as Mexico and Canada.  We run a large Heldesk (and I’m ultimately responsible for it), so I am aware of the of the issues surrounding support.    I filled out the ticket with all the required information and screenshots, as I know how important that is.  The next day, I received a simple “boilerplate” response asking for the information and screenshots – it was clear no one had even bothered to read what I wrote.  Again, a big “fail” to support – I’ve fired HelpDesk technicians for doing something similar.  “Support” like that drives people away.

 

Again, these are just my thoughts on my experiences as a new IK Customer.   I really do appreciate the help of @abacab and @cclarry during my ordeals.

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58 minutes ago, husker said:

The installation and authorization programs are simply abysmal.   There is no reason it should be this difficult.  I “computer” for a living, so I’m very familiar with these processes.   The disparate installation and authorization routines (oh, you have to use “this” authorization app for this, and the “other”authorization app for that) are just simply “dumb.”   The inconsistencies are extremely frustrating.  IK should really take a good, hard look at this.  Modo Drums and Modo Bass were simple;  everything else thus far has been a pain, and very confusing.

Did you use the "IK Product Manager" to install everything?

Edited by ALC
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Husker has pretty well summed up my experience (over MANY years) with IK,
and my analysis of IK is well known in this forum!
While the products are great, the business model is abismal at best.  The HUGE
saving grace for IK is....

THE GROUP BUYS...

If not for the Group Buys, and the fact that the products are decent, they 
would have already been ditched!

THAT being said, my hat is REALLY, TRULY, off to Pete, who has been a STELLAR
representative of IK!  I can't begin to applaud him enough for his help to MANY 
of us here on this forum!  He truly is ANOTHER of the reasons that I continue to buy
IK Products, and I say that will all sincerity!

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We are all different. I personally don't find the installation process difficult. I like some of their plugins while I find others just so-so. And contrary to Larry, I'm not fond of IK's marketing and some of the reactions I've seen from their reps, here and elsewhere. 

But why on earth open a topic on this, in the Deals section, no less, when most of us are interested in this group buy moving on? 

Edited by fitzroy
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1 hour ago, fitzroy said:

But why on earth open a topic on this, in the Deals section, no less, when most of us are interested in this group buy moving on? 

Most of us here never go upstairs or downstairs...we stay here...so that's why

Edited by cclarry
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32 minutes ago, cclarry said:

Most of here never go upstairs or downstairs...we stay here...so that's why

Until recently I had no idea people posted in other forums on this site.  For me this one is enough. I don’t have enough deals or comedy material for more than a couple threads on this forum a week anyway hahah

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1 minute ago, kevin H said:

Until recently I had no idea people posted in other forums on this site.  For me this one is enough. I don’t have enough deals or comedy material for more than a couple threads on this forum a week anyway hahah

Aha Young Jedi you must open your mind and expand your horizons.  There is much comic material to be had by visiting the other parts of this forum ;)

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55 minutes ago, cclarry said:

Husker has pretty well summed up my experience (over MANY years) with IK,
and my analysis of IK is well known in this forum!
While the products are great, the business model is abismal at best.  The HUGE
saving grace for IK is....

THE GROUP BUYS...

Agreed!

I have also spent my entire adult life doing "computer", and can totally relate to this opinion! IK products are among the best in the business, but they really need to reassess their delivery and support model. Although the new Product Manager is a step in the right direction!

But the Group Buy rocks, and I would rather save any other negative comments until the end of the promotion!

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RE: support.. well. I am a cloud IT guy for a living. I deal with hardware companies and their support system all the time. Ithink its good to keep in mind, a lot of these music hardware and software companies operate in the consumer market. So its like dealing with Samsung or KithenAid..  have you ever tried to get warranty and support for one of your TV's or appliances? Good luck.. its horror.

RE: authorization... I think IKM re getting a little better with their new auth software manager. It could use a little fixing up - but seems to be a step in right direction from the way it used to be.

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3 hours ago, husker said:

Their purchase process is extremely convoluted to me.  Jam Points, Gear Credits, Custom Shop – it all seems needlessly complex.  ...

In practice, the plugins work very well, and sound great.  No real complaints at all about the actual plugins.  They really are outstanding.

 

1 hour ago, cclarry said:

THAT being said, my hat is REALLY, TRULY, off to Pete, who has been a STELLAR
representative of IK!  I can't begin to applaud him enough for his help to MANY 
of us here on this forum!  He truly is ANOTHER of the reasons that I continue to buy
IK Products, and I say that will all sincerity!

+1 x 3!  I HATE the IK eco-system but LOVE the plugins.  My entry was a GB 3 years ago.  So yeah, love-hate here too. 

I'm on the fence on this GB.  My disdain for the whole convoluted setup has kept me out the last couple of years.  But the new Amplitude stuff has me curious and I've been eyeing the Arc System for a quite a while now.  I also just finished a track and fell in love with the Tape Echo plugin...   Then again, my wife will kill me if I do go in - and rightly so, as we're driving our daughter down to college ($$$!) any day now.  $o that make$ 2 college aged kid$...  🤪

PS. And don't get me started on charging $10 for expired downloads.   That's WUP territory right there... 

Edited by mibby
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31 minutes ago, telecode 101 said:

RE: support.. well. I am a cloud IT guy for a living. I deal with hardware companies and their support system all the time. Ithink its good to keep in mind, a lot of these music hardware and software companies operate in the consumer market. So its like dealing with Samsung or KithenAid..  have you ever tried to get warranty and support for one of your TV's or appliances? Good luck.. its horror.

RE: authorization... I think IKM re getting a little better with their new auth software manager. It could use a little fixing up - but seems to be a step in right direction from the way it used to be.

Consumer market or not, there is simply no excuse to not even bother to read the detailed ticket I filled out.

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