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


husker

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1 hour ago, iScream said:

This means that the price will be less for everyone who pays in dollars than for those who pays in euro. Tech support replied that the currency depends on the region and that they cannot change it, so I decided not to buy these monitors just out of principle 😒

Not sure about the MTMs, but the iLoud Micro Monitors are very good. After looking around, I rarely find that buying anything direct from IK is the cheapest option (even after Jam points); I would recommend that you look around at other retailers.

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53 minutes ago, antler said:

Not sure about the MTMs, but the iLoud Micro Monitors are very good. After looking around, I rarely find that buying anything direct from IK is the cheapest option (even after Jam points); I would recommend that you look around at other retailers.

Yeah, I decided to buy iLoud Micro Monitors from Thomann, nice monitors for great value. MTM's was cheaper at Thomann too, but with my jampoints it was cheaper buying directly from IKM than anywhere else.

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I had sampletank and the original fender v1 decades ago. I liked them because they were easy to install, simple to operate, had a good sound and they worked by themselves without nag screens.

Now, they are the opposite of that, convoluted install, too complex and filled with nag screens. Apparently, the plugins still sound good, I wouldn't know because there is no way I would ever use them, tried a couple of times and my response was "you must be joking". Just too much going on for me.

I hate these narcissistic type companies that think you have no other software on your computer other than theirs and everyday your going to do business with only them through their shops.

 

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It's only complicated if you make it complicated.

 

Open the product manager, click on the product you want and go make some coffee. In the meantime, the product manager downloads, installs and authorizes it. I don't know how it could be any simpler.

What do you want? Someone from IK to come over to your house and do it for you?

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55 minutes ago, bdickens said:

Open the product manager, click on the product you want and go make some coffee. In the meantime, the product manager downloads, installs and authorizes it. I don't know how it could be any simpler.

What do you want? Someone from IK to come over to your house and do it for you?

Unfortunately, that is not the way it works.  If it were, IK would be just like Native Instruments, Arturia, Waves, etc. , and the IK user base wouldn't complain.

I don't drink coffee, but I did appreciate your snark.  It put a smile on my face.

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1 hour ago, husker said:

Unfortunately, that is not the way it works.  If it were, IK would be just like Native Instruments, Arturia, Waves, etc. , and the IK user base wouldn't complain.

I don't drink coffee, but I did appreciate your snark.  It put a smile on my face.

We do operate in the same industry and are in direct competition with those very companies - we are like them, we're not some lesser company who makes inferior products or who operates in any less professional a manner.  I'm sorry you had an unsatisfactory experience installing IK products but with or without snark, the IK Product Manager does make installations happen quite easily for the majority of people.  We try to make sure FAQs like the following about installing and authorizing IK software are on the front page of the IK FAQ so you don't have to search to find them:  https://www.ikmultimedia.com/faq/?id=1353

But obviously you didn't have that experience.  Sorry about that, and I am sure we can help you with any issues that arise.  But since you seem to have had an issue with a support ticket if I'm recalling correctly and this applies to anybody else here with similar complaints, you can send me your ticket numbers and I can have those reviewed.  These can be teaching opportunities, I'm not about to get someone fired or anything.  Of course I'll help you get taken care of but also have the experience used to improve.

Yes, IK Product Manager is a nice leap and usually result in hassle-free installations but like anything it could improve.  And it will.  Personally I would like not only the unauthorize capability we already have but uninstall would be great to add.  I've also suggested improvements to Custom Shop like giving us back the "gear I don't own" option for example.  But your issues can help as well, because if everybody doesn't have the experience that bdickens has there's a reason.  If it is something specifically happening to you, the support team should be able to identify and fix that.  If it is a problem with Product Manager and it affects more than just you, it needs to be recreated, tested, fixed, tested, and released.

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Luckily IK don’t do iLok. That damn PACE is holding too many devs back from porting to Apple silicon native. 

IK already made Modo Drum native so I’m hoping for a swift process of getting them all om my M1 without Rosetta. 

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3 hours ago, Peter - IK Multimedia said:

We do operate in the same industry and are in direct competition with those very companies - we are like them, we're not some lesser company who makes inferior products or who operates in any less professional a manner.

Sounds arrogant, does it not? More and more I am buying inferior products from those lesser companies, because they are much more professional and their installation and especially autorisation processes are 1000 times more customer (musician) friendly!

I don't like those bizarre, intransparent online monster product managers that first have to update themselves each time you call them! And almost none of them is not doing things that some users don't like (useless installs like avid stuff)!

24 minutes ago, Fleer said:

Luckily IK don’t do iLok. That damn PACE is holding too many devs back from porting to Apple silicon native.

Well, I prefer iLok over all those limited, provider specific online autorisations. When my laptop Windows breathed his last I had almost no problem with my iLok autorisations, but a lot of trouble with those latter!

With regard to Apple: I hate that so many devs were engaged with their stuff and did not work on other things, see many changelogs!

 

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This is not a complaint, just an observation. I built a new computer this year and experienced the joy of reinstalling all my DAW software, 15+ years worth of stuff. Without question, the most convoluted install process was with SampleTank 3 & 4 and the legacy IK programs. It took several tries before I got everything installed properly and in the correct folders. I wrote down the procedure in the event I should live long enough to ever have to do this again:

- - - - -

  • run the IK Product Manager and change the download location to: D:\Downloads\IK Multimedia Sound Files
  • copy the sound files in this folder to the backup drive; IK Multimedia places a 180 day limit on sound file downloads

- - - - -

  • after installing SampleTank 4 but before installing the sound files, run the program and change the library path to:
  • F:\SampleTank 4
  • do NOT include a path to SampleTank 3 yet because then SampleTank 4 will install all sound files there instead
  • SampleTank 4 install will automatically create a SampleTank 3 folder and install ST3 files there

- - - - -

  • after installing Syntronik but before installing the sound files, run the program and verify the correct library path:
  • F:\SampleTank 3
  • Syntronik should already be pointed to this location
  • Syntronik sound files *must* be installed in the SampleTank 3 folder

- - - - -

  • after the Syntronik sound files are installed, in SampleTank 4 add the library path for SampleTank 3 UNDERNEATH the path for SampleTank 4:
  • F:\SampleTank 4
  • F:\SampleTank 3
  • now Syntronik can be used within Sampletank 4

- - - - -

  • after installing Miroslav Philharmonik 2 but before installing the sound files, run the program and verify the correct library path:
  • F:\SampleTank 3
  • the Miroslav Philharmonik 2 installation should default to this location as SampleTank 4 already installed Miroslav Philharmonik CE files there
  • SampleTank 4 will recognize Miroslav Philharmonik 2 sound files without the need to install SampleTank 3
  • it is not necessary to uninstall Miroslav Philharmonik to recover hard drive space, as the sound files were initially installed into the SampleTank 3 folder

- - - - -

  • the SampleTank 3 program installation is only required if you want to import Sonik Synth and SampleTron; these sound files are not recognized in SampleTank 4
  • first, install Sonik Synth/SampleTron programs and sound files to their default locations
  • it is not necessary to authorize the programs; they will be uninstalled after importing the sound files into SampleTank 3
  • NOTE: first delete C:\Program Files (x86)\IK Multimedia\Sonik Synth 2\Instruments\I Elements B\G Groove Elements\130BPM_ailing.sti; this file will abort the ST3 import process

- - - - -

  • after installing SampleTank 3, run the program and verify the correct library path:
  • F:\SampleTank 3
  • Miroslav Philharmonik will be recognized automatically; Sonic Synth/SampleTron will need to be imported manually through the ST3 UI

- - - - -

  • after importing the Sonic Synth/SampleTron instrument libraries into SampleTank 3, uninstall Sonic Synth/SampleTron to recover hard drive space
  • run SampleTank 4
  • Sampletank 4 will NOT import legacy sound files, but only create links to the original files
  • now use SampleTank 3 for Sonik Synth/SampleTron and SampleTank 4 for everything else
     
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41 minutes ago, marled said:

I don't like those bizarre, intransparent online monster product managers that first have to update themselves each time you call them! And almost none of them is not doing things that some users don't like (useless installs like avid stuff)!

 

 

but all the companies sort of do that, dont they? Waves, NI, Arturia.. they all have product install manglers that force auto update whenever a new update is released.

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@Peter - IK Multimedia My experience with the IK Product Manager has been fairly smooth. There is one piece of constructive feedback that I will offer that in my (and maybe some others') opinion will bring IK's level of professionalism up to that of IK's competitors: please ask your team to explore the option of digitally signing IK's product installers/binaries.

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16 minutes ago, Pseudopop said:

Talking about product managers: I wonder if we'll someday see something like Steam for plugins?

The closest to that currently in existence is probably something like Splice.

A single Steam-like platform would be a nice idea, but I'm not sure I would want to/could re-purchase all of my plugins.

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7 hours ago, Peter - IK Multimedia said:

We do operate in the same industry and are in direct competition with those very companies - we are like them, we're not some lesser company who makes inferior products or who operates in any less professional a manner.  I'm sorry you had an unsatisfactory experience installing IK products but with or without snark, the IK Product Manager does make installations happen quite easily for the majority of people.  We try to make sure FAQs like the following about installing and authorizing IK software are on the front page of the IK FAQ so you don't have to search to find them:  https://www.ikmultimedia.com/faq/?id=1353

But obviously you didn't have that experience.  Sorry about that, and I am sure we can help you with any issues that arise.  But since you seem to have had an issue with a support ticket if I'm recalling correctly and this applies to anybody else here with similar complaints, you can send me your ticket numbers and I can have those reviewed.  These can be teaching opportunities, I'm not about to get someone fired or anything.  Of course I'll help you get taken care of but also have the experience used to improve.

Yes, IK Product Manager is a nice leap and usually result in hassle-free installations but like anything it could improve.  And it will.  Personally I would like not only the unauthorize capability we already have but uninstall would be great to add.  I've also suggested improvements to Custom Shop like giving us back the "gear I don't own" option for example.  But your issues can help as well, because if everybody doesn't have the experience that bdickens has there's a reason.  If it is something specifically happening to you, the support team should be able to identify and fix that.  If it is a problem with Product Manager and it affects more than just you, it needs to be recreated, tested, fixed, tested, and released.

I did not say IK is a lesser company.  I'm saying IK's installation/authorization processes are inferior to those other companies.  And I think you know that.  Again, to say one just needs to use the IK Product manager is disingenuous.  Look at @Olong Johnson  post above.    Just to install/authorize  Sampletank 4 requires two separate applications. 

Peter - you are a great representative online for your company.  I don't post much here or on KVR, but I read quite a bit.  You take quite a bit of "guff" for IK's shortcomings, and generally do it in a positive manner.  You are helpful, and put a good "face" to IK.  My point in my post was not to bash IK, just to relay my experiences as a first time customer.  I'm actually considering "buying in" again to the Group Buy.  

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3 hours ago, telecode 101 said:

but all the companies sort of do that, dont they? Waves, NI, Arturia.. they all have product install manglers that force auto update whenever a new update is released.

Those listed yes (most big ones)! But there are a lot medium and smaller companies that have either a simple Windows installer or even zip-files and autorisation is either included with the package or you get an autorisation file. I think 95% of the plugin and library software could simply be delivered with zip-files and in the end it would be much easier, because

  1. you could choose what you like to install (what you really need)
  2. you could choose where you like to install (with a common organization, not developer dependant)
  3. you would not have to install an installer or authorization program
  4. your program menus would not be cluttered
  5. the documentation could be in 1 place
  6. you could simply install on a offline system
  7. it would take less time to install on multiple systems
  8. you could simply backup the zip files
  9. ... (I am sure I have forgotten some arguments)

 

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