Brian Walton

I've been an Affinity fan since v1. But I also think that beyond the question of will it be free or not there is a lot of concern about how the development will progress. Adobe was stagnant for years with material updates but in the last 3 years have completely obliterated the pace of Affinity in workflow and feature enhancements. Even the move from v1 to v2 felt like almost nothing and then when they launch v3 about the only big deal is vector trace and getting all, not just some, of the photo tools to show up with what is effectively studio link that we had for a long time now. I need to mess with it more but as a weekly Affinity user (close to daily), I got a number of errors trying out some features in this new version. When they were bought by Canva they promised development would explode. Since it has been about a year in development since the last real update I'm not sure I agree we have seen that promise fulfilled yet. All that said, I'm thrilled I didn't have to drop another $130ish on an upgrade like I had to from v1 to v2. And as a volunteer photography educator, nothing is better than telling students high quality tools are free. Now if Capture One had not abandoned the free version, and only have the $300+ model....

I'd bet they are probably correct. The number of edit and create things completely manually is already becoming a tiny subset of the people out there creating content. I've been shocked to see how many people with no art skills at all have a canva account and literally get paid to use it at a job. Everything from an office manager using it to create name tags or flyers to people creating their entire marketing campaigns with it. The money has always been in selling to companies not individual creators and the market for people that want that AI assistance without having to dedicate years to get good at design is where the lions share is.

When I tested them I'll admit that at really extreme settings Kirchoff impressed me more than any other eq. That said, when I did a/b testing on normal settings that didn't need insane boosts someone shouldn't have to do with any decent source the differences I found to be negligible at best and the added filter types and far better interface for me personally certainly overcame any minor differences. Now if I have something that needs a crazy boost or cut, yes, Kirchoff is coming out. But for a tool that is basically on every track that I have to look at constantly, my vote goes for Toneboosters Pro. I bought Kirchoff before the TBP came out and expected it to be the end all eq but that interface leaves a lot to be desired. My eyesight and corrective lenses fall short. While it isn't anywhere close to the worst, they clearly don't have PHDs in human factors.

Honestly at that price I think the newish Toneboosters Pro EQ is a better deal. The interface is certainly more pleasing and the sound is great. Yes, I have the Kirchhoff and it is excellent, but I also find the interface elements to be "too small" even though the overall interface is resizable. It does sound as good as anything out there to me though.

For anyone that owned all 3 it felt like one app (other than a few limitations on the photo side) for years due to the studio link functionality. If you opened publisher you could switch between all 3 in the same way they have done here. vs the new interface: The announcement video claims they are going with the "free model" forever on this. Time will tell, but at least I'm glad the update wasn't another money grab. This is going to take some getting used to though with the interface changes.

Same - and FYI on the error:

PSA This requires a physical ilok or the dreaded cloud auth. Does not support the local computer authorization like a decent company would Also the link they send you to login after filling out the form is some tracking link

I'm thankful that making hit sounding tracks for money was never my intent of picking up an instrument. For those who's income is dependent on pumping out release ready tracks that sound like the top 200, I'd be terrified.

Only 553 more participants until it hits the highest tier and all will be unlocked. I'd be surprised if this doesn't happen by tomorrow.

It is certainly counterintuitive. I mean, in what world would buying a full version not qualify but what is typically cheaper (an upgrade) qualify? Only world this makes sense in is IKM. This is the nonsense to deal with to get a pretty epic group buy. They really need to work on the wording and versions though. We have seen Pro, MAX, CS, SE, (no version explanation beyond a product name), then you have upgrade versions of these different products. and then MAX for some products doesn't even come with everything. It is a nightmare until you actually do a bunch of research.

Exactly, the full version does not count and is excluded. As it is not an upgrade version, only upgrade versions of that product qualify. Full Version = Non-Upgrade Version Upgrade Version = Upgrade Version

There is a version you purchase outright - this is a non-upgrade version. Typically this costs more than an upgrade version, but because of some promos there are times where this costs dramatically less, such as the deal you are seeing and why IKM is excluding them. Upgrade version they seem so to have more set controls on currently so you wouldn't be getting an upgrade version for $30 outside of a pricing error is what I'm gathering. And an "upgrade" version, which means you already have one lower tier version. The word they use isn't "upgradable" it is "upgrade."

States pretty clearly in the terms and conditions that non-upgrade versions of Amplitude don't qualify. So I'd consider it a risky move.

Yeah, but it looks kind of rusty. Easy pass for me.

Top of the class is a phrase that doesn't necessarily mean the singular best but is in one of the top percentile ranges. VSL Id also give a similar designation. They are effectively different flavors due to mic placement and mics used and there is certainly some subjectivity of preference given how close they are in response and sound quality. The VSL libraries are also in the 50GB per piano range and tend to be more expensive.