Plugin Alliance new vouchers and new subscription system

[Yan Filiatrault]

Dirk Ulrich announcement in FB:

The news you have been waiting for! This is what we have for our upcoming MEGASTORE so far. ?

MEGA Bundle x3 - coming very soon.

Starting at just $9.99/mo with NEW Deal of Your Life!

Let me know what you think in the comments! Whether you love it or hate it though: Keep it classy, please. We have worked on this for quite some time, have talked to a TON of customers, and we believe this is the absolute BEST deal out there, anywhere.

NEW! PUBLIC BETA ACCESS FOR ALL OUR MEGA (A) USERS!

Try and use upcoming plugins, weeks before we sell them or even put them into the smaller MEGA tiers. There will a discord.com channel where you can discuss new releases with other MEGA users, and our team will monitor these threads so we can catch bugs together! Have a feature request or idea? Let us know in our new discord channel. See you there very soon. 

COMPLIMENATARY UPGRADES FOR ALL CURRENT MEGA SUBSCRIBERS!

If you are currently subscribed to MEGA, whether it's on a monthly plan or annual plan, we will upgrade you to the BEST tier of MEGA - at what ever price you are paying right now! Even if you used our 1st "Deal Of Your Lifetime" in 2019... we will honor the price you currently pay as long as you stay subscribed. No action required on your end, we got you!

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER SUBCRIPTION BUNDLES?

If you are subscribed to MIX & MASTER, the MUSICIAN or the ESSENTIAL Bundle, here is some important info: the new MEGA x3 plans will replace the current "smaller" plans, but we will either upgarde you complimentary to a BETTER plan at the same price you pay right now, or we will keep your plan active without accepting new subscribers. We won't kick out anybody, of course! Please stay tuned, we will announce more news in the next 1-2 weeks.

NEW SUBSCRIPTION VOUCHERS: PICK ANY X PLUGINS!

The current cash-back vouchers ($ based) will be replaced with new and way simpler, "plugin vouchers", which you can use ANYTIME after you paid for a year or after 12 consecutive monthly payments. No more waiting for the next MEGA sale. Get your voucher, grab your extras. See details in my overview below!

NEW PA LOYALTY VOUCHERS!

Starting next month we will send everybody(!) who is currently receiving a $25 cash voucher via our email list one NEW voucher: that is a simple "PICK ANY 1 PLUGIN FOR $24.99" out of a huge selection. A few restrictions will apply, for example the very latest and greatest plugins. But for collectors... you won't be disappointed! Use the code in the month you receive it, or lose it.

All of you who receive a $50 voucher right now: you will receive the same voucher, but you can use it 2x in the same month.

If you receive a $75 vouchers right now, you can use the voucher 3x!

NEW! UNIQUE RENT-2-OWN MINI-BUNDLES!

To make it even easier to access our plugins, even if cash is tight, we will create a big number of mini bundles (2-5 plugins each), which you can buy for $4.99/mo or $9.99/mo. These bundles will also be sold as perpetual licenses (pay right away), and they will be priced at aggressive discount pricing! Get some amazing deals from PA, anytime, and pay them off over time.

The best about this? We will add a number of plugins to each bundle as "long term trial", which you can use while you are paying off you Rent-2-Own bundles! Imagine paying off 3 plugins in a mini-bundle over 6 months, but being able to use 13 plugins during these 6 months, at no extra cost!

WHAT ELSE?

Well, I believe this is quite a lot of info, and I am only showing this to YOU in this group right now. PA reserves the right to make last-minute changes to these plans if needed, and we won't be held responsible for potential mistakes or typos.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Let me know in the comments, team Plugin Alliance is very curious to hear your thoughts on all of this. GO! ?

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by Yan Filiatrault

[Yan Filiatrault]

Better than keeping PA Forever 29 IMO

[antler]

Sounds good - perhaps they noticed a min spend of $50 caused a lack of voucher usage; it certainly contributed to me letting a few vouchers go unused. It mentions that the new vouchers will exclude the latest and greatest for a little while - I wonder how long that gap will be.

[Yan Filiatrault]

27 minutes ago, antler said:

Sounds good - perhaps they noticed a min spend of $50 caused a lack of voucher usage; it certainly contributed to me letting a few vouchers go unused. It mentions that the new vouchers will exclude the latest and greatest for a little while - I wonder how long that gap will be.

I usually don't subscribe, but with the lower tier, you can still access all their plugins year long, while getting 3 plugins of your choice to keep after that for a reasonable price. Clever pricing.

[stony]

If they had a heart for second-hand sellers/buyers of their plugins, they could make the new loyalty vouchers eligible to "pay" the $20 transfer fee with them...

[Yan Filiatrault]

I read on the Facebook comments that Mix & Master subscription will be upgraded to Mega B, while continuing paying 149$ a year. So 6 plugins of your choice to keep for 149$ a year, 25$ each, while having access to all of their plugins year long, and some other perks.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Yan Filiatrault

[marcL]

For those that have most what they want it's no good deal IMO! Still not interested in subs!

[Last Call]

At this point in life I think  I have finally understood the importance of being in your clients' minds. For real.

I think they keep changing it for controversy's sake so they remain relevant with us.

Even if you don't buy anything right now.

Just this forum alone it's PA this, PA that, with dearly missed Larry, it was also IK Multimedia ?, those 2 get hot topics here.

Now ask me if I have even heard about z Plane or any other plugin company.

Even Softube is kind of forgotten (not a hot topic, not even AA).

[Brian Walton]

Looks like a terrible deal.  Trying to get people on the $75 tier to spend $75 in a month out of pocket?  Crazy.  

And with all the latest and greatest excluded from the $25, those of us that have just about everything they could want have no incentive. 

I'm betting GP4 and the dearvr are also excluded despite being old enough.

Also agree with Stony that this move also kills transfers.

 

[fitzroy]

2 hours ago, stony said:

If they had a heart for second-hand sellers/buyers of their plugins, they could make the new loyalty vouchers eligible to "pay" the $20 transfer fee with them...

I was wondering about that myself. Didn't see any related feedback from Dirk yet, so maybe there's hope? 

[Yan Filiatrault]

1 hour ago, marled said:

For those that have most what they want it's no good deal IMO! Still not interested in subs!

It's interesting for those that keep planning to buy at least 3 PA plugins a year. That's the price you pay on the lower tier to have access to everything and to choose 3 perpetual plugins. Depends on your needs.

Edited August 13, 2022 by Yan Filiatrault

[kitekrazy]

 I'm beginning to think that more DAW users are exhausted from adding more effects to their library.  IS there really anything new under the sun? No, but when something comes out it has to be praised as the latest and greatest and then you get some end users to go along with that. Sample library developers are going through the same thing trying to reinvent the wheel.   The world economy isn't the great and these things are now looked at as luxuries.  I get why so many are turning to offer subs.  I guess most are willing to bite on $9 a month on most things.  Subs are also dangerous to the end user if they don't keep track of them.  

[Bapu]

7 hours ago, Yan Filiatrault said:

Better than keeping PA Forever 29 IMO

Agreed if I went MEGA (A). In three years time* I could own the whole current lot (excluding UAD dupes I already own). Of course, in that time they will release quite a few new ones that I may want and so it goes.

*Actually, two years and 1 day if I pay annually.

[Brian Walton]

Do the current "subscriptions" on PA also have the single seat or double seat license limitations?  I assumed it was 3 seats just like you bought them but only good during the period you are paying.  

 

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by Brian Walton

[e-cue]

12 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

Do the current "subscriptions" on PA also have the single seat or double seat license limitations?  I assumed it was 3 seats just like you bought them but only good during the period you are paying.  

 

 

The plans have it listed on the bottom of the XL doc.  Currently, "If you need more than 3 active devices for a plugin, you can purchase an additional license." under my mega plan.

Edited August 14, 2022 by e-cue

[Yan Filiatrault]

2 hours ago, e-cue said:

The plans have it listed on the bottom of the XL doc.  Currently, "If you need more than 3 active devices for a plugin, you can purchase an additional license." under my mega plan.

I was going to answer but his question is on the current subscriptions, not the upcoming ones.

[e-cue]

57 minutes ago, Yan Filiatrault said:

I was going to answer but his question is on the current subscriptions, not the upcoming ones.

 

2 hours ago, e-cue said:

Currently, "If you need more than 3 active devices for a plugin, you can purchase an additional license." under my mega plan.

 

[Starship Krupa]

On 8/13/2022 at 10:05 AM, Last Call said:

At this point in life I think  I have finally understood the importance of being in your clients' minds. For real.

This is certainly proof:

On 8/13/2022 at 6:46 AM, Yan Filiatrault said:

A few restrictions will apply, for example the very latest and greatest plugins. But for collectors... you won't be disappointed!

They get it. Plug-ins as Pokemon cards. I'm subject to this too. Maybe it's a "spectrum" thing?

On 8/13/2022 at 11:05 AM, Paul Young said:

I'm beginning to think that more DAW users are exhausted from adding more effects to their library.  IS there really anything new under the sun? No....

This.

When it comes to mixing FX, I agree. There are new ones that feature "AI," ones that analyze a track and put an instant results whammy on it, but for compressors, limiters, clippers, transient shapers, de-essers, EQ's, console emulators, saturators, delays, modulation FX, analyzers....they've been done to death. Everything in this area that comes out touts "analog mojo" or another faithful emulation of an old piece of hardware.

I'm not down on people who get stoked about these types of FX. If someone wants every possible flavor at their fingertips and can remember how to use them, that's beyond my capabilities.

If you read my post from when I built my new DAW system....I got rid of hundreds of mixing plug-ins. Keepers: all my Meldaproduction stuff, the kHs freebie snap-ins, elysia and Lindell, some other PA odds and ends, some bx stuff, all T-Racks, all iZotope Exponential Audio reverbs. Still a pretty deep bench.

The only new FX that pique my interest at this point are the wacko sound design-y ones like Unfiltered Audio, Glitchmachines, Freakshow Industries, Valhalla, Venom and Sphere from W.A. Rhythmic filters and glitchers like Stutter Edit. Objeq Delay, Sigmund. Also spatial FX. I want to do 3-D sounds a la Telefon Tel Aviv and Tipper.

Now when I open Cakewalk's plug-in browser, it's a relief not to see all the mixing FX that didn't make the cut. I felt some weird responsibility to "give them a chance." Maybe it'll be magic on some track. No, it's just another damn EQ, it cuts and boosts frequencies. I'll try to get good at using the handful I kept. My poor brain can't keep track of too many mixing FX.

That said, if you're into sound design and can dig a modular workflow, BYOME and TRIAD by Unfiltered Audio are must-haves at $25. G8 is also the best gate on the market, although the version you get in the CM bundle has about 90% of the functionality of the PA version. There's nothing in the current PA catalog I'll want until the next Unfiltered Audio thingamabob.

[Nick Blanc]

2 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

This is certainly proof:

They get it. Plug-ins as Pokemon cards. I'm subject to this too. Maybe it's a "spectrum" thing?

This.

When it comes to mixing FX, I agree. There are new ones that feature "AI," ones that analyze a track and put an instant results whammy on it, but for compressors, limiters, clippers, transient shapers, de-essers, EQ's, console emulators, saturators, delays, modulation FX, analyzers....they've been done to death. Everything in this area that comes out touts "analog mojo" or another faithful emulation of an old piece of hardware.

I'm not down on people who get stoked about these types of FX. If someone wants every possible flavor at their fingertips and can remember how to use them, that's beyond my capabilities.

If you read my post from when I built my new DAW system....I got rid of hundreds of mixing plug-ins. Keepers: all my Meldaproduction stuff, the kHs freebie snap-ins, elysia and Lindell, some other PA odds and ends, some bx stuff, all T-Racks, all iZotope Exponential Audio reverbs. Still a pretty deep bench.

The only new FX that pique my interest at this point are the wacko sound design-y ones like Unfiltered Audio, Glitchmachines, Freakshow Industries, Valhalla, Venom and Sphere from W.A. Rhythmic filters and glitchers like Stutter Edit. Objeq Delay, Sigmund. Also spatial FX. I want to do 3-D sounds a la Telefon Tel Aviv and Tipper.

Now when I open Cakewalk's plug-in browser, it's a relief not to see all the mixing FX that didn't make the cut. I felt some weird responsibility to "give them a chance." Maybe it'll be magic on some track. No, it's just another damn EQ, it cuts and boosts frequencies. I'll try to get good at using the handful I kept. My poor brain can't keep track of too many mixing FX.

That said, if you're into sound design and can dig a modular workflow, BYOME and TRIAD by Unfiltered Audio are must-haves at $25. G8 is also the best gate on the market, although the version you get in the CM bundle has about 90% of the functionality of the PA version. There's nothing in the current PA catalog I'll want until the next Unfiltered Audio thingamabob.

I kinda agree. I find myself buying more creative plugins (reverb, delay, etc) lately than the standard mixing stuff. That's not to say I don't buy any mixing stuff at all, but it's getting more and more rare. I still want an API buscompressor just because (and PA has a pretty good one I believe) and maybe some saturation because I like having different flavors. But I don't see myself buying more than 1-2 plugins from PA this year. In hindsight it is a bit silly, I don't have the skills to really know when it's best to use an opto compressor or a FET, but i have loads of them.

[Sergio]

On 8/13/2022 at 10:47 AM, Yan Filiatrault said:

Better than keeping PA Forever 29 IMO

I need to evaluate every option carefully but, as my criteria for "goodness" are the plugins we can keep after cancelling the subscription, with F29 you keep 12 plugins after a year against only 10 in the MEGA bundle. So, until anything changes, I'll keep F29.

But I also intend to restrict my spend with PA plugins to $31 per month while at it. There are better values during sales but then you end up spending more. As I said I have LOTS of PA plugins already and have no reason to hurry. One per month, $31 per month, can choose anyone, coupons that never expire... that's good enough for me.

Edited August 15, 2022 by Sergio