Subject:software prices getting ridiculous!

Posted by: jeffrey01

Date:8/19/2002 11:29:11 AM

i paid $299 for acid 2.o 2 years ago and $99 acid 3.0 last year now another $99 for acid 4.0. in seven years acid will cost me $1000 dollars.who said software is cheaper than hardware. how should a long supporter of acid pay $500 when a newbie pay $250 for acid 4.0 now. i think they make more continuos money with their supporters then someone just buying for the first time.i dont know maybe all you guys are rich but this is hurting me. add up all your versions. how much did you guys pay? acid 4 seems great but a "catchup" to other programs. everyone has to agree acid 3.0 for $99 was a JOKE!! $99 to use the chopper instead of useing S split key . anyone who paid $99 for acid 3 should get a discount for acid 4!

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: Jacose

Date:8/19/2002 11:36:12 AM

everyone has to agree acid 3.0 for $99 was a JOKE!!

if so, why did you buy it?

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:8/19/2002 11:39:17 AM

Jeffrey, the difference between what you've paid all along and a newbie getting it for $250 now is that you've also had the use of it all along. You could have stayed at version 2.0 and still been using it today without paying another penny. It would still do everything for you now that it did the day you first got it.

Look around at other products and i think you'll find that overall SonicFoundry software is some of the least expensive software in it's class.

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: hermanakos

Date:8/19/2002 11:47:10 AM

I paid $199 for Acid Pro 3, as I owned Acid Music 2. So for me together with the upgrade to Pro 4 I'm looking at $400 (including purchasing Acid Music 2). If I had skipped upgrading to Pro 3 I would only pay the $99 now, so yes I feel a bit stolen.
On the other hand, I liked Pro 3 and I don't consider it throwing away money, as the Music-version was too limited for me. I think that SOFO should have charged Music and Style-owners more for the upgrade to version 4, or that they should have offered more extras to PRO-owners. Now, it doesn't matter when you upgrade which version you own.
I guess SOFO needs money badly. Well, together with SF, Vegas and NR I have given around $1200 to them, which I think is not bad for 3 years.. That's twice as much as I gave for Cubase SX which includes lifetime support for free! At SOFO I have to pay $99 per year for each product I own to get some support!
I think we all - as honest users of SOFO who do pay for their software - pay the price for all those copycats out there who download the demo and run a keygen and have the product for $0.....

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: drbam

Date:8/19/2002 12:09:25 PM

<<Look around at other products and i think you'll find that overall SonicFoundry software is some of the least expensive software in it's class.>>

I totally agree. SoFo's upgrade offers are consistent with (and usually better in my opinion) than the competitors so I think the criticism of SoFo in this regard is unjustified. I'd like to have a lot of gear and software that I simply can't afford. But if I think its overpriced, its clearly my issue, not the manufacturer's.

drbam

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: jeffrey01

Date:8/19/2002 12:13:40 PM

youre right were paying for the copycats.however $99 here $99 there it doesnt seem much but when you add it up. if you had to pay $1200 for the products at once you would of never bought them. you thought sofo was crasy. but actully you did.

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: hermanakos

Date:8/19/2002 12:21:14 PM

That's true, I wouldn't have paid $1200 at once. Besides, I also received free versions of Vegas LE, SoundForge XP etc. For me they were of not much use since I own the larger versions, but still, SOFO gives some value for money. I just don't like the fact that we as PRO-users pay the same for the upgrade as a Style-user. On the other hand, I have paid my $99 without any hesitation. ACID is a need-to-have-application for me.

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: jeffrey01

Date:8/19/2002 12:41:41 PM

youre right bro i need it also, however let us never stop demanding only the best from sofo and other products. competition is good and it benefits the consumer.you have orion and fruityloops for example aggressively making their products better and better with far less finacial backing than sofo.its us ,acid users,our responsibility to make our voices heard (both praise and ridicure), because who eles will. we can move mountains YIKES getting carried away see ya

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: hermanakos

Date:8/19/2002 12:50:08 PM

Well, I visited a musicshop here (Amsterdam, Holland) last week and discussed SOFO and ACID there. They carried some of their products but hardly sell it, simply because of a lack in marketing, a lack in knowledge and support from the distributor and because there's no demand. SOFO here is seen as a low-end product, while in fact is medium to high-end. People here go for Fruityloops and Steinberg unfortunately. I'm doing my best over here, but sometimes it looks that I'm all alone in the desert......

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: Jessariah

Date:8/19/2002 2:00:55 PM

I know I'm jumping in a bit late here, but...

1. Whoever said that software was less expensive than hardware? Maybe a few years back when a gig was something a band did and PrintMaster Gold was the cutting edge of layout software...Certainly not anymore.

And, like others have said here -- who is forcing anyone to upgrade? 3.0 was working just fine. 4.0 offers more. It's up to you to determine whether or not it's worth $99. To me, the amount I have invested in loop libraries makes me want as many tools at my disposal to make them sound as good as they can.

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: David_Kuznicki

Date:8/19/2002 2:04:41 PM

This is hardly anything new; SoFo certainly didn't pioneer upgrade pricing. I mean, if I added up all of the upgrades I've bought this year alone... I'm sure it would make my head spin. But it's like this-- do I resent having to send Adobe $100 to upgrade After Effects 5.0 to 5.5? Nope. Do I begrudge sending SoFo $100 if there's an upgrade that I want? Again, nope. They can't very well give it away for free, and I don't expect them to.

What it does come down to, however, is whether or not you feel you need the new features in whatever new version you're buying. I, for one, did not feel inclined to pop X-amount of dollars on Sound Forge 6; 5 does just fine. And, if SF 6.5 or 7 (whatever they decide to put out) has something new and exciting that I need... I'll upgrade then, and probably for the same price as someone who had bought SF6.

It's all about your needs.

David.

Subject:RE: software prices getting ridiculous!

Reply by: hermanakos

Date:8/19/2002 2:20:10 PM

Upgrades are also a way to show your continued support for a product, regardless of your needs. Did I need this upgrade to PRO 4.0? Yes I did. Not for the 5.1 Surround-thing (that's already in Cubase SX), but for the VSTi-support. Now I can use ACID as the program to do the first steps in my projects, instead for exporting my loops to wav, importing in Cubase and trying to sync it with my MIDI. Was my upgrade to SF6 worth it? Definately, it's 100 times better and quicker than SF5. Upgrades are a fact of software-life, the user needs them and the producer really needs the $$.

Subject:My little soliloquy

Reply by: DougHamm

Date:8/19/2002 4:55:28 PM

Back in the (g)olden days of home PCs, video games had developers' names slapped all over the place (anyone remember Bill Budge? Two Guys From Andromeda?). Graphic artists and musicians, too (Dan Bunten from M.U.L.E.?). It was a time when the playing field was very small and enthusiasts made personal connections with the few masters of the trade. When you bought a game, you felt as though you were in a way saying thanks to the folks who worked hard for their money.

Music has always been like that for me; I skipped over the whole Napster thing because the bands I listen to _don't_ make a whole lot of money compared to the likes of Eminem, and I feel like I'm personally helping them out when I buy their albums.

Commercial software has in many respects outgrown its humble, personal roots, what with the likes of Microsoft and all. I think that the care and attention paid to SF clients by SF staff in these online forums go a long way to keeping that link alive. Not everyone is out to rip off the customers, especially those folks who work so hard to create a product they're proud of. So, thanks!

That said, it disheartens me when discussion threads get out of control, especially when it's obvious that the developers taking personal offense to comments. I believe firmly that any employee posting of a product is _ALWAYS_ speaking for the company, so words must be chosen very, very carefully - but at the same time it's quite unfair for clients to take advantage of that fact and back developers into corners from which their only perceived escape is to take things too personally and respond in kind.

Personally I think SF customers and should advertise these forums better. There are so few messages about Vegas, for instance, on rec.video.desktop - because those in the know come here! It's a wonderful product feature as far as I'm concerned.

Take care,

-Doug