I wish...

Support and feedback for Beatcraft.

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Swineren
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 5:04 pm

I wish...

Post by Swineren »

I recently got Beatcraft primarily as a way lay down drum tracks that were more interesting than just trying to record to a click track. Overall, I love the program and how it does what it does, but it has a few quirks that are just plain annoying. I know that Acoustica would rather I buy mixcraft, but I already have a DAW (Studio One) and don't need theirs. If I wanted to use a keyboard (that I don't have) to play drums (that I don't know how to) I would use the S1 plugin.

What I need is Beatcraft, but with some tweaks.

Ability to lock the kit list in place so it doesn't scroll off the screen when I pan the pattern. I routinely need multiple measures and 8-16 steps and it is very easy to get lost and click the wrong instrument. Oh, and lock the track list while you are at it. Same reasons.

Better visual delineation for measures and steps. The slight greying for measures is ok, but after a while the eyes don't see it anymore and having to count the 16 (or more) little boxes to figure out where you are within a measure is a pain.

Ability to change the colors of patterns! Trying to organize a 5 minute song with 20 or so patterns is a uniquely frustrating endeavor when you can't easily tell when one pattern group changes (ie, verse, chorus, bridge, etc). I have tried using multiple tracks for each segment but that leads to...

Count all the measures, not just the ones in Track 1! Just because I put the bridge on track 2 does not mean it is 1 measure long. If my song plan says I need a particular sting halfway through the 3rd verse on measure 45 I should be able to go there and not have to subtract for the sections not counted

Insert vs replace a pattern. I recently did a song and after rendering it down and recording my bass line, I realized I left a measure out in the first chorus. When I went to insert it, it simply replaced the pattern that was there so I had to move EVERYTHING one measure down on all tracks. Frustration level: Postal. This, of course brings up..

Zoom ability on both the sequencer and pattern editor. I need to select 30+ measures of patterns and using the scroll bar to get from one place to the next is tedious at best. Scrolling through to make sure I got all 3 bridges in is much more difficult than if I could zoom out on the sequence and see the entire layout of the song.

How about being able to change the kit mid song?

These are just a few things I have noticed in the short time I have been using this program. I am sure other members here have ideas as well. I challenge you to put up a thread for improvement ideas and see just what your customers want.

I know your company has no plans to improve this program because it doesn't make you a lot of money, but that is backwards thinking. With some tweaks and an commitment to making the best product you possibly can, you could easily sell not only more copies but at a higher price. For $39, I got what I paid for but I would have paid $79+ for a better interface and I would bet dollars to doughnuts that a large majority of the people on this forum would agree.

In other words, try ranking your customers above the bean counters and while I'm sure mixcraft is cool, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Keep It Simple, Stupid is always good advice.

I wish you would listen and make things better, but I am a realist. There is very little room in corporate America for the little guy (want proof? Try buying a medium t-shirt at a concert). I will continue to use your program for now but the search is on for something better. Of course, you already have my $40 but, you could have had a lot more.
7915983
Posts: 211
Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2014 12:34 pm

Re: I wish...

Post by 7915983 »

It's time for beatcraft 2
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geo524
Posts: 101
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 5:26 am

Re: I wish...

Post by geo524 »

Or better yet EZdrummer 2.
http://www.toontrack.com/ezdrummer-line/

It has all the features you've outlined here and then some. My most favorite feature is "tap 2 find". I also have Superior Drummer which is Toontrack's flagship drum sampler but I find I am using EZdrummer 2 a lot more.
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