andrew7a wrote:Just trying to clarify what some find confusing here. There always seems to be some kind of misunderstanding between "update", "upgrade" and the various terms of a new versions release.
I don't know if that was directed at me!.
No, really another general comment about the frequent and seemingly common confusion expressed here and in other threads when it comes to the various offers and pricing.
andrew7a wrote:My point was (not aimed at Mixcraft but in general) that there is a difference between pushing development forward in terms of innovation; bringing an existing program up to the same standard as current competition and adding a new synth and calling it an upgrade. I personally hope for Option 2.
My experience continues to be that Acoustica tries to find a reasonable balance between the three, in an effort perhaps to please the broadest base. And thus, in the case of Mixcraft 8, IMO there is a bit of innovation, And as far as #3 goes, there may be something of interest for some Pro-Studio customers.
Some of the many tweaks and features have been revealed in various threads here, some are yet to be officially announced. My impression, this upgrade is not centered or focused on plug ins, virtual instruments etc. by any means, but there's some cool new stuff there.
The integration of Melodyne essentials is pretty big though, and many should find that worth the cost of upgrading in itself.
But going back to that #2- Honestly, I am finding it hard to reply to that without unintentionally sounding "snarky", which I have no desire to be.
First of course, it depends on your definition of "current competition" right?
Let me explain by relating my own experience with the software.
Prior to Mixcraft all my audio experience was old and analog. I
had experimented a little with Audacity, which at the time was a pretty basic bare bones application.
I decided to explore further. But I was returning to multitrack and mixing very new to the digital realm.
I downloaded and explored the trial version of Mixcraft 4.5 and was very intrigued. By the time I began to get a feel for it Mixcraft 5 was just being released and I decided to purchase the program. I don't recall the price at the time, but I do recall it blew my previous experience exploring v4.5, much less Audacity away. Did I expect Pro-tools etc. at that price? Certainly not!
Seemingly in no time I found my self considering Mixcraft 6, and was amazed at the value of a modestly priced upgrade.
Then I decided to upgrade to the Pro-studio version. I would not say the additional plug ins and such were really useful to me, beyond the reason I made the decision, which was Pianissimo. Worth the cost by itself IMO and I never regretted it.
The final build of MX6 was pretty good IMO, and I had become very familiar and comfortable with it.
Then along came version 7 and soon after I upgraded again. Another incremental improvement, nothing earth shattering. It ran better on my system and added a few nice useful features. Did it make it equivalent to Studio one etc? No, and I never expected it would.
Now we are faced with version 8. $39.95 to move forward. A bunch of useful improvements, and the bonus of Melodyne essentials, which once again, is worth the cost alone IMO.
Do I expect it to make Mixcraft equal to a $300+ DAW? No.
It does what I need for the most part though, and if I really needed the $300+ DAW I would get it. I don't at this time. If I did I would buy one or more of those programs as needed.
And in the interest of honesty and full disclosure, I have two other audio applications I have been using for some very specific purposes simply because of features Mixcraft did not have. One hasn't been opened since I started beta testing Mixcraft 8 because it has functions that eliminate that need. The other? Not yet. Here's hoping that a future version will eliminate that situation. But I am not complaining, even with all three combined expenses I am not spending big boy DAW money and am very pleased with the capacity of what I can do. Its amazing really!
And my experience and interaction with Acoustica over time has made me a very big fan. This gang would be welcome to hang out for BBQ and beer, or whatever anytime if it weren't for the drive time.......