In another thread, Greg posted this link to an article written by Dan. It really is worth the read so I'm reposting it as its own topic in hope that it garners greater attention.
It's a great read, very interesting and insights into what it's like for the developers working on the other side of the counter.
I, for one, find it frustrating with how many people come onto this and similar forums and assert that MC (or whatever product) MUST be at fault, no it couldn't possibly be anything else in the chain or any combination in the chain, or God forbid, user error! It HAS to be the DAW's fault!!!!!!
The simple fact is, no matter how *easy* products may seem at the end-user stage, anything involving software coding has so many variables and issues for the developers to overcome.
Thanks for all that you guys do, your hard work, persistence and commitment to product improvement.
Greg, it ainÔÇÖt necessarily the computers. I read DanÔÇÖs article. He needs my help.
As you already know, I know absolutely nothing about C++ and even less about DAWÔÇÖs. ItÔÇÖs a complete mystery as to how Dan developed MC5ÔÇÖs WaveRT Exclusive Mode driver. What I do know is that on my machine, MC5 runs totally bug free. I think I know why, and itÔÇÖs not that IÔÇÖm lucky; but thatÔÇÖs a different story.
There are several ways to make DanÔÇÖs job easier. First, Acoustica could give up on bass ackward compatibility with operating systems or hardware devices that are no longer supported or have been discontinued by their manufacturers. If MS can dump XP and, soon, Vista SP1, Acoustica can too. Ditto Digitec GNX3000. Acoustic probably wonÔÇÖt do this for fear of pissing off those of you still using this stuff. Or trying to.
Second, on their website, Acoustic should not direct us to zZound.com for audio devices that are incompatible with MC5ÔÇÖs WaveRT Exclusive Mode which, I suspect, was developed by Dan. Acoustica might not do this for fear of pissing off zZounds.
Third, AcousticÔÇÖs site could identify the requirements for the WaveRT Exclusive Mode. They should make clear that it does not run in XP or Vista or require external audio devices or driver updates. This might boost the sales of motherboards that support WaveRT.
Fourth, Acoustica should make clear that most audio device manufacturers are far behind in developing ASIO drivers for Win7. It seems most ASIO users have figured this out and come up with workarounds. Markcm has it wired. Oxrob too.
Fifth, Acoustica should explain that ASIO and WaveRT both offer high quality, low latency recording. If WaveRT didn't provide high quality, it wouldn't have been added to MC5. Unfortunately, this will also piss off, really, really piss off, well. you know who you are. Not you Leigh.
As I see it, if Acoustic did these things, Dan might have time to develop ASIO5ALL, or ASIO(your number here)ALL or help those folks at ProTools, or CuBase or Audacity.
Mixcraft5ÔÇÖs Exclusive Mode, making software easy to use. USB free and lovin it.
bil
win7 64; Realtek ALC 889 sound card on MSI mobo; MC6 Pro; band in a box 2011; Gateway NV55S28U Laptop... it has Realtek onboard sound.
WaveRT is not available for Windows XP, it first became available in Windows Vista. Windows Vista users should be able to use WaveRT if their hardware device supports it.
Wildbil, you should know that your personal experience with USB devices and ASIO is not mirrored by everyone else. There are lots of people who are able to use USB devices quite successfully. There are also lots of people happily recording with Wave or ASIO on Windows XP.
We provide support for Wave, ASIO and WaveRT so that customers having problems with one can switch to another. They all provide high quality recording, with the latter two providing much lower latency.
Very interesting article. The only thing missing is the part where you have to explain to the PHB with no technical knowledge whatsoever what happened. "Well, the CPU meter feature was causing a problem with the dongle."
???
ETAOIN SHRDLU craunches marmosets interstitially during vascular degeneration sporadically.
Oh, yes, yes I see.
Keep up the good work.
And this guy has a college degree. (my PHB) Apparently, I should have wasted 2 more years worth of time and money, because anyone seems to be able to get one.
Last edited by Bill Melater on Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
In an attempt to avoid software piracy, some software companies require a "dongle" in order to operate their software. These days the dongle is often a USB stick called an iLok. If you want to use the software, the USB stick must be connected to your computer. In the case of this bug, people who had Windows XP and an iLok experienced a crash when Mixcraft 5 tried to display its CPU meter.
Bill Melater wrote:Very interesting article. The only thing missing is the part where you have to explain to the PHB with no technical knowledge whatsoever what happened. "Well, the CPU meter feature was causing a problem with the dongle."
???
ETAOIN SHRDLU craunches marmosets interstitially during vascular degeneration sporadically.
Oh, yes, yes I see.
Keep up the good work.
And this guy has a college degree. (my PHB) Apparently, I should have wasted 2 more years worth of time and money, because anyone seems to be able to get one.
I was making a comment about my boss(PHB), not you guys. Demands to know why X happened, so that it will never happen again. Can't even describe to him in simplest words possible what happened, because there is no vocabulary he understands. I guess that's why there's Dilbert.
Thanks for the kind words re: my article. I hope it helps shed at least a little bit of light into what goes into making Mixcraft compatible with all your hardware, OSes, and plug-ins. We're certainly not always perfect but we try really hard to fix problems when they're discovered, and to make the software better. I can't wait for you all to see what we've got planned for Mixcraft 6. Mixcraft is going to continue to get better and better, I promise you all that!
What is an average day for you guys and girls like with Acoustica?
Can you kick back at the end of a long day and enjoy a good book or are you constantly dreaming of computer codes and throwing darts at pictures of ILoks?
