Should I pull the trigger?

[BigBoyBeats56]

Hello to all in all,

I am new to this company a new to the forum. I’m running a MacBook with a 1 TB upgrade, a relatively brand new iPad Pro, and the new iPhone 13.

I am a record producer, performing artist, and teacher. My focus now is on composition, songwriting and sound design.

I have unfortunately lost the professional use of my hands due to disease and old age. So I can’t gig, tour, or do any of the things I used to do over the past 50 years.

So I have been researching and implementing new techniques so that I can still have music in my life. That’s how I got into Soundesign. I do most of my work on the iPhone.

So here’s a general question or two:

To the folks who use the software to run their guitar signal chain, how does it compare to something like positive grid?

For example positive grid allows one to connect with other users and share different settings and so forth. Does AmpliTube have that kind of feature?

All in all, I’ve searched through the IK website and it looks like they’re super organized with pretty good customer service. How do you folks feel about that?

Is the pricing fair and competitive?

Does a technology increase your ability to be creative or is it a pain in the ass?

Thank you wanna know if your time and consideration; I welcome long responses with detail.

Cheers,

BigBoyBeats56

[agentdave]

I'm not a fan of their upgrade options, which don't seem to encourage growing with a particular product. For example, if you buy Amplitube MAX now, your price for the next version of it will be the same as anyone who's bought any IK product over 99 euro (or whatever qualifies for a "crossgrade" in the future)... If you get just the regular version of Amplitube, good luck trying to upgrade to MAX at any sort of a discount. The crossgrade option is nice for getting into products you've never owned before, but can get frustrating when upgrade time comes around and you realize you're going to pay the same price as any other crossgrade customer.

It is a good product. I also own others that you mention and sometimes they get me to where I want to go sound-wise quicker. I'd say Amplitube has a better interface and is a bit more fun to play with in terms of options. I'd just be careful that you get the version you want right off the bat (i.e. if you think you'll want MAX, get that... don't expect you'll be able to gradually update without paying a lot), and don't expect to get any sort of benefit from being a long time customer. The forums seem to suggest in places that you can get special upgrade codes by contacting support, but that has not been my experience.

[Peter_IK]

Not necessarily true going forward. We like to listen and grow and offer sensible paths for people. Currently the brand new Total VI and Total Studio 3.5 MAX upgrades are far better deals for people who had previous versions (and you can also use JamPoints on top of those specifically special prices!). So please keep that in mind that we're conscious of these constructive concerns and will continue to evolve.

We also have offered people who bought AmpliTube 5 or SE who felt they really should have purchased MAX a fair upgrade through support as mentioned. This is definitely the case/fact there. Also long time customers have the JamPoints loyalty program as mentioned, for an additional up to 30% off and we give JamPoints based on the normal pricing too so even if you bought something in our current $/€39.99 sale you'd get JamPoints based on the normal $/€149.99 price.

[BigBoyBeats56]

Gentlemen,

Thank you both for your input; quite useful!

Peter you obviously work for the company, Dave what is your affiliation?

I’ve always been impressed by the massive level of software and hardware offerings from the company. But that has its downside as well because, especially for an acoustic guitar player such as myself, it’s been difficult for me to gear up, figure out a consistent workflow process, and most of all, actually finish a sing.

This is because, on one hand, current technology makes it really easy to lay down some sounds, but the downside is, at least for me, is that I fly back-and-forth between all these different apps, having a blast, but never really getting anything done to completion.

I wants heard a famous sound engineer and producer speak about the importance of the song, the sound in relationship to music. His point was not to become obsessed with the gear and all the bells and whistle‘s.

My ultimate goal is still to write record and release original music and sound design products.

If either one of you gentlemen have any experience or background in doing music for film, or sound design, I’d appreciate hearing back from you.

For example, I really love working with the novation series of software; Ampify, Groovebox, Launchpad. As you may know you can record using the Groovebox, then do endless remixes that you can then fly into Launchpad to be used as a live performance tool.

When I started using those kinds of products I naturally learned about all the people who are crafting bespoke loops and sound design products. I’d like to get a gig with a company like Auxy.

Thanks again and have a good safe holiday season.

Cheers,

Kevin McCluskey a.k.a. BigBoyBeats56

PS. You’ve probably heard of this guy because he’s all over YouTube, but he’s a big advocate for helping people figure out their workflow.

Here’s a link that you guys might find interesting: https://youtu.be/3o-XFJ15gM8