I am going to add my 1 1/2 cents (the other 1/2 cent went to vote)… sorry USA humor
I sort of look at this as both necessary and needed. AT4 is old. There are other companies that have recently produced better sonics with their own upgraded software platforms (I really don't need to name them here, do I?). It's one thing to 'sell' a cosmetic upgrade; as one poster refers to same body/new clothes, but this is not a cosmetic upgrade.
If anyone out there is a gamer, think of it as your MMO Dev redesigning their game engine to be MORE OPTIMIZED, wait, that's never gonna happen cuz it costs time and lots of $$$.
In order to both compete in the now and position yourself for the 32bit future, you need to be proactive and dynamic. The fact that one of the AT5 upgrades includes an IR Sampling method not previously even conceived of BY ANY ONE ELSE in the market place, as well as a new sound engine, should speak volumes...
No, I have not used it yet, but the devil in the details tells me that this software is the best non-hardware platform (i.e. Axe FX / Kemper) available or the likes of Joe Satriani & Brian May (Guitar God and the Rocket Scientist vs. the World
) wouldn't have bothered.
Joe is the ultimate guitar guru. His sound is so 'him' that he would NEVER sully it on a software program...unless it sounded EXACTLY like his hardware on recording.
Brian is a rocket scientist. You think he would cheapen himself any more than Joe? These two guys are extremely unique. There sounds are very recognizable; like Santana or EVH or Jimmy Page. Believe me, neither needs the Cheddar $$$ to do this, so this was a labor of love and respect for the software. That alone sells me, but wait, there's more...
No other software out there has spent so much time capturing the IR's on their 100+ cabs, mics, speakers, rooms; 600 points in space, PER SPEAKER...times cabs, mics, rooms, the dishes...wait, sorry, that's my chore list...
Then there is the DIM; their new sound engine. This is the sound engine that talked Joe Satriani into his collection. And I am only assuming here, but they had to have started work on the upgrade with Brian's collection or they wouldn't be able to "wet/dry/wet" to his satisfaction. Maybe Peter or Darkstar can elaborate on this, but, for me, having these two real players, not gear samples...and I mean absolutely no dish to Slash or DB or Jimi, but Sach is Sach and not willing to compromise on anything...
Now, as for what you get...it pretty much says it in the new 'revised' advertisement that all your prior gear will be upgraded along with AT5. If you don't need anymore stuff or you are going to pick your part in the Custom Shop, get AT5 SE. If you want the new 'add on' amps/stomps/cabs etc., get AT5. If you want all the collections, get AT5 Max.
If you made any purchases in the past you probably have some Jam Points you can use to reduce your cost. I have most everything I need already, so I just upgraded to the SE program at $99 and used 29 JPs (30%). So I got the brand new everything except for a couple of collects I don't really need (yet), for $70.88 usd. And we all know that at some point IK will do a BOGO+ and I'll pick up the gear I don't have then.
Anyway, thanks for listening or tuning me out
I, for one, am really looking forward to messing with the new stuffs and the new GUI.
Thank you IK.