My new years resolution. NO MORE CRACK!!!

Benefits to my music that i personalty experienced going legit

Its hard to get off cracked software but i can tell you its also liberating. Last year i cleaned out all my cracked plug-ins and the year before that i cleared out all my cracked software. I bought back only ones i needed (not wanted but needed.) its funny how money does that lol. This year (starting today) I'm cleaning out all my unused and unpaid for sample packs. I don't profess to be an angel in fact my reasons go beyond any legal implications, here are some of the benefits i have personalty experienced going clean.

1. Ease of mind:
I know what i have is what i have. I'm not thinking "oh is there a better sound hiding some ware on my hard drive" all the time.

2. Less noise and better over view of my tool set:
Out of sight is out of mind. When i open my plug-in or audio file folder I'm not bombarded with a crippling list of pure shit. Not only do i have a faster work flow but I can finally enjoy any new sounds i do get. why cus i can find them and see them to use lol.

3. Forces you to be more creative:
Use what you have! thats your sound. I can even open my lists and go "hmmmm what haven't i used in a while" what ever is in your list has to be good cus well you paid for it.

4. Makes it easer for you to justify your prises when charging clients:
This is a big one for me!. Subconsciously there is an urge to get your money back through your work which makes you act just a little differently when interacting with clients. You feel what you are doing is no-longer a game and that other people should respect that.... (lol this is a rant worthy topic)

5. Finally! I'm experiencing mastery of my craft:
I can say i am now hitting my stride and getting exponentially better. I now professionally produce, mix and master using the same tools. Why cus my hand full of tools now make 100% sense to me. I no longer see the tool when i work!

6. Free updates
If you just upgraded your mac OS you know what I'm talking about.... enough said.

7. Cheesy i know but their has never been a better time to buy software:
Just wait and i can almost grantee you it will go on sale some times for as much as 40 -60% off. Support these guys they have done so much for us and the music community.

8. Future proof:
Buy once cry once lol once you have your tools and they are in stable perfect harmony with your DAW then you can get out the rat race, thats it your done. Even if they come out with a the "1 button = hit" plugin you don't need it cus you know how to combine what you have to get the same results.

How do you know what plug ins to pay for?

1 If you have constantly used a plug in for a year or so you should probably purchase it.

2. If you make money off it you should probably purchase it.

3. Ask me (soundcloud.com/eheavy)or the boys at facebook: Toronto Artists and Producers (‪#‎TAP‬) and they will help you out, hell try forums like audiosex.pro
or places like this These boys live for this shit and will take the time out of their day to help you...just don't be a dick

4. Get goto tools that do 1 thing very well. Take your time and enjoy the research into what plug in works best for you. If you have to use cracked software use it for evaluation purposes only just like the hackers intended ...not that I'm condoning this .... but ehhh ....long live Anonymous (Fist pump as i run away).......

I hope this helps some one
Thanks and happy new year

EHeavy
soundcloud.com/eheavy

lol sorry i couldn't resist...

" It’s recently come to my attention that some fans on Reddit caught a screenshot of a pirated software plug-in from a recent Youtube clip I did with Linkin Park. To clear the air, I have owned the properly registered plug-in, Sylenth, for over 4 years now on my studio computer. I’ve included both the receipt and a screenshot of the actual plug-in below, purchased by my faithful assistant Jacob Lee. This is the computer I do all of my production on, including “A Light That Never Comes” with Linkin Park.

However, the honest truth is that screenshot is in fact of my road laptop (the laptop I DJ with). I go through 5 or 6 of them a year, usually purchasing them while on the road. After my last purchase, I had asked my road team to help me load in my production software and apparently they didn’t ask Jacob for the authorization code for Sylenth and installed a pirated version.

So my apologies go out to the good people at Lennar Digital and a big thank you to my fans that caught the mistake which has since been rectified.

Sincerely,
Steve Aoki"

 

it's the roadies fault

they always get the blame

 

you get 5 or 6 laptops a year i have my laptop the last 5 or 6 years lol

 

Crack is wack.

 

looooooooooool

 

Good points, well made.

Gonna try, really am gonna try! *yes*

 

I totally agree in some points.

Not about the cracked stuff, though.

I recently switched from WIN to MAC only for audio, and I try to keep a really low number of effects, synths and libraries in this machine.

In my windows machine I had hundreds of plugins and libraries, and was really annoying to find what I was searching for.
I usually got lost in my library trying to find the perfect preset/drum/fx for that track.

I would say to the newbies: Choose two or three (at max) VST instruments, and learn them deeply. Read the manuals, watch tutorials, etc..
Once you know those synths deep enough, you won‘t need anything else to create the sound that is in your head.

Do the same with the FX. Choose only one plugin for each category. Two at most. Compression, EQ, Reverb, Creative FX. And stick to those.

Sure it‘s nice to try the new ones. But if they aren‘t good enough to substitute the ones you already know, just try them and delete them.

It will improve your workflow a lot.

 

I don't agree that point 3 and 5 are benefits of legal stuff(but probably have that effect in your(and many others) situation; of course when you have ilegal stuff, you probably have tons of it and ended up not effectively using none). Is not science fiction and is well known that when we are limited somehow, there are big possibilities you will end with better result, because we will maxed out limited software that we have, which will also encourage creativity. That is also one of the main reason, why is a lot of old music so good. A lot of it are also very simplistic, but in its simplistic nature are also hidden very unique things which make music exciting and that is work of creativity.

 

Using cracked software is a good way of trying out stuff. 90% of which you'll just forget or get rid of.
I've solved the productivity sinkhole problem by using at 100% a dozen synths, a sampler and two effects of each kind of the best quality i could listen to.
Then, each time i make money using a synth, an FX, a sound or a preset bank, then i buy it.
Simple. Effective and good for karma.

i now own Cubase, Omnisphere, Pad Shop Pro, Halion Sonic 2, Kontakt, Sylenth One, Absynth, Nexus, Vanguard, Blue, Massive, Zebra2 and Zeta2.

probably going to buy Gladiator and Electra X too in a day or two with the Buy One Get Two promo.

My next moves will be Codex, Element, Spire and Serum if i use them in a project i sell.

Regarding FX, i own an UAD2 Octo with almost all plugins. This is just beyond my needs so...

i'm also tempted by Flux but it would be a little too much i think..i'll take a couple of days to think about it.

my two cents

 

Great post, and a great message to everyone. You can spend more time managing all of your cracked files than actually making music, it can be a nightmare.

Also remember that the creator of those softwares worked long and hard to create them (especially the better ones).

 

mmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmm i looooooooooove crack...! Naw just playin i was thinking about the dave chappel show. But on a serious note thats good if your conciousness of having non pirated software in your aresenal makes you a better productive indidvidual then fuck yeah. but to the rest of the have nots find whatever you can get your hands on and bang the world with it. i payed for the stuff i truly use because i can have a genuine gripe just like everuone does when they pay for shit. but the goal should be truly to ween yourself off of pirated software when you leaning into the the professional realm. all in all remain free in spirit and fuckem up if you have to.
Hoodhendrix

 

Funny i bought two days ago your pentagon bank for Kontakt using the intro price

 

This is how I went legit on my main computer..

1. I got my daw - Sonar X2 - and its loaded with lots of things. I have very good Drum Software, Sampler, the Blue plugins etc..

2. I got Kontakt free - with almost all the free libs available (thanks to this forum).

3. I installed lots of free plugins - like from CM etc and lots of free software - the latest being the ones from - DubTurbo!

4. I quit mixing myself and have decided to always ask someone else to mix - now I don't need all those Compressors or Limiters! By this simple decision I have eliminated the need for Waves, Melda etc.

5. I also bought used Komplete 8 for dirt cheap last year - its almost useless but yet I use Battery a lot and I just bounce everything anyways..

6. Finally I use this amazing website to create stuff - https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/synth - (I record everything using Audacity through my C400)..(remember to bookmark the patches if you like them!)

Well thats that, but on my Lappy its a completey different story..I try out everything and I make a wishlist..There is even a separate R2R folder alongside a Sunny folder

this is addiction i guess..good day folks!!

 

The only reason to buy a plug is to support the developer.

I don't find any of your points relevant, as I can achieve that by discipline.
Maybe because I'm not so young anymore and I understand now that "money as a mean" is a problem, never a solution.

Take it easy.


PS : I won't do crack this year either... not even pot! You can count me in for some beer, though

 

Discipline is useless with out technique.... now lets grab that beer ...

 

I really try not to use cracked software but unfortunally uncracked software usually dont work without paying for it!

 

Man, thats the sadest thing I´ve heard in the new year so far. You need money to clean out your drives?
It reads a bit like "an addict with a bad therapy place". My cracked stuff isn`t dirty ... some feelings of guilt in the air?
ZeusGod and BLACK MENTAL speaking my mind, except of the "beer instead of weed thing".
No offense, I appreciate you`re sharing thoughts/feelings on this matter.

 

Just imagine,
what if all audio software was fully functional for free, without any limitations and without registration. Just install and play.
What if it was up to you to decide which ones to purchase and which ones you don't?
Would you get busy trying out all the great stuff that's constantly released, or would you rather make some music?

Developers have been trying all kinds of "marketing" efforts, from unsupported freeware to strictly commercial products with or without good support and with or without annoying/restrictive, impractical licensing technology.

Being able to extensively test the software I intend to purchase is, for my part, the cruical point here.
It happens so often that product descriptions and spec sheets are too generic and won't answer a few important questions. Often, features are listed but not even the manual will tell you how they really work. For example, I've gone through a nightmare finding apps with a proper Midi Sync implementation that was claimed to be implemented but unusable in reality.
Trying k'd software instead of wasting money for a feature that is in fact not present is often the only way to know.

 

Since you obviously are a PRO and make money as a DJ you should not use cracked plugins at all..
And you should not have use it since day one as a PRO the money you make as a PRO should make up for buying plugins..

Crack are for POOR MUSICIANS