Disclaimer: If you have truck loads of cash and a lovely DeFi portfolio full of assets, and/or a multi-million dollar studio, none of this is relevant to your existence...
This may be crass-rhetoric, however, with there being so many issues regarding installations of fresh ("latest update") warez in the scene, and more importantly the imminent loss of established library licenses; why would a person dump a fully functioning suite of software that's working great with dozens of pristinely licensed libraries to go through all the hell of jumping to the latest version, and more often than not; losing perpetual access to all of those lovely libraries?
I'm likely missing something here, but (for myself anyway) the update ROI with unstable ware doesn't seem worth the time and/or frustrations. I'd like to add that I am immensely grateful for all the hard work the scene pumps out here; I just don't understand (as an end user) the investment of endless hours upgrading a system to unproven warez, when that system was already 100% rock-solid and reliably functional with the previous (proven) versions of software and relative assets.

There's an AZ post that prompted my rant, but I thought better to journal here.
Just a thought... Of course, blah-blah-blah

 

It's quite simple, it's the addiction to something new, it's the greed for more and many don't give it a second thought.

On the other hand, there are some users who live with buggy software and an update sometimes improves the software and fixes the bugs.
Assume that it is mostly pointless to lecture people, they do what they want, whether it is good for them or not. some have bad experiences and learn from them, but some don't and they struggle through life.

Thank you for your essay, you wrote it very well. As we all know, less is more.

Greetings from the software and information overload jungle.

 

I update only if: There's a new feature, there's a bug with the current one, or if new software (or plugin - as in waves) is introduced into the package or bundle. If it works and it's not broken, don't fix it.

 

Always read the changelog --> rarely update.

Right now I'm patiently waiting for Valhalla's next update of their delay, which they say will fix the bucket brigade mode, which is noisy as hell.

 

Last edited: Feb 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM

But with the quality of releases nowadays updating is only a matter of a few seconds, and I don't think I ever lost access to anything. Are you talking about something else then just plugins?

 

Why not upgrade? It's not a torture, is very fast, it generally solves bugs more than create new ones and in the case that it's a timebombed crack or faulty version from the dev you can simply uninstall the upgrade and use the older version. And the best part: it's always up to you.

 

[ Edit (and the forgotten main reason for my post ):
When you DO have a KNOWN good working system, (meaning you have used it enough AFTER ANY UPDATES to know that all things are running well), make a backup and mark it well.
This means NOT updating anything long enough to test the system well. ]

As a computer & media hobbyist, I became a collecter and maintainer of 3 machines with different versions of many programs & plugins on Windows XP, Windows 7 & Windows 10.
It was a fun challenge for a while, but I began to find more enjoyment playing with the toys instead of maintaining the systems.

As a technically and detail-oriented type, I've always been drawn to building/repairing, collecting & preparing things.

Be it a bicycles, RC car, racks of studio gear (mostly refurbished by myself from pawn shops), computers or appliances, I've given away and sold cheaply far more than I've ever used (more than in testing).

I've found a lot of satisfaction in this kind of thing, but I would not ever recommend it to others.

 

Last edited: Feb 15, 2025 at 12:33 AM

Thank you all for your feedback. At times I really need to be exposed to alternate perspectives outside my own tunnel (cave) vision.
I am impressed by our varied opinions. I personally have been updating warez as they roll out. (Admittedly, at times becoming furious with the process). However, lately I've been reconsidering my approach. I have (in my opinion) wasted way too much time gathering and foraging for the latest warez when I should be writing, or playing/recording, enjoying the craft, not just the tooling up for it.
Waves, yes, I'll jump on that.
Brass tacks; the latest NI/Kontakt gauntlet is what really set me on this path of introspect.

#Radio, thank you for your insight. I appreciate the compliment.
#zadiac, I need to follow your philosophy more often.

Yes, Valhalla is worth the effort... The new A1PrimeDelay sounds really well crafted.

#Riddim Machine, agreed, that it's always up to the individual.

#DoubleTake, my friend, I think you and I have the same affliction. I have recently been charged with a renewed desire to spend more time creating and less time collecting; the driving source of this topic. Thanks for sharing your perspective.

 

Agreed. I am DL'ing less and less anymore due to updates being questionable. With regard to upgrades I have to be convinced that the upgrade is worth the time to find and get and what it will give me that I don't already have.

 

Of course many library style vsts like Kontakt and Toontrack force you to update or the new hotness library won't work. But yeah, with 90% of software updating is just a slow descent into madness.
Including Kontakt. Yuck.

 

"read the changelog" is the best option. Or if you have a bug you have been waiting for a fix with. Most of these "point one" releases don't change very much at all. Sometimes they are even "update versions" released by the developer just to change something that allowed it to be k'd. (cat and mouse).

On a similar note, what's up with the APU loudness series plugins getting uploaded every other day? Waste of bandwidth.

 

Funny thing... Just checked their website and noticed they changed the description of the last version. It seems they've updated the plugin without releasing a new version...?

 

You are missing something...that this is the life we chose. Nothing is forced. We accept the possible risks, from dead libs to evaporated presets to getting legit accounts banned to finding/reporting that last timebomb two weeks later (ugh...rev 3 coming up). ROI is free Arturia Synth V Collection upgraded to free V Collection X...for free.

Your complaint is that a known crooked game you willingly played is not fair. Then you should not be gambling.

Upgrades are evolution. Not every organism/system survives the process.

The 'Investment' is the chance to test/own/run/judge some of the hottest/questionable/expensive/sought-after plugin titles currently available while carving out a musical identity from the experience...free of charge. Cars, debit cards, and indoor plumbing were all 'Unproven Warez' until they weren't. Someone has to go first, and if that gets me a chance to test drive Cubase obligation/iLok-free, then I best make sure my system is prepared to make that happen.

For me, Windows System Image™ is like having Max Lives x99. Beams me back to right before the bad install.

 

One team in your NFO said don't collect so much and make more music, others said try before you buy and support the manufacturer if you like the software/samples.

You figured it out by yourself that too much software & samples hinders you rather than helps you. Of course you can say I only download what I would buy. There are also a lot of free plugins nowadays, so that the need is almost covered.

I have tested many and deleted many, but I have kept the best of all. I've spent a lot of money on hardware and software so far.

Of course, we are in the middle of technological progress and it is clear that you want to participate in it and test new plugins to see if they have added value for you. It's also exciting to see what you can do with plugins without having to buy them straight away.

 

because such people (me included) don't make any music in first place

 

There really isn't any point in updating, at least not for me.
I'm happy where I'm at and there's just nothing inspiring or groundbreaking enough out there to warrant having to flip everything upside down.
There's entirely way too many garbage products or copycat software out these days as well. I find myself scrolling through endless pages of useless cash grab junk lately.

I'd argue that at least software wise if everyone cloned my hard drive and worked from it they wouldn't really care to update either.

"use this to layer kicks or boost them" one trick pony plugins.
That's a basic function that's in so many drum plugins now.
... I'd argue a adsr envelope or a lone filter plugin would be more useful as a one trick plugin.

I see ads for really lame products online and then I see em on the sister site as well.

Somebody is downloading them though.

They'll get burned out eventually.

Don't even get me started on sample packs... a 808 is a 808 anywhere anytime.

I really do feel that for a lot of us that have been at this for a while, we've hit the ceiling as far as what's needed or wanted goes.
A fix or a patch here and there, fine. But, most updates I come across aren't offering me anything useful.
The hoops you jump through with legit purchases are enough of a headache on their own.
This might sound stupid but even after I've purchased a license I still usually end up using the version of it from the sister site because it's just easier most of the time.

I own products I've never even bothered to download because of the inconvenience or hassle.
There's not much incentive to bother with a legit license for me aside from my own guilt and my desire for the developer to continue their work . It's just easier to pay and then keep using what I have guilt free.

We can only hear and enjoy so many frequencies and we can only enjoy so many combinations of them all at once, when I think about things like that it really does put it into perspective for me as in the possibilities are not endless and I'm not always missing out.

I haven't been sleeping much so forgive my rambling.

 

Last edited: Feb 15, 2025 at 10:45 AM

I haven't touched a daw for 10 months now and I have only made some mixes in that time
I reinstalled my PC a few months ago and am now reinstalling everything that I will actually use before that i was collecting every single plugin install it and ultimately never used it Still, I still have the itch to do something again so now I do everything slowly so when I get inspiration or the drive to do something that everything is organized i still collect plugins but now I put them away on one of my HDD's not installing anything I can put my hand on
In the end you are just installing everything and not making music at all

 

If anything works perfect, good.

But most times software has little errors which get 'hopefully' fixed in future updates.
So if you want to use a software you have theses choices:

• stay frustrated with buggy software
• wait for new crack and update then
• replace with something else
• buy what you use and stop wasting time waiting for the next crack

 

No matter what you read, positive or negative, your own experience is the decisive criterion for changing your actions in such a way that you really solve a problem and are more satisfied as a result.

If you are not sure, it makes sense to listen to the voices of others, as we do here in the forum, in order to come to a wise decision.
Problems should be recognized and solved, you will get more out of life and be happier.

At the beginning of the availability, around 2012, I downloaded everything and burned it to CD DVD, for fear that the server would disappear and then I would have nothing. Justified fear? When Team Air cracked the iLok, they finally got hold of high-quality plug-ins that sounded good, at that time you could still guess what else would appear. Team Peace-out was later called Team Assign and then Team R2R.

At some point, the amount of data was so large that you lost track of it all, with each new installation it took at least 2-3 weeks to install everything. Then there was the constant purchase of new storage media. After my death, the large collection will certainly end up in the incinerator and turn to smoke.

By the way, a lot of my time was spent downloading, burning, labeling and naming folders. You're always smarter with hindsight.
I have put a download stop since January 1, 2025.

 

This is why I love FL studio no buying it multiple times I’m a happy signature bundle owner I own toxic bio and harmor wonderful software