xis23.
pj geerlingsSteinberg has announced that they will not be issuing the promised bug-fix update for version 3.1.1 of Cubase and instead they will keep concentrating on 4.02
This has upset many previous users and I suspect some of them will opt for Podium
The question becomes: How ready is Podium/Frits for this potential influx of customers? I would like to continue to push people in the Podium direction whenever possible. But …
sometimes success can be more challenging than failure
any thoughts?
Conquistador@pj geerlings wrote:
Steinberg has announced that they will not be issuing the promised bug-fix update for version 3.1.1 of Cubase and instead they will keep concentrating on 4.02
This has upset many previous users and I suspect some of them will opt for Podium
The question becomes: How ready is Podium/Frits for this potential influx of customers? I would like to continue to push people in the Podium direction whenever possible. But …
sometimes success can be more challenging than failure
any thoughts?
I guess you may not have seen this but..Improv started a similar thread earlier here…:)
http://www.zynewave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1137
But anyway …frankly I cannot see any reason why a Cubase 4 user would not be able to produce professional music with Podium. As with any new host one must give time to settle in and be prepared for a new approach to music production.
Also with the recently added tutorials from Podianer (very well produced videos) I think Podium is very well placed to cater for Cubase users.
Two things though could be deal breakers…
1. Notation.
2. Video support
No.1 I suspect might be too far to go for some Cubase users. I think notation has been present long before SX1!
But then again considering the cost of Samplitude (mentioned quite a few times by Cubase users looking to switch) perhaps the thought of selling Cubase, buying Podium and keeping the change for Finale (which is better than the notation features in Cubase anyway), is really not so bad a path to take!
I think Podium offers a highly reliable and stable platform that simply lets people get on with making music.
What good are so many new features if you have to wait for 2 – 3 months for the first patch?
Realistically you have to wait until the last patch in the case of Steinberg to get the least buggy version. But the recent announcement means that even with C4 that may not even be guaranteed.
There is only so much time in a day to spend complaining about a product.
At some point one must get on with making music. If product A has more features but you are treated so badly and you struggle to get things done then maybe the smooth running and rock solid cheaper but very capable feature set of product B (Podium for instance) just might now seem like a very interesting option for some Cubase users.
Less cost and more productivity.
Podium has a very broad feature set that is expanding at a very balanced and manageable rate. I simply cannot see Frits ever finding himself in Steinbergs position.
Ok if he gets bought out then it might not be down to him when bugs get fixed but as for now Frits addresses bugs with the same efficiency he approaches new features.
Even if Zynewave was bought out and Frits did not make the final decision on bug fixes the framework is so bug free and stable I think it would not make that much, if any difference anyway. Frits spent 10 years on it and it shows.
I think many people looking in from the outside might think this forum is too quiet…there just is hardly anything wrong with Podium (anything found gets fixed so quickly) so really you just enjoy the product you bought.
It is quite a refreshing change especially when you look at the locked threads and complaints on the Steinberg forums.
Podium might not have 150 new features at the end of every year or two, but by fixing any issues as he adds new features with each update, Frits eliminates the huge bug backlog problem that Steinberg have struggled with for years.
It is a non issue for Frits. Remarkable for a single developer.
Frits approach to host developing really does work. Quicker updates (with new user driven features) and quicker fixes.
Podium has matured past basic features long ago. I think a Cubase 4 user would be pleasantly surprised.
Podium actually gets a mention on this Cubase thread on page 3…
http://forum.cubase.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=65451&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=50
ZynewaveThe question becomes: How ready is Podium/Frits for this potential influx of customers? I would like to continue to push people in the Podium direction whenever possible. But …
sometimes success can be more challenging than failure
Personally I doubt that this announcement will result in an influx of customers. Haven’t we seen this kind of Steinberg announcement/public outcry regularly on each major update of Cubase?
Podium does not have and will never have the broad spectrum of features that they have managed to stuff into Cubase over the years. People looking for a Cubase clone will probably not choose Podium over other of the established sequencers. People wanting to try something new may however be pleasantly surprised by Podium.
Doug B@Conquistador wrote:
Two things though could be deal breakers…
1. Notation.
2. Video support
No.1 I suspect might be too far to go for some Cubase users. I think notation has been present long before SX1!
Have you actually used Cubase Score? It’s a dog’s breakfast compared to other scoring software. I went and bought Finale-what a world of difference. Anyone that’s serious about using notation software usually will go out and buy software like Finale or Sebilius (sp?)
As for video, that may be a deal breaker for some, but only a small percentage of Cubase users do a lot of video. If they did, they would have been better off using Nuendo.
Doug B@Zynewave wrote:
Haven’t we seen this kind of Steinberg announcement/public outcry regularly on each major update of Cubase?
Uh..no-it’s way more than the usual whinging about Cubase.
The update to Cubase 3.x has been promised for six months and they kept acting like it was coming, just wait for it. Now they announced ‘Ooops, sorry we changed our mind-it’s not coming out’. That is out and out abuse of your customer base.
You don’t seem to have the whole story, but then you’ve been busy developing a quality piece of software, so it’s understandable. It’s worth spending 1/2 an hour reading that thread on Cubase forums though, just to see the depth of feeling about this. Many long time SX users saying ‘that’s it’.
As one user at the Cubase Forums said: ‘Disrespectful at best, downright dishonest at worst. ‘
People aren’t leaving of their own decision, Steinberg is pushing them out the door. 🙄
Conquistador@Improv wrote:
Have you actually used Cubase Score? It’s a dog’s breakfast compared to other scoring software. I went and bought Finale-what a world of difference. Anyone that’s serious about using notation software usually will go out and buy software like Finale or Sebilius (sp?)
Agreed this was my point that Finale can be bought with the change left over from selling Cubase 4 and even after buying Podium.:wink:
As for video, that may be a deal breaker for some, but only a small percentage of Cubase users do a lot of video. If they did, they would have been better off using Nuendo
Yes probably but I think even after buying Podium and Finale there would still be change left over to buy any one of a good choice of video editors out there that offer much more than Cubase does. It has video features but is not a video editor.
Even Magix supplied their £50 video editor for free with Samplitude 7 and 8 Pro so really even the video issue really should not stop a Cubase user from crossing over. 😉
JaegerteamWould be good if not too many features would be taken over to Podium.
Podium must not be an application for everybody.
darcyb62@Jaegerteam wrote:
Would be good if not too many features would be taken over to Podium.
Podium must not be an application for everybody.
Best piece of advice yet… Here is an analogy…
I’m a very proud owner of 2005 Ford Mustang GT. I bought it for looks and the rush of adrenalin I get when I stomp on the gas. I didn’t get it for its’ fuel economy (gas mileage truly sucks) . I didn’t get it for its passenger carrying ability (it has a back seat but I pity the people that have to sit back there). I didn’t get it because it was cheapest car to buy (it was on the high end of what I wanted pay). So if someone comes out and says I would buy a mustang if it were better on fuel economy (lets take some performance away), and if I could put three people in the back seat and maybe rear doors so those passengers could get in easier (okay lets hit the looks) and lets cut the price back so more people could afford… It would no longer be a Mustang but just another boring sedan… If I wanted all that I would’ve bought fugly sedan or SUV but that’s just not what I wanted. (been there done that).
DAW’s are much the same. The more you to try to make it something that everyone likes the greater the impact you will have on the people that found that particular to be unique. You are just as apt to drive the truly passionate people away as you are in attracting new people.
Podium fills a particular niche right now and although you want to continue to improve its capabilities and subsequently market share, you don’t want it to change so much that it becomes just another DAW and competes with the rest of the ho-hum applications out there.
Darcy
pj geerlings@darcyb62 wrote:
@Jaegerteam wrote:
Would be good if not too many features would be taken over to Podium.
Podium must not be an application for everybody.Best piece of advice yet… Here is an analogy…
I do appreciate the responses so far – while I am very new to Podium, it hasn’t taken me long to realize just how wonderfully unique this user group really is. And on that same note I am completely amazed at how responsive Frits is!!
What I still don’t know is the degree to which outside pressure will change all of this. New voices (including mine) bring with them potentially new goals. There is always the chance that …
Oh never mind, my wife and daughter both say I worry too much …
I look forward to the continued success of Podium!!
bright blessings all,
pj
darcyb62I think the key here is to trust Fritz’s vision. While you may not know what exactly he has on the plate at any given moment, I do believe that he has a very good sense on Podium’s direction and what wants and doesn’t want Podium to be. If you’re in line with that Podium will continue to be a great little application for you. For those that are not aligned well poo poo to them as they will miss out on a truly outstanding piece of software.
Conquistador@Jaegerteam wrote:
Would be good if not too many features would be taken over to Podium.
Podium must not be an application for everybody.
I guess the market Podium is in (audio + midi sequencers) moves so fast that while Podium need not be an application for everyone it also does IMO have to try and appeal to a good spread of different types of users.
Thankfully it already does 😉 but without the kind of problems Steinberg have.
Podium fills a particular niche right now and although you want to continue to improve its capabilities and subsequently market share, you don’t want it to change so much that it becomes just another DAW and competes with the rest of the ho-hum applications out there.
I definitely do not want that either, but I think as Frits adds more features to Podium the design and thinking behind Podium is so different that I doubt in future Podium will ever be so similar to other hosts out there that people lose interest.
Podium has some pretty radical ideas that are a joy to use. The group panel is just one of many in Podium. Frits initial discussion about the zGrid also demonstrated that he still has fresh and clever ideas that continue to add value to Podium.
I think the key here is to trust Fritz’s vision. While you may not know what exactly he has on the plate at any given moment, I do believe that he has a very good sense on Podium’s direction and what wants and doesn’t want Podium to be.
Yes. Well said.
In addition to that, Frits approach to developing Podium is flexible as well. He no doubt has a clear idea as to what will appear in a new update but will sometimes even add new suggestions that are made by users at very short notice as well, into the next scheduled update.
xis23lack of superfluos features is partly why I use podium in the first place…. no bloatware. i think many cubase users may find cubase has features they simply don’t need or use too.