Absynth Tutorial DVD is a big disappointment

You know what, man, now you are just being arrogant. I never claimed to be an expert on a lot of this -- I suppose if I were an expert at all of this, then I wouldn't need to tutorial at all, now would I? I guess it's a shame that music creation has gotten so technical that you have to be completely left-brained to use any of this stuff. Maybe that's why there's so much mediocre techno music out there and so little of it that's really great.

My point is simple. Sixty bucks is a lot of money for to spend for a product that is misrepresented as something it is not. If it were 20 bucks, I could deal with the fact that it's not really a DVD and that's it's really only a DVD-ROM. But it's not what I was expecting and it is not what I ordered. And for that reason alone NI should refund my money.

 

My views on some of this...

a) In the Americas: DVD means "Digital Video Disc"... not "Digitial Versatile Disc". DVD-ROM is the badging used to represent a computer-based data disc in the U.S.

b) DVD's may contain T.V. viewable content, while also containing computer-readable data content. It's a common practice.

c) NTSC is different from PAL is different from SECAM and it all gets tossed around through different video card resolutions and different monitors and the end result is sometimes good picture quality and sometimes bad picture quality.

d) Tutorials are aimed at people who are unfamiliar with the product, and it is probable they are also new to the hardware that supports the software. They should not have to master their computer in order to use tutorial software.

e) Dual monitors can be a pain in terms of physical workspace, and shouldn't be a prerequisite for navigation between two simultaneously windowed applications. Dual monitors can be fun though.

f) Utilizing a tutorial is easier when you have the tutorial and the application open and visible at the same time. However, it is easily possible to adapt to learning something with one window, then applying in another, then going back to the window... it just takes a bit more time.

g) When dealing with foreign countries, such as Germany, extra care should be taken when buying things since expectations are different between different cultures.

h) Watching a DVD on T.V. is much more convenient than watching a DVD on the computer, due to boot-up times and room comforts like having a sofa to kick back on.

i) Read the paper manual. It might have information that explains stuff in a different way from the electronic manual.

j) It's buyer-beware in the U.S. when it comes to software and DVD's of all nature. Expecting a refund might be reasonable if the DVD discusses a topic completely unrelated to the advertised information, but it sounds that the Absynth DVD covers Absynth reasonably well.

k) If you are unhappy with what you purchased, just don't buy anything from them again. That will help prevent the problem from repeating.

 

$30 for a dual-socket videocard. Most videocards have dual socket now.
$15 for another monitor at your local pawn shop.

did you know you are an idiot?

 

oh. you're an idiot because having dual monitor is a MUST for music production. Most, if not all professionals have dual monitor and it is recommended by software companies. I'm no saying you shuold have it jsut to watch a DVD but you better damn well have it if you're a composer. My gosh you are a complete idiot.

 

It's not an essential by any means- I still run a single monitor and get along fine.

Let's also show more respect for other people and their opinions here, people

ew

 

Yuck! I think I've got something stuck to my shoe.

Kind regards.

 

Which pile did you step in, Dave? There's a couple of them in this thread...

ew

 

First off, who said anything about doing anything professionally? Just because I buy a software synth to have some fun with and learn about the kind of synthesis that Absynth offers, why do I suddenly have to own ALL of the tools that a professional uses? That's a complete bunch of crap. Why do you feel you need to resort to a bunch of name-calling just because I don't want a second monitor on my computer? I'm sure I can get along fine without one for a LONG time.

Last I checked, there was NO requirement in this forum that you had to be a "professional" to post messages here. To my knowledge, the only requirement is that I be an NI customer, and I am.

I purchased what I thought was going to be a standard DVD. Because it was marketed as such, I expected it to behave as such. When it didn't work in my DVD player, I emailed NI and they told me I had to play it in on my PC. I put the disk in and it ran, and I expected it to work just the same as it would have if it were a DVD. You don't need to locate or read instructions on the disc to play a standard DVD, and you don't need to know anything else other than how to operate your remote control.

My original comments were based on the fact that once I first got it playing, I was unable to stop it without exiting the program. There were NO icons on the screen to click on, and I also tried right-clicking on things to see if I could get some sort of menu. I also think I tried clicking everywhere, but for some reason I was still unable to get to that menu screen.

I'll admit that maybe there were a few things I "should" have known, but my points still stand. I would NOT have had the initial trouble and misunderstandings I had, nor would I have a significant gripe with this product IF:

1. NI had put AT LEAST ONE ICON on the initial screens to click on to get to the menu screen. Would it have killed them to do that?

2. NI had allowed the tutorial to run in a separate window, so I could resize it and put it off to the side, so I could then easily pull up Absynth. Alt-Tab may work, but it still stinks -- I can't easily see both at the same time. Again, would that have been so difficult?

3. And finally, as I have said so many times before, a lot of my difficulties and initial expectations would have changed significantly if NI had simply put the words "-ROM" after "DVD" on their website. Even if they had put some "minimum system requirements" or something like that on the website, then I MIGHT have known it was a ROM. But go check -- unless they've added something in the last day or two, it's not there. Maybe then they could have said "Second Monitor Recommended" or something like that. Again, why was that not done? This in particular I find inexcusable.

I will grant you that having a second monitor would make it easier to view this tutorial better. But I certainly have never seen a GOOD dual monitor video card for less than about $80.00 or $100.00, and even an inexpensive but decent 17" or bigger flat-screen monitor is still about $250.00. And even if I had the space, which I don't, going to even a third of that kind of expense to view a $60.00 video is ridiculous.

 

Thank you for articulating all of that so well. These are the points I have been trying to make.

Obviously I'm learning this the hard way.

You know, that's another thing. If they had included one little sheet of paper in the DVD package with abbreviated instructions with the basic navigation information, it would have helped. I didn't even think to look for information on the disc until it was too late.

I have contacted NI and left messages and emails about a refund, but so far I have not heard back from them. I agree with you, though, that the content of the DVD is probably fine. I suspect that I will be borrowing someone's laptop to run the tutorial on, though, if I decide to keep it.

You know, I've only been an NI customer for two months, and already I've had three problems, all of which were related to their website. First, when I tried to install my software, it requested that I go to the website to register and the registration portion of the website wasn't available - I had to call NI and then wait a day until the registration stuff was available again before I could install.

Second, when I ordered the DVD, my transaction didn't go through completely - although my order was evidently placed, I never received a confirmation page or a confirmation email when I placed the order; I had to call NI to verify that my order went through. And of course, there's the "-ROM" thing and the lack of system specifications for the DVD.

I don't seem to have any complaints so far about the softsynths, but by any measure their website is lacking. Whether or not that's enough to stop buying from NI, that's a tough question, but it is now clear to me that unlike with other companies, I can't rely on their website alone for complete information about their products.

 

As far as I know, they've always had the minimum system requirements in the shop listing...
http://www.nativeinstruments.de/index.php?id=shopdetail_us&prid=545&backPID=1244

ew

 

Hey you. Thanks for the information. I was going to buy the cheapest dual-monitor videocard possible (when building my new DAW), but I guess that won't work.

 

How did you get to that? I received an email ad for the DVD, which took me to the following page:

http://www.nativeinstruments.de/index.php?id=absynthdvd_us&nitr=1&l_src=community_us&tsr_id=33529

From there, the only useful links are the DVD contents and press views popups, the trailers, and the "Order in Online Shop" button. Clicking on the order button takes you straight to the "Shopping Bag" screen. From there I can see "Product Details" at the top, but you can't click on it. From here, other than the "how to order" and "terms and conditions" popups, you can only select your shipping method and complete the transaction. From the point of entry I was sent, it appears that there is no easy way to get to the link that you sent.

 

I went straight to the store, then synth line, then the DVD.

ew

 

Interesting. When I responded to the promotion, it skipped that page when you clicked the "Order in Online Shop" button on the left. The same thing still happens now if you click on their ad on their homepage -- it brings you to the same page as the promotion, except now the price is the same. Lots of good information there, just no mention that it's a ROM.

 

Your insistence is quite arrogant!
Nobody I know uses the term "DVD-ROM", not even "CD-ROM". If I buy a CD from a store, I don't ask for "CD-ROM", I simply ask for a CD. If I want to buy a movie DVD, I ask for a DVD because the movie stores sell mostly video DVDs. No one ever misunderstood me. CDs and DVDs have become so popular and widespread that everybody calls them CDs and DVDs. So, your claims are absurd and unfounded and they only confirm that you are simply an agitator that wants to smear NI's name. If you wanted to complain about the DVD's "format" you should have renamed the title of your post. Your title implies that the whole DVD, including its contents, is a "disappointment" not only its format and just now we are finding out that you only expected a "video DVD-ROM" so you can watch it on "your couch" on a big screen TV.

 

Absynth Tutorial DVD is NOT a big disappointment

In all honesty, I am *V E R Y* happy with the 35 Euro's I spent during the Christmas sale on this tutorial.
I've learned a lot about Absynth, has some serious fun "desiging" some new sounds , and it's a lot less boring then reading the (quite useless) manual.

I have to agree though that this should have been part of the product being delivered(at least a good part of it), and then they could go in a bit more detail on this DVD about sound design itself with Absynth.

The only "technical" problem I have is that QuickTime is not behaving ... On one computer it runs fine (XP PRO) and on the other the sound is completely chopped up (XP HOME).
Both systems are on the latest XP patches and driver patches, with same Q-time version.
The only thing that helps is reverting to an older Q-Time version.

Now stop moaning and go to sleep ;-)

 

As a newbie, the DVD is GREAT and perhaps a must! I just started using it along with the software and I am finding it fun and informative! The price is a bit much....However, I think the production values are very good. Just my 2 cents worth!

Peace & Drones

 

OK, so RTM, you got to unload here. We get it, you thought you'd be able to play the tutorial on your TV. but you can't. I feel your pain. But now that you blew off some steam, may I ask - do you think the CONTENT of the "DVD" is useful? Will you learn something about Absynth from watching it ? - you'll probably have to watch it a few times. I know I will. Do you think it will help you to be a better user / programmer of Absynth? If the answer is "yes" then you got your money's worth. I hope we see some of your new patches - made with the help of your new-found (new-purchased, I should say) knowledge added to the Absynth User Lib. ;-)

DD

btw - I use two 15" flat screen monitors (less than $300 each). I couldn't live without them. I first came to appreciate their value when I started getting pdf only manual with software. pdf on one screeen, application on the other. WELL worth the investment.

 

I'm getting my copy soon, I'll try to post about content.

 

I am a new absynth user and just worked my way through the first half of the tutorial DVD. It's quite entertaining and the technical realization is solid and very easy to understand.

Your complaints made me smile because they reminded me of the time when my parents (they are in their 60s) had their first encounter with modern PCs and did not dare to even touch the keyboard or move the mouse . In the meantime they lost all their computer-shyness and almost turned into cyber junkies. If they are confronted with a computer application that does not stop and they need more control over it they will follow the rule of thumb I taught them: "Press mouse button - SPACE - RETURN - ESC until something happens." This strategy also works with the tutorial DVD..

My only complaint about the DVD is that the content can not be installed on harddisk (my DVD player is so noisy). I know, this is because of copy protection...
Also, some more practical insights / tipps from the artists beside their commercial "Absynth is great" babbling would have been nice, too.

Zak