Battery Browser

the battery browser definitely needs an overhaul. in the meantime i build my kits standalone using 'audio finder' by iced audio. it's an audio file browsing/processing dream come true, and integrates osX beautifully!

 

I dont know what big buddah said outside of this subject, I would think to get banned perm his comments must have been a lot worse. The comments made here to me didnt seem bad enough to get banned, but who am I. Kudos NI for outstanding products. But anyways, I came here lookin for the same answers. I was goin crazy mainly because i thought i was doing something wrong. I would think it would be standard to have a browser play its own files. Well I havent figured out if the battery lib files can be brought into another program and be converted into playable files, and then replace the non playable ones. Does anyone know of a program that will open up cl3 or the kit files and convert them into say wav or acid files? But NI should fix this asap. We pay good money for these good products, and a responsible company should listen to its customers. No one is perfect.

 

NI,

This is really inexcusable. On my end, the sample browser doesn't work, PERIOD. Why? It's been about a year now, and this hasn't been addressed? This company is getting too big, IMO, and quality is declining rapidly. I'm focusing on GMedia's fine products for synth "grit" these days. I'm a longtime Access Virus user, and they are truly the only soft-synth company that seems to be able to tell the difference in tonal quality.

I own NI Komplete 4, and I've been a customer for about 7 years now. I'm very disappointed in the direction this company is going. If EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DETAILS, i.e., basic features such as the sample browser are not being properly or consistently implemented, I really don't know what to think.

You do make some OK products, but the focus seems to be on volume (i.e., no. of products/features) rather than sound quality, or BITE. For those in the know, if it sounds right, it IS right, and it doesn't matter whence the sound. First and foremost, you should focus on the sound engines. Then, basic features, such as a USABLE SAMPLE BROWSER. Then, and ONLY then, bells and whistles. Trim your product line down some, see if I care. If I can play Pro-53 and impOSCar side by side and notice an unbelievably conspicuous difference in sound quality from my RME and Mackie HR824 setup, I have reason to believe this company has lost sight of its mission. I will no longer sink any more money into the pit that has become NI's update policy until I get some satisfaction. Who's with me?

"FEATURES ARE MEANINGLESS: RESULTS ARE PRICELESS!"

 

Battery is great and I do not know of a better product. I just hope a fix will come soon.

However, I just installed Logic 8 because of a $199 upgrade. It was a steal. So now we have another problem. The menu from Battery does not work in Logic 8. It's like I can not use this product in Logic 8. Maybe it's Logic or maybe not.

NI concept for how a drum machine should be is great. However, once we get the bugs out, my production with Battery will be awesome, but for now, I don't feel so good.

 

Yes, I agree... the concept is great. It's just the execution that worries me about NI - a company this high profile should not allow slips like this.

As far as sound quality, I've gotten so spoiled using the GMedia stuff that I'm hoping to God that other companies will see the light and develop sound engines on par with those lovely Brits have been able to pull off. It really is stunning to me that this little company that a whole lot of people have never even heard of can come up with instruments that sound like, and at very little CPU cost. It's like magic, it really is. (No, I don't work for GMedia, I'm just a musician.)

Like, if NI could make the effects, esp. the lofi section in Battery sound truly CRUNCHY, I'd be over the moon. Right now, some of it just sounds... whispy. I don't know of how else to put it; weak, digital flimsiness that makes me appreciate my vinyl collection so much more.

I hope a hi-fi renaissance happens through electronic music. I got hooked on this stuff because on a loud, clean soundsystem, you just can't beat the rubbery TOUGHNESS of a well-produced house or techno record. I will be infinitely saddened if that *sound* goes out of style completely because of all these electro-house mp3s flooding the market that sound like... well, they sound like hell, really - the production sounds like overdriven digital plugins, and that's pretty much it.

I'm about to throw up my hands and take it back to the old-school; no messy-sounding plugins, no weak signal paths - sound first, gimmicks later, and ONLY if they can get 'em to work without sacrificing the functioning of anything else already there!

But, yes, conceptually, Battery is brilliant. Please, Native, get on top of things. Focus on the products that are truly important to PRODUCERS first, and then worry about everything else. No new features until the ones already there work PERFECTLY, every time, on every system, no exceptions. If wee GMedia can do it, so can you. Please?

 

I second Dr. Washington

Dr. Washington,
I think we are on the same page here. I thought about going back to old school producing many times. It's a pain to work with midi and sysex. from out board gear such as drum machine and etc. Then we have to edit wav files over and over. However, at least the sonic and dynamics is there from hardware especially if it's D.I.ed correctly. Anyways, have you notice how great productions are from some tracks, but the sound quality from it is just pure Hell? Every since the digital era, the sound quality just sucks. Maybe it's the way digital is being used, but we never had this problem with vinyl even if the production had only a few elements. It sounded great!

Now I see something new with the way companies are marking there software. Every 10 months to a year, we have to upgrade. If we take the price of the product plus 5 years of upgrades, we have just purchased the hardware unit. With hardware, at least we have sonic, dynamics and 10 years of use. Heck, even analog tape gave us free compression.

Well...that was the good old days, but I'm going to fire back up my old Akai Z4 and other hardware stuff to start tracking the old way. I'm throwing in the towel if you know what I mean.

 

Just wanted to let all of you know that browser preview for CL3 files has been added in the upcoming 3.0.3 update.

Regards, Thomas

 

I was having trouble finding the actual Battery 3.0 release date, but it appears to be around Oct/Nov of 2006. That was approximately 1 year ago and we are still waiting for an update to preview Battery's own proprietary format (*.cl3) files within the browser?

 

cl3 in browser

YAY!

 

I recently updated Battery 3. I am now having problems with the browser. When I select browser, my cursor turns into a hour glass off and on nonstop. I can't use it at all. When I close the browser, everything works fine.

 

Hi Thomas,

I have been going crazy with trying to figure out what I am doing wrong using the Auto Preview feature. In Battery 3.0.2, (Mac OS 10.4.10, Mac Intel, DP 5.12 plugin) I bring up the browser, have a folder selected on the left, "Auto Preview" selected on the right, and click on a sample name in the middle and expect to hear it when I click on it. Can you help me?

Thanks,

Lance

 

Lance, this feature has never worked for *.cl3 files.

This is why the browser is worthless; it's essentially a rx2 (or other loop format) player.

And just to make this clear. The *.cl3 files are Battery's own proprietary format. Battery3 was released 1 year ago and this problem still isn't fixed.

It is absolutely ridiculous.

 

Thanks for your reply. I assumed it was my fault since such a feature is so obvious. Apparently not.

 

I just saw on the 3.03 update page that support for drag and drop with hosts has been improved. I really hope this includes Cubase 4. Then I could bypass B3 altogether for previewing wav files. C4's Media Bay feature would work really well for previewing and organizing drum samples.

 

Logic 8

Battery's 3 menu does not open in Logic 8. No patch for the installed kits can be selected. However, maybe this is a problem with Logic 8. I don't know.