Pro Tools Flex Renaming Back To Ultimate

[LDS]

Originally Posted by dcoffset

Whilst I agree with some aspects of that you are saying, I do think it's easy to kinda lose track of what has been achieved lately. There's a way to go but Avid have been trying to address issues.

Also that video about the 32bit float is kinda ridiculous. Firstly, who does that in their day to day work? Secondly, isn't it to do with the noise protection burst peak protection that was added but not broadly announced by Avid (at least I wasn't aware of it until the preference got added... Might be wrong on the second point as haven't tested it as I prefer to work with sane gain staging

I'm not losing track of anything. Users have been asking for ARA2 support for years. Users have been asking for custom keyboard shortcuts for years. Users are still waiting for Apple Silicon support. Users are still waiting on an integrated Atmos renderer. The video engine is still as bad as it ever has been. The Hybrid engine is still full of delay compensation bugs that has a bunch of users leaving their HDX and Carbon hardware unused on the shelf. I can't even switch sample rates on my HDN hardware... And I pay my $399 a year, and I be a good little Pro Tools user by submitting a support case to get it fixed, and 7 weeks later I have nothing to show for it other than 3 sentences of correspondence from Avid Support and further hours and hours of my own time wasted trying to fix a significant problem in Pro Tools that they don't even remotely seem interested in. Apparently that is what I am paying $399 a year for...

Yet meanwhile, Avid apparently have time to introduce ideascale... than scrap it and create a new closed feedback system. Introduce mandatory support plans, then backpedal on the price after the whole world balked at it. Then introduce digilink licenses. Announce Avid link, then withdraw it and build a new version. Then discontinue reinstatement plans. Then rebrand HD to Ultimate (just four years ago!). Then discontinue digilink licenses. Then re-introduce reinstatement plans. Then discontinue perpetual licenses while renaming Ultimate flex... only to change the name back to Ultimate again months later. Confused? I sure am. Honestly, how many rebuilds does the video engine really need to get it working properly?

There is really no other way to describe it than ridiculous. There is just very little that remains 'professional' about how Avid and Pro Tools conducts day to day business. If they were selling power tools to professional builders, they would be losing customers hand over fist. If they were a recording studio or post facility, they would be losing clients hand over fist. The quality of the releases, the speed in which problems are fixed, the basic level of customer service, it is all subpar compared to the competition... companies who don't even charge an exorbitant support fee every year.

That is why it is open slather on social media about Pro Tools. The whole 32bit thing in that video is totally nonsense, but the fact that he is successfully using it to promote his own mastering studio and presence in the industry is really the ridiculous part about it. Just last week in a meeting of 16 audio engineers for a national broadcaster, someone shared the Pro Tools Support spoof twitter account - Avid has a problem when a spoof twitter account is deemed more authentic than Avid itself by the industry itself. Like I said, once upon a time Pro Tools was something to aspire to. It had credibility. It was build on the perception of an organic existence in the industry. The best tool, offering innovation, that was the tool of choice of industry professionals. There was something special about using Pro Tools.

Those days are long gone. After a decade of directionless management, ridiculously continual pricing structure changes and rebranding, ambling support and slow paced development, Avid have mastered just two things. How to kill your credibility as a corporation, and how to make your users feel utterly worthless.

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by noah330

My head hurts.

I pay $399/yr. Why would anyone pay $599/yr?

Maybe it's because they never got a full license like I did when I bought my card?

"Take two aspirin and call me in the morning"

Now one would,, but you are conflating TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT scenario's

One is the renewal fee for a current Ultimate PERPETUAL license which was and still is $399 a year PERIOD

The other is purchasing an ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION license(for people who do not have current perpetual license
AND does not include a perpetual license of any kind ) and is good for only that one year AND that price has NOW gone from $999 a year DOWN to $599 a year

I do not understand why this Difference is so hard to understand or why people get confused


AGAIN ::
A "Subscription" license is either a monthly RENTAL or a yearly RENTAL (NOW $599 a year) of Pro Tools and when that month or year is up,,, Pro Tools will no longer function (until you purchase another month or another years RENTAL Subscription ...

A PERPETUAL license will continue to function whether you renew it or not... BUT if you do not renew it it will become frozen at that the version you were using,, when it expired

How is this confusing ???????????????????????

[Tweakhead]

Superb post above by LDS.

[Darryl Ramm]

One of the better DUC posts, thanks LDS.

[Third Eye Studios]

Originally Posted by LDS

I'm not losing track of anything. Users have been asking for ARA2 support for years. Users have been asking for custom keyboard shortcuts for years. Users are still waiting for Apple Silicon support. Users are still waiting on an integrated Atmos renderer. The video engine is still as bad as it ever has been. The Hybrid engine is still full of delay compensation bugs that has a bunch of users leaving their HDX and Carbon hardware unused on the shelf. I can't even switch sample rates on my HDN hardware... And I pay my $399 a year, and I be a good little Pro Tools user by submitting a support case to get it fixed, and 7 weeks later I have nothing to show for it other than 3 sentences of correspondence from Avid Support and further hours and hours of my own time wasted trying to fix a significant problem in Pro Tools that they don't even remotely seem interested in. Apparently that is what I am paying $399 a year for...

Yet meanwhile, Avid apparently have time to introduce ideascale... than scrap it and create a new closed feedback system. Introduce mandatory support plans, then backpedal on the price after the whole world balked at it. Then introduce digilink licenses. Announce Avid link, then withdraw it and build a new version. Then discontinue reinstatement plans. Then rebrand HD to Ultimate (just four years ago!). Then discontinue digilink licenses. Then re-introduce reinstatement plans. Then discontinue perpetual licenses while renaming Ultimate flex... only to change the name back to Ultimate again months later. Confused? I sure am. Honestly, how many rebuilds does the video engine really need to get it working properly?

There is really no other way to describe it than ridiculous. There is just very little that remains 'professional' about how Avid and Pro Tools conducts day to day business. If they were selling power tools to professional builders, they would be losing customers hand over fist. If they were a recording studio or post facility, they would be losing clients hand over fist. The quality of the releases, the speed in which problems are fixed, the basic level of customer service, it is all subpar compared to the competition... companies who don't even charge an exorbitant support fee every year.

That is why it is open slather on social media about Pro Tools. The whole 32bit thing in that video is totally nonsense, but the fact that he is successfully using it to promote his own mastering studio and presence in the industry is really the ridiculous part about it. Just last week in a meeting of 16 audio engineers for a national broadcaster, someone shared the Pro Tools Support spoof twitter account - Avid has a problem when a spoof twitter account is deemed more authentic than Avid itself by the industry itself. Like I said, once upon a time Pro Tools was something to aspire to. It had credibility. It was build on the perception of an organic existence in the industry. The best tool, offering innovation, that was the tool of choice of industry professionals. There was something special about using Pro Tools.

Those days are long gone. After a decade of directionless management, ridiculously continual pricing structure changes and rebranding, ambling support and slow paced development, Avid have mastered just two things. How to kill your credibility as a corporation, and how to make your users feel utterly worthless.

I agree with everything you said!

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by LDS

Yet meanwhile, Avid apparently have time to introduce ideascale... than scrap it and create a new closed feedback system. Introduce mandatory support plans, then backpedal on the price after the whole world balked at it. Then introduce digilink licenses. Announce Avid link, then withdraw it and build a new version. Then discontinue reinstatement plans. Then rebrand HD to Ultimate (just four years ago!). Then discontinue digilink licenses. Then re-introduce reinstatement plans. Then discontinue perpetual licenses while renaming Ultimate flex... only to change the name back to Ultimate again months later. Confused? I sure am.

As if to prove your point, you missed somethng - not only did they discontinue perpetual licenses, they then stopped offering existing perpetual license-holders crossgrades to subs (a terrible idea always, but they used to offer them). Instead they discounted the reinstatements so as to encourage them to keep their current licenses up to date.

So on the one hand - no new permanent licenses. On the other, roll up roll up, make the most of your permanent licenses!

Corporate schizophrenia.

[off the wall]

Avid: We introduced a really confusing line of Pro Tools tiers in April. In August, we made it less (more?) confusing by making “Perpetual Ultimate” have exactly the same features as “Subscription Flex” at wildly different yearly price points. And now for our November trick …

[jallen01]

Honestly, Ultimate subscription needs to be $399.00 per year. Period. My limit to stay on ProTools is 100% directly related to how they improve and update their product as well as fix bugs in a timely manner. This is my entire decision-making process.

Last year I went to a competitor. This year was not even an option with their $1,000 per year plan and I have to say that the new $599.00 per year plan does not do it for me either. It's a value to dollar ratio and right not the value is not there. Not at this price point.

[nednednerb]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

Corporate schizophrenia.

Just checking..... Do you actually have schizophrenia?

In fact, I actually do, so if you don't, that comment is received as a bit out of line. Just the wrong term. Corporate insanity would be "cooler" --- no big deal, just wanted to point it out.

I totally agree with the predilection and feeling toward corporatism run amok, however!!

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by nednednerb

Just checking..... Do you actually have schizophrenia?

In fact, I actually do, so if you don't, that comment is received as a bit out of line. Just the wrong term. Corporate insanity would be "cooler" --- no big deal, just wanted to point it out.

I totally agree with the predilection and feeling toward corporatism run amok, however!!

I did knowingly choose the word, though it probably wasn't a great idea to use it (along with any other mental health related term, including madness or insanity tbh). As it pertains to disorganised thinking it's a fair fit, but I appreciate the term is often misunderstood and misused.

Ignoring the unwise use of the word, the point was - Avid is a company that not only changes its own rules seemingly on a monthly basis, it actually manages to deliver contradictory messages simultaneously.