Default library of Superior Drummer should be of our own choosing.

[thana]

Hello, I’ve been contemplating about buying Superior Drummer for years, but the one thing that has and continues to keep me away from pulling the trigger is the fact that I’m basically forced to buy the default Avatar studio library in order to get Superior Drummer. I don’t want the Avatar library, and I don’t want to have to pay for it. I’d much rather spend the money straight on an SDX, but the problem is of course none of the SDX come with the actual Superior Drummer software!

My request or suggestion (whichever way you want to look at it) is such:

When ordering the Superior Drummer software at the order page (or in the cart), we should be able to switch out the default Avatar library for an SDX library of our choosing. Price difference shouldn’t matter, as the point is having a more flexible system where customers, or potential customers (like myself) have the freedom to get exactly what they want from the get-go. I certainly don’t want to pay extra for a library I don’t want. And, if I ever change my mind in the future, I should be able to buy the Avatar library as an SDX. Companies like Impact Soundworks already have such a business model. In IS’s case, customers can purchase the two expansions of Shreddage 2 as standalone, without being required to buy the original Shreddage 2 if they don’t want it, and they can still get it later on if they so wish.

Unless of course, bundling Avatar with SD is a deliberate move to squeeze out more money… But I’d like to think that TT isn’t that kind of company. At least I hope not, because I really like the products on offer. I’m just surprised that the business model hasn’t changed for as long as SD has been around, and I really dislike having to fork out more money for something which I know isn’t going to be of use to me.

Thank you for reading.

Topic

[thana]

Wow I guess either no one agrees or no one cares. Disappointing.

[Scott Eshleman]

That’s an interesting perspective that I do not recall seeing on this forum previously.

Maybe when Toontrack initially developed SuperiorDrummer,
the Avatar sound library was built into the software at the molecular level.
This might explain why the Avatar library is not available separate from the software
…even for customers who crossgraded to SuperiorDrummer2 from EZDrummer (like me)
and wouldn’t technically need another library with which to operate SD2.

Maybe stripping the Avatar sound library from the software is not feasible.
Maybe you could consider that you are only paying for the SuperiorDrummer2 software
and getting a FREE(!!) Avatar sound library.
Or, maybe it is feasible and maybe you’ll get your wish in a future update to the product.

[thana]

I’m not a software developer, yet I find it very hard to believe that Avatar is somehow hard-coded into Superior Drummer. AFAIK, you can install the software without installing this library, and you could still use it just fine with everything else. I also find it hard to believe that Avatar, which makes up the bulk (as in >99%) of the product, is a free bonus. At that rate, you might as well give away the whole thing for free.

I’d like to point out that I don’t necessarily hate Avatar. It’s just that there are other SDX’s that sound way better to me. I guess I’ll just have to hope that Toontrack is listening and taking these points into consideration.

[Scott Eshleman]

@thana said:
AFAIK, you can install the software without installing this library, and you could still use it just fine with everything else.

True.
It’s been so long since I’d installed or reinstalled SuperiorDrummer2 that I forgot that the base sound library is still a separate install.

@thana said:
I also find it hard to believe that Avatar, which makes up the bulk (as in >99%) of the product, is a free bonus.

As someone who’s done software development and has recorded many layers of drum samples (neither of which was for Toontrack),
I can appreciate the time, effort and knowledge that it takes to do both.
Frankly, I think that the complexity of the software alone warrants of EVERY penny of its very reasonable pricetag.
Then, let’s also consider the ongoing (FREE!!) maintenance to the software…for years beyond the original purchase.

PS. The size of the sound library files relative to the size of the software installation files is not really an accurate basis
on which to measure their dollar value…unless you are comparing (the size & number of files in) an SDX to an EZX or similar sound libraries.

[thana]

@Scott E said:
As someone who’s done software development and has recorded many layers of drum samples (neither of which was for Toontrack), I can appreciate the time, effort and knowledge that it takes to do both.

I was actually wondering about that; how many hours it would take to write and test the software versus how many hours it would take to make a sample library as big as something like Avatar, not forgetting that it was recorded in a studio which of course has its own fees as well.

I respect the fact that you see the software (without the library) to be worth the current full price, but let’s face it: I can get a very competitive library from another company for $99, before discount. That’s a third of the current price. Why? Because that company actually gives away their software (the “player”) for free, and it seems to hold its own as well.

This all leads me to the belief* that, at the very least, the Superior Drummer software alone doesn’t constitute the full price, but probably half of it (around $150) while the other half belongs to Avatar. I’m comfortable with paying that much for the software, but I’d rather the other half went to an SDX instead, is all I’m saying. If that’s not the case, then I don’t think it would be worth it anymore, not in today’s market anyway.

* Though I think at some point we’ll have to admit that we don’t know how Toontrack structures its businesses and finances, so we can’t really compare them to other (bigger?) companies and therefore judge their prices based on that.

[Author]

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