When will the plugin be finished?

[Roskobiwan]

Next to ezbass ths plugin is lacking so much. The product is NOT what the advertisements make it out to be. I can’t resize chords, gotta chop the MIDI up and break all the sustained notes and fix those later… Can’t drag MIDI onto chords. Can’t drag chords onto MIDI. And dragging is locked in the Demo so you can’t tell until you download the plugin and can’t get your money back. SO since you’re trapping people into owning this thing, when will it be finished?

Seems to be priced the same as ezbass so why is it so featureless next to it? And how is anyone supposed to know they weren’t going to have the same features when the demo doesn’t let you drag stuff around…

EZkeys version: 1.3.2
Operating system: Windows 10

• This topic was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Roskobiwan.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Roskobiwan.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Roskobiwan. Reason: IM ANGRY

Topic

[Billy 86]

The short answer is that TT has abandoned developing EZK, unfortunately. Check the forum and you’ll see years of pleading to bring EZK into this century. Regrettably, the answer is crickets. Breath in, breath out, save yourself a lot of frustration and move on. It’s like meeting a child where he is developmentally. It is what it is.

SD3, EZD, EZ Keys 1&2, EZ Bass. Win10, i9/9900, all SSDs, 64g RAM, Cakewalk, Studio One

[Tony Shaffer]

I take the point about “meeting a child where he is developmentally,” but the point is to “meet” there as a starting point for making solid developmental gains.
I’d also add that in the arts, no work is ever truly “finished,” just abandoned…and we call it “done.”

I guess I’m not ready to call this developmentally “finished” or “done.”

Toontrack does listen, and there was discussion about EZB Upright for a good while before it appeared, but it got here, so I like to think enough of us have to have faith and encourage Toontrack to bring EZK up to the amazing standards of SD3 and EZBass, both of which are, as far as I (and a lot of others) feel are the best programs of their kind on the planet.

There are a gazillion key/midi programs around, but the reason I prefer EZK is that it does things the others don’t, and I think it could be the “best of its kind on the planet” for a bunch of us. Toontrack has proven what they can do with SD3 and EZB. We’d just like to see that same kind of development applied to EZK.

I understand Toontrack’s position: development is costly, and there has to be a market for something to justify spending the money for development.

I think the path to EZKeys 2 is enough of us being willing to pony up our own dollars for a “new” keyboard program, much like moving from EZDrums to SD3: new interface, new functions, new midi capabilities, new thinking. Because I know Toontrack can do that, and I wouldn’t expect them to “fix” the old program just to meet my expectations.

I’d say the market for keyboard programs is glutted…but I also believe that enough people would leap on the opportunity to have “the best program of its kind on the planet” to make it worth developing – and right now, “the best” – in my opinion – would be EZKeys 2 with capabilities on a par with SD3 and EZBass.

Of course, I’d really like for the cost to be closer to EZBass than SD3, but if enough of us support the idea and encourage Toontrack, maybe it can work out decently for everyone concerned…as in they can afford to develop it and we can afford to buy it.

I know I would…in the blink of an eye.

EZkeys version: 1.3.2
Operating system: Windows 10

[Reginald K.Son]

Well said Tony.

I know TT has the data on current EZK owners; they just must weigh the cost of an upgrade price and costs of acquisition for new customers to determine viability.

If they can infuse the functionality of a Scaler with this product, they would OWN the market on piano theory/songwriting VSTs.

EZkeys version: 1.3.2
Operating system: Windows 10

"Music for Life"

1

Thanked by: Tony Shaffer

[Roskobiwan]

You guys must not have heard of Scaler 2 or Captain Plugins, both are less than half the price of EZ Keys and actually live up to their advertised purpose. EZ Keys currently has less functionality than the DAW I’m using to host it. Meanwhile Toontrack have blocked me from contacting customer support and taken my money, forcing me to have to go through a whole rigmaroll with my bank to get my money back for this dead weight piece of software. Pretty crooked behaviour from Toontrack.

And it’s not my job to take pity on people who cant keep their software up to date. Other companies can do it. Other companies are throwing free stuff and coupons at me all the time for supporting them. Other companies have given me refunds when I was not happy. Other companies consider my feedback and have even implemented some of my suggestions. Toontrack are just thieves apparently.

[Reginald K.Son]

I just mentioned Scaler in my reply.  Perhaps you didn’t see.

I don’t pretend to know your experience with TT or your level of disappointment.  I’ve never been in a situation to request a refund from them.  In fact, I agree with you that EZK needs an overhaul.

I’m just saying that I’m not in the boardroom with them and I’m not going to pretend I know why they haven’t turned their attention to EZK.

"Music for Life"

[Tony Shaffer]

I do hear what y’all are saying. I’m coming from a different perspective. To start, I have EZkeys and I have Scaler and I have been programming midi since 5-pin DINs were put in place with the promise that “someday, we’ll actually use all five pins.”

But I am a player first and foremost, a recordist second, even though, these days, recording is a bigger chunk of my income than playing gigs. And in all that I do, I want to get past the tech part to the making music part as quickly as possible.

Toontrack is capable of amazing things, proven by SD3 and EZ bass and their constant development of new options/sounds. Something I appreciate greatly is the compatibility of these programs. I not only use them directly in recording projects, also to write, arrange, and create practice tracks for me ‘n’ my guitar. I also like to set up guide tracks for recording songs, something that I know will later be replaced with live tracks, but for now give me something basic that I can edit for transposing, changing tempo, or testing ideas.

Besides all the midi grooves that come with these programs, I have a library of grooves that I made from whatever project I was working on. When I record drummers, I can turn sections of their playing into midi to use for editing, replacement, or building new tracks, plus I sample their drums for the same reasons (they are fully aware and paid for their work, or they are buddies I do favors for in return).

I can do something similar with EZBass grooves, which is really nice: my rhythm section has “live player” DNA baked into it. And with drums, it is nice to be able to edit using samples and grooves from the player who recorded them: the playing, the dynamics, the instruments, the hands.

So, imagine what kind of hog heaven I’d be in if I could do the same thing with keyboards.

EZKeys does have its limitations. ‘Nuff said. You know it, I know it, Toontrack knows it. What I’d hope for is that enough of us would express our interest and support for “bringing EZKeys into the family,” so Toontrack finds enough reason to pick up on developing it to the same level as its siblings.

EZkeys version: 1.3.2
Operating system: Windows 10

[Asa Palmer]

EzKeys certainly does need updating (or completely re-writing) to bring it up to the standard of SD3 and EzBass. Most people here would agree with that and most people here, including me, seem to feel ripped off by TT.

If EzKeys was brought up-to-date and us paying customers were not constantly IGNORED by Toontrack I would be buying many more EZkey Midi packs and singing the praises of the program, but as it stands now it is a disaster to use and I’m not going to throw any more money down the drain on this.

Actually, I find it hard to believe that Toontrack seems to be sometimes updating the midi packs but not bothering to update the application itself at all!

As we give Toontrack money that keeps them in business I think it is not unreasonable to expect them to listen to our complaints and show us some respect.

I notice that it is not possible to gain access to this forum unless one has bought the product. This means that people who do not own it can not see the shocking number of complaints there are here about the product, so they are tempted to buy into it, as I was, only then to discover how awful it is. Nice!

EZBass v1.1.8
SD3 v3.3.6
EZKeys v2.05
Windows-10Pro (ex Windows-11Pro user)
Nuendo-12.0.70
Roland TD-20X

[James Price]

I like EZKeys…and I’m a piano player. When I want to edit notes, I drag the EZKeys into my DAW (Studio One) and edit there. I’m happy with EZKeys, and if they improve it, I’ll be even happier.

[Zed]

I really hope that Toontrack is NOT done with EZkeys, and I doubt that is the case… it is a remarkable tool, but it definitely need some improvements to match the search features of EZdrummer and EZbass.

Just improving the MIDI file management so that it would be easy to drop a third party MIDI pack into a folder and have it easily accessible in EZkeys for doing MIDI replacement or the copying of chord progressions would be very helpful.

I’m gonna post another thread with a list of improvement requests…

EZkeys version: 1.3.2
Operating system: OS X El Capitan (10.11)

[Ketil Ervik]

When you pay so much for one product, you expect the product to be fully developed as a complete product! It’s not EZK. If you do not bother to develop it further! I see it as a speculative business model. My word is; Sharpen up. You have earned significantly enough to be able to develop EZK further. If not! Pay back the money for this product, it each had the most conscientious and correct.

EZkeys version: 1.3.3
Operating system: Windows 10

Ketil Ervik

[Zed]

Zed wrote:

When you pay so much for one product, you expect the product to be fully developed as a complete product! It’s not EZK. If you do not bother to develop it further! I see it as a speculative business model. My word is; Sharpen up. You have earned significantly enough to be able to develop EZK further. If not! Pay back the money for this product, it each had the most conscientious and correct.

But it’s not like EZkeys isn’t already a fantastic product as it is. You make it sound like it is crap and that you almost feel swindled that it hasn’t been improved. EZKeys does amazing things and will continue to be a very useful tool whether they update it or not. I assume that it still works properly in the latest computer operating systems? If it stopped working, I could understand the frustration.

Let’s give them some credit for what they’ve accomplished. Toontrack has NOT just been twiddling their thumbs all these years. They have developed an incredible series of very useful and clever product lines in the interim.

So your reaction might be a little harsh…

• This post was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Zed.

[Ketil Ervik]

Do not think so, read what others wrote about EZkeys in this thread.

Ketil Ervik

[Skot]

Let’s all face it guys, Toontrack is aware that we have been begging for an update for years. EzKeys has been out for a decade. They don’t care. EzKeys is not a priority for them. They throw us a bone from time to time, and give us an expansion pack here and there, with some more MIDI packs to play with. But never a new numbered version.

Let’s just address the elephant in the room. They aren’t working on EzKeys 2. At all. You know it, I know it, they know it. And they don’t care how you feel about it. I know that because they have in ten years never said one word about it. I know, I know, Toontrack doesn’t talk about products they are working on, blah, blah, blah. That’s corporate speak for, “we ain’t doing sh*t all, and we don’t feel like we should have to explain anything to you, now shut up and buy what we will give you.”

That’s where we stand. Toontrack doesn’t care about EzKeys or it’s users. If they did, they wouldn’t have waited a DECADE to still say NOTHING. I wish they would sell the code for EzKeys to someone who will develop it. I mean we have all given them a laundry list of things we would like to see for a new version. But Toontrack can’t even be bothered to just give us an update that lets us resize the GUI for a 1440p monitor. You don’t need a whole numbered upgrade to do that much. They could have dropped that into a plain old update on the product manager.

I almost wish they would just discontinue EzKeys if they aren’t gonna sell it or develop it. At least then we would have a definitive way to show that they don’t really care about EzKeys. Have you ever counted up the number of Toontrack releases since EzKeys first came out?

Superior Drummer 3 and various expansion packs for it

EzDrummer 2 and a whole slew of expansion packs for it

EzDrummer 3 and 1 new expansion less than a month later!

EzMix 2 and a truckload of expansion packs for it (but is also due for an upgrade and a resizable GUI)

EzBass and nine expansion packs for it

Not to mention an absolutely staggering amount of MIDI packs for all three of their instruments.

And in all that time, not even once has Toontrack showed any interest in giving us any news about EzKeys.

EZkeys version: 1.3.3
Operating system: Windows 10

1

Thanked by: Reginald K.Son

[Author]

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