Poor selection of presets on the new instruments (CZ, Mellotron, Synthi)

[MajorFubar]

CZ = 19 presets
Mellotron = 4 presets
Synthi = 20 presets
(also Pigments = 18 presets, but I don't really count this, as it's not a V Collection synth)

...all with an enticing 'Discover more presets' banner, which only takes you to the website to buy either the individual instrument or the complete V Collection.

With Analog Lab 1, AL2 and the full version of AL3 (not Analog Lab Lite), users did at least get all the standard V Collection presets, even if they quite rightly didn't have the same tools and creative controls as V Collection owners. You didn't need to slowly turn Analog Lab into crippleware which exists only to coerce customers into buying the latest V Collection.

Is this change in direction really giving your customers the best experience possible, or was it just decided upon by the greedy bean-counters?
That question is at least 50% rhetorical because the answer to it is obvious.

[Pierre Arturia]

I understand where you're coming from, and it was a tough decision for us not to include all the new presets of V Collection inside this version of Analog Lab.

There are multiple reasons for this:

- Analog Lab updates are free, and we want to keep it that way.
- We are constantly working on Analog Lab to improve the workflow, add features, add FXs, etc. for those updates.
- Analog Lab already has 6000+ sounds and is considered as one of the best value for money in terms of number and quality of presets.
- Analog Lab has a sound store, with affordable sound packs (some even free) that should provide users with the sounds they need.
- We have a big team working on those new instruments. Giving them for free for every update of Analog Lab would quickly mean the end of V Collection.

Hopefully you can understand that this is not a greedy strategy to always make more money, but the only solution for us to keep working on new instruments.

[MajorFubar]

Thanks for your reply.

Reading between the lines I guess what you discovered between launching AL3 and AL4 is that way too many customers were happy with just factory presets, consequently they weren't buying VC6.

Perhaps you could have made the full range of presets available to customers who buy Analog Lab outright, or who had bought it as part of a previous V Collection, but distributed only a slimmed-down version with controllers. I was always surprised by how eagerly you gave away the full version of Analog Lab to KeyLab purchasers, when they should have got only a Lite version so as not to sap AL3 sales.

But that's all academic now because you've made your decision.

[gphantom]

I'm happy with the presets in AL3 and AL4 but, I'm glad I have the Modular V to be able to tweek some of the presets since they lack a certain "Je ne sais quoi."
As an example, I add the Aftertouch signal in order to change either the filter or volume and other things that add ooomph.
One example is the Evil 9 endo where the sequencer plays the ELP robot sound.  On the album, the sequencer speeds up so, I added the mod wheel to control the speed of the sequencer.  Another change was the ELP trilogy intro which rises then falls (ooooeeeeeoooo) which is heard on compilation albums (live) but I prefer the original so, I was able to modify using my Modular V synth.  Another change I made was using the Modular V in concert with the mod finger strip on my keystep (Better control than the actual wheel) to create a mini version of Keith's finger board.  Quite nice.

For those who like to tweek or even find out how a sound is made, they have to have the original synth to be able to do that.  I plan on getting the DX7 eventually and then additional synths as I get more cash.