Just what do you think of Avid

[Kevin]

Is all this due to the company that took over from Sibelius? Do you think that Avid have an agenda?

[fundrazor]

Well, I haven't always been popular for having a more than cynical view of everything Avid intended (or at least what they didn't give a fig about) when they bought Sibelius, but I reckon the proof of the pudding was always in the eating. They castrated SibMus financially, cocked up the redesign in spectacular fashion, and made it clear that serious composers and students mattered not at all in their game plan.

This is all up to them, but I have to say that the mealy-mouthed justifications for all that they did, the dishonest and insulting responses to complaints, the patronising explanations and complete lack of consultation with their customers were all pretty hard to swallow.

As for an agenda? Simple: they don't really recognise that printed music is that important (all of their other products are aimed at a more "popular" element of the music "business") and bought Sibelius without really realising what it was - and that they care even less. They may intend to rebrand Sibelius altogether in due course under the Avid brand. What I find really odd is that they have shut down SibEd's forum as well. With virtually every school, college and university using the product, what kind of move is that?

[steve]

I'm generally in favor of an approach which says: "Maybe this is not so stupid, maybe I am stupid. Let me find the logic and grow wiser." I've been trying that with Avid to no avail so far... So one of us is really stupid... Maybe it's me.

[Kevin]

I agree with you Julian. It is like they have no respect for the consumers of the product (Sibelius) which is probably why there were a few guys that wanted to open a site where, at least, users of sibelius could still post their music.

[davidmonks]

I don't really know what was going on, but the shift from the beta version was pushed too hard and too fast. It was far too premature to launch it when they did. At that stage I began to realise that the users of Sib software were not really of much interest - a warning, had we been smart enough to see it.

Sibelius never came cheap, but it was a good product until the beta was forced into pear-shape. Who can tell what the future will hold?

[steve]

Let's see what fun we can come up with - a contest of sorts where the only prize is reveling in the mess we can make out of their stupid name!

From myself so far we have:

I suspect this is all the fault of a very idiotic decision.

The products are now Avidly venturing into degeneration.

and from Julian we have:

Automatically Voids Intelligent Debate

Awful valediction is deserved

Let's come up with a few more and maybe we can shame them with the truth of who and what they are!

[steve]

How about @$$ vomit in disguise

Adolescent, but not unfair me thinks.

[Kevin]

At least the product (Sibelius 6.2) has probably been taken nearly as far as it can go so that the eventual up grade might be worth leaving out therefore the regular users might not be parting with their hard-earned so quickly and making do with what is a good product. I still feel that is such a shame because the SibMus forum was quite a community and the tech forum (I know it is staying) were part of the package of using Sibelius.

[davidmonks]

Kevin, you echo my thoughts. I have been wondering what more they can do to make us interested in any future upgrading. I mean, they have effectively dumped us. Anyway, my feeling is that I have just about everything I could need in Sib 6.2. Perhaps it is time to start looking at other products to see what they are coming up with. And no, I don't mean Finale. I did cast a glance at it and thought it too complicated and lacking in intuitive logic - whatever that may be. There is, however Harmony Assistant based in Toulouse, and it seems to come at a very reasonable price. So far I have not been able to find the time to look at the download they allow - end of choral year is a busy time. Really what I am saying is that my sense of 'loyalty' to Sibelius products is shaken. Customer loyalty has to be balanced by something from the seller. If Avid (A Vile, Idiotic Dastard?) is avid for my money, it would have to show more interest in my expectations.

[steve]

A vile idiotic dastard! I like it:-)

And I feel the same way. What need have I to upgrade? This is a case study in mismanagement. And a shame.

[Kevin]

Absolutely David. If they hope to genrate sales with any up-grade they are going to have to eat some serious humble pie! I have all I need now with Sib 6.2 especially now that I can hook up EWQL to it relatively easily.

[davidmonks]

Kevin, please excuse my monumental ignorance... Ewql? I didn't realise you wrote in Welsh!

Pay no heed. It's the heat here. It melts the brain cells. Popped our for the paper at 8 am and it was already 32 C, with not a cloud in the sky.

Even so.. EWQL?

[Kevin]

East West Quantum Leap. Go and have a look/listen.

www.soundsonline.com/