The African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) has a gestation period of 22 months. The Black Alpine Salamander is knocked up for 2-3 years. and the Frilled Shark can be in the family way for a full 3.5 years. And then there is Rekord Buddy 2, which to date has been on the way for a full 11 years. I jest of course, but it would seem that the fabled and near mythical music library management software is finally at a point where the masses can get hold of it in the form of a public beta.
Do you have questions? Here are a few already pre-answered:
- How do I get started with the beta?
- Why do I have to pay for the beta?
- Is the beta available on Windows?
- What programs does the 2.0 beta support?
I was interested to read the one about the beta being a paid for app. It’s discounted, and the licence extends right through to the full release version. I like the logic that only hardcore users who really want to help make Rekord Buddy 2 as perfect as possible on release.
So it seems that the actual release day is imminent. No really…
Oh… hey there :)
…
HAI THERE
The BEST way to ensure you get what you want/need out of any given SW is to get involved during phases where it matters most. I considered it a privilege to be part of this and Damien went above and beyond giving the most personal and prioritized support approach I have seen to date. While sometimes few and far between his responses matter. They were solid, pertained directly to you and most of all they were effective. This is going to evolve into a staple in our industry and potentially be the much needed tool bridging the gap between the most relevant DJ SW.
I applaud you and offer my gratitude once again.
P.S. I will respond to your e-mail ASAP and I must admit this last one was a biggie. GREAT news indeed.
“This is going to evolve into a staple in our industry”
I doubt it. But a sucker looking for an easy way to do anything is born every minute.
The world is NOT as bad as you seem to think it is……………. https://disqus.com/by/Ezmyrelda/?utm_source=reply&utm_medium=email&utm_content=comment_author
BTW please don’t take my reply as an invitation for debate. I have no intention of taking part in one of your episodes. Best of luck.
Oh, I don’t. There’s not much debatable here.
I wouldn’t waste my time on you with one of my “episodes” here anyway. Where “episode” seems to mean passionate writing to anti-intellectuals.
I’d wish you luck as well but I’m getting strong “Go Fuck Yourself” vibes off the sentiment so that’s what I’ll reply with.
Go Fuck Yourself. :)
What a poor excuse of a human being you are.
Ahh, yes.. Please.. Allow me to initiate my “giving a fuck what an internet rando” function.
What a poor excuse for a comment. Did you have a point or were you just feeling the need to tell a person they were substandard?
Let’s keep it civil everyone. Absolutely no need for flames and insults. It’s just DJ stuff at the end of the day. There are way more important things to save your emotional energy for.
What emotional energy? Was there a particular reason the reply was to me?
None whatsoever. It just sits at the bottom of a thread that was becoming something that I don’t like to see on DJWORX.
That’s completely understandable. However, neither of the other two individuals are going to get notifications. “episodes” is passive aggressive, and the other comment was a straight up insult.
I admit I can be a bitch. I do try to keep my bitchiness within civil standards though.
Whatever, I’m over it.. If I spent time explaining my issues with every one of the replies in this thread I’d be here all day.
this DOES have huge potential. As a beta tester I can see the potential of where this software can go, so don’t diss it till you’ve actually used it. Oh, wait; you’d need to buy it first ;)
Dissing it in my opinion would be saying “this is shitty software”. I don’t think it will be. I just feel that the beta access model is built upon flawed thinking and am dubious about its status as “A staple”.
From what I have seen it won’t be “shitty software”. The dev seems extremely level headed and civil. The UI is pretty impeccable and I imagine it would be extremely valuable to the people that would be in a position to afford and use it. I.E. Those that regularly access to and use expensive pioneer setups, expensive serato setups, and Traktor setups.
Full disclosure I would buy it in a heartbeat just for the promise of its organizational abilities alone. But the beta model is ONLY pay so it doesn’t take into consideration people such as myself who have a history of being passionate about software projects who are interested in supporting the dev cycle the only way they can. By being passionately attentive to the look and function of the software in question.
I blush. Thanks Dave and thank you for being so patient with me on everything. I’m excited about where we’re heading with this. 2.0 is just the beginning.
$54.99…..
For a beta..
Which is supposed to be “discounted” from the final cost.
Which also includes the passage
“As a way of thanking the testers for their help during the beta process this purchase will, at no extra cost, remain valid after the final version is released.”
Which to me implies one is JUST paying for the beta.. which will still work in beta capacity after RC is available.
Pay to do work for them and get a beta that continues to function after RC release, while still having to pay for the RC itself?
Yeah.. No thanks.
There are better ways to find capable and passionate beta testers.
But props on ya for thinking of a new way to monetize rarity while getting people to pay to do work for you. That’s actually kind of genius. I’d say I hope it works out but as a beta tester with 15 years of experience.. I don’t.
Few points to address yours.
First, ‘them’ is just me. I’ve developed both versions of the app by myself (with an extra programmer coming on board recently to help with the Windows port).
Second, the beta started at $39.99 back in January. It is now $54.99 which is still a discount from the full release price which will be $59.99. I increased the price over time in order to thank people who helped me out early on and dealt with the most unstable builds. There are 180 people on the beta right now. I’ve been working on 2.0 for almost 3 years with no other revenue. Do the math. It’s not a money making scheme.
Finally, as is addressed in the FAQ, charging people was first and foremost a way to filter the people who would sign on to the beta in order for me to not be swamped under an avalanche of support tickets that I wouldn’t have been able to deal with. Limiting the number of people alone would not have worked because I would have gotten ‘tourists’ who just wanted to check the app out for free. I needed people who were motivated to help out.
I’m sure you would have found much better ways to handle this, I’m just not that clever I guess :)
Them could mean a company. It’s numerically and gender non-specific.
Ahh.. I see.. You began with charging $40 dollars for a beta and when you found you couldn’t find enough people passionate at that price you bumped up the price to $55. Got it. But hey, $5 dollars off the RCs price for a beta.. I guess that’s.. a thing.
I did the math. No thanks.
This isn’t about cleverness. I think we both know that. It’s about getting people to pay to do work for you.
You are entitled to your opinion and I respect it.
As are you. You are also entitled to do business any way you see fit and I respect you and your ability to end a conversation. I wish you luck and prosperity in your endeavor.
Where is your problem Ezmyrelda? Why can’t you understand that a developer would like to get some money at some point after 3 years of writing 10.000 lines of code.
A lot of people asking for the software, especially after 3 years. The software isn´t finished, but he is still want to give people a preview. For a cheaper price you get a buggy unfinished software which is a fair deal.
Game studios, apple, microsoft, other big studios can give beta software for free, because they know that people will still buy the software after its finished.
A small developer who writes a software which maybe 1000-2000 people will buy at all can’t do that. He needs to get payed at some point… He can’t code free his whole life…
My problem was never with the software or the asking for money. But with the wording. I can see how you might get that impression though. I tend to confuse pretty much everyone that reads at a high school level. It’s my curse.
Also, to clarify. I don’t have a problem. It may seem that way to you because you read a portion of the interaction and every portion of an interaction remains visible in public comments.
We (Damien and I) have had a brief but civil conversation and he has proven to be a very courteous and pleasant person. Therefore. No problem. Possibly a difference of opinion. Not even sure that exists. He needed a way insure that he had passionate beta team. He also needed a way to provide capitol for his continued expenses and the work he has put into it. Nothing wrong with that. I disagreed with what he came up with but I have no way of knowing whether I would have come to the same decision if I was in the same circumstance.
TL;DR: I have no problem with Damien or his product. I would and WILL buy the product if my circumstances ever change and I can afford. I WILL in the future say nothing but kind things about him and his product because he has proven to me on a personal level that his personal goals are ABSOLUTELY worth it. EOS.
DISCLOSURE: I wrote and designed the manual for RB2 and am taking part in the beta.
It’s not unusual for developers to charge for beta access these days. In fact, it’s fairly normal in the videogame industry. They call it Early Access and it’s now part of the process for releasing indie games. It actually helps developers a lot because it’s not just people mooching for free entertainment as they’re financially (and thus emotionally) involved in the process. You become part of a team that helped steer the development.
Wait… that means you really have to pay again after the beta if you want to have a fully working / upgraded version? That makes no sense!
No. The beta license is fully valid for the full version. No paying again for the full release or any 2.x updates.
So then I don’t really understand the problem…?
Other option would be some kind of self-disabling beta version and all beta testers would have to pay the full price.
10% discount seems like a fair deal.
Hey man, you should code this for free. It’ll be good exposure.
LOL
DISCLOSURE: I wrote and designed the manual for RB2 and am taking part in the beta.
It’s not unusual for developers to charge for beta access these days. In fact, it’s fairly normal in the video game industry. They call it Early Access and it’s now part of the process for releasing indie games. It actually helps developers a lot because it’s not just people mooching for free entertainment as they’re financially (and thus emotionally) involved in the process. You become part of a team that helped steer the development.
Yes, in the video game industry where the end result is entertainment. I am an active hardware and software beta tester with 15 years of experience and the best way to get appropriate and useful results is from people who actively take an interest in knowing what information to give and how to present it. As well as how to ferret out edge cases.
For utility software I cannot see this being the case in this specific instance.
That manual sounds amazing!
It is :)
Hope they get the final product out soon, and win version also.
Windows is being developed as we speak and it’s being handled by a separate programmer so it’s not held up by the macOS version.
I’m ready to buy as soon as the Windows version is available.
Instead of charging money for a beta, a very expensive beta at that, why didnt you just do a limited number of slots for the beta? i sure as fuck dont have an extra $50 laying around at the moment… doesnt mean im not ‘motivated to help’.
There was a limited number of slots and those filled up in 30mn back in the first beta release, even at the price it was back then. The beta has been a huge success and statistically the lower the price, the more likely I was to get people who were just ‘checking it out’.
I’m sure you would have been a great tester though. That’s the risk I had to take.
Very sad I didn’t see an announcement. Perhaps centercode down the road?
Always looking for ways to improve the process. Will look into that next time.
That would be great! I have been very impressed with their ability to bring capable testers together with awesome devs.
Here’s my 2 pence: Damian’s business model is basically the same as kickstarter: early adopters get a reduced price to help fund development. The only difference I can see is that people paying for the beta have a chance to aid that development cycle and potentially influence the direction of the SW – I think this is basically a good thing.
Rekord Buddy is not the kind of project any of the big 3 would support – it wouldn’t make good business sense to help your customers jump ship more easily. With that in mind, if it’s a feature people want, it has to be developed independently.
I bought Rekord Buddy to prepare some back up USBs for a fairly major gig where I couldn’t afford a laptop failure. It worked admirably and saved me a lot of hours work learning Record Box and re-preparing all my tracks :)
“it wouldn’t make good business sense to help your customers jump ship more easily.” – True, but that jump could be to their ship just as much as it could be someone else’s ship.
This is actually a very important point. This is not and will not become a mere ‘jump ship tool’. It’s a ‘own your collection’ tool and all the manufacturers get it. The future is not being locked in one program. It’s using whatever program fits you best at that moment in time.
I’m a Traktor user, using Serato for DVS and rekordbox when I play in clubs. This will become more and more common moving forward.
Agreed, and kudos for making it happen. With what all is currently happening in DJ gear world, the timing of this couldn’t be any more perfect. This is a very needed solution.
Ah this is interesting! Yes, I absolutely agree that it’s a tool to “own your collection” but I’m surprised that the manufacturers are behind it – I wouldn’t want to make it easier for my customers to use another product – have you heard from them that they do? That’s fascinating if so, given the current state of hardware locking (which has improved, but is still a problem – see traktor and jogweheels).
I give Pioneer, Serato and Native more credit than that. There is no benefit to locking your customers inside your app. It’s been tried before in many other industries. It’s a desperation move and it doesn’t work.
People use your stuff because it’s good and it’s useful, not because they don’t have the choice. Also, as pointed out above, the easiest you make the barrier to entry the easiest it is for people to come back if they chose to. Otherwise you’ve pissed a lot of people off by trying to lock them down and they’ll never look twice.
I cannot disagree Damian – sound logic, I’ve ammended my first post…
Tell that to whitelabel.
I’m still waiting for my new Next Audio Labs Mac so I can use it.
Can I downvote this sarcastically?
I’d just downvote it seriously.
It’s hard to tell which is which though.
As long as you also upvote it ironically.
What about the people who supported record buddy 1?
1.0 users will get a special upgrade code with a discount for the full version. Check the FAQ on the site.
Great thanks.
11 years? how?
It hasn’t. I’m just taking the mickey out of Damien Sirkis.
Still only on mac >:(
And being developed in parallel for Windows. Gotta get one out first.
Im sure we will see the windows version released within the next two years sometime. ;-)
HEY — don’t come round here taking the piss out of Damien. That’s our job. ;)
Kids nowadays have no respect for rules ;)
As of now it is the same discount. Check the FAQ on the website.