I'm pissed at Sonic Foundry - Should I be?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RWhite
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RWhite

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I purchased Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge 5.0 some time ago. As part of the purchase, I also received their "Batch File Converter" which is simply a tool for doing large numbers of file format conversions in an automated way.

My prefered main use of the Batch Converter would to convert large numbers of .WAV files to .MP3. However for you to be able to do this conversion, Sonic Foundry requires you to buy an additional "MP3 Plug-in" for $20. Now, I have some shareware tools for doing .WAV - .MP3 conversion, but I do like the SF Batch Converter, and I've always been pretty happy with the job Sound Forge does, so I finally decide to cave in buy the damn plug-in. I go to the Sonic Foundry site and check things out. In several places their web site refers to the "downloadable MP3 plug-in". So I am expecting a file that I download, and install.

Except that after I send through my $20 credit transaction, what happens is that the "plug-in" is simply installed straight into the software on my PC. I am of course using my general-purpose web browsing PC at the time, not the PC in my studio where I want to install the plug-in. I get no file, nothing to install. Apparently the next time I want to re-install my OS or reformat my drive, I am apparently expected to shell out ANOTHER $20 to install it yet again. Every time.

I think this is 100% bullshit! I went back to their website and checked everything again, and it simply refers to an "MP3 Download". Which may be technically correct, but is certainly deceptive at least. Now I'm pissed that I even bought their damn software.

What do people out there think? I like to upright and buy those programs I use, but if crap like this continues to happen.... at the very least they can forever kiss me off from upgrading to Sound Forge 6.0
 
Their mp3 encoder is a separate piece of SW that they want to get paid for. My guess is that they bought it from someone else and need to pass this cost along to the customers.

Pissed? Not here. I like their encoder.

You also have to factor in their tenuous position in the homerecording market. That would get many companies doing alot of shit that would piss off all the victims in the corporate chain. That includes employees and customers and vendors that sell SF stuff to keep them rolling.
 
Hey, I upgraded Sound Forge from 4.5 to 6.0 recently. 6.0 does conversions to .mp3 without having to buy anything extra.
 
Either they aren't thinking things through, or they're really worried about piracy. Too worried, imo. You have to allow fair use by the guys who actually pay you. Otherwise what's the point?
 
Doc, I don't think you finished his post...he doesn't get to what he's actually pissed about 'till the third paragraph! haha ;)

RWhite, yeah I think you have a right to be pissed. I would be calling them. These companies are reacting to piracy by hurting the people who actually pay for software. It makes *NO* sense. But then the business world is run by humans, and thus is an emotion-driven nightmare that defies logic.

Slackmaster 2000
 
I think you have a right to be pissed - and you should contact SF customer support and I bet they help you out. They seem to be pretty good about that.



Tell you what has pissed me off recently - their discounts to loyal customers. Used to be that they would even offer a better deal to beta testers - welp, that looks like it's gone as well.

When ACID 4 came out, I got the great introductory price from them for being a "loyal registered user" of other products.

That great introductory price is what the damned software went for at Guitar Center.

It's funny, I like their product and I do think they have (had?) great support - and for those reasons, I shopped directly through them when I could save more money if I used my academic status to get better prices. Call it stupid (I do) but I thought I was being a loyal customer.

Now I say fuck em. I still love their product, but I am going to use the academic discounters from now on.


Brad
 
I prefer CDex for mp3 and wav file conversion, it does does automated conversions as well...and I have one of the older versions of it too.
 
RWhite, SF gets a LOT of bad advice from people who ought to know better all the time, this might be another example. They DO mean well though, please send me a private message with some of your contact info and lets see if we can get you fixed up through proper channels
 
Yet another reason to be pissed

Pipeline, I did bitch to them. When I "registered" the plug-in update, there was a section for comments. I said my piece.

Bitch #2

Now this next bitch may be jumping the gun, but.... as some of you may remmeber, I did a post not long ago "What do you use for video editing?" To make a long story short, based on some recomendations here at HRBBS and my own online research I purchased Sonic Foundry's Video Factory 2.0 a few days before I bought the MP3 plug-in on line. I found Video Factory retail, at the Micro Center for $70. Actually more expensive than on-line when you include tax. But the boxed version does have some docs (the entire manual is an acrobat file on disk) and also has a second CD-ROM of "content" (pictures & stuff).

As frequently happens, I bought the program but have not yet installed it (waiting for the weekend). However I downloaded the updated .PDF manual yesterday from Sonic Foundry and have started reading it at work during lunch hour. From what I have read in the manual, Video Factoy 2.0 has a software "activation" that is borrowed right out of Bill Gate's XP handbook. After you install the program you have a limted time where it will run, during which you have to go online and "activate" the software. If you want to install it on a second PC, or a laptop, sorry.... you can only activate your software once.

IF this turns out to be true, I'm even more pissed off. If this were some sort of $5000 turn-key video package, I would expect this sort of thing. But to go through this for a $70 light-weight video editing program? BULLSHIT. Once again, the legimate buyer gets screwed while the hackers are uneffected. It looks like I'm going to have to track down a hacked version of the program I just bought, just so I can get full use out of my software.
 
Basslord1124 said:
I prefer CDex for mp3 and wav file conversion, it does does automated conversions as well...and I have one of the older versions of it too.
Click to expand...

Yep...CDex does a good job for me too. Another thumbs up here .
 
Re: Yet another reason to be pissed

RWhite said:
If you want to install it on a second PC, or a laptop, sorry.... you can only activate your software once.
Click to expand...

If you were to install it on two PCs, wouldn't you need two licenses? It's a legit gripe should you decide to get a new PC, but if you want to use two copies of the software, I think you're supposed to buy two copies of the software...
 
>you can only activate your software once

Not so! I had Vegas Pro on my PII machine, and when I got my P4, I just called them up and told them my situation and they gave me the activation codes for the new machine.
 
Yeah, me too. Never had a problem when re-activating any of SF's stuff. New computers, OS re-installs, always smooth getting the programs back up.

I think if you do it too many times, it sends up a red flag somewhere and you might have to contact them, tell them you've had to reinstall your OS several million times, and they hook you up.
 
CDex is free, has a killer MP3 encoder (LAME) that provides tons of flexibility and is extremely fast, and it does batch conversions to MP3. Why use anything else? http://cdex.n3.net
 
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