A competitive DP

[Frodo]

I think in the majority of what I read, it was usually that the person had hoped for one or two specific changes, such as we see here with the DP6 wishlist, and without that, upgrading didn't seem to have been worth the price, discounted as it is. They felt it was more an update (read: free) than the complete overhaul they were expecting.

But there is something to this, as well- if you have to pay a few hundred for an upgrade where it's not really doing anything new short of performing as it was supposed to have been all along, it does feel like something's wrong. So even though I said I think most DP users would be happy with an upgrade that did nothing more than stabilize performance, if you think about it like this, you would almost feel you shouldn't have to pay unless there's something new besides that.

There are also a lot of P'd off Logic users who recently (though just not quite recently enough) payed the $1000 for L7 and now they're asked to pay another $200 for the upgrade. Suppose that's iPhone territory there...

I think there is something legit in recent purchases that are not covered by the exception clauses. While there is always some value risk, we've come to expect this more with computers that come and go so quickly. At least there's a pattern that people can use as a reference. If a computer is 6 months old and a person is in the market for a new computer, it may be worth waiting another month or so to see what the new innovations are.

But where Apple didn't give anyone a heads up about Logic Studio or its price drop, the $1200 liability for somone who bought L7 in recent months and wants to update to L8, and the $500 cost of just getting L8 is deserving of some sort of recompense, imho, in the way iPhone users were given. If someone purchased L7 on July 31st, they're out $700 if they want to get L8.

Where everyone's wish lists differ for desired features, that's harder to address. It's much more personal. Someone could detest the way Logic implements MIDI. They're within their right not to upgrade if it's not worth it for them, but from what I know of L7 my guess that those who have reasons to not to upgrade to L8 (besides those who got ripped off on July 31st) are more the exception.

[Michael Canavan]

To me the main things that would make DP more competitive to other DAWs/Logic are:

- A little better relationship between edit windows and the Track
Overview, Sequencer windows. Logic has a good linking system for this.

- recording in more than SDII

-Some sort of object oriented folder system like Logic has (better implemented though), with the ability to add color to said folder . This would eliminate the need for object orientation in the Track OverView and Sequencer windows, and allow SHoosie to never use it if he didn't want to!
Note, this isn't anything like DP's folders, which are basically just to clean up the vertical view in DP....

- Zoom to selection both vertically and horizontally! This one feature in Logic is the main reason it's hard for me to give up using Logic. Both Live and DP have marginal at best control over vertical zooming compared to this. This is why basic editing in Logic is so easy for those that use it all the time. Automation is much easier to adjust different points when you can zoom in with a click and key command.
Now here's the clincher about this! if this was implemented in the Sequencer window DP would be exponentially faster to work with!! The Sequencer window allows for audio and MIDI editing for 99% of your needs, and being able to zoom in on the section you want to in less than a second without any adjusting etc.

-Chunk firing in DP like Live's clips! DP becomes a live sequencing tool.

Anyway, to me, AU's answer the need for more plug ins, I want more work flow tools basically, and more audio file formats, maybe code it for 64 bit in leopard.

[monkey man]

New buyers are going to compare DP to Logic 8 as a total package. As it is currently stacked, they will look at plugins, VI's, samples, and auxiliary software. A complete DP package would include MachFive and MOTU's other software synths/romplers, and perhaps even something like Unisysn. But the total cost for a complete DP package like that is well over $1000 USD, not to mention that DP needs some of the stock plugins updated, it needs a good guitar amp simulator, it needs an impulse reverb, and so on.

Hear, hear, Billy.