This is what's up with MachFive according to MOTU 4-23-07

[garymadi]

I sent an Email to MOTU asking "MachFive V.2 ?".

This is the reply.

Thanks for contacting MOTU tech support.

A new version of MachFive is being developed, and support for Intel
processor Macs, Windows Vista, and Windows XP x64 is anticipated.
Any further information, including a full feature list, upgrade
prices, and a release date, will be posted at motu.com as it becomes
available.

Thanks for writing,
Rich Otero
MOTU Tech

In your reply, PLEASE include previous e-mail correspondence for
reference
and PREFIX YOUR SUBJECT with "ATTN: Rich."
Please include your system specifications.
=============================================================
MOTU Technical Support:
voice: (617) 576-3066 [Mon-Fri 9am-6pm Eastern]
fax: (617) 354-3068
e-mail: techsupport@motu.com
web: http://www.motu.com/techsupport
-----------------------------------------------------------
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registration: http://www.motu.com/techsupport/register
=============================================================

On Apr 23, 2007, at 5:02 PM, gary madison wrote:

> MachFive V.2?

[pieck101]

yes, well thanks for asking,


i got about the same replies on 19th of january and somewhere october last year. This answer of motu is a little bit more hopefull thou, but it could mean anything. communicating with costumers isn't their strong side.

allthough i like machfive very much, i wish i had bought plugsound or kontakt

regards

[3over3]

"... upgrade prices..."

[Frodo]

"... upgrade prices..."

You caught that, too?

Let's see what it means when it's closer to reality, tho. If good things come to those who wait, we could be in for a pleasant surprise.

[tw_247]

this is what i got from them at the end of january:

Just wondering if you are actually working on version 2, or should I just give up?

A definitive answer would be great - and I'm not asking for a release date! Even just a 'this summer,' 'early 2008'  or 'stop bugging us, we're
obviously never making it!'

I just really want to know, are you seriously still working on it, and if so, can I get some info besides 'we'll let you know on our website if/when it's ready?'

Thanks guys

Hi,

We are still working on it, but no date has been announced (not even to me)  Any news regarding this will be posted on our website as soon as it happens.

 
Have a good day

Ok, I see you said you are still working on it, but is it DEFINITELY going to come out?  Or is there a chance it may not?

Hi,

It should be coming out, but as I said they don't tell me anything about release dates or overall plans for products in development.  I suppose there is a chance (albeit a small one) that it would never be released, but I just don't have that kind of information.


Have a good day

i've asked them before, it's always about the same.

[garymadi]

This is the most "definitive" of the cryptic answers I've received in the info requests I've sent to MOTU.
My experiences with software development have usually been in a three stage procedure for new or upgraded software.
Digi's approach was to put out a nearly complete, late in the development stage, sampler as a free Beta.
This marketing tool gets the end-user involved and makes them feel like part of the "development team". It also cultivates a userbase market for the finished product by familiarity and somewhat of a dependence on the new sampler via projects that used the Beta.
I believe that if a company states that there is an upgrade and announces a pending delivery, as MOTU did, customers who have paid for an existing product are entitled to a reasonable delivery schedule.

[RCory]

*sigh v2*

[Installer]

After installing much software for musicians I think it sort of looks like this.

Some companies release stuff in a hurry and then inundate the user with endless dot revisions and customer support releases.

Other companies, like MOTU, tend to wait until they get it right and then release the product without the endless revisions.

Either way there is usually a period of time before any product becomes stable and quite frankly I think all these programmers must be very intelligent and hard working to achieve the results that they do.

Equally, I suspect that the users on forums who whine about slow release dates are probably also the people who shout the loudest when something comes out quickly and then crashes.

Perhaps some of the forum users who like to complain would care to showcase their own programming efforts so we can bitch about them instead.

[3over3]

... or perhaps, just perhaps, a product didn't sell as well as it was expected to and so doesn't gain much priority for said programmers' time in comparison with any number of new, shiny things being demanded by a marketing department.

Despite the product being good and potentially better (both in terms of upgrades and in comparison to competitiors), because fewer people have it, development will stall. Betamax vs VHS, anyone? BSB vs Sky? Psion vs Palm?

And as for the "if you can program better" argument, that's wholly irrelevant, we're talking about delivering promises, not bug fixing. And anyway, I can't sing but I can tell when someone else is out of tune, has no feel and awful tone.

[Installer]

3 over 3 remarks ".......And as for the "if you can program better" argument, that's wholly irrelevant", we're talking about delivering promises...........

Reply - I don't remember MOTU actually promising a particular release date.

3 over 3 also remarks "......And anyway, I can't sing but I can tell when someone else is out of tune, has no feel and awful tone."..........

Reply - I can only assume you are a producer?

[3over3]

3 over 3 remarks ".......And as for the "if you can program better" argument, that's wholly irrelevant", we're talking about delivering promises...........

Reply - I don't remember MOTU actually promising a particular release date.

3 over 3 also remarks "......And anyway, I can't sing but I can tell when someone else is out of tune, has no feel and awful tone."..........

Reply - I can only assume you are a producer?

Regarding the "promises" - fair enough, we all know they were vague, but they looked convincing (semi-working mock-up, etc).

I think the issue is that it's pretty unusual for MOTU to fail to follow up their "forward looking statements" (as the legal people insist they're called) or, significantly, consistently fail to inform their client base regarding the situation.

The people who'd like to use M5 on Intel Mac have a more extreme issue than those of us who'd just like the announced new features. It's got very little to do with the quality of programming.

By the way, is being able to spot a bad singer a pre-requisite for a producer? ... actually, I think you're on to something [looks at music industry and laughs]

[Installer]

Yes 3over3 I agree about people who want to use Mach 5 on an Intel being caught with an extreme issue.

However, as an installer, I often wonder whether these "extreme issues" are actually centered around users who buy a system before they qualify the software compatability with a professional........or maybe they could simply check the website before opening their wallet?

As far as MOTU are concerned, I guess it's their company and they can do with it what they see fit.

With regard to producer pre-requisites, I feel the most important one of all is being able to ask the engineer what he thinks while the band aren't looking!

[pieck101]

MachFive 2 is currently a high priority development project here at MOTU. We are anticipating support for Intel Macs, Windows Vista and Windows XP64 machines. All further information, including a full feature list, upgrade pricing, and release date, will be posted at www.motu.com when it is available.

my latest reply from motu



and i think 3over3 is right.... I (macintel owner) have been getting answers from motu starting a long time ago (october, when i asked motu the first time for macintel support) that they will anticipating macintel support .... i like the product, but not their antcipation on new developments


regards

[3over3]

I often wonder whether these "extreme issues" are actually centered around users who buy a system before they qualify the software compatability with a professional........or maybe they could simply check the website before opening their wallet?

Ah, I think you're misrepresenting the main gist of the argument. Most people here have systems that work really well with M5v1, but have seen competing products improve over time while MOTU have failed to move M5 on at all. Add to this no news other than the strong indication that better features are imminent. They've been nearly here for almost 2-and-a-half years now. Some people have been sold v1 with the implied promise of v2's functionality.

This is no Pro Tools-style incompatibility whinge.

PS - Producer joke:
Q: how many A&R men does it take to change a light bulb?
A: I don't know, what do you think?

[Installer]

Well its been enlightening to have this discourse, especially with Mr 3over3

However we seem to have diverged onto two different subjects within the posts. One called functionality and one called compatability. I am not sure which one I am "misprepresenting".

Surely it is doubtful that ....."MOTU have failed to move M5 on at all"

More likely they are really close to finished and you just can't see all the hard work until the box hits the shelves???

I was unaware that ..."Some people have been sold v1 with the implied promise of v2's functionality."

I'd be very interested to read the specific literature that led to them trusting these implications. Naturally this would not include words like "anticipated" or "high priority" as these are simply non binding vagueries.

I guess what I am now asking is, did anyone really get told stuff like "If you buy version 1 we will have version 2 Mac Intel ready right when you want it"?