AudioMidi no-brainer: Miroslav Philharmonik CE for just $15!

[BobK]

Maybe it was just me, but it didn't seem that obvious to look there.

Nope - not just you. I only found that out by searching the knowledge base at their web site. They should have mentioned the location in the installation guide and included a link to it in the plug-in (like NI does).

[mhschmieder]

Sorry, I've been off the web for several days so didn't see the troubles people were having. I had similar problems a while back when I got my new MacPro, but IK Multimedia was very helpful in working with me, and I think my feedback may have spurred some of the changes in the auth wizard, as they weren't hearing much at the time from those on brand-new 2010 MacPros running Snow Leopard. So probably in my personal email cache, I have some instructions on how to work through the morass, if people are still having problems.

[Shooshie]

This has been one of the most convoluted acquisition experiences I've had yet. I guess there've been others as bad or worse, I don't really remember now, but this has taken some patience.

First, I received no serial number. I fell through the cracks in their system, I guess. After writing them, they sent me another copy. "Another" they say, as they claim they sent one the first time. But there was no serial number in anything they sent me.

So, trying to find the download areas was quite a trick. I may have clicked on a wrong link early on, but I managed to download several versions of the Miroslav CE before I finally retraced my steps, found something they had sent last Friday (but without a serial number), and tried that link. That finally took me to a place at which I was able to find the proper links.

I've registered at their site 3 times during this process, even though I was a registered user from many years back.
I've authorized the product 3 times, only to find that it wasn't the right one.
Now I seem to be downloading the right thing. It has over a GB of data. The first ones I tried only had a few dozen MB or a couple hundred MB.

Seems they could have sent something with a clear set of instructions, and avoided all this. I've found SEVERAL sets of clear instructions. They just were the wrong ones.

There is still one I'm concerned about. One of the instruction sets said I would need a Digital ID. I've received nothing like that. Just a serial number. It said I'd have to insert the serial number and the digital ID. The authorization manager did not ask for any such thing. I'll see what happens once these sounds finish downloading, and maybe it'll turn out that it was one of the wrong instruction sets.

I think this would have been simple if everything could have been clear in the beginning, and if links did not take me to ambiguous websites where there was no clear way to proceed.

OH well… sorry. Just venting.

Shoosh

[BobK]

Shoosh, I wonder if there was a glitch in AudioMIDI's system. After the order confirmation, I got an email with the subject line: 'IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik CE No Brainer 1st Confirmation with Download.' It had step-by-step instructions for registration, downloading, and installing. It was soon followed by the '2d Confirmation' with the serial number, which also included those instructions. Without those instructions, it would've been a major pain - even with them, it was kinda tedious...

[buzzsmith]

My turn...

I just posted this at IK Multimedia:

*************************************************************************

I bought the Miroslav Pkilharmonik CE and authorized, etc.

All is well (MacPro-10.6.4/Digital Performer 7.2) except that a few of the instruments give me the

"THIS IS NOT A MIROSLAV PHILHARMONIK CE INSTRUMENT AND CAN'T BE LOADED"

This applies to the 23 Strings 2 LP, the Violin 2 LP amongst about 5 others.

I can load French Horns FF LP and Female OH LP, etc., I just can't load all of the instruments that are displayed on the right side of the GUI.

The (I believe) correct parts are where they are supposed to be.

For instance, 23 Strings 2 LP is contained within...

VIs And Plug-ins>Miroslav Philharmonik Sounds>Instruments>Strings>Ens Strings>Ens Violins>23 Violins>-23 Violins Looped

Within that folder, I see-

23 Violins 2 LP.sth
23 Violins 2 LP.sti
23 Violins 2 LP.stw

and 5 other files ending in .stip.

(I put the sounds on a different drive than the internal and correctly pointed to it using the Prefs window.)

Thanks!

Buzzy

*************************************************************************

Any suggestions while I await the forum's reply?

Thanks...

Buzzy

[sprout]

Mac HD/Library/Documentation/IK Multimedia/Miroslav Philharmonik

Maybe it was just me, but it didn't seem that obvious to look there.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I purchased the full version of Miroslav on a deal last year, which I've just started using on a project. I read the installation manual, and user manual, but until I found this secret location didn't even know there was a "sounds manual" which actually explains how the instrument is organized and programmed. Very useful information!

[Shooshie]

I got two letters from them in the beginning, within 10 minutes of placing the order. The first arrived immediately. The second was a copy of the first, but with the headers missing. It was just the order data -- price, invoice number, payment, etc. -- but with no headers to indicate that's what they were. The first one had the headers.

That's all I got.

A link on that email did take me to a page that could have been construed as a "start" location, but no instructions except to return to the IK Multimedia HOME PAGE when I finally had a serial number. Well, I got my serial number, and I went to the home page. From there it was just chaos.

What finally saved the day was that when i retraced my steps, I found a PDF I had made last weekend while exploring stuff. It said:

• 1. Register your serial number at http://www.ikmultimedia.com/registration" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
  *** If this is your first IK product, you'll receive your username and password for
  the user area after completing step 1 above. ***
  2. Log into the IK user area at https://www.ikstore.com/Login/IKLogin.cgi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;"
  and download Miroslav CE from the Downloads section.
  *** You'll also need to download your sounds from the SOUNDS DOWNLOAD section of the user area separately. ***
  3. After downloading, install the plug-in and sounds. Now download the new IK Authorization Manager below to authorize your plug in at http://www.ikmultimedia.com/authorizationmanage" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
  This will simplify & speed up your authorizations process. After downloading and installing, simply open the Manager and follow the on-screen instructions to finalize your authorization.
  If you run into any problems, please contact IK MULTIMEDIA Support at http://www.ikmultimedia.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and then click the SUPPORT tab.

I had saved that page, because I figured I'd never see it again. That was correct. I never saw it again. So, when I found the page I had saved, it saved me. But as you said, even with THIS it was tedious. So… just a few hours wasted. No big deal. I waste that much reading the steenkin' news!

Shoosh

[Shooshie]

Just curious… Can anyone here see where they installed their sounds? I directed it to a disk, but it installed them invisibly. I don't mind that so much, but unfortunately the Miroslav Phil software can't see it, either. The invisible folder is: .IK_Installer_MiroCE

I'm wondering if I should try to move it up to the visible levels of the disk.

Shoosh

[cuttime]

Thanks to all for saving me at least $15 of my time. I think I'm gonna pass on this.

[Shooshie]

Thanks to all for saving me at least $15 of my time. I think I'm gonna pass on this.

So far, I can't blame you one bit. I have yet to hear a single sound, and I've been working on this for quite some time.

Shooshie

[buzzsmith]

Shooshie:

I'm having issues, too (see above), but I believe the sounds' installation defaults to...

Your Main Hard Drive>Library>Application Support>IK Multimedia>Miroslav Philharmonik CE>Instruments

Unless you changed the destination during the install, which might be my problem.

How hard can they make this?

Buzzy

[BobK]

Come to think of it, this is another instance where their documentation was really lacking.

I installed the samples on a separate (internal) drive from my system drive, in a folder called 'Miroslav Philharmonik CE'. I had to create that folder myself - the installer didn't create it, which seems lame to me. I couldn't get the plug-in to find the samples at first - apparently the installer didn't tell the plug-in where to find the samples.

I think what solved it was copying the Instruments folder (from Macintosh HD -> Library->Application Support ->IK Multimedia->Miroslav Philharmonik CE) to the samples folder on the other drive, and then going to the plug-in preferences and directing it to that folder.

[Shooshie]

I never put sounds on my startup drive. I always switch it to a fast internal drive that doesn't do anything but music. (One of several) This one was a Velociraptor by WD.

Without selecting a folder -- just directing it to the drive -- it installed it in a path beginning with an invisible folder:
.ik_Installer_MiroCE / PLEASE SELECT /
and within that last folder are all the individual section folders like strings, woodwinds, etc.

So, I tried installing it again in a different folder. The interface still will not recognize anything. There is no button to press, as far as I can see, to locate the folder that contains the sounds.

There are still no instructions. There are no read-me's. I have found nothing on the site that really explains what to do. I'm about to write someone, but I'm not sure whether to write ik multmedia, or Audio/MIDI.com, or go to the Miroslav website.

I tell you, for $15, I'm about ready to cut my losses and call it quits. I don't know why it was so easy for everyone else (relatively speaking -- I mean, people ARE using their sounds now), but I've installed things for 25 years without ever having to ask anyone how to do it. The one exception was with Waves, when their installer had a bug that wouldn't authorize the product if a particular package was on the disk, which it was. Waves had to write a new installer for me, and it worked. (took 10 months of harassing them to get that) So, I don't think I'm so simple minded that I can't figure this out, but something is not right. Everyone else seems to have gotten an email or two that I didn't get. There are some instructions SOMEWHERE that tell how to do this. Why haven't I seen a single one of them?

Frankly, I'm impressed that I've gotten this far without instructions.

Shooshie

[buzzsmith]

Come to think of it, this is another instance where their documentation was really lacking.

I think what solved it was copying the Instruments folder (from Macintosh HD -> Library->Application Support ->IK Multimedia->Miroslav Philharmonik CE) to the samples folder on the other drive, and then going to the plug-in preferences and directing it to that folder.

I just retried that...I'm still missing 5 instruments or so that show up as available, but when I get down to (for instance) 23 Violins, I get the same warning.

Maybe "Repair Permissions" might actually help this time?!

Getting ready to try, anyway.

Buzzy

[Shooshie]

Come to think of it, this is another instance where their documentation was really lacking.

I installed the samples on a separate (internal) drive from my system drive, in a folder called 'Miroslav Philharmonik CE'. I had to create that folder myself - the installer didn't create it, which seems lame to me. I couldn't get the plug-in to find the samples at first - apparently the installer didn't tell the plug-in where to find the samples.

I think what solved it was copying the Instruments folder (from Macintosh HD -> Library->Application Support ->IK Multimedia->Miroslav Philharmonik CE) to the samples folder on the other drive, and then going to the plug-in preferences and directing it to that folder.

Bob, are you saying that you had to install the samples on your startup drive? Is that the only way? I wonder if you could use an alias?

Also, where in the preferences of the stand-alone app can you tell it where to find the data? Mine only has setup for audio and MIDI.