Triumph (mastering software) leaves Mac App Store

[mhschmieder]

Many of you may have received the email from Aurchitect today. I didn't continue with their mastering software after the re-branding as Triumph, but do keep my eye on it for improvements.

The author lists a gazillion reasons for leaving the Mac App Store, one of which is that Apple takes a 30% cut, which I didn't know (my own company has an iOS product but I'm not even remotely associated with that project so don't hear the ins and outs of the Mac App Store part as we hand it out for free like all of our software, as a service to those who buy our hardware).

More compelling is the list of things the author will be able to do after leaving the Mac App Store. Triumph may well be worth keeping an eye on, as the author really plans to focus on performance and productivity aspects of basic mastering-oriented editing.

[mikehalloran]

Triumph is quite powerful and is pretty expensive. I never saw the need, however, owning DSP-Q and Twisted Wave (plus a few others that list mastering in their bag o' tricks).

[Gravity Jim]

Yes, Apple takes 30%. In exchange for that, every developer on the App Store is given world-wide distribution to a captive market of millions, along with the possibility of special promotion if your app is good enough to capture the App Store's editors' attention, and all your sales, refunds and general accounting taken care of.

This is how a young developer with no capital and no possibility of console sales turned 6 weekends of work into a smash hit, a new job, and a net worth of several million dollars. Today he has six popular titles on the Store (with the 7th coming soon) and a reputation among mobile gamers as one of the most innovative and fan-friendly of all the indie devs, while still working with no overhead and no staff from the den in his house in the Marin hills.

With that in mind, 30% doesn't sound exorbitant to me. It's considerably less than you'd pay for a staff that would never deliver the App Store's efficacy.

[mhschmieder]

Jim, thanks for the perspective. My boss is leaving for Apple later this week, so it's good to have positive things to say to her on her way out.

I've already been showing her all the stupid things Dell does, such as black power buttons in the upper left corner that are flush with the surface and the first thing you're likely to touch while fumbling in the dark for a secure hold on the tower. We have a close relationship with Apple anyway, so we're happy she's not going to the "Dark Side" (Microsoft, Dell, etc.).

I suspect the developer behind Triumph had a story to tell, for a variety of reasons, and spent a great deal of time crafting the rationale, in a typical "David vs. Goliath" framework that tends to get sympathy, so your inversion of the relationship as being favourable to David vs. Goliath is refreshing.

[Gravity Jim]

I've already been showing her all the stupid things Dell does, such as black power buttons in the upper left corner that are flush with the surface and the first thing you're likely to touch while fumbling in the dark for a secure hold on the tower.

Ha! Holy cow, that is a story straight out of The Design of Everyday Things (originally titled The Psychology of Everyday Things, which I still think is more accurate). I'm guessing you've read it, but if not, you should.

https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday- ... QQTF3FPZHK

[Michael Canavan]

I suspect the developer behind Triumph had a story to tell, for a variety of reasons, and spent a great deal of time crafting the rationale, in a typical "David vs. Goliath" framework that tends to get sympathy, so your inversion of the relationship as being favourable to David vs. Goliath is refreshing.

He outlines it here.
http://news.aurchitect.com/newsletters/ ... etter.html

Doesn't take a thing away from what Jim was saying, it's just for the type of business they are, it's not ideal.
You won't see MOTU using the App store either, not a surprise. The quick bug fix turnaround etc. are valid reasons, especially if you're subject to a star rating system...

[mhschmieder]

Yep, that's the same as what was in the email that was sent out, which I didn't think appropriate to cut/paste here. Good that it's also posted at a linkable page as well.

I do hope Triumph improves; I couldn't justify the cost when the switchover first happened (the loyalty discount wasn't all that great), but keep hoping it will eventually be a major contendor.

[Michael Canavan]

^^ It has it's adherents, I have moderate needs for a two track editor so it seems overtly complicated with it's layers approach, and visually ugly to me. It's not terribly expensive at $79 though, especially compared to the old prices of Spark, Peak etc. I might buy it one of these days if DSP Quattro stops working or the author halts development.

[James Steele]

Just read the page at the link and seems like in his case, leaving the App Store makes pretty good sense. There were a couple of very compelling reasons given.

[bayswater]

The big advantage of the App Store is how easy it is to do updates. It knows what you have and what version and updating is one click.

But I have audio apps and plugins from probably 70 to 100 different sources. Some of them don't give clear version information in their files, don't make it easy to find their update pages, don't issue update notices, and each has its own particular way of distributing and authorizing. Individually, each is not so bad, and some are clever, but put together its a huge PITA.

I can understand not wanting to use the App Store, it's certainly not worth 30% to a company like MOTU, but simpler updates please. Or adopt some sort of industry standard.

[Gravity Jim]

Just read the page at the link and seems like in his case, leaving the App Store makes pretty good sense. There were a couple of very compelling reasons given.

One man's meat, etc.

The hot young developer I described above is my younger son Noah, creator of MikaMobile, who caused a furor on the Webz a couple of years ago by writing a blog post about why he was ceasing development for Android platforms. His blog got quoted as far out as The Wall Street Journal and sparked a heated discussion on-line among devs.

His reasons were compelling, as well, the main one being that their were just too damn many devices with too many little hardware squiggles to deal with. As a result, Android represented 10% of his sales, but 90% of his support tickets. He was losing his meagre Android profits just helping them get the software running on their obscure phone.

But times change, things got better, he brought his catalog back to Android end of last year, and all the guys who said they'd hate him forever for dissing their beloved phones apparently got over it and bought the games. And Google devices are no more troublesome (for him, anyway) as iDevices.

[mhschmieder]

Jim, we had the same reasons for abandoning (for now) our own Android development (we have one app for iOS but I'm not its author -- an incredibly gifted and kind gentlemen in our European division is responsible for that one), and your son's blog had a huge influence on our decision.

[farhan6]

It's disappointing to see Triumph leave the Mac App Store, as its mastering software has been a valuable tool for many users. While this decision may pose some inconveniences, I hope Triumph continues to thrive independently, offering users the same high-quality mastering capabilities that have made it a trusted choice for audio professionals. FM Whatsapp Apk

[mikehalloran]

It's disappointing to see Triumph leave the Mac App Store, as its mastering software has been a valuable tool for many users. While this decision may pose some inconveniences, I hope Triumph continues to thrive independently, offering users the same high-quality mastering capabilities that have made it a trusted choice for audio professionals.

This happened 6 1/2 years ago. Triumph is now part of Zynaptiq. Their ZTX time stretching and pitch shifting technology is incorporated into Digital Performer and many other apps.

https://www.zynaptiq.com/triumph/

[James Steele]

It's disappointing to see Triumph leave the Mac App Store, as its mastering software has been a valuable tool for many users. While this decision may pose some inconveniences, I hope Triumph continues to thrive independently, offering users the same high-quality mastering capabilities that have made it a trusted choice for audio professionals.

This happened 6 1/2 years ago. Triumph is now part of Zynaptiq. Their ZTX time stretching and pitch shifting technology is incorporated into Digital Performer and many other apps.

https://www.zynaptiq.com/triumph/

Yeah... not sure if this person is a bot or not. Seems suspicious.