Microsoft to Release Sequencer Applications

[chickmagnet]

Dudes and dudettes, it's going to get uglified out there in Windows land. First a GarageBand competitor then a pro sequencer:

MS "Monaco" to take on GarageBand (AP)

Microsoft is planning to release a music authoring program for the company's upcoming Windows Vista called "Monaco," which will compete with Apple's GarageBand application. The program will be similar in design to GarageBand, but will be optimized for Windows Vista and the Aero user interface, according to Ziff Davis.

GarageBand -- designed for amateur musicians -- is part of Apple's iLife suite of applications for creating and organizing digital content. Microsoft's Monaco will target the same audience, will work on Windows only, and will make use of Microsoft's search algorithms to find particular music clips. Microsoft may use Monaco as a showcase Vista application, according to the report. A pro sequencer is planned later in 2007 to compete with Pro Tools.

[chrispick]

Dudes and dudettes, it's going to get uglified out there in Windows land. First a GarageBand competitor then a pro sequencer:

MS "Monaco" to take on GarageBand (AP)

Microsoft is planning to release a music authoring program for the company's upcoming Windows Vista called "Monaco," which will compete with Apple's GarageBand application. The program will be similar in design to GarageBand, but will be optimized for Windows Vista and the Aero user interface, according to Ziff Davis.

GarageBand -- designed for amateur musicians -- is part of Apple's iLife suite of applications for creating and organizing digital content. Microsoft's Monaco will target the same audience, will work on Windows only, and will make use of Microsoft's search algorithms to find particular music clips. Microsoft may use Monaco as a showcase Vista application, according to the report. A pro sequencer is planned later in 2007 to compete with Pro Tools.

re: Monaco -- Isn't GarageBand just a riff off Acid, a loop-based sequencer thats been available for Windows platform for years (albeit not for free). Personally, I'm cool with these loop apps being provided with OS packages. Pros and amateurs have fun with them.

re: app to compete with Pro Tools -- That's interesting. I wonder how it'll play out. Years ago, Microsoft had purchased Softimage, a pro-level 3D app, only to watch it lose significant competitive ground to AW Maya. I wonder if Microsoft will be better at handling these niche markets now.

[billf]

re: Monaco -- Isn't GarageBand just a riff off Acid, a loop-based sequencer thats been available for Windows platform for years (albeit not for free). Personally, I'm cool with these loop apps being provided with OS packages. Pros and amateurs have fun with them.

re: app to compete with Pro Tools -- That's interesting. I wonder how it'll play out. Years ago, Microsoft had purchased Softimage, a pro-level 3D app, only to watch it lose significant competitive ground to AW Maya. I wonder if Microsoft will be better at handling these niche markets now.

When Apple released Sountrack didn't they say it was because Acid wasn't ported over the Mac?

As for Microsoft, the speculation is that they have Adobe in their crosshairs as the next competitor they need to "Netscape". To support the speculation, people point out that MS is coming out with a suite of tools to compete with Flash, Photoshop and Illustrator, and a sequencer offering would compete with Audititon. The thing to watch is how MS prices the "pro" level stuff, and if there are large performance differences between the MS apps and the competition.

[mikebeckmotu]

I don't think the question will be if the MS stuff competes with the quality aspect - but how they will get it into peoples hands. Each time I see MS trying to compete with existing products, they fail in terms of quality.
Like with MS Publisher, for instance. They tried to upgrade the features and promote it as a pro desktop publishing app. After many revisions, it's still a toy, and one that doesn't work very well. But since it comes with their Office Suite, or bundled with new computers, or because its cheap, people will use it.
On the plus side, maybe consumer-level users will use the MS sequencer, become interested in sequencing, get frustrated with the MS limitations and go buy something better.
Now that I wrote this, I feel like I just did an anti-microsoft rant, and I didn't mean it that way. I use both Macs and Windows machines, and like/dislike both platforms. I just think that MS doesn't do a very good job with many of their apps.

[jarok]

Hi

This is litle off topic but take a look at this:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jsp ... 3&tstart=0

So the MS doesn‘t yet work with Macs.

Jarok

[chrispick]

I don't think the question will be if the MS stuff competes with the quality aspect - but how they will get it into peoples hands. Each time I see MS trying to compete with existing products, they fail in terms of quality.
Like with MS Publisher, for instance. They tried to upgrade the features and promote it as a pro desktop publishing app. After many revisions, it's still a toy, and one that doesn't work very well. But since it comes with their Office Suite, or bundled with new computers, or because its cheap, people will use it.
On the plus side, maybe consumer-level users will use the MS sequencer, become interested in sequencing, get frustrated with the MS limitations and go buy something better.
Now that I wrote this, I feel like I just did an anti-microsoft rant, and I didn't mean it that way. I use both Macs and Windows machines, and like/dislike both platforms. I just think that MS doesn't do a very good job with many of their apps.

I didn't take your post as an anti-Microsoft rant at all. I think you make some good points.

[billf]

I don't think the question will be if the MS stuff competes with the quality aspect - but how they will get it into peoples hands. Each time I see MS trying to compete with existing products, they fail in terms of quality.
Like with MS Publisher, for instance. They tried to upgrade the features and promote it as a pro desktop publishing app. After many revisions, it's still a toy, and one that doesn't work very well. But since it comes with their Office Suite, or bundled with new computers, or because its cheap, people will use it.
On the plus side, maybe consumer-level users will use the MS sequencer, become interested in sequencing, get frustrated with the MS limitations and go buy something better.
Now that I wrote this, I feel like I just did an anti-microsoft rant, and I didn't mean it that way. I use both Macs and Windows machines, and like/dislike both platforms. I just think that MS doesn't do a very good job with many of their apps.

I don't interpret this as an anti-post. You bring up valid points.

Microsoft have a history of going after competition via using their OS leverage rather than focusing on offering superior products. That's not to say their products suck (in some cases they do, in others they don't), but their focus has always been "dominate the market" over "customer focus."

[kelldammit]

i agree on the market domination point. that's the MO for sure...
adobe would sure be a big boy to take down, but they would absolutely have to support the adobe formats to even be a realistic contender, just for the sake of interchange. a lot of graphics/layout work is still done via mac...and adobe.
i'm really curious about the pro audio app, myself...to see how they approach it. i mean, windows is nowhere close to real-time, and i kinda doubt wdm would really cut it for a pro-tools "killer" without serious changes. otherwise, they'd simply have to support asio, but i'm not sure how well they'd take having to use a non-ms workaround...
that's not bashing...just curiousity based on nearly 10 years' experience with audio etc on ms stuff. despite all claims, windows is built it as a networking os, not a multimedia powerhouse...

though i can't help but wonder how many new security holes these apps will open up?

now THAT was a bash!...sorry, couldn't help it!

kell

[arth]

What Microsoft does, and does extremely well, is the 80/20 rule. They make software good enough for 80% of the total users -- not 80% of professionals and enthusiasts, but 8 out of 10 average Joes are well served with Windows, Internet Explorer, Word, Windows Media Player or what have you.
In my opinion, this is a Good Thing(tm), as it brings awareness of the application types to the consumers, who might not only get interested in that particular type of software, but will be better prepared to go the next step and choose specialty software made for the 20%.

I welcome this, even if it's not going to be good enough for most of "us". It will likely cause more users to eventually buy programs like Foundry, Cubase, Reason and Sonar, and that can't be a bad thing for the rest of us.

Regards,
--
*Art

[DirksBand]

What Microsoft does, and does extremely well, is the 80/20 rule.

-major snipage-


It will likely cause more users to eventually buy programs like Foundry, Cubase, Reason and Sonar, and that can't be a bad thing for the rest of us.

Yes, but Microsoft also operates according to the 90/10 rule, meaning that they will dominate 90% of the market space and leave the other programs with the 10%, if for no other reason than to claim that there is competition.

Now, just imagine if Apple didn't exist, and MS announced a new pro level sequencer. The us would very much be affected.

[Resonant Alien]

He He. Microsoft building a pro music app? That's a bit like Kia buidling a Formula One race car.....Not to trash MS - there are lots of people running music apps successfully on Windows, but I have at least one lock up or funky freeze per day on my Windows machine, and I'm just using it for Outlook, Powerpoint and Word! A sequencer??? puhlease.