Sound Tower Editor fails to receive presets correctly

[tomw]

Working here with the Voyager Editor by Soundtower, version 3.6.6.

I have a Voyager RME with OS 3.5 running.

Can't seem to get the ST editor software to receive the presets accurately from the Voyager. The names always transmit incorrectly from the voyager to the editor. The names look like they've been warped.

The ST editor program can transmit fine... it's the receiving that's not working.

I've checked the midi options in the ST editor, the Master section of the Voyager, and tried different MIDI cables as well... still no luck.

Perhaps the Voyager has a hardware problem?!

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[tommyecho]

I would definitely assume it's a problem with the sound tower software. I've read a number of posts from folks who were dissatisfied with sound tower.

[sts]

Hi-

Someone just informed us about your post this is why I am jumping in and will try to help. Normally, please e-mail us at [email protected] and we will help you much quicker. From what you wrote you have the latest editor version 3.6.6 and you are using Mac. I am quite sure that there is no problem with receiving data by the editor from the Mac coreAudio system. The 3.6.6 update has been thoroughly tested on OS X 10.4 10.5, 106.8 and the latest Lion.
There could be couple of reasons for a corrupted data coming to the editor.

1) MIDI Interface with faulty drivers.

In 99% of cases this is a cause of problems. What is your MIDI interface that you use with the Voyager and what is your OS X version? In many cases manufactures provide driver updates and you should check their site if you have the latest. The MIDI interface may appear working correctly: playing notes and transmitting short MIDI messages without a hint of any troubles. However, the editor uses SYSYX (System Exclusive data) which is quite larger in size and needs a special handling by the system. Also. do you have any other MIDI applications running in the same time when you are using the editor? They might be also connected to the same MIDI port and they may “steal’ incoming messages. If you happen to have another MIDI interface lying around please try it.

2) Hardware issues.

Unlikely but still possible.

Hope this helps.

Mark

[n2design]

I got an email from moog about this pos software today. The demo mode has completely disabled everything. I guess they just wanted me to see how good the gfx look. total waste of time.

I could just imagine some poor guy/gal out there take the risk and purchase the software just to find out that its full of bugs. Don't think Ive ever installed any demo software where everything was disabled. I could understand a timed demo, or the locked "save" commands but this is ridiculous.

[tomw]

Hi-

Someone just informed us about your post this is why I am jumping in and will try to help. Normally, please e-mail us at [email protected] and we will help you much quicker. From what you wrote you have the latest editor version 3.6.6 and you are using Mac. I am quite sure that there is no problem with receiving data by the editor from the Mac coreAudio system. The 3.6.6 update has been thoroughly tested on OS X 10.4 10.5, 106.8 and the latest Lion.
There could be couple of reasons for a corrupted data coming to the editor.

1) MIDI Interface with faulty drivers.

In 99% of cases this is a cause of problems. What is your MIDI interface that you use with the Voyager and what is your OS X version? In many cases manufactures provide driver updates and you should check their site if you have the latest. The MIDI interface may appear working correctly: playing notes and transmitting short MIDI messages without a hint of any troubles. However, the editor uses SYSYX (System Exclusive data) which is quite larger in size and needs a special handling by the system. Also. do you have any other MIDI applications running in the same time when you are using the editor? They might be also connected to the same MIDI port and they may “steal’ incoming messages. If you happen to have another MIDI interface lying around please try it.

2) Hardware issues.

Unlikely but still possible.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Thank you for your helpful information.

I just updated my RME Fireface 800 driver and the Editor seems to be working perfectly now.

Thanks again.

[Mr Shave]

Sound Tower sucks... Not only does their software suck, but when I have had issues, I couldnt even get a support ticket resolved... And not in a manner of "we dont know whats wrong", but in the manner of "no bleeping response from sound tower." I even complained to Moog about it and they couldnt even get them to talk to me...

Worse

Company

Ever...

Its so bad, I will never buy anything from them again (i bought the LP and Voyager librarians, and they both have stupid quirky issues)... I even go through crazy work arounds using Midi-Ox... Their software looks like it was written by an undergraduate biologist with all the bugs in it... Not even a computer scientist... Crap crap crap.

I recently bought a DSI Prophet, and I want to wipe all the presets from it... Easiest way would be through the librarian, but once i found it was sound tower, i said hell no, and do it manually... one preset at a time. Its rather frustrating, buts I will not give them another 80 bucks for software that barely works, and not as advertised...

Stay away from them at all costs... That is my only big complaint about any of the moog products... their decision to use that company... Amos could have probably written a better software librarian... And thats a compliment.

[tomoe97]

No problems here. The Voyager VST works flawlessly in Ableton Live on a Mac running OS 10.7.

[Vsyevolod]

+1 on SoundTower being a non responsive, non quality company.

I have used their software for other keyboards and have even beta tested for them. They don't fix really obvious and egregious bugs, nor do they respond to notices that their software is buggy.

I would not ever pay for their software, and even receiving it free has cost me a lot of time lost. I've given them dozens of hours worth of Beta testing only to have them ignore the reports.

If Mark or anyone else from SoundTower would like to come on here and clear their name, they need to do this by addressing many of the complaints that have piled up on their doorstep. I will accept apologies only if they are presented with an attitude of 'We Will Make This Right For All Of You'.

Until then, stay clear of SoundTower at all costs.

Stephen




.

[tommyecho]

I just wasted 2 hours trying to get my prophet editor to behave (thought I'd take another go at it just in case). I finally have given up. I am going to uninstall this sloppy bit of programming. The voyager editor, which is not quite as bad as the prophet editor, is also being shelved. Here's the letter I posted in the general forums. I sent this to soundtower today. Who knows, maybe they'll decide to make things right at some point? (Sorry to repost, but it seems pertinent):


Hello,

I am an owner of both the Voyager editor librarian, and the prophet editor librarian. Both of which have not been of very much use to me because of the fact that they don't receive changes to front panel of the hardware well, among other glitches. I have demo'd the new voyager plugin, and it works fine, much in the way that I would have expected my editor librarians to work. I find it very strange that there is not at least a discount available for the plugin versions for people who have purchased the standalone version. Upon searching forums to see if other people are in the same boat as me, it seems that everyone is in agreement that the editor does not work properly. Regardless of whether the plugin version was built new and separate from the editor, I think we are all expecting to have some kind of upgrade path from the editor to the plugin, if not because this is the way that software normally works, then at least as an apology for the editor being so glitchy. It seems that soundtower has decided to rebuild this software from scratch, possibly because the original software was too problematic. I don't think that your customers should have to pay for this decision on your part. When I bought the librarian editors, I assumed that, once you guys ended up making it work as a plugin, it would be a simple software update. I never would have bought the software otherwise.

If a discount is not available, would it be possible for you to deactivate the registration for my copies of the editors and transfer this registration to the plugins? I think this would be completely reasonable.

Thanks for your time,