no Key Buy for Akoustik Piano, Steve?

[M Peasley]

This is not just a needling post. Christmas is looming and I'm trying to decide whether to ask Santa for Ivory 1.5 (PC version) or NI's Akoustik Piano.

 

So I've reviewed the reviews in Keyboard and elsewhere. What I'm wondering is this: Steve's review of Akoustik Piano pretty much punted on the issue of "which is better". I'm okay with that - no reason to declare a "winner" when it's such a close call.

 

But here is Steve's concluding comment that, "Soundwise, it may seem a cop-out to recommend you listen to both, but this time, conscience requires exactly this. Native has come up with a worthy entry into an exclusive league where, for now, two's company..."

 

Ok, if Akoustik is sharing the lead with Ivory, then why no Key Buy for Akoustik? Is it simply because of the CPU/RAM demands? That, if too many people dash out to buy the Key Buy, then Steve will get hate mail from people whose computers can't handle the software?

 

That said, I still found the article informative and thorough, so I'm not really complaining, I'm just wondering...why no Key Buy? The Key Buy is, at least for me, a significant stamp of approval that influences my purchases - especially because it seems that "bang for the buck" is a major component of the Key Buy award.

 

Santa's waiting! I gotta make up my mind!

 

M Peasley

[M Peasley]

bump

 

Hoping to get Mr. Fortner's attention!!

 

M Peasley

[Stephen Fortner]

You got it!

 

The Key Buy award has a number of parallel criteria, that is, there are different ways to get one. One way is for something to offer a price-performance ratio that makes it the clear leader of the pack. When I reviewed M-Audio Key Rig, for example, it offered great sounding pianos, EPs, Hammond-type organs, synths, and GM sounds for a list price of $139 IIRC. Another way is for something to be the "Aston Martin DB9" of whatever its supposed to be - as was the case with the Korg Oasys, which certainly is very expensive.

 

When you have products that are similar in price and very close in performance and sound quality, it makes it hard to award a Key Buy fairly. In Nov 2004 when I supervised "Clonewheel Heaven," our biggest B3 clone roundup ever, we shyed away from awarding them for the same reason. Craig Anderton has also had a long-standing policy of not awarding them to audio-sequencer DAW programs, because in his opinion, comparisons between them were more horizontal than anything else. (He's recently amended this in light of how much he liked Sonar 5.)

 

So it's not sufficient that something simply has no significant strikes against it - and the CPU hit of Akosutik is arguably such a strike, depending on your computer.

 

All that said, something can not quite earn a Key Buy and still be an excellent product, as I think is the case with Akoustik. That's why we have another big ingredient in reviews - text.

 

Hope this helps, and as always, hit me again with any further questions you have.

[M Peasley]

Thanks for the reply. The Key Buy concept is a bit of a double-edged thing, as to "not" be awarded it can be a disincentive to potential buyers just as getting the award operates as a buying incentive.

 

I humbly recommend that perhaps the reviews make explicit note of the factor(s) that, for the really excellent products, keep them from getting the coveted Key Buy. The article may contain the aforementioned factor(s), but without conveying the explicit message that "such-and-such factors keep me from awarding the Kay Buy", the reader is left with the vague feeling that the product may be good, but just didn't make the cut regardless.

 

In other words, if people know what the particular thing(s) are that kept the Key Buy icon off the article, they can then better decide for themselves whether they care or don't care on that score. Some sort of Key Buy scorecard in a margin box might conceivably help.

 

PS: I hear you about the "big ingredient in reviews - text". But as a mag editor, you know the drill surely much better than I do, ie, if you give people all sorts of ways to "quick scan" an article, or to cut to the conclusions, you are in effect tempting them to skip the details of the text. Those "busy people on the run who need a way to get their info quickly" seem to be in the back of all the editor's minds these days. Personally, I wish the media world didn't bother catering to them - that's what Ritalin's for!

 

You can't underestimate the attention span of the public at large - or something like that...

 

M Peasley

[Pursuitboy]

Where could I here a sound byte of the aKoustic piano?

[Sven Golly]

Check the Native Instruments website .

[Bill H.]

I like the fact that Key Buys are not handed out as routinely as before.

[Anderton]

--I humbly recommend that perhaps the reviews make explicit note of the factor(s) that, for the really excellent products, keep them from getting the coveted Key Buy.--

 

That's an excellent idea, and I think one I've used from time to time. For me, the main reason for not suggesting a key buy when a product is excellent, is that there are similarly excellent products in the same category.

[Joe Muscara]

Originally posted by pursuitboy:

Where could I here a sound byte of the aKoustic piano?

Check out the Digital Piano Shootout at http://www.purgatorycreek.com/

 

I've been listening to the various pianos there for days. I've forgotten what a real one sounds like...

[nursers]

I am lucky enough to have a copy of Acoustik Piano and used it for the first time last night.

 

A created an MP3 of what I did - it is just the Acoustik (the Steingraeber upright in a jazz room) and a simple drum loop. It's just a somewhat badly played doodle but might help give an indication of how Acoustik sounds. I personally am extremely happy, although Stephen is exactly right about the CPU hit - I had to do a lot of system tweaking to get my tracks to bounce down to disk without the timing going awry.

 

Anyway, here\'s my little ditty

 

[nursers]

Also interested to hear if other people are using it and how they are finding the system performance