For a limited time, you can grab Native Instruments Kontakt 7 for half the regular price! A huge selection of libraries for the flagship sample player is also on sale. Other awesome software deals are coming from IK Multimedia, Universal Audio, and Baby Audio this week.

50% off Native Instruments Kontakt 7

Native Instruments Kontakt 7 is without a doubt one of the most powerful sample-based software instruments on the market today. The sample player not only comes loaded with more than 900 high-quality factory sounds. It also gives you access to a huge selection of add-on libraries from renowned developers. Anyone who’s serious about producing music needs NI Kontakt 7 – so grab it for half the price while this offer lasts!

Native Instruments Kontakt 7 is on sale at Thomann* until March 5 for just $134 – that’s 50% off* the regular price! And if you own an older version of Kontakt, the upgrade to version 7 is also on sale!

Native Instruments Kontakt 7

Available for $134 at

Native Instruments Kontakt 7 Upgrade Kontakt 1-6

Available for $44 at

• More from Native Instruments

Huge Discounts on Kontakt Libraries

Now that you’ve got Kontakt, how about some nice libraries to go along with it? Plugin Boutique is currently offering huge discounts on sampled instruments from many renowned developers including Native Instruments, Big Fish Audio, Cinesamples, Vir2, AVA Music Group, and more. Save up to 92% on these high-quality Kontakt libraries! But hurry up, some of these deals expire today!

• Up to 86% off* Native Instruments virtual instruments (until March 3)
• Up to 50% off* Cinesamples sample libraries (until February 20)
• 91% off* Rigid Audio Everything Bundle (until February 29)
• Up to 28% off* Vir2 instruments (until February 21)
• Up to 25% off* Big Fish Audio libraries (until February 21)
• 25% off* Soundiron Granada 49 (until February 25)
• Up to 62% off AVA Music Group Kontakt instruments (until February 20)
• Up to 90% off* the Karanyi Sounds Kontakt Collection Bundle (until February 29)
• 50% off* Audiority Octamorph FE (until February 29)
• Up to 90% off* Muze (until February 29)
• Up to 92% off Strix Instruments (until February 29)

60% off IK Multimedia Amplitube Collections

What Kontakt is to sample libraries, IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 is to guitar amp and effect simulations! For a limited time, you can stock up on AmpliTube Collections for less than half the regular price. Choose from officially licensed manufacturer collections from Orange, MESA/Boogie, or Fender, or get the authentic sounds of your favorite artists with the AmpliTube signature collections from Slash, Brian May, Joe Satriani, and many more. The collections run in all versions of AmpliTube 5, including the free AmpliTube 5 CS.

IK Multimedia AmpliTube Collections are 60% off* at Thomann until February 29. Check out the full list here!

IK Multimedia AmpliTube Slash

Available for $40 at

• More from IK Multimedia

50% off Universal Audio UAD Bundles

The Universal Audio UAD Native Bundles are the perfect gateway to the world of UAD plugins. Originally exclusive to UA’s DSP hardware such as the Apollo series audio interfaces, these high-quality plugins now run natively on Mac and Windows computers. The UAD Essentials Edition gets you 11 essential plugins, including the LA-2A Leveler Collection, Pulteq EQ Collection, and Oxide Tape Recorder. The PolyMAX synth is also included. Or step it up a notch with the UAD Signature Edition, which includes no less than 44 Universal Audio plugins for an amazing price.

The Universal Audio UAD Essentials Edition Native and Signature Edition Native are both 50% off* at Thomann until February 29.

Universal Audio UAD Essentials Edition Native

Available for $146 at

• More from Universal Audio

40% off Baby Audio Atoms

The brand-new Baby Audio Atoms is still available for the low introductory price! This unique software synth uses a physical model of a mass/spring interaction network to create a huge spectrum of extraordinary sounds. Sounds complicated? Thanks to Atoms’ simple user interface with just six parameters, you’ll be designing unique sounds in no time. If you like to venture off the beaten path when it comes to sound design, don’t miss this fabulous new synth.

Baby Audio Atoms is on sale at Thomann until March 31 for $53 – 40% off* the regular price!

Baby Audio Atoms

Available for $53 at

• More from Baby Audio

The post Software Deals: Big Discounts on NI Kontakt 7, IK Multimedia, UAD & more! appeared first on gearnews.com.

SSL Native FlexVerb plug-in is now and only today available for $18 (down from $279)! Here’s the deal!

Solid State Logic Native FlexVerb deal at Plugin Boutique

SSL remains among the recording industry greats to this day, embodying both quality and innovation for 5 decades (and counting). This goes for both the hardware and software realms of pro audio. Native FlexVerb is an example of SSL’s excellence with the latter. It’s a comprehensive reverb plug-in with Room, Hall, Plate, and Chamber simulations. At this price, it’s worth adding to any plug-in collection.

The SSL Native FlexVerb plug-in generates room, hall, plate, and chamber reverbs with plenty of sound shaping options. In addition to the typical parameters, which we’ll talk about in a second, they include a 6-band EQ and compressor.

The available reverb and effects controls are input and output volume, early reflections, pre-delay, diffusion, size, reverb time, and modulation (rate, depth). A visual analyzer represents the generated reverb graphically.

SSL Native FlexVerb – Price and availability

You can have Solid State Logic Native FlexVerb here at Thomann for the party price of $18 (down from a decidedly non-party $279). The offer is valid only today (February 20, 2024). The plug-in works under macOS 10.12+ and Windows 7+ in AU, AAX, VST, and VST3 64-bit formats.

You need a free iLok account (or a paid USB dongle) for authorization. An unrestricted demo version and a PDF user manual are also available for download from the developer’s website.

SSL Native FlexVerb

Available for $18 at

More information about Solid State Logic and the plug-in

• Deal at Thomann
• SSL Native FlexVerb at the Solid State Logic website
• More SSL news

SSL Native FlexVerb Video

*Note: This article contains promotional links that help us fund our site. Don’t worry: the price for you always stays the same! We will receive a small commission if you buy something through these links. We appreciate your support!

The post Deal: Get SSL Native FlexVerb for $18 – last chance! appeared first on gearnews.com.

If you’re recording vocals or any other acoustic instruments that go out of tune quickly, you’ll run into Melodyne sooner or later. The plug-in is almost unrivaled in terms of pitch correction quality. But what if you’re on a tight budget or you don’t like the workflow of the ARA plugin? Take a look at the best Melodyne alternatives.

What is Melodyne?

When Celemony CEO Peter Neubäcker presented DNA – Direct Note Access – at the 2008 Musikmesse in Frankfurt, visitors and engineers were blown away. This technology was introduced as a new feature of Melodyne, and it made it possible to change polyphonic audio recordings. With DNA, you can change an audio recording of a major chord on the guitar to a minor chord, or even transpose entire songs.

The plug-in is also central to the workflow of most vocal producers; this type of editing is known as “Graphical Mode,” as each analyzed note can be moved, stretched, and selected separately in the Melodyne editor. Melodyne has set the bar regarding audio quality and in-depth editing options for adjusting individual notes in audio recordings. And few other plug-ins have even come close.

In addition to vocal recordings, Melodyne is frequently used to correct recordings of acoustic instruments. If a piano is slightly out of tune or a string on a guitar is not quite there, Melodyne allows you to make barely audible adjustments. So, when you’re looking for the best Melodyne alternatives, these features are a must!

What do the best Melodyne alternatives need to bring to the table?

Correcting individual notes in a recording with a high quality that you can barely hear it working its magic is the basis for Melodyne’s success. The plug-in can also be used in ARA format in DAWs that support it. This means that you don’t always have to play back the track’s contents on which you load Melodyne to edit them in Melodyne.

As mentioned, the plug-in also offers the option (with the most extensive version, Melodyne 5 Studio*) of correcting notes in polyphonic audio material. The notes the plug-in recognizes can also be exported to your DAW as a MIDI clip. Since version 4, it has also been possible to edit notes from several instances of Melodyne in one. New features in the latest update, Melodyne 5, include editing sibilants separately for de-essing.

Celemony Melodyne 5 essential Download

Customer rating:

(46)

Available for 95.00 € at

Celemony Melodyne 5 editor Download

Customer rating:

(8)

Available for 389.00 € at

Celemony Melodyne 5 studio Download

Customer rating:

(6)

Available for 669.00 € at

• The latest news about Celemony
• Product website

Synchro Arts Revoice 5 – Most versatile of the best Melodyne alternatives

Freshly released with new features and improved pitch correction quality, Revoice 5 from Synchro Arts* is one of the most versatile Melodyne alternatives. It also includes ARA support, extensive options for correcting each note, and more.

Revoice offers several options for automatically adjusting vocal stacks for duets and creating natural-sounding harmonies with a vocal track. Compared to the biggest version of Melodyne, what is missing is the option to fix polyphonic audio material.

If you want something simpler, there are two versions of RePitch from the same manufacturer, RePitch Elements* and RePitch Standard*. These lack the option of aligning recordings of multiple vocals, and some of the correction tools are not quite as detailed.

Synchro Arts RePitch Elements Download

Customer rating:

(1)

Available for 44.00 € at

Synchro Arts RePitch Standard Download

Customer rating:

(2)

Available for 89.00 € at

Synchro Arts Revoice Pro Download

Customer rating:

(11)

Available for 499.00 € at

• The latest news about Synchro Arts
• Product website

Antares Auto-Tune Pro – Graphic Editor and ARA

This list of the best Melodyne alternatives is explicitly NOT about real-time correction à la Auto-Tune, which can be heard in almost every Pop song these days. Nevertheless, the original Auto-Tune plug-in manufacturer also offers one of the best Melodyne alternatives with the most extensive version, Auto-Tune Pro*.

As with Melodyne 5, Auto-Tune Pro X allows you to compare the recordings of several tracks using the multi-view function. You can also change and correct each note of the recording in detail in the graphic editor. And, of course, the legendary real-time tuning effect is also included, whether as a creative tool or gently for live performances.

Antares Auto-Tune Pro X Download

Customer rating:

(3)

Available for 459.00 € at

• More on Antares
• Product website

Waves Tune and Plugin Alliance Bx_Crispytuner: The cheaper VSTs of our best Melodyne alternatives

Waves Tune* and Plugin Alliance Bx_Crispytuner are not nearly as powerful as Melodyne. But both are more than sufficient for straightening out out-of-tune notes of vocal recordings or gently adjusting a guitar melody. And the manufacturers of both plug-ins have sales so often that you can buy them for a very reasonable price.

Like Melodyne, Waves Tune (unlike Waves Tune Real-Time) is designed to correct individual notes of a vocal recording in a graphical editor. You can do this manually and move individual notes to the correct pitch using the mouse. Or you can set a key and let the plugin move the wrong notes to the right place automatically.

Bx_Crispy Tuner from Plugin Alliance / BrainWorx / Native Instruments includes pitch correction in the graphical mode and in real-time, key recognition, and additional tools for editing formants, vibrato, and the timing of vocal recordings. So, you’ve got quite a few features to fix your vocals!

Brainworx bx_crispytuner

Available for €448.24 at

• Get all the news about Waves Audio
• The latest news on Plugin Alliance

Free Melodyne alternatives: Samplab and in your DAW!

If you’re looking for a way to recognize the chords in an audio recording, which Melodyne does as well, then there is the free alternative, Samplab. There is also a paid version of the VST. With this version, you can change the chords of a recording, almost like in Melodyne Studio. They have also included an AI audio generator to create free text input samples.

Many of you will have read this so far and, at some point, thought: “My DAW can do that!” Reaper (ReaTune), Logic Pro (Flex Pitch), Cubase Pro (Vari-Audio), FL Studio Signature Edition (Netwone), and Reason (Pitch Edit) each come with their own, perhaps not quite as robust “Graphic Mode” vocal tuning plug-in which might be enough for what you need. Users of Ableton Live and Bitwig Studio still have to resort to third-party plug-ins and check out this list of the best Melodyne alternatives.

Image-Line FL Studio Signature Bundle Download

Customer rating:

(105)

Available for 339.00 € at

Steinberg Cubase Pro 13 Download

Customer rating:

(2)

Available for 569.00 € at

• News on Samplab
• More on Image-Line
• The latest from Steinberg

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The post Best Melodyne Alternatives: Cheaper and free VSTs for Vocal Tuning! appeared first on gearnews.com.

Tonocracy by Atomic Amps is a fully featured guitar amp simulation and modeling plugin – and it’s now FREE! This week’s collection of the best free plugins also includes a unique low-pass filter by NUSofting and a simple but effective Tremolo effect by Outobugi. Enjoy!

Atomic Amps Tonocracy is now FREE!

Atomic Amps has announced that the Tonocracy amp and effects modeling plugin is now free! Tonocracy was originally released in 2023 and combines the developer’s SchemAccurate modeling tech with a ToneSnap feature for capturing your own gear snapshots and loading Neural Amp Modeler profiles. It also comes with a bunch of custom IRs by ML Sound Lab. Quite an amazing deal if you ask me!

At the core of Tonocracy is the SchemAccurate modeling technology, which combines component-level modeling with AI-based techniques to produce accurate recreations of classic amps. It comes loaded with a great selection of amps from classic Marshalls and Fenders to Vox, Mesa Boogie, EVH, and even Friedman and Dumble.

The built-in ToneSnap feature is based on the free Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) by Steve Atkinson. Using a simple, streamlined interface, you can easily capture snapshots of your own gear and store them as a playable preset. ToneSnap also gives you access to a growing library of snapshots created by the community.

With the added bonus of custom IRs by ML Sound Lab, Tonocracy looks like a fantastic package for a FREE plugin!

Tonocracy is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.

• Get Tonocracy here
• More from Atomic Amps

NUSofting Eugene Filter Free

Eugene Filter by NUSofting is a unique low-pass filter plugin based on a Cascaded Integral Comb (CIC) Ladder. The developer says that this circuit provides self-oscillating characteristics similar to typical synth VCFs, but with an airy character and a wider spectrum of resonances.

In addition to this, Eugene Filter also features a traditional 24 dB transistor ladder filter emulation. There’s even a built-in chorus effect for more sonic variety, as well as the option to adjust the dry/wet mix.

Eugene Filter comes in two versions. The paid version (€10) is the same as the free version but adds an envelope follower and a “Random Walk LFO” for modulation.

Eugene Filter is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, and AU formats.

• Get Eugene Filter here
• More from NUSofting

Outobugi Wave: Free Tremolo Plugin

Outobugi Wave is a basic but effective tremolo plugin. It’s got a Time knob with the option to sync to your song tempo, and a large Amount knob for dialing in the desired intensity of the effect. Furthermore, Wave also offers Shape and Offset controls for shaping the modulation curve. There’s even a waveform display, so you can see what you’re doing.

Wave is a VST3 plugin for Windows.

• Get Wave here
• More from Outobugi

Looking for more free plugins like Tonocracy, Eugene Filter and Wave? Check out our archive!

More Videos about Tonocracy

The post Tonocracy, Eugene Filter, Wave: Free Plugins of the Week appeared first on gearnews.com.

Refire by Outobugi is your one-stop shop for drum processing with five modules for creating banging drum tracks. Other freebies this week include an updated bundle from Analog Obsession and a cute bit crusher from Vox Samples.

Outobugi Refire: Free Multi-FX Plugin for Drums

Refire by Outobugi is a new free multi-effect plugin with five distinct modules for drum processing. First up is Bang, a transient shaper with an adjustable envelope and gain. The Heat module offers three kinds of distortion and saturation. It’s got three buttons for selecting the desired mode and a drive control unmistakably labeled as “Burn”.

The next module is Sub, a sub-bass oscillator for extra low-end oomph. Detail is an interesting module for shaping the highs that combines a high shelf filter (Air) with a tilt EQ (Tone) and a noise generator. And lastly, Clamp is a soft/hard clipper.

With this chain of five modules, Refire has everything you need to create hard-hitting drum tracks. Nice!

Refire is a VST3 plugin for Windows.

• Get Refire here
• More from Outobugi

Analog Obsession Color Bundle: Analog Preamps and Distortion

Analog Obsession has once again updated a couple of older plugins and repackaged them in a free bundle. The new Color Bundle consists of the PreBOX preamp and distortion and Distox multi-mode distortion plugins. Both were available before, but they’re now been updated with additional features and 4x oversampling.

PreBOX is a great collection of 11 different models of preamps. In addition to ±24 dB input and output gain controls, it’s got switchable high-pass and low-pass filters.

Distox combines virtual tube and op-amp circuits, both of which let you choose from various models (3 op-amps and 4 tubes). This plugin also has sweeping high-pass and low-pass filters for shaping the perfect distortion sound.

The Color Bundle is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AAX and AU formats.

• Get Color Bundle here
• More from Analog Obsession

Vox Samples Pixel Rabbit: Free Bitcrusher Plugin

After last week’s Fat Cat, here’s the next animal-themed free plugin from Vox Samples. Pixel Rabbit is a bit crusher, plain and simple. It’s got a huge bit crush knob and two smaller ones for adjusting the gain and mix. For quick and easy bit crushing, Pixel Rabbit has got you covered.

Pixel Rabbit is a VST3 plugin for Windows.

• Get Pixel Rabbit here
• More from Vox Samples

Looking for more free plugins like Refire, Color Bundle and Pixel Rabbit? Head straight to our huge archive!

The post Refire, Color Bundle, Pixel Rabbit: Free Plugins of the Week appeared first on gearnews.com.

The force behind Transit look to shake up physical modelling with the new Baby Audio Atoms soft synth, a plugin based on springs and masses.

Baby Audio Atoms

Baby Audio, the plugin development team behind Transit and BA-1, have just revealed that they’re about to drop a new instrument. Called Atoms, it’s a physical modelling synthesizer plugin based on a mass/spring interaction network. I’m not sure what that is either but I’m definitely intrigued. And it’s out now!

Baby Audio Atoms: Spring Into Action

The first look comes courtesy of a NAMM 2024 video from Sonic State, who have had bumper ads touting a new Baby Audio plugin all week. The rough and ready video reveals that Atoms models a network of masses connected by springs with inertia and weight, with sound generated by “playing” it with a virtual bow.

Baby Audio stresses that it has a complex underlying algorithm but it’s distilled down into six, simple parameters: Chaos, Force (how the bow plays the model), Drive (saturation), Order, Overtones (where on the model you apply the bow to change harmonics) and Filter (a lowpass filter).

Automation and MPE

Additionally, there is an internal automation system to automate parameters. This results in evolving, organic textures, says Baby Audio in the video. You can also assign MPE to each of the six parameters for additional, per-key automation.

How About Effects?

In terms of effects, Baby Audio Atoms doesn’t appear to have any built-in reverb or delay. However, Baby Audio presenter Michael Hahn did point out that Atoms has chorus and vibrato. Uniquely, these are generated by the physical model itself, not post-effects circuits. Very interesting.

Get Excited

I’m a big fan of Baby Audio’s products and this looks to be another winner. Physical modelling is capable of generating some unique tones, and judging by the demo audio in the video, Atoms can do fat and punchy bass, evolving pads and more. Baby Audio claim it can do a “huge range of stuff from natural to sci-fi,” and they have a team of sound designers working on presets right now.

Baby Audio Atoms is available now here at Plugin Boutique (affiliate) for an introductory price of $59 instead of $99 (until March 30). Platforms supported: macOS 10.11 and up (including Native Apple Silicon M1/M2 Compatibility) and Windows 10 and newer. Plugin formats: VST, VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit).

Get Baby Audio products at Thomann.de:

Baby Audio Transit Download No customer rating available yet

Available for 99.00 € at

Baby Audio BA-1 Download No customer rating available yet

Available for 99.00 € at

More Information

• Baby Audio home page
• All about synthesizers

The post Baby Audio Atoms: Literally exciting new physical modeling synth appeared first on gearnews.com.

The MOTU Ultralite mk5 Firmware Update adds a selection of useful new features including Talkback, Wi-Fi Access, and A/B Monitoring.

The UltraLite mk5 is a hardy and flexible half-rack mobile USB interface with a total of 18 inputs and 22 outputs. Meanwhile, MOTU is, of course, a widely respected name in audio interface technology, known throughout the industry for decades.

UltraLite mk5 Firmware Update

“The UltraLite-mk5 essentially got a feature boost from our just-released 828 audio interface because they share the same DSP-driven CueMix 5 mixer and front-end app. While developing these features for the new 828, it made perfect sense for our engineering team to add them to the UltraLite-mk5 as well.”

Jim Cooper, MOTU Director of Marketing

One of the most exciting features of the new “Gen 5” driver is Wi-Fi access functionality. Here, this enables users to use the CueMix 5 app and control the UltraLite mk5 and other MOTU devices from one or more mobile devices on the same network.

In addition, there is a range of new studio control room features such as talkback, monitor grouping, and A/B monitor selection. This means you can now connect and control two sets of studio monitors directly from the UltraLite mk 5 via CueMix 5.

Also, if you use multi-channel monitoring, you’ll be pleased with the new Monitor Group function. Now, the main volume knob and its software version in CueMix can control any configuration of the assigned analogue outputs.

What’s more, CueMix now has a handy Talk button, with controls for routing, volume, and how much dimming happens when talkback is active.

Pricing and availability:

The new “Gen 5” firmware driver is available directly from MOTU as a free download.

MOTU UltraLite mk5

Customer rating:

(36)

Available for 729.00 € at

More about the MOTU UltraLite mk5 Firmware Update:

• Download the Update from MOTU
• More from MOTU

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The post A new feature-filled Firmware Update for the UltraLite mk5 appeared first on gearnews.com.

Happy birthday, Plugin Boutique! For no less than 12 years, the software reseller has been quenching our thirst for the latest effect plugins and software instruments. Thanks for that! Plugin Boutique is celebrating its 12th anniversary with a month of sales and huge discounts. What’s more, they even throw in a free synth from Universal Audio as a bonus until the end of February. Check out these Anniversary Deals – there’s something for everyone!

Plugin Boutique turns 12

Here’s to a dozen years! Plugin Boutique is celebrating its 12th anniversary this month, and that means huge discounts and lots of awesome deals for you! Whether you’re looking for software synths or effect plugins and bundles for mixing and mastering – these anniversary deals have got you covered. Compressors, multi-effects, equalizers, delays, reverbs, distortion effects, overdrives, saturators, phasers, flangers, synths – you name it! Check out the deals here.

Native Instruments x Plugin Boutique Digital-Analogue Bundle

Available for $54 at

Universal Audio Electronic Music Bundle

Available for $69 at

Excite Audio Deals

Available for at

The deals include well-known and brand-new products from acclaimed developers such as Arturia, Audified, Audio Damage, Audiority, AudioThing, Boz Digital, DopeSONIX, Glitchmachines, iZotope, Krotos, Loopmasters, MeldaProduction, Native Instruments, Output, Plugin Boutique, Producertech, Softube, Sonnox, Sugar Bytes, UJAM, Universal Audio, zplane, and many more. And the platform says that even more deals will arrive over the next few weeks – so check this link frequently!

Sonnox Plugin Deals

Available for at

Arturia Instrument Plugin Deals

Available for at

More information about the Anniversary Deals

This anniversary offer is only valid during the month of February 2024. And for each order placed during the anniversary month, Plugin Boutique throws in the Universal Audio PolyMAX software synth for FREE – a $199 value! Talk about a sweet deal!

• Deal page
• More from Plugin Boutique

Note: This post contains affiliate links and/or widgets. When you buy a product via our affiliate partner, we receive a small commission that helps support what we do. Don’t worry, you pay the same price. Thanks for your support!

The post Plugin Boutique Celebrates 12th Anniversary with Mega Deals! appeared first on gearnews.com.

Ok, the headline might be a little exaggerated. Because computers equipped with Windows dominate the market. There are just as many pro users who use computers with Windows OS for music production as there are amateurs. But how come the advertising for Windows machines is different? There are very few ad campaigns, no sensational claims (compared to Apple)?

It happens a lot that you read negative threads and posts in blogs, forums, and communities about Windows machines. These are mainly about problems, constant updates, installation issues, and driver incompatibilities. But is this really the case? There are several answers to this question.

Microsoft Windows as an operating system

How come Microsoft Windows is installed on so many computers so casually with so little “fanfare”? If you compare that to the die-hard Apple fan base who is always on the hunt for any small leak about the next macOS? Of course: Apple’s strategy has always been based on marketing “gags”.

And they somehow captivate (almost) everyone – positively or negatively. There is a whole culture and industry around Apple leaks, which are sometimes created from the thinnest rumor. Some of the VIP analysts and “leakers” now make a lot of profit from that. Even if the possible leak is not real at all.

It’s different with Windows. For quite a few many people, the OS just sits on their hard disk and runs in the background. In addition, most companies use Windows on their own company computers. And many schools use Windows in the classroom. So all of us should actually be subtly infected with the Windows “virus”. All kinds of laptops and desktops are delivered with a Windows license. In comparison, Apple computers can usually only be found in their own stores, or at Apple retailers.

The Windows OS has attracted plenty of negative attention in recent years due to constant and lengthy update orgies. Even though it runs well most of the time, or does it? Unlike macOS, Windows is not tied to a computer from the same manufacturer. Of course, Microsoft also manufactures its own computers (Surface) and relies on countless companies that develop and sell products for this OS.

Compared to Macs, you can select just about any component of a new PC yourself, you can even build a whole system, if you’re nerdy enough. However, this also means that the operating system cannot boost performance if the overall package is cheaper. That’s why an Apple computer is in the high-price range right from the start.

So which OS is it?!

Apple fans like to talk and post openly about their MacBooks, iMacs, or Mac Pros. And therefore, they also talk about the latest macOS. It’s free advertising for Apple. And this closed system makes it easier for Apple to integrate/supply drivers. The internal hardware (usually) runs without problems.

Self-assembled Windows PCs, on the other hand, contain an infinite number of component combinations. Microsoft cannot provide an all-encompassing driver solution for all combinations. Of course, this also means that Windows users must install and configure third-party drivers themselves. And that can create a plenty of errors.

So there are many positive, but also opposing arguments for both camps. Everyone can decide for themselves whether they want to spend a lot of money on a ready-made machine with a customized OS. Or they’d instead choose a DIY version for a fraction of the price that can be easily upgraded later.

To summarize: I hear from both user bases in the music scene that Windows and macOS computers are equally popular. Windows fans are just less open about it. There also seem to be problems on both platforms (who doesn’t have problems with technology?). And the Linux scene is also getting bigger and bigger with more software on offer.

My take on operating systems: Windows vs. Apple

My OS “life” started with a Commodore C-64, followed by an Amiga 500 and then an Atari 1040ST. Because of the computing power and my curiosity about the first audio plugins, I then switched to a Windows computer – as a student, I definitely couldn’t afford an Apple Mac back then.

After entering the music business, I “had” to buy my first Mac in order to stay compatible with the machines from my colleagues. Then I was infected. Furthermore, my family’s use of iPhones and iPads has kept us in the Apple cosmos. Because synchronizing data (calendars, messages, notes, and more) in my private life and exchanging pictures, videos, and other data packages works pretty well between the iDevices and macOS. So why change? Because: Never change a running system.

Which system do you work with? And what role does “either/or” play for you? Let us know in the comments!

More in Microsoft and Apple

• Microsoft website
• Apple website
• More from Apple
• More from Microsoft

Originally published on Gearnews.de by Marcus Schmahl, translation by Julian Schmauch.

The post Why even bother with Windows (rather than Apple)? appeared first on gearnews.com.