How long do we have to wait for a bug free Mastertracks

[jtcraig]

Hello all, I am posting this topic again and wondering what the heck happened to the origional thread we had going on this. Seems like all the old threads are gone. There was alot of very important issues discussed, I can only hope the information was documented somewhere but I won't hold my breath. Nothing ever changes

[Mario]

The whole thread is there: http://www.gvox.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=9 but it is locked.

[notes_norton]

I think we have been abandoned.

It's been at least since 2003 that this version hasn't worked. That's a looooooooooooooong time to wait for a bug fix.

[jtcraig]

Come on guys!!! Please do the responsible thing here and tell us what you are doing with Mastertracks. I visit the forum every once in awhile with a bit of hope that maybe there might be some good news about Mastertracks. As usual nothing. John, Hotch, or whoever, please give us an update with your plans for Mastertracks. Thank you

James

[John Miller]

Hey Guys

This is a posting that is in the Public Knowledge Base on the gvox website.

"GVOX has discontinued MasterTracks Pro for Mac OSX due to an increasing number of problems as the operating system progresses. MasterTracks Pro 7 for Mac OSX is in the process of being coded. In the mean time, we can offer MasterTracks Pro 6.8.3 for Mac download for free if you would like it, but we will supply no technical support."
If you would still like a copy of the 6.8.3 version of the software, please create a support case at;

http://www.gvox.com/contactus.php

You will need Stuffit expander: (Free)


http://www.stuffit-expander.com/stuffit ... FQod5BapdA

[jtcraig]

John, I am getting frustrated here. I am not saying that MAC is not important but I am a windows PC user that bought the windows version 6.8 way back when and then upgraded to 6.8.3 and then 6.8.4 that was still loaded with bugs. I origionally started this post on Dec 4, 2007 (viewtopic.php?f=9&t=348) and there were 130 replies with 23881 views. Lots of interest and frustration here and many Windows users. What about the windows version and why now this talk of MAC?????????????????????????????????????? again don't get me wrong about MAC but it was always my understanding you were going to get the bugs out of windows version 6.8.4 first. I could not possibly be wrong with my thinking here, I have been communicating my issues with you since my origional 6.8 for win purchase way back in 2002. That's almost 10 years ago, yes that's right, 10 years ago. Come on! Sorry if I seem a little frustrated here. But the truth is I am very frustrated. Beleive it or not I just bought another old laptop today that I can run Windows 98 on with a midiman 2x4 parallel port interface using mastertracks 6.5 because it is the only way I can run 6.5 correctly as it is a 16 bit software. My other old laptop was having issues. Will not be able to get away with this old stuff much longer.

James

[notes_norton]

I have been with MTPro since the Atari version 2, and I've had every PC version since version 1. I have purchased every upgrade. I am a loyal customer, and as any business knows, your loyal customers pay your operating expenses, your taxes, and your payroll.

I have both Mac and PC computers. I only use MTPro on Windows. (At one time I used MTPro on my Mac, but that was back in the Motorola chip days.) I'm still using MTPro 6.5 on Win XP because the Passport version is the last stable version. So I suffer with 8.3 file names and no MSB/LSB entry in the patch picking dialog box (it's a pain to enter the cc numbers in the beginning of each track to get the bank I want on my synth).

There are 20 Windows users out here for every Mac user. It makes sense to rewrite the Windows program first. Then when you have the influx of money needed to keep your company alive, you can re-write the Mac MTPro.

10 years is a long time to wait for a bug fix. And if you fix Windows first, you will be fixing your biggest user base first.

I have nothing against the Mac, I own one, but I also write software for musicians at http://www.nortonmusic.com, and currently Mac sales are less than 5% of my business, which is representative of the ratio of PC to Mac computers in use. If you write for PC first, you get the potential of making 95% of your customers happy, writing for the Mac will take the same amount of time, but only satisfy 5% or less. I don't want to tell you how to run your business, but I think that is not the best way to make a profit.

As you know, the windows bug fix has been promised again and again. Projected date after date have come and gone. It's about time to be true to your word and fix the Windows version of MTPro, and then get with the Mac program.

Come on, let's get a bug-free windows version out this year.

Bob

[markhsw1]

Bob and James,
I really appreciate your frustration. As a Mac user, I have been struggling to make MTP work as long as you have. I see you do state how you got your 20/1 figures (really your very debatable personal experience); nevertheless, I believe it to be a more important issue for us to be supportive to each other and GVOX, rather than divisive.
Mark

[notes_norton]

According to a couple of PC Magazines that I subscribe to, not counting Linux, 5% of microcomputer users are Mac and 95% are Windows. That actually makes the ratio 19 Windows users to every 1 Mac user, 20:1 is just rounded off.

I sell aftermarket (add-on) products for the auto accompaniment program, Band-in-a-Box. Just under 5% of my customers are Mac customers. So the PC Mag numbers seem valid. This is not subjective, I ran the numbers in Quicken. And I've sold my software to 100 different countries on the globe - the numbers for the US and the world are just about equal.

I suspect that if you go into graphic design, the numbers might get higher, as print shops adopted Macs when the Windows was a much less powerful platform than it is now.

I used to be a first call session player at a local recording studio (before home studios and the owner's health forced him to shut down). At one time it was Mac only, by the time he quit, there was one more WIndows PC than Mac computer in the studio.

Yes I believe it is important for us to stick together. As an example, when I release my software for BiaB, I release the Mac and Windows versions at the same time, even though I finish the Windows versions first.

On the other hand, if there is going to be a long delay between finishing the Window and Mac versions of any software other than Graphics Design Apps, it just makes good business sense to release the Windows version first so your company can have the larger user base flooding you with cash flow.

BTW, I have both Windows'and Macs in my office, and although at one time the Mac was the superior OS, right now there isn't a major difference between the two. I use whichever platform supports the best version of the software that I want to use.

Notes ♫

[jtcraig]

Sure would love to hear some news if any from you folks at GVOX with regards to Mastertracks Pro. Cheers

james

[Mario]

Hi Hotch,

I have browsed the Encore Forum and found the following statement:

Hi,

Sorry I have been quite.

Over the past year+, I have been hiring and firing developers until I found one that would look forward with me and build an Encore for now and the future. The process to achieve such goal is difficult and not the easy way out.

The good news that just happened this week, is a build of Encore using the latest Windows development tools. That might not seem like much, but it really is. Encore has been around since the dinosaurs of computers were computing (and dimming the lights). For years, our developers have been working on the code as text instead of graphically (21st century) so every line of code was hand typed, this should serve as a time saver. The conversion did take a long time (4 months+) and many different developers and developers' forum input were used to solve the litany of error codes.

We will now be able to use the latest debugging tools which will help

We are also making progress on the Mac side in the same types of ways.

I am looking forward to actually making visible progress this year with Encore/MTD...... get ready to use your updaters

Do you have similiar good news for the MTP user?