Virtual Instruments magazine announcement

[Nick Batzdorf]

Hopefully you've all noticed the banner on this site, but I wanted to make an official announcement about Virtual Instruments magazine ("the world of softsynths and samplers").

As you members of the choir know very well, V.I.s have changed the way music is created, in fact they've created a whole new musical medium. The enthusiastic sub-culture of musicians and developers that's sprung up around these tools is spread out all over the world - more so than I fully realized before seeing who's subscribing.

(Would anyone have known that such exotic places as Holland, Scandinavia, and Austria still exist before all this? And had anyone heard of the tiny island of Australia?)

About a year ago, it dawned on me that we deserve our own magazine. And as an enthusiastic V.I. user who’s dabbled a little in magazine editing (I was the editor of Recording magazine for 10-1/2 years), I felt qualified to be the one to spearhead it. :)

The idea is to help V.I. users get the most out of their set-ups, whether they're high-end people running multiple-computer rigs or newcomers who caught the bug from GarageBand. So I’ve put together a truly world-class team of writers, including some whose names you’ll recognize as having been cherry-picked from here, and others you’ll recognize from other places.

The articles these guys have written are terrific. Yeah I’m prejudiced, but it’s going to be a great magazine.

And now, without further ado, I cordially invite you to check out our website (www.Virtualinstrumentsmag.com) for more information. There you’ll find a 95% accurate cover and table of contents for our first issue, due in April. If you like what you see, please support the magazine by subscribing.

Thanks very much to those of you who have already done so, and may we please have a round of applause for Papa and De for hosting such a great forum.

Yours, NB

[Nick Batzdorf]

By the way, we're still figuring out how to deliver international subscriptions. Hopefully we can do it for the same price as U.S. ones, but we may not know for a couple of days.

Please email subscribe@Virtualinstrumentsmag.com if you're interested, and we'll get back to you with details ASAP.

[cKaz]

Nick, I was in the VSL demo both at NAMM when you came in and I saw "Virtual Instruments Magazine" on you name tag (unless I had convention overload at that time) I've been searching for it for awhile, ahh... its all very clear now.... :D

looking forward to it,
Chris

[Scott Cairns]

And had anyone heard of the tiny island of Australia?


Careful Nick, Im thinking about subscribing! :)

Congratulations to you on the release of the magazine.

[Sonic Implants]

Hello Nick!

Congratulations and good luck!

It looks like you have assembled a great team!

I look forward to reading the first issue!


Best regards,

[dougrogers]

Congratulations - you can count on EASTWEST's support.

- Doug

[aplanchard]

Hey Nick,

I have made several attempts at subscribing but the site keeps telling me that I left out credit card info, which I did not, and sends me back to square one. Frustrating. Anyway, I guess I'll have to call you. Best of luck with the magazine -- great idea!

[Moonmusic]

Hello Nick!
I thought maybe that was you (from Recording mag) awhile back but never asked...I've been a reader of Recording for years, even when you were at the helm...I see you've pulled on many of your contacts of ridiculously intelligent and informative comrades for your endeavor and will be subscribing like...NOW!...Congrats and Good Luck on the premiere!...moon

[MwaileyBear]

King Idiot wrote an article! Seeing that name on a magazine cover makes me smile. :D

I am terribly new to soft synths (I own only Silver, Atmosphere, and Kontakt with SISS MINI). And I do not feel that I am using them to their fullest potential. One of my goals here at Berklee (the school I am attending and that I should be doing ear training work for right now) is to master the use of my soft synths, and eventually be able to use the top libraries as adeptly as the professionals. But I find that helpful articles, and books on this topic are very sparce. I am getting along fine just playing with my soft synths, but not as fast as I would like. Hopefully your magazine will help me with that. You can expect a call tomorrow morning! (You can expect that call because apparently PayPal does not accept American Express?? :confused: )

The only dissapointing thing I see in this first issue is a review of Collossus but not of RA?! :( (Well, I guess it doesn't matter - I don't have the money for RA, anyway! :p )

Another incentive that would make a subscription to this magazine not only worthwhile but essential for VI users, would be if it had occassional group-buy type offers. But I'm sure you've thought of promotions and things along those lines already!

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks very much, everybody.

cKaz, the answer is Both - you must surely have had convention overload, and that was me. :)

aplanchard, yeah, I truly apologize for the temporary #%)(*#$ Paypal solution. Please email us at subscribe@Virtualinstrumentsmag.com and I'll sort it out. We're going to set up a professional processing system as soon as possible. It's driving me nuts too. :(

Thanks Al, and I appreciate it very much, Doug.

Moon, I forgive you for reading Recording while I was there. Don't feel bad.

Scott, I hope your shrimp didn't burn, mate. :)

MwaileyBear, fellow Berklee person, we'll certainly cover both. Part of the fuzzy 5% of the TOC is which products are going to be ready in time. The articles there are all real, but we won't know for certain how many editorial pages we have until closer to print time, so the other part of the 5% is that some things may get bumped until next issue - or conversely, we may have room for more yet. (Is this adding up to more than 100%? :) )

The idea of a group buy as successful as EWQLSO Gold is very appealing indeed. However, I'm afraid that people would point at me and laugh, given the $12.95/1-year or $20/2-year price. :) That just about covers the cost of delivery - we wanted to make the price as low as possible so it's a no-brainer.

But there may be some added promotional perks, and early subscribers won't be left out. Can't promise anything yet, though.

[FredProgGH]

Wow, I knew someone would do this sooner or later. VI definitely deserves its own publication. I've converted almost 100% from hardware to software in the course of only about 4 months!! I look forward to issue number 1...

[Steve Rees]

Definitely interested in subscribing so do post information on international subscriptions when you have it.

Any chance of having it e-mailed or downloadable in pdf format or something like that? The way Sound-on-Sound have their magazine available online for subscribers is an excellent way to go too.

All the best with your new venture.

Steve

[lukpcn]

Yeah, I'm interested as well. I sent You an email. :D

[midphase]

Hello Nick!

I just subscribed because I want to support your magazine and because I'm sure it'll kick ~~~ (plus I'm still interested in writing some articles for it).

I'm looking forward to receiving my very first issue, hot off the press and will be spreading the word out there to get more people to subscribe.

Best of luck!

[Maarten Spruijt]

This is awesome Nick!
On behalf of ProjectSAM I wish you and the rest of the team best of luck. Let's hope it is going to be a hit magazine in the industry!

Maarten
Creative Director
Project SAM
Rich Orchestral Sampling
www.projectsam.com

[midphase]

As I the only one who find it irritating that the word ~~~ is not allowed on these forums? I hear it on TV and radio every day! :eek:

~~~! A55, ~~~~~, A S S, A.S.S.

hehe!

Sorry!

:D

[Ned Bouhalassa]

Congratulations, Nick! Looks like you've put together a dynamite team. Looking forward to reading it. ;)

[Bill]

Just tried to subscribe, but wasn't able to complete, either with or without PayPal.

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks so much everybody, I appreciate it.

neoTypic, sure, no problem - it's a simple change in the database.

Bill, again, I'm so sorry about the temporary system. It works like ~~~ (how's that, Midphase? :) ). Please email us at subscribe@virtualinstrumentsmag.com and we'll sortcha out.

[Seq]

So, I imagine you know Metlay and crew? I used to subscribe to Recording as well and it was a great mag... just didn't fit my needs anymore.

I'll probably wind up subscribing to VI. The price is certainly very reasonable.

I think this is a great and timely idea and it will be good to focus in on the virtual aspect of music gear. I can appreciate what goes into putting together a magazine and getting it out on the newstands. I wish you the best of luck and much success!!!

[Hans Adamson]

I was thinking about getting two of the first issue.... - One to read and one to keep un-opened in the plastic covering for the future collector's value.....:)

Nick, the magazine looks great!!!

Hans

[Herman Witkam]

(Would anyone have known that such exotic places as Holland, Scandinavia, and Austria still exist before all this?


lol there's nothing exotic about Holland. It's snowing here, Nick :)

I'm considering a subscription, but there aren't any boxes for "country" and "province", instead of the usual two letters for U.S. state. So is it aimed at Europe as well?

[ryounger]

Hey Nick congrats on the mag. I'm also having problems with subscribing, so I'll shoot ya out an email.

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks, thanks everybody.

Again, the international response (relative to the U.S.) has been far greater than we anticipated, and we're sorting out overseas delivery right now. If you'd care to send an email to subscribe@Virtualinstrumentsmag.com (just put something like "International subs?" in the title), we'll let you know post haste. Thanks for asking. :)

[Brian McBrearty]

Congrats, Nick. Can't wait to see it. Best of luck.

[js33]

Hey Nick,

I just subscribed! Does the first issue ship at the first of April or end of April?

Looking forward to it. I had no problems subscribing on your website.

I used to get Computer Music (published in the UK) at the bookstore but it was like $12.95 per issue. It came with a CD but was often of little of no use so I stopped getting it. The magazine was pretty good but was too geared to the soundblaster crowd for me.

Cheers,
JS

[Theodor]

I really want to subscribe too ! Good luck with this !

[Nick Batzdorf]

I was wondering why your laptop gave me the creeps! :eek:

More thanks to one and all. :)

[MikeGraybill]

Subscribed! Will pass the word along, thanks for making this happen Nick, I'm sure it will be a huge success. I gave up on the other mags, as nothing ever really addressed this world with any substance or depth. Generally, if I see a post from KI or Bruce, I read it. They might as well be paid for their expertise!

[Deak]

When should I expect the first issue? Definitely excited to receive and read it!

[Nick Batzdorf]

It's delayed a month, I'm afraid. Late-ish May for a June cover date.

Everyone who's subscribed will get an...well, they'll get an announcement tomorrow, as well as an additional issue.

Thanks for your interest, of course.

[Deak]

Thanks Nick and thanks for the offer!

[delmastro]

looks great, nick!
just signed up.

[thesoundsmith]

I'm glad the thread has re-appeared, just signed up. Looking forward to the mag. Good luck with it.

[Marcussen]

Nick...

- What a great idea, and mucho respect for getting it done!
- I'm surely interested when you fix international subscription

Brilliant - I know quite a few people here who will also be interested once up and running

[Liam]

Subscribed today...looking forward to it, and congratulations on the launch!

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks everybody. 'preciate it.

[Samplecraze]

Hi Nick

I wish you all the best in this endeavour.
At last, a 'real' magazine devoted to the virtual domain.

I would love to subscribe but am based in the UK.
When do you foresee an overseas subscription page?

BTW, you have the full support of the Samplecraze network, and if you would like us to host your banner across our sites, then pls email me with details.

All the best
Z

[SimuAndy]

So I (tried to?) subscribe a couple nights ago, succeeded, went to pay at Paypal (even though I said "Bill me"), and paypal shut down my account & my credit card that it was attached to. I am not a happy camper.

I'm sure its not your fault, but if you can email me your payment mailing address, I'll get checkfree to send you a $20 check right away.

-andy

[Nick Batzdorf]

I'm so sorry, Andy. We've signed up with a different - much better - company and will have it up and running as soon as our web designer can implement it. PayPal is just awful.

We thought all the problems had been solved when we set up an "upgraded" PayPal account, only to discover that a lot of people click out in frustration. That's after filling in all the nosy questions in our form - what's in your rig, what you're planning to add, etc. etc. etc. In other words, PayPal is making it ridiculously difficult - and costing us quite a few subscriptions, which is more annoying than I care to express on such a family-oriented forum. :)

Anyway, please email me: NB@VirtualinstrumentsMag.com with your phone number or just call us toll-free: 1-877-vimagzn.

[Samplecraze]

Paypal are without a doubt the worst payment mechanism in existence, and specifically for vendors.
If we didn't have to have Paypal as one of our network's payment options, I would drop it in a heartbeat.

I am glad to hear you are moving away from it Nick.

[Waywyn]

heyja and good luck with your magazine also from me.

my subscription is just a matter of time :)

uh, one stupid question and sorry for going slightly offtopic, but i checked your website and on the front cover it says that klaus badelt scores "constantine", but on "project sam" site it says, that brian tyler score it. uhm, so what now. sorry but i didn't see the movie now and i really have no big info about that one, so i just wanted to ask you guys who is the real composer :)

[lumpyhed]

Excellent News! Once you sort out the international subs, i'll be signing up straight away.

[Nayi]

uh, one stupid question and sorry for going slightly offtopic, but i checked your website and on the front cover it says that klaus badelt scores "constantine", but on "project sam" site it says, that brian tyler score it. uhm, so what now. sorry but i didn't see the movie now and i really have no big info about that one, so i just wanted to ask you guys who is the real composer :)

They both scored the film.

It's a long story actually what happen was that the producers didn't quite like the brian tyler score so they invited Klaus Baldelt to add some cues and re-work some on them too.
I also heard that Brian conducted every one of them.

[Hardy Heern]

This is exciting news of a great new magazine. I'm definitely interested once you get your International Subscriptions sorted out. I have sent you a separate email on the matter. It will suit me fine as I've recently dumped Sound on Sound after 18yrs and only have Computer Music now.

Wishing you and your team every break.

Frank

[Ouch that hurts]

$12.95 for six issues - isn't that incredibly cheap? Or have I just gotten used to outrageously inflated British prices?

How many pages?

Is it intended as a profit-making venture, or just a community thing with the subs covering costs?

I sent you an email re international subscription.

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks everyone.

Yes, Ouch, we do actually plan to make a living for our efforts. :) The U.S. price (we're still working on Europe, as I keep promising) basically covers our costs, and the idea is to make it a no-brainer so we get as many early adopters as possible.

In Europe, magazines earn a good part of their living from newsstand sales, but in this country it's mostly from advertising - which requires an audience to be of any use to advertisers, of course. We'll certainly raise the price once we get going, but at this point we're working hard to build a quality readership of people who are really interested in computer-based music creation.

This may be more than you ever wanted to know about publishing, but I should add that newsstand and especially subscription revenue (once we raise the price) is nothing to sneeze at in this country either. It's just that the balance is different - which is why magazines are more expensive in Europe.

[Ouch that hurts]

Fair enough. Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to talk you into raising the price!

And it depends on the page count too of course. My first reaction was to compare it Sound On Sound, which is £4.25 per issue here in the UK. But presumeably there wouldn't be nearly as much to put in a mag JUST about VIs, as there is in something like SOS which is about the whole spectrum of music technology.

[Nick Batzdorf]

There's plenty to talk about, Ouch. We could easily fill a phone book every issue. Someone told me there are about 750 V.I.s on the market. I'm not sure whether that includes sample libraries, but the point is that this is the hot new frontier.

[Hardy Heern]

As I the only one who find it irritating that the word ~~~ is not allowed on these forums? I hear it on TV and radio every day! :eek:

~~~! A55, ~~~~~, A S S, A.S.S.

hehe!

Sorry!

:D

Why not anglicize it by using the British 'arse' or possibly 'bottom'?:)

Frank

[T Parks]

There's plenty to talk about, Ouch.

Maybe its just me, but reading that made me think of Michael Jackson.

There's a mass of stuff out there. I can't even begin to imagine just how many pages would be needed to produce a fair appraisal of each product. I suppose the trick is to discover the real gems amidst a lot of rather run-of-the-mill products.

It looks like it could be a really interesting read. I wish you all every success with it.

[Bruce A. Richardson]

But presumeably there wouldn't be nearly as much to put in a mag JUST about VIs, as there is in something like SOS which is about the whole spectrum of music technology.

Hey, you forget what kind of people Nick has writing for him!! I couldn't stay on topic for twice the fee...

But seriously, Virtual Instruments is a HUGE topic. Think about it--we are just now seeing the point where parity with the final generation of hardware synths left off in many ways. In some ways, though, Virtual Instruments have still not reached the playability and flexibility of the first analog synths.

And sampling is advanced in some ways, yet barely teething in others.

One of the most interesting aspects of Virtual Instruments today is that in many cases, the entire spectrum of synthesis is available to a musician--affordably--for the first time in history. Yet at no time have people seemed LESS satisfied with what is available. I personally believe it is because we have become such a "preset-culture" that few people actually learn synthesis and sampling as musical disciplines in and of themselves, not just as simple means to an end, but as integral artistic pursuits.

So, for me, the opportunity for a magazine to come in and start covering these issues with a singular focus is exciting stuff. And Nick's long experience with other publications puts him in the ideal position to take this on.

At any rate, that's why I'm excited about the idea. I'm grateful and flattered that Nick brought me into the mix, and I think this magazine could really take off.

[Frederick]

Agreed Bruce - VI Mag seems to be a wealth of information and a "virtual" encyclopedia of information. Looking forward to seeing the first issue. :)

[tob]

Good luck Nick! I'll definitely gonna read it. I'll send you an email. Am I the first Swedish subscriber? :)

/Tobias

[FV]

Hi Nick,

Looking forward to when you have all of the details ironed out for people outside the U.S. I'm sure that this mag will be a huge success, especially with the great people that you have associated with you. Best of luck. :)

FV

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks dudes.

And Tob - nope, there's an angry horde of Swedes and people from other countries getting really impatient for us to figure out how we're going to ship international subs. :)

Bruce, I'm bowing in your direction...while trying hard to un-think that disturbing vision of you determining which one of your gonads is better... :eek:

[That's from another thread. Don't worry, you're better off if you missed it...]

[Nick Batzdorf]

Benchmarks [shudder]... :eek:


BRAIN, STOP! PLEASE STOP!

[Brian2112]

I just got 2 years...




Ya Big Ape!:D (I swear, that Ape just kills me everytime I see it. Or is it Nick?)

...2112:)

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks Brian. I picked off all the fleas and groomed myself for a couple of hours before posing for that picture.

[midphase]

Is there an update as to when the first issue might ship?

[Nick Batzdorf]

The email address you subscribed under is old, Midphase. Since this bounced, I'll post the announcement here. My apologies.



Dear Subscriber,

Thanks very much for subscribing to Virtual Instruments magazine.

The magazine itself is great. Unfortunately, though, our launch has to
be delayed a month until late May for a June/July cover date. We
apologize sincerely; things are simply moving more slowly than we'd
anticipated, as they are apt to do with new ventures.

In consideration for your patience we will extend your subscription for
an extra issue at no charge.

In the meantime, please feel free to email back any suggestions about
what you'd like to see in the magazine, general comments, tips you'd
like to share, or technical questions that would be appropriate for
publication...etc.

Thanks again for your support, we appreciate your understanding, and
I'm confident you're really going to enjoy Virtual Instruments.

Sincerely,

Nick Batzdorf, editor/publisher

[Deak]

Hey Nick,

How's it all coming along? REALLY looking forward to the first issue. Is it going to make it out by the end of this month of May? Just excited is all. Peace to you and all the success!

[Nick Batzdorf]

We're just about to go to the printer, Deak. Thanks for being excited. :)

[Nick Batzdorf]

And I should have an announcement about international subs imminently.

It's going to be $36/year or $60 for two years. Canada is $30/50. Downloadable PDF subs are the same as domestic subs: $12.95/20 (plus CA tax).

We tried to figure out a less expensive way to deliver international subs, but by the time we ship boxes and - not an easy task - find someone to mail them locally, we're back where we started and then some.

But this isn't the official announcement, since the website isn't set up for this yet.

[John DeBorde]

We're just about to go to the printer, Deak. Thanks for being excited. :)


"woohoo!"

-Homer J Simpson

[rikp]

By the way, we're still figuring out how to deliver international subscriptions. Hopefully we can do it for the same price as U.S. ones, but we may not know for a couple of days.

Please email subscribe@Virtualinstrumentsmag.com if you're interested, and we'll get back to you with details ASAP.

Nick,

I paid for a subscription a while ago and have not received anything yet. Have you shipped to the states?

Rik

rikp@mac.com

[rikp]

Nick:

Sorry about that, just read the other postings. I guess I'll see the mag in June!

Peace

Rikhttp://www.northernsounds.com/forum/images/smilies/redface.gif

[Hardy Heern]

Guys,

I spent ages trying to get your application form to accept my input. Perhaps it doesn't like European addresses/post codes or something or there is a limit to the number of characters in some of the fields. However, I was constantly blown back to a blank page and had to re-enter input. Rather frustrating.

Perhaps you could note the expected input and the field limitations?

I decided to go for the 2yr pdf as it seems excellent value, although I do prefer to relax in an armchair with a magazine. Still, a great compromise, and at least I won't have the problem of hanging on to magazines!

Anyone want to buy Sound on Sound from 1987 to 2005?? :)

Frank

[Nick Batzdorf]

Sorry to hear that, Hardy. I'll copy your message to our web designer and see if she can figure out what's going on.

Thanks for subbing.

[synergy543]

Nick,

Could you check my sub again? I know you said it was OK but I don't see a charge from you on Paypal yet.

Thanks,

Gregory D. Moore
synergy543@comcast.net

[Kaatza Music]

Good luck, Nick! I subscribed.

[Hardy Heern]

Sorry to hear that, Hardy. I'll copy your message to our web designer and see if she can figure out what's going on.

Thanks for subbing.

Thanks Nick,

If your web designer can't work what the problem is then ask him to pm me and I'll send him a word document of what I was trying to enter in the fields.

Cheers

Frank

[Herman Witkam]

hi Nick - I just subscribed. 20 $ for two years of downloadable .pdf's is a great deal!

[SCARBEE]

Hi Nick,

Congrats! Great idea and much appreciated.

is there any way of paying with SSL secure site?

cheers

[Nick Batzdorf]

Thanks Scarbee, and our cc processing system is secure.

But please give me an email first: nb@virtualinstrumentsmag.com.

And thanks everyone else.

[sergiobklyn]

Has it shipped yet? :|:
Serge

[SHAOLIN95]

Looks like a great mag so I just subscribed today....when should I receive my first issue?
Regards

[Nick Batzdorf]

We're late, I'm afraid. It should be available for download subs a week from today, or possibly a couple of days after that - barring any unforseen glitches in the account software (whatever it's called). The printed version will arrive shortly after that.

My apologies. An announcement will go out to everyone shortly. After this we'll be on schedule for the duration - it's just getting everything lined up that's been so grueling.

I have a new appreciation for any company that gets a new product out the door.

[thesoundsmith]

I have a new appreciation for any company that gets a new product out the door. Deliverables are a female dog, aren't they? Especially the first time, getting the production and distro teams on the same page...

Good luck, Nick, we're all waiting. Some patiently, some frantically, but wait we must...

[Nick Batzdorf]

Count me among the frantic ones.

[Joanne Babunovic]

Hi Nick -

Always wondered why publishers though it was OK to bundled VI topics with other unrelated recording topics.
I "think" I subscribed for the downloadable option, but need to verify by phone.

Joanne

[Nick Batzdorf]

You did indeed, Joanne. Thanks very much.

But are you sure that's what you want to do? The d/l is free for printed magazine subscribers. We were really only thinking of overseas people who'd rather pay U.S. prices than have to cover shipping.

[sergiobklyn]

Is it soup yet? :rolleyes:

[Nick Batzdorf]

The soup is being printed. We'll have a download available for subscribers this week - although it'll be a tacky download (probably .Mac); the automated system won't be up until our web designer Denise gets back into town.

Thanks for your patience. :)

[jeffn1]

I subscribed. Is ther a way to confirm the subscription? WIll the bills go out after the first printed issue?

jeffn1

[Nick Batzdorf]

Yes they will, and thanks for subscribing. I assume you're a Bill Me?

[jeffn1]

Yes they will, and thanks for subscribing. I assume you're a Bill Me?

Yes.

jeffn1