Think twice before purchasing Eastwest PLAY

[germancomponist]

...The problem with play is that you need a super computer to run it and then even then its not 100%.

Are you shure? I know people who are very happy with Play.

[Plus]

I bought orchestra gold about 5 months ago and love the sample library. The only problem is that PLAY ENGINE!!! I will not buy another play sample library until the play issue is resolved!!!! I use play live and for recording (both in Cubase). The program is so buggy as standalone or in cubase.

Pros:
1. Very beautiful Sound library
2. Play engine interface looks pretty nice (sexy look!!)
3. Online samples (I listen to them all the time)

Cons: Too many (all due to PLAY ENGINE)!!

1.One of the big problems I have right now is that I cant open two play libraries at the same time without getting alot of pops in the audio.( I have the latest asio drivers and latest updates) The problem with play is that you need a super computer to run it and then even then its not 100%.

2. Another problem is that i get alot of dropped sound. Even for some of the low CPU instruments.

3. If i leave my computer idle for a while with play already open then try using play again later, then play really starts dropping the sound on almost every note that I try to play.

4. Another problem is if you have several instruments open in cubase and try switching (via solo,mute, or selection) from one instrument to the next it many times will cause a note to be stuck on one or more of the instruments. The only way to silence the instrument is to violently depress all the keys on the keyboard. The work around to this is to use the faders. Turn volume up to select an instrument. Turn volume down to deselect an instrument.

5. Even oustide of cubase i encounter stuck notes.


Conclusion: East West needs to shape up and come to the realization that the play engine needs serious work. Please stop with the hype about the play engine already, the thing sucks and it sucks big time even with the new update!!!! I will not purchase another play sound library until this issue is resolved.

Check my specs Im running Play just fine and I don't have a super computer. Post your system specs....

[Jeffrey Hayat]

"The problem with play is that you need a super computer to run it and then even then its not 100%."

And then even? That means that you HAVE run PLAY on a super computer, yes? Because if you have not, there is no way you can know that it doesn't run 100% on a super computer.

PLAY is not perfect, but it has improved dramatically with an update a few months back. Which version do you have? You speak of stuck notes like PLAY is the only sequencer to do this. C'mon.

My advice:

1. Calm down
2. List your computer specs. The lack of this in your post tells of someone who is looking not to get help, but to do nothing but complain. Do you have a fast enough CPU? Enough RAM?
3. Check you PLAY engine level - this has alot to do with performance
4. What other apps are running? AV? Something else? Have you done any performance tweaks?
5. What color is the Cubase dongle?

[Mad Kiltie]

I fully agree with Jeff!

I can run multiple PLAY based libraries over multiple instances on an Intel E6600 core 2 duo, with 4 gig easily.

I run PLAY in addition to Kontakt in Sonar 8.3.1 and Finale.

Since the 1.2.5 update, I can honestly say PLAY has been extremely stable for me.

[halftone]

Hi All,

Just to say I have nearly all the East West Play products. I run them on a Intel 6600 quad core with Vista 64 bit using Sonar 8.

I started with 4G ram and Play worked just fine right out of the box. When I added more libraries I upgraded to 8G ram. All works well. They sound great.

I know that some people have a poor experience with software/hardware but often that is because they do not read the documentation and instructions provided.

I know because I take care of the computers at work and also my friends computers when they have problems.

So often I have heard "this computer is crazy" or "this software never works properly".......when actually they have not bothered to read instructions or manuals. Let's not even discuss clicking on items without knowing what they do.

I don't know what East West's customer service is like as I have never had to use it. In my view their samples are excellent and play is quite easy and intuitive to use.

Regards John

[geronimo001]

I'm stock on page 34 yet i there is 2 more pages.

Well maybe I'll have access to these pages now that I've posted in it?...

[PasiP]

I would like to know if the recent updates of PLAY engine have made it more stable?

I have been waiting to purchase some EW-products but because of the problems with the PLAY engine I haven't.

[Richard Barr]

I have most of the EW libraries and have no problem whatsoever with Play on a Mac Pro. I have the libraries spread out over many drives which may help to keep everything running smoothly.

[LFO]

I would like to know if the recent updates of PLAY engine have made it more stable?

I have been waiting to purchase some EW-products but because of the problems with the PLAY engine I haven't.

I'd be careful with using internet posts as a reference point for purchasing or not purchasing a product. For every person on a forum with issues there are at least 10 people out there with perfectly running systems that don't post because everything works.

If you have specific issues that keep you from purchasing give us a list so that we can provide feedback. I can tell you this, there are a huge number of people out there using Play to create professional music for all sorts of mediums. If they can use the software, chances are you can too. It would be a shame to miss something like the current 2 for 1 deal going on over smoke and mirrors.

-Kevin

[PasiP]

Thanks for the answers. Now I need to check out the 2 for 1 offer.