Anyone got this yet? New Casio CZ style phase distortion module from ALM. I like phase distortion (Warp Core is a favourite) and for 15 bucks it’s worth a whirl…but…I bought MFX last year and it’s really buggy, and the interface is horrible in the virtual version. Just wondering if this works properly before spending money on it. It’s only about a tenner in the UK, but it’s more a matter of principle, and it would be nice if they could fix MFX.
Here’s the video on the hardware, which sounds great:
I like MFX a lot, the effects algorithms are great. It just doesn’t remember some of the parameter settings, which is really annoying! The UI is terrible in software too, but usability/visual appearance etc aren’t my main concerns, it’s all about the sound for me, which is top notch. If they fixed the parameter bug, I would use it in every patch. I was just wondering if anyone else had bought Cizzle yet, and how well it works in VCV. I didn’t buy Pam’s, but I know there were issues with that too.
I was going to answer but I totally forgot because I’m having so much fun with cizzle into mfx driven by Pam’s. I even forgot to add that every ALM module I bought so far has been a nice surprise and I’m hoping they will continue bringing their stuff to vcv…
Uh, that wasn’t a very critical review was it? I hope they continue to offer VCV versions of their modules too, but I also hope they do a better job!
Update: I bought it anyway because I like the sounds, but it does randomly forget the setting of the oscillator A frequency control, so sometimes when you load a patch everything is in the wrong octave range, and sounds horrible. I’ll send them an email.
Respectfully, it is my opinion that the frequency of these types of bugs present in most of the ported alm products are less than acceptable for paid products. I firmly believe that complaining about freely given modules is rude and rediculous, but in this case, the ported modules have issues that will exclude me from buying any of their modules. I am certain the hardware products are gorgeous and work stunningly, but in my (very critical) view, leveraging a great name to sell modules that are still very much in process is bad practice.
Im not a developer, but i am a very thankful member and user of the vcv community.
I recognize this is a hot take, but i feel it deserves to be said.
Not a hot take at all, it’s a perfectly reasonable point. This isn’t a hobbyist developer and it’s a shame because aside from the bugs, these modules are awesome.
This is an issue I feel very strongly about. As a developer of free modules, I wish quite strongly that free modules would also be held to a high standard. I realize that most people in the VCV community feel the way you do, and that I am in a small minority.
The modules from Bogaudio, VCV, Count Modula, and many others are every bit as good in quality as a “paid” module.
I think it’s great that people can learn how to program and make their own modules. But to me, putting your module into the library is your way of playing the big leagues. Modules in the library should be expected to adhere to quality standards. imao.
I remember once counting in my old (abandoned) VCV repo that I had 60,000 lines of code, and 40,000 of that was in tests. Not that I never had any bugs, but I did what I could to avoid them, and usually fixed them promptly if reported.
People have told me that I should have charged for those plugins. Sorry, but I don’t want to. As I claimed (well past the point of tedium, I’m sure), my old modules had about 1000 hours of my time invested in them. At a reasonable commercial rate that’s 200,000 dollars. If I could have gotten even a thousand dollars it would have been a) amazing, b) insignificant.
A fair point well made Squinky. Your modules are excellent, I use the compressor and F2 filter in most patches. But what would you suggest in this case, are you saying that if a company can’t offer quality versions of their hardware modules then they shouldn’t make them available? These are commercial modules, and whilst they don’t cost a lot, they should work properly when people are handing over hard-earned cash.
I wouldn’t want to say what anyone “should” do. In the case of a VCV module based on the same company’s hardware, I think the point is that the virtual modules are a loss leader to promote the hardware that they actually make money on? (I assume this is correct - I’ve never heard anyone claim otherwise).
So, taking the dreaded “should” word out of it, it would seem the question is “will a company make money by releasing buggy virtual modules to promote their presumably non buggy hardware”? I know I would never ever buy hardware from a company that made buggy software, but I don’t claim to represent the “typical” module buyer.
I always feel like the minority in this forum, lots of strong beliefs about various software specifics that I don’t really know / care much about as my primary focus in getting in VCV was for a fun / simple way to enjoy modular with out spending $$$ becuase in reality the physical aspect of it seems like such a financial waste to me compared to just using Max Msp.
I am very happy to have virtual versions of paid modules on VCV, the price is honestly very fair compared to the hardware. It’s very cool to have 1 to 1 options despite their quirks.
There seems to always be a lot of heat around the paid modules here but someones got to make money sometimes for this entire thing to work right? All the prices are fractions of most other audio software options and probably take similar time / effort to release. I’m happy to fork over the prices of a coffee or happy meal to support these projects.
Also honestly I find a lot of the modules in VCV along with every other bit of software occasionally buggy, show me a piece of software with a 100% track record.
Sorry for the long rant, this was supposed to be about Cizzle which I purchased immediately and have spent hours with so far. I’ve noticed some weirdness, sometimes the tracking button won’t latch unless you initiallize the module. Other than that I had a CZ years ago and this module is great, has a different character than Warp Core, a bit more gentle in my opionion and there are reasons to use both. Also regarding the ohter ALM modules, I use them all frequently, have not experienced the bugs mentioned ( running on a mac m1 pro ) and enjoy them thourougly.
If you are on the fence about the $15, maybe wait and noodle out with Warp Core which is free + really great too but if you want a cool CZ style osc I’m pretty sure you’ll have fun with it.
“no software is 100% bug free” is a truism usually meant to suggest there is nothing wrong with super buggy software. Yes, it’s true that no software is 100% bug free.
No software is 100% bug free, but also, one persons bug is another person’s feature
But seriously, there is a massive difference between a buggy module in the library by a developer that doesn’t engage with this community, or has no open communication channels, and a developer that actually takes feedback and fixes bugs, commercial or free.
Maybe for some it has already been too long, but personally I would give ALM a bit more time to respond and address bugs.
Also, if you encounter a bug, don’t just assume that it is known, report it to the dev (assuming like i said that they have open communication channels).
Commercial or free, if the dev doesn’t know about a bug how can they fix it?
Yes, i know some people might consider a module being free as an excuse to not support it, but even still, perhaps the code is open, maybe someone else would be interested in fixing the bug, it’s always better to document something than not imo
About half the bug reports I got were on this forum. I copied those reports from the forum to my github issues database. Many VCV users don’t have a github account and don’t wish to create one.
Each dev will have their own communication preferences, I’m sure.
Some will have multiple, some will have just one or two (i myself only use this forum, github and Instagram)
But if a user is unwilling to give feedback in a medium the dev uses, then there is not much the dev can do about that, and the user is likely to remain frustrated.
I find software development is often like a conversation, i like that style, it feels open and is rewarding when you can deliver something that users appreciate. But that can’t be one sided… but some people only use the internet to complain, not much anyone can do about that I suppose
I guess you could go ask in some google forum if you are curious. I’m alluding to musical software and devices, the people who are motivated to make them, and the motivation, obsession, and perhaps insecurity, behind criticizing, as other forum member put it, freely given software.
Ok. Now I feel guilty for straying off topic… Appreciate the feedback from other users, specially the comparison with Warp Core. I think i’m gonna wait this one out for a bit, maybe the bugs situation will improve. So many choices!
