the free version VCV Rack CE
the paid version VCV Rack BCE
I quite like “VCV Rack Community” and “VCV Rack Studio” as a pair. (“Plugin Edition” won’t work because the product will include standalone Rack.)
It seems that most of you here are fine with the name “Community Edition” or CE for the open-source version, so I’ll go with that. I’ll likely use “Studio Edition” for the commercial version.
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I’m not sure it’s that important. I’ve bought many a ‘plugin’ that did in fact give me the option to run them standalone, and the thing that people will be paying for is the plugin part, since the standalone software is already free.
If both names need qualifiers, this strikes me as a good balance. Community is a free modular system for the whole community. Studio has one additional feature, which is that it integrates into your studio.
People will still need a clear explanation about the differences, and they’ll still get confused some of the time (especially since the free version is so much closer to the paid version than in almost any other product line), but I don’t think any name choice could fix that entirely.
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Me too. I don’t think it will get better than these two.
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I’ve definitely seen this where there’s one edition of a product (like the Neural DSP amp sims; they’re all called “plugins” and all have standalone versions in the same installer) but I think the bump here is that the paid standalone version of VCV Rack is the only one which will work with the VST [&c] plugin[s].
My understanding–could be wrong–is that the paid plugin component will be communicating with the paid VCV Rack Studio Edition [or whatever it’s finally called] running separately; Rack itself is not getting hosted in a plugin window, and VCV Rack Community Edition [or whatever &c] doesn’t know how to talk to the paid plugin, because that’s the bit of closed-source code on the Rack side.
I’d prefer to see VCV Rack Hey! and VCV Rack Folks!
“Guys” excludes 50 percent of the population.
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Free: VCV Rack Paid: VCV Studio
The problem of turing what is know as “VCV Rack” into “VCV Rack CE” is that the web is full of video and article talking about “The free software VCV Rack” When a new commer will see this mention and head to VCV website, and find VCV Rack:149$, there might be some confusion.
If VCV Rack with pro support and plugin is a new product, maybe only this one shoudl have a new name
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I changed my mind. I like “VCV Rack Pro” better than “VCV Rack CE”, and it does not stigmatize the “VCV Rack” name.
“CE” makes me think of “Windows CE”, which is what my DVR runs on. From wikipedia:
Windows Embedded Compact was formerly known as Windows CE. According to Microsoft, “CE” is not an explicit acronym for anything, although it implies a number of notions that Windows developers had in mind, such as “compact”, “connectable”, “compatible”, “companion” and “efficient”.[13][14] The name changed once in 2006, with the release of Windows Embedded CE 6.0, and again in 2011, with the release of Windows Embedded Compact 7.
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I`d like for the
free: VCV Rack CE (C = community edition)
paid for: VCV Rack PE ( P = paid, pro, plugin, prosumer, popmusic … edition)
Oh yes… windows CE … I remember that … with dread 
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It was just an Omri callback
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So something like New Coke? 
VCV Rack Zero
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While I do like VCV Rack Community Edition, personally, I would go for VCV Rack Pro and continue to use VCV Rack for the free version. It avoids breaking the past naming/associations/reputation of VCV Rack, doesn’t diminish or create confusion about the free version (and CE, to me, is still associated mostly with Windows and the 1990s), and (as much as I generally don’t like the Pro addition, nor most things to do with marketing, to be honest) it adds connotations to this new/paid version as being more desirable/professional and is a naming convention that people already understand.
From a marketing perspective it would also be beneficial to be releasing something “new” with this paid version, which is where you want to generate news. It’s easier (and has more impact) for gear/news sites to write about (and consumers to understand) “the new VCV Rack Pro” than “VCV Rack is now a paid app, but a new VCV Rack CE is still free like the old VCV Rack”.
VCV Rack Studio also works, but you’ll probably gain more from adding “Pro” because of its common use in higher end products.
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i like the idea of retaining the most basic (and known) name for the free version and extending the name for the paid version…
- VCV Rack and VCV Rack+
- VCV Rack and VCV Rack Studio
- VCV Rack and VCV Rack Pro
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True, but conversely “community edition” usually suggests fewer features than the full/pro/commercial version. Especially from bigger companies it often suggests a second-tier, starved out product. But from what you’ve said I think the bill fits - PRO has two additional features: The VST and commercial support. So I think it’s honest.
I like “VCV Rack” for the non-commercial edition because “nothing’s changed, it’s the Rack you know and love”, and that’s a great message to send. The only thing that’s changed is “PRO edition, now with even more goodies”, which is true.
That’s great. For me it’s a good argument for “VCV Rack, business as usual and fully usable on its own”.
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The two usually means the same, and Pro sounds better 
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I dont care what he calls it as long as something gets released soon. I need this in VST form before I’m eligible for a pensioner bus pass. VCV Rack and VCV Rack CE is just fine for me 
How about dropping Rack?
So: Free = VCV, Paid = VCVST
Probably doesn’t track and steinberg might not like it! 
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