EXS 24 Logic Sampler Users Group

In a message dated 7/9/02 11:33:37 PM, paulnicholls@... writes:

>My prediction - Native Instruments will be the next company to
>become a Mac only music software producer. If buying Emagic seems
>unbelievable, yet happened, there is nothing to suppose that Apple will
>not
>make a similar move in the area of software synths. It makes sense, even
>though Emagic makes great synths and samplers too. Perhaps Mac users should
>even suggest this to Steve, our pal.

Uhhh....please DON'T suggest this!

Cross platform development is the best thing for musicians...period. Many 
people can't afford a powerful Mac system, which by the look of things is 
always going to be a lot less bang for the buck than PC world. The hardware 
that you make music with shouldn't really be that important....it's a 
personal choice, and the key thing is what software you choose to use and of 
course how you ultimately use it.

There's no putting the Windows users to the side, they are here to stay and 
they've got a great platform with XP and these blazing CPUs. There's no going 
back to how things used to be with Mac always a little more on top than 
Windows. At this point, all this corporate junk is just an obstacle for 
musicians to make their music and use the tools without fear.

Secondly, buying companies like this has the potential to do serious damage 
to an independant industry. Computer companies are like 800 pound gorillas 
playing in a tiny field that they could care less about the impact they have 
or the damage they do. Look how much damage Gibson did with Opcode, and they 
are small potatoes compared with Apple, who could easily drop Emagic as fast 
as it picked it up. You notice how low a priority is is to them?...didn't 
even make their News page!

I believe that the additional gains that emagic will make from the Apple 
take-over are minimal at best. After all, all the stuff we are taking about 
for Logic Titanium OSX was already in the works and part of emagic's plan 
before the sell out. I think most of it would have happened anyway....look 
how innovative Emagic has been through the years...they've never needed 
massive outside development help before..why now? 

But equally important is the health of Steinberg, MOTU and Digi. The 
competition of ideas has been incredibly healthy for musicians and this 
industry. It probably would have been very different if there weren't any 
competition. What happens now if Steinberg and MOTU can't compete with Apple 
on the Mac platform, since it is no longer a level playing field? Logic is 
all that's left? That's a hollow victory, since we need the competition to 
keep advancing the future of Logic too!

There is no real benefit that I can see for musicians, to having Apple 
monopolize a virtual instrument company like Native Instruments. 

Keep the independant spirit alive....it's good for everyone and it keeps it 
real.

-EP