Amarra ,can software make a difference?

....and your definition of "off" is....

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:
....and your definition of "off" is....

Just in case you do not know Amarra, it has a feature whereby you can turn it off, meaning that the output will be directly from iTunes (according to the Amarra user guide). If you turn Amarra on, it will take control from iTunes and process the file.

quote:

Originally posted by QTT:
In fact, Amarra is still working very hard even after it is turned off.

How is it "off" exactly if it is still "working".

I suppose spending $1500 for a bit of studio software will make you believe anything you can pull out of thin air.... or your arse.

OMG[oodness].

Something just doesn't seem right.

There is no reason why it won't have a background process running PCS, could well be the case actually as in essence it has to hijack the audio.

Best bet is to run activity monitor, then choose, 'my processes' and see if something is using a lot of memory, thats probably the process. You can kill it from there is you want to hear what difference it makes.

garyi, this is exactly what I said. Maybe somebody else here could verify this fact. Strange.
Btw, I think you could get a very handsome discount from Amarra as an early adopter. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with them in any way, I am just a private user and the version that I am using is a demo version.

quote:

Originally posted by garyi:
There is no reason why it won't have a background process running PCS,

OK so then it is actually not/never "off". That i understand.

quote:

Originally posted by QTT:
I am using is a demo version.

You are gleaning all of this "experience" from listening to 30 seconds of music?

PC, as I said, I am listening while Amarra is OFF so when is this 30 seconds of music applied?

QTT,

OK, so you are saying it is off, but still on. And also that although you have the demo version that only plays 30 seconds of a track, when its off but still on, it is not subject to the terms of the demo.

So, you are stating that there are three possible options here, each getting progressively better.

iTunes without Amarra installed
iTunes with Amarra installed but software is not running.
iTunes with Amarra running.



Come on!!! So basically everyone out there with a Mac and running iTunes should simply install the free demo and enjoy massive improvements over iTunes without a not running Amarra? What??

You guys are crazy.

This is what you said, not what I said if you read my post carefully. I have started wondering if I actually wrote it in English or you actually did not read English. LOL

Could it be a placebo effect? But anyway, it is not really a big deal to me if it is true or not. It was my hearing the other day and I said that it could be my illusion.

quote:

Originally posted by QTT:
I have started wondering if I actually wrote it in English

I was wondering the same thing...

Placebo is wonderful indeed.

QTT you can tell when Amarra is off, the ( Amarra ) faders go down and the iTunes fader goes up!
Ask Sonic for a full copy of the software the 30 second cut out version is no use,H.

DHT,

The demo version is of use if it improves on iTunes without actually running the software.... which i doubt.

quote:

Originally posted by DHT:
Ask Sonic for a full copy of the software the 30 second cut out version is no use,H.

This is a good idea.

They hand out fully working demos for free? Does it then have a time/date stipulation?

How would they do this when a USB Dongle (Key) is necessary for running the full version?

My dealer lent me a full copy, that is in the UK though.

quote:

Originally posted by DHT:
My dealer lent me a full copy, that is in the UK though.

Do you mean they gave you the dongle? This is hardly "asking Sonic".

How did you register the key? I assume they wont allow more than one, otherwise you could simply move the dongle from machine to machine. Not legal in my understanding of software piracy and the whole point of the USB key in the first place.

Amarra won't work without the dongle it reverts back to 'demo' mode, listening to it this evening the software makes a tremendous difference, it envelops you in the sound reminiscent of vinyl.

That's sort of the point of the dongle. One owner but you can have the software in more than one place. These programs generally work for a month without the dongle or registration though I don't know in this case.

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:

quote:

Originally posted by DHT:
My dealer lent me a full copy, that is in the UK though.

Do you mean they gave you the dongle? This is hardly "asking Sonic".

How did you register the key? I assume they wont allow more than one, otherwise you could simply move the dongle from machine to machine. Not legal in my understanding of software piracy and the whole point of the USB key in the first place.

I am working in the pro / broadcast audio/video industry where practically all the very expensive software applications (few times more than the Amarra) working with dongles since the mid/late 90s. Nothing new. Very practical, educational institutes like this method a lot as this way they can hire the application easily to the students. As a pro system integrator we used to give dongles for our potential customers for few days, a week if they want to have a trial. Nothing new here, what Sonic is doing with the Amarra licensing is quite normal.

Having lived with a demo copy of Amarra for a while - I must admit I'm impressed. After upgrading the Mac Mini to 2 Gbytes of memory (tricky A / B ing that upgrade!), the whole setup (Amarra, Mac Mini, Lavry) seems very analog.

Will probably await and see if Amarra is still ahead of Snow Leopard's coreaudio before making a final decision.

I haven't plowed through the thread yet, but does anyone know how and why this software work better than other bit perfect software? My understanding is that is not rocket science. How does it justify what it charges for the software?

JYOW - One may also argue how one justifies £500 for a power cable? Value is relative.

IMO the difference equates to a box upgrade - so the pricing doesn't seem too bad.

That said Amarra achieves what it does by bypassing OSX's coreaudio service. Snow Leopard is a significant OS upgrade. Hence my comment about waiting for Snow Leopard before making a final decision w.r.t Amarra.

Cheers

Richard