[LAU] The future of audio plugins ?

[Len Ovens]

After reading all of these messages for a while... and then just deleting 
anything with this subject. I will have a quick comment (meaning it has 
taken me this long to decide how I feel). My first feeling was I could not 
see any use for such a thing... but my final thought is that I don't have 
to use it even if it is there anyway.

It was not that long ago that all inputs were analog (even synth). Now, it 
is unusual to record an anolog synth, but people still do. There are 
people who have made things that are all synth and the analog part of 
things is not seen till after production for any part of them... yet there 
are still many recording that have only mic inputs (or other anaolg 
pickup). There have been for years (from before computers were consumer 
affordable) beat boxes and now the computer can generate the whole rythum 
section. This technology has even been used on "hit" (whatever that is) 
records. (I can think of at least two "top 10" songs without thinking at 
all)

The big picture in plugin use is not big name or profesional studio use 
but Johnny Two Fingers in his bedroom dreaming of being a rock star before 
he goes to college to learn how to cook... or wire houses... or litigate 
software users and venders over patents or something. Just the same as the 
big use for automatic accompaniment is Grandma playing along with the 
oldies in her appartment.

The trick for the plugin vender is to find a name to use their plugin in 
at least one project. It is likely also in the future that some genre of 
music will come into being that depends on this technology in the same way 
that some genres rely on (too much) compression. From there it is likely 
to seep into more mainstream use. (maybe not stuff I would be interested 
in listening to)

So it seems the answer is that first there is money to be made in the 
plugin industry by adding such features even if they are useless in the 
studio. In the future people may find themselves using it to get "that 
sound" even in the studio...

And if the idea comes from the free software world and somehow manages to 
be patent free, at least when a client asks for it, it will be easy to 
provide.

--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net