What Sonic Foundry Owes to CD Architect Users

RixWare wrote on 3/11/2001, 3:10 PM

Dear Sonic Foundry,

Having just installed a new 12x CD-RW drive, I discovered
that CD Architect is no more. That's a real shame, and
greatly frustrating, because it is truly the only program
of its type out there (I've been searching now for about 48
hours for something comparable -- or even close -- with no
luck).

Numerous professionals rely upon your program because it is
powerful and very easy and quick to use (like your other
software). I am one such professional who has used CD
Architect to create masters on about a dozen projects for
paying clients over the last two years.

But since you have decided to abandon this wonderful
product, please do not leave us hanging. You owe your loyal
users a couple of things:

1) Create one last legacy upgrade which will ensure
detection of and compatibility with MMC-compliant drives.
This will allow many newly-introduced drives to be
recognized and used without further development on your
part.

2) Create an interface and/or publish specifications so
that third parties (or manufacturers) may begin writing
drivers for other new non-MMC writers as they become
available.

3) Publish a detailed description of the CDP and/or CD
Image file formats so that conversion utilities may be
properly written by third parties to allow other burning
software to utilize project files created by CD Architect.

4) In lieu of the above, provide detailed help in the FAQ
on using CD Architect to create projects which can then be
burned by other commercially-available burning software.

Finally, if you are going to replace CD Architect in your
product line with a new CD-creation tool (as hinted at in
one message), announce it now and let us help beta-test it.
You may save some customers that way.

As you can tell from reading messages on this board, there
is a devoted group of users who want to continue to use
this product, and will do so by any means. And the number
of those who become angry and frustrated with Sonic Foundry
is only going to grow as more people replace 1x and 2x
drives with 12x and 16x drives. It is in your best interest
to satisfy the users you have orphaned.

Thank you for your consideration.

Rick Prescott
+

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Comments

Ted_H wrote on 2/28/2002, 3:15 PM

BTW - Vegas 3.0a is now available.

Ted

Blackout wrote on 3/7/2002, 6:48 AM

every review i have read about SF5 has HUNG it on Sonic for not making CDarch work in it. We are talking Sound on Sound review, Future Music, etc. What a balls up. Surely you saw this coming...If you want to know why your Sound Forge program is not selling or youre going broke then have a look at some of your brainless decisions like this. I dont understand which marketing genius there thought that taking away decent cd burning capabilities to a pro mastering package was going to be a "real plus" for Sound Forge. CD Architect is the BEST cd burning program for the PC...full stop. There were 4.85 BILLION blank cdrs sold last year. How could you have gone SO SO wrong Sonic Foundry? If you dropped every other program and just focused on CD ARchitect and the Adaptec/Nero market, and sold it for $99, you would be programming the latest burner drivers from your pino-colada laden beach chair in the tropics. Unlike the girl of my dreams i passed on back in my first year of University, its not too late for you to go back and fix your mistake.

blackout

JoeD wrote on 3/10/2002, 7:14 PM

Hey man,

I know you already bought Cdarch...but you can buy it AGAIN with VV3. Isn't that great?

Makes sense huh? I feel so fortunate to be a cdarch, vegas 1.0b, vegas 2.0, sf5 owner...cause I get to REPAY for a product I already purchased.

It makes perfect sense doesn't it? Give CDarch support to Video users rather than past CDarch owners/Vegas audio/Vegas 2.0/SF5 CUSTOMERS.

It makes perfect sense to me - just ask the many other voices in my head.

I will not be buying another SF product again until these <expletive deleted> (we'll call them pople for now) at SF figure out why this is so wrong and begin to undo the damage done...cause you're right. It CAN be undone.

In addition: with the exception of Video users, SF will no longer be getting the needed advertisement for my future DAW building customers. All that ended with the responses I recieved on this valid complaint. I have joined the growing masses now.

This is what happens when professional tact is removed completely and marketing runs the show.

JoeD

TheMiracle wrote on 3/13/2002, 8:12 AM

maybe ppl at sonic foundry is just being blind, to what us (costumers) are asking so why still complaining about if they do or not what we want, besides, i dont understand a lot of people here that are so angry at So FO and want so desparated another version of cd architect, they would pay even $300 $200 $100, for an upgrade or new ver. so i say, why those parsons take their money, go to a pcshop, and buy an ide or scsi compatible with cda, (like mine creative 12x 10x 32x) and many many many others, end of story, i think that in this forums there are a lot that wants an upgrade so they can warezing (a new word :)) it and dont spend what they sayd they would, and i do not want to start a fight here, just thinking :)

JoeD wrote on 3/14/2002, 3:39 PM

No fight here...

I'm just trying to decode anything you said in that post.

Can you slow down? Gather your thoughts into some point?
Maybe have someone "proof read" you posts?

JoeD

JoeD wrote on 3/14/2002, 3:40 PM

two words:

"nickel" and "dime"

JoeD

dcomo wrote on 3/24/2002, 6:50 PM

They say that they cannot support the fact that there are so many burners on the market with new ones arriving
every day. That is true, but they _are_ indeed supporting Vegas correct?

Will someone explain that logic to me?

Would I like a version of CDA that works with SF 5.0? Yes, but I am content. On my Audio PC, I have the following installed:

Sound Forge 4.5 (w/ latest patches)
Sound Forge 5.0 (w/ latest patches)
CD Architect built into Sound Forge XP (w/ latest patches)
Steinberg Get it on CD 2
Steinberg Wavelab

I have a Yamaha 16x10x40 drive in that PC (SCSI) and my burner runs well in all the software listed above...
Even CDA! The only reason why I am helping out the arguement here is that all of us consumers have a valid
point and we want SF to listen to us...

asafb wrote on 5/5/2002, 9:09 AM

Personally it is really a disappointment that CD-A is no longer.

bryanbailey wrote on 5/5/2002, 1:17 PM

I sure would like to get something like CD Architect. All I want to do is SPLIT tracks the way CD Architect did - so effortlessly and perfectly. I don't care about burning them from it because i burn all my MP3's as DATA - with Nero.

But, I would like for it to: 1.) handle MP3's directly 2.) without the need to convert to Wave and 3.) without the program extracting all the files as Wave (just as mp3's, of course. If i have an mp3 in the first place, there is no need to encode it over and over - it ruins quality.)

Does anyone know of something available like this??? or maybe even a program that would burn my split files as an MP3 Data CD????? It's a lot to ask for, I know...

bryanbailey wrote on 5/5/2002, 1:20 PM

I also have Vegas Video....am i missing something that i could do with it? please respond

bryanbailey wrote on 5/5/2002, 1:37 PM

Nevermind, I found out how from VV3 help menu:

What do you want to do?
Create a new CD layout

From the File menu, choose New to create a new project.

From the File menu, choose Import Media to add the files that you want to use to the Media Pool.

Use the Media Pool to sort your media:

a. Click the Views button and choose Detailed from the drop-down menu.

b. Enter track numbers in the Comment field to assign a track order.

c. Click the Comment column header to sort the comments in ascending order.

d. In the Media Pool, select your tracks, right-click the selection, and choose Add as CD Track from the shortcut menu.

When you add CD tracks from the Media Pool, Vegas starts inserting tracks at the cursor position and adds the necessary silence between tracks. Each track is marked on the CD Layout Bar and is assigned a name based on the media file name.

If necessary, you can edit the CD track list information by dragging the track and index markers or by using the Audio CD Track List setting in the Edit Details window.

CD track numbering is based on the First track number on disc setting on the Audio CD tab in the Project Properties dialog.

bryanbailey wrote on 5/5/2002, 1:43 PM

I can also press "N" to put a new track marker and "S" to split it...that's sort of what i needed it to do...

bryanbailey wrote on 5/5/2002, 2:06 PM

After testing to see if it will burn data, I think it can. I just tried burning a track (.mp3) onto my CD. It definitely does it, but I'm not sure how to make SEPERATE tracks. I tried splitting this particular track with regions, track indexes, markers, etc. and it still burns as one track...I just created more questions for myself...

Frenchy wrote on 6/4/2002, 4:17 PM

If I understand correctly what you are trying to do, try Insert>Audio CD Track Region
at each point you wish to create a new, separate track. I recently recorded a (live)on-air interview with David Wilcox on CD-R, which recorded as one track, of course. After I got home, I brought that file into VV3, and used this technique to split the interview into separate tracks, put in 0 second gap between tracks, rendered and burned, and voila, a new CD with 12 tracks, and no gaps to break up the "live" sound. I thought I was just getting a great Video editor, little did I know I was also getting a superb audio editor in the package, as well ;)

Frenchy

Currysteph wrote on 6/12/2002, 2:59 PM

1. Install XP or XP Pro
2. Install CDArch 4.0f
3. Install CDArch Patch 4.0g ++
4. Run XP Program Compatibility Wizard
5. Install Shareware Prog cdpBurn.exe ++
6. Create your CD as Normal within CDArch
7. Save it as *.cdp (This is a default for CDA anyway)
8. Run cdpBurn.exe and Load that *.cdp file you just created.
9. It should recognize your CD Drive and simply tell it to Burn the CD
10. Works and keeps your tracks markers etc...

++ If you need these files let me know I can email them to you

Steph
Currysteph@aol.com

Overkill wrote on 8/15/2002, 12:13 AM

What a well written letter Rick! I whole heartedly agree!

I was absolutly P**sed when i found out CD Arch wouldnt work with SF 5, And quite frankly I am NOT impressed with Sf 5 at all 6 seems to be a tad bit better, but still has the mega cheese looks. Glad i didnt waste my money on purchasing SF 5 after all.
I am sticking with 4.5g, it works, and it works well and CD Arch is EXACTLY the way i want to work. it is perfect, but SF always was behind with the updates for the cd burners. HELL SF sell me the rights to the program, i will have it updated and offer it to the public!

And I waited for a LOOOONG time for SF to come out with a multi track recording program, i EXPECTED something the caliber of SF 4.5 with a PRO look and feel to it, not some cheesy toy that was obviously designed for a 16 year old wannabe kid. a Major dissapointment.

Also, Sonic Foundry was supposed to have been working with Rad Tek to implement support for the SAC-2K controller. What the Hell happened with that? Last i heard SF called Rad tek and ASKED to have the reference removed from the rad tek website! and it doesnt look like there ever going to implement direct SAC-2K support either. another major mistake SF! please, correct me if my information is wrong here. I would be delighted to be wrong in this case!

I want to know what the hell happened to Sonic Foundry? everything went from pro to cheese overnight. SF You have LOST my buisness! I will never purchase another SF product until SF gets it back togther. I keep looking, hoping, praying, but everytime i look i am dissapointed to see a new layer of cheese added. I will continue to use SF 4.5 and CD arch for as long as i possible can. But i admit that i am being heavily swayed by the power and speed of Steinbergs Wavelab! and the customer support is much much better over at steingberg, they seem to care about EACH and every customer and they LISTEN to what the customers want and then they ACTUALLY make those features available in future updates.

I see that they have added something resembling CD Arch to Vegas Video? what the heck is that all about, why would you put and excellent cd creation tool it in a Video program and NOT in your audio program? DUMB DUMB DUMB, I have ZERO use for a video editor and i refuse to purchase the program based on those merits. Is there any possiblitly that was can HOPE that CD Arch Support will be implemented in SF 7.0???? any chance of there being less cheese and more pro in there ??? Why not make Cd Arch a stand alone program! now that i would buy!

Dave Meyers
Overkill audio inc.

DataCowboy wrote on 8/17/2002, 3:52 PM

Don't you just wanna die from embarrassment pulling up a Video application to burn a red book audio cd?

Maybe Sound Forge 7 will be able to burn DVD videos. =)

Hex

Geoff_Wood wrote on 9/3/2002, 3:04 AM

You should be able to do the bit that Currystef mentioned before, just up to the 'Compatibilty Mode bit, select Win98SE/Me, and CD-A should work just fine. Mine does.