I wrote a post saying goodbye. Part of it was the eight year old in me all hurt because of the lack of comments the past two posts, save for Ernie's mercy remark, but mostly it's my wretched morning, week, month, summer. I won't bore you with the details. But the (I hate this word) proverbial last straw, or straws, were my crap (but not cheap) PC, the abomination called Windows 10, the death of my beloved MAGIX audio cleaning lab, and now the MAGIX Sound Forge version--the newest cleaning lab--which, in two words, DOESN'T WORK. I got past the first glitch--a glitch that makes so little sense, I can't even describe it--so I felt pretty clever. On top of the world. That, plus I successfully restored my VinylStudio files after unintentionally moving them to my D drive. I won't bore you with that story.
But my joy was short-lived. The MAGIX Sound Forge crapware is now losing my files when I choose to apply all the current effects. Not every time, but nearly every time. This save feature is designed to save CPU space. Since I slice the waveforms and overlap and do tons of split-second "object" filtering, I like to use this feature to put a track back together--literally. Otherwise, further changes in the project can throw everything massively out of kilter. I've had that happen tons of times. So, now MAGIX (there must be a vicious pun I can make on that name) simply sends my files to the great beyond when I opt to save my current changes. MAGIX isn't SAVING my changes, it's OBLITERATING them. Perhaps the Einstein who designed this abomination of a program doesn't know the distinction.
It's like, you take your car in to be fixed. You don't get it back. "We fixed it." "Where is it?" "We fixed it." "Yes, but... but.... Where is my car????" "We fixed it. We saved all the changes we made, so now it's gone." "Where is my car?????"
MAGIX is famous for its lack of help, but I'm going to try to find out what's going on. I will ask, straight out, WHY the program ($80 down the commode--no refund) is getting rid of my files when I try to save current changes. I will ask WHY that function isn't working. I won't even mention that other, utterly bizarre glitch (which I can get past by using "Save Program As..." instead of "Save Program." Neat, huh?) And will I get anything that resembles an answer? I think the probability is very low.
Please do not touch with a 100-foot pole anything put out by MAGIX. The company was great once. It decided to go the standard cyber-path to Hell, and I hope it enjoys its time there. I was a fool to trust MAGIX, because I knew its quality was dropping. I just didn't realize it was dropping this rapidly. I'm an idiot to have placed faith in this company. Past excellence is no indicator of present quality, and I know that. And I blew $80, anyway. Oh, but I "saved" $20.
I tried Audio Audacity--er, Audacity, and it makes no sense to me (I am not a tech), so in the highly likely event the MAGIX issues go unsolved, I'll have to try VinylStudio, which is very much like the MAGIX audio cleaning labs in their pre-crapware form, but the layout is so embarrassingly amateurish, I don't know if anything approximating detailed work is possible on it. I do hyper-detailed work on my 78 rips, and VS is like something a kid with a pen and a ruler sketched out.
Wish me luck. No, wait--don't. If I experienced any, it would be the first time this summer, and the shock would kill me.
Lee
5 comments:
Yeah, computer stuff is like that. Wish I had some sage words of advice, but I don't. Hard to say what's going on sometimes.
Don't give up. Just take a long break, then come back with a fresh outlook. :)
Well, I'm contacting MAGIX now, and I'm not holding back my rage. No company has the right to ask money for a piece of junk like this. Didn't they think to test it? The net is filled with paid-for positive reviews of the crapware, and what to say. There was a time when honest reviews happened in cyberspace--someone would have been warning folks about this disgrace to software. It is beyond human belief. First, it refuses to save anything. I bypass that, then it destroys my files the first chance it gets. This thing has done everything but set my computer and Media Room on fire, and that'll probably come next. I'm not made of money, and tossing away $80 for junk that doesn't work....
Luckily, software isn't something you can pick up and strangle, or I swear to God I'd kill this thing. Other than that, I'm having a splendid day.
If your "hobby" or addiction is no longer satisfying, it is time to switch. I hear your frustration and would offer only my own experience. Softball, my addiction, had too many negatives so I gave it up, cold turkey. Now I find comfort and fun in fixing, recording, listening to, sorting and cataloging my vast music collection. I wish I found fun in doing what you do for the music listeners, but I don't. So today I spent well over 2 hours fixing an 8-track, reshelling a dozen chrome tapes whose pads had deteriorated, downloading some concerts from groups who allow taping a eir shows, and listening to a whole bunch of music (Billie Holiday, Vinegar Joe, Van Der Graaf Generator, Foghat...). And I am sorry I haven't commented on your site much anymore, but I have so many sites now that I check, that some of the good old ones get put aside.
Do what makes you happy, sir....life is too short to do otherwise!
You've probably already deleted the new Magix and re-installed the old one, because we think alike sometimes. And that means you probably have a folder full of (here it comes) .exe files! But the old version cratered on the new pewter (sic) with Windows 10, didn't it? Maybe refurbishing your old computer is the answer -- or buying another one just like your other one. The $80? Beats me!
I would encourage you not to get ulcerated over this. A resolution is afoot, even if it has yet to manifest itself to you.
Peace be with you!
(I'm reposting this. The paragraph order in the original got turned around, somehow.)
rbarban,
Thanks. I definitely need to expand my hobby horizon, given the way sound-editing has filled so much of my time. And how it's the one thing that brings me so much relaxation and peace. I'm no Norman Bates, but there's a great line from "Psycho" that might apply to me: "A hobby should pass the time, not fill it." Then again, a lot of people don't have hobbies. They don't have passions that absorb them, so.... Dunno what I'm trying to say.
Thanks for the supportive words.
Zoomer,
Ditto. And, at the moment, I have both on my new PC. I had uninstalled the old cleaning lab, thinking it might be part of the problem--but it's not. So I put it back on. Why not? And the old files import without issue into the new cleaning lab. The problem is what happens to them when I try to work on them. And I've experimented with imported vs. new files--same issues. I've done all the trouble-shooting my limited skills allow, and all I can conclude is that the new product has massive issues. I did try to move the new software to my much larger drive at one point, and the sequence of events is all a blur--I think the program was messing up before I attempted the move. Nothing changed, so I moved it back. I uninstalled and reinstalled the software twice, so anything I might have messed up in my attempted migration--that couldn't apply at this point. For all I know, my migration (from C to D drive) was successful--but since the issues continued, I figured I'd best reinstall. Forgive me if this isn't making sense. I'm so dazed from the whole experience, I don't know what time it is.
I can't afford to hunt for another PC. And I think my new one is past the date for return, and I'd have to have a reason, probably. I could make something up in that regard, I suppose. I could tell the Geek Squad that my computer "hates me." I could say it with my eyes wide and a low, serious tone. Worth a shot.
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