Minimal Audio’s virtual instrument Current is back with rent-to-own and perpetual license options.
It’s safe to say that the launch of Minimal Audio’s flagship product and first synth, Current, didn’t go to plan.
Unfortunately, the launch of Current inspired minimal discussion about the synth and its features, as the developers faced a considerable backlash over pricing.
The backlash came in response to Minimal Audio’s decision to go down the subscription-only route with this product.
On its original release, a subscription to Current would cost $15 per month or $120 annually. Understandably, renting a synth like Current for a prolonged period but never owning it didn’t sit well with many potential users.
I checked out Current early in October, and I liked the product; the synth and everything that goes with it inspires creativity, and I got some amazing sounds from it.
However, if it was going to fall at the first hurdle for any reason, it was the pricing. After many of you made your feelings clear, Minimal Audio conceded that going with a subscription-only model wasn’t just a risky decision; it was the wrong one.
If we can take any positive from this situation, Minimal Audio has listened, and we now have more sensible pricing.
We could argue that the developers had no choice but to listen, and that may be true, but I use/like several Minimal Audio plugins (Morph EQ, Fuse Compressor, etc.), and I always felt they were great value for money.
With that in mind, I’m not ready to write them off yet and consider this to be a valuable lesson learned.
There are two new pricing options: rent-to-own and perpetual. The rent-to-own option (Current All Access) costs $15 monthly or $120 annually, as it was before.
However, this time, every penny you spend is returned to you in the form of store credit. If you pay monthly, you’ll receive $15 per month in credit, and if you pay annually, you’ll receive $120 per year plus $60 in bonus credit.
You can use that store credit at any time to purchase perpetual licenses for any Minimal Audio products (cancel anytime/credit never expires).
Current All Access includes Current, all of its standalone effects, and all expansion packs in the Stream (unlimited downloads).
The perpetual option comes with a one-time fee of $199 and includes a full version of Current (340+ presets, 160+ sounds, 180+ wavetables) and a one-year free All Access trial. Once the trial ends, you won’t have free access to new expansion packs in the Stream, but you can purchase new expansions and effects on the Minimal Audio website.
Minimal Audio emphasizes that playback and automation will continue to work on any effect after the trial ends.
Each plan offers a 30-day free trial (no payment needed), while previous subscribers will receive a 30% discount via the Current Bundle upgrade.
Hopefully, the new price plans will allow potential users to focus on what Current has to offer before deciding if it’s for them or not.
Check out the deal: Current (Rent-to-own option – $15 monthly/$120 annually or Perpetual option – $199 single fee)
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8 Comments
Tom
onRent to own is cool.
ASJ
onWhy are we still talking about this software? I mean it’s ok to discuss features and price tag (rent to own is very convenient) but the launch failure was a programmed marketing move. Nobody cares if you release yet another wavetable softsynth in 2023, unless you provoke some outrage.
“On its original release, a subscription to Current would cost $15 per month or $120 annually. Understandably, renting a synth like Current for a prolonged period but never owning it didn’t sit well with many potential users.”
They did something REALLY stupid just to create some buzz before settling for the real price. Again, Bitwig involuntarily started this trend, Waves Audio then copied the move because it really works to promote a product. Do some dumb s*h*t first, then say you’re sorry. If people talk about it, good or bad, the search algorithms are doing all the heavy lifting. At least it works in the age of fast Internet, and for VST software in a market turning more and more to a “collectible card game” model
ASJ
on“If we can take any positive from this situation, Minimal Audio has listened, and we now have more sensible pricing.”
No. They want customers to believe they are loving and listening. It’s a branding technique, no more no less. It helps to sell your stuff.
Steve
onSyrge, Wavetable, Odin…etc…etc, all do extensive wavetable synthesis and many other synthesis for free, so I’ll just pay £120 for a synth that probably does far less…
Steve
onSurge
ASJ
onMaybe not less, it’s kinda the same with a slightly different flavor and a subjectively different user experience. When you buy a VST in the 2020s you are essentially paying for a Fortnite skin: same thing you already have but looks are different, other differences are negligible in the grand scheme of things.
And some people love videogame skins. Not judging here, I have a lot of paid synth installed as well
James
onagree
James
onStill expensive $15 for rent-to-own. It should be the “standard” $9.99 as everyone else.
Store credits is bull****. It the synth cost $30 I just want to know that if I pay for 2 months $15 each month then I am going to own the synth. Store credits is just confusing.
I will not buy this synth that sounds the same as the rest, and I got another 10 of them.