Tone2 has announced that they will no longer develop new plugins from scratch but instead focus on updates and new sound sets.
This week, I reported on the upcoming massive update for the Tone2 Icarus Synthesizer. With Icarus3, the popular wavetable synthesizer will turn into a multi-engine synth with additive, granular, FM, and wavetable synthesis. There will be tons of new features to explore.
In this big article, I also briefly mentioned that Icarus3 will be the last plugin Tone2 will bring to the market. Here are the details.
Tone2 Plugins
Icarus3 will be the last big plugin release. However, Tone2 will not go out of business. So, the website, the downloads, the licenses, everything will remain the same.
There will be no further major updates for Gladiator4. x, Electra3. x, Saurus4. x, and Nemesis 3. x; these are final versions, says Tone2. However, a major update could also be coming for RayBlaster, but they are not sure yet.
Instead of developing new plugins from scratch, they focus their limited focus on updates that refine the plugins. That means 3.1, 3.2… updates but no major new release. New soundsets for the synths are also in the pipeline.
Markus Krause, the company’s head, detailed the reasons for this decision on the KVR forum. They are diverse. On one hand, there is a lack of desire and interest in developing new plugins.
Sadly I must say that I do not longer enjoy doing my work and developing synthesizers. It’s a sum of many diffuse negative reasons over a very long period of time that finally made decide to quit today.
Markus also says that stress and customer behavior played a part in this business decision:
During the last two decades I had to deal with an extreme amount of stress, many very over-emotional/nasty/drunken/high customers, bullshit in forums, harassment, piracy, defamation and trolling.
The stress level was so dramatic that I did not only get divorced, but now also have to deal with serious health problems. That’s why I will move on and will not longer develop new products. I simply must focus on more on my health and have more time for my kids.
I must say a big THANK YOU to all those who supported the work of our small company.
Welcome To 2024
To work in a company heavily connected to the internet in 2024, you must have thick skin. The tone has become significantly rougher and more aggressive in the net. This is with support requests, on social media, and in forums.
There are a lot of supporters, but there are often just as many people who are absolute nitpickers and find something bad everywhere. They even go crazy if you have forgotten a point in a sentence. They are always there.
If it has such an impact on private life and even health, Markus Kraus’s step is completely understandable. I wish Markus and his team all the best. You have created great plugins. I hope you find the desire to do something new again at some point.
You may even find a time machine in the back room that allows you to travel back to a time when things were more peaceful. Now and then, I wish this, too. And if you are interested in Tone2 Icarus3, the plugin will be available in April 2024.
Negativity is a shame. We should all be glad we can reach out to those trying to make a livng out of electronic music making.
Whenever someone makes a statement in writing on a public forum, think about how you would feel if someone would write it about you. If you wouldn’t like it either, rephrase !
I can only agree with you.
Most people want the world to be a better place. It’s not a huge effort to think about what we all share online.
It can’t always be super happy fun times but some more care in how we express ourselves publicly can only be beneficial.
Yup. The constant usage of online and mobile communication has conditioned most people to lose a sense of empathy, growing into full scale narcissism in some cases. I came from an era with the web where there was major consequences if you said the wrong thing to the wrong person…just like in the offline world! Hey, go figure. But as it’s become normalized to cut off from communication irl, it’s also become normalized to post and comment anything you want and unfiltered from the complete oblivion and disregard to what effects those words have on others. The Internet has proven to be a major source of addiction and mental health problems than what it had set out to be in the early days
i think you better get that timemachine ready and give me a call! all the best to markus, i wish you good help and luck to solve your relation with your family!
This was sad to read.
Over my many years as a fairly active commenter on synth/audio forums, I have expressed my opinions (mostly positive) about hardware and software. My MOST negative responses have been toward a certain knock-off-focused company that starts with B– but that was only after their behavior invited some nausea. Otherwise, I’ve expressed occasional disappointment about a general lack of “forward movement” when it comes to creative work.
In hindsight, I don’t think I was ever nasty (apart from perhaps with B-word), and tried to mix in some positives along with some constructive criticisms. Still, over the years, I’ve come to understand how difficult it is to be successful in ANY industry. And people who do good work should get props.
I am much saddened to read that. Heartfelt sympathies to Markus.
Not nice to read such news. I’m sorry for Markus and I hope he’ll be over the hump in a while. On the other hand I sometimes think what ‘from-scratch-new’ model we could possibly think of to add to this great and complete range of softsynths?
Sad to hear this, but understandable.
Just bought Icarus 3 and am glad to see development will continue.