Ownhammer site vs. Line6 market place?

[Assumer]

New to the IR thing.  Is it better to use the line6 pack vs the Ownhammer site?  Any thoughts?

[brue58ski]

As far as I know, there is no difference. Ownhammer has a Line 6 area and there are IR's made specifically for the Helix. No idea how good or not good they are. I'm pretty sure they are the same as what's on the Line 6 website. I'm guessing that the video on this website will tell you what you need to know.

 

https://www.ownhammer.com/playerpacks/line6/

[phil_m]

If you buy the Line 6 Marketplace, you can only load them via HX Edit while being signed into your Line 6 account. The ones you buy directly from Ownhammer are DRM-free.

[cruisinon2]

9 minutes ago, phil_m said:

The ones you buy directly from Ownhammer are DRM-free.

 

Anybody else find this odd?

[phil_m]

12 minutes ago, cruisinon2 said:

 

Anybody else find this odd?

 

In a way, yes, and I understand why it seems weird. I think it has to do with two things. It help these companies in the sense that they probably get way more exposure on the Line 6 site than they get on their own. Indeed, I still see many people asking, "what is an IR, anyway?" on Facebook. So it just means that one person can't buy them and share them freely. The other thing is it's a way for Line 6 to limit its liability since it's distributing third-party material now.

 

Beyond that, Ownhammer probably doesn't have a good way to implement DRM on its own, but given that Line 6 does, they probably figure they'll give it a shot.

[brue58ski]

54 minutes ago, phil_m said:

If you buy the Line 6 Marketplace, you can only load them via HX Edit while being signed into your Line 6 account. The ones you buy directly from Ownhammer are DRM-free.

 

I do not like this at all. I won't be getting them. I might have until I read this.

[codamedia]

I bought them directly from Ownhammer.... simply because I don't want to lose my IR's if I ever decide to change from the Helix to something else in the future. In no way is that in my plans, but I like to keep my doors open and would hate to to have to "buy again". 

 

On the other side of this discussion... it looks like the Ownhammer offers on Marketplace are organized nicer with the HELIX in mind therefore they should be simpler to navigate. Not to mention, they appear to be a little less money in Marketplace. 

[gunpointmetal]

If they have the same/similar IRs on their website, I'd buy there. Helix-only IR files are super lame, IMO, if they don't do something in the Helix that standard IR files do. If they gave you like a "blended" IR that let your adjust mic position or something, I could see it being worth it, but as it is, it's basically DLC from L6 if you buy from them. If you decide to move to something from Helix, you lose your IR files.

[silverhead]

I understand from an earlier post that they might cost a bit less in the Marketplace so that might be a reason to buy there, but I agree that it would be really nice to be able to, for instance, move the Mic from cone to edge in a Marketplace product. For me that would be enough to offset the downside (from the customer perspective) of the DRM.

[codamedia]

1 hour ago, silverhead said:

I agree that it would be really nice to be able to, for instance, move the Mic from cone to edge in a Marketplace product.

 

This would have to be a feature in the IR loader, not the IR itself since an IR is just an audio file. 

 

For those not aware.... 

 

Ownhammer IR's include "cone to edge" mic placements in all packages and I would assume it still exists in the L6 Marketplace packages. Each IR comes with a 0 - 10 number at the end... 0 = cone, 10 = edge and everything else is in between. You choose the fundamental IR (cab/speaker/mic combo) you like, then choose the one with the mic placement you like. 

[gunpointmetal]

6 minutes ago, codamedia said:

 

This would have to be a feature in the IR loader, not the IR itself since an IR is just an audio file. 

 

Ownhammer IR's include "cone to edge" mic placements in all packages and I would assume it still exists in the L6 Marketplace packages. Each IR comes with a 0 - 10 number at the end... 0 = cone, 10 = edge and everything else is in between. You choose the fundamental IR (cab/speaker/mic combo) you like, then choose the one with the mic placement you like. 

I think that's pretty common knowledge. What we're saying is, why buy DRM IRs that can only be used on Helix if they don't have a feature set that makes them unique to Helix. Either in that they are options not available anywhere else, or they offer some form of advanced functionality that makes them more useful than a standard collection of IRs from the Ownhammer store, where you can buy IRs that you can load in ANY IR loader, or use in different devices if you decide something else suits your needs better in the future. 

[codamedia]

19 minutes ago, gunpointmetal said:

I think that's pretty common knowledge. What we're saying is, why buy DRM IRs that can only be used on Helix if they don't have a feature set that makes them unique to Helix.

 

I think my point was missed...

An IR is just an audio file.... the IR Loader would need to have modeling technology to artificially change mic placement, Ownhammer (and other IR makers) cannot make a single IR that is capable of this, which is why they get delivered in separated files.  

 

My "common knowledge" explanation was meant as such.... "common knowledge" for those that read this thread and don't understand that part of it :) 

[gunpointmetal]

Exactly, so why buy DRM IRs that only work on Helix if L6 isn't doing something to make them "Helix Specific" other than not letting you use them on another loader?

[cruisinon2]

11 minutes ago, gunpointmetal said:

Exactly, so why buy DRM IRs that only work on Helix if L6 isn't doing something to make them "Helix Specific" other than not letting you use them on another loader?

 

Makes about as much sense as Exxon selling gas you can only put in a Ford...;)

 

L6 wins, Ownhammer wins when you have to re-buy stuff to switch platforms...but I can't see what's in it for the end user, beyond an extra layer of bureaucracy.

[codamedia]

42 minutes ago, gunpointmetal said:

Exactly, so why buy DRM IRs that only work on Helix if L6 isn't doing something to make them "Helix Specific" other than not letting you use them on another loader?

 

Just so you know, I am on your side.... as I stated earlier, I bought from Ownhammer because I want to keep my options open.

 

However, there is a benefit for "some users" to go the Marketplace route....  

 

I would compare it to buying OEM software. It's guaranteed to work on your product, you get support from the company that sold you your product, and you got it at a discounted price because you own the product. In return, you are not allowed to move that software to a different product.

 

This is a very common business model for partnerships. 

 

 

[phil_m]

3 minutes ago, codamedia said:

 

Just so you know, I am on your side.... as I stated earlier, I bought from Ownhammer because I want to keep my options open.

 

However, there is a benefit for "some users" to go the Marketplace route....  

 

I would compare it to buying OEM software. It's guaranteed to work on your product, you get support from the company that sold you your product, and you got it at a discounted price because you own the product. In return, you are not allowed to move that software to a different product.

 

 

Yes, that's exactly it. Line 6 is offering something a bit more turnkey, which might be a bit more attractive to some customers. I also think that there are people who would simply feel more comfortable buying through Line 6, well, because they've heard of Line 6 and they haven't necessarily heard of Ownhammer or 3 Sigma. I think most people who post on message boards and forums tend are more educated about all this stuff than the average user. The average user is probably just looking for the easiest experience possible.