by jackf723 » Tue Oct 29, 2019 5:39 am
Bringing this thread back as I absolutely agree that NKS support is a must for Sample Tank 3 and4. The average user can at least use the thing without NKS support, a totally blind user like myself cannot, because the plugin does not work with screen readers whatsoever. If IK Multimedia is not aware, they have competitors in the portable hardware department superior to them such as the M32 coupled with the Komplete Kontrol software that have speech features for blind people to be able to control their instruments and parameters.
If Komplete and Sample Tank can coexist peacefully, there will be a number of people that will trust Sample Tank enough to purchase it. You may not think your numbers will go up by a lot, and I'll be the first to say that they won't. But take this as you will. One in twenty Komplete users take advantage of accessibility features. Think about that before calling accessibility a niche, or a burden to develop. In fact if you add NKS support it should not even be a burden, as the accessibility will have been already taken care of by Komplete.
I leave any IK Multimedia developers reading this with where I stand. On accessibility alone, adding NKS support to Sample Tank will assure you more customers. Sleep on this and things will be more difficult for us users who's close to only method of ineraction with Sample Tank would be through NKS. I still won't be able to call this an a-level product from a ui standpoint if I go through with plan b, but I am willing to make a homegrown preset library for Sample Tank. It won't be easy. It will probably not be quite as organized since it seems like some of the user libraries get thrown into alphabetical order, so hopefully I can get categories sorted out. And I hate to be that guy right out of the gate, but it likely is not going to be free, given the time and outside help I'll have to spend on this. Sample Tank's UI is completely inaccessible with a keyboard and screen reader. Think about that for a good minute. Imagine spending hundred of dollars for Sample Tank packages, hoping you'll get your money's worth. Imagine leading off to a bad start right out of the gate, being that Authenticator is not even accessible. Imagine waiting weeks for tech support to get back to you on that problem via email, finally allowing you to call (there was a nice person on the support line by the way, so to be fair I will give them credit where credit is due). Ok so now that you're finally registered, imagine pushing your data to the max downloading all your samples, because you want to get creative already. This is standard issue for any instrument package, but you're obviously going to be excited to get going with it. But then imagine being discouraged by the installation and licensing process requiring sighted assistance, because the screen reader can't read anything from it. Then finally, after it's all said and done, imagine opening up your daw, loading Sample Tank 4, and not a single thing reads out, and even the virtual mouse buttons in my screen reader do not do anything like they would in other applications. How would you feel? That's right, ripped off. You'd want the problem solved or your money back. Or maybe even both. It's too much money to spend to get this kind of customer treatment in return, a near complete lack of a uniform support process (I had felt like I had been forgotten as a customer during the time it took them to actually email me back.) I can totally understand this if it were an actual free product, but the fact is it is anything but free, so even if the tech support may have been helpful in getting me started with the process, the long wait isn't a vote of confidence if I can say so myself.
This would all be much easier on all of us if IK's developers would step up to the plate and do the right thing, but until they do I for one am not going to sit and wait when I have a good feeling I can at least try and improve the situation.
Thanks.
