I bought my 44VSL in April 2015. It has worked well enough on my PC (win10), but I decided to work on a niggling problem I've been having with it. As with any software issue, I always upgrade to the latest software before bothering other people with support. Universal Control uninstalled the old AudioBox VSL software without warning me and 'broke' all of the configuration for the various applications that I use. This is how I discovered this Audiobox VSL vs Universal Control fiasco and stumbled on this thread. So many questions...
- Why didn't Presonus notify their customers proactively that they would be breaking the software, and removing the prime functionality for the products that were purchased?
- How do I move forwards to stay current on software when there isn't a replacement feature set?
- Why does a problem on the Apple platform negate their ability to provide their advertised features on Windows.?
... the list goes on.
I'm now running the legacy AudioBox VSL software so my rig is working again. But this is a poor solution. It's a good thing I'm a technical person/user; Had I been a regular Joe, I would have had to bin this device in under 3 years. That is poor product management.
When a product is advertised with its prime feature set being VSL, you have to wonder how they think it's fine to disable support? Their present support stance of, "If you ask a question, you have to lose all the functionality you've paid for in order for us to speak to you." wouldn't pass any customer satisfaction survey. I just don't understand how they can run a business this way.
At any rate, I hope they read this note because they have to understand that I am an upset customer. A vocal one. I speak to a lot of folks who ask me about my audio setup, and Presonus needs to understand that their decisions like this not only affect my future buying decisions, but also the buying decisions for everyone else I speak to.
... I now must live with the niggling problems I already had on this device as I can't get support or software updates.
Skip, FWIW, this information is available on the support page, but when you Google the issues, you hit these forums near the top of the list. Some of us, who haven't come looking for support, are finding this as "new" [to us] information. It may not be new to you, but it definitely is a new surprise for me.
Martin, your points are helpful and factual. I don't agree with your assertion that this would have reduced the anger or returns from customers. Had I known, or been in a place to return this device, I would have returned it with an angry-customer statement (as I've done above). Unfortunately, it has been almost 3 years and I can't send the device back. The hardware quality is great, the VSL technology is great, but I can't buy products with no longevity from companies that don't stand behind their advertised features. That would be like Ford claiming your truck can tow 12,500lbs, but when you get home, they de-tune the engine and say, "welllll, we decided now it can only tow 3,000lbs. Have a good day."
I use my device, as you do, for gaming, voip, youtube, broadcast etc. which are all real-time applications. Had I known the device would be discontinued within the year of purchase, and the selling feature intentionally removed (for no reason on the PC), I definitely wouldn't have bought it. Audio gear should last in terms of years, not months.
Sincerely,
Jordan.