Welcome to the New Sound Set Project!
Posted: April 9, 2012
We have been working hard to improve services, reliability, and the user experience both at The Sound Set Project website and with the sound sets themselves. Taking all of your feedback from the past few years, we compared it against our vision of what The SSP should be, and now, ten months and way-too-many spreadsheets later, we're beyond thrilled to present the new Sound Set Project.
Here's a look at what's changed and what's available...
Updates
Over 60 FREE updates are available for all of our current users. These updates focus on usability, consistency, flexibility and see significant changes to the underlying pieces of the integrations which open up many more possibilities as we add to the list of more than 200 sound sets already available.
In fact, virtually every detail, large or small, in every one of these integrations has been reworked in some way. But not to worry, we've kept these changes almost entirely hidden so you won't have to re-learn anything - just keep doing what you're doing and take advantage of the improvements.
More information about the updates will be posted later today here in the News section, including important details about the changes and instructions for installing and applying the updates. We strongly recommend that you do not install any updates until this information is available.
"I can't keep track of all those $*%@#!& download links!"
If we could have only picked one thing to fix, there's no question it would have been the horrendous download and order processing, er... process (and be honest, even if you didn't tell us how bad it was, you probably called us a name or two at least once!).
We've caught up with the times though: all orders are now processed instantly, and products can be registered and downloaded within minutes (seconds, even, for you fast-clickers) of placing an order.
And speaking of downloading, we've done away with the individual links and logins which are impossible to remember and inevitably lost or forgotten. All of your purchased products are now available from your user account (which requires exactly one username and one password!) complete with version numbers, release dates, and any other files we feel like throwing your way (though it's not quite as haphazard as it sounds).
User Accounts for Current Users
We will begin sending information to current users explaining how to create/activate your account later today (it's really quite painless). With that out of the way you will be able to download all of your previously purchased sound sets, including any new updates for your products straight away - you won't need to register anything, we've done that for you. Product keys for previously purchased products are available in your account if you're looking to check eligibility for upgrade pricing.
Please note that due to the number of users we need to send this information to, the messages will be sent over several days so we have a bit more control over server load (and to keep off any blacklists!). Be sure to add us to your contacts (info(at)soundsetproject.com) so you receive this information without issue.
We kindly ask that you do not write in to inquire when you will receive your information - we aren't able to answer that, and it will only take time away from other areas we need to focus on to keep things running smoothly. We'll post here on the site when everything has been sent, and at that time if you haven't received anything let us know and we'll get it squared away for you.
New Stuff
Each day this week we'll be announcing something new, like new sound sets or discounts (well, not "like", that's exactly what they are, sound sets and discounts), so check back often to see what we're offering.
Documentation
This is an area that's been lacking for some time now, so re-working our documentation was a must along with all of the other changes. Documentation now covers additional topics, has more images, addresses all Sibelius versions from 5-7 equally, and adds to or expands the instrument tables detailing how to access the sounds in each library.
Additionally, all drum and percussion maps have been updated, are less cluttered, more easily searched, and moved to a separate .pdf file for quicker access without needing to dig through an entire user manual to find them.
Knowledge Base
When it comes to support requests, there are certain things that come up time and time again but which aren't necessarily appropriate for a user manual. We took a look at the most frequent questions and created a Knowledge Base with instructions and explanations for a variety of behaviors, errors, and other issues many users come across.
Using the KB you'll be able to get answers fast, which in turn will allow us to handle support issues not covered in the KB more efficiently.
Google Checkout
Many of you have requested a Paypal alternative, so we've added Google Checkout as a payment option. Simply select your preference, Paypal or Google Checkout, when you're ready to checkout.
Support Tracking
Perhaps nothing is more frustrating when something isn't quite working than a support request gone missing. To combat this, we've beefed up our internal tracking and assignment of support requests which combined with other information (such as your registered products) will allow us to provide more efficient service and know where every single support ticket stands.
In time we will open this up and incorporate it into your user account so you can view your past support tickets, save time by storing your computer system profile(s), and more.