Recent posts

#11

Discussions / Re: is the Pool forum dead?

Last post by Baloran - September 11, 2026, 11:08:40 AM

Laurent, I hope this selective and inconsistent listening to users won't cost you in the long run.
When you say ''it is better for me to spend my time on something else'' after a paid offer for development
of your products, you render any future product almost worthless, at least for me.

Crisp, I'm a little surprised by your comments. I hope at least that you hold all manufacturers to the same standard and also ask them to continue development and add new features several years after a product's launch.

I suggest discussing a possible development here with other users and putting together a reasonably detailed set of requirements, so I can see what I can do, free of charge and in a friendly spirit.

I'm sorry for my tone, but I can't accept everything. Now, if that doesn't suit you, I'll understand without any problem.

#12

Discussions / Re: is the Pool forum dead?

Last post by chrisp - September 11, 2026, 10:19:09 AM

Hello,
For what it is worth, I agree with riveruser.
Laurent, I hope this selective and inconsistent listening to users won't cost you in the long run.
When you say ''it is better for me to spend my time on something else'' after a paid offer for development
of your products, you render any future product almost worthless, at least for me.
 

#13

Discussion (en français de préférence) / Re: 1ère rangée de boutons ina...

Last post by Baloran - September 11, 2026, 08:54:16 AM

  Alors là, je me torture le cerveau sans comprendre ce qu'il peut se passer. Il y a de la magie dans The River
Je ne vois vraiment que la vélocité qui pourrait être plus "dynamique" avec The River qu'avec le clavier intégré du Roland ?

#14

Discussions / Re: is the Pool forum dead?

Last post by Baloran - September 11, 2026, 08:50:20 AM

I bet your customers and River and Pool owners would chip in to pay for some of the cost of software development.
Maybe some would not be happy because of the very idea of a builder asking for help to fund software, but my guess is most would happily pay some amount to help firmware (and editor/librarian) development.
This way you could hire a developer, or you could also self fund but then charge for the firmware update.
I expect that even if not very happy about it, most would be MUCH be happier then waiting a LONG time for updated firmware.

When it comes to a bug or a problem that gets in the user's way, I think I have shown that I react quickly. If I go by this forum and the messages I receive, The Pool does not currently have any blocking software issue. In that case, yes, I do not release updates just for the sake of it.

But let's be clear: if I see the forum becoming active, and you start discussing improvements that are genuinely useful to the community, pragmatic and realistically achievable, I commit to implementing them — gladly, and free of charge.

The 3FX and The 3B have not been the commercial successes I had hoped for, even though, from my point of view, The 3FX is absolutely amazing and The 3B is a lot of fun.

Charging for development work on The Pool might make me $200 If I want Baloran to still be around for many years, it is probably better for me to spend my time on something else. The River II seems to be far more exciting to potential Baloran customers.

Now, with the new customs rules imposed by the USA, I am not even sure anymore whether I will still be able to sell my products to you, even the smaller ones...

We live in a crazy world... but I really do have some great customers

Laurent,

#15

Discussions / Re: is the Pool forum dead?

Last post by riveruser - September 11, 2026, 01:22:29 AM

Actually, that's true—I did mention that project.
Today, Baloran is still going strong, but if I want to stick around for a few more years, I have to make some choices and set priorities. The River 2 is my top priority. If I can find the time needed to bring my original idea for The Pool regarding this topic to life, I'll do it, but I can't give a specific date.
 

Laurent,

I bet your customers and River and Pool owners would chip in to pay for some of the cost of software development. 

Maybe some would not be happy because of the very idea of a builder asking for help to fund software, but my guess is most would happily pay some amount to help firmware (and editor/librarian) development.

This way you could hire a developer, or you could also self fund but then charge for the firmware update.

I expect that even if not very happy about it, most would be MUCH be happier then waiting a LONG time for updated firmware.

#16

Discussion (en français de préférence) / Re: 1ère rangée de boutons ina...

Last post by inbetweendays00 - September 10, 2026, 11:06:10 AM

Bonjour Laurent,
Merci pour tes mercis, c'était assez satisfaisant de résoudre le truc seul.
J'en profite pour te livrer un des plus grands mystères du River : en mode contrôleur MIDI vers un Roland D50 le son du D50 est 10 fois meilleur, plus précis, avec plus de basses, que quand on joue directement dessus.
Etrange !
François

#17

Discussions / Re: is the Pool forum dead?

Last post by Baloran - September 01, 2026, 06:27:50 PM

Actually, that's true—I did mention that project.
Today, Baloran is still going strong, but if I want to stick around for a few more years, I have to make some choices and set priorities. The River 2 is my top priority. If I can find the time needed to bring my original idea for The Pool regarding this topic to life, I'll do it, but I can't give a specific date.
 

#18

Discussions / Re: is the Pool forum dead?

Last post by chrisp - August 31, 2026, 07:24:34 PM

Thank you Laurent for your message.
With all due respect,
I just want to remind you that the conversion software from wav to the Pool proprietary format is
not just my request but what you promised ''coming later on'' numerous times when Pool was still young.
When you have sample playback capabilities, it is pretty essential to be able to load your own samples,
especially when it was on the original spec.

cheers

chris

#19

Discussion (en français de préférence) / Re: 1ère rangée de boutons ina...

Last post by Baloran - August 30, 2026, 12:47:02 PM

Je viens juste de rentrer de vacances, heureux de voir que tu as su gérer. Bizarre que tu sois ibligé de repasser par une update. Je pense qu'un redémarrage en gardant le shift "molettes" appuyé devrait suffire. Concernant les pédales, c'est une fonction que j'ai ajoutée pour des utilisateurs non voyants. C'est aussi surprenant qu'elle surgisse comme cela.
Bravo

#20

Discussions / Re: is the Pool forum dead?

Last post by Baloran - August 30, 2026, 12:02:53 PM

Hi Chris,

Sorry for the late reply—I spent a few days in Italy, a beautiful country with wonderful people, and it was truly a much-needed break

The forum isn't dead, but the idea was that I wouldn't be the one creating all the content here myself.
As for the conversion tool, it's not that simple. It takes a significant amount of time and effort. The format I use is .sf2 "soundfont." There's a large online community dedicated to this format. But I have to adapt existing soundfonts, which involves steps that aren't always straightforward. I fully understand your frustration, but you also have to understand that I can't devote x days of development time to every request. Right now, Baloran needs to focus on projects that are more "anticipated" than the last two (The 3B and The 3FX), which are having a bit more trouble than expected finding their audience Whereas The River 2 is highly anticipated.

Otherwise, I disagree on one point: the evolution and addition of features to software—aside from necessary, non-evolutionary updates—is not critical to a product's lifecycle. The "big" manufacturers quickly take care of this after a product has been on the market for two or three years; for small players like me, it's not any easier

Thanks again, Chris