June 29, 2016

FAQ concerning Sony product takeover

On May 24, 2016 MAGIX officially confirmed the acquisition of a large portion of Sony Creative Software products, including Vegas Pro and Movie Studio. The public interest was overwhelming.
Long-time Sony Creative Software users especially greeted the news with joy. We received many questions concerning the takeover of Sony Creative Products in the last few weeks.
We are happy to receive positive feedback and constructive input, and would like to shed some light on what may be still be unclear.

Exactly which Sony Creative Software products belong now to MAGIX?

The following products have been acquired by MAGIX Software GmbH (as of May 2016):

  • The Vegas Pro product line (including Vegas Pro, Vegas Pro Edit, Vegas Pro Suite, Vegas Pro Production Assistant and Vegas Pro Connect)
  • The Movie Studio product line (including Movie Studio, Movie Studio Platinum and Movie Studio Suite)
  • DVD Architect Pro and DVD Architect Studio
  • The Sound Forge product line (including Sound Forge Pro, Sound Forge Pro Mac and Sound Forge Audio Studio)
  • SpectraLayers Pro
  • Audio Master Suite and Audio Master Suite Mac
  • ACID product line (including ACID Pro, ACID Music Studio and ACID Xpress)
  • Sound Series Production Music and Sound Series Loops & Samples
  • ACIDplanet Web Site and Music Assets
  • CD Architect
  • Noise Reduction Audio plug-in

What does the takeover mean specifically for my Sony Creative Software products?

  1. Can I use existing serial numbers to reinstall my product?
    Yes! You can continue using your purchased serial numbers. You can currently register via sonycreativesoftware.com. Presumably starting at the end of August MAGIX will seamlessly take over the registration process for the acquired products.
  2. Where can I now buy Sony Creative Software products?
    At this time, the products can still be purchased through the Sony Creative Software web store and in retail stores. In the following months, purchases will take place via our MAGIX online shop and our sales partners, and the products will be removed from the Sony web store.
  3. Who should I contact in case I need support, and which options are open to me?
    At the moment, Sony Creative Software support portal will take care of customer inquiries. Starting at the end of August, MAGIX will completely take on the technical support.
  4. What will happen to the Sony Creative Software community forums for products acquired by MAGIX?
    Sony Creative Software will provide us with a digital copy of each relevant forum. We are currently exploring options for integrating existing contents into our existing forum system. We appreciate this community just as much as Sony Creative Software does, and we would like to guarantee smooth import of their contents.

What’s in the future for the products acquired by MAGIX?

Gary Rebholz, product owner of Vegas Pro and Movie Studio, together with a small group of talented developers and former Sony Creative Software employees, will continue to work on the products. The highly motivated developer team in their studio in Madison, Wisconsin will get additional support resources from our tech experts in Germany to optimize our development process. In addition to bug fixes, performance and stability improvements, some new features such as native HEVC/H.265 support are planned for the autumn release of Vegas Pro. No classic subscription model is planned for Vegas.

“The developer team has many years’ experience working with and handling Vegas Pro. They understand the product and have an incomparable passion for software development with a view of the future.” – Gary Rebholz, Vegas Pro and Movie Studio product owner

No overlaps with MAGIX video products are planned. All existing products (including Movie Edit Pro and Video Pro X) will be continued to be released in parallel and optimized with new developments and updates.

Sony Creative Software products like Sound Forge, SpectraLayers and ACID Pro are a great enrichment for our audio sector. It is our desire to take user wishes into consideration through an intensive dialog and implement suggestions for improvement in order to present the best possible version of the software.

“With ACID, Sound Forge and SpectraLayers we hope to be able to ideally complement our existing products in ways that please consumers and professional artists alike.” – Dr. Steffen Klein, Chief Product Officer Music at MAGIX

Starting immediately, MAGIX is responsible for all acquired products. We thank you for your continued support and valuable feedback. Your suggestions help us improve existing products and transform them into what users really want and what brings excitement to all of us.