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Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Regarding Transparent corp,
I found this thread on the Microsoft homepage: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...=1543001875672
Some are speculating that Transparent corp's in the process of 'rebranding' the software to resell to people later, an attempt to make more money from past customesr......which is why they've shut down the activation site and are renigging on their promise to issue license keys for existing customers.
The group is getting together. Some have emailed support to see if a solution can be worked out so we can activate our software on older machines. Some are talking about banding together for legal action if our support emails are ignored. If you have purchased any Transparent corp product and are unable to activate your license, you might want to join us. A discord server (https://discord.gg/sF7JFRA) and a Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1822860054508308/) has been set up for those who have The more people who sign on, the more likely the case will get attention and/or gain traction.
thank you
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ixixy
Regarding Transparent corp,
I found this thread on the Microsoft homepage:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...=1543001875672
Some are speculating that Transparent corp's in the process of 'rebranding' the software to resell to people later, an attempt to make more money from past customesr......which is why they've shut down the activation site and are renigging on their promise to issue license keys for existing customers.
The group is getting together. Some have emailed support to see if a solution can be worked out so we can activate our software on older machines. Some are talking about banding together for legal action if our support emails are ignored. If you have purchased any Transparent corp product and are unable to activate your license, you might want to join us. A discord server (
https://discord.gg/sF7JFRA) and a Facebook group (
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1822860054508308/) has been set up for those who have The more people who sign on, the more likely the case will get attention and/or gain traction.
thank you
I don't think they are planning any rebranding. My theory is that they are all in with brain.fm and don't want others competing with their market- especially using their own software.
I hope Transparent comes around and at least fulfills their promise to support for a year.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
All the software are moving to subscription based also the music industry so it seems TransparentCorp members have also chosen the same route like all others. I guess Lawsuit wont help here I guess most of the software companies have a way out.
Also seems the software was getting outdated and hard to maintain. I hope brain.fm app would comeup with similar features and support biofeedback and audio strobe features.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Ex-members have a right to sue for damages since Transparent corp sold lifetime licenses that are now worthless since they cannot be activated.
Members paid upwards of $1000 for a lifetime license.
We have documentation/emails of what was bought and what was offered. Transparent corp is not obligated to keep their software updated forever, they are however obligated to allow us to access our paid software with our activation/license keys....because they sold lifetime license.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130521...om/tcn/faq.php
They also promised to extend support by a year:
https://filestore.community.support....a-9db318da41a3
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Good news / Bad news
Bad news first: It appears that future support for Mindstudio/Neuroprogrammer has come to an end. The folks at Transparent corp are moving on. This means that your software will most likely not run on current and/or future versions of Windows.
Good news: If you are willing to run your software on earlier versions of windows (windows 7 for example) then there is now a way to activate your license. This facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1822860054508308/ has been in contact with the folks over at Transparent Corp. Adam @ TC is providing activation codes upon proof of purchase.
To activate your version of MindRead on an earlier version of windows and to keep up with the news read more here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1822860054508308/
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
I looked at that Google doc for activation on the Facebook page and it is requesting a hardware ID -- who on earth runs the same Win7 computer for 10 years without it changing the hardware ID? Hint: hardly anyone, so it cuts Adam (owner of Transparent Corp) work of activating paying ex-customers by 95%. Adam might as well be running that scheme because it only benefits him. And honestly I don't see how this would prevent this lawsuit mentioned here and on FB, because Adam is not restoring access to the software it sold to but a few customers by the way this Google form is set up. Plus the only way to retain access to the software I bought is to run it in a VM perpetually, because hardware IDs will never be the same. Even though Adam personally promised me some years ago that he would up my activation limit because I run different PCs and VMs. So all that is a lie now, which I will prove.
Which brings me to my main point: Adam's way of closing Transparent Corp and the activation of the programs is an exit scam. Do you think I am using words that are too strong? Or do you think that the way Adam has navigated this is scam-like? You decide after I post my interaction with Adam regarding purchasing a license for Mind Workstation. As you'll notice, I tried my best to make sure I wasn't purchasing something that would get abandoned or that would lock my out of activating the product in the future. I told Adam I very much disliked the activation software the Transparent Corp uses/used because it would lead to exactly the problems we are having now. I was right. But he tried to explain it away and did so rather well at the time -- "well" only because I believed him when he asked me to take him at his word. Well, that is exactly where the problem lies. His word means nothing. I have Win7 as host OS, I also have a Win7 in VM right now, I can not activate my copy of Mind Workstation. He lied to me. I will prove it. After I purchased Mind Workstation Pro and played around with it and found out what type of activation method they used, I was disappointed as I knew it could/would lead to our current problems. So I wrote to them:
Quote:
Hello,
I purchased Mind Workstation Pro last night, and have been exploring it a bit further.
When purchasing, I had no idea what sort of activation method you guys used for the software, or how that might impact my usage of it.
If there is one thing I have a pet peeve about, it is software companies that impact the end user where it comes to licensing methods. I'm afraid to say I'm finding this is the case with Transparent Corp. It is imperative to me that I can have (semi-)portable copies of my software, or at least that I can have the guarantee to run the software on any offline system, without in any way requiring online access. This is not the case for Mind Workstation. It requires access to the internet for me to activate it on a system, whether directly or indirectly.
I come to your company with good faith, but I've seen enough software companies (especially with more or less fringe products) go out of business completely, so to then have the activation of the software I paid $270 for to be dependent on the online status of a small software company, it is simply not right. If one is Microsoft, then OK, but in this case I cannot agree with it.
One of the reasons this is such a pet peeve with me is because I also build and maintain computers, and deploy Windows images, etc. So my systems don't only constantly undergo hardware changes (and so hardware ID changes), plus I am never long on any Windows installation. So needless to say I feel rather impacted by your software's activation methods.
It is not that I can't achieve what Mind Workstation (Pro) achieves, but I need several programs to achieve it. Since I mostly use binaural beat tech (so far) I've been using a tone generator that allows for quite accurate tones (.xxhz). I'm not interested in the visual tech capabilities, but purely in audio.
Is there not some master key I can get just for my own license, that will work with offline activation? I want to be able to use this program 40 years from now if I wanted, I don't want myself and my $270 to be dependent on some server being online or not. I feel that the good faith with which I approached your corp is not met in a reciprocity of kind.
I tested my license in several VM's, and indeed I can't save the activation state. I'm coming to the conclusions this is not acceptable to me. Is there any solution to this? I love the software, but I simply can't accept the activation methods. I think you guys use some kind of virtualization tech or at least a Spoon directory is created in AppData. I respect the concerns any software maker regarding licensing, but if you start discouraging your own customer base I don't think the 'gain' is worth it. I understand you need to make money, but you have to understand then when I pay you that money, I expect freedom with your product. It is not the case.
So this is the response I got from Transparent Corp, from a guy named "Joe":
Quote:
Hello
Once activated, you do not need an Internet connection. If you're having problems activating the product, let me know and there are some things we can do. You can get an off-line registration key here
http://www.transparentcorp.com/produ...fa=&hwid=&aid=
You always have access to your activation info in the Members Area
http://www.transparentcorp.com/members/. Transparent Corporation has been around for over 10 years, and are still going strong with new programs and improvements on the horizon. I can assure you, we are not going away anytime soon.
I understand your needs with your computer. We have other users that do the same. If you ever have a problem activating the product, just contact us here at Support and we will fix it.
Best regards
Joe
This didn't sit well with me -- BOY HAS TIME PROVEN ME RIGHT. Reply by me:
Quote:
Hi Joe,
Thanks for your reply.
I understand I can get a registration key by providing my hardware ID at the online database. But what I was talking about was activating the product on a computer or VM that does not have internet access. Meaning, for me to activate Mind WorkStation on any of my computers/installs/computers with hardware changes, etc/ I would need to go online with the hardware ID and then get the key from the online database. This is what I don't want. I want a key that I can always activate on any PC/config without having to go online to retrieve it. Like I said before, my computers go through so many hardware changes and installs, it will necessitate me to have to get keys from the online database every time.
At this point, Adam (owner/founder/developer of Transparent Corp) gets involved and wrote me the following. It is rather long so I will post only the relevant parts:
Quote:
Tue, Jun 4 2013 7:29pm - Adam H
Hi xxx
This is the developer of the application. Joe asked me to chime in to let you know if there is a way around it.
Unfortunately there is not. Let me address a few of your concerns:
1) If we do go out of business, we will provide a way for our customers to continue to activate it, probably by simply releasing a version that requires no activation or taking it open source. We will NEVER abandon our customers. This software is too important to me and the industry to just let it die if our business fails. But, as joe points out, that's not happening any time soon.
3) Hardware changes. I have gone to great pains to ensure that even if you regularly make hardware changes your installed key will remain valid. I'm a hardware tinkerer myself. I admit it's not a perfect system, but I tried my best with what I'm working with.
4) I would also like to sincerely apologize. Obviously I'm a big tech nerd myself and have had many companies do exactly what you've described. I've also seen companies do what I just promised to do and take things open source if things go south. In any case, I feel I should explain why we do it. When we first started the company we had a very lax license system. As expected, it was quickly cracked. But we didn't expect it to affect our bottom line significantly. I thought that honest people would buy our product, and even people who cracked it at first would eventually buy it. Unfortunately, we were quite wrong, and nearly went under. We went from a decent number of orders to nearly none overnight. As you explained, if we were microsoft, no big deal, they can compensate for that via OEM installs, etc. But, for us, we simply had no choice but to make it do a hardware-based activation scheme. There is no better solution at the moment, to my knowledge. No matter how good the license system and encryption is, if one key works for all installations, the program's license system is pretty useless.
5) I thought I should also mention that if you do decide to remain with us and do not seek a refund, I will personally make sure your activation limitations are configured such that you should never have a problem getting one. (for most people, we have a yearly limit that is almost never reached, even for hardcore hardware users such as yourself. But, for you I will increase this even further).
Again I'm sorry for the trouble. I understand your concerns. And a refund is no problem if that is the route you decide to take. I'm sorry I can't offer a better solution.
Take care!
Adam
So let's break this down:
"If we do go out of business, we will provide a way for our customers to continue to activate it, probably by simply releasing a version that requires no activation or taking it open source. We will NEVER abandon our customers."
They have effectively abandoned their customers. This google form activation joke is not a solution and is a cop out and a breach of trust and him doing a full 180 on his word. He did not release it to public nor make it open source. This part is what made me decide to not request a refund and trust him. He didn't live up to what he told me he would do.
Hardware changes. I have gone to great pains to ensure that even if you regularly make hardware changes your installed key will remain valid. I'm a hardware tinkerer myself. I admit it's not a perfect system, but I tried my best with what I'm working with.
Not true. The whole point of retaining access to activation implies older machines with hardware changes or new machines. And he did not honor that at all.
I thought I should also mention that if you do decide to remain with us and do not seek a refund, I will personally make sure your activation limitations are configured such that you should never have a problem getting one.
We can see how that panned out.
Conclusion: he should keep up an activation server and a customer support base for activations. It is the least he can do. If he can't afford it, he needs to release the source code or create an installer that doesn't require activation, as he told me he would if they ceased operations. His word turned out to be false. This is the only conclusion that can be reached from the above.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
I am the "guy named Joe" that answered your original support ticket. In my and Adam's defense, I offer the following:
At that time (June 2013) I was gainfully employed full time by Transparent Corp. We were producing online webinars to address the #1 complaint- the software was difficult to learn all of it's capabilities. A new version of NP3 was also in the works, not just bug fixes and minor improvements, but a new NP4, as well as major additions to MWS. Adam had invested thousands of dollars into the project that never materialized. During the next year, Adam partnered with a marketing expert that convinced him, rightfully so, that much more $$ can be made by selling the milk instead of the cow, and would be a lot easier to do so. Without any warning, I was let go by Adam, who was choking back tears as he did so. He left me with a respectable severance payout, which he didn't have to do.
So brain.fm was born, and Transparent was left to die. Since then the corporation gained many investors, of which Adam has only a small percentage of ownership. He has been granted a large sum to conduct research on sound based entrainment, which is his main focus at the time rather than his forgotten software.
I consider Adam my friend, and can vouch that if left to him, he would make things right, which he still may do. I believe that the trouble lies in corporate red tape, greed, and ignorance of the other members that now own the rights to Transparent software. Any software that can produce BWE sessions as good or better than brain.fm is competition and a threat. Transparent software was just a thorn in brain.fm's backside that festered with the Windows debacle, so they simply removed it. Maybe we should get Dan Clark, the CEO of brain.fm involved and see what he has to say.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Hi Joe, thanks for providing the background.
Your reply made me approach the character of Adam with a little more reservation, although he clearly expressed intentions and promises he could not keep, so my assessment of those aspects of this debacle remains legitimate. Besides that, it was Adam himself who, as you indicate, got involved with marketing people who indicated to him to ditch his paying customers. Let's not mince words here, this is what he did and he did so consciously and willingly. So he did not keep his word, he sold out for his own skin in this, and left his customers out to dry for his personal gain. Sorry, but there is no sugarcoating this. He went into this with eyes open and *we* were the element he could compromise on. No one. I repeat, no one would have bought those licenses if they thought he would do something like this. In short, he ended up not deserving the respect given to software companies when customers buy their products. Things are inherent to such purchases. One of which is trust that the company won't end your license on a whim. Do you realize how many hours it takes to get frequencies and tracks figured out? I bet you do. For Adam and/or the company to then desert those customers and end their usage of the software is a low move. This is exactly why I wrote in that time, to make sure my concerns were addressed or I would have asked for a refund, as indicated in the exchanges above. So yeah we got ripped off.
If the company he has hitched to now considers the programs in direct conflict to their bottom line, then I am certain there was a clause included that prevents Adam from releasing the code and/or a free versions of the programs. So personally I don't believe there is anything to hope for there.
I appreciate you getting back to me but sadly my assessment of what happened still stands although I don't wish any personal hurt to Adam (even if he made the choice that put us in the cold).
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ucktra
Hi Joe, thanks for providing the background.
Your reply made me approach the character of Adam with a little more reservation, although he clearly expressed intentions and promises he could not keep, so my assessment of those aspects of this debacle remains legitimate. Besides that, it was Adam himself who, as you indicate, got involved with marketing people who indicated to him to ditch his paying customers. Let's not mince words here, this is what he did and he did so consciously and willingly. So he did not keep his word, he sold out for his own skin in this, and left his customers out to dry for his personal gain. Sorry, but there is no sugarcoating this. He went into this with eyes open and *we* were the element he could compromise on. No one. I repeat, no one would have bought those licenses if they thought he would do something like this. In short, he ended up not deserving the respect given to software companies when customers buy their products. Things are inherent to such purchases. One of which is trust that the company won't end your license on a whim. Do you realize how many hours it takes to get frequencies and tracks figured out? I bet you do. For Adam and/or the company to then desert those customers and end their usage of the software is a low move. This is exactly why I wrote in that time, to make sure my concerns were addressed or I would have asked for a refund, as indicated in the exchanges above. So yeah we got ripped off.
If the company he has hitched to now considers the programs in direct conflict to their bottom line, then I am certain there was a clause included that prevents Adam from releasing the code and/or a free versions of the programs. So personally I don't believe there is anything to hope for there.
I appreciate you getting back to me but sadly my assessment of what happened still stands although I don't wish any personal hurt to Adam (even if he made the choice that put us in the cold).
I feel your pain bro. I am staying positive that something acceptable will be worked out. If it takes a lawsuit to get people seriously listening, so be it.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Hello,
I've also invested more than 1000 hours into the work with NeuroProgrammer3-Ultimate (I've bought it 2015), and I'm also very disappointed about Transparent/Adam. On the Windows10 machine it doesn't function no more. All tries to uninstall the Windows updates brought nothing!
I understand that they've abandoned the MWS/NP3, but I want to use the Software I've paid for, be it without further support, without Windows10, but at least under Windows7.
To shut-down the activation server is incredibly discourteous! For this is there no exculpation!
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Andy
Hmmmm.... Wonder why they need all that info just for an activation code. Do they realluy have the time to research all that, and are they going to deny access if they deem anyone has violated their licensing verbiage?
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
But what if you can't find your license anywhere and can't find it because the Members area of the site was deleted? I'm screwed aren't I? :)
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Fill out the form anyway and send it in. They might have a record of your name or e-mail address.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
I reached out some months ago. Adam, the founder, went or is still going through some serious health issues and could no longer sit at a desk. He was completely bed-ridden and said he had been so for months when he responded. Adding to the issues, when Windows 10 came out, it would have required an enormous amount of reprogramming. He did not have the health to do it and could not give it to someone else to program. Everyone out there wanting to sue him or whatever, give it up. He has a sad but legitimate reason for shutting down. You can't sue someone's business when their health fails them making it impossible for them to continue. Knowing him for many years, this is not the outcome he would have wanted. He saw no other option. He has been unable to work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ixixy
Regarding Transparent corp,
I found this thread on the Microsoft homepage:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...=1543001875672
Some are speculating that Transparent corp's in the process of 'rebranding' the software to resell to people later, an attempt to make more money from past customesr......which is why they've shut down the activation site and are renigging on their promise to issue license keys for existing customers.
The group is getting together. Some have emailed support to see if a solution can be worked out so we can activate our software on older machines. Some are talking about banding together for legal action if our support emails are ignored. If you have purchased any Transparent corp product and are unable to activate your license, you might want to join us. A discord server (
https://discord.gg/sF7JFRA) and a Facebook group (
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1822860054508308/) has been set up for those who have The more people who sign on, the more likely the case will get attention and/or gain traction.
thank you
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bikerdude
I reached out some months ago. Adam, the founder, went or is still going through some serious health issues and could no longer sit at a desk. He was completely bed-ridden and said he had been so for months when he responded. Adding to the issues, when Windows 10 came out, it would have required an enormous amount of reprogramming. He did not have the health to do it and could not give it to someone else to program. Everyone out there wanting to sue him or whatever, give it up. He has a sad but legitimate reason for shutting down. You can't sue someone's business when their health fails them making it impossible for them to continue. Knowing him for many years, this is not the outcome he would have wanted. He saw no other option. He has been unable to work.
No, I can't blame Adam for not updating MWS, especially when it directly competes with brain.fm. What people are most upset about is shutting down the website to get downloads and activation codes for the "lifetime license" they paid for. It certainly took more effort to shut down the site completely than to just leave it up. The software still works on older versions of windows. Some people like myself count on the software to make a living. Not being able to retrieve the software in case of a computer catastrophe just adds tons of anxiety into my already hectic life.
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Re: The Death of transparentcorp and MWS
In my continuing opinion, damaging valid licenses sold to customers to apparently sabotage their businesses so transparent can compete a little better as brain.fm may eventually be the demise of transparent and its new venture. This is a very ugly skeleton in their closet.
I will be happy to join any legal action against the firm, its founders, its owners, etc. I will contribute a modest share of legal expense as well. I'd like to see them forced to honor their existing sold licenses under the original terms and suffer a severe economic penalty for impairing the businesses of their once loyal customer base.
The silly thing is, all they need to provide is the license server and one or two pages from their previous web site. Remember, they also promised you lifetime access to various materials in the 'downloads' area. They can certainly stop selling, improving, etc. Any real company would find a consultant to make this run on current computers. It really isn't that hard to fix, it just may be hard to find the solution.
Best,
Dan
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Windows 7 will officially be "dead" as its extended support ends on January 14, 2020 so I wonder if there will be a bigger case then?
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Re: The Death of transparentcorp and MWS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
dan_hoog
In my continuing opinion, damaging valid licenses sold to customers to apparently sabotage their businesses so transparent can compete a little better as brain.fm may eventually be the demise of transparent and its new venture. This is a very ugly skeleton in their closet.
I will be happy to join any legal action against the firm, its founders, its owners, etc. I will contribute a modest share of legal expense as well. I'd like to see them forced to honor their existing sold licenses under the original terms and suffer a severe economic penalty for impairing the businesses of their once loyal customer base.
The silly thing is, all they need to provide is the license server and one or two pages from their previous web site. Remember, they also promised you lifetime access to various materials in the 'downloads' area. They can certainly stop selling, improving, etc. Any real company would find a consultant to make this run on current computers. It really isn't that hard to fix, it just may be hard to find the solution.
Best,
Dan
I agree, this can't be legal. I spent a bunch of money on transparent products over the years, and would have no problem running in a VM. I have email receipts for "enterprise" software with "lifetime access", and the download links just take me to a page saying it's no longer available.
At first I was just bummed out, but now realizing that Transparent is alive and well as brain.fm, and are almost certainly using the very technology they promised me lifetime access to in order to generate much of the content they sell, I'm extremely disappointed.
Is there somewhere to sign a petition for a class action lawsuit?
My first thought is to have someone who's still got the binaries to provide them, decompile it, post it on github, and start encouraging a community effort to reverse engineer and create an open source version. If Transparent gets pissed off and intervenes, it'll make it really clear where their motivations are, and they'll have to answer to all existing paying customers. If they leave the project alone, I'd gladly contribute to the effort. It was really good software.
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Re: The Death of transparentcorp and MWS
I agree with your Chrisjswanson, I spent over $1K on NP3 and I would love to have it resolved. I was promised "lifetime access" with the "enterprise" version, I do have all their receipts too. So much money wasted... and knowing that Brain.fm is up and running? I am furious. Is there anything we can do?
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Re: community members who have NP3 running .... please come together ... an appeal
I have the trial versions of these software, i hope this could help someone in this forum:
1) Neuroprogrammer 3.3.1.0 (109MB)
2) MindWorkStation 1.6.0.0 (119MB)
3) MindStudio 1.3.0.0 (72,2 MB)
They need activation code (that you should have) to activate Pro or Ultimate version.
Kaspersky Internet Security, during installation, consider them as a virus but i suppose they are false positive.
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Re: community members who have NP3 running .... please come together ... an appeal
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fast and curious
I have the trial versions of these software, i hope this could help someone in this forum:
1) Neuroprogrammer 3.3.1.0 (109MB)
2) MindWorkStation 1.6.0.0 (119MB)
3) MindStudio 1.3.0.0 (72,2 MB)
They need activation code (that you should have) to activate Pro or Ultimate version.
Kaspersky Internet Security, during installation, consider them as a virus but i suppose they are false positive.
Moved your post here. All the info you need is in this thread.
If you haven't purchased the product, you're out of luck. Better (and cheaper) to move to the free plugins and your favourite DAW.
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Re: The Death of transparentcorp and MWS
Quote:
Originally Posted by
chrisjswanson
My first thought is to have someone who's still got the binaries to provide them, decompile it, post it on github, and start encouraging a community effort to reverse engineer and create an open source version. If Transparent gets pissed off and intervenes, it'll make it really clear where their motivations are, and they'll have to answer to all existing paying customers. If they leave the project alone, I'd gladly contribute to the effort. It was really good software.
Not possible. I'm a software developer. While I'm nowhere near skilled enough to develop something like NP or MWS, I do know enough to be able to say that what you seek is not possible. I see many people getting the wrong idea about what decompiling actually is. Once code is compiled into a binary (i.e. EXE) there is no going back to original source code. The way executables are modified (e.g. a crack) is another executable patches certain parts of that file. In order to do such, the executable that one wants to crack or modify is disassembled. Disassembly does not provide original source code. It only converts (so to speak) the executable into a low level language known as assembly. If one knows assembly, they can get a good idea of what the software does and how it functions. Therefore, the most one could accomplish is to crack (i.e. create a patch) to remove the license validation.
That brings me to a common theme in this thread: issues with using NP or MWS on older versions of Windows. I encountered this with NP3 on windows 8. After seeing what was going on a few years ago and noticing Transparent Corp support was AWOL, I tried to figure it out myself. I discovered that the particular issue is due to the licensing system (i.e. software) used to protect the binary. If I remember correct, it was a commercial software (i.e. not a home-spun licensing system). At least it was a few years back when I looked at it. I eventually gave up on it as it was apparent Transparent Corp was abandoning their software with zero notice to their users.
Reading this thread, I see that Adam had some major health issues that prevented him from continuing development. I can totally understand the reason for him ceasing development. However, at the time there are a number of folks (same ones listead as the team for Brain.fm) that were the "team" for Transparent Corp with NP and MWS. How come no one tried to make any communication to users? Even with Adam being bedridden, I feel there should have been someone within the company that had the right or authority to speak on his behalf. With that, at the very least, they could have posted to the Facebook page, Twitter, or the official website.
In addition, I found it to be rather shady to keep up the e-commerce section of the website. I saw this as a company whose products were going belly up yet were still being sold despite there being absolutely zero support (i.e. support tickets were never responded to). Was Adam the only one who had the authority and access to post to social media or the website? What about the support ticket system? Was Adam the only one who had access to the support ticket system?
I hate for my first post here to be cynical, but I have to agree with what others have said. NP by itself is a direct threat to Brain.fm. Why spend money on a subscription of premade BWE tracks when you can use NP to create literally any BWE track you want? While I haven't looked at all of what's offered on Brain.fm, from what I've seen, all of what I saw could easily be created with NP. If Transparent Corp wanted to monetize the BWE tracks thing, why not just be upfront with the customers? After this experience I would never purchase any product or service from anyone connected with Transparent Corp. How can I be sure that out the blue they won't just decide to abandon the Brain.fm project and leave customers hanging?
Now that I'm getting back into BWE, I'm looking around for a replacement for NP. I loved it. It was easy to use and quite flexible for create one's own BWE tracks. Thus far, the closest alternative I've found is Sharm Studio. That allows one to create binaural beats, isochronic tones, hypnosis tracks, self-hypnosis tracks, as well as subliminal message/affirmation tracks. With built in nature sounds and ambient sounds, it's an all-in-one package.
The one thing that I do miss with NP is the help file. It wasn't just a help file for NP. It had tons of great information on brainwave entrainment.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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I hate for my first post here to be cynical, but I have to agree with what others have said. NP by itself is a direct threat to Brain.fm. Why spend money on a subscription of premade BWE tracks when you can use NP to create literally any BWE track you want? While I haven't looked at all of what's offered on Brain.fm, from what I've seen, all of what I saw could easily be created with NP. If Transparent Corp wanted to monetize the BWE tracks thing, why not just be upfront with the customers? After this experience I would never purchase any product or service from anyone connected with Transparent Corp. How can I be sure that out the blue they won't just decide to abandon the Brain.fm project and leave customers hanging?
Adam had given me a complimentary unlimited membership to brain.fm, after he left, they revoked my subscription, so you're probably right
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Now that I'm getting back into BWE, I'm looking around for a replacement for NP. I loved it. It was easy to use and quite flexible for create one's own BWE tracks. Thus far, the closest alternative I've found is Sharm Studio. That allows one to create binaural beats, isochronic tones, hypnosis tracks, self-hypnosis tracks, as well as subliminal message/affirmation tracks. With built in nature sounds and ambient sounds, it's an all-in-one package.
Gnaural is good, and it's free. It does a lot more than just binaural beats. Together with a DAW, you have a pretty good system. Only thing missing is the lights, which you can add with the DAW using a plugin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nck9SX52qpU
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Originally Posted by
JoeV
Gnaural is good, and it's free. It does a lot more than just binaural beats. Together with a DAW, you have a pretty good system. Only thing missing is the lights, which you can add with the DAW using a plugin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nck9SX52qpU
It may be just me, but I find Gnaural to be a bit cumbersome to use. It would be nice if one cold just easily type in a number for the frequency they want and it do its thing instead of having to manually move the lines. I also find Gnaural to have a rather dated look. I don't expect any flashy UI but a more modern look would be nice. That is, something that doesn't look like it was made in the early to mid 90s.
Thus far, Gnaural is about the only free one. It's difficult to even find commercial software to do this. Only thing that seems to be out there are premade BWE tracks, premade self-hypnosis tracks, and premade subliminal message tracks. Guessing there's more money in paying for tracks than there is for software to develop one's own tracks.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
So has anyone here tried the free SS plugins with their favourite DAW?
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Originally Posted by
Andy
Yes I have try but notice reaper is now new and only for money to get. The most daw are very complex for audio engineers and I feel it's needs a lot of time and knowledge to create files in spectrastrobe. So I have completely change like a lot that I knowing to audiostrobe again and I get a very good feedback to my audiostrobe files from clients. I use sharm studio and rework with a audiostrobe toolkit very easy. For me is spectrastrobe a death format. Brainwave 3d company have change back to audiostrobe too.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Originally Posted by
Darkness231
Yes I have try but notice reaper is now new and only for money to get.
60 day free trial, and then only $60.00. MUCH cheaper than Transparent's offering!
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The most daw are very complex for audio engineers and I feel it's needs a lot of time and knowledge to create files in spectrastrobe.
Creating content on MWS is also something that takes time to learn. Creating AudioStrobe tracks takes just as long.
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So I have completely change like a lot that I knowing to audiostrobe again and I get a very good feedback to my audiostrobe files from clients. I use sharm studio and rework with a audiostrobe toolkit very easy.
How much was Sharm Studio? $109/$199? It's more expensive than Reaper.
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For me is spectrastrobe a death format.
It is still a much more powerful format than AS. I know JoeV is looking into creating some content using Reaper. If anyone else is interested, it would be great to get others involved so we can learn together!
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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It is still a much more powerful format than AS. I know JoeV is looking into creating some content using Reaper. If anyone else is interested, it would be great to get others involved so we can learn together
Yep. I am looking to simplify the reaper interface to include only the features important to create BWE sessions. Then I will create a library of sessions you can plug and play, or modify, similar to MWS or NP3. I am looking for someone that knows a lot about Reaper, and maybe someone that can create plug ins that aren't available.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
The software alternatives suggested here so far I found not so good
The best replacement for me is the Audio Brainwave software by saschArt. There are some free plugins, especially interesting is the panoscillator (for creating bilateral sound waves for brainspotting according to David Grand). For Brainwave Entrainment I use the following therapy vst plugins:
Isochronic tones and goldwavegenerator.
Please check them out yourself, link:
https://vst.saschart.com
I also bought the software BrainwaveProducer from SaschArt, with which you can use the plugins without DAW. Everything works perfect. But without audiostrobe!
Good luck!
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Have you checked out my post on constructing sessions with a DAW? All that can be done without any special plugins.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
The solution for transparentcorp:
If you need the original transparentcorp software for the differentiated Brainwave programming with AUDIOSTROBE, then you can't get around the original software.
I have been looking for a solution for a long time and finally found one that works. There is no cracked software for neuroprogrammer or Brainsound-studio or Mindworkstation in the web. Some offers are simply fakes, you get a big zip-file which is encrypted and can't be opened, but costs money.
The only solution are the trial versions with trial reset which is not easy because practically all programs for trial reset fail. The only exception is the software
Registry Trash Keys Finder (Version 3.9.4.x) from http://www.trashreg.com/rtkf_eng.html
With it the trial reset works perfectly, by simply deleting all found trash-registry keys. There is a free and a full version of trash-reg-finder. If the free version is working I don't know; you have to test it, I bought the full version.
I just made a test CD with the Brainsound Studio including Audiostrobe. Audiostrobe is correctly captured in the WAV recording, the CD then runs flawlessly with light signals via (for instance) Synergizer.
I think it then runs equally well with Mindworkstation and Neuroprogrammer.
So: Install the trials and reset them every now and then. You will have for 15 days a full functioning program.
The generated sessions can not be saved, but recorded with recording software and used permanently. Recommendation: soundtap recorder from NCH software, very simple, but sufficient and stable. Or Audacity or also GiliSoft Audio Recorder or i-sound-recorder from abyssmedia, https://www.abyssmedia.com/.
Good luck.
psychodoc
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Originally Posted by
psychodoc
If you need the original transparentcorp software for the differentiated Brainwave programming with AUDIOSTROBE, then you can't get around the original software.
Why do you say that? You can easily create AS tracks using the methods that JoeV and others have suggested and demonstrated, for free.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Originally Posted by
Andy
Why do you say that? You can easily create AS tracks using the methods that JoeV and others have suggested and demonstrated, for free.
The only thing you cant do (yet) with a DAW I that you can with MWS is EEG/biofeedback. Actually, a DAW gives you superior sound and much more control. The opportunity for creativity is astounding!
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
I second Joe and Andy. The Cymatic plugins in Reaper are working great. I'd say I am doing 90+ percent of what I used to do in MWS. Actually better, because I can produce much higher quality mixes, better sound and complex 3D soundscapes.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Darkness231
Yes I have try but notice reaper is now new and only for money to get. The most daw are very complex for audio engineers and I feel it's needs a lot of time and knowledge to create files in spectrastrobe. So I have completely change like a lot that I knowing to audiostrobe again and I get a very good feedback to my audiostrobe files from clients. I use sharm studio and rework with a audiostrobe toolkit very easy. For me is spectrastrobe a death format. Brainwave 3d company have change back to audiostrobe too.
toolkit?
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
Reaper is customizable to your specifications. You can make it a simple as you want, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater! There are many creative tools built in that can be used for innovative sessions.
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
But this software was integrated with so many biofeedback devices. It was so much more than just an audio creator.
Clearly there is demand for a similar application to be developed
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Re: Transparent corp legal action/class action lawsuit
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Originally Posted by
gareth
But this software was integrated with so many biofeedback devices. It was so much more than just an audio creator.
Clearly there is demand for a similar application to be developed
The guys developing the Prism plugin are incorporating biofeedback at a later date.
