Magix Music Maker - The EULA License Game

Just want to follow up on the entry level/basic version of Magix Music Maker Sountrack Edition. To recap, I purchased the software in order to create my own intros, video tunes and avoid the threat of DCMA and assorted attorneys trolling for dollars.

The software was on sale and it seem to be designed for novice users who wanted to craft their own tunes with the provided music tracks. As is my habit, I do read the End Users License Agreement (EULA) before installing software. That is when I had a WTF moment.

Yes, I could use the provided music tracks in videos. Provided those videos are non-commercial or the music is not used in a commercial (business, money generating) atmosphere.

Hold On - It Says You Can Use For Social Media Use

Yes, you can use the music in videos that appear on YouTube or an audio service like Soundcloud; so long as it is non-commercial. I understand that. But it is up to Magix to determine the use and the context of usage. If they feel you have violated the terms then you will have to deal with them or the attorneys. In Germany.

Technically, Magix did provide links on the web site, teeny tiny links, that spell out the End Users License Agreement.  And there are good people in the Magix multimedia community that are answering this question over and over.

I wish that Magix would put a link or some kind of notice on the sales page to alert potential users about the non-commercial use of this software.

If You Have Not Activated the Software:

Suppose you read the EULA and you decide that you want no part of the software. Stop, uninstall it and contact them within 14 days of purchase to get a refund.

Installation Caution:


If you are about to install the software, be careful. There is an installation window for a product called SimpleCheck

and Ask.com Toolbar.

I can’t tell you want to do but if you ask me what I did I’d tell you I unchecked those suckers quick, fast and in a hurry.

If You Have Activated the Software:

If you activated (register) the software then you are out of luck on that refund action. All is not lost and you have options.

Magix will want you to register to become a member of the Magix community. This is the only way to get into the Knowledge Base and community assistance to find out what the heck is going on. Or you can keep reading this post.

After Installation Using the Software Only:

There are music loops which are snippets of notes or beats. There are full tracks called soundpools and these are the music elements that is provided with the software.

For a moment, think of the software as if it was a word processing program. You can enter your own music that you compose. You will have no problem so long as you do not use any musical elements provided by Magix.

You can import Creative Commons or Public Domain music (and you are 101% sure it is in the public domain) and use the software to remix and compose tunes. Again, if you don't use any of the provided music you will be fine.

Using the Provided Loops and Soundpools

Here is the thing. Music is rarely free when it comes in contact with a vendor or software provider. Magix has another site called Catooh; it is a music repository where people can buy music, sound effects and soundtracks. There is an artist community that sell their music creations.

Catooh/Magix provides a variety of music licenses depending on the users need. For entry level users that can abide by the non-commercial license you do not have to pay extra.

But if you have a commercial need for music then you can purchase a single track or an all inclusive license. So let's say that you buy an Audio Pro track for 79 cents. You would be good for 3 million web impressions per month or 1 million public presentations. Which is a heck of a lot of conferences or 1 million video viewers.

With the 99 cent track it is unlimited non-commercial use. And no, I see no reason to purchase an entire catalog of music.

So Is It Worth It?

Well, that depends. If you want to have a unique theme or you are creating a special video or series of videos then yes, plunking down 99 cents for an single tune that has an unlimited music license is not a bad deal.

I would not do it for sound effects but for a composition you want to touch up, why not.

That said, there is one more thing. You purchased the license for the music. You can do anything you want except anything that Catooh/Magix deems unlawful, illicit or is used to establish a business identity.

Other Options

You can download a software program like Audacity and then purchase tunes from Magix, Sony or dozens of other music repositories.

You also have the option of diving into the Internet Archive to find music placed in the public domain by musicians. It is a slog but it can be done.

Other Posts of Interest

• Magix Music Maker Soundtrack Edition and EULA Terms of Service
• Audio Library - YouTube Music for Web Video
• A Look At Sony Sound Production Music
• Home Page for Mobile Users

Magix Music Maker and EULA Terms of Service

Doing the right thing can be irritating especially when you pay cash money to do the right thing and then find out you might not be able to do the thing at all. I'm not just jumping in and out of vague linguistically hoops.

I want music in my videos.

I don't want to be bothered by the freaking DCMA copyright boogie being. I believe in right livelihood and fair compensation. It happens that I got an e-mail from a software vendor, Magix, stating that I can purchase at a reduce price Video Sound Cleaning Lab 2014 and Music Maker Soundtrack Edition.

I am not a musician but this would give me an opportunity to play with a consumer level music program. My intention would be to mix and match installed soundtracks or public domain tracks into something transformative.

So why have I got my panties in a bunch? This section of the Terms of Service:

The music, video and photo files included with MAGIX products may only be used within the scope of producing personally created works to be used for non-commercial purposes. This also applies to music, video or photo data acquired through or by means of MAGIX products. Commercial use constitutes receipt of financial benefits through direct or indirect use of the files (through sale, licensing, ad banners, etc.)

No, no...what? The name of the program is Music Maker Soundtrack Edition. There is an implication that the music would be used in some kind of audio/video environment.

There is also this thing called social media. There are ads all around most of the social media services that I do not benefit from. (I wish I could make them go away but I do have an understanding that they support the service.)

I don't directly receive financial benefits. But I do benefit by using the services. So, after I stop hyperventilating I need to do some investigating.

License of Property

It should go without saying that I fully understand that I cannot take the tracks from the software program and sell them as my own. There are people in the world that do not understand that they cannot do that. That is wrong. That is theft of product and services. Moving on.

Social Media Use

In the End Users License Agreement it has a specific term about about the the use of the works. Non-commercial. So I can envision that traditional teachers, educators, video hobbyists that have never heard of the Internet can use the music tracks in projects.

Non-commercial YouTubers/Vimeo users can also use the tracks. In the product brochure it states that you can upload to Soundcloud, Facebook and YouTube.

Problem Solved? No.

Because I, someday, might want to create a commercial video. I am not one to turn down flowing cash money.

For example, I post a video about Mookie dancing in the street. I know not to use copyrighted music so I conjure up a tune using the installed musics tracks. I mix, match, slice and dice until I get my song just right.  The world goes crazy about Mookie and I flip the switch and make some profit.


Ah, there is a clause for that:

7. Claim for damages: MAGIX is entitled to proprietary and copyright protection for the licensed software as well as the music and video files. Anyone responsible for any violations against such rights may be sued by MAGIX.

Oh, by the way, The headquarters of this company is in Germany. So who's copyright law would I be subject to?

I have options:

1. Investigate further to see if there is a additional statements about the use of the music in videos that could be leaning toward commercial use.
2. Do not install the software and see if I can get my money back.
3. Use the software but find other music sources to use instead of the ones supplied by Magix

 I'll let you know what I find out.

Other Posts of Interest:

• Audio Library Music for YouTube Videos
• Clocking the Words in Time
• Extract Audio from Video using MPEG Streamclip
• Home Page for Mobile Users

Ideas on How to Steady Smartphone Video

There are evolving techniques about how to record video using Smartphones and similar mobile devices. There is a saying about using what you have at the moment. What you always will have is your body.


  Steady iPhone 4s from The Film Artist on Vimeo.

This is a great example of what you can do with the right grip on the phone. And grip is the operative word.  According to The Film Artist if you can learn to control your body movements you can get excellent video without a tripod.

Makes are real good case of it in the above video.

Mini Tripod/Support Devices

There are all kinds of affordable supports that you can use for Smartphone video. You don't have to spend a lot of money but don't be afraid to pay for quality.

No secret that I have the Woxom SlingShot tripod. It makes it easy to record table top videos or walking in the real world. And the creator has a wonderful sense of humor. At $19.95 you can't go wrong.




Moving on. If you want to anchor the phone to another substance like a tree or pole you might wan to take a look at the Joby GripTight Gorilla Pod Stand. At around $30 it could be what you need.

The Picosteady is a stabilizing unit for Smartphones, mini cameras like the GoPro and Micro 4/3 type cameras. If you plan on doing a lot of recording with these type of devices at $150 this could be a good investment.

There you have it. You can get a good grip or you can find the right device to help you steady your mobile recordings.


Other Posts of Interest

• Smartphone and Tablet Fixed Aperture Issues
• In Search of Android Camera Specs
• Vimeo Membership Options for Vloggers
• Home Page for Mobile Users

Rediscovering and Recycling or Think Before You Speak

I am doing a search and rescue mission of finding my videos. Now that my Blip.tv web hosting days are over I've got to transfer a lot of video. This also provides and opportunity to upload unused recordings and clean up the ones I had originally posted.




For example, this is a short clip from the 2011 Blogging While Brown Conference. It is hard to see improvement because of the YouTube compression but I was able to get the colors a bit more accurate.

I'm still on dicey Wi-Fi so I really do have to upload short videos. This forces me to edit and edit tight.

Let me see, anything else. Oh yeah, the topic of this clip is a response to a question from the audience about is there something that you regret saying on camera. I think Lydia makes a very good point. You can yank the video down but if someone snags a copy it will never go away.


Other Posts of Interests

• Audio Inspiration - Joe Frank
• A Resource for Storyboard Templates
• SeriousPony's Video on Horses
• Home Page for Mobile Users

Hindenburg Systems Field Recorder

I have to hug my Samsung devices from keeping me from going over to the iOS side. I do think the Apple products are well designed but way over priced. The apps, however, keep me peeping over the iOS fence. So many apps, so little money to buy them all.

The Hindenburg System Field Recorder app I can see possibilities for storytelling use or as a means of laying down an audio or poetry track.

This is one of many tutorial videos on the Field Recorder app



Field Recorder is designed for journalists or storytellers that need an efficient and affordable workflow in the field. It makes it simple to record, light edit audio, add photos and then upload to the service of your choice.

On the plus side:

It will help you create, edit and upload a complete audio or audio with photos file no matter where you are, so long as you have a data plan or access to wi-fi.

It is not expensive at $29.99 but you have to look at if the software fit in with with you skill level and current recording needs.

If you have a daily podcast and you have a hectic life this might be what you need. If you want to lay down an audio track and later match it up to a video later this might do it for you. If you want to post directly to SoundCloud to extract later this could be your cup of tea.

This app will let you import audio WAV files but not MP3. Then again you have an effective audio editing studio in your hand. You can download a 30 day trial version of the main program from the web site so do that before you plunk down cash money.


On the minus side:

It is iOS dang it!

Eh, sorry about that. Where was I? Oh yeah. $29.99 might be overkill. There are free and less expensive apps that can record video.

If you know how to work with file folders, Audacity or Garage Band then this app might not be for you. If you are willing to covert AAC files then again it could be a winner.

This is the entry level version of the app. You might have other needs to check out the full product line or other vendors before making a purchasing decision.


Other Posts of Interest

• Audio Library for YouTube Music for Web Video
• Sony Sound Series Production Music
• Audio Tips for Smartphone and Media Player Recording
• Home Page for Mobile Users

Audio Inspirations - Joe Frank

On the one hand, you have a cottage industry seriously seeking the holy grail of storytelling. Politicians, commercial businesses, vendors and opportunists - both positive and negative all seek to connect with a person and root themselves as being one of you.

A shared experience in which makes the story makes them appear credible.Since humans are wired for stories that story resonate has gotten a lot of people in trouble.

"Mister, I met a man..." A rant for another time.

On the other hand, you have storytellers. People that are telling factual stories like the ladies of WHOA! Network or artists that use the techniques of storytelling to create a new work of art.

And then there is Joe Frank.




The first time I gave up television I turned to public radio. There were exciting things that were happening with ZBS, radio audio theater groups and Joe Frank.

Joe played with conformity like a basketball. It seemed real until it wasn't. You could be bounced from drama to comedy to absurdity in the space of minutes.  If you were into his work you understood you could not always anticipate where he would take you.

Some pieces of his work were life changers. Others were crap. Most were well crafted gems of art.

I bring up Joe Frank because there is much gnashing about who gets to tell stories. Many professionals in the media business would like to restrict the teeming masses from having a voice.

From restricting comments*, to embedding a television like framework for new content producers to the new bum rush to series mentality to web video it just doesn't seem like the sole voice is welcomed any more.

We might have to reclaim it once again.

*Make no mistake; I really get why some media outlets and bloggers have to make that decision on closing comments. There are nasty, vile people in portions of the teeming masses. There are intolerant people. There are spammers. Our challenge is to communicate without the hate. There are corporate and political interests that do not want that to happen. Telling our stories is one way to fight back.

Other Posts of Interest

• A Resource for Storytelling Templates
• Old School Ideas for Creating Text Poetry
• Animating Text in Windows Movie Maker
• Home Page for Mobile Users

Paris to New York - Serious Videoblogging

I was reading a post a couple of hours ago talking about how people are seriously juicing over the new camera equipment being available. 4K is almost passe. 6K and 8K cameras are on the cusp of emergence.

As if a camera alone is what makes a good video or movie. It can help, if you know what to do with it. Citizen Kane was shot on analog equipment.

This is a video by Casey Neistat




I think skills and the right tools are important. But heart pumping to the brain on what you want to say or accomplish is far more important. I don't care if it is with a Smartphone or a 4K Red.

Craft and storytelling. Getting it done. Making that connection.

For more info on Casey check out his YouTube channel


Other Posts of Interest

• Video Art on the Vine - Rob Parrish
• Serious Pony's Video on Horses - This is Why
• The Forge and Eric Lim
• Home Page for Mobile Users