Getting the update for free did not seem obvious to me. (the website is a bit convoluted)  If you can do it then great.  Personally I don't mind the $2.50.  I think it is pretty reasonable.  It certainly saves a lot of fiddling around though.  Pay the money, get an email with a new unlock code.  Pretty straight forward.  It is a nice synth for sure and I like it as well.  It is way too CPU heavy though and really needs to be improved.  I have other synths which easily rival this for its sound (and can sound better as well) and use far less CPU so it can be done.  A great example of this is Rob Papen's Go2 synth.  Absolutely killer sound but uses a fraction of the CPU resources. 

Recent comments from the Fathom dev, Everett, regarding CPU usage, in addition to the updates in the user manual:
 

Also 2.19 will coming out in a day or two and the Memory will go from about 1.5 GB to 150 MB.

After that the CPU will be the last frontier in terms of weaknesses for Fathom. And before the end of this year I will be rewriting the processor code to use Vector SIMD which will multiply the CPU efficiency by 4 and get Fathom's CPU in line with other synths such as Sylenth and Omnisphere.

 
KVR thread: https://www.kvraudio.com/...amp;hilit=fathom+synth
 

Paying for upgrades is voluntary. The paid upgrade and free download are identical. If you use Fathom regularly as one of your primary software synthesizers we recommend you purchase a total of four upgrades per year ($10.00).

They say paying is optional but make it a hassle to update by nonpayment methods.
Not much money but that's not the point.
Would not have bought in if I'd know that this was the business model.

 

 
 

TheSteven
 
They say paying is optional but make it a hassle to update by nonpayment methods.
Not much money but that's not the point.
Would not have bought in if I'd know that this was the business model.

I'm really curious how you arrived at this conclusion.
 
It's really just as as simple as download the free update and unzip.

abacab
 
It's really just as as simple as download the free update and unzip.

Unless you've received the new password you can't extract the contents.
The password/unlock code that I received with my purchase doesn't work with the update.

Jeff Evans
Firstly you need to pay the $2.50 to get the update. When you pay this you will get a new email with a new unlock code for the Zip file. I was confused at first and tried using the original unlock code and got the message that it was not the correct code. I did not realise they had sent me a new email with a new unlock code for the update.

 

fwrend
Just FYI, my serial number didn't work as instructed but the Update Passcode did.

 

abacab
If you lost your unlock code, or got the one from before it was changed, he will update yours by email request.

The update password that I received with my purchase
"Please save your serial number password for version updates: FATHOM-SWA-VST-XXXX-XXXX"
doesn't work.
 
Not my idea of proactive support.  I should have been notified that my password had been invalidated (they have my email and date of purchase so it's not rocket science to figure out who's affected) and they either should have sent a new one or the option to request one.
If I want to be cynical I'd say that they decided not to to drive up update sales but I'm more inclined to think that it's just another small shop overwhelmed with trying to stay afloat.
 
I don't recall seeing an update notice though possibly if they sent one and it got deleted.
 
I have emailed Seaweed Audio support to request new password.
Edit: less than an hour later I got a password update.

It was a bit confusing at first, but if you look at the upgrade path, it's one of the better models IMHO. About anyone will be charging a lot for major upgrades. So far with Fathom, you get the initial purchase and then after can upgrade as often as needed and decide whether to pay the small $2.50 for the upgrade. On one end, you could have free upgrades for life from the download site, or could pay for every one of them to support development. Most will probably chip in when the spirit moves and depending on how much we gain from the program.
 
About as unclear in some ways are the deep tweaks this synth presents with. Almost a Reaper like learning curve because things don't work like you would expect them to, and so much is hidden outside the box thinking. Quite an amazing synthesizer once you begin to grasp the signal flow and how to apply modulators. The manual is quite good.
 
One thing to check out is the wave oscillators. Education for me to connect eyes and ears with the draw functions. Very nicely done and allows you to hear real time the effects produced by changing any parts of a single cycle wave. I believe the demo is mono and worth downloading if just to play with the wave table editor.
 
Steven, glad you got the password issue cleared. Response is fast and helpful.
 
John

Version 2.21 out. From the website...   https://www.fathomsynth.com/updates
 
"Added support for Microtuning.
 
Tuning profiles can be read from both file formats Scala.scl and AnaMark.tun. Tuning files are selected and loaded in the same way that presets are loaded.
Microtuning provides user defined scales with varying note frequencies as well as different notes per scale. Drag and drop of tuning files into the main view is also supported. Tuning profiles can be saved and loaded per preset or globally.
 
Redesigned the preset loading system. The preview mechanism has been changed so that there are no gaps in audio when the user is stepping through presets.
The preset file is now parsed in a host user interface worker thread which does not interfere with the processor audio. Then after the new preset is loaded into memory the processor switches immediately from the old audio engine to the new one between sample blocks so there is no break in the audio.
 
Made numerous improvements to modulation timing. Rewrote sections of code in the modulation processor to improve the timing accuracy when modulator periods are modulated by other modulators, as well as the Random Sample and Hold modulator when the timing envelope is employed."
 
Update to the preset loading system works well taking out the delay to reload everything from start.
Haven't played with the modulator timing fixes, but this is a big one.
Lots of microtune love for those who use it.
 
John

Thanks John!

I sure hope updating gets cleaned up in the future. Letting it go for now. Reducing CPU load is much more important.
 
You do need the password even if you select the option to download the update without paying/donating $2.50. I'd paid for several updates, so grabbed v2.21 free.
 
2.21 adds a Microtune folder to the current Programs and Waves folders. I place the Fathom folder in My Documents.
 
C:\Users\Primary\Documents\Fathom
 
It's a beatch checking each Programs and Waves subfolder for new/updated content.