[sdiy] AES Meeting - Evolver

[The Proteus]

	I have to second that motion. As some of you know, I'm putting
together my first commercial synthesizer. I totally expect to lose money
and not get very favourable reviews on the product. After all, it is my
first. :-) Paul's got a wonderful synthesizer that has sold very well for
not "doing the advertising push" so to speak. When I was at E-Mu, even we
had issues selling product, dealing with distributors, and whatnot. I'd
constantly hear S&M (sales & marketing) complain about this or
that... it's a very hectic industry, and one cannot expect instant success
out of the gate. 
	Dave's got tonnes of experience... he's got just as much of a
legacy as Bob Moog, and he's also got a tarnished record due to the issues
between him and E-Mu (I'm sure everyone heard of the Sequential vs. E-Mu
royalty debacle). Another thing that's different is that he knows MANY
people in the industry, and just telling these few people will generate a
small to medium amount of buzz in the industry. It's a good-ol'-boys club
in a way. While I worked with Rossum at E-Mu (which was VERY rare), it was
always "what can I do for you, sir?" After a few months of this, I
realized that 90% of the department was the same way... only the other
hardware engineer (that came from Sequential) had a very good rapport
going with him, and seemed to be "in the club". To each their own.
	Don't measure your success or failure based on the successes and
failures of others. Instead, look at what you HAVE done instead of what
you haven't, and keep striving to make it better. Paul Schreiber does
that, and look at where he is. Same thing with Roger Arrick, and even
Jered Flickinger (the 16 year old who started FutureRetro). It took time
to get there, and a sheer love of the industry - not just the success. It
will come in time, if you're dedicated enough.

-Prot

- - - T h e  U n d e r g r o u n d  W a r e h o u s e - - -
- - - Subversive - Tools - For - A - Chaotic - Planet - - -
-  h t t p : / / w w w . u g w a r e h o u s e . o r g /  -
--<T h e  P r o t e u s>-<Musician>-<Producer>-<Engineer>--

On Thu, 30 Jan 2003, Tony Clark wrote:

>    Hi Paul,
> 
> > If it sounds like I am being bitter, Im not. but its REALLY frustrating when
> > the industry ignores some designs and is pretty unwilling to help get a
> > small company off the ground, purely on the basis that the guy behind it has
> > no history in the industry. I wont go into details about my experiences,
> > lets just say that some people will delay things to help you in favour of
> > something else and will tell you lies about the reasons.
> > The whole thing has left me feeling very bitter towards the industry and
> > wondering if there is any point in doing further designs, commercial or
> > not..
> 
>    Since I'm also a client, and not just a voice in the crowd... :)
> 
>    My take on this is Dave Smith has over 20 years experience in the 
> synth industry to draw from.  And I don't just mean reputation!  I'm sure 
> that Dave has built it all, and that experience has allowed him to 
> advance his work over the years into what can be seen in his Evolver as a 
> highly refined piece of engineering.
>    Sure, he also has a reputation, but I'm sure that puts him under a 
> greater amount of scrutiny than being an unknown.  I'm sure Bob Moog went 
> through quite a lot of stress developing the new Mini.  That's not 
> something I'd want to have to deal with!
>    Now, looking at your situation, your ideas are still fresh and new, 
> and only after you have time to further develop and refine those ideas 
> will you have something that will really speak to the masses.  Those of 
> us that are foreward thinking can see where you can go if you are given 
> the motivation.  That's why I bought a Monowave!
>    And you've broken even, financially.  That's quite an achievement, and 
> something that you should be proud of!  To me, that means that regardless 
> of how you feel you've struggled and fought, you DID WIN!  To me that 
> means that you are now ready to tackle the next project.  Because you 
> now have experience with various vendors and manufacturers, you should 
> be able to analyze your costs and better understand how you can build 
> the next project better AND cheaper!  You are gaining that experience, 
> and hopefully are building a reputation with your current customers that 
> will serve to make your next product an even bigger success!
>    So don't give up!  As long as you can build something for yourself and 
> break even, everything should be golden!  Anything extra is icing on the 
> cake!
> 
>    Cheers,
> 
>    Tony
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>          The E-Music DIY Archive - New Site Coming Soon!
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> "We wouldn't want to ship something that doesn't work"
>    - Carl Stork, general manager, Microsoft Windows division
>      Excerpt from EE Times April 2, 2001
> 
> 
>