[sdiy] AES Meeting - Evolver

[Tony Clark]

   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

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