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paul sullivan wrote:
> Just wondering if anyone has seen the new version of the Boomerang in
>stores
> yet, and if so, what the best price available is. I called Alto music
> thinking they might have a group buy price for us, but apparently they
>don't
> carry them. If anyone has any info, could they please mail me off list?
Hi loopers, plexifists, and Rangsters,
We have not gotten our supply of parts for the new V2 upgrade module
to a
point where we are making "new" Rangs, though our manufacturing problems
have
eased a little and we are shipping again. We are, however, selling the
upgrade
to Rang owners. The price is on a sliding scale depending on how long
you've
owned your Rang. The following letter pretty well covers what's up with the
upgrade.
=============================================
Any and all Rangs can be upgraded by replacing the current
microprocessor with the 2.0 Module. Older units have an additional part
that needs to be changed. If your AD/DA converter is an 1848, you will
have to upgrade it to the newer 1845. The new software will not
recognize
the old converter. In this case, your Rang will have to make a trip
home
to Texas because it takes a special tool to remove this part.
To check this out, remove the 4 front screws & 10 bottom ones; then
place the Rang on its face with the roller to the right and remove the
bottom cover. You’ll be looking at the circuit board in all its glory.
The AD/DA converter is made by Analog Devices, is one of the larger
parts
and is the only square one. The part number information is printed on
the
part and reads like AD1845JP. The important piece of info is the 4
digits. If it says 1848, then it’s got to be replaced if you want the
new
software.
Also, some of the early Rangs were sold with 1Mbyte of memory. This
provided 32 seconds of recording on normal speed and 64 seconds on half
speed. If you have a 1Mbyte Rang, this is a good time to upgrade the
memory to 4Mbytes as the increased sample rate of the new software will
reduce the normal speed record time to 21 seconds.
Until recently Rangs came with 2 x 275 op amps and 1 x 283. They’re
small 8 pin chips that reside in sockets. The objectionable pop, that
can
occur when pressing the thru mute switch, is related to these parts. If
you’ve noticed this problem, it can be fixed by replacing one of the
275’s
with a 2134 op amp.
And finally, there will be a sliding scale for the price of the 2.0
Module. This is a move to avoid the "my new toy is obsolete" blues. As
you might expect, proof of purchase is required if you didn’t send in a
dated warranty card. If you purchased your Rang in June or July 2000
(or
later), then the module will cost $39; May 2000 and you pay $49; April
2000, $59; March 2000, $69. February 2000 and older Rangs will pay $79.
V2.0 Module with 2.0 User Manual, $39 - $79
AD1845 Converter, $19
4Mbyte SIMM (memory), $23
2134 Op Amp, $3
Rang Gig Bag, $39
Return shipping (if Rang is sent to us), $9
"So, what do I get for my money?" you ask. Good question. Here’s
what’s
in store.
* Version 2.0 has 2 independent loops; this is like having 2 original
Rangs side by side. There are a couple of modes for transitioning
between
the loops. One mode, called AB1, smoothly transitions to loop B, plays
it
once, then goes back to playing loop A, all with one button press.
* A higher sample rate has been added; original max was 16KHz, new max
rate is 24KHz. While this drops the sample time to 1 minute 27 seconds
(with 4Mbytes of memory), the Rang now captures a lot more highs and
sounds a lot crisper.
* The STACK button can be programmed to be either latching or
momentary.
* You can go directly from recording to stacking. Press RECORD to
start
recording, then press STACK to conclude recording, start playback and
enter stack mode.
* There are 7 selectable decay rates. On the original the decay rate
was
fixed at about 2.3dB. The new rates are as follows: 1 is no decay, 2 is
the original rate (about 20-25 repeats), 3-6 are progressively quicker
decays and are great when using the Rang as a pure delay, and 7 is
slapback (1 full volume repeat). The new decay rates & latching STACK
button make the Rang a great sounding digital delay with tap tempo. The
foot roller becomes the delay level when used like this. Each loop, A
and
B, has its own decay rate.
* The RECORD button can be programmed to behave as it does now or be
disabled during playback. Some folks didn't want to worry about hitting
it
while adjusting the foot roller.
* The half speed concept has been replaced by slow speed, and you have
your choice of five. All are musically related to "normal" speed. The
choices are: down a 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th or octave. Playback tempo is
slowed
similarly to the current software.
* This one is small, but an improvement. Originally, if you pressed
ONCE, the next press of PLAY(STOP) would stop the loop. Now you can
transition between "continuous" play and play once mode. Confusing?
Here's
what you can do that you couldn't before. Start an existing loop with
several stutters or re-starts and then smoothly transition into playing
the loop repeatedly.
* There are improvements on clicks that occasionally occur at loop
boundaries, particularly when using the Rang in continuous reverse mode
(live reverse lead playing).
* And finally, we extended the button behavior so that it is more
consistent. For example, in the original, if you were stacking, the
REVERSE button didn't do anything. Now you can be stacking additional
parts and freely reverse direction or go into play once mode.
All the new features are ADDITIONS. That is, no original features, even
the lower sampling rates, have been omitted or replaced. The ONCE button
shares duty as the loop A/B button. Either the REVERSE or STACK button
is
held down to enter one of the two program modes.
========================================
Mike Nelson
Boomerang Musical Products 800-530-4699
PO Box 541595 214-340-6913, Outside USA
Dallas, TX 75354-1595 214-343-1038, Fax
http://www.boomerangmusic.com mnelson@dmans.com
"Some products make you sound better;
the Boomerang Phrase Sampler makes you play better."