Re: Hey Bob, wanna trade?

[matthias@bahianet.com.br (Matthias Grob)]

 Jim complained:

>I don't know if  anyone else has this problem, but when my two Echoplexes 
>are
>connected in stereo, there is complete audio degradation in the slave 
>unit in
>five minutes.  Nothing but noise.

Yes, very sorry, a very simple bug: MIDI was not able to transfer the
maximum feedback value.
This might answer Gabriels question, too.

>Five minutes goes by very fast.

Its not a matter of time, actually, but of the number of repetitions
passed. Long loops fade slower.

> Oberheim has not been any help on this.  Now I read that they are 
>shipping
>units again.  This just seems ridiculous to me if the problems have not 
>been
>worked out.

Definitally ridiculous.

>The manual is also a nightmare of inconsistency and
>misinformation.   Any corrections to this?

Well, I wrote a manual to the LOOP delay, that goes deeper, has a more
functional structure and is all correct. Just the language and presentation
is not that perfect.
It takes some upgrade to fit for the Echoplex. I could do that somewhen.
Even if Oberheim insists on Warrens version, we could put it on the page,
right, Kim?

>Sorry I seem so bitter

I was much more so. Years of horror.

>Kim's a lovely guy, but
>I wish he'd stop concerning himself about Jamman mods and get on with this
>upgrade.

Its not him. Its Gibson that finally has to assume a long time ago worked
out contract. And nobody understands what they are waiting for. It was a
big loss of reputation and money for them, too.

>Perhaps there are not many others in the same boat as me, so this
>situation can drag on forever.  I'm sure that most people buy just one 
>'Plex.

Not at all, because there were many more bugs than the ones related to
stereo. You may not have noted them, depending on your use.

>If the update ever does come out, and you want to be amazed, slap another
>Echoplex in your rig and check it out.  Quick multitracking the likes of
>which you have never seen.  Stereo Echoplexes (with the mythical update 
>and
>extra memory installed) are to music what Polaroid cameras are to
>photography.

Thank you!


And MiqSk8 kindly apologized:

> I thought that kim, matthias et al. had moved on to other jobs, no
>longer working for obie. i also kinda inferred from the faq that this 
>thing
>was basically in the can.

That is what we had to do to make some money (the last we got after
insisting heavily was about 7000$ in the end of 1995).
There are no engineers at Oberheim or G-WIZ that understand the matter.
The most important bugs I had fixed in January 95, soon after the first
release. I screemed not to get reviews with the old version, but management
prefered to read in Guitar Player about the bugs I already had fixed at the
time!
Then, Oberheim bosses came and went...

I know I should not too open at this stage, but, hell, you need to have an
idea. And if the problem does not get resolved soon, I might ask you
suffering fellows to inject some energy into the case ;-) So far, lets keep
cool.

Without respect for clients and creators, money shall not flow for the 
leaders.
Its a matter of (little) time and (much) awareness to cure us all.

Bob, wanna trade? You must have had your own difficulties...

Be well
Matthias


By the way: I was not posting for months and often behind in reading. I was
working like crazy, and got out of balance... Soon I will reapear and send
a bunch of old replies that I have to update yet and also some new stuff.
We might talk more about plexing again...
You Loopists been very helpfull to me in terms of return and comfort. 
Thanks.