Re: Closing the loop

["Chris Darrow" <sound@inav.net>]

        Greetings from an eavsdroper. I have three questions about the EP 
and a
statement for Oberheim. (Please forgive the misspellings,  dislexic not
stupid.)

Question 1: While investigating what it would take to upgrade the pitifull
4 meg of ram in my older 486 IBM,  I was told that sometimes, when adding
simms, they can work at different speeds even though they are supposedly
the exact same type. In other words, it is better to replace all of the
memory insted of just adding to it. Is the same true of the echoplex? Will
I possibly run into problems by expanding the memory myself, which is much
cheeper and easier? Can anyone provide me with the full technical
specifications needed to avoid any conflict between old memory and new?

Question 2: Well, I guess I'll need to tell you a bit of my story for
this... I've been waiting for 3 echoplexes for almost a year now. All I can
say is that Oberheim  really has the delay part down! Yet I've never toyed
with one myself. Crazy? No. Calculated. There's nothing beter. I know how
they work by thinking about them, or how they should work. What I want to
know is: Am I right?
           I want to play bass, guitar, and sax at the same time. 
Actually, it
goes further than that. The sax will be played through a mike that can be
used for a snare drum, harp, vocals or anything else (how is the static
build up for overdubs by mic?). I'll switch from guitar to keys via an A+B
footswitch. A Roland PMA will begin some songs or provide  a bridge to keep
things interesting.       Three units are needed to A)seporate the diferent
sounds so that each has its own stereo amplification specifically for it's
tonal region, ie; bass to a bass cab. and B) so that I can start a short
loop, build a longer one on another unit, then alter the first or dittle
with the third. Also for changing from tune to tune using the reverse of
this process. So the ultimate question is, will I be able to synch and
close the loops between three units on the fly? Or will I be forced to
slave them?  If it is a matter of physical coordination, I think I can.
I've been stomping on an invisible box for mounths. (A row of pennies
suffices)  Also, practicing matching notes with left hand tapping on guitar
and right hand on keys or sax. Or sax and keys. All just tricks really, but
fun.

          SO, I can use any advice I can get as to whether or not I'm 
looking at
these things correctly . Can they really do it? Can I really do it? And on
a... well, spiritual note, I guess, why does this delay have to happen at a
point in my life where I have every other element and instrument around me
but the Plex, AND, as my self confidence in music as an ocupation dwindles
I am forced to draw deeper on my conviction that I am waiting for something
that is RIGHT. That it will pay dividends. Perhaps I am not expressing
myself well. At any rate,  any stories of instinct, of perserverance when
everyone else thinks you are mad would be apreciated as well. Publically or
privatlly.

Question 3: Kim. Why no "Previous Loop" button? Is there at least a mode
which will limmit the possble loops from 1 to 2, or even to 3, so that
"Next Loop" gets you back to 1 without going through dead loops? I'm I
thinking of it wrong?  Most conventional songs are in one to three parts.
So I assume there is some way to mimic this, if one chooses, on the Plex.

Statement to Oberheim:  This relates to question 2  in the sence that there
is nothing better than the Plex that I know about. Nothing with more
memory, fidelity, and, most important, freedom. This will not last forever.
Therefor you are in a race. And yet I sympothize with trying to clean up a
mess that someone else began. (I actually would like to know about the
history of the mess, so if you have time, e-mail me as to who fucked up.) 
At any rate, what I want to say here is this:  Get it right. I, the
consumer, is grudgingly willing to wait for a flawless, remarkable peice of
musical technology. I agree that you should "Ship no Oberheim before it's
time!"  I don't want any of the problems I have heard about. This, I know,
takes time. But I hope nobody gets the jump on you in the inturm because I
really like the intuitive way you've layed things out. And I always root
for the underdog. Also, please provide  REALISTIC schedual of delivery. For
everyone. At all times. Even if it costs you.

                                Thank you. Much support. Don't let the 
nice guy finish last.

                                                                Chris. 

sound@soli.inav.net



----------
> Hello all --
> 
> Some thoughts I'd like to make here...
> 
> As I posted previously a couple of days ago, in reviewing the information
> I provided for Oberheim, I detected some serious inaccuracies and
> inconsistencies in the information I provided them for trying to detect
> the anomaly in my unit.  I don't know how much this contributed to the
> delay I recieved in getting my unit back, and at this point I doubt I 
>ever
> will.  What I am doing is choosing to return the other check, which was
> originally sent to Gibson (and subsequently sent back to me), back to
> Oberheim in the interest of trying to make reparations for the confusion
> which has ensued and help realize the expenses incurred in their efforts
> to help me.  If anyone at Oberheim feels any other steps should be taken,
> I'll happily speak to them in private or public about it, and I certainly
> apologize for any contributions to the current confusion which I may have
> made. 
> 
> Since at least some of the confusion with my situation could very likely
> have stemmed from my lack of clarity, it seems to me at this point that 
>it
> would be unfair to use my particular case as a litmus test for Oberheim's
> current state of organization and customer service (though it must be
> admitted that strictly from an intention point of view, Tom and Pat were
> definitely on the right track).  I do get the impression that the company
> is presently in very good hands. 
> 
> The noise anomaly has been tracked down and explained.  I lack the
> necessary technical skills or expertise to do so, but it will shortly be
> made available; owing to the fact I've never heard anyone else notice it
> or complain about it, it's fair to say it's minor enough to not warrant a
> problem for anyone else.  If nothing else, I must thank Oberheim for 
>being
> able to eliminate the possibility of its being a circuitry problem as a
> result of their swapping all of the internal electronics. 
> 
> As one of the very few people who has thus far been priveleged enough 
> to use the upgrade, I can report that it's a very welcome addition to 
>the 
> Echoplex.  The whole thing seems to run a little bit more smoothly, and 
> some of the minor bugs which had been annoying in the past are happily 
> absent from the current software.  Anyone who has any interest in 
>looping 
> (including anybody on this list) owes it to themselves to investigate 
>the 
> Echoplex, especially in its newer, sleeker format.
> 
> One thing that's been driven home to me over the last week is the fact
> that what we do, and the companies which help produce the tools which 
>make
> what we do possible to a large extent, all exists on a significantly
> smaller scale than what one might initially presume.  This isn't
> big-business corporate commerce -- it's fringe technology and creativity,
> being fostered by both musicians and manufacturers who often are not that
> far away from being unable to continue their efforts in this realm. 
> 
> Whether we like it or not, I've come to the conclusion that those of us 
>on
> this list (and, in a more general sense, those of us within this musical
> and creative community, both on-line and elsewhere) have a certain
> responsibilityto and for one another.  Without customer support, the
> products can't continue to be made or distributed; without company
> support, consumers and professionals will find themselves frightened at
> the prospect of getting into the game.  In an on-line forum, these
> relationships tend to be magnified and intensified far beyond where they
> might go in the real world, and this has the potential for abuse.  I've
> been guilty of that in the recent past, and I apologize for that.  Other
> people have as well, and they have in general admitted as such. 
> 
> This is a pivotal time for Oberheim -- they're under new management, and 
> preparing to ship a version of a new product which customers have been 
> anxiously awaiting for at least two years.  I certainly hope that my 
> comments have not swayed anyone from considering investigation into the 
> Echoplex, and I will reiterate that the unit is in a class all its own 
>in 
> terms of the depth and breadth of what it can do.  Take what's said in 
> this forum for what it's worth, but ultimately, track down one of the 
> units and see for yourself what it can do.  
> 
> My thanks for Oberheim for their efforts in the past and present, and my 
> wishes for ongoing success and longevity.
> 
> --Andre
>