Closing the loop

[Andre LaFosse <altruist@shoko.calarts.edu>]

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