Re: Looper development and production costs?

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

Is it my imagination, or do a lot of you like the fact that you found a 
secret
little toy, that not many other kids have?  Hmmmm?  Secret weapon?  This 
all
started when EDP owners were asking for new features (stereo, expandable
memory), and Kim basically said, "It's not a big money maker the way it 
is, why
would they fund a second version."  So I said, one of the ways to make the
current model sell better was to update it's look and get some product
endorsment.  That's all.  The Echoplex Digital Pro is a great product, I'm
talking about marketing here.  Bringing it into the mainstream.  I think 
the
public is finally ready.  The EDP was ahead of it's time... 10 years ago.  
I
think the time for synchable loopers is upon us.  So far, every friend I 
have
that DJs has bought a Repeater after seeing mine.  (the beat detect works
amazingly well, I've found)  I predict a fusion between musicians and DJs 
in
live situations, and it's boxes like the EDP and Repeater that will make 
that
happen.

Mark

Travis Hartnett wrote:

> >It'd boost flagging sales, it'd encourage people who
> >already had one to get another, it'd boost people who
> >are turned on to looping by the Repeater to look
> >at a very different alternative.
>
> ...except that there are no "flagging sales".  Remember, Gibson sells all
> they can make without advertising.  They've got a tidy little profit 
>center.
>
> My experience is that the EDP lives in a niche--a bunch of people hear 
>about
> it and decide that it's too complicated and/or expensive for their taste.
> The Line6 covers most of what they want out of a looping device and costs
> about a third the price.  Plus, it's a pedal, and a lot of people prefer
> pedals over racks.
>
> Other people decide that they'd prefer a full-on sampler, or a
> software-based system since the extensive real-time features of the EDP
> aren't needed for what they're doing.
>
> In the middle, you've got people who have a specific need for what the 
>EDP
> uniquely offers, AND are willing to pay for it.  Taking a cue from the
> Focusrite folks in faceplate design isn't going to significantly change 
>the
> size of that group.  Maybe if you were designing the EDP from the ground 
>up
> it'd make sense to pretty up the faceplate, but at this point we're 
>talking
> about something that's been around for what--six, seven years?  It's not
> going to happen.  It's so rare to get a piece of gear right from a
> functional standpoint, worrying about this sort of thing seems silly.
>
> TH