MIDI Notes question...

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]...intentionally leaving features undeveloped that were available in the older console for the sole purpose of restricting the use of third party hardware was a bad move. Some people that actually owned consoles and wings had a real use for Midi notes, and it took almost 3 years of members begging and pleading to get support for it. Why did it take so long? It's simple, it wasn't a priority because HES felt that it would take away from the sales of their wings.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree here.....I don't think that MIDI Notes was intentionally left out.....I think the priority back then was making the H3 platform more stable and rubust (things like DP-8000). There were a lot of features that users wanted, but just didn't make sense to implement until problems had been worked out in the software. Once that "hump" was crossed, we've been fortunate enough to see many features implemented...MIDI Notes being only one of them.

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]The machining of the aluminum is probably where they are spending most of their money, because anodizing in any kind of quantity is not as expensive as one would think. If this single source is so expensive, why don't they shop around to find a cheaper supplier?

I can't tell you for certain, but I think it had to do with getting batches to match one another in terms of color, finish, etc....I 'm sure they would have shopped around if they could.....the team down in Austin is very much "on the ball" as far as sourcing materials goes.

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]Back then widgets cost an arm and a leg. The upgrade cost back then made sense as it was approximately 25% of the cost of a new widget. With today's prices of widgets, we are looking at the upgrade costing 67% of a new widget. The reason that I didn't upgrade back then was because I was waiting for midi playback support and trying to figure out how to afford the upgrade and a playback wing.

I went back and looked @ what I paid for my widget, and the upgrade cost a few years later, and it was more along the lines of 10% or so. Also your cost comparison isn't quite accurate, b/c you are using the price for the new black widget. These new ones are cheaper for the reasons discussed earlier, and upgrades don't apply to them.

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]Also, as we have all seemed to have forgotten, the console wasn't bug free stable when it first came out.

I don't think anyone has forgotten....the platform has come a very long way in a comparitively short period of time (even if it sometimes doesn't feel that way)......I remember the early days of Hog-2 when there were all kinds of bugs in that platform.....

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]...intentionally leaving features undeveloped that were available in the older console for the sole purpose of restricting the use of third party hardware was a bad move. Some people that actually owned consoles and wings had a real use for Midi notes, and it took almost 3 years of members begging and pleading to get support for it. Why did it take so long? It's simple, it wasn't a priority because HES felt that it would take away from the sales of their wings.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree here.....I don't think that MIDI Notes was intentionally left out.....I think the priority back then was making the H3 platform more stable and rubust (things like DP-8000). There were a lot of features that users wanted, but just didn't make sense to implement until problems had been worked out in the software. Once that "hump" was crossed, we've been fortunate enough to see many features implemented...MIDI Notes being only one of them.

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]The machining of the aluminum is probably where they are spending most of their money, because anodizing in any kind of quantity is not as expensive as one would think. If this single source is so expensive, why don't they shop around to find a cheaper supplier?

I can't tell you for certain, but I think it had to do with getting batches to match one another in terms of color, finish, etc....I 'm sure they would have shopped around if they could.....the team down in Austin is very much "on the ball" as far as sourcing materials goes.

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]Back then widgets cost an arm and a leg. The upgrade cost back then made sense as it was approximately 25% of the cost of a new widget. With today's prices of widgets, we are looking at the upgrade costing 67% of a new widget. The reason that I didn't upgrade back then was because I was waiting for midi playback support and trying to figure out how to afford the upgrade and a playback wing.

I went back and looked @ what I paid for my widget, and the upgrade cost a few years later, and it was more along the lines of 10% or so. Also your cost comparison isn't quite accurate, b/c you are using the price for the new black widget. These new ones are cheaper for the reasons discussed earlier, and upgrades don't apply to them.

[QUOTE=CandC540;60261]Also, as we have all seemed to have forgotten, the console wasn't bug free stable when it first came out.

I don't think anyone has forgotten....the platform has come a very long way in a comparitively short period of time (even if it sometimes doesn't feel that way)......I remember the early days of Hog-2 when there were all kinds of bugs in that platform.....