Hi Bakis,

First of all thank you for hosting and moderating this list. It has been an invaluable resource over the years. I know that you usually hear more complaints than kudos - so KUDOS aplenty.

As to the issue at hand I think we have a difficult proposition from a business point of view. Much as we want the touch keyboard the only companies offering something similar are Serge (TKB) and Buchla (222e). Both go to more than $3.000, and the Buchla doesn't even have a sequencer function at this stage. Adding the 250e would increase the bill by a cool $1.700, and that's without any enclosure. This together with the relative dearth of other alternative and affordable controllers suggests to me that the vast majority of synthesists are happy with the current state.

Mr. Doepfer has always acted as a category breaker in the modular synthesizer business. Thanks to him all we non trust-fund babies can entertain the idea of owning a modular synthesizer (see the Serge and Buchla price lists or the recent Vemia auctions – sorry Peter, love the Synthi 100 but love feeding the kids even more). This means that the prices of said august companies are simply a no-go for the Doepfer market.



Let’s assume that one month of man-hours is enough for development (doubtful). According to German conditions this would run to € 26.400*. Assuming a production run of 100 (this seems to be Doepfer’s minimum break-even unit) this comes to €264 for R&D. Let’s add 100% for material and assembly and we get €528. Ignoring marketing and other cost factors and adding a 50% wholesale mark-up we come to €792.



Is anyone here willing to shell out €800 ($1.160 at current rates) for a TKB/Sequencer If so, why not make us put our money where our mouth is by demanding a (refundable) deposit for it



I personally was drawn to the Doepfer system by its resurrection of the Trautonium. I also love the Vocoder system and especially the A-107 filter** - all of which were not exactly cash-cows as far as I understand it. So I’d be wary of engaging in worthy projects that don’t pay their ways.



I really want the Doepfer TKB to happen and I’d be willing to put down $200 to support that goal. Along these lines a useful poll ought to be designed.



York



*22 workdays at 8 hours at €150/hour



** A107 is the bomb! The proverbial filter to take along with you on a Crusoe mission.











_____

Von: Doepfer_a100@yahoogroups.com [mailto: Doepfer_a100@yahoogroups.com ] Im Auftrag von Bakis Sirros
Gesendet: Sonntag, 15. November 2009 05:53
An: Doepfer_a100 group
Betreff: 1 New Poll created about the forthcoming Doepfer Touch Keyboard Sequencer project.





hi List,

i thought it would be great to further motivate Dieter to create the touch keyboard sequencer for the A100 (which i am waiting for, since 2001!), and in order to do that, i have created a new poll, trying to see the ACTUAL interest of the group members to REALLY buy the TKS (TOUCH KEYBOARD AND SEQUENCER SECTION).

so, please, do participate in this poll, if you want the TKS to finally happen.
the poll will be closed on the 30th of December, so do get your votes in asap!

thanks,
best regards, :-)
Bakis.

Bakis Sirros - Parallel Worlds / Interconnected / Memory Geist
1 group owner
www. parallel - worlds - music. com
www. myspace. com/ parallelworldsmusic
www. myspace. com/ interconnectedmusic
www. myspace. com/ memorygeist
www. DiN. org. uk
www. musicamaximamagnetica. com
www. shimarecords. co. uk
www. rubberrecords. gr
Athens - Greece





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