Open Letter to Ric Miller & Bernie Hutchins

[Grant Richter]

DISCLAIMER: I am not related to Mr. Hutchin's, we have never met, I do not owe him any money.

Ric, everybody-

Please, please this Bernie Bashing MUST stop!

Mr. Hutchins is one of the most valuable living resources on analog electronic
music synthesis. The amount of work that he has personally expended to
develop and promote analog electronic music equipment, which this list is dedicated to,
is probably greater than the time spent by ALL AH list members put together!

To lash out at his character, without a careful consideration his position and feelings,
is immature and inexcusable.

Let's skip the dimestore lawyering and consider a few facts.

1. If you look at the subscriber list's for Electronotes, you will find the name of
almost all significant commercial synthesizer manufacturers and designers in the
history of the craft. Don Buchla, Bob Moog and Serge were(are) subscribers.
Every idea in commercial synthesizer design, was at one time or another,
discussed in Electronotes. Without Electronotes, analog synthesis would not 
have evolved to the level it has.

2. I see no indication that Mr. Hutchin's has profited enormously from any of this.
The schematic drawings that everyone takes for granted, require a hideous amount
of labour to generate. That's is, IF you have modern schematic capture software.
To have hand drawn the number of schematics you see in Electronotes, whether
or not he designed them, is a mind boggling amount of work. Oh, and what about
all that typing? Mr. Hutchin's ETHICAL point that he has copyright by virtue of being
the copiest can only ring true to anybody with blue-collar ethics in them.

Why would a man who spent his whole life working selflessly to promote analog
suddenly turn around and start kvetching about someone doing the same thing?
Mr. Hutchin's, who is a busy instructor at a college, has nothing better to do than
hastle a younger enthusiast? I don't think so.

I think Mr. Hutchins has a completely valid point.

You do not have the right to scan his schematic drawings
(literally his own hand drawn artwork)
and publish it on your commercial web site
without his consent.

Because:

He will provide you with copies of this information,
at prices with so high a price/performance level, 
that it is a public service.

Having said that in defense of Mr. Hutchins, I must say in defense of Mr. Miller:

According to all reports, Mr. Miller is shipping synthesizer modules at a price/performance
level that also makes him a public service.

Because of this:
I'm sure that Mr. Miller does not concieve of his Web site as being "commercial".

It is sad to see two people who share such a fundimental love of the same subject
have such a breakdown in communication. It would be more sad to see this polarize
the community and alienate a proven master artist and designer such as Mr. Hutchins.

P.S. Dear Ric - I wonder if Bernie making you take his artwork off of your website will mean
that you will be forced to publish more of your own original designs?