[sdiy] MOTM over time

[Paul Schreiber]

Well, MOTM actually was a DIRECT result of the synthDIY list. About 3 1/2
years ago I joined, and the month I started the posts were all about the
lack of quality synth kits. I never really thought that much about it. I was
an old Electronotes junkie (me and Bob Moog are listed together in Issue
#44, I think that was a sort of sign). Soon after I joined, I bought all of
the CEM chip inventory from Doug Curtis (he and I design DVM ASICs together
when I was at Tandy).

So, my initial 'business plan' was to redesign the Digisound modules,
popular in the UK in the mid-80s. In fact,
I turned up one UK system with (gulp) 283 modules!! (my vote for the largest
modular ever). Since I had the chips, the designs were easy and all that was
needed was a small 'upgrade' to better parts and maybe a new form factor.

Well, that idea proved to be quite unpopular. The 'general public' wanted
instead for me to sell the chips for repair
and 'resuce kits' for existing analog synths. So, my inital website was to
sell the chips. I decided to fund "something else" after I paid the chips
off (which was more that my first house cost).

Sales of the CEM chips were not nearly as....errrr...."robust" as I would
have hoped. But, there was still a yearning
both on the list at within me to "build SOMETHING". ASM-1s were quite
popular, so I really didn't want to do a "big"
project (HAHAHA!). I decided to offer REALLY cheap synth kits (like PAiA on
steroids).

Well, THAT was before I ever heard of Doepfer and Analog Solutions. Shot
that little project right in the head.

So, I decided to set aside $5,000 that CEM sales generated to build a new
kit that was high-end. I'm a stereophile nut
and if you have ever looked inside a $12,000 Mark Levinson monoblock you can
know what beauty in electrical design
is like. I wanted to build a 'audiophile synth'.

MOTM 'went live' on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14th) 1998. I told my wife that I
had 1 goal: get my $5,000 back + enough for a family vacation (about $2400).
This was a 18 month goal. Since the CEM response factor (actual orders
divided by positive emails) was about 0.05, I thought this was not a
slam-dunk but achievable.

I had exactly 2 modules to sell: the MOTM-900 Power Supply and the MOTM-110
Ring Mod/VCA. No credit cards,
no demo files, no decent website. BUT...I got 6 orders the first week!

The #1 struggle early on was sheet metal. I'll be the first to admit, I have
NO mechanical talent. I hired a good M.E.
to design the panels in AutoCAD. Soon after the site went live, he dided
suddenly. AutoCAD isn't exactly the world's
cheapest program, either. But I got it, and designed the MOTM-100 Noise/S&H
and the MOTM-19A rails all by
myself without incident (I will not talk about the $800 of other stuff that
went in the dumpster). THEN, the company
I had used for the sheetmetal told me I was "too small of a potential
business" and fired ME! I didn't know what to do. I had to pick up some
brackets at the paint shop (the metal shop didn't paint) which was run by 2
hippy brothers
straight out of Haight-Ashbury 1966. While I was waiting, I
...errrrr......nosed around in the outgoing mail section
and just 'happen to notice' lots of boxes going to a certain metal shop.
That's who I use now :)

When I started, my dream was to ship 1000 modules to 100 people. For 1
person with a 'real day job', that was pretty
ambitious. Well, I'm up to 2478 modules to 233 people! This summer I had 4
others working for me (all since left
for school). Now it's just little old me (sniff sniff).

I have been VERY VERY lucky with my customers, many who are on this site as
well as those who help me more than
I let on :) I sort of joke I screen my customers, but I do call every one
and thank them (you should see my 19 page phone bills). To my knowledge,
MOTM has not been slammed by a single CUSTOMER on a forum as this, on
AH/Harmony Cenral/SonicState/whatever. No one has ever asked for their money
back. I did lose a pending sale because I bad-mouthed Serge, but I have
reformed a great deal (really!).

I NEVER deamed someone I greatly admire, Robert Rich, would use MOTM on a
CD, much less devote an ENTIRE CD
to MOTM. I've been on cloud nine (as we say) all week. I could quit today
and have no regrets, but my customers would
have other thoughts!

In case you've forgotten: I do pay royalties for MOTM designs! Email me if
you have a design you want to see produced
as a MOTM module. I consider myself a "pretty good" analog designer, but
there are people on this list I am not worthy
to lick their solder iron tips clean. Lasy year I paid about $8,000 in
royalties.

I'll stop this diarreha of the keyboard now :) Thanks to everyone supporting
MOTM. No SDIY, no MOTM. Simple
as that.

Paul S.