Elektron Musical Instruments

--- In elektron-users@y..., "mrhardacid" <mrhardacid@y...> wrote:
> 
>   Just curious, is the office/factory/whatever nice?  Lots of good 
> toys around?  Did you get a tour? ;)

He-he, no tour really, I didn't stay very long. Actually, when I 
delivered the machine there were only two people there, the rest was 
out playing football! (it was around 12 o'clock). I got to see more 
when I was there in July last year when I bought the MD. Around 4-5 
rooms, not very large for a "factory" :), and a small studio 
facility, with a really messed up TR-808 (all cables hanging out and 
cut up) which they had used to measure the volts when they were 
making the TRX models for the MD. This time there were several MDs 
around with front panels off as well. :) I think there is a picture 
of the building at elektron.se. 

According to my cousin, who went there to buy an MD 6-7 months ago, 
they have ideas for several products, and (I think), have done 
testing for one specific product, but they wouldn't tell him what it 
was... they're probably a lot more reluctant to give out info on any 
upcoming instruments this time, considering all the rumours, delays 
and all that when the MD was born. 

The "factory" is only over the street for the Technical University of 
Gothenburg, where I think they studied and started work on the Sid. I 
think there are only 5 or 6 employees, as well as some working part-
time (the guy who made the EFM models is not working there anymore, 
that's why there are no more EFM models coming...what a shame!). 
Actually Daniel used to work for a computer games company here in 
Norway. 

How Elektron have managed to stay around I can't figure out, 
considering they've sold a bit more than 1000 Sids and 420(?) MDs 
since the start 3-4 years ago. Think of the cost of Research & 
Development, labour, parts (the MD front panels can't be cheap!), 
repair, space rent, free shipment and so on. (When I was there now, 
several cardboard boxes with the kind of pots used in the first 100 
MDs where in the hall, ready for the trash can...) It must be really 
hard to run a company with so few and specialized products, and such 
low sales (compared to Roland or Yamaha, nothing at all). And Sweden 
is not the cheapest country to live in. They must be quite 
idealistic! All the repairs and updates on the MD must have given 
them a hard blow the last few months as well. The recent friend offer 
(the "mate discount") tells me they've not sold as many MDs they had 
wished for... How ironic this is, when we imho really need such 
companys to show the way with new instruments. What a wonderful 
distraction these products are from the uninventive run-of-the-mill 
Roland etc plasticky s.h.i.t.e. 

LONG LIVE ELEKTRON! :-))

Regards,
Nils