From: Patrick R <designlord@...>
Subject: [emax] RE: Emax Modifications and Fixes
To: emax@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, 22 September, 2009, 10:11 PM
Hey Guys,
I wanted to change the subject and also say that I understand keeping something 100% original, BUT there is 100% original parts and 100% to original specification parts. The later is what keeps most 100% original vintage cars running. Unlike vintage cars, the replication process for emax parts is out of reach. There isn't high volume demand for Emaxs parts so our next best hope is to replicate 100% functionality. So for us that means recaping old power supply units and transitioning the media IO interface to something modern that we will be able to find parts for. These are the two weakest links in the system, and for the later it is all 0s and 1s and the media destination and source matters not.
I would dare say that for an actual musician the most important aspect is functionality and getting that unique Emax sound. I would never own a Ferrari GTO and NOT drive it. Granted I would take care and use it on a track (studio for emax parallel). The one exception of course is if it was the ONLY one left of its kind, at which point you have an obligation, to some extent, to keep it safe, or at the very least well documented. Likewise if I had an old Ferrari GTO in my backyard that I got from my grandpa I would use any method I could to make it look nice and getting it running.
At the end of the day the music you make will probably out last the machines that make it. Even us.
____________ _________ _________ __
From: Brooks Mosher <brooksmosher@ gmail.com>
To: emax@yahoogroups. com
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 10:32:50 PM
Subject: Re: [emax] Re: WARNING: scsiforsamplers. com
How is installing a slim floppy drive with the help of a tiny adapter in an
Emax like "taking a hacksaw to the back of one of these machines"???
personally i think that line of thought is way over the top and doesn't have
a lot of bearing on this Emax list. these aren't "circuit bending" mods, or
adding a breath controller input as you had seen on a Matrix 12. these are
fairly simple upgrades or mods... even with the SCSI mod that Ted has
provided- the worst thing you have to do is make a few trace cuts and on
some models you don't even have to do that. many Emaxes are already in bad
condition, and that isn't the fault of a possible current owner. many
Emaxes do not have factory SCSI and many Emaxes have a dead disk drive. i
see nothing wrong with a 3rd party offering solutions for these problems and
Ted has only been 100% professional with me. maybe i missed the point of
your original email or i don't understand what you mean by talking about a
"home brew mod" here but I wouldn't call what Ted does a "home brew" mod..
and, there are plenty of other people on this list who know what they're
doing. a sticker such as your saying "Emax Plus by Ted Summers limited"
isn't going to make the mod work better, and franky, unless you're just a
collector, why should you care about the resale value?? i'm all about
seeing people keep these machines alive for the sake of making music - but
to care about it being a museum piece isn't what the machine was built for
in the first place.
just my 2 cents
Brooks
On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 10:20 PM, sequentialprophett8 <
michael.a.padilla@ netzero.net> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Ted, I've read about your mods, it sure sounds like a great service,
> especially the turnkey part of it - send it off to you, the machine comes
> back ready to run samples from a card. Kind of like Kenton does with their
> MIDI kits or Jim Williams Co. does with their Adat HD24XR AD/DA convertors.
> Granted the Emax is a more limited market, but I would imagine your
> expertise could be expanded to other models. How about a cool sticker (like
> the Emax SE stickers) to put on your modded machines "Emax PLUS By Ted
> Summers Limited" or something. That would probably enhance the resale value
> on models that were done by you as a turnkey. Most serious vintage gear
> buyers, including me, will not touch a "home brew" modded vintage machine,
> like a Matrix-12 that's been tweaked with some funky homemade
> breath-controller mod (saw such an animal on ebay), but an established
> modding outfit with a web presence would probably enhance the resale value
> of the machine.
>
> I guess my point is that I think the low current fair market value of these
> Emaxes invites people to think they are not worthy of being treated like the
> once-high end machines they once were. The thought of a DIY'er taking a
> hacksaw to the back of one of these machines makes me queasy!
>
> --- In emax@yahoogroups. com <emax%40yahoogroups .com>, Ted Summers <djtbs1@...>
> wrote:
> >
> > Boy that is a long post for a self proclaimed "lurker" :-)
> >
> > I am not quite sure how to respond to your post, or if I even should..
> >
> > But----
> > DANGER WILL ROBINSON.... ...DANGER, DANGER
> >
> > ....here goes, these are my thoughts....
> >
> > 1) The original warning poster I have done business with- and had no
> > issue. I am doing business again with him soon.
> > I dunno what happened here, but if the transaction was in good faith
> > on the buyer's part the merchant should make it right.
> >
> > I have had a transaction go awry with a (different) vendor. It took a
> > little work, but that vendor made it right.
> > It is ALL about the customer service.
> > 1 bad "sale" typically results in a minimum of 7 lost sales due to
> > word of mouth.
> > This is statistically proven across many industries
> > As a vendor myself, it is always in my best interest to make the
> > customer experience as smooth as possible and to help as much as
> > possible with any customer issue related to my product.
> > I have always done this, and will continue to do this.
> > As far as I know, I don't have any upset customers. (If you are
> > dissatisfied, send me a mail- I want to help if I can).
> >
> > 2) Some of your points are reasonable.
> > But not everyone has a local "dealer" (ie- electronics shop willing to
> > work on something with no schematic- I know several shops in my area
> > won't) and you can't call Emu.....
> > Keeping in mind that there is no way for someone on the internet to
> > know another's technical capability.
> > --out of 32 SCSI kits sold, I have only had 3 persons that needed me
> > to fix them after failed upgrade.
> > That means a 91% success rate.
> > So apparently we, as a group, aren't as unskilled as some might think.
> >
> > 3) As the seller of the SCSI kit upgrade, and the slim floppy
> > converter board that allows one to have a PC Card or Zip drive
> > installed in that same bay with a slim floppy-
> > I feel I am an innovator.
> > My efforts allow people to expand their equipment's capability and
> > provide repair / replacement capability with reasonable expense.
> > If someone wants turnkey, they can send me their board and I will
> > professionally upgrade it.
> >
> > 4) I wouldn't call myself a DIY'er.
> > I have worked as a technician with 16 years of repair experience in
> > industry.
> > But maybe I should consider myself a DIY'er.
> > Would we consider Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, and others like
> > them DIY'ers of their time?
> >
> > To finish up.....
> > People like to have and often need several available options.
> > I am helping to fill that need.
> > I do consider this a "labor of love".
> > I certainly haven't made buckets of money at it.
> >
> > Anyway, that's my buck and a quarter.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Ted
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sep 11, 2009, at 9:34 PM, sequentialprophett8 wrote:
> >
> > I've had this thread saved in my inbox and meant to post my thoughts
> > for some time. I read all the posts, but I guess I'm more of a lurker.
> > But I thought I would say some things after reading this thread.
> >
> > I don't know what went on between the customer and SCSIForSamplers,
> > and won't even attempt to comment on that transaction. I'm sorry to
> > hear about the problem between a vendor I've done business with and a
> > frequent respected poster on this board.
> >
> > For what it is worth, I can say I've bought several expensive pieces
> > of equipment from that vendor, and have received sterling products and
> > support. In relevant part (for this Board), one item was a rack-mount
> > dual SCSI card reader, and another item was a rackmount dual SCSI CD-
> > ROM & hard drive.
> >
> > That company provides a great service in supporting all of our vintage
> > equipment, in my humble opinion. And no, I have no affiliation or
> > financial interest in that company, am not friends or an acquaintence
> > with anyone there. Strictly business, $$ spent, products received.
> >
> > This thread got me thinking about the frequent theme I see in many of
> > the posts on this Board, that of DIY work on our beloved Emaxes. I
> > recognize the right of any owner to do DIY work, and this thread
> > illustrates that there are always options to spending the $$ and
> > buying a finished product (such as a plug in, turnkey, professional
> > looking and operating card reader) - instead, for the DIY'er, just
> > make it yerself. To each their own. I prefer to just pay the money and
> > get the product, no hassles.
> >
> > Now I recognize in reading the posts here that there is a very strong
> > "DIY" contingent of readers/Emax owners here, and that's great, taking
> > a technical interest in this gear. My perspective is somewhat
> > different I guess - call me strange but I actually don't mind parting
> > with my money to pay my local vintage gear technician to fix my studio
> > equipment. I want to support them (well, maybe not pay too much money)
> > so they will actually be around when my Emax power supply bites it, or
> > another board starts missing notes, vintage Harmonizer starts buzzing,
> > you name it.
> >
> > They check for loose connections, clean the damn thing out, are
> > incredibly resourceful in locating discontinued parts (mine found a
> > custom IC chip and VCA for one of my boards) and generally care for
> > it, looking for problems that could crop up (failing solder, etc). I
> > find the care most techs put into the work (versus the depreciated
> > value of the gear) is an amazing value and probably a labor of love
> > for them.
> >
> > Guys that smart could be doing a Bernie Madoff in the stock market,
> > and yet there they are, working out the problem on your vintage gear..
> > And no, I am not a tech, am not friends or family with a tech, etc. I
> > just want that KNOWLEDGE to stick around, so they can fix it when it
> > breaks. When that KNOWLEDGE is lost, it's gone for good. Nothing more
> > depressing than the day that will come for all of us Emax owners where
> > the number of people who even can work on these things is down to a
> > very few, and then none. Know anyone who works on [insert name of
> > 1970s business computer] mainframe?
> >
> > I assume all of you on the Board not only have the vintage piece of
> > gear that brings us together (Emax I/Emax II), but probably other
> > vintage gear as well. That means you, like I, have probably sat there
> > in your studio in utter frustration as that dear piece of vintage gear
> > (whatever it is) sits mute, or buzzing, or has a mysteriously
> > attenuated right stereo out (current problem du jour for me), or
> > otherwise malfunctioning in front of you. Now THAT experience probably
> > brings us all together.
> >
> > I guess my main thought is that, for the DIY'ers, if you can't bear to
> > part with $$ to pay a tech, please don't F*** up that vintage piece of
> > gear further with a half-baked DIY fix - at least if you ever plan to
> > sell it. It is depressing to hear a tech say that whatever problem
> > that gear is suffering that a new owner bought has been magnified by
> > some prior DIY fix.
> >
> > I bought my first Emax new in the summer of 1987, after saving to pay
> > an astronomical amount of money at the time - it was worth it as it
> > was such a superior product to the main competitors at the time, i.e..
> > the Roland S50. Now does anyone remember that - with the wave pen
> > gimmick, etc. The Emax by comparison, although depreciated now, was a
> > major advance in gear at the time - again, 1987. I was there. You had
> > the crummy Roland, Ensoniq, Korg and Akai, the eye-wateringly
> > expensive Series III, the beyond-reach Waveterm, and, then, before the
> > EIII - the Emax - an affordable EII. What magic it was playing around
> > with the Emax at the dealer, that summer. The look was like no other
> > sampler, the sound of the analog filters warmly swirling that digital
> > source. Oh Yeah.
> >
> > I still have that Emax, in like new condition, a time capsule of
> > sorts. Like someone who bought their car new, I guess I take special
> > care of it, and (to use the analogy) don't do burnouts in it. This in
> > contrast to a 2nd, 3rd or 4th owner who paid greatly depreciated value
> > for it and consequently just "wrenches on it in the backyard." Being
> > an original owner, I still "take mine to the dealer." Yes I guess I'm
> > talking about both cars and Emaxes.
> >
> > Again, to each their own, just my opinion. Thanks again to everyone
> > who posts here, good bad and ugly - it is such a valuable resource and
> > I can't thank all of you enough. Keep posting! Long live EMAX.
> >
> > --- In emax@yahoogroups. com <emax%40yahoogroups .com>, "jammie"
> <jammie.emma@ > wrote:
> > >
> > > i spoke to jd and he said that he did not want to do business with
> > you that is why he refunded your money when you paid by paypal
> > >
> > > jd is very reasonable in costs as he is a business seller and has
> > to make a living
> > >
> > > if you can get it cheaper then get it cheaper by all means but it
> > is not nice slagging people off and saying that they are making a
> > masive mark up is not correct
> > >
> > > he could make a massive mark but does not
> > >
> > > now the scsi to ide cards he could sell the same as other stockest
> > which is $100-120 this is just for the cards with out the cfcard
> > adapter he sells them for $89
> > >
> > > the mcdisk1 now i tried buying from the manufacturer they are £550
> > per drive and you have to have a minimum order of 100 now
> > scsiforsamplers was selling them for $250 thats very cheap compared to
> > the manufacturer
> > >
> > > but its not nice to rubbish some one and there reputation as a
> > company and jd always replaces damaged goods as long as they are
> > damaged by manufactur basis and not by the person installing it he get
> > you to send it back to him where he will send you another
> > >
> > > now if you can do better i would surgest that you do your own
> > company to sell these drives
> > >
> > > the saying goes you can keep most people happy most of the time but
> > some peolple happy only some of the time
> > >
> > > alll i say to you when you brought from scsiforsamplers for you
> > spyrus drive did it work did you have problems from jd if not htne you
> > should go by this
> > >
> > > and telling people to not to buy from him is illegal and he can sue
> > you for deformation of character if you are not happy then air your
> > views to him and the other person who has problems and not spreed
> > rubbish about people
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: Julian
> > > To: emax@yahoogroups. com <emax%40yahoogroups .com>
> > > Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 4:28 AM
> > > Subject: Re: [emax] WARNING: scsiforsamplers. com
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > hey jammie - did you get in touch with JD?
> > >
> > > further weirdness has evolved in relation to scsiforsamplers. com
> > >
> > >
> http://www.gearslut z.com/board/ electronic- music-instrument s-electronic- music-production /415880-hardware -samplers- scsi-hard- drives.html
> > >
> > > seems that without paypal protection, someone in italy was sold an
> > "as
> > > is" drive, after being redirected from a sale through
> > > scsiforsamplers. com, by scsiforsamplers. com to an "associate" of
> > > scsiforsamplers. com.... called JD... (you know - same name as the guy
> > > that everyone who deals with scsiforsamplers. com actually deals
> > > with......) and this drive arrived in a non-operational state.
> > >
> > > now I don't know about anyone else, but when I read something is
> > being
> > > sold "as is" I assume it to mean "this works, but there's no
> > warranty"
> > > if you know something is broken, then you would sell it "broken, as
> > is"
> > > and I don't understand how, that at the markup scsiforsamplers. com
> > sells
> > > things, the drives are not ALL checked, and their working status is
> > > confirmed or not, as soon as they arrive in store.... which leads
> > to a
> > > very bad assumption on the character of whoever is doing this...
> > >
> > > anyway - like I already said.. massive uncharacteristic weirdness is
> > > going on here with scsiforsamplers. com - be extra careful of anything
> > > they (or an associate of them that you might normally believe is
> > acting
> > > on their behalf) tries to offer you something to buy "as is"
> > through an
> > > untraceable payment system - because it looks like the trick is to
> > get
> > > people to buy something broken with no warranty, and then use the "no
> > > warranty" as an escape clause for selling broken gear in the first
> > > place..
> > >
> > > and THEN on top of everything else, when their victim talks about
> > it on
> > > line, to go and email the victim, threatening a defamation suit!
> > >
> > > so - unless some massive explaining gets done, I'd recommend that
> > nobody
> > > buy from scsiforsamplers. com without the protection of paypal. if
> > > they're interested in dealing with a company that can allow this
> > sort of
> > > behaviour at all....
> > >
> > > julian
> > >
> > > --
> > > http://bleepin. com
> > >
> > > --
> > > http://www.fastmail .fm - Send your email first class
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > No virus found in this incoming message.
> > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> > > Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.13.69/2328 - Release Date:
> > 08/26/09 12:16:00
> > >
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
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>
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