tips...048
subject..expensive control surfaces and add in dsp cards.
the reason for this post is i see lots of people buying
the above for their studios..but ..
i'm not sure some buyers are aware of certain pitfalls.
in theory they sound wonderfull..but..
there are pitfalls.

before buying make sure you can get service/support
a few years down the line.

heres the issue.
these items contain a lot of custom puter chips n smt.
(surface mount technology) and are not items the individual can fix.
also the other aspect is obsolescence.
for big studios that think nothing of dropping 10k on gear
its no big deal. but for the small studio that cant afford
to keep on rebuying it is.

in summary if such a unit fails you could be left with
a doorstop if the manufacturer goes out of business
or the custom chips in the unit are no longer available.
as happened to me once.

in summary..before buying ,
ask these questions.
1. is the unit upgradeable ?
2. for how many years will the internal circuitry be available
in case a problem develops.
and how long will i be able to get service.

its not like in the old days when an op amp could be replaced
in a audio mixers channel.
this stuff is rather complex .

myself, ive reached a point where i refuse to buy any product
that contains digital circuitry unless i can be assured of upgradeability
and future service. eg will the unit work when windows 8 rolls around for example.

retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.