From bruce@ashbysolutions.com Sun Jul 20 12:02:42 2003
Subject:Re: Radium 61 anyone?

Hi,

>I've got a Radium 61, and it's got a really cheap feel. I mean, it is a pretty
>inexpensive device to begin with, but it doesn't seem to have nearly the build
>quality of the Oxygen 8 that it's replacing.

As a ten-year veteran of designing PCs, I'm not in the least surprised. When companies manufacture niche peripherals like keyboards and MIDI boxes, they are rarely targeting gigging musicians. They are targeting the parents of teenagers, who are looking to spend minimal dollars until they can be sure that their children are really serious about their "next greatest thing" pursuits. What does this mean to the consumer? It means that each generation of product is scrutinized and cost-reduced to lower the entry bar, while constantly increasing the feature set to try to stay ahead of their competition. Ultimately, "unnecessary" features like solid keyboards and robust knobs and switches have to give way to financial pressures.

I bought my son a $150 MIDI controller when he was about 9 or 10, and seemed interested in music. It wasn't quite a Studiologic 1100, but it has a decent keyboard and controls. The love affair lasted about six weeks. He still plays piano a bit, but computer music is way off his radar screen.

Now as a musician and part-time musical tech, I rescued the keyboard from the scrap heap, and it's become my test keyboard in the shop, and a good backup when my rig is at a gig or rehearsal and I need to tweak a MIDI sequence. If I wasn't a musician, however, I'd be complaining about the $150 I spent "for nothing." I certainly would have felt better if I only paid $89 for the thing, even if the quality suffered in the process. This is the typical customer that your gigging needs are fighting against.

Regards,

-BW
--
Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions™ http://music.ashbysolutions.com
978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@ashbysolutions.com