Xite & ADAT boxes

[fraz]

Hi,

I've been thinking about my Xite-1 - Not connected currently due to "stuff"

On the Xite-1 it is possible to have 32 Ins and 32 outs - 16 over ADAT and 16 over Z-LINK - Many of us here also have S|C A16 Ultra with ADAT and Z-LINK connectors on to use with the Z-LINK connector on XITE-1.

Many of us here also have Ferrofish A16 boxes as well with the ADAT only connectors on.

I put this forward as an idea for either S|C or Ferrofish to produce a 32 I/O box with 4 x ADAT [16 I/O] and 2 x Z-LINK [16 I/O] for use with Xite-1 to provide users with 32 I/O no hassle * guaranteed compatilbility.

S|C may want and need more NEW* customers but will find it difficult with such a niche product [and complexity] but this could be made more easy to get and keep new customers with a fool proof ***solution without redesigning the Xite-1 with all the R&D costs.

Either that or a derivative of the same solution is created such as another version of S|C A16 with both ADAT & Z-LINK on.

As it stands I have one of the A16 with ADAT and Z-LINK but there is no way to get another new one if it was needed [it isn't needed]

Like mentioned above [just an idea] - But without this someone is limited to 16 I/O on a new purchase unless they can get a used A16 with ADAT & Z-LINK.

We all want S|C to have a future which is why I put the idea forward for consideration -

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Dante / Scope with the PCI-e card [Dante works very well with the PCI-e card] audio over LAN
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Focusrite for some time have had Dante "Red Net" ethernet audio interfaces - There is a "Red Net 5 " that incorporates 32 I/O of Pro Tools [from their hardware] into Dante

A bit pie-in-the-sky maybe but what about a S|C version taking 32 I/O into Dante? -

The first idea above is a "common sense" idea based on the current makeup of Xite

[Marco]

I think ferrofish does not believe very much in scopes future. There are just a view people out there using the xite. And SC make no advertising. Only the website is there, thats all. No NAMM no Frankfurt Musikmesse, no Soundbooth.

SC is like in a coma.

[fraz]

I think ferrofish does not believe very much in scopes future. There are just a view people out there using the xite. And SC make no advertising. Only the website is there, thats all. No NAMM no Frankfurt Musikmesse, no Soundbooth.

SC is like in a coma.

Yes, but where do they have their offices? - Inside their own home? - Xite is expensive so it needs to be good for people to buy it - It is good but needs to work well - My post before was just an idea!

How many Xite has been sold? - Are they doing S|C every day of the week? - It costs money to have a website as well and keep it running

[Marco]

It is a very good idea! Indeed.

[krizrox]

Sonic Core headquarters (supposedly). In one section of their website they list their headquarters in Seigburg, Germany. In the contact section it's Troisdorf. Troisdorf is only a couple of miles from Seigburg. This Google Earth shot is the Troisdorf address.

I don't think it's a private residence. It looked like there were two other businesses registered to that same address (I think one is a computer store). Appears to be three buildings there. I don't know which one belongs to S|C or if they all belong to S|C or what's going on there.

[garyb]

damn!

would it matter if it was Holger's home?

yeah, he moved the offices from Seigburg quite some time ago. he didn't update the entire website(would you rather he spent energy on the website?).

just because you don't see activity does not mean that there is none.

[krizrox]

damn!

would it matter if it was Holger's home?

yeah, he moved the offices from Seigburg quite some time ago. he didn't update the entire website(would you rather he spent energy on the website?).

just because you don't see activity does not mean that there is none.

Doesn't matter to me lol. My studio business has been running from my home for the past 20+ years.

Having said that, and this is just my own opinion: where a business is located is less important to me than how a business chooses to market itself to the general public (and their own customer base). If you're going to put zero effort into marketing/promotion, including spending a few minutes a month making sure your website is up to date, that seems rather suspicious to me. Almost like the people behind the products don't give a shit. Or there's nothing of merit there anymore so why bother.

Some of us probably feel like we have a vested interest in the success of the company we've paid thousands of dollars to for their products. Some of us have been around since the very early days of Creamware. It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that someone here on Planet Z would be asking what the hell is going on. What are we? Chopped liver? lol A snooty retort is only part of the problem I think. Why would I want to recommend this product to someone? From all outward appearances, it actually does look like a coma.

And... as long as I'm on a roll here: street price for Xite here in the US is almost $4,000. That's a lot of money to spend on a flawed product with a stalled software program. I "get" that there are some "quirky" garage-based audio companies out there selling hundred dollar stomp boxes with weird names. That sort of charm probably works in their favor. I'm not sure that same level of charm exists here.

[garyb]

i don't even know how to respond.
i apologize for seeming "snooty".

is this about audio?
as far as expense goes, two 15dsp cards would have cost more than an XITE-1, when they were made. the XITE-1 is 6-10 times the power of the 15dsp cards, every day. many people here have 15+year old PCI cards still in new computers, even though PCI is officially obsolete. $4000 for that product is reasonable, if it's about audio.

why recommend it?
for audio.

yes, i understand your fear that the company is stalled. so what? does that make Scope less of an audio tool? if it doesn't do everything you imagine now, or worse, everything you imagine tomorrow, is it expensive for high-end audio? i'll answer, no, it is not. if you wish to spend the money or not, or if the company fails, it's your choice at this point(not necessarily personally).

as far as vested interests, well, if the interest was real, then the company wouldn't want for money, because people would shout out about the system's strengths rather than only it's weaknesses. yes, i admit, there are weaknesses. the reason that i'm involved is for audio, not computers. to heck with computers.

your mileage may vary.

fwiw, i know that people have had problems with the Ferrofish A16 Mk2 and the XITE, but personally, i own two A16 Mk2s which work fine. the same person made both the XITE-1's ADAT system and the A16 Mk2's ADAT system. perhaps the problem is not SonicCore's, since those converters worked fine in the past, and their design hasn't changed(nor should it. ADAT is a protocol and the protocol has not changed).

i get it though. people want more. there's nothing wrong with that.

[krizrox]

I just had an epiphany but before I get to that:

I had forgotten that SC had a Facebook page. Apparently I must have known about it from a while ago because I had already "liked" it lol

Anyway, just out of curiosity, I went there and took a look at the activity on that page to see if maybe I had missed out on some exciting XITE/Scope news over the years. There are a number of fairly recent posts related to a 3rd-party developer called Ocean Swift. They seem very active in the synth side of things. Maybe those updates have been here on PZ all along and I just missed them because I'm not a synth guy. It's not the same level of excitement as it used to be when Creamware was in full swing, but it was nice to see anything at all happening. Kudos to Ocean Swift.

There were a few random posts complaining about the lack of updated SCOPE WAV drivers. Apparently a few people have been waiting for these updates for over 10 years. Kinda made me laugh. First of all I don't know why people are missing WAV drivers (they must need them for some reason that I don't know about). But the fact these customers have been clinging desperately to hope all these years made me laugh. There's one thing about Creamware/S|C users that can't be denied: we're patient lol. Either that or we're certifiably crazy I'm not sure which. But this was sort of my original point (I guess). If I knew nothing about Sonic Core or Creamware or any of that, and was looking for an audio interface solution for my home studio (or whatever) and happened to randomly stumble across the SC Facebook page, I think I would keep on surfing. This isn't the warm fuzzy feeling type of marketing we're used to. It's more like that grumpy neighbor who yells at you to get off his lawn type of marketing. lol

And then I read something that Holger had posted in 2015 about the history of SC/Creamware and his philosophy of the world and it was all right there. The answer!

And here's where I had my epiphany: I realized I had been spoiled by things that had happened many years ago. Sonic Core isn't Creamware. The only remaining thread between the two companies is the Scope program which, aside from a few minor updates, is virtually the same as it was 10+ years ago. Whatever vibrant 3rd-party market existed back then is long gone. In his own words, he admits Scope isn't for everyone and money (I assume he means profit) wasn't the underlying reason for the creation of the company. He was designing products for "special people" that he admired or liked (whatever that means).

All of a sudden it all made sense. These products were designed and marketed like this simply to appeal to a niche group of crazies. You have to admit, it's a little bit crazy to be clinging to some little thread of hope that the software will be eventually reworked and all of a sudden the clouds will part and rays of sunshine will beam down on the faithful few lololol.

[garyb]

i guess it has been bad for you all these years. you look like one of the crazies to me.

something must have been useful.

[fraz]

i guess it has been bad for you all these years. you look like one of the crazies to me.

something must have been useful.

Who is one of the crazies? - - Not me I hope! -

Looking at the picture which I did not expect the building is called KasinoStrabe [Kasino Street?] - Connotations of gambling -

When I mentioned the ADAT with Z-link all it is is - lets say someone buys Xite-1 today - And buys an A16 - Great they got 16 I / O - OK - If the ADAT A16 had a z-link connector on as well someone who buys Xite-1 today can get 32 I / O which is what I can do because I got an A16 Ultra Sonic Core with 2 x z-link and 4 x adat so I can get the full 32 I/O which is great.

So I think someone who buys Xite-1 today should be able to get an A16 of some sort with 2 x Z-link on to hook up to the Xite so they can get 32 Ins and 32 outs - And yes Xite is great - So I'm not bashing it - ! -

[garyb]

sure, an A16 Z-Link would be a good thing. unfortunately, Ferrofish doesn't want to make it, and they own the design.

[fraz]

sure, an A16 Z-Link would be a good thing. unfortunately, Ferrofish doesn't want to make it, and they own the design.

Oh oh oh I see! - That is the most simple way of maximizing the I/O of Xite - I could see why Ferrofish may not want to do this because they do not know how many they will sell - A custom order list maybe for a limited production run ???

I hope there is no fallout from Ferrofish and S|C as being the reason for not wanting to make this unit.

This seems the most obvious way forward and may entice new users and older users alike and would fit in with the current design of Xite