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R/E/P => R/E/P Archives => Reason In Audio => Topic started by: Breck on May 05, 2004, 05:04:09 PM

Title: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Breck on May 05, 2004, 05:04:09 PM

I'm confused. Our production facility is about to take delivery of a Sony DMXR100. However, on the DMXR100 forum, there's some conflicting information regarding whether or not this item is discontinued. Anybody know if Sony's still going to make these?
Is the confusion the result of sony dissolving its' Pro Audio division, but still listing the DMXR100 on the 'Business Solutions' web page?
All hard information will be very much appreciated.

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Fred Rogers on May 05, 2004, 10:54:42 PM

Breck wrote on Wed, 05 May 2004 17:04

I'm confused. Our production facility is about to take delivery of a Sony DMXR100. However, on the DMXR100 forum, there's some conflicting information regarding whether or not this item is discontinued. Anybody know if Sony's still going to make these? Is the confusion the result of sony dissolving its' Pro Audio division, but still listing the DMXR100 on the 'Business Solutions' web page? All hard information will be very much appreciated.

Breck,

Sadly, I don't find that totally unusual.  I mean I hope for your sake that it's not true, but with these big companies, you honestly never know.  I had a friend that bought an SSL J Series and like, less than three months later, they introduced the K!  Here's another one.  I knew a guy who bought a Sony/MCI 24 track and a Sony Controller device (which Sony said would lock the Sony 24 track to other products).  Well, before they ever came out with software to control ANYTHING other than the Sony/MCI machine, Sony announced that they were "NO LONGER PLANNING" to allow the Sony controller to work with any products other than another Sony/MCI tape machine.  Fortunately, my buddy immediately called his sales guy and Sony took the unit back with a full refund.

If you find out that the product has been discontinued, my guess is that you can get your money back if that's what you would like to do.  Of course, then you'd be out of a console, but at least you wouldn't be buying an unsupported product.

Sorry.

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Level on May 06, 2004, 03:14:13 AM

Just to sneak in here. I actually saw a well maintained PCM 3348 going for 8K on ebay. I think we paid 267K for ours back in 1995.

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Bill Mueller on May 06, 2004, 08:28:23 AM

Breck,

Run, don't walk to a Yamaha DM 2000. Yamaha supports its products with new software and improved facilities. You won't be sorry.

Bill

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Bill Park on May 06, 2004, 08:37:44 AM

"However, on the DMXR100 forum, there's some conflicting information regarding whether or not this item is discontinued."

I was told this at AES in October.

I don't know the -real- answer, but it would not be to radical a jump to figure that this particular digital product had reached the end of its product life.  Is it time for the 101?  Or a totally new offering?  Don't know.

Still, someone has to buy the last one, and if it suited your needs before it was the last one, why wouldn't it suit your needs now?

 Bill

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: kubapk on May 06, 2004, 10:04:27 AM

We should ask a question about the Sony's future in audio industry at all...
... the news might not be good, I am afraid
Regards
Kuba Pietrzak

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Breck on May 06, 2004, 10:19:43 AM

Quote:

Breck, Sadly, I don't find that totally unusual. I mean I hope for your sake that it's not true, but with these big companies, you honestly never know.

Fred,
    Thanks so much for the understanding. I mean, in today's hurry-up world, it is truly rare to find someone who can make this kind of emotional connection. You've warmed the cockles of my heart.
    Now, if I can just get Neumann to trade my old, discontinued U67 for a new, fresh, TLM103, I'll be all set.

    By the way, I thought you were dead.

    Amazing what can be done with a truly fast internet connection, isn't it?

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Breck on May 06, 2004, 10:22:48 AM

Quote:

Is it time for the 101? Or a totally new offering? Don't know.

Bill, Please pardon my almost limitless ignorance, but what's a "101"?

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Breck on May 06, 2004, 10:27:10 AM

Quote:

Breck, Run, don't walk to a Yamaha DM 2000. Yamaha supports its products with new software and improved facilities. You won't be sorry. Bill

Bill, are you using a DM2000? I've used a DMXR100 and really liked the sound of it. I haven't been able to fall in love with the sound of any Yamaha digital console so far- But I haven't spent any time in front of a "newer" Yammy. Is the DM2000 kind of a new ball game in that regard?

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: raw-tracks on May 06, 2004, 11:07:37 AM

Breck wrote on Thu, 06 May 2004 09:22

Quote: Is it time for the 101? Or a totally new offering? Don't know. Bill, Please pardon my almost limitless ignorance, but what's a "101"?

I believe he is referring to the DMXR100+1, or in other words, the next generation.

Also, to the best of my knowledge, the console is still available. But I don't have any information about a planned discontinuation. Not to say it isn't in the works. I just haven't heard one way or the other.

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Bill Mueller on May 06, 2004, 12:11:06 PM

Breck,

Yes, I have had a DM 2000 for over a year now and I will never look back. From 1985 to 2000 I was a snobby SSL user.

The mic pre's on the Yamaha are clean and detailed. I have made acoustic guitar recordings that I could never have made before. The compressors and eq's are musical, predictable and easy to use. The effects are typical Yamaha but nicer than most Yamaha verbs that I have used before. The board does 5.1 monitoring, spacial efx and compression/limiting. The board is rock solid. I have had NO software problems.

Yamaha has just released 2.0 software and multiple suites of add on compressors, mastering tools and reverbs. The board can control Pro Tools. The automation is fine. Get the meter bridge.

Hey Bill. I just talked to Greg and we will be working together again. See you at HFestival.

Best regards,

Bill

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Breck on May 06, 2004, 01:36:45 PM

     Well, I'm off to play with a DM2000. Thnks for the input, everyone.
    Except, of course, Fred. Who's dead.
Better get that old Neve off to the landfill, Fred- it's been discontinued, you know!

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Bill Park on May 06, 2004, 04:07:02 PM

Breck,

Indeed, I was saying that maybe a next 'version' of the 100 is due when I said the 101.  Maybe it will be the 100B, or the 1000, whatever.

And I agree about the Yamahas...   indeed, I have not heard a Yamaha digital console that I liked, and the effects are, from my point of view, just awful.  Re: the Yamaha DM2000... it was highly recommended to me by Doctor Don, and he has always been picky about consoles.  On the other hand, the PM1D is not a hard console to run, and I imagine that the DM2000 would be easy and flexible, too.  Do you compromise a little in sound for ease of use and flexibility?


In fact, though I was an early proponent of digital consoles, I've gone the other way in light of their rather short lifespans.  If I needed a console today, I'd probably buy an analog console.

But I also see the value of a digital console in certain production environments, and I was liking the Sony for that purpose.

As I said before, if the Sony suited your needs, what changed?  It's still as good as it was a week ago.

 Bill

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Breck on May 06, 2004, 05:28:44 PM

Quote:

As I said before, if the Sony suited your needs, what changed? It's still as good as it was a week ago. Bill

    Thanks for the input, Bill, and I agree with you completely. My concern was more about support and peripherals- although peripherals (Like cards or the expander) could be found used.
    Sony seems to be gradually eliminating thier Pro Audio division, and folding it into something called Business Solutions- I don't know that Sony Pro Audio is going away, but "all signs point to yes".
     I want to play with a DM2000 simply because I haven't yet! And, I've heard good things about it from many different places. Doesn't mean I'll like it.
     I've obviously given the impression that I'll only buy the "latest and greatest"- this is not the case.
     A good tool is one that gets the job done, and the clients' check in my hand.
     At the same time, I want to know what I can- it's always better to know than not know...

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Bill Park on May 06, 2004, 06:00:43 PM

Breck,

You are probably going to want to buy all of the components at once, ore as soon as you find out if the 100 has been discontinued.  That stuff seems to vaporize.

 Bill

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: drew on May 07, 2004, 09:15:08 AM

I own a DMX and I use a DM2000 almost daily at the school where I teach part time. I like the DM on paper but using it leaves something to be desired. I hate the fact that you have to use the same knob for freq and bandwidth in the eq section, pressing a button to toggle between the two functions. Also, the DMX has 4 band eq and filters whereas on the Yamaha the high and low are either parametric OR filters. I don't care for the sound of the compressors either. The gui seems not to represent what I'm hearing. I wish it had a keyboard built in. On the DMX the touch screen becomes a keyboard. The tiny monochrome display hardly befits a $20k console. I hate the fact that you need to save a scene, input setup, output setup, and automix in order to save what the DMX considers a "Title". I equally hate the fact that the DMX will only hold 10 Titles at a time.  I do think the DMX sounds better. In sheer capability the Yamaha smokes the DMX. I could go on. They each have their pluses and minuses so don?t let anyone tell you one is ?better? than the other. The Sony is thousands less than the Yamaha so it?s not a slam dunk if you consider your needs.
Just my rambling 2 cents.
drew

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: Breck on May 07, 2004, 11:35:34 AM

Quote:

Just my rambling 2 cents. drew

And very much appreciated.

Title: Re: Sony DMXR100 discontinued?
Post by: buddhaman on May 10, 2004, 12:18:35 PM

Quote

Just to sneak in here. I actually saw a well maintained PCM 3348 going for 8K on ebay. I think we paid 267K for ours back in 1995.

Unquote

At the toy specialists auction a few months ago, they wanted to give away a 3348 16 bit and a 3348 24 bit because they did not sell.

I'm not sure if there were any takers or if they just threw them away

$250k in 1995

$0k in 2004

Irony---priceless

Buddhaman