Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
-
- Posts: 8
- Joined: 26 Feb 2012, 00:20
- 12
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Electro 3
Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
Don't you agree? You buy a midi controller with 9 faders for 300 euros? Come on...it should be below of 1/2 the price.
With that price you can buy a very good midi keyboard, with faders, drumpads, semi weighted keys..rotary controls..everything!
With that price you can buy a very good midi keyboard, with faders, drumpads, semi weighted keys..rotary controls..everything!
-
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 18 Oct 2011, 01:24
- 12
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Electro 3
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 1 time
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
I agree. I have as a lower manual a studio logic master keyboard with 9 drawbars and progarmmable buttons : excellent and easy to program. I can use it also for piano as it has a good weighed action.
I had the DB1 and sold it without loosing too musch money.
Keep on swinging.
Roberto
I had the DB1 and sold it without loosing too musch money.
Keep on swinging.
Roberto
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
Agreed! When these came I wanted them bad, but couldn't and still can't justify paying that much for midi sliders. That being said, I don't think there is a big market and it probably costs that guys a decent amount to produce them, so he's just trying to make a little money and help Nord users out, but unfortunately they cost way too much for what they are.
-
- Posts: 109
- Joined: 18 Mar 2012, 12:56
- 12
- Your Nord Gear #2: Nord Electro 3
- Has thanked: 4 times
- Been thanked: 24 times
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
They probably are produced in smaller amounts and look as if they are made of metal, where the average controller keyboard is mostly a plastic thingy...but I also have an Novation impulse 49 keys with nine faders and it does the job. And no one is forced to buy an OceanBeach.
- OBDave
- Posts: 83
- Joined: 14 Mar 2011, 05:41
- 13
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Electro 2
- Your Nord Gear #2: Nord Stage 2
- Location: San Diego, California, US
- Has thanked: 11 times
- Been thanked: 46 times
- Contact:
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
Yep, that's exactly it. If they were made by the thousands in China, they'd be a whole lot cheaper. But they're not, they're made in the US, the enclosure is steel, and as a result there are lots of additional costs associated with their manufacture. Interestingly enough, the electronics are not that expensive, it's all the mechanicals (enclosure, faders, buttons, switches, connectors) that really drive the cost up. That stuff adds up fast.
I really wish there was a way to manufacture the DB-1 less expensively, but it's a low-volume, niche product. And it's just not possible to do low-volume manufacturing on the cheap.
For comparison you should look at what Hammond-Suzuki charges for the XM-c2. Granted, it's got a couple more knobs and buttons, but it's also a comparatively high-volume product, it's made of plastic, and it's way more expensive than the DB-1. And it's not even programmable nor does it have standard connectors.
Consider also the price differential between the Electro 3 61 and the Electro 4D, where there was no metal box for them to make, no new power supply to design, no new connectors, no additional microprocessor, or anything. The incremental cost of manufacture appears to be have been quite minimal. So I think in that light, the DB-1 fares pretty well. The DB-1 was designed specifically for the Nord and works with every Nord ever made, so when you upgrade or switch from Electro to Stage, you can take your drawbars with you. At the same time, it's also fully programmable so you can use it with VB3 or other VSTi's. I'd love to be able to sell them for 99 bucks but there's just no way to do that.
Regards,
Dave
I really wish there was a way to manufacture the DB-1 less expensively, but it's a low-volume, niche product. And it's just not possible to do low-volume manufacturing on the cheap.
For comparison you should look at what Hammond-Suzuki charges for the XM-c2. Granted, it's got a couple more knobs and buttons, but it's also a comparatively high-volume product, it's made of plastic, and it's way more expensive than the DB-1. And it's not even programmable nor does it have standard connectors.
Consider also the price differential between the Electro 3 61 and the Electro 4D, where there was no metal box for them to make, no new power supply to design, no new connectors, no additional microprocessor, or anything. The incremental cost of manufacture appears to be have been quite minimal. So I think in that light, the DB-1 fares pretty well. The DB-1 was designed specifically for the Nord and works with every Nord ever made, so when you upgrade or switch from Electro to Stage, you can take your drawbars with you. At the same time, it's also fully programmable so you can use it with VB3 or other VSTi's. I'd love to be able to sell them for 99 bucks but there's just no way to do that.
Regards,
Dave
Last edited by OBDave on 31 Oct 2012, 07:05, edited 1 time in total.
- These users thanked the author OBDave for the post (total 6):
- Michael Wright, pablomastodon, RedLeo, Gustavo, sakari, analogika
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
Clearly, none of you have any experience with plastics tooling.
I imagine Nord use wooden end cheeks on their stage for this reason.
You are probably looking in the order of $20-30k for the tooling for the bars and the body. That's before you pay anyone.
It's a fair chunk to punt. I wouldn't have.
Well done them for doing it.
I imagine Nord use wooden end cheeks on their stage for this reason.
You are probably looking in the order of $20-30k for the tooling for the bars and the body. That's before you pay anyone.
It's a fair chunk to punt. I wouldn't have.
Well done them for doing it.
- These users thanked the author jazzystu for the post (total 2):
- pablomastodon, OBDave
- Michael Wright
- Donator
- Posts: 236
- Joined: 03 Dec 2011, 00:14
- 12
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Electro 3
- Your Nord Gear #2: Nord C2
- Location: Ontario Canada
- Has thanked: 49 times
- Been thanked: 57 times
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
Well said.OBDave wrote:Yep, that's exactly it. If they were made by the thousands in China, they'd be a whole lot cheaper. But they're not, they're made in the US, the enclosure is steel, and as a result there are lots of additional costs associated with their manufacture. Interestingly enough, the electronics are not that expensive, it's all the mechanicals (enclosure, faders, buttons, switches, connectors) that really drive the cost up. That stuff adds up fast.
I really wish there was a way to manufacture the DB-1 less expensively, but it's a low-volume, niche product. And it's just not possible to do low-volume manufacturing on the cheap.
For comparison you should look at what Hammond-Suzuki charges for the XM-c2. Granted, it's got a couple more knobs and buttons, but it's also a comparatively high-volume product, it's made of plastic, and it's way more expensive than the DB-1. And it's not even programmable nor does it have standard connectors.
Consider also the price differential between the Electro 3 61 and the Electro 4D, where there was no metal box for them to make, no new power supply to design, no new connectors, no additional microprocessor, or anything. The incremental cost of manufacture appears to be have been quite minimal. So I think in that light, the DB-1 fares pretty well. The DB-1 was designed specifically for the Nord and works with every Nord ever made, so when you upgrade or switch from Electro to Stage, you can take your drawbars with you. At the same time, it's also fully programmable so you can use it with VB3 or other VSTi's. I'd love to be able to sell them for 99 bucks but there's just no way to do that.
Regards,
Dave
-
- Posts: 111
- Joined: 03 Apr 2011, 06:07
- 13
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Electro 5
- Your Nord Gear #2: Nord Stage 3
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 21 times
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
Well the best thing Ocean Beach did was to put out a second version. I got my set of Version1 drawbars on eBay for $100.
If you think $299 is too much, just wait until V3 comes out
If you think $299 is too much, just wait until V3 comes out
Nord Stage 3 Compact
Yamaha YC73
Crumar Mojo 61 Reverse
Clavinet D6
Rhodes Stage 88
Rhodes Home Piano
Yamaha Reface CP
StudioLogic SL73 Studio
Alesis Vortex 2 Wireless
Yamaha SonoGenic SHS-500
Yamaha YC73
Crumar Mojo 61 Reverse
Clavinet D6
Rhodes Stage 88
Rhodes Home Piano
Yamaha Reface CP
StudioLogic SL73 Studio
Alesis Vortex 2 Wireless
Yamaha SonoGenic SHS-500
- Gustavo
- Patch Creator
- Posts: 801
- Joined: 05 Apr 2009, 18:00
- 15
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Stage Classic
- Your Nord Gear #2: Nord Stage 2
- Location: Monterrey, MX
- Has thanked: 142 times
- Been thanked: 167 times
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
I also think it's somehwat expensive. but I agree that since it's made of metal and is fully configurable, that justifies it for me. Still since I do not play that often with drawbars, I'd rather not spend so much. If I absolutely needed them, I would get this instead of a midi controller. Its just more convinient.
Synths: Nord Stage 2 SW, Nord Lead 4R, Vintage Vibe 64 Active, Dave Smith Instruments Pro 2, Minimoog Voyager, Prophet 6, Korg Volcas
Stand: K&M Spider Pro and Hercules X Stands
Recording: Zoom UAC-8
Speakers: EV ELXP 112-P, Event Alp 5
Stand: K&M Spider Pro and Hercules X Stands
Recording: Zoom UAC-8
Speakers: EV ELXP 112-P, Event Alp 5
- FlametopFred
- Posts: 50
- Joined: 22 Nov 2016, 10:10
- 7
- Your Nord Gear #1: Nord Stage EX
- Location: Vancouver
- Has thanked: 34 times
- Been thanked: 9 times
- Contact:
Re: Ocean Beach Db1 TOO EXPENSIVE
Fast forward. I just picked up a first gen DB-1 and it is great. I thought it would be good, useful.
The box is transformative to the Nord Stage EX organ.
More subtle drawbar settings can be obtained and saved, in addition to the on-the-fly changes you can make.
These Ocean Beach boxes are fantastic, deserve to be reissued. Only complaint is that I wish they could be retrofitted within the panel of the Nord. Which I may undertake as a mod.
The box is transformative to the Nord Stage EX organ.
More subtle drawbar settings can be obtained and saved, in addition to the on-the-fly changes you can make.
These Ocean Beach boxes are fantastic, deserve to be reissued. Only complaint is that I wish they could be retrofitted within the panel of the Nord. Which I may undertake as a mod.