A Christmas Story
23 Dec 2001


Mr. Roger Arrick,

        My name is Brad..., and I live in MO.  My brother 
is the most benevolent brother in the world. :)  You may recall
that he recently purchased a custom 44-cabinet system  and
had it delivered to here as a Christmas present.  It arrived in
perfect physical condition a couple weeks ago (I believe that's what he
said) but kept it hidden at our mom's house.  Because he's only in town for
a few days during the holidays and has to fly back on Christmas day, he
presented it to me last night so we could both "play" with it while he was
here.

        What a beautiful system!  I agree with everything that has been said about
it... and I must admit it looks better sitting in my studio than it did even
on your website. :)  I've actually been planning and configuring a .com
system for almost a year, but promised my wife a new patio deck before I
bought a new synth (and as luck would have it, weather and schedules have
delayed the deck now until Spring).  However, completely without my
knowledge (I still don't know how he pulled that one off!) he secretly
conspired to surprise me with a .com system, and "shocked" doesn't begin to
describe my reaction.  Despite the tell-tale size of the shipping box (I had
previously envisioned a wooden shipping "crate" for some reason) I had no
idea what was inside until I opened the first white box containing
patchcords.  But it wasn't until I could dimly make out the walnut wood
through the haze of bubblewrap that it began to sink in.

        Although I'm not a newbie, I have been away from analog modular synths
since the 80s when I last worked with the Moog IIIc in college.  I can't
wait to spend countless hours in search of new (and old) digital-free
sonorities.   My brother (with your expert guidance) did an excellent  job
of selecting virtually the same component mix that I was planning for my
initial investment... even choosing to leave 12 blank panels as I had
planned to do myself.  I am especially pleased with the Transistor Ladder
Filter.  In an earlier post (on the Yahoo .com group) I commented that the
(then) lack of a Moog 24db filter in your lineup was the main reason I was
waiting to decide which system (from among your competitors) to buy.
Although I'm sure my brother would have purchased a .com system anyway
despite the lack of a TLF, it is simply the icing on an already delicious
cake.  Obviously I have not had the time to explore everything, nor have I
had time to even plug-test each module... but I do have a question about the
Ring Modulator.  ....ring modulator question snipped....

        The quality of the craftsmanship on this system exceeds my wildest
dreams... and I have some pretty wild dreams. :)  The woodwork is beautiful,
the panel graphics are sharp, the rotary switches "snap" with confidence and
ease (some of the Moog's rotary switches were "gritty" and stiff even back
in the 70s), and even the patchcords are a work of art.  Despite having a
Q104 MIDI interface, the button gate triggers on the Envelope Generators are
a godsend!  I'm sure I will learn to love many of the other features of your
system as well (reversible attenuators, control voltage attenuators, status
LEDs, multiple inputs per module, etc.)  I am pleased!

        I will post to the Yahoo group when I've had some more time to explore the
system... things are still hectic just before Christmas and I'm still
reeling from the surprise!  I'm sure I will be placing orders for more
modules in the coming months... a few modules here and there will be a lot
easier to "slip by the boss" than the whole enchilada. :)

        Thanks for making a near-lifelong dream a reality.