Anybody here have experience with the Alexander Oblivion?

[adm307]

The demos I’ve watched all sound incredible, but I get a little concerned with how quick it was discontinued. Just hoping to hear a little bit about it before I just buy one on a whim.

[echorec]

It was likely too much of a departure from what their audience expected from them. I think people just didn't like the higher price or the larger footprint. I haven't seen any reports of operational issues or disappointment with the sounds. I think Alexander was just kind of pigeonholed, because of the previous builds.

The F.13, Calavera, and Equilibrium have all served me well, and I'll be adding a Space Race and more stuff to my library in the future.

[The Eristic]

If you like the vibes of the Amnesia and History Lesson, you'll probably like the Oblivion. It's got some different modes, but it's generally in that wheelhouse. I'd guess the Neo series format kinda made the big boxes redundant (Neo Sky Fi when?), but they're great pedals.

[adm307]

I always find myself sticking to analog/tape style sounds with delay, so this just has me intrigued. I have a Nemesis that I’ve been using, but there is just something wholly uninspiring about it to me, and I’m trying to remedy that. This seems like a good contender.

[dismembermentplanned]

I'm also trying to find a more inspiring Nemesis alternative. I think my problem with the Oblivion was that I only ever saw it next to the Super Radical Delay, which aesthetically at least was way more interesting.

[echorec]

For tape simulators in the $125-150 range, I love the Alter Ego X4. I've got two, and they're great alone or in series for my needs. I probably use the Echoplex and Copicat settings the most, along with the Memory Man banks.

For anyone not needing TT or long delay times, the DM-2W is something worth checking into. (about $100-120 in mint condition)

[adm307]

That DM-2W sounds awesome, but I rely heavy on tap tempo and prefer trails on my time based effects. Kind of stupid, but it helps limit things that I seriously take a look at.

[adm307]

Well I just ponied up and ordered one. I’ll let y’all know how it goes.

[The Eristic]

You get that one with the red knobs? It looked really sharp!

[adm307]

I did. Those knobs may or may not have been a selling point haha. Guy already shipped it today, now we wait!

[AlexanderPedals]

The demos I’ve watched all sound incredible, but I get a little concerned with how quick it was discontinued. Just hoping to hear a little bit about it before I just buy one on a whim.

I have some experience with these...

This little guy is the TI PGA2311



We used these in the Oblivion and Super Radical to perform the analogue volume control for the wet and dry signals, thereby freeing up a control on the DSP chips we use.

There's only one problem with that...



Now consider that the DSP chip we use in the same pedal costs us roughly US$7.50 and you can start to see the issue. The PGA2311 also requires a bipolar power supply (+/- 5V) and uses a fair amount of current. We would have been FAR better off just using a second DSP chip to handle the mixing and adding a few other controls. It would have simplified the pedal quite a bit, since we could have dispensed with the charge pump / inverter and its associated circuitry.

In short, we HAD to charge US$329 for the Oblivion and Super Rad, in order to actually make money on them. It's a lot tougher to sell a pedal when the first digit of its price is a three than when it is a two or a one. Both pedals sold pretty well but they're dwarfed by the Syntax Error. We've sold more Quadrants than either the SR or the Oblivion, just as an example.

It was likely too much of a departure from what their audience expected from them. I think people just didn't like the higher price or the larger footprint. I haven't seen any reports of operational issues or disappointment with the sounds. I think Alexander was just kind of pigeonholed, because of the previous builds.

The F.13, Calavera, and Equilibrium have all served me well, and I'll be adding a Space Race and more stuff to my library in the future.

This is a very cogent argument. People expected us to do a certain thing and we didn't do it, sometimes that has unintended consequences. The good news is that both the SR and Oblivion were successful in their own right, and a lot of their DNA made it into the Neo Series. All the good stuff, anyway.

Space Race is coming. Not sure when but probably pretty soon. Neo Sky Fi? Hmmm.... That one might be further out if it happens at all.

[adm307]

It came in yesterday! I have today off, so I’m going to spend all day twisting knobs and getting obnoxious.



Also, thanks for clearing the air up on that discontinuation. Definitely makes me more comfortable knowing it was a business move and not an error with the pedal.

[AlexanderPedals]

It came in yesterday! I have today off, so I’m going to spend all day twisting knobs and getting obnoxious.



Also, thanks for clearing the air up on that discontinuation. Definitely makes me more comfortable knowing it was a business move and not an error with the pedal.

Oh, it was an error - note to self: don't design pedals with really expensive parts. They sound great, have fun.