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Re: updated boomerang



yay!  Boomerang good!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mikell D.Nelson" <mnelson@dmans.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 1:44 PM
Subject: Re: updated boomerang


> paul sullivan wrote:
>
> > Just wondering if anyone has seen the new version of the Boomerang in
stores
> > yet, and if so, what the best price available is. I called Alto music
> > thinking they might have a group buy price for us, but apparently they
don't
> > carry them. If anyone has any info, could they please mail me off list?
>
> Hi loopers, plexifists, and Rangsters,
>     We have not gotten our supply of parts for the new V2 upgrade module
to a
> point where we are making "new" Rangs, though our manufacturing problems
have
> eased a little and we are shipping again. We are, however, selling the
upgrade
> to Rang owners. The price is on a sliding scale depending on how long
you've
> owned your Rang. The following letter pretty well covers what's up with
the
> upgrade.
>
> =============================================
>
>     Any and all Rangs can be upgraded by replacing the current
> microprocessor with the 2.0 Module.  Older units have an additional part
>
> that needs to be changed.  If your AD/DA converter is an 1848, you will
> have to upgrade it to the newer 1845.  The new software will not
> recognize
> the old converter.  In this case, your Rang will have to make a trip
> home
> to Texas because it takes a special tool to remove this part.
>     To check this out, remove the 4 front screws & 10 bottom ones; then
> place the Rang on its face with the roller to the right and remove the
> bottom cover.  You'll be looking at the circuit board in all its glory.
> The AD/DA converter is made by Analog Devices, is one of the larger
> parts
> and is the only square one.  The part number information is printed on
> the
> part and reads like AD1845JP.  The important piece of info is the 4
> digits.  If it says 1848, then it's got to be replaced if you want the
> new
> software.
>     Also, some of the early Rangs were sold with 1Mbyte of memory.  This
>
> provided 32 seconds of recording on normal speed and 64 seconds on half
> speed.  If you have a 1Mbyte Rang, this is a good time to upgrade the
> memory to 4Mbytes as the increased sample rate of the new software will
> reduce the normal speed record time to 21 seconds.
>     Until recently Rangs came with 2 x 275 op amps and 1 x 283.  They're
>
> small 8 pin chips that reside in sockets.  The objectionable pop, that
> can
> occur when pressing the thru mute switch, is related to these parts.  If
>
> you've noticed this problem, it can be fixed by replacing one of the
> 275's
> with a 2134 op amp.
>     And finally, there will be a sliding scale for the price of the 2.0
> Module.  This is a move to avoid the "my new toy is obsolete" blues.  As
>
> you might expect, proof of purchase is required if you didn't send in a
> dated warranty card.  If you purchased your Rang in June or July 2000
> (or
> later), then the module will cost $39; May 2000 and you pay $49; April
> 2000, $59; March 2000, $69.  February 2000 and older Rangs will pay $79.
>
> V2.0 Module with 2.0 User Manual, $39 - $79
> AD1845 Converter, $19
> 4Mbyte SIMM (memory), $23
> 2134 Op Amp, $3
> Rang Gig Bag, $39
> Return shipping (if Rang is sent to us), $9
>
>
>  "So, what do I get for my money?" you ask.  Good question.  Here's
> what's
> in store.
>
> *   Version 2.0 has 2 independent loops; this is like having 2 original
> Rangs side by side. There are a couple of modes for transitioning
> between
> the loops. One mode, called AB1, smoothly transitions to loop B, plays
> it
> once, then goes back to playing loop A, all with one button press.
> *   A higher sample rate has been added; original max was 16KHz, new max
>
> rate is 24KHz. While this drops the sample time to 1 minute 27 seconds
> (with 4Mbytes of memory), the Rang now captures a lot more highs and
> sounds a lot crisper.
> *   The STACK button can be programmed to be either latching or
> momentary.
>
> *   You can go directly from recording to stacking. Press RECORD to
> start
> recording, then press STACK to conclude recording, start playback and
> enter stack mode.
> *   There are 7 selectable decay rates. On the original the decay rate
> was
> fixed at about 2.3dB. The new rates are as follows: 1 is no decay, 2 is
> the original rate (about 20-25 repeats), 3-6 are progressively quicker
> decays and are great when using the Rang as a pure delay, and 7 is
> slapback (1 full volume repeat). The new decay rates & latching STACK
> button make the Rang a great sounding digital delay with tap tempo. The
> foot roller becomes the delay level when used like this.  Each loop, A
> and
> B, has its own decay rate.
> *   The RECORD button can be programmed to behave as it does now or be
> disabled during playback. Some folks didn't want to worry about hitting
> it
> while adjusting the foot roller.
> *   The half speed concept has been replaced by slow speed, and you have
>
> your choice of five. All are musically related to "normal" speed. The
> choices are: down a 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th or octave. Playback tempo is
> slowed
> similarly to the current software.
> *   This one is small, but an improvement. Originally, if you pressed
> ONCE, the next press of PLAY(STOP) would stop the loop. Now you can
> transition between "continuous" play and play once mode. Confusing?
> Here's
> what you can do that you couldn't before. Start an existing loop with
> several stutters or re-starts and then smoothly transition into playing
> the loop repeatedly.
> *   There are improvements on clicks that occasionally occur at loop
> boundaries, particularly when using the Rang in continuous reverse mode
> (live reverse lead playing).
> *   And finally, we extended the button behavior so that it is more
> consistent. For example, in the original, if you were stacking, the
> REVERSE button didn't do anything. Now you can be stacking additional
> parts and freely reverse direction or go into play once mode.
>
> All the new features are ADDITIONS. That is, no original features, even
> the lower sampling rates, have been omitted or replaced. The ONCE button
>
> shares duty as the loop A/B button. Either the REVERSE or STACK button
> is
> held down to enter one of the two program modes.
>
> ========================================
>
> Mike Nelson
>
> Boomerang Musical Products       800-530-4699
> PO Box 541595                    214-340-6913, Outside USA
> Dallas, TX  75354-1595           214-343-1038, Fax
>
> http://www.boomerangmusic.com    mnelson@dmans.com
>
> "Some products make you sound better;
>  the Boomerang Phrase Sampler makes you play better."
>
>
>