HD Process to Accel exchange is back

[Dutchmuzik]

I am VERY surprised, this was different than any other limited offers before. There were many threads were Digi admins responded and said this offer would NEVER be repeated. I know Lee caved at the last minute and purchased one, I remember giving him a hard time about it cause he said he wouldn't give in I guess the June 30th deadline can not be taken serious at this point. Maybe if they throw in ReVibe I'll get one They more research I have done on the Accel cards I just can't justify them at this point. Eventide Reverb and Princeton Digital 2016 both take up 1 Chip on Process or Accel. Any Eq plug will be double the count but since most of them are on Audio tracks I can always use many RTAS versions on a G5. Upgrading my 2 Process cards would be $4490. That's one nice Dual G5 3GHZ with a 10,000 rpm SATA drive and some new plug-ins.

[Lee Blaske]

Thanks for backing me up, Dutchmuzik. It's good to know I'm not losing my mind.

This is almost like an X-Files episode. I wonder if all those Admin posts actually HAVE mysteriously vanished. Oh oh, there's a strange light outside my window...

[Dutchmuzik]

Hey Lee, I found one for you on 12/16/03 this was posted

Hi all,

I'd like to further clarify a few points regarding the HD Process to HD Accel card exchange that ends on December 20. Since this offer will not be extended, we want to make sure current Pro Tools|HD owners fully understand this exchange path so that no one "misses the boat" and everyone can make an informed decision before the offer ends.

1. The HD core card is unchanged in Pro Tools|HD Accel systems, so the only thing an owner of an original Pro Tools|HD system needs to do is exchange their HD Process card(s) up to HD Accel card(s).

2. After December 20, 2003, there will be no Hardware Exchange available for Pro Tools|HD owners to move up to the equivalent of Pro Tools|HD Accel.

3. The non-exchange price of an HD Accel card is $4,995 US List. These can be purchased and added as a supplement to your existing Pro Tools|HD system, or as a replacement for your HD Process card(s).

4. When referring to our various hardware offers, Digidesign uses the term "Hardware Exchange" instead of "upgrade" to make it clear that these purchases involve “exchanging”(returning) some or all of the components of a system for something newer and more powerful at a discounted price. You're welcome to use these terms interchangeably, but be careful that you don't confuse yourself or others!

If you have questions about our Hardware Exchange Programs, please call 888-636-3444 in North America. Customers in other parts of the world should contact their local Digidesign office.


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Digidesign Product Information

[PastaViking II]

I must say I was pretty surprised to see HD->HD Accel upgrades coming back so soon. Whatever the reason, I was under the CLEAR understanding as it's written in the mail that the offer from last Xmas was a one time offer (whatever the reason for such a statement might have been) and ended up buying five (5!) upgrades from my distributor. Now it looks like a panic attempt to boost 2003 Digi sales figures and doesn't do justice to a company trying to sell top end recording hardware.

I think it's time for Digi to focus on what they want to do with the company.

[John McDaniel]

I must say I was pretty surprised to see HD->HD Accel upgrades coming back so soon. Whatever the reason...

Pure speculation about the reason:

--the fundamental economy of the studio business is weak
--middle income hobbyists are as strapped as the next guy (if not out of work) and have to be satisfied with what they've got
--high income hobbyists are tired of the upgrade treadmill (OS, plug-ins, hardware, software, 3rd party software, etc.)
--pros are tired of the same treadmill
--anecdotal evidence suggests that there are A LOT of working MIX systems out there
--anecdotal evidence suggests that there are A LOT of HD systems without Accel upgrades out there
--supporting two Mac OS's and a long line of hardware is probably straining things; time to trim the compatibility grid

Given that Digi has clearly been working VERY hard to woo Mix owners over to HD, and that they've revived the Accel hardware exchange for HD owners, one would think that hardware sales have not met expectations.

Great software sells the hardware needed to run it.

The years of clamor for Automatic Delay Compensation have been loud and steady. Now Digi's got it. What better way to sell Accel hardware (and its greater DSP power) than to come out with a "killer app" for it? Do you think it's coincidence that v6.4 with ADC and the exchange offer are announced in close proximity?

? I dunno ?

IMHO, Digi needs to sell more hardware. They're doing what it takes to get it off the docks. $150 a pop for the 6.4 software upgrade isn't going to make them rich --or even pay for the development.

j mcd

[johnnyv]

Pure speculation about the reason:

--the fundamental economy of the studio business is weak
--middle income hobbyists are as strapped as the next guy (if not out of work) and have to be satisfied with what they've got
--high income hobbyists are tired of the upgrade treadmill (OS, plug-ins, hardware, software, 3rd party software, etc.)
--pros are tired of the same treadmill
--anecdotal evidence suggests that there are A LOT of working MIX systems out there
--anecdotal evidence suggests that there are A LOT of HD systems without Accel upgrades out there
--supporting two Mac OS's and a long line of hardware is probably straining things; time to trim the compatibility grid

Given that Digi has clearly been working VERY hard to woo Mix owners over to HD, and that they've revived the Accel hardware exchange for HD owners, one would think that hardware sales have not met expectations.

Great software sells the hardware needed to run it.

The years of clamor for Automatic Delay Compensation have been loud and steady. Now Digi's got it. What better way to sell Accel hardware (and its greater DSP power) than to come out with a "killer app" for it? Do you think it's coincidence that v6.4 with ADC and the exchange offer are announced in close proximity?

? I dunno ?

IMHO, Digi needs to sell more hardware. They're doing what it takes to get it off the docks. $150 a pop for the 6.4 software upgrade isn't going to make them rich --or even pay for the development.

j mcd

Good post, John. I think you're right on the money with your assessment. I think that the migration from Mix to HD went slower than Digi would have liked. Now the migration from HD to Accel is probably even slower for them because of market conditions. Digi, a division of AVID, is a publicly traded company, so saying that market the slow to their shareholders doesn't really cut it. They'll do whatever is necessary to prop up the sales numbers. It's just business.

j

[Drew Mazurek]

Here's a thought.

Once Accel Plus (or whatever) comes out next year, will we not see another exchange offer? Will digi treat non Accel HD owners like it is now treating Mix owners? Giving them a sweeter deal? I have no compelling reason to do the upgrade except for trying to protect the investment. Or gaining some DSP I may need for ADC. Should I do this upgrade or wait? There doesn't seem to be many Accel only plugs. (I can only think of Impact and Revibe) The same money can buy a new computer. decisions, decisions. Let's hear from some people who are upgrading this time and from those who will pass again.
drew

[mike connelly]

Digi is known for their "limited-time" offers...I didn't think this would be any different...you shouldn't be so surprised...

Amen to that. Plenty of us were saying that was just salesspeak at the time, should have listened.

[bad jitter]

Once Accel Plus (or whatever) comes out next year, will we not see another exchange offer? Will digi treat non Accel HD owners like it is now treating Mix owners? Giving them a sweeter deal?

I believe so and am waiting for a better deal for my HD3. Something like HD3 to HD3 Accel Plus exchange including Pro Tools|HDpack Version 9.0 + additional $2,000 savings.

[1m1]

I think Digi just made a bad decision last time about the hardware exchange cutoff deadline and is rectifying it now. The software wasn't really ready for prime time yet when the original deadline came, so it didn't make sense for me to upgrade to Accel and be forced into Pro Tools on OS X. Now the software is much more mature, stable and has most of the issues worked out.

I for one am glad the exchange is back.