This week is SXSW week in Austin,TX. It is the time of the year when the music world converges on our little city. Every year we seem to get pulled into demos, speaking engagements, parties, events, or showcases. This year is no different. The company has several events and all of our guys have multiple events going on. 

I thought it would be fitting to do a limited Texas edition controller set. The wood choice for maximum Texas flavor? Mesquite of course. Although Ryan Anderson (the head of our circuit board department), insisted that the state tree of Texas is a Pecan, nothing says Texas like Mesquite.

 

Mesquite is an extremely hardy tree that grows in the arid parts of Texas where not too many other trees will. In fact, it grows so well that ranchers consider it a nuisance. Also called “Texas iron wood,” it is hard and very dimensionally stable. In the dry west Texas climate with poor soil quality, mesquite trees usually mature as a large shrub so the supply of lumber is plentiful with very small pieces that have plenty of “character”.

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news by Travis

We have always appreciated Mahogany as an instrument wood going all the way back to the Tactic days. It machines very well, is popular as an instrument wood, is very stable, and looks gorgeous. We have been using Jelutong wood for quite some time. It has some great properties as well including machinability and takes dyes and stains very well. One problem we have found is that sometimes the Jelutong can become unstable when first cut into the Block form leading to a bit higher reject rate. Everyone at the shop is excited to start working with the mahogany again. We currently have some very nice Jelutong Blocks in stock but by the next batch we will be shipping Mahogany Blocks. I will post up some completed pictures when the first Mahogany units start rolling out.

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news by Travis

Thanks to the dot com era, the term branding has almost surpassed “b2b marketing” to become the lamest word in business. If you are in marketing, well just take a cue from Bill Hicks. Seriously though the term comes from livestock branding, a means to identify ownership that dates back to ancient times. I have always liked the way a brand looks especially on wood, so in 2003 when we made our first “production model” controller called the Tactic, we made our very own Livid brand. This is the very same brand we use today. Travis cut it out of Brass and steel (brass on the brand because is heats up a lot faster) and we started branding our instruments. Six years later we still brand each and every controller. Travis actually does it himself by heating up the brand with a torch and pressing it to the back of the controller before it goes into the finish process. Here is a video of Travis branding a batch of controllers. I really had to bite my tongue on the cowboy jokes here.

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news by Jay

In an effort to cut down on waste, reuse expensive components, and fight the growing disposability of consumer goods, we are pleased to announce the Ohm recycle program. Current owners of the Ohm Classic (a.k.a Ohm36) can send their Ohm control surfaces in to be converted into Ohm64 Models for $349.

Our Ohm recycle program allows us to reuse the wood, fader and rotary knobs, crossfaders, rotary pots, ribbon cables, and fasteners in your Ohm, and repurpose them into an entirely new Ohm64 control surface. Your good-as-new Ohm64 will have a new aluminum faceplate, internal circuitry, backplate, and rubber button pads. The recycled controller will have all of the features of a brand new Ohm, but will reduce environmental impact and cost less then a brand new Ohm64.

While we do source our wood from mostly renewable forests, our wood bodies are hand crafted and do take a long time from being planted to becoming a controller. Our recycle program makes us feel better about reusing the wood bodies, and saves on waste and natural resources that would go into making a whole new body. Steel from the old faceplates are also recycled and will most likely eventually end up taking form as another consumer based good.

To ensure the fastest turnaround, we will be scheduling recyclings in limited runs. Our first run will start on July 23rd, and be completed in one week. In order to reduce any downtime you may have by not having your controller for a week we ask that you receive your Classic Ohm by the 27th so we can have it refitted and sent back to you in a timely manner. Ohm Classic owners that participate in this program also receive a free copy of Cell DNA that is customized for the Ohm64 controller.

To participate in the Ohm recycling program and reserve a spot in the first run, please contact us by sending a mail to contact(at)lividinstruments(dot)com

The Ohm recycle program is currently only offered on the wood models, a metal recycle program will be announced when we release the all metal version of the Ohm64.

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news by Jay

It’s spring, all of our parts are in and we are ready to start assembly of the new line of Ohm64 controllers. 

Not so fast. We took about a week to clean up and organize our shop. Running a small manufacturing outfit can sometimes be (ok always be) extremely fast pace and hectic. You can always see parts and projects in various stages, wood flying from the mulling machine, solder paste next to your lunch in the fridge, and Thundercloud Subs (great local sub spot near the shop) soda cups all over. Travis, Jay, Gabe, Dell, and Dan cleaned, organized, and make everything pretty for the arrival of parts and components to start production. People are always asking to see where we make our controllers, so here it is.

Main Warehouse Room

Front Office

Soon to be controllers

Second Floor

Metal Bot

Electronic Assembly Room

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news by Jay