I’m not sure if people would appreciate having the financial situation of the company treated as a “game” though.
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- It’s not a game; it’s a strategy for moving forward. It doesn’t have to be a lottery; it can be prioritized by date of contribution.
- I, for one, would appreciate it more than I appreciate the prospect of being strung along indefinitely.
As musicians and creators I’m sure we can all agree that when you’re serious about achieving a goal you make a deadline because otherwise it’s just a fantasy. “Eventually, someday” has a way of never arriving.
One way or another MOD needs a way to clear out the backlog of Founders Edition pedals without making backers wait an indeterminable length of time.
Also, if MOD happens to hit a windfall then they’re welcome to ship all the Founders Edition pedals at once. But until then they need to be marking progress towards that end.
If you don’t mind an outsider opinion – with “outsider” meaning that I am not a backer – may I ponder a few things here? To be clear, I’m not affiliated with MOD either and am not providing excuses for them. But before someone slaps you with one of the regimental excuse-phrases in the face, allow me to say following:
A. If I recall correctly, at the highest price, the Indiegogo crowdfunding was €345 – someone may correct me here. Most of the other, earlier tiers were less than that. So, if you add €150 to that, you’re almost at the exact retail price of a Dwarf, currently €499. Therefore, one can think of this extra cash as if one were to acquire a brand new unit at a store. AND one gets a few plugins from the Mod Store with those €150, which buyers at retail places won’t get. I’m not trying to sugarcoat anything here, but that’s one way to look at it.
I am not trying to convince you to pay the €150 extra either. That is your decision.
B. Even with the reboot, my understanding the financial situation of (now) Mod Audio is quite delicate. The $150 coupon is what allows MOD to pay for the production of each unit. So, the Founders’ units going out now are not weighing too much on their balance sheets because of that coupon and the hope that users will also acquire other plugins. I believe – and this is my opinion without internal information – that Mod just cannot ship a single unit right now without that extra cash. (They may wish to comment here or not.)
C. Given B above, the ominous and ethereal “when the financial situation stabilises” condition for the shipment of remaining backer units is contingent on a multitude of factors, being that the current environment, sales, and cash flow seem to be unpropitious for that to occur in an ascertainable manner. As a matter of fact, much as we hope otherwise, it may not happen at all. We certainly wish that MOD takes off and becomes a profitable company, so that they can fulfill their commitment to backers, further develop their current product, and invest in their OS and ecosystem. That reality, however, is far from here. Any speculation as to a possible date will be wishful thinking at best and a road to further disappointment. That’s what I think @dreamer tried to convey in this post. It’s a sad and harsh reality, but it’s the reality.
D. As stated in the reboot thread a few months ago, there will be another round of fundraising happening soon. Like the last one, if it fails, then… it all fails. It is a reality. Sad and harsh, but a reality.
I must add that I am a bit critical of some management decisions by the MOD team, which I already expressed publicly in other threads. Even with the pandemic and all, the bankruptcy of Mod Devices is also a product of some decisions and mismanagement to some degree. I say that with all due respect, but it must be acknowledged.
Therefore, it MIGHT (and please notice the bold and italic splendour of the word “might”) be something to consider that the current coupon, triggering a fast turnaround of an actual device, is preferable to a projected delivery of a device.
It is my firm belief that MOD will do everything in their power to honour their commitment to backers, just as they are doing with the Expression Pedal (an atrocious decision, in my opinion). They have stated that repeatedly and are doing what they can to make it happen. I do not think for a moment that bad faith was part of this entire ordeal.
WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE BEING SAID, @Helmanfrow (EDIT: and @Cyril too), I also say this – from the not yet frozen skateway of the capital city to a (hopefully future) fellow Mod user in the GTA:
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Your complaint that a “generic” “when the company is healthy enough” time frame is not acceptable is perfectly valid. In the real business world, that is a no-no. But let’s face it, MOD is still a startup and its finances are shaky, so we’re dealing with a company doing a “labour of love” more than a mature business making plans. It may stay as such for a long time still. I am quite sure everybody at MOD is working overtime, overstressed, and with a monstrous pile of work on their bench/desks every day.
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Either due to internal constraints or organisational culture, the institutional communication (or Public Relations) of MOD is generally disastrous. This is no novelty and was already discussed elsewhere in the forum. (My understanding is that MOD acknowledges that failure.)
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Your proposed “lottery” and the allotment of X units for backers per Y units sold on retail is actually a very reasonable idea. In the end, it’s about having a game plan and strategy. However, if they were to send 1 unit to backers for each 5 sold, I think not more than 25 or 30 would have been shipped by now. The €150 scheme allowed them to ship 10 times that amount (they may give you precise numbers here if they so wish).
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A lot of promises were made and a lot of deadlines proposed, to no avail. Your frustration is entirely understandable.
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You’re right that a commitment to a goal and a time frame would be meaningful for all parties involved. But I guess – and this is just an “educated guess” – that, given #4 above, they feel it’s probably better not to make promises.
Therefore, I hope my words do not hit you or anyone the wrong way. I am trying to ponder and find a possible intersection between your much valid (and I must say polite) complaints and the reality faced by Mod Audio.
Sorry for the lengthy post.
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This is the worst mistake the company made in my opinion. I totally understood the financial situation but I plaid guilty of having lost patience at some point because of the number of consecutive promises that couldn’t be kept.
This seems like a more mature behavior. They don’t take the easy path of saying things that people want to hear in the short term. But they also avoid deception and loss of confidence in the long term.
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Thanks for your kind words, @Cyril. And sorry that I mixed some of your points with those from Helmanfrow. I placed an edit above.
My overall point is just that the situation is unnerving and disappointing for backers but equally painful and stressing for Mod Audio. I hope some solution that makes everybody happy – backers with their Dwarfs and Mod Audio thriving as a business – will come to fruition one day.
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…this is in deed surprising… I thought that @QuestionMarc is a member of the Mod team… He is really one of the most helpful guys here. But if he is not… wow! Cool and very helpful guy, what a high level of commitment! From my side also a big thank you for the great work you do here in the forum. 
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Thanks for the kind words, @Kim. No, I am not and was never part of the MOD team. And this actually enables me to offer my views independently, be critical of either side, and not look like I have something to gain from anyone. I just try to be helpful whenever I can, kind of runs in my blood. (Not always welcome or useful, I must add…)
You have done quite a lot here, Kim. Your posts are highly explanatory and your comparison/assessment of the HX Stomp v. Mod Dwarf is just epic. Possibly the single best post in this entire forum.
Let’s try to keep our heads high and hope MOD will thrive. It’s a win-win and the best overall outcome, love it or hate it.
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Hi Everyone,
As one of the original (Founder) backers of the Dwarf, I have resisted making any public opinion of the situation we find ourselves in. In principal, I am totally against providing additional funding to receive my unit; however the most recent Project Update #40, which suggests those backers who are not prepared to pay the additional 150€ and may never receive their Dwarf has prompted me to comment, and is in my opinion reprehensible.
I will therefore spend my 150€ on the TONEX pedal, which at 399€ seems to be amazing value for money, as id supported by company and community that can only provide amazing sonic experiences.
Take my pledge as a gift, and I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. Sadly, I will not be investing in your company again.
Best regards,
Dave R.
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@d4dve I respect your opinion and your decision, and thank you for the opportunity to learn about the TONEX pedal. After some casual review of the product site and a few reviews, I’d suggest that the Dwarf might not appeal to you after all, given the differences in the two products. While the TONEX seems almost entirely focused on reproducing amp/cab tones, the Dwarf’s strength is much more as a multi-purpose audio tool. The offerings on the Dwarf in terms of amp simulators have improved significantly over the past few years but in my opinion most serious (rock/metal/blues focused) guitar players might be frustrated at the available options, especially if your goal is to emulate the recorded sounds of many different artists. Which isn’t to say it’s not possible, but compared to the ready-made options of the TONEX, one might have to spend significant time with trial-and-error of the existing simulators, and dialing in supporting compressors, EQ, and the like to achieve the same on the Dwarf.
On the other hand, it seems that the TONEX cannot reproduce time-based effects, so if I understand correctly, that excludes modulation (phasers, flangers, chorus) and delays. This is, in my opinion, one of the areas where the Dwarf / MOD ecosystem really shines. The availability of a wide variety of traditional and unique modulation/delay effects allows for a wide sonic universe and a lot of experimentation. Beyond that, the available utilities such as loopers, recorder, sequencers, synths, and MIDI-based generators make the Dwarf useful for a range of activities. From recording your jams, to multi-instrument support, to “band-in-box” capabilities the Dwarf sits in its own niche of the market that remains hard to categorize.
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MOD team, after opting in and having received my Dwarf yesterday, are there any steps I need to take to receive the voucher. I’ve already double checked my emails, including spam. I couldn’t find more information on this in the forum.
I believe these are sent out manually in batches. So expect them soon-ish when the team goes through the list for doing that.
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@d4dve, your opinion is understandable. Good luck with your plans. Your choice seems to be a very promising one.
@unbracketed, the TONEX is IK Multimedia’s response to the astounding success of the Helix platform and the fact that everyday working musicians are ever less prone to take laptops to their gigs. A small unit that does it all without a computer attached to it, much like the Mod to us here. IK is trying to capitalise on their status in the modelling world and put their brand in a self-contained box. It ships with a full licence of Amplitube 5, which allows for stacked effects in their virtual rack. Whether or not that is usable inside TONEX I don’t know for sure.
Another caveat is that the “1000s of models” available are a separate package costing €250. With the basic package you get 20 (the very reason I never took Amplitube seriously).
You’re right, MOD is truly excelling with delays and reverbs, and the availability of Looperlative is a major strength. Then there are sequences, synths, CV tools, etc.
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I checked each of the USA retailers listed on the MOD website and they all have a status of “Out of Stock”. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad sign…
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@edwillys, no you don’t need to do anything on your side.
We normally take a few days after the device being shipped to send the codes for the gift cards. Although it shouldn’t take long, as we are a bit overwhelmed at the time, if it takes too long for you feel free to ping me.
In Germany it is easily available, even with the largest retailer
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Got it yesterday, thanks!
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My brain completely misinterpreted this part of the sentence the first time I read it. 
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Haha, well it sure works both ways… 
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Yes, but my reason for being a crowdfunding backer was to pay significantly less than retail, plugin voucher notwithstanding. Had I the discretionary funds I would gladly have considered participating in the coupon program, if you’ll pardon the split infinitive, but the sad reality is that my funds are limited these days.
What I have in abundance, however, is time and inclination to come up with ideas and post them on forums.
For their current plight MOD has my sympathies, and for their success they have my hopes, prayers and best wishes.
…and also my crowdfunding contribution, which is why I feel as I do. I hope MOD can right the ship, sell a whole lot of products and grow into a viable business, and yet without any apparent internal conflict I simultaneously want mine now.
Go figure.
Maybe one day we can have a Toronto area MOD meetup.
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