I guess my big question at this point, which is emblematic of growing, is, what’s the MOD DUO (X or otherwise) suppose to be? Who is it for? Where’s all this headed? Clearly, MOD has it’s roots in guitar processing. Yet, it’s versatilely has lead me to use it for so much more, and at this point I don’t see it as just a guitar processor.
As such, I see a bit of an identity dilemma here. The result of which is a fruitful and enjoyable period from my perspective. Although, this can be troublesome for a new brand. Again, it’s emblematic of the present growth stage for MOD as a company. Moreover, for this reason, I am watching and feel personally invested in this company closer than any other I can think of right now.
Through this period, as I see it, there are many interesting quirks with the device, the software, etc. For instance, perhaps the most obvious feature of the MOD DUO, is the duo-screens. At first, I thought the meaning of this was to do with two signal paths, which would seem reasonable. Though, in practice, I never really conceptualize my patches as such. So then, it occurs to me, why two screens? Why not one? Wouldn’t there be a cost saving in having just one, that’s larger perhaps? How temporal is the duo-screen concept, I wonder?
Then, there’s stuff where the concept is so expansive it blows my mind, like the social media approach to sharing patches; the Control Chain possibilities; the TCP/IP and web-UI stuff; the USB host abilities; LINUX, LV2, etc. It’s a diametric opposite to the proprietary hell that I’ve know for so long with marquee brand names in pro audio. To this end I am thrilled!
My ultimate point here is this: I don’t know where this is all going; it’s being worked out before our eyes. I see huge potential, a good moral compass, if I may. As such, MOD is already far more than a specific device, despite it’s realization through the hardware. To me, it’s the infrastructure and intellectual capital that being built here which is the real star. I feel here lays the strongest or real identity of MOD–the identity I’m already sold on and wish to see succeed.
I must admit though, the hardware direction of MOD I don’t quite get yet. It could be only certain things are possible at this stage; having a device engineered and manufactured is not a trivial thing. I would not complain for this reason. Yet, I cannot say the hardware is optimal for me yet. I have good hope though!
That said, I like the stomp-box approach for a ‘less gear to haul’ approach. For instance, I can take my DUO, Radial VOCO-LOCO, Softstep 2 and RE510 mic to a gig and have virtually everything I need, plus far more! Yet, I strongly desire something like a 1U rack version of the “DUO” for my home studio, offering expanded I/O (TOSLINK ideally) and much greater processing power (x86_64 arch, say). I’d pay like ~1.5 to 2 grand for such a thing, definitely.
Those are my thoughts.
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Would it really be hard to offer a version for the floor as well?
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