All,
Please allow me to respond.
Yes, we really are working on aftermarket sound sets for the DM10. Have they happened as quickly and smoothly as we ALL would've liked? Not by any stretch of the imagination. If you want to blame someone, blame me.
The first set is done and we are finalizing the business details with the developer. Are the sound sets late? You bet. I am truly sorry for the taste it's left in your mouth, but we are all doing our best to get them done.
Understand that Alesis is a business. And like any other business we need to balance acquiring customers (developing new products) with retaining customers (delivering on promises). When I took on product management in March, my evaluation of the situation dictated that we needed to be focused on getting new products in the pipeline. Without new products to drive sales, investing our limited resources in projects that don't generate much revenue (such as sound sets) is the wrong business decision.
I'm happy to say that we are accomplishing that goal and that we are now placing more emphasis on sustaining engineering/development, i.e. aftermarket sound sets and OS updates for existing gear.
The DM10 cannot support a dual-zone hi-hat trigger input. It's a matter of hardware, not software.
And, as Steve Jobs would say, one more thing: as of this week, Alesis is seeking a sound set developer. If you or someone you know would be interested in taking on this project, please contact me at dradin@alesis.com.
As always, thank you for your passion, thank you for your patience, and thank you for your feedback – good and bad.
Sincerely,
Dan Radin