Thread

CHOMPI portable sampler instrument is now open-source (hardware and software)

108 points · 35 comments · lashkari

jrm4 · 1790850524 · focus · HN ↗
I love people making little things like this and so one hates to throw rocks from the sidelines.
But I literally laughed out loud, HARD, at the price.
1. micromacrofoot · 1790859963 · focus · HN ↗
  unfortunately that's the cost of supporting small businesses, no one can really compete with competitors who benefit from scale pricing
  1. phoghed · 1790862620 · focus · HN ↗
    afaik they sold out and then never made more. I was trying to buy one for my kids.
    sonjaqql · 1790867749 · focus · HN ↗
    Add to cart still works: <a href="https://www.chasebliss.com/shop/p/chompi-sampler" rel="nofollow">https://www.chasebliss.com/shop/p/chompi-sampler
    phoghed · 1790872302 · focus · HN ↗
    Oh cool, I haven't checked on it in quite a long time.
    I ended up getting them a Dato Duo, which we enjoy quite a bit. Got that for $229, price on it is way up now. Been eyeing the Dato Drum, but it's pretty steep at $500.
2. peteforde · 1790864242 · focus · HN ↗
  I'm not saying that you've clearly never built and shipped a hardware device as a small team in North America; maybe you have, and maybe that's what you do all day.
  However, I have noticed that the only people who look at a product like Chompi and think "overpriced" are people who have never built and shipped a hardware device. Perhaps you'll be the one to prove me wrong.
  I'm not saying that Chompi wasn't expensive, or that you couldn't get a mass-produced device like a Roland SP-404 for less on Reverb. I am saying that that is not a fair comparison, however.
  1. jrm4 · 1790997616 · focus · HN ↗
    Oh, I never have. I'm speaking truly as a consumer. I do not doubt your numbers.
    But -- your response really gives me a "what were they thinking?" vibe. Like, I have multiple raspberry pis and a flipper zero etc.
    And just coming from a consumer of stuff like this POV -- I could MAYBE go as high as 300-350, and that's really pushing it.
    peteforde · 1791013480 · focus · HN ↗
    I don't understand the second line/paragraph of your reply. Could you please clarify?
    jrm4 · 1791121818 · focus · HN ↗
    I suppose my thinking was that they were going to try to sell this to -- maybe not even the general public -- but to someone like me, pretty well versed in tech but not ultra deep in the game, that price point is still waaaay too high.
    Perhaps I'm missing it and it's almost a sort of, no really we're just building this for ourselves?
    peteforde · 1791185960 · focus · HN ↗
    Okay, I think I understand. More importantly, I want to say that I don't think you're trying to be jerky about this, though I was initially sort of triggered (admittedly) because you see this sort of sentiment a lot and it hits close to home.
    So, the main thing that many/most people do not remotely understand is how incredibly difficult, time consuming and expensive it is to get hardware to the state where it can be sold to strangers. Even HN folks who on the average understand software well frequently just have no way to grasp how much R&D actually goes into even a very simple device. It's playing in hard mode from start to finish.
    In a bigger company, there's entire departments whose job it is just to source components. For a small team like pre-CBA Chompi, all of the electronics, firmware, enclosure design, UX, documentation, not to mention the certifications and environmental certs and marketing and packaging and shipping logistics and returns and support and.... two people. I forgot lots of steps, but the number of people stays the same.
    The reality is that a product like Chompi can't address a larger market like a product from Roland or Korg can, and everything costs more at smaller scale, and yes, they were doing a lot of the work in the USA so this is directly comparable to the ongoing arguments around categories like fast fashion and how if you wanted to buy a high quality T-shirt made in the USA without any branding it should cost about 5x more than most people think that they should have to pay.
    Basically, you want to pay an Ikea price for a limited edition shelf made by a single woodworker. This translates quite literally to stating that you wish Chompi would give you a product that only breaks even at $600 when they sell thousands for $300 because you've convinced yourself that that's what a Chompi should be worth. It doesn't make you bad, it just means your working from a different set of expectations which don't line up with the economics of Chompi. The snarky response is to tell you to just go to Ikea like the other people who don't really care what they are buying but just need a shelf that isn't terrible.
    Every year in May the Superbooth festival and trade show happens in Berlin. Almost everyone you meet there is either making or has made gear, so it's an incredibly cathartic opportunity to collectively process shared trauma.
    Anyhow, I'm going to leave you with a strong suggestion that you check out this video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B-AmJUQ1m0" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B-AmJUQ1m0
    It's a masterclass in empathetic communication around this stuff.
3. brendoelfrendo · 1790865424 · focus · HN ↗
  That's pretty much what I would expect from Chase Bliss. They make very cool, high quality, and often niche audio products. Small production runs made in North America come with a high price tag.

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