PDA

View Full Version : Saber enthusiast, but discouraged and angry



DarthPerilous
10-17-2008, 03:16 AM
Hello everyone! Just thought I'd poke around these forums and try to learn some new things about LED technology and sound. I'd have to say though, I'm a bit discouraged with my experiences in this hobby so far.

See, I'm a Vader costumer and someday I'd love to have a lightsaber that's just like the Dark Lord's. So far I have a Force FX Vader Ep V saber and it's pretty cool, but I'd really like to make it brighter and give it louder, more realistic/true-to-film sounds. I already plan on sending my saber to UltraSabers sometime for a conversion, but the whole sound aspect of this hobby is starting to get me really ticked off.

I really want to get a CF 4.0 from Plecterlabs but everyone buys them up faster than I can lift a finger and I see CF-powered sabers popping up everywhere, even though I'm signed up to Erv's newsletter and I'm SUPPOSED to be getting updates as to when new batches are being made. Also, some people have the audacity to buy multitudes of these CF boards at once and rob people like me the chance to get even one. Who needs 9 of these things anyway? Don't be greedy people. Give someone else a chance, damnit.

So since I can't get a CF soundboard ever, I thought I'd try preordering one of the new Ultraboards from UltraSabers. To may dismay, however, I come to find that there's only one sound font to use and that's it. I think that's total bullcrap. I don't understand why we're forced to use just one soundfont. I wanted a soundfont I can use to have Vader sounds, but it would sound totally wrong to slap something in there that had Jedi sounds. I mean, couldn't I just pay UltraSabers to custom build an Ultrasound board with Vader's saber sounds?

Exasperated and desperate, I then tried contacting Hyperdyne Labs to see what I could do with their soundboards. But you know what? For some reason, they absolutely refuse to respond to my e-mails. I sent a few a month ago asking if I could place an order for a Vortex 2 and then another one asking if I could be put on the reserve list, but I've heard absolutely nothing from them. I've heard they're busy, but everyone says that the most you have to wait is a few days or a week. It's been an entire MONTH, so now I'm stuck with a regular Force FX saber as well as being voiceless while in my costume.

At this point, I'm about ready to either break someone's face and take their CF board, or just pack my costume and throw it away in a dark corner of my closet, never to be worn again. Does anyone have any advice for me so that I don't end up junking a $1000 suit in frustration? I never knew simply upgrading one's costume could be such an ordeal.

Malaki Skywalker
10-17-2008, 03:32 AM
First off, welcome to the Forum.

I can tell you straight away that their are MANY people that miss out on the CF because of how fast it sells out... no need to b1tch about it, it happens... why? Their are reason why some people by multiple CF boards... they have sabers to build for customers, not because they are greedy, well their are some cases

As for the Ultra Sound 2.0, its freaking better then MR sound! And its very unlikely they will make an accurate Vader soundboard for many reasons, including Mr Lucas and his army of Lawyers knocking on your door...

So join the club, no use getting wound up over it. Just wait till the next batch which is going to have like 125 boards... if you miss that batch, you will have to wait again.

A little patience go's along way.

swear000
10-17-2008, 03:33 AM
I can feel your anger. It gives you focus. Makes you stronger. lol

Seriously, just be patient. Erv is working on a new scheme to make sure CF is more equally distributed next time around. Since you want true to movie sound above all else, than CF would most likely be the only choice. A lot of other people share the same frustration which is why Erv is trying very hard to make sure that CF is more evenly distributed amongst fans.

Kant Lavar
10-17-2008, 03:47 AM
Additionally, CF is not going to be the final word on customizable lightsaber sound boards. There are members here that are working on their own boards, with the intent to sell them later. (I'd mention specifics, but since the thread on the board was recently locked, I'm not certian how far I can go and don't want to bring the Hammer of Doom down upon myself.) I'm certian, though, that mentioning its existence and the intent for it to be much cheaper than the CF is not verboten.

(And believe me, I'm right with you on the speed that the last batch of CFs sold out for. Once the next batch comes out, if you don't get your hands on one, you can ask around and see if anyone's looking to sell off an older CF board - I got a CF 3.1 that way.)

TimeRender
10-17-2008, 10:40 AM
I've signed up on Erv's newsletter and I've been able to purchase two CFCs and one Blaster Core. Your problem might be that he just hasn't released a batch since you signed up. It usually takes him several months to complete each batch, so just hang in there. In the meantime, there are still a lot of other aspects of this hobby to explore. Try making a custom hilt. Maybe try soldering together a luxeon hilt without sound first, or try wiring one up with MR sound. It will be good soldering practice for when you do get your CFC. Take some time to do research because believe me, that alone could take months. Maybe you could make a list of all the components you'll need and start getting dimensions for them so you'll know how to fit them in your hilt. You can easily spend a full year or more making preparations like these before you would ever even need a CFC.

Lord Dottore Matto
10-17-2008, 04:47 PM
My friend, I know that saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff..." may sound cliche, but in this hobby it is very true! TimeRender's post is spot on. You need to solder a few "lesser" boards before you tackle a CF. (the soldering itself is the same, but you don't want to fry a board that you have waited months for!) Unless you, like Loreen, solder for a living then practice up, make a few sabers and enjoy!

Phiily Manyaan
10-17-2008, 05:19 PM
It pissed me off too, thats why I kept reading to learn more! That led me to be able to get an MR Joe Jedi board and install it myself. I had no building-anything-skills prior to that. Now I have a functioning saber (waiting to undergo a cosmetic overhaul). So, yeah this hobby is uber-frustrating at first, but everyone's been at and past that point. So its perfectly acceptable.