The PCMG presents the "Crack the PC-L" Contest!

[Azmaria Dei]

it was a gift over on FX and i love it so i'm using it on all my forum profiles now. ^_^

thank you though.

[bk_renesis]

i'll tell you all how it's done after the dust settles. just keep in mind that this isn't a perfect solution, and unless you want to make a 'broken' LM or DM sound font, it's pretty useless as far as getting other fonts to work.

So really you have only enabled the modification of the preset fonts on the PC-L, you haven't "unlocked" the card. That's a bummer. Oh well just wait for the reflash service to activate I guess, for existing PC-Ls.

I hear that they will soon be called "PC" only as the "unlocked" versions will become available to the public. Imagine that, after all the headaches with "no more fonts" arguments, now we can have any font we like. I wonder why the PCMG yielded all of a sudden?

[FenderBender]

I personally think its a great decision on the part of PCMG members. As a hobbyist myself, I found it offensive that something like the PC should only be available from "qualified sabersmiths" who charge a premium ($1500+) for their work. With all of the stuff available at the TCSS, why shouldn't the average hobbyist have access to the same components? Then the PC-L came out which was an attempt at a compromise. I'm betting the demand for these things was getting higher and it was pretty much a pain the neck to put together 2 different versions. So the logical conclusion was this contest. Now we will have access to an "unlocked" PC so we can choose any available sound font, while still keeping it an affordable compromise to the sacred "Buttered Toast" that is the Crystal Focus. It most certainly makes the manufacturing process easier. And no doubt eliminate the constant repeated complaints of "Why won't sound font "x" work on my PC ????"

Seriously dude? You're over here to troll now? Firstly, the PC wasn't only available to "sabersmiths". Secondly, the sabersmiths are the ones who developed it, conceptualized it and brought it to market FOR everyone. Thirdly, who are you to question what someone charges for their work? If you're going to pull the same crap over here that you did on FX, you will find this forum less tolerant of your attitude.

[thejedilestat]

I personally think its a great decision on the part of PCMG members. As a hobbyist myself, I found it offensive that something like the PC should only be available from "qualified sabersmiths" who charge a premium ($1500+) for their work. With all of the stuff available at the TCSS, why shouldn't the average hobbyist have access to the same components? Then the PC-L came out which was an attempt at a compromise. I'm betting the demand for these things was getting higher and it was pretty much a pain the neck to put together 2 different versions. So the logical conclusion was this contest. Now we will have access to an "unlocked" PC so we can choose any available sound font, while still keeping it an affordable compromise to the sacred "Buttered Toast" that is the Crystal Focus. It most certainly makes the manufacturing process easier. And no doubt eliminate the constant repeated complaints of "Why won't sound font "x" work on my PC ????"

um i dont think the people involved are as dark and shady are you make them sound. most people i have talked to in the few years i have ben involved in saber building are nice and helpful end want to see the sabers you build. there is always a kind thing said to inspire you to do better when i say most i mean 97% of the people here and all are willing to help you aslong as you prove you want to do the work.

the high saber price is based on one simple thing..... its worth it. there is a diffrence from a honda and a audi, hasbro econ sound and mr fx sound, ultrasound and PC-L

[(null).exe]

um i dont think the people involved are as dark and shady are you make them sound. most people i have talked to in the few years i have ben involved in saber building are nice and helpful end want to see the sabers you build. there is always a kind thing said to inspire you to do better when i say most i mean 97% of the people here and all are willing to help you aslong as you prove you want to do the work.

the high saber price is based on one simple thing..... its worth it. there is a diffrence from a honda and a audi, hasbro econ sound and mr fx sound, ultrasound and PC-L

not to mention that the price of the components is often the SMALLEST portion of the cost of a commission. You're paying for the artist's time, and more importantly, their expertise. My wife's saber is $450-ish, just for the components, lets say a sabersmith charges roughly double their "normal" day job payrate for their time (which is what I do for my costuming commissions), and spends 10-20 hours on the custom cutting of the shroud, the polishing of all the components, soldering, testing, etc. you're looking at an additional $400-800 easy, and the design I came up with for hers is fairly simple cuts on a shroud and standard MHS pieces. You add the time to find or custom fabricate unique pieces for a complex hilt and you're adding the price of the raw material, another couple hours of planning and setup time, an hour+ of actual fabrication, PER PIECE. When you start doing the math, $1500 for a hilt sounds downright reasonable.

Your paranoid rantings are starting to sound more and more like someone sucking on a bitter lemon because they don't think they're part of the "in crowd" and are trying to make hay about it.

[beggarsoutpost]

I personally think its a great decision on the part of PCMG members. As a hobbyist myself, I found it offensive that something like the PC should only be available from "qualified sabersmiths" who charge a premium ($1500+) for their work. With all of the stuff available at the TCSS, why shouldn't the average hobbyist have access to the same components? Then the PC-L came out which was an attempt at a compromise. I'm betting the demand for these things was getting higher and it was pretty much a pain the neck to put together 2 different versions. So the logical conclusion was this contest. Now we will have access to an "unlocked" PC so we can choose any available sound font, while still keeping it an affordable compromise to the sacred "Buttered Toast" that is the Crystal Focus. It most certainly makes the manufacturing process easier. And no doubt eliminate the constant repeated complaints of "Why won't sound font "x" work on my PC ????"

Not to mention that it shows that you have no real understanding of what your talking about when you say things like...

Then the PC-L came out which was an attempt at a compromise.

So the logical conclusion was this contest.

I'm betting the demand for these things was getting higher and it was pretty much a pain the neck to put together 2 different versions.

It most certainly makes the manufacturing process easier.

And no doubt eliminate the constant repeated complaints of "Why won't sound font "x" work on my PC ????"

Really if you don't know anything about what you speaking to it's better just to keep your mouth shut... You see that way people won't know your an idiot...

[bk_renesis]

I think it just makes an awesome product even more so, why wouldn't you utilize all the features of the board?

People are still going to get sabersmiths to pump out works of art regardless, I know I can't make a Vaders vault special even if all the tools and machinery were provided to me on a silver platter. That's what you pay for, artistry, machine time, expertise & execution.

Well deserved I think.

[Loachri MacTalabh]

I personally think its a great decision on the part of PCMG members. As a hobbyist myself, I found it offensive that something like the PC should only be available from "qualified sabersmiths" who charge a premium ($1500+) for their work. With all of the stuff available at the TCSS, why shouldn't the average hobbyist have access to the same components? Then the PC-L came out which was an attempt at a compromise. I'm betting the demand for these things was getting higher and it was pretty much a pain the neck to put together 2 different versions. So the logical conclusion was this contest. Now we will have access to an "unlocked" PC so we can choose any available sound font, while still keeping it an affordable compromise to the sacred "Buttered Toast" that is the Crystal Focus. It most certainly makes the manufacturing process easier. And no doubt eliminate the constant repeated complaints of "Why won't sound font "x" work on my PC ????"

Do you think ART comes from a "Cracker Jack Box"? I for one would pay top dollar for any Sabersmith to do what they do. What they do is create a work of ART.

[thejedilestat]

tachikoma1 what you posted didnt read to be anything nice. it all sounded like you where puting down alot of people cuz you dont like the price for there work. i dont want to sound mean but that was just uncalled for.

[Allaerra Secura]

But the true "sabersmiths" tend to be mechanical engineers with a full machine shop at their disposal.

Once again, this is a totally uneducated point of view and I am wondering how the heck you arrived at this assumption.

The only Sabersmith I know who might fit that description is Acerocket. The rest of us come from all walks. Vader's Vault has taken several years to build up to the machinery we do have and it is a far cry from a "full machine shop. We started out with little more than a dremel, a drill, a pencil, and some paper. Many gifted smiths still have very little machinery to speak of. It is what you do with what you have that really counts. To make a more involved piece takes time. The more time, the more the end cost just like any other occupation. You do like to be paid for your time at your own job don't you? You don't tell your boss you are happy to work for free this week do you?

But thanks to Tim and others, I can attempt to build my own with the same sound quality of the "Cadillac" models. That's all I meant. No offense to the sabersmith community intended.

This is the sentiment that it would make sense to remember.