Who's the next Roland and Yamaha company?

I'm thinking about how companies like Novation and Access try to reinvent their products so many times, what is Access on the 4th or 5th Virus now

Roland seemed to start off fairly slow, but kept changing the game. They did take the SH series pretty far, but STILL they always looked to make different synths instead of the same old machine. What the HeLl is wrong with these other companies? Why don't they invest in some new research.? Sure they make a nice product, but no of these or others seem to be able to want to get into corporation status.

What's the deal, don't they make enough to try to put something else together? Or is it just to make bank and not think about actual synthesis?

Of course we're in the software craze right now, but is this how Access and Novation want to go? Waldorf was the company I had hope for.

I wish some of these companies would break out of their niche bitch.

Just a ramble because I guess no other company feels they can compete with the Big 3.

many eletronic/synths companies have been crused bad by softsynths and hardware sampler are nearly dead, the up rising urban hiphop keep the Akai alive, which is no longer a japanese company.

and remember, a product without proper budget advertising isnt going to sell

Acess have the sound, Novation and wordorf wont get as many smile from their sounds, by inpliment more voice and full multi memberal effects with more cost in DSP, but then.... to be realistic, 48 poly ? or 98? 8 effects ? and many people would use it as mono memberal synth anyway

.... so they have been bought by others

Alesis.

I think you're right.

alesis is under and funded by numark

they better get a new revison of Fusion with better internal ROM samples, and more DSP for another insert effects with newly programed patches to keep up

I'm not quite following what that means.

Many other companies don't really need to compete with the Big 3 directly.

Moog Music is known for their quality and customer service.

DSI is top notch in customer relations. Dave Smith answers the phone himself to help you out with his creations.

I was very happy when I found out that Novation is going to release a Remote SL with no keys. It shows that the company is listening.

There's a lot more that goes into a product choice than the product itself. Well, at least for me.

There's also a matter of resources for further projects to consider. Play it safe, build revenue, then get a bit more radical.

How was that Korg and Roland where able to start it up and offer different synths?

Might the answer be time? And like you said revenue is the most important, but you know some of these companies should be making bank.

my answer..... none.

I dont think there will be another big company like Yamaha/Korg/Roland.

Smaller companies, particulary software based will probably be more abundent these days.

Its seems odd to say, but it wouldnt suprise me if one day Roland and Korg merged. Although i cant see Yamaha ever doing so, (even though they once owned a share in Korg).

Please feel free to stop me now if im talking utter goballdygook

My favorite company right now is Clavia. Their Nord stuff is fantastic, but I would never wish success and growth into a giant company like RolaYamaKorg on them.

That would ruin the very thing that makes them great - innovative products that are tightly focussed, and free software revs to add features based on customer feedback.

For under $1k, you gotta be kidding. The only competition for the Fusion at that pricepoint is the Roland Juno-G, and it only offers one method of synthesis.

Not necessarily. I figure on average, they make more on interest from investments to keep them afloat than product sales. I say this because the musician market for those products isn't that big and software has given a blow to the hardware market. I'm sure the Big 3 would love to have another super success story like the M1, DX7, and Juno 106 but today's environment doesn't make that very likely. This will also affect the development of more radical products.

On another note, there are so many other things one can use in conjunction to a synth to manipulate it's sound that I really don't think it's totally fair to harp on companies for innovation.