Sept. 2008 - NOTE: we are working on new products for 2009. Because of the great difficulty in building TM modules and sourcing some of their parts, all TM modules will be discontinued as they run out. 100 more of various TM types will be made, and then no more. Please do not pre-order from multiple dealers, it causes us many problems. We are extremely busy and having difficulty keeping up with demand.

Please do not call or email us to ask us to make more TM modules. Once this last batch is shipped, WE CAN'T MAKE ANY MORE. Because we can't get the parts. Please accept our apologies. Thank you.

Otolathe's new album is packed full of Metasonix noises. Free download too.

Here's our new portable mad-scientist lair. 128 square feet of electronic perversion.

NEWS FLASH! Bridechamber is now offering a version of our TM-1 waveshaper and ringmod, in a true MOTM-compatible panel package.
Go HERE for more information and ordering.

Q. Why should I buy a Metasonix device? Whatâ€™s so special about it?

A. Our products are built using all-tube signal paths. Yes, that's right, VACUUM TUBES. You know, those weird little glass things you see in really old radios....Metasonix circuit designs are unique to tubes. Such designs often DO NOT HAVE a solid-state equivalent. You CANNOT obtain the sounds of our products from software plug-ins or â€œclassicâ€ analog synthesizers.

Many of our devices use special radio and TV tubes which modern designers are not even aware of. These tubes have never been modeled or simulated, so there are no solid-state or software equivalents of their unique electrical behaviors or sounds.
(Unlike commonplace tube-distortion-box vendors, we do NOT use cheap imported 12AX7s--we use only top-quality NOS tubes, mostly of unusual types never before seen in audio equipment.)

Instead of following solid-state design practices, we operate the tubes in their â€œnative modesâ€--usually the simplest circuits possible. This results in the unique sounds they make.
Metasonix vacuum-tube modules are literally "alien" technology. There has never been anything like them before.

Q. Why are your products priced the way the are?

A. Although our tubes are unusual types and readily available, they still cost dollars apiece (as opposed to a few cents apiece for transistors). Our tubes also require tube sockets, which sometimes cost more than the tubes they hold. (We never use modern Chinese-made sockets, due to their low quality. Our sockets are NOS. And forget soldering the tubes directly to the PC board, this practice can damage the glass-metal seals and shorten the tube's life. Miniature tubes were NOT intended to be soldered into place!) Combined with the requirement for high voltage supplies and lots of current for tube heaters, Metasonix devices tend to be more costly than similar solid-state equipment. We work very hard to keep the retail prices reasonable. Fancy rack-mount cabinets jack up the production costs considerably, as we found while producing our older TS series; so we try to use smaller enclosures where possible. All of our products are unique, specialized and low-production, and all of them are built to last, by skilled American labor, in California. Outsourcing our production to low-cost countries is simply not feasible due to the low quantities involved.

Q. Are your products compatible with other analog synthesizers?

A. YES. All signal and control-voltage inputs and outputs on all Metasonix products are 100% compatible with solid-state equipment made by other manufacturers. Metasonix products DO NOT produce high signal voltages and WILL NOT damage solid-state equipment. In fact, we recommend using envelope generators, LFOs and MIDI-CV converters made by other manufacturers.

Q. What happens when the tubes wear out? Can replacements be obtained? How long do your tubes last? Do I have to replace them constantly?

A. Metasonix products operate their tubes conservatively. Although our devices are warranted for 90 days or one year from time of purchase, we feel that you will probably observe tube lifetimes of 100,000 hours or longer. Thatâ€™s 11 years of continuous operation, 24 hours a day! If you use your Metasonix synth for only 4 hours a day, most of the tubes should last a minimum of 20-30 years. (We can't guarantee or warranty the tubes will last this long, but our considerable experience shows that such lifetimes are probable.)

Metasonix products only use tubes which exist in GREAT quantities at dealers and in distributor warehouses. Although many of these tubes are NOS and out of production, the demand for them is virtually nil, so the supply is likely to last for DECADES. You canâ€™t use them in existing guitar amps or high-end audio equipment, so thereâ€™s no competition for them.

Remember: Eric Barbour, our founder and designer, was applications engineer at Svetlana Electron Devices for several years, and is well known as a tube expert from his extensive writings in VACUUM TUBE VALLEY, GLASS AUDIO, and engineering publications such as IEEE SPECTRUM. He must know something about the subject.

www.metasonix.com
METASONIX
870 South Main Street, PMB 109
Lakeport CA 95453 USA
(707) 263-5343

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