| Why does it have to be so Difficult? |
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| Current Events |
| Written by Derek Goodwin |
 I had an enlightening consumer experience the other day, I make online training videos and I was not satisfied with the audio quality, After reading up online, I came to the conclusion that I needed either a better sound card for my laptop or a peripheral device that would replace my sound card and give me good quality audio, I decided on the second option and made my way down to Guitar Center. The sales rep was knowledgeable, as high-tech kids tend to be, he worked me over for $320 for a Yamaha Audiogram3 USB audio interface, an AKG perception microphone, a pop screen and a set of cables. Once back in my office I wasted no time in tearing into my new consumer devices, I unpacked the USB audio interface, installed the Cubase software that came with it and then experienced a moment that can only be explained as sheer joy as I unpacked my AKG microphone. The box was sleekly designed with beautiful graphics and a photo of the Mic that stood out on a black back ground, bringing visions of a lone performer on a darkened stage. I opened the box, pulled off the protective foam layer and removed the heavy, precision machined microphone from its box; it had the feel of quality. Then my nightmare began; I plugged everything in, started up the software, and began recording from the script: Nothing happened. I scrambled through the software clicking pull down menus, looking for anything that would give me an idea into why this thing wasn't working, after an hour I resorted to the manual. The manual was not helpful, it was obviously written by sound engineers for sound engineers, sure it was basic startup instructions, but I didn't get the terminology. I don't know what a preamp is, I don't even know what a mixer is, I just want to plug in my microphone and record content. The sales rep at Guitar Center had said, "give me a call if you have any problems I'll help you get through it", so I did. “Bring it down to the store” he said, “probably a problem with the Mic” I knew it wasn't a problem with the Mic, the sense of quality that I got when I opened the box made it impossible for me to imagine that I had purchased a faulty microphone. I knew what the problem was and it was operator error, I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong so I packed up my laptop, all my gear and drove down to Guitar Center. If you've ever tried to solve a technical problem with sound at guitar Center, you've noticed that it's an interesting task, try to diagnose your problem while 17 kids are playing every guitar, piano, synthesizer and musical instrument imaginable at maximum volume. We were however able to isolate the problem it wasn’t the mic or the USB audio interface; it was something in the software. The Guitar center DJ didn't use Cubase, but he used something similar and we were somehow able to prove that a .wav file was being output, we just couldn't figure out why there was no sound. I took my rig home, delved into the PDF manual once again and kept at it until my eyes hurt; I made some progress, but ultimately went to bed unhappy and dissatisfied. Somehow though I knew that tomorrow I would be able to figure it out, this is how it is with technology, nothing works without investing 16 hours of pain. The next morning I called technical support. it was my last resort, all of the online documentation assured me that any technical problems could be worked out using the manual, the FAQ, online forms etc. Only a moron would need to actually dial the phone number for technical support. I had reached the point where I didn't mind being a moron, I was 10 hours into this and I hadn't been able to record or listen to a single track. I was pleasantly surprised at the Yamaha phone menu tree. I only needed to press one button to reach a technical support representative and he picked up on the second ring, however, as soon as I heard his voice, I knew I was in trouble. You've been there, you're on the phone with a person with a much higher IQ than you, he's busy and you're a moron. I explained that I hooked everything up, read the manual and it just didn't work. “Click on devices” he said, “device setup”, “VST audio system”, “what does it say next to ASIO driver?” “ “Uhh… ASIO DirectX full duplex driver” I said, "That's your problem” he said, “You need to download the correct driver.” I was ecstatic; all I had to do was download something from the web. "I'll send you a link”, he said. This is going to be fine I thought, I should've called technical support much earlier. He sent me the link, but it wasn't the driver, it was a webpage that listed a thousand downloads that were available for every Yamaha product. I panicked, I didn't know what to do, but then I thought to myself, “This isn't your first time, you can do it.”I found my product line, I found my category, and I clicked the button that said drivers, I can do this, "I'm no rookie", I thought to myself. And then I panicked again, there were three options; one for a Mac, two for Vista, I'm on XP, and I'm no idiot so I knew the driver wouldn't work for me, I called technical support again. My tech-support hero answered again on the second ring, I explained my problem, “the third option says Vista/XP” he said, “oh I'm sorry,” I said and hung up the phone with my tail between my legs. I spent the next two hours downloading and installing the drivers, by this time I had gotten much smarter, I printed out the PDF manual, it was much easier to read in paper form, I began to have some level of success, I could make a recording and then I would try it again and nothing would happen I repeated this process for several hours without being able to understand what I was doing differently and why it would record sometimes and other times not. Eventually I called tech support again, a different representative answered,” I don't know” he said, “maybe you have to download the latest driver, maybe it's your antivirus, it could be anything.” “Thanks I said ironically,” “you’re welcome” he said, “call back if you have any other problems.” As I go to bed tonight, I have some cause for optimism, I have put in 16 hours into this product so far and I know I'm getting close now to laying down my first recording. There's nothing wrong with the software, there's nothing wrong with the hardware, it's just a simple case of operator error, and once I get this figured out I'll be good to go. According to the consulting group Accenture: 68% of consumer electronics goods that are returned for being faulty, actually work properly, it's just that consumers can't figure them out. This is a huge problem and opportunity for manufacturers of electronic devices (and Software), not only are your revenues impacted by the returned products, but your brand is damaged because some moron who can’t figure out how to use your product, will go onto a major testimonial blog and shout out that your product sucks. Yes, he’s a moron, but you lose. All in all, I’ve come to a better understanding today, of what I’m trying to do with eapprentice.net, we are on the right track, it’s not about informing the experts, they already know how to do it, and they’ve put in the hours. It’s about informing the consumer, the Machine Shop owner, who doesn’t have time to sift through reams of documentation, the setup guy who can't afford $300 per day for training, or the hobbyist who doesn't have the experience to pick it up by the manual. Hopefully, we can make the Mastercam experience better for you; watch the videos, read the articles, participate in the forum, click on search, send us an email or give me a call (650) 644-9837 Thanks, Derek    |
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