Alan, I think highly of you and your company. Marketingwise, I think you score a homerun in the customer service department. If it came down between your product and someone else's, I might just pick yours because I know if it blew up, that I could send you the shrapnel, and you would fix or replace it -- no questions asked.
Now I hate to be critical, but I am a marketing person, so I think I'm qualified. If it weren't for your customer service record, I'm afraid your marketing would be a complete disaster. Wes 480's comment is a very good example of what can happen if you wait too long to launch a product after you've already started hying it. This comment pretty much says it all:
"I don't think i've ever heard it discussed much on these forums...i guess that says something. heh"
Marketingwise, this is a no-no. You see, you've successfully generated some hype and got people talking about it. Only problem is, the hype has already died out, and now your product is "yesterday's news" before it has even been released! So don't be surprized if people who don't know any better assume it's a lame product. They don't hear people talking about it anymore!
Mistake number 2 - In a lot of ways, you might think to yourself "Well, the RNMP isn't out yet either, so I'm off the hook." Two wrongs doesn't make a right, Alan. The fact that FMR audio has been dragging their heels should give you all the more incentive to beat them to the marketplace. You should have looked at as an opportunity to capitalize on.
Everyone's already got their cheap mics, Alan. Now they NEED something GOOD to plug them in to. Why do you think you're seeing so many "Best mic pre under $X?" threads on this and other forums? As soon as those threads die out, so has your opportunity to corner that market. And all of your C1 customers will own Mackie mixers and Audio buddies. Time's a-wastin'.
You were already riding the peak of your success with the C1 as early as a few months ago. I'm sure the reviewers would have been eager to say some nice things about
the VTP-1 if it was deserved. This would have created even more momentum, and before long, people would have been saying "FMR Audio? Aren't those the compressor guys?".
Hire me as your marketing person, Alan. It's not too late to straighten this mess out. Before long, we'll have people calling the RNC "the VTP1 of compressors."