We’ve used (and sold) Apple Macintoshes almost from the first day they were introduced in 1984 and have always been a huge supporter of Apple’s innovative, user-friendly products. In fact, our entire company is totally Mac-driven. Yes, there’s a Mac on every desk in the building, all networked together. So when you’re ready for your first Apple computer or think it’s time to upgrade, give us a call. We don’t just sell these products, we believe in them and use them every day, so we know them inside and out. Be sure to read the complete report beginning on Page 7.

Of course, just because we’re selling Macs doesn’t mean we’re forgetting you thousands of PC owners out there. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While we don’t sell the computers, we have every imaginable music-related peripheral you can think of, from sequencing software to a full-blown Pro Tools system that’s as super sophisticated as the current technology allows. We’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome back the fine Samson family of products: Zoom, Hartke, Samson and Behringer. While we are always looking to add new product lines to make sure that every musician out there can get the exact item he or she needs, there are those rare times where we find we need to drop a specific line. The reasons are complex and would take far too much space to discuss here, but suffice it to say that nobody likes it when this happens: Not us, not the manufacturer and certainly not our customers.

However, doing business these days is not as simple as it was when we first opened our doors in 1979, and sometimes we must make tough decisions about which products we will carry, since it would be impossible to stock them all. So it is very gratifying when we can re-establish a solid relationship with a specific manufacturer or distributor, particularly when that company is turning out some excellent products that we know many of you will want. This issue we take an in-depth look at all the amazing new gear from Zoom (see Page 3) and Hartke, the acknowledged industry leader in bass guitar amplification (see Page 11).

Next on our busy agenda this issue is our recent V.A.S.T. Workshop. One of the things that’s really incredible about our company is the wealth of knowledge that our employees possess. You almost take it for granted that everyone you pass in the hall these days is an expert in one or more areas of music technology. There’s really no place like this and no group of people like this anywhere else in the industry. And what makes it even better are those times when we get to share some of that special expertise with our customers.

The V.A.S.T. Workshop attracted 71 attendees from seven states, and it was quite a rush having that many Kurzweil enthusiasts all in one place. The vibe was electrifying. Heading the day-long event was Daniel Fisher, our Director of Soundware Engineering. Throughout the day, Daniel and other Sweetwater experts like Gary Phillips, Bruce Hendrix, Robert Dorion and Kenny Bergle taught classes on specific Kurzweil topics including programming shortcuts, sampling tips, sequencing and file management. It was a great opportunity for us to share the secrets of V.A.S.T. with our customers and help them unlock the enormous capabilities of their Kurzweil keyboards. Based on the response, we did just that. Since the event was so successful, we are looking into the possibility of offering workshops on other products and topics. So keep watching Sweet Notes, our Web site and the mail for details.

Finally, before we run out of space, we hope you’ve noticed that we have solved a lot of the problems that have led to some unfortunate bottlenecks in our service over the past months. As we mentioned last issue, this has our full attention, and we’ve added more phone lines, more operators, more Sales Engineers and more Technical Support staff. We are continuing to actively recruit the best people in the industry to make sure you get the very best advice, service and support every time you call us.