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Arrakis Digilink Xtreme problem

S

shure

Anyone having this problem? Digilink Xtreme blows out the back half-hour of spots. This has happened for the past three days. We pay for Arrakis customer service. To be more accurate, we pay for the one person who answers that 'service' extension in the Arrakis phone tree. Three days, several phone calls to the company, and LOTS of make goods later, Arrakis 'customer service' has yet to return the call or respond in any way (e-mail, etc). These disappearing stop sets are the latest in a string of problems we've had since the latest software update. All of this is news to Arrakis. I inherited this Arrakis system which I've found to be the least intuitive, backwards hard drive system I've ever used. I'd be willing to buy a booth next to theirs @ trade shows showing a Digilink Computer in a garbage can. Maybe a trade magazine ad...but I'd just be stating the obvious.
 
shure said:
Anyone having this problem? Digilink Xtreme blows out the back half-hour of spots. This has happened for the past three days. We pay for Arrakis customer service. To be more accurate, we pay for the one person who answers that 'service' extension in the Arrakis phone tree. Three days, several phone calls to the company, and LOTS of make goods later, Arrakis 'customer service' has yet to return the call or respond in any way (e-mail, etc). These disappearing stop sets are the latest in a string of problems we've had since the latest software update. All of this is news to Arrakis. I inherited this Arrakis system which I've found to be the least intuitive, backwards hard drive system I've ever used. I'd be willing to buy a booth next to theirs @ trade shows showing a Digilink Computer in a garbage can. Maybe a trade magazine ad...but I'd just be stating the obvious.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, Arrakis customer service leaves a lot to be desired. It's nothing new. Believe me, I know. I had a similar situation with the original Digilink, several years ago. Because of that "less-than-suitable" customer service experience I had, I would not purchase another Arrakis product. It's a shame really. Their products are good, but after the sale........... well.... you get the idea.
 
I wouldn't say their products are good... have you used one of their "consoles"?
 
WNTIRadio said:
I wouldn't say their products are good... have you used one of their "consoles"?
Click to expand...

In fact, I have used one of their consoles. It was noisy and barely passed proof. I didn't like it myself.
 
Owner in Colorado, is Mr. Michael Palmer. I'd suggest you call, and ask for him
directly. I've had good results with their equipment, but admit I don't trust
anything newer than Microsoft XP-Pro. That might be part of the problem.
 
"oh no not another arrak thread... seems to be a theme every few months here!" Hmmm. Could that be because there are new victims of their marketing and sales dept. every couple months? LOL! Friends don't let friends buy Arrakasheite.
 
Isn't this the company who has for years given us crosstalk around any RF, more than one channel playing when you don't want to, overpriced proprietary parts, and tech support which is "Have Your Credit Card Ready". Arrakashiite is the correct term.
 
I know we always love bashing them... But, I have some real advice.

Please, talk management into at least getting you Simian or Station Playlist.

You will always have trouble until you get on a modern system. You are just beta for Arrakis. They don't have a large enough installed base or enough personell to test updates and bug fixes... YOU are the testing team.
 
I have a client right now that's trying to bail on an Arrakis system. It's not even very old, but working with their tech support and the system's issues has gotten really, really old for them in a hurry.
 
Owner in Colorado, is Mr. Michael Palmer. I'd suggest you call, and ask for him
directly. I've had good results with their equipment, but admit I don't trust
anything newer than Microsoft XP-Pro. That might be part of the problem.
Click to expand...

Windows 7 has been super stable in any installation I've done with it. Don't know how it reacts to the Arrakacrap, but I seriously doubt the problem is the operating system.

Have a station with Simian, and for the price it can't be beat. Just runs and runs.

Higher up the price list, my favorite pick is RCS Nexgen. Second is iMediaTouch, it's been very stable. An almost tie would be Audiovault. Enco hasn't impressed me, but I think the age of the hardware and complexity of the installation was the problem and not the software itself. Lots of crashes on that one.

Arrakis isn't even on my list. For anything. Console or automation system. I'd rather buy a used R55e if going analog than a new Arrakacrap board. Or fix up a long forgotten BMX series.

Up until last year, had a 31 year old pair of McCurdys (the blue ones) that after recapping and rechipping (very cheap to do) just chugged along and took abuse from volunteer operators.
 
Seconded about Simian and WaveCart if you need live assist. Reliable as they get. And well supported. AudioVault and iMediaTouch are great. My Simian boxes in my care run and run and run. And don't worry me too much. Windows 7 is rock solid stable provided it is kept updated and malware out. And your hardware is excellent.
 
Kent T said:
Seconded about Simian and WaveCart if you need live assist. Reliable as they get. And well supported. AudioVault and iMediaTouch are great. My Simian boxes in my care run and run and run. And don't worry me too much. Windows 7 is rock solid stable provided it is kept updated and malware out. And your hardware is excellent.
Click to expand...

Ditto on the OS. My entire AudioVAULT Flex system runs on Windows 7 with ALL patches installed. It is rock solid and nice to have everything on a modern OS.
 
I love it. I've been on it for a couple of years now. I was a very early beta on V10. I watched it grow from the beginning. It is solid as a rock, with V10.10. There is no way I would ever pick 9.20 over it. I run a large system and even if I do have a problem, it isn't anything that kills the audio.
 
Hello Shure & Everyone,

My name is Ben Palmer, and I am with Arrakis Systems. This thread has been brought to my attention and I wanted to apologize for any problems you have been facing with our product or our support department. I understand your frustration and I hope I can help. Please contact me directly and let me know if I can assist in any way.

We appreciate your feedback on our product and support. Please provide your feedback on our website by going to our Support section, then selecting either Product Feedback or Support Feedback. We value your opinion and are always striving to improve your experience with our product.

Thank you very much for your time. Have a wonderful day!

Ben Palmer
970-461-0730 x309
[email protected]
 
Ben, Thanks for checking in on the board here. I would like to ask a few questions here. Are you guys charging for support for products other than your automation system? I understand charging some fees for continued support of automation system equipment software, but your policy on other products would be enlightening. Do you have manuals for your products available, free of charge, on your website? How much are your manuals typically? Just some examples would help us understand things much better. Are there proprietary parts in your console and equipment design in which commonly available part numbers are removed and new numbers added so as to make it nearly impossible to buy the parts elsewhere? What has Arrakis done in recent model of consoles to correct RF immunity issues and lightning damage issues (especially in the audio output circuits) found in older models? Thanks so much for your help in further understanding your products here on R-I.
 
I only have one comment about Arrakis, and it's this: They make nice studio furniture. :)

At least they DID in the 90's! Do they still? :)
 
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