NYL Physical Production Update
NYL's physical editions are finally being readied for shipment after a tumultuous situation has finally solidified. In this post, we'll discuss next steps, what caused the delay, steps for users to take with regard to refunds or address changes, and additional compensation for our users.
Before delving more deeply into specific answers about the situation, I wanted to offer a sincere apology on behalf of myself and the team. This wait time is not something we are proud of, or something we ever want to happen again. Physical production was always something we did out of gratitude to our users, running at a not insignificant financial loss to our company, but the interest and request of users has always been our priority as Eclipsed Sounds. We are and will continue to be taking major steps in our approach to considerations around physical editions and physical merchandise in the future to ensure we prevent these sorts of conditions from arising. Thank you sincerely to our supporters for bearing with these issues.
What Happened?
A variety of compounding factors impacted the production of NYL's physical edition - but far and away the most detrimental was an inability to reproduce the effect of the original Starry Court discs. At first, this delay seemed like it would be trivial, at most an additional month. However, after discussing with a number of different disc printing companies, it soon revealed itself to be a larger issue than originally anticipated. In one phrase, everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong.
Initial Incident - Original manufacturer's machine necessary for producing our discs suffered a failure and could not be replaced
Our manufacturer is a domestic, family-owned and operated media printing service. We originally worked with them to produce SOLARIA's disc during the post-crowdfund period, and again for ASTERIAN & SAROS' physical releases. In the time between SAROS' disc production and NYL's production period, the machine necessary for creating a custom white "donut", which allows white ink to appear and colors to show faithfully, failed and was unable to be repaired. When we reached out to our manufacturer to begin production, they let us know that this had occurred, and that the machine was too expensive for their operation to replace.
Maintaining consistency with the 3 preceding Starry Court releases
As a small, limited series, we have worked consistently to keep parity between our flagship 4 voice databases. For this reason, especially considering NYL is the final release in this series, it was not possible to simply remove the effect or settle for a significantly lesser solution.
The original Starry Court discs were printed on archival grade gold DVDs.
The original discs' gold color is not just for show, these are archival grade discs made to last. This was something we were absolutely willing to let go of to ensure production continued, but was our original starting point in order to add just that little bit of extra protection. This was especially important as our physical releases are very limited in number, so we wanted to firmly ensure that those that were made would be dependable. This of course was a minor factor, most DVDs last incredibly well and would never need this sort of assurance, but it was a small factor that still played its part.
The gold color was not easily replicable with other techniques
Of the manufacturers we reached out to when it became clear our previous colleagues were unable to meet the initial needs, a few suggested other techniques to try to replicate the effect. However, most of these techniques either compromised the quality of the rest of the artwork, the look of the disc, or made other choices, such as white-ink printing, impossible.
We could not suspend development on other vocals to solely focus on physical production
Our operational costs and day-to-day existence as a company is dependent on continuing to develop & release vocals and promote & update those we have in circulation. With the large changes that came with Synthesizer V Studio 2, and the increased load of providing a significant and sustained amount of customer support in the transition, our 3-person team was stretched thin. While this was not a primary driving force in the delay, it was nonetheless a contributing factor as deadlines for other concerns frequently took our attention away from finding solutions on this issue.
How Was the Situation Resolved?
In the end, we expected to give up on keeping the disc the same when we returned to our original manufacturer. However, our original manufacturer tried a few experimental tests with their remaining machinery, and was unexpectedly able to replicate the effect nearly perfectly in the test. At that time, we proceeded cautiously and placed our order. Upon inspecting the discs today, we are happy to say that the effect is replicated perfectly.
I Received a Support Message that Claimed the Delay Was Almost Over a While Ago - What Happened?
We had many moments with manufacturers that claimed they could replicate the effect when we inquired and spoke with representatives, only to get most of the way through the process and it would be clear that this was not in fact the case. In these cases, our timelines would be moved back again as we worked through the process again with another manufacturer.
How Will I Be Compensated For Delays?
Physical edition orders that were delayed by this production will include additional bonus items, as well as a significant coupon for a future purchase. This coupon will be $30 USD, the difference in price between physical and digital editions. The coupon will be unique for each customer, and only valid for a single use, where it can be combined with any discounts available during the purchase. (Purchase must be at least the value of the coupon before it is applied) There will be one coupon provided for each physical edition that was delayed, but only one coupon can be used per purchase.
When Will Shipping Begin?
Shipping will begin in early October. Data loading of the discs begins immediately, and we are providing one week for users who would prefer refunds to request them as we do not want to assume that the value remains for those who have waited this long. (See below) Users who wish to change their shipping address should reach out as soon as possible to change the address on the order. (See further below)
Can I Still Get A Refund?
Yes - if you prefer a refund instead, we will refund the cost difference between NYL's physical and digital editions, or waive our typical refund policy and refund the voice database as well with deactivation if desired. The deadline to request refunds will be midnight on September 29th, which is one week from the upload date of this post.
Can I Change My Shipping Address?
Yes - please email us promptly through our Contact Form to ensure we receive your request. Shipping address changes must be requested by September 29th at midnight.
Where Are You Shipping From?
Shipments are being made from western Oregon in the United States of America. Shipping time will vary depending on distance.
How Will Value Be Declared for International Shipments?
Less than the cost difference between physical and digital editions will be declared, since the product is a 2 part delivery and the majority of cost is determined by the software, which was delivered digitally, and not the physical bonus. Due to the fact that shipping cost is also included in this price, the value declared will also be lower than the exact difference as a result.
Will I Be Charged For Shipping?
No. Shipping is always free for our physical editions because we baked the cost of shipping into the cost of the products, at a loss for our team to keep orders accessible. The only possibility that you will see any charge for the shipment is if there is a tariff (may be described as tax or VAT depending on your area) on shipments from the USA to your location.
Did this impact the decision to not launch HXVOC and GALENAIA with physical editions?
Yes, partially. None of our decisions are made lightly on a single factor, but the issues with NYL's physical production and other delayed physical editions have played a major role in this consideration. Other factors included the policy changes for imports that (at the time) were upcoming after elections in the United States, which would have impacted our ability to source the common extras for our physical editions.
Did this impact the discounted cost for NYL's upgrade?
In part yes, the delay in NYL's physical release was a slight factor in deciding to discount the upgrade. However, the primary driving decision was NYL's close release time to the announcement of Synthesizer V Studio 2. NYL released in early October, and many users did not purchase the voice until much closer to the release of the new version. While we could not offer the upgrade for free, we wanted to make the cost negligible for these users. The decision to continue a less reduced sale and slowly remove the discount rather than an abrupt end was primarily related to the physical edition delay.
What is Next After Fixing This Situation?
It's no secret we had other plans that we put on hold to remedy the physical edition production. We still owe our users these promises, so now that the physical edition work is finally concluding, we'll be working on them soon. We also delayed an upcoming vocal project, in part to ensure this situation was resolved first, so we will also be focusing on that among our other obligations and opportunities after shipments have all resolved.
I have another question...
Please contact us through our web form as soon as possible with any questions. We’re happy to add additional answers to this post and want to fully satisfy any concerns.