Quote:
Originally Posted by John Willett /img/forum/go_quote.gif
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Tweaks would only be for the factory, so that when the button is pressed every headphone comes out perfect.
A pre-production run just makes sure that that is possible and that you don't make 10,000 headphones which are out of spec..
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Ahhh the joys of grinding around preproduction... being a tester I remember such grinds so vividly...
If I'm allowed to take you all down my memory lane and into the world of audio development while we wait for the next 6 weeks to pass:
Imagine the R'n'D department of an audio company. Everyone is running around testing and measuring like mad for a few days. Project leaders and other staff tend to look at me asking if everything is "go" on the on real life stress tests - which is more or less involves me jumping on it and making people crazy by doing very fast repeated moves 50 times in a row when connecting and using it to what ever weird products you like to source from. As John says its normal audio company praxis to have audio tuning and all that already written in stone before the preproduction copies. The first none preproduction copy's with the right sound you actually have to fight for to listen to if you, like me, are don't have any say in that part but are more heard as an commentator with useful insight into the product. The real guys are with audio say and tuning expertise are typical the older guy at Johns age at least with loads of experience.
I'm one of the first to ever see both preproductions and earlier samples have long time hands on given the nature of my work. So by this time its not that this isn't the N'th time I'v tested this product and by now its usually just about enough for most in R'n'D and we just want to send it properly out the door and get our free copy. Its the devil and our child all at once.
So here we are:
All the mechanical engineers and the like are looking into the any fixing any remaining problems with mass production. Marketing is preparing the last bits for launch. Electronics engineers are doing double checks to see if all the preproduction model are true to the spec.'s that I'm not able to test. If there is software in it the software department is working on any last minute details on the gold version of the software if my department didn't approve that already. Its all good..
But then the final day the R'n'D director steps in and tell us that something is up. We have 2 hours to stress test it and give a go/no go like a shuttle launch was dependent on it or the company will loose days of waiting with the mass production facility all ready for production tomorrow and big $ will be lost per day waiting. One team is sweating - it could be hell for them... will my team approve it and will our judgment be enough for the responsible project manager and the R'n'D director to decide on?
That is enormous power of being the tester. We are giving or taking the hope routinely of development teams and project managers alike with out even blinking an eye before crushing their dreams. As a young guy you can't help love the responsibility - I mean if you don't catch something in time!
That is what I really love about my job, that, the mostly free stuff and being six months to 2 years ahead on many developments. And that, my fellow audiophiles, is what I'm doing all next week**... making broken dreams or telling my friend, the project manager, that finally... finally his child is ready for all you out there soon
** Please note: Next week is like any other expect I'm working all week (lucky me) as my university has its winter holiday [not for me] week. Its all just dramatical effects and fictive story to give you an idea and have nothing to do with any real products or situations that may or may not be coming or have happened. Just to get you a feeling of it all.. and remember NDA people - the first rule of fight club!
