What happened to Line 6's call for folks to develop 3rd part modules?

[Mark Hammer]

A while back, there was a request from Line 6 for people who might be interested in developing 3rd party modules for the Tone Core series.  My understanding was that these might be marketed as part of an expanded line of modules for use in the docks, partly to plug in holes in the existing product line (there is no phaser, no ring modulator, no octaver, etc.).  I know there were a couple of folks here who were toying with the idea, and I know that one of the huge obstacles to overcome was the lack of any development system Line 6 could offer.   So, did anything come of this?  Feel free to be as coy and evasive as you need to - I understand the nondisclosure thing.  A response like "No decision has been taken yet", or "in development", or "back burner for now", is a perfectly acceptable response to my question, although "keep your eyes on this space" is a preferable one.

[Processaurus]

I remember Peter Snowberg was working on a tone core module, but needed investors to complete the project and build some working prototypes.

A little off the subject, but I was wondering if the double action footswitch is actually a switch (for the heavy switch) and a pot (for the lighter switch), like trigger buttons on newer video game controllers.  If that were the case you could make some nice expression pedal dependant effects...

It would be a great move on their part to have outside (and possibly small) businesses make unique modules, because it would create interest and help sell their docks, like good games will sell a video game system.  For marketing they could even do endorsements, like Boss did with its new fender amp modelling stompboxes.  Like imagine an eventide pitch shifter module, or if some makers of plugins got interested.  Maybe Alesis could salvage some of the R&D they spent on the ill fated Mod FX line.  Man, they had some neat stuff planned for the second batch that never saw the light of day, like a formant filter, and a radio/scratchy record/ tape/ megaphone/ lo-fi thing.

[Mark Hammer]

The brilliance of the overall design was that subbing different "personalities" in the unit was about as easy as it could ever conceivably be (press the magic black button on the back and the module pops out), and the personality module was so inexpensive as to make production and purchase of other ones dirt cheap.  I may have some misgivings about spending $150 on a ring modulator (I mean how often do you use them, compared to an EQ or overdrive?), but I wouldn't mind taking a chance on a weird sound-bending thing if it would only set me back $50 and I could stick it on my pre-existing pedalboard without having to disturb or install things, simply by pressing the magic black button, popping one module out and snapping another in.

As for the dual action footswitch, it actually IS two staggered switches, one of which is protected by a thin little curved spring-steel "clicker" plate that yields under pressure, allowing the second switch to be actuated.  On one of the docks I received, several such plates had gotten accidentally stuck together, presumably by whatever liquid gets sprayed on the sheet metal during machining (can you tell I used to work a high-speed punch press years ago?), making a kind of ultra-strong laminated version.  Damn pedal wouldn't work.  Finally, I opened it up, realized that what looked like one plate was actually 3 stuck together, took out two of them, and reassembled. Works like a charm now.