There’s been a bit of discussion about this on the LZX facebook group too. I’m kind of in the same boat as you, I have some DIY modules but haven’t bought any production modules yet and was eagerly anticipating buying a lot of the ones that have been recently discontinued. There are several reasons why I’m not concerned anymore:
- First and foremost: LZX are really good at what they do. Their products are very well designed, both on an individual module basis and how all the modules work together. Because of this, I have faith that their next range of modules will be good and will work well together as an expressive and coherent system. There may very well be new ways of thinking about your video workflow such that you don’t miss those discontinued modules that you never bought.
- They’ve discontinued modules in the past (see the Visionary series) and eventually replaced them (IMO) with even better modules. (Some got fairly direct replacements, and others were a bit less direct.) I wasn’t into video synths when that change happened, so I can’t speak for how that transition went compared to this one, and there were a few modules in that range that never had any equivalents in the Expedition series, but I’d say what came after the Visionary series was worth it.
- Discontinued modules continue to pop up for sale used from time to time. And at least with the listings I’ve seen on the LZX facebook group, people aren’t price gouging even though they’re discontinued.
- Lars has stated that the Diver will be their primary oscillator module going forward, for the time being. There’s an upcoming update that will have a dedicated ‘oscillator mode’.
- Lars has shared some sneak peeks into some planned upcoming modules, and they’re all awesome! One is a replacement for the Color Chords, though I believe Lars said it’s no more than an idea yet, so it may not come to be. (Color Chords seems pretty useful to me (and many others who voiced their concern about the discontinuation) so I suspect it, or something like it, will come to be at some point.)
- Various retailers will likely continue to have stock for a while longer. Some places sell out quick, but others aren’t so fast to sell out. So you may yet find the modules you want brand new, even though they’ve been discontinued.