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Post by matt on Oct 17, 2014 8:34:48 GMT -6
IMHO, if the Late 2012 Mini has any weakness it is in the video chip, which is the Intel HD4000. I run two 27" monitors, one out HDMI and the other out T-Bolt. During a busy PT session, video refresh can suffer to the point where both screens sometimes hang for several seconds before updating. Audio playback continues though, so it's mostly just annoying, and I am used to it. But I think some people would not be able to deal with the sluggish response. And while I can't prove it, I have had PT occasionally crash as a result of these hangs. Whether it's a symptom or cause, I am not sure. But my next computer will have one or more video GPUs, running at 4K resolution to a large 4K TV. Just waiting for the 4K spec to mature a bit. Go large, or go home.
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Post by matt on Oct 15, 2014 14:25:53 GMT -6
In spite of it's "iconic" reputation, it is a $90 USD mic. I would argue that any sub-$100 mic, or piece of gear, is not worth modding. There are too many choices out there these days, at all price levels, to warrant the time/expense involved. Unless you are into Frankensteining things, which is another subject.
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Post by matt on Oct 15, 2014 12:22:50 GMT -6
Matt, the answer is two machines. Excellent idea! Thanks!
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Post by matt on Oct 15, 2014 10:19:56 GMT -6
I see a 12 core Trashcan Mac in my future and then I will move up to 96/32 over T-Bolt2 to my peripherals. Matt, consider a 2009 nahleham mac pro, you can update the firmware to 5,1 and install 12 cores to match and surpass 2014 standards for 1/4 the $, it also assures future proofing to match the 2014 trashcan 8) Tony, it is my understanding that the previous Mac Pro will not do T-Bolt. If correct, this is a non-starter for me, unfortunately.
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Post by matt on Oct 14, 2014 18:56:29 GMT -6
I can't do 96K on my mac mini/Symphony/PT system, so it's 48/24 for me. I think it has to do with needing to track MIDI drums into BFD through PT11; the running processes chew up CPU. Even at 48K, I can only run at 128 samples. It's a good thing my drummer is tolerant of latency.
I see a 12 core Trashcan Mac in my future and then I will move up to 96/32 over T-Bolt2 to my peripherals.
Regardless of the debate over audio quality, it is fundamental that computing processes, assuming equal code quality and correctly designed hardware, benefit from increases in computing power and data throughput (CPU+bus speed, Murphy's Law, blah blah). In my mind, higher sample rates equate with higher data rates over system buses and through software when processing audio. Then, more samples per second = greater throughput = greater fidelity to the original waveform. But ONLY if the code is quality, AND the hardware up to the task, then quality improves. Fidelity improves too, as in the accuracy of reverb algorithms, depth of sound stage, etc, etc. Honestly, my Mini really isn't up to it, and I wish I had bought a 15" Macbook Pro, which has a dedicated video chip. I think that would make a difference to me.
Call me silly, but I think that high sample rates combined with the latest computing badassery and 64 bit software is the way to go. After all, how else are we to emulate the 1950s, 60s, and 70s technology that everyone thinks is grail-worthy?
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Post by matt on Oct 13, 2014 13:04:57 GMT -6
Black Sabbath. When I was an impressionable young boy, they scared the shit out of me. Still do, kind of. They are arguably the most influential band of all time, even more than Zeppelin (impossible to reproduce the sound) or The Beatles (impossible to reproduce the song writing) or Van Halen (who may have inspired a generation of hair metal bands, but who wrote largely forgettable music). IMHO they are the progenitors of Heavy Metal, not Zeppelin, as some say. The original lineup, with Bill Ward, created the heaviest live sound I ever heard from a trio. Who wouldn't kill to be able to open a set of original material with a song like War Pigs, and end with something like Fairies Wear Boots? Power trio, indeed. Add the hippy-freak Ozzy to the mix, and you have a perfect storm of Doom Rock, ,with (mostly) interesting and sometimes intelligent lyrics, accompanied by bad-ass riffing. Only the Mighty Zeppelin could cause me to set them aside as my favorite band.
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Post by matt on Oct 13, 2014 12:40:04 GMT -6
It's interesting that the list of Holy Grail microphones includes so many from Neumann. I was not familiar with the M49 until now, thanks for the info.
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Post by matt on Oct 13, 2014 10:32:42 GMT -6
Still, a well made clone that's 130 years old must've sounded sweet! It did. The restoration process was fascinating. Since I was interested, the shop allowed me to stop in and see how things went. It blew me away when they pulled the top to check for small cracks and fully validate the provenance. They pretty much disassembled the entire violin and re-glued it back together. Painstaking work and cheap considering the hours and artistry involved. A new bridge was fabricated as well. Once strung and "settled", it had a beautiful resonant tonality to my ears. The buyer was a parent of a high school student, and the shop guys told me that the girl was an excellent player, excited to have an old instrument. My only regret is that I have no pictures; it had a gorgeous, golden "burst" finish and a patina that no Les Paul could ever have.
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Post by matt on Oct 13, 2014 8:10:58 GMT -6
I dream I'll wander into a garage sale somewhere upstate NY, and some retired gear head will have a couple of STA-Levels and a bunch of dusty old Neumann'a buried on a shelf behind some old comics, and he'll sell them to me for $50 each. Oh, and he thinks those ratty looking things in the old box on the floor are the original power supplies. I nearly experienced this at a family Thanksgiving dinner some years back. We were at the table, eating and talking, and somehow the topic turned to music (imagine that). Quietly, my Uncle, and host, who was getting on in years, said "I played violin when I was young. I still have the instrument". I asked him what kind it was. "Stradivarius, brought over from Europe by my grandfather". I about choked on my mashed. I told him if it were real, it could be worth millions. He laughed. I couldn't help myself, I asked where it was and immediately got up from the table. There it was, in a closet, cased for probably 60 years. Dinner was over. It was old old old, and in good shape. The label looked real, too. So I did some research (this was before the Internet) and became even more excited. But in my rare calm moments, I felt that things weren't quite right with this fiddle. I was growing suspicious of the label, it seemed off the mark, too well-preserved. I took it to an expert and they looked it over. It turned out to be a well-made copy, made in the mid-19th century in Germany. There was provenance on the maker! That's how crazy the violin world is. The telling marks were inside the body (a signature and other marks), and on the label itself, which actually made no pretense to be exact. Still, it was a fine 130-year old instrument and sold for $2000. But for a little while, I had my hands on a Strad. The feeling was indescribable. I was going to call it "The Fairchild", after my uncle's name. Escort it to auction at Christie's on the Rockefeller, hang at the Waldorf, and tour all the NYC discos. I could have been famous, I tell ya, I could have been somebody.
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 23:31:21 GMT -6
You need something better than this, but you get the idea. Yes, filled in somehow, but that's the idea.
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 21:36:13 GMT -6
This: But maybe with a larger board with the center traces forming the outline of a tree. You just blew my mind. That's an awesome idea. My pleasure! And yes, make it not too obvious - preserve, somehow, the look of a real circuit board while filling in a basic shape (straight trunk/round bough).
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 21:28:12 GMT -6
Swagger:
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 21:21:26 GMT -6
One House .. Two House.. Tree House. Clever or swagger? Swagger, always swagger.
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 21:16:49 GMT -6
This: But maybe with a larger board with the center traces forming the outline of a tree.
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 19:34:02 GMT -6
Did I mention that I actually completed one correctly? Pictures
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 17:15:22 GMT -6
tonycamphd if only someone would offer a really well done one at a good price... JK, didn't you make a nice one a while back?
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 17:13:32 GMT -6
Here for 3 minutes, out of control already lol, chuck d in the house! I met Chuck at the 2013 Pot Luck Audio conference held in Tucson. Great guy, we talked about Hockey more than mics. Because of that conversation, I am the proud owner of a Cathedral Pipes Notre Dame. Haven't had a single regret either; what a beautiful mic.
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 12:28:43 GMT -6
A very interesting piece: $1595 USD Stinger
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Post by matt on Oct 10, 2014 9:53:38 GMT -6
I have been advised to add a "hospital grade" circuit - a 15 or 20A line, in conduit, run all the way from my service box to my family room, where all the action takes place. I was also advised to "re-ground" my box with a fatter, longer grounding rod. But I wonder if this would eliminate the rather bad hum picked up by anything single-coil when a refrigerator and air conditioner(s) are running off the same municipal power source. It seems that my entire house would have to be on an isolation transformer, which doesn't seem practical, or affordable.
One widely-known thing I can confirm: lighting dimmers are bad bad bad for AC line hum. Insanely bad. And of course all of my overhead lights are dimmed. We work in low light these days because of it.
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Post by matt on Oct 9, 2014 11:52:16 GMT -6
Didn't want to leave you guys out. On my way to AES, more later..... Silver Bullet drBill's Stereo Tone-Amp Mmmm, mysterious gear, designed to impart specialness. I like it.
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Post by matt on Oct 8, 2014 7:19:22 GMT -6
Welcome Bob!
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Post by matt on Oct 7, 2014 8:43:31 GMT -6
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Post by matt on Oct 7, 2014 8:25:47 GMT -6
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Post by matt on Oct 6, 2014 18:16:59 GMT -6
Unfortunately, heavy allergies prevent me from having a dog or cat. It's too bad, I could use a Producer.
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Post by matt on Oct 3, 2014 8:09:03 GMT -6
Last night I had the distinct pleasure of running an extended test of my new DI, designed and built by our own Dan Deurloo. My initial impression is that this box is the DI/pre that I have been searching for: - It has plenty of gain, adjustable by the single volume/output control
- The tone it imparts is beautiful: it's full-bodied, with balanced response across all frequencies. The character of my J-Bass is emphasized, for lack of a better way to put it. I want to avoid using the "tube sound" cliche here, but it is clear that the circuit design is responsible for the very euphonic sound of this box. It blows my passive DI right into a storage drawer, forever
- It has a low noise floor so the available gain is usable
I ordered the thing on Monday and Dan shipped the minute he received my payment. USPS did the rest, just two days from Minnesota to my place in the desert southwest. Outstanding! Thanks Dan! The only downside is that now I feel compelled to reamp every bass part already printed! Or maybe I should make my bassist throw down new performances: (. . . sorry Man, but PT crashed, and all of your tracks were lost. No, not anything else, just your work . . .)
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