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Post by jimwilliams on Jan 7, 2018 14:27:04 GMT -6
Skipping the madness this year. My wife is going. These trade shows seem to be a dying breed with the internet substituting for much of it.
I remember when AES was a large show decades ago. No more. They used to team up with SMPTE in LA. SMPTE stopped that 20 odd years ago and they only do CES now, like Gibson.
It may be because of NAMM management. CES is rather hard to get into if you are not an industry buyer. NAMM is easy and the booths are full of old tall hair guys looky-louing at everything. That hurts business there. Gibson knows where the buyers are. They will be in Vegas.
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Post by jimwilliams on Jan 1, 2018 13:22:35 GMT -6
My preamps here are protected against phantom spikes and shorts. I use a cross wired pair of zener diodes. Those are 1N752A's at 5.6 volts. A pair cross wired in series from each input to ground PAST the blocking caps will prevent any damaging spikes from exceeding 11 volts. The 7xx series zener diodes have lower stray capacitance than the 4xxx series and provide the lowest distortion specs.
Another common technique are power rectifier diodes run from the inputs to the power rails. That also works but some front ends will still get some damage if hit at the power rails.
I've yet to get a damaged front end in any non-transformer input mic pre design with the clamp zener diodes. It's insurance here.
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 28, 2017 11:47:48 GMT -6
Since California is an official RoHS state I must use lead free solder on new production. Older rework can still use lead based.
Here I use Kester 48 SN96 3% silver, 1/2% copper .020 for the fine work. The rest gets SN96 4% silver, a special alloy they make without copper. It costs about $125 per 1 lb roll, expensive but it sounds wonderful.
California will begin enforcing the RoHS restictions here as soon as they legalize beastiality and legalize all the illegal aliens.
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 27, 2017 18:18:15 GMT -6
Double the value of the filter caps and the roll off is 50 hz. Double them again and you are at 25 hz. Do transfers quietly to avoid speaker interaction.
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 18, 2017 10:36:53 GMT -6
That Adcom is collecting dust. Come pick it up.
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 17, 2017 11:47:12 GMT -6
Hey Jim - you checked out any of the power amps? Any thoughts on thei amp lines? I'm generally not a fan of powered monitors. The reason is the amps are never that great. There is a large discussion group over there using the same format and host you are here. Just sign up with your same login. Users complain about the harsh sound of the amps. I use modified Adcom power amps here so I don't need a powered solution. I also have their T1 model in the TV room, those are also excellent speakers. They just won the Absolute Sound buyer's guide for budget component of the year.
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 16, 2017 14:08:58 GMT -6
I found some rather excellent mini monitors. Made by Emotiva from Nashville (Franklin). These are 2 way 5 1/2" speakers called the B1. 7" wide, 10 3/4" tall and 8 inches deep. These use a cloth fiber woofer and a large area air motion transformer (AMT) tweeter. They do 48~27k hz. Rear ported, these have an astonishing amount of low end.
The AMT tweeter is quite good, very low THD, zero spit and a very smooth extended response. Dome tweeters sound a bit rough to me, these are like butter. I can't find anything wrong with them response wise, they are rather flat. Acoustic stuff is stunning with incredible detail and excellent ambience imaging.
They should probably sell for between 1~2k $. The price is $299 shipped to your door. They have a 30 day evaluation period so they are safe to try out.
www.emotiva.com
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 9, 2017 17:08:34 GMT -6
I use LME49740NA's in those. Then it's clear and very quiet too. Most all the el coupling caps can go. Check the DC offsets on the output pins (the corner pins 1,7,8,14), if gone, short them out. If you want it back in snip the jumper.
Those green chicklets EQ caps are changed to Wima FKP-2/MKP-2. The super EQ is very hard to refit.
You also must have a small cap in the opamp feedback loop or it may oscillate. 22 pf across 10 k ohms is good. 47 pf across 5k, 10 pf across 22k and so on. On those .1 bypass caps I see a ground trace on a couple of the + input pins. Dump those large Wimas and install a pair of small mono ceramic .1 uf caps from those power pins 4 and 11 to that ground point. Clean off the pcb with flux remover and a toothbrush. Then you can see your mistakes.
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 5, 2017 21:43:12 GMT -6
That's the Neve "formant spectrum EQ". It has some unique features. The shelf curves have a hard knee, unusual. It also does + - 18 db. I've rebuilt many in 81xx consoles. It will run on + - 15 to 18 volts, 15 is better for longer opamp life.
Use some LME49740 quad opamps and it's silent and clear. Then all those crappy 100 uf 4 volt el caps can all be shorted out. Use some Wima FKP-2 polyprop film caps in the two upper bands and it's sweet. I have no idea how to fit it into a 500 rack as you will need to make it fit. The front panel is part of the module with a plastic overlay.
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Post by jimwilliams on Dec 5, 2017 21:31:49 GMT -6
Run a peak limiter in front of it like a Aphex 651 set 50/1. Run the send hot until you squash about 2~3 db. Feed the 200 until just before the peak LED fires. Run the return into a good gate like a Aphex 612 and set the release to 4 seconds for a longer tail, less for a shorter tail. Gate off about 10~15 db. That will do it.
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Post by jimwilliams on Nov 18, 2017 11:33:42 GMT -6
Interest on the national debt is the third largest expenditure in the Federal budget. It's right behind entitlements and the military. We have gotten a great deal the last 20 years with the interest rates set below market value. That encouraged more borrowing (hole digging) because the money was cheap.
Those chickens are coming home to roost. When the interest rates rise (they will) that will cut into what ever is left in the Federal budget after welfare and war. Taxpayers might wake up when they realize a large portion of their taxes outside war and welfare is being spent to pay the interest on money spent years ago for basically nothing gained.
Will the USA default on those loans because of the inability to pay back the principle? No, we control the money, it's value and the rest of the world follows the almighty dollar too. Re-set the value and you re-set the cost of the loans. Devaluation is a common technique to deal with these debts. If and when the 'ol USA is forced to do that it will be a bad day for fiat currencies and a good day for metals.
After that there will be a huge call for a constitutional amendment calling for a balanced budget. That also will not pass as many states are leveraged worse than the feds and will need federal bailouts themselves.
I'm just glad I don't have kids. If I did we would be living in New Zealand.
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Post by jimwilliams on Nov 17, 2017 11:23:10 GMT -6
Can kicking 101. What ever is cut must be made up on the back side. Without severe cuts to spending, this is only a continuation of the world's largest Ponzy scheme. The US government behaves worse than a 12 year old girl set loose at the mall with Daddy's credit cards.
The USA has over 16 trillion dollars of personal debt combined with over 20 trillion dollars of government debt. Additional borrowing is needed to make up for the lack of tax revenues. That will increase if taxes are cut. If anything, taxes should be doubled to start paying down that debt. Low tax states should not subsidize high income tax states by allowing for a local income tax deduction. That has encouraged California, NY and NJ to raise local taxes far beyond what the people would allow if they couldn't pass that debt on to other states.
The irresponsible US congress created this debt. If they were responsible they would apologize to the people they screwed and resign in mass (Rand Paul excepted). Instead they will ask for your vote in 2018 and you will give it to them.
In the end it is the voter's fault for not paying attention. If you have kids they will struggle to pay this down as we screwed the next generation with our greed.
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Post by jimwilliams on Nov 11, 2017 15:51:09 GMT -6
All Parts also sells 5 way Tele switches with 4 decks, lots of possible combo's. I have a Thinline that does series, parallel, splits and out of phase.
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Post by jimwilliams on Nov 11, 2017 15:44:12 GMT -6
Clones allow the less than rich participants to get in to older designs. But for some of us it's a "been there, done that" re-run.
I would love to see more new designs and some envelope pushing for a change.
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Post by jimwilliams on Sept 23, 2017 8:53:51 GMT -6
Steel yourself to surrender all manner of unexpected tributes to state, county and city entities.. For example, it's not uncommon for a city to asses an annual fee based on the value of your equipment within the building. One city I know has a fee just to hang a sign over your store front... $1,000/year! And then there is insurance to consider. In Los Angeles they tax you for the square footage of your building's roof. I call it the "bird shit on the roof tax" as it's designed to help clean up the bird feces that collects and washes down the storm drains.
High operating costs an low profit potential is why any bank will not provide a loan for a recording studio, it's not a profitable business model anymore.
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Post by jimwilliams on Sept 12, 2017 15:32:21 GMT -6
The Foxx tone machine I built has the best octave fuzz I've heard or used. It's much more effective than the Meyer. I had an original Foxx fuzz/wah back in 1972 and missed that effect. The original transistors are still available for DIY. Mouser sells them and also germaniums.
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Post by jimwilliams on Sept 12, 2017 15:25:06 GMT -6
Older stuff is getting hard to get and is therefore expensive. Add newer regulations for certain plastics and metals. Could be it's tin/lead plated. I would consider myself lucky to still be able to get one in the EU. They may also have a reg that only lets them sell the connector already soldered with approved RoHS lead free solder.
Here in San Diego we have a severe problem with raw sewage pouring into the ocean from TJ, Mexico. The Tijuana river drains northern Baja, Mexico but empties out in the US. We taxpayers built them a 4 billion dollar sewage treatment plant to prevent this but they can't maintain it.
Here at the famous Del Mar race track the motto is: "Where the surf meets the turf".
Down in Imperial Beach the motto is: "Where the shit meets the sea".
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 27, 2017 17:03:32 GMT -6
12AY7 likes 90 volts at the plate. With the stock 220k plate resistors you will see 120 volts at the plate, too high. Lower those to 100k and it will be higher.
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 18, 2017 14:12:23 GMT -6
Bought a very nice Gibson 2009 Les Paul Custom 1968 re-issue custom shop in tri-burst. Simply stunning and perfect.
A Les Paul with a thin neck is about as rare as a Mexican only child.
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 18, 2017 14:07:02 GMT -6
In LA back in the the early 1980's the club would only book you if you pre-bought all the tickets for the show. Then it was up to the band to re-sell them to re-coup their investment. Usually they were given away just to put some bodies in front of the stage. The payback was "being seen".
Musicians are worth even less today. Lessen the supply and demand will rise.
Clubs make their money off of booze anyway.
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 18, 2017 9:21:28 GMT -6
Buy used and you may save enough to put your kid through college. Buy new and you will pay to put the other guy's kid through college. Untill it breaks on you and you'd wish you'd of gone for new with a warranty. Then you get to put the repair guy's kids through college. See a pattern here?
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 17, 2017 9:35:38 GMT -6
Buy used and you may save enough to put your kid through college.
Buy new and you will pay to put the other guy's kid through college.
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 16, 2017 10:27:32 GMT -6
These are simple circuits, easy to build yourself. Fuzz Central has all the schematics and tips.
I have a germanium Fuzz Face, germanium Solo 2 and 3 knob, Meyer Octavia, rebuilt wah with fasel inductors, a Fox tone machine and others. Modern Fuzz Face copies are all silicon, a different sound.
Hendrix used a lot of Fender amps in the studio, Twin's were fave's from his old NYC days. Voodoo child was cut with a Fender Bassman. The Electric Ladyland mix had the top end rolled off for a darker sound. Alternative takes show how much brighter that amp really sounded.
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 13, 2017 11:52:17 GMT -6
I took the tour with Rex Bogue (Mahavisnu double neck builder) back in the mid 1970's. They showed everything but the paint shop. That was kept secret as they had an automated assembly line system and fast drying acrylic paint.
They were cranking out pretty sloppy stuff as fast as they could, this was not Fender's "Golden Era".
The most memorable part was watching the rather obese Mexican guy that did the rear "offset body" contouring of the Strat and P-bass bodies. He had a bin of bodies on one side and the empty bin on the other. He would grab one, tuck it under his gut and lean into the large belt sander and press with all his weight. After 30 seconds of gut busting sanding he would toss it into the empty bin and then grab another. It was truly fascinating to watch. I suppose you could call that the "Corona" contour as he was built perfectly for that job. If you have a 1970's ~80's Strat, P or J bass he probably cut your guit.
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Post by jimwilliams on Aug 10, 2017 11:01:15 GMT -6
I use 10,000 uf 35 V Nichicon VZ series. The secondary voltage is around 27 volts. The post regulator caps are a pair of 2200/25V VZ's to FR's. Rails are very clean that way.
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