tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71133609124368536362024-03-27T02:34:58.468-04:00High on TechnologyMusic, Sound, and Recording StuffUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-83232073872738657132024-03-25T11:33:00.005-04:002024-03-25T20:04:14.271-04:00REVIEW WARM AUDIO WA-MPX TUBE PREAMPLIFIER, IS IT GOOD?<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlzo9yIcsJtnUzUHBFxvaEwBH5Vu8eyE8kIbHMj3jRhjmVLsHoCwhfQ15BSx31F48ib4GLq1JNy0imt9Qz-BeANNTGXp8wawbb9AOD8VxnjAvqLSX-KNCLzRqyk6YQyF_a6QlIyjYrITuw_S4Qc7AXlftiQLrrDTf83FCF6ZQhwnAI1Q8GYMzsxAgbVU/s1454/02%20WA-MPX%20front%20panel.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="1454" height="79" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlzo9yIcsJtnUzUHBFxvaEwBH5Vu8eyE8kIbHMj3jRhjmVLsHoCwhfQ15BSx31F48ib4GLq1JNy0imt9Qz-BeANNTGXp8wawbb9AOD8VxnjAvqLSX-KNCLzRqyk6YQyF_a6QlIyjYrITuw_S4Qc7AXlftiQLrrDTf83FCF6ZQhwnAI1Q8GYMzsxAgbVU/w400-h79/02%20WA-MPX%20front%20panel.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">CLICK TO ENLARGE</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I was dead wrong about this piece of gear. When I first saw pictures of the Warm Audio WA-MPX preamplifier I was put off by some of the obvious marketing moves. In this review we'll be looking at the single channel model of this vacuum tube powered microphone and instrument preamplifier.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPpBWczUZEwqlLFC8hyphenhyphentsMU8FZ0JlkLr7LtbkEysogrpTf7gxwyL7Kfg-e4mlBuE0NKpc2nEbnNZkA0RWvTs5mTh_8AIQfaVwMTybXU-oXhiZKnHkthU2NIBAJJwbV06ubbPGeMyWpTw5bgGPOV1XRoGa8nJN0gfRQ_KJSpNADfXLHpFi5tGOSA_kIww/s1304/02%20Ampex%20vint%20preamp.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="1304" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPpBWczUZEwqlLFC8hyphenhyphentsMU8FZ0JlkLr7LtbkEysogrpTf7gxwyL7Kfg-e4mlBuE0NKpc2nEbnNZkA0RWvTs5mTh_8AIQfaVwMTybXU-oXhiZKnHkthU2NIBAJJwbV06ubbPGeMyWpTw5bgGPOV1XRoGa8nJN0gfRQ_KJSpNADfXLHpFi5tGOSA_kIww/s320/02%20Ampex%20vint%20preamp.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">CLICK TO ENLARGE</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The big VU meter on the front is actually the same budget meter they use in the WA-76 compressor with a black plastic shroud to make it look like an ancient Ampex component. It has a switch controlled function called “Tape Saturation” but no recording tape is involved (so why call it tape?). </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If these things bothered you at all, the only thing I have to say after buying and trying the WA-MPX is put any preconceived ideas away because this piece of hardware rocks!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a>The WA-MPX has a big, bold and authoritative “clean” sound when you set it for low-distortion. I did A-B comparisons with preamps by Neve, Grace, Locomotive Audio and the Warm Audio WA-73. I was mainly using it on vocals and it proved to be a good source of preampfification with BIG tone. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfpvAqKowMCHGqSdCMjnyptT8K_vvUilWmtaQU-FfZFrPsUdgRnrVzQN_9TmTFvI35xi2tbItBNgrmOUNmtTXYvZ2tW3NZjvmxXYXIp3Jpbg29JuHpbySjuSlUwTvQaRp0pHrF6F1Gn5l9Ei1FFGqYNsxmdA8K4pmgSQ_i856zXQ7sUWAEUcO2J7Kfm8/s2658/MPX%20&%20Weight%20Tank%20Pre.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1041" data-original-width="2658" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRfpvAqKowMCHGqSdCMjnyptT8K_vvUilWmtaQU-FfZFrPsUdgRnrVzQN_9TmTFvI35xi2tbItBNgrmOUNmtTXYvZ2tW3NZjvmxXYXIp3Jpbg29JuHpbySjuSlUwTvQaRp0pHrF6F1Gn5l9Ei1FFGqYNsxmdA8K4pmgSQ_i856zXQ7sUWAEUcO2J7Kfm8/s320/MPX%20&%20Weight%20Tank%20Pre.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Weight Tank WT-72 by Locomotive Audio is a favorite vacuum tube microphone preamp here. Time will tell but at this point, I feel like the WA-MPX is capable of the big tube preamp tone I associate with the Weight Tank and I'm a fan of the output meter on the MPX.</div><div><br /></div><div>Honestly, I expected the WA-MPX to sound a bit kazoo-like but I was very wrong; the WA-MPX preamp is powerful, easy to use and <i>flexible; </i>fully capable of clean reproduction with low distortion. <p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6p45v7lb0Ndrzlo9tesTjWRXmTCv2JJ10hVxfbbzWpwxbvPKrXSuLkoC3emQW-7EoVxgqh7qlrnELJhom-rP6vpzS9EgUAZ1wY80ymbuQrp7vPnhyr-NNguBrpEHgWYFj3RuLNyP7j0PJEwK3RI-gOcs3EiG2w05HenUgZRl-0ijHY0bhyphenhyphencmAfcqci4/s3770/80C7F71A-7140-45CE-A236-B9F6D38B3C46_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3770" data-original-width="2304" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6p45v7lb0Ndrzlo9tesTjWRXmTCv2JJ10hVxfbbzWpwxbvPKrXSuLkoC3emQW-7EoVxgqh7qlrnELJhom-rP6vpzS9EgUAZ1wY80ymbuQrp7vPnhyr-NNguBrpEHgWYFj3RuLNyP7j0PJEwK3RI-gOcs3EiG2w05HenUgZRl-0ijHY0bhyphenhyphencmAfcqci4/s320/80C7F71A-7140-45CE-A236-B9F6D38B3C46_1_201_a.heic" width="196" /></a></div><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Like all Warm Audio electronics the WA-MPX has a sturdy-feeling, formed steel body and chassis. The aluminum front panel has a brilliant polished chrome look, two big knobs are the primary user controls for INPUT and OUTPUT level. Eight chunky two-position toggle switches provide additional control options and a ninth toggle switch turns the AC power on and off. A small three position rotary switch selects from instrument, microphone or line input. A front panel mounted 1/4” phone jack is provided for unbalanced instrument input.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_6Btuhq9X0LQyaX3eKFBHJO8wVWXhedIzNuuDKH9opglRAnHfQTsqbyiODDfxppzXdbKJ1Df-e-Y9jS7KzHjH1XSupz4EnYmq5sAXn3fK_-T1oBihbqmQe2C1Fdb0sFIgAnOnF9m2pQNZe1O5mnpHPxgdrw6B4mvB5-ImeACR3XT3YGOlLgaIbXLO3U/s508/WA-MPX%20in:out.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="508" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_6Btuhq9X0LQyaX3eKFBHJO8wVWXhedIzNuuDKH9opglRAnHfQTsqbyiODDfxppzXdbKJ1Df-e-Y9jS7KzHjH1XSupz4EnYmq5sAXn3fK_-T1oBihbqmQe2C1Fdb0sFIgAnOnF9m2pQNZe1O5mnpHPxgdrw6B4mvB5-ImeACR3XT3YGOlLgaIbXLO3U/w400-h224/WA-MPX%20in:out.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MPX rear inputs/outputs, XLR & parallel TRS connectors</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The signal path through the WA-MPX features a Mu-metal shielded, transformer-coupled input stage, three tubes (two 12AX7, one 12AU7) and a hefty transformer-coupled output stage. Both of the transformers are made in the USA by Cinemag. The internal power supply transformer is also quite beefy and offers selection between 115 and 230 volt operation. All the front panel mounted toggle switches have a nice positive click and feel very solid. The input and output level control knobs are smooth in operation.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WARMING UP THE MPX</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After unboxing the WA-MPX I rack mounted it and gave it a full day powered ON to allow the three internal vacuum tubes plenty of time to “burn in”. For voice testing I went right to my favorite tube microphone, an Oliver Archut U47 clone. When I brought up the output level control on the WA-MPX and heard the clean output character for the first time I got a great big smile on my face. The output sound is BIG, bold, solid, full and without the slightest hint of distortion or fuzz. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavmjDFHjj4GJkG4TKHYkzTr5wuvABUXsZaC9Lmy_CQQz3vbsFQuK1GzakRys0hL2qIxaN74l7aNFWufdXK5BcoADwJDFSwxU60fdG2wK9EH-RhFLHnsuBQYPWjSWGO7tFabINEtsgY8flj9DypgJ9meabowjdzzn9mJxRbTzygij6cF3NIVsfVPBi7lk/s4032/958B46BA-7B7E-4F54-B4E6-BD88245E2A29.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavmjDFHjj4GJkG4TKHYkzTr5wuvABUXsZaC9Lmy_CQQz3vbsFQuK1GzakRys0hL2qIxaN74l7aNFWufdXK5BcoADwJDFSwxU60fdG2wK9EH-RhFLHnsuBQYPWjSWGO7tFabINEtsgY8flj9DypgJ9meabowjdzzn9mJxRbTzygij6cF3NIVsfVPBi7lk/s320/958B46BA-7B7E-4F54-B4E6-BD88245E2A29.heic" width="320" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After getting fully acclimated to the clean sound of the WA-MPX I engaged the extra gain switch which boosts gain to 90dB (that's a lot of gain). Even with the Gain knob up at 3 o'clock position and the output level about the same position the tone remained robust and clear. Activating the “Tape Sat” switch finally brought the serious distortion effect I had expected since I first saw this product. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">GRAB THE RIBBON MICROPHONE</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With the newly found “crunch” tone of the MPX I had to break out an SE ribbon mic and try some vocals with that. This was also a good opportunity to test the high-pass and low-pass filters in the MPX. With a little crunch dialed in and the low-pass filter engaged (high frequency rolled off above 2kHz) the resulting sound was a very ruff vocal, reminded me immediately of listening to old Robert Johnson era tracks. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Truth be told I'm not a fan of the distorted vocal effect but if I ever need it I know where in my kit to turn. Fortunately the WA-MPX delivers Big clear reproduction of which I'm a huge fan. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">LIKES</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Great clean audio reproduction</li><li>Excellent crunchy vocal effects</li><li>Easy to use</li><li>Controls are easy to read and set</li><li>Process microphone and line-level signals through preamp tubes</li><li>Solid construction with in-built power supply</li><li>Big VU meter reads output level</li><li>Uses modern and available vacuum tubes</li><li>Attractive front panel in the Style of Vintage Ampex 350/351</li></ul><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">DISLIKES</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Why “Tape Sat”? Why not just “Saturation”? There is NO TAPE!</li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Yb-U9TC_abpicjaJvhCiBxMfvQOQ5wH6HLNX515s_UfNJYlHgoS1iPA4EgkZeQJZkELZIAeu_fUc06SlsF_AebuC5VBRWhtYdQEFM6o6JS6qFv8MBxQZnNjfEE3Y-cpLWIMObbRvQW9xD4c_kwL_K5i1RYhIzG5tx4QM4yVL2VvD7EatY0SsEFqKE4/s306/01%20Ampex%20VU.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="306" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Yb-U9TC_abpicjaJvhCiBxMfvQOQ5wH6HLNX515s_UfNJYlHgoS1iPA4EgkZeQJZkELZIAeu_fUc06SlsF_AebuC5VBRWhtYdQEFM6o6JS6qFv8MBxQZnNjfEE3Y-cpLWIMObbRvQW9xD4c_kwL_K5i1RYhIzG5tx4QM4yVL2VvD7EatY0SsEFqKE4/w200-h191/01%20Ampex%20VU.png" width="200" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I am tired of gadgets being marketed as some form of “Tape” sound when in fact they have nothing to do with any actual recording tape. I am a child and student of the “recording tape era” and I'm not lusting or questing after a return to slow rewind/fast-forward waits, head bump, demagnitizing/cleaning heads and all the other problems and maintenance tasks associated with tape. If my tape recorder sounded like the crunchy “tape sat” sound of the MPX, I'd take it in for repair. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">TAPE SOUND HINT: If you have a recording which you know, in-your-heart, will definitely improve with a pass through real tape recording process, contact “Welcome to 1979” in Nashville about their service in which they actually process your tracks on well maintained, MCI tape recorders. HoT has no affiliation with <i>Welcome to 1979</i>.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">EPILOGUE</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In spite of my griping I've actually grown quite fond of the WA-MPX since I started using it. This IS a fun and useful box of highly adjustable recording tone which continues to impress me every time I fire it up. The WA-MPX complements FET based microphones, dynamic microphones, ribbon mics and even tube-driven large-diaphragm condenser models. Depending on what microphone you plug into the WA-MPX be sure to try both of the transformer-impedance tone selections because every now and then you'll find a mic that benefits greatly from one position or the other (like my vintage Shure ribbon mic).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Whatever YOU DO, don't do what I did, which was to jump to a false conclusion about the tonal characteristics and useful processing of the WA-MPX before trying it and hearing it in action. All distortion effects aside, this preamplifier can deliver a wonderful big, full range clean sound. The WA-MPX is not inherently noisy and it has many unique tonal modifiers available to the adventurous sonic explorer. I'm not sure I need the stereo model of the WA-MPX for processing full mixes through....but I might ;-)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">©March 2024 by Mark King, it's not ok to copy or quote without written permission.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">VINTAGE AMPEX 350/351 SIDE NOTE</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've been recording since the 1950's but the old Ampex tape deck preamp sections were never on my radar (too expensive & too rare). I learned to repair television sets when I was 12 and that experience fueled my distaste for working on old tube gear. Various people sent me photos so I could remind everyone of what the “good ole days” looked like. Enjoy this vintage Ampex walk down memory lane.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE0gO6q3-o0bjI20aSkgphJI8aT8PHj1liOyfyn7rkZ43RrhLlPfl3VItrcNIIZdcyBMZ1YXgjkwJw7vUTFBalzlZTW_qMQDD3EVTmrcbEjTwBcRJ5dPyb9lyHVQxxQ87169I5Gcwi2PdqDWModI1hrjHGzBvgkaQoKp8fzViUe8ZPkZF9DKsQL5C0hQ/s1910/Ampex%20350%20preamp%20tubes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="1910" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNE0gO6q3-o0bjI20aSkgphJI8aT8PHj1liOyfyn7rkZ43RrhLlPfl3VItrcNIIZdcyBMZ1YXgjkwJw7vUTFBalzlZTW_qMQDD3EVTmrcbEjTwBcRJ5dPyb9lyHVQxxQ87169I5Gcwi2PdqDWModI1hrjHGzBvgkaQoKp8fzViUe8ZPkZF9DKsQL5C0hQ/w320-h187/Ampex%20350%20preamp%20tubes.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj027aPgnplNKLjCykSlkHeiNWglyFaHY8JFDJFf6jk37FP0fvUGIzG0fWQ0tWgiycsWIVP3QUJosUrOZg0qOMcBbP_UrKWD8qMSrbE6EL1Lu6KlIxehZqHEGNZ10GmctzLfFWgMBfjnnLZNjO_1-YFdBOJbWXpmBuWV0ezGEXnhNG4N4q-0TeEys4kIRg/s1026/Ampex%20power%20supply.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1026" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj027aPgnplNKLjCykSlkHeiNWglyFaHY8JFDJFf6jk37FP0fvUGIzG0fWQ0tWgiycsWIVP3QUJosUrOZg0qOMcBbP_UrKWD8qMSrbE6EL1Lu6KlIxehZqHEGNZ10GmctzLfFWgMBfjnnLZNjO_1-YFdBOJbWXpmBuWV0ezGEXnhNG4N4q-0TeEys4kIRg/s320/Ampex%20power%20supply.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-F2VS1h2OVuZ_PLtYT4liMz7fdraKQe8acaBLCI8hyphenhypheniTjsR686VnNGhV2eDeNHwg7CU_fDQsXO_GBd50H23UKtYsIIYon3EYWLchzIz8DBVB48Tm2CesIR4tUV7bxIW7JhORouGVedIMArU1ARI3dprWIKbY5aHV5LW9_5YmKyJU0N7E7eB-tMpb9T0/s1276/Ampex%20preamp%20rear.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1276" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2-F2VS1h2OVuZ_PLtYT4liMz7fdraKQe8acaBLCI8hyphenhypheniTjsR686VnNGhV2eDeNHwg7CU_fDQsXO_GBd50H23UKtYsIIYon3EYWLchzIz8DBVB48Tm2CesIR4tUV7bxIW7JhORouGVedIMArU1ARI3dprWIKbY5aHV5LW9_5YmKyJU0N7E7eB-tMpb9T0/s320/Ampex%20preamp%20rear.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWCOVycIIWlPduQnSUKh-Q1hw2DQuy_BVOBzu4Ohc3g6InTAFQrr1WVKrVtUm2FYHw07bpyYbapVhlMo-E3SvvxKDWiQ9cHX2h03uGRXthdFtfGNqy3hOnyHe59lbfh0Wz10akvhoL5cmIJ3ExSJCct7J3sfupbk1dJDfIy4Kvlr4U6N2F2c9wGDdE9Y/s1360/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-19%20at%204.53.18%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1360" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWCOVycIIWlPduQnSUKh-Q1hw2DQuy_BVOBzu4Ohc3g6InTAFQrr1WVKrVtUm2FYHw07bpyYbapVhlMo-E3SvvxKDWiQ9cHX2h03uGRXthdFtfGNqy3hOnyHe59lbfh0Wz10akvhoL5cmIJ3ExSJCct7J3sfupbk1dJDfIy4Kvlr4U6N2F2c9wGDdE9Y/s320/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-19%20at%204.53.18%20PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiYfRyesMdbB_vcUc4jGAFVxIpNj2WW8l2diUur4hNsTYsgnQj0-eGacBx7Onv5WzJ5AHltS3uQnp2HjRZkP5A0_iRFkrwllfo4pvN9Wo2B0MQmDwd1v08RSVmHq8jBYMRwbKY4u2mCL89fH3GbZzznN817HGgMELfZgb9NpyUvLpL2bM8MBRevOZ4Ik/s1098/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-19%20at%205.01.49%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="458" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiYfRyesMdbB_vcUc4jGAFVxIpNj2WW8l2diUur4hNsTYsgnQj0-eGacBx7Onv5WzJ5AHltS3uQnp2HjRZkP5A0_iRFkrwllfo4pvN9Wo2B0MQmDwd1v08RSVmHq8jBYMRwbKY4u2mCL89fH3GbZzznN817HGgMELfZgb9NpyUvLpL2bM8MBRevOZ4Ik/w166-h400/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-19%20at%205.01.49%20PM.png" width="166" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With the WA-MPX Warm Audio has delivered an affordable and reliable taste of old tube preamp technology without all the hassle of chasing down discontinued vacuum tubes, odd connectors and weird rectifier parts. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBux9-aTMaTpeyC8H2vWOraLQQZi52TybJVaV1Ywtyv0lCU5hR8Vw7uHHzQoHe3xMbS3WSkMqP8nHLtB0ZuvPjZjZ0voQrLSU425l4xssEnOrOMdPpLxeuxao4WD1CLMNr2PdlLK3KpwT97mwJ_uyms-5ufD4352l2b37xdmRPVcAv-I4dY8HfkVsu_pc/s1454/02%20WA-MPX%20front%20panel.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="1454" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBux9-aTMaTpeyC8H2vWOraLQQZi52TybJVaV1Ywtyv0lCU5hR8Vw7uHHzQoHe3xMbS3WSkMqP8nHLtB0ZuvPjZjZ0voQrLSU425l4xssEnOrOMdPpLxeuxao4WD1CLMNr2PdlLK3KpwT97mwJ_uyms-5ufD4352l2b37xdmRPVcAv-I4dY8HfkVsu_pc/w640-h126/02%20WA-MPX%20front%20panel.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6G03cvsvXsskMObUevsSJp2XieAXNFUwSFzcsyBVgx61csNxHGHBzSnzvGTcKrhT5lMUMtFJcc51Gg52X9V6mMbvFExITNHS8TOK9YvhQrep87-IdXMlxO1wncxeDQLanO1H9GTeRnuJVwrvLnmggs9SSNQWtxJPZPspybiC6UoY17OA2bzjRUO_1qiI/s1304/02%20Ampex%20vint%20preamp.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="1304" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6G03cvsvXsskMObUevsSJp2XieAXNFUwSFzcsyBVgx61csNxHGHBzSnzvGTcKrhT5lMUMtFJcc51Gg52X9V6mMbvFExITNHS8TOK9YvhQrep87-IdXMlxO1wncxeDQLanO1H9GTeRnuJVwrvLnmggs9SSNQWtxJPZPspybiC6UoY17OA2bzjRUO_1qiI/w640-h229/02%20Ampex%20vint%20preamp.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It's only a matter of time before someone is willing to pay enough and scarf up the Ampex brand so they can market more pro audio stuff to mimic the good ole days of "tape".</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-21899972559388010582024-03-16T12:20:00.001-04:002024-03-23T17:46:45.261-04:00QUANTASYLUM QA403 MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH ADAPTORS AND CABLES<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnD7V4ZByZL4bAQJRESXf4CtdDJuvT7Ob1AKicHjJpPn99qPdGrJbLCAH-oraMGr09KXwjewnj2vr4CBwT33OIVgFdsU-ZgmYUwxHPGu8QU_Y1buyruRb0kmv6Gvas28M45-cj1Rbb-1tm6tqJCZXKArEj7zVpta0laOtGlYh6ZR13uRtkjbBRp-wGvk/s3971/01%20Analyzer.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1255" data-original-width="3971" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnnD7V4ZByZL4bAQJRESXf4CtdDJuvT7Ob1AKicHjJpPn99qPdGrJbLCAH-oraMGr09KXwjewnj2vr4CBwT33OIVgFdsU-ZgmYUwxHPGu8QU_Y1buyruRb0kmv6Gvas28M45-cj1Rbb-1tm6tqJCZXKArEj7zVpta0laOtGlYh6ZR13uRtkjbBRp-wGvk/w400-h126/01%20Analyzer.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The QuantAsylum QA403 Audio Analyzer features eight female BNC panel mount connectors which provide excellent shielding out to 4GHz (plenty high enough for even the highest frequency digital audio recording). The generator outputs are on the left and the analyzer inputs are on the right. </p><p>The BNC connector is not typically used for audio connections in recording studios so how do you connect this box for testing your audio components which might have RCA-Phono, TRS male or female or XLR audio inputs and outputs?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span></span><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've a big believer in learning how to make your own cables but I've never enjoyed assembling BNC plugs and cables.<span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">BNC can be used for a variety of signal types, they're popular for video connections but you'll find them used on a variety of professional equipment of all types. Standard BNC cables are typically a piece of stiff coax cable with identical female BNC plugs on either end.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I was 12 years old when I first saw BNC connectors (pronounced “Bee-En-See”), my friend and mentor, Kent (later known as Dr. K) used BNC connectors in the Ham radio station he built in his parents basement. Dr. K called them "<i>Bince</i>" connectors. Back in 1964 he had the special stripper and crimping tool needed to reliably assemble a BNC plug onto a piece of coax. Thankfully, today, in 2024 you can buy assembled BNC cables and adaptors for reasonable prices and minimize the pain and learning process.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>BNC PLUGS AND JACKS – </b><i>FEATURES, ADVANTAGES, BENEFITS</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>BNC are two conductor connectors, inner conductor with outer shield.</li><li>BNC connectors are locking meaning they can't come unplugged accidentally.</li><li>BNC are non-shorting, you can't easily short the conductor and shield together by connecting or disconnecting.</li><li>BNC are compact connectors.</li><li>BNC are inexpensive.</li><li>BNC connectors make reliable connections. </li><li>BNC connections provide outstanding shielding characteristics at higher frequencies.</li></ul><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To utilize the BNC connections on the QA403 you're going to need a bunch of different custom cables <i><b>OR</b></i> a box of adaptors to use with some standard BNC cables. If I was running a repair-shop I'd probably make some custom cables that would connect easily with the types of products we were repairing most often. In my recording studio I'm faced with a variety of input and output jack configurations on all sorts of equipment so it would require a bunch of different cables if I used custom dedicated cords. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Using standard off-the-shelf BNC cables with adaptors can get you connected up reliably and allow your QA403 female, panel mount BNC jacks to connect with virtually any piece of audio gear, ranging from “Consumer” RCA-phono connections (male and female) to balanced and unbalanced 1/4” phone connectors along with the professional audio standard XLR (male and female). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wWIcmqyktGKn-OZBN5YR7U6iREg6dpp4z99bomD-WLLHP0HKRjraIvUBAZs5IwYu8UUzkrlkMsJKoCEscPFWzmJfMgQdfgKrwUoUh7ipvY3gQuX76rw1aU8msyThg4Gu1zef2a4Qg2qMxVNbVgGRt3TUuA_uvTr_Op62rprRd4uvFWr9xtWPkyIsjkM/s3676/8FBE37C0-4896-4472-AA01-E46BD25CEF8D_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3676" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wWIcmqyktGKn-OZBN5YR7U6iREg6dpp4z99bomD-WLLHP0HKRjraIvUBAZs5IwYu8UUzkrlkMsJKoCEscPFWzmJfMgQdfgKrwUoUh7ipvY3gQuX76rw1aU8msyThg4Gu1zef2a4Qg2qMxVNbVgGRt3TUuA_uvTr_Op62rprRd4uvFWr9xtWPkyIsjkM/s320/8FBE37C0-4896-4472-AA01-E46BD25CEF8D_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhkdnJANZbyNnULlbj5jUovdWOkx9l9NPRojm0Ipo1kwhiAmTsfHVQ3XkRLvFO_5sf4iGyolBWl_gFwcg1z_tw1GUtDoxoUdw1PSt3GVzOjWvTWh1t9vLdiuKzzMvvNDS8BPdjJ6njicgSk7gAiKdp-iugyiYzUu60nL5jJXVwT3RaDXwxAXNeF-fnA0/s3888/44B3A367-0D01-4400-B9CA-6BF3E9D3701A_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2916" data-original-width="3888" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhkdnJANZbyNnULlbj5jUovdWOkx9l9NPRojm0Ipo1kwhiAmTsfHVQ3XkRLvFO_5sf4iGyolBWl_gFwcg1z_tw1GUtDoxoUdw1PSt3GVzOjWvTWh1t9vLdiuKzzMvvNDS8BPdjJ6njicgSk7gAiKdp-iugyiYzUu60nL5jJXVwT3RaDXwxAXNeF-fnA0/s320/44B3A367-0D01-4400-B9CA-6BF3E9D3701A_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have a number of adaptors and cables dedicated to connecting my portable QuantAsylum system into and out of various studio gadgets. I organized my adaptors and connectors into one of these plastic boxes which has multiple separate compartments for sorting. I have my <a href="http://www.highontechnology.tech/2024/02/review-quantasylum-403-audio-analyzer.html" target="_blank">QA403 analyzer kitted-up for portable use</a> and this organizer box for my adaptors makes transporting cables and adaptors with the analyzer system easy.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>UNBALANCED CONNECTIONS AND TESTING</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">RCA-Phono Connections</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Adapting a panel mounted female BNC jack to an RCA-phono connection is easy thanks to the CCTV industry. CCTV systems use both BNC and RCA-phono connectors so there are lots of adaptors and they're inexpensive. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc3G_JQRcBvtU8LfM6MzgEaXovtn5lXVzLFTbnn2rqmQFxpU6OHJDAhfKsmPC8b-pJPX1JVxrQrPcAuhVDk4ZQ1gp4UXMjikKgXsH8BBF2iJbx-Jz3tEBXon1Iw1-xucGJQ1AYud8xCHO4aeKL4qlMXnkLFUFypalhSzd75gV7mc1AXP6hp4n2w_KwAA/s4032/56855F5D-1CD6-4539-98F6-264B4F781F87_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2309" data-original-width="4032" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc3G_JQRcBvtU8LfM6MzgEaXovtn5lXVzLFTbnn2rqmQFxpU6OHJDAhfKsmPC8b-pJPX1JVxrQrPcAuhVDk4ZQ1gp4UXMjikKgXsH8BBF2iJbx-Jz3tEBXon1Iw1-xucGJQ1AYud8xCHO4aeKL4qlMXnkLFUFypalhSzd75gV7mc1AXP6hp4n2w_KwAA/s320/56855F5D-1CD6-4539-98F6-264B4F781F87_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This handy adaptor converts the QA403 BNC connections into standard female RCA-phono connection points, from there you can just use standard RCA-phono cables to get in and out of your DUT (device under test). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbleIA4MTsqwwUiS2l4RWM5Ce4MGKHFGaCu4plxVShLNtIs6HAahkwDMBKWz7cP11EHQ2YQDMeid0Nym9FoMfZ3bmjgePfHIbAgG7NrelcK3HvKYUg9cHODtOkHBMU7_8h3Z3yn0t-LN8c0N_O21Ms8DnT_dumHKQrHXSGK-lIyATdWvvXD4RlJJ2E9A/s3729/F51E8F59-1364-4ED0-96B7-DBA531E1C00A_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1837" data-original-width="3729" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbleIA4MTsqwwUiS2l4RWM5Ce4MGKHFGaCu4plxVShLNtIs6HAahkwDMBKWz7cP11EHQ2YQDMeid0Nym9FoMfZ3bmjgePfHIbAgG7NrelcK3HvKYUg9cHODtOkHBMU7_8h3Z3yn0t-LN8c0N_O21Ms8DnT_dumHKQrHXSGK-lIyATdWvvXD4RlJJ2E9A/s320/F51E8F59-1364-4ED0-96B7-DBA531E1C00A_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You could adapt one of your RCA-Phono plug ends into an unbalanced male 1/4” Phone plug with an adaptor like the gray one shown above.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>QA 403 Balanced Output</b> (channel 1 of 2)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The left output from the QA403 generator is delivered on two BNC female jacks which are marked (+) and (-), these are identical signal outputs which are out-of-phase with each other. To derive a balanced audio signal from the two female BNC jacks requires a custom cable or some clever use of adaptors. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As recommended on the QuantAsylum web site I use a Hosa brand splitter cable with RCA-phono plugs on the two loose tip and ring ends and a 1/4” male TRS Phone plug on the other end. These cables come in various lengths, they're reliable and available from a number of retailers. It looks like this:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiViBYpSZ89IrTn0aLrbLPFlGfmK4MgsfSJlpsClBBo4htZC02G5TnTY_tSZUsiHe8IXL-s-4kPKd2SM25RS7LHVWi8nTx43h-XMHZQyUuA3Zv8eMF0c3dYuh8K-lMQxo1PbUsIEziPQRSs14jmiWoq_q-iHhSu-hingFgGLsv-x8X6zCXYtHJU1XTtg/s2407/09953DBD-5C65-4139-ADD5-1C1A19666912_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2242" data-original-width="2407" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiViBYpSZ89IrTn0aLrbLPFlGfmK4MgsfSJlpsClBBo4htZC02G5TnTY_tSZUsiHe8IXL-s-4kPKd2SM25RS7LHVWi8nTx43h-XMHZQyUuA3Zv8eMF0c3dYuh8K-lMQxo1PbUsIEziPQRSs14jmiWoq_q-iHhSu-hingFgGLsv-x8X6zCXYtHJU1XTtg/s320/09953DBD-5C65-4139-ADD5-1C1A19666912_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course you could make a split cable yourself, I've personally built hundreds during my audio career and I can say without shame that it is NO FUN trying to <i><u>reliably</u></i> land two shielded cables inside the barrel of a Switchcraft 297 male TRS plug. I don't like soldering on RCA male phone plugs either. I'm completely satisfied with the performance of modern molded cable connections (I've tested several with my QA403 audio analyzer :-).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another way to get an XLR balanced output would be to make a splitter cable by cutting a molded RCA-to-RCA cable in half and solder the cut ends into an XLR plug. My problem with this is it requires several custom cable/adaptors to accommodate full stereo XLR connections; by using adaptors with standard cables I cut down on custom cables hanging around. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you're using the Hosa splitter cable I like to convert the TRS male into a TRS female with an adaptor. Many of the pieces of equipment in my studio offer TRS input and output as well as XLR. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I've never found a pre-made female-to-female TRS 1/4” adaptor that is reliable beyond two or three uses so I make my own. A heavy duty TRS-female to TRS-female adaptor is a very handy box to have in the studio. Here is one of mine:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQL0YE_jC91mgsWT7Z3-Cy4vvAkNz7HtjcbuTGBHDIcZtNY5s_bsSnCXZy_0ih7qzLqAsO25p-oHqKFneJANGlLGbHKijHEal7x8-miJug8mxRrv4kiPVZdKtDCtRrgTHmLefKRJZzJ8BBoHUoMn-LVoYxktaeDOd8WePK2nTlsLMYko1dcLEbCp6pLYI/s4032/51D8B446-9E42-4EF6-B43F-75AF469252A9_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1985" data-original-width="4032" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQL0YE_jC91mgsWT7Z3-Cy4vvAkNz7HtjcbuTGBHDIcZtNY5s_bsSnCXZy_0ih7qzLqAsO25p-oHqKFneJANGlLGbHKijHEal7x8-miJug8mxRrv4kiPVZdKtDCtRrgTHmLefKRJZzJ8BBoHUoMn-LVoYxktaeDOd8WePK2nTlsLMYko1dcLEbCp6pLYI/s320/51D8B446-9E42-4EF6-B43F-75AF469252A9_1_201_a.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><i><b>Be sure to read the CAUTIONARY NOTE at the end of this article to prevent possible damage to your QA403</b></i>.<br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.highontechnology.tech/2017/10/trs-thru-studio-musician-handy-box.html" target="_blank">Here is a how-to-build article on High on Technology</a>. It's a compact aluminum box with Switchcraft 1/4” TRS female jacks installed in each end. These jacks are very reliable, the adaptor is wired tip-to-tip, ring-to-ring and sleeve-to-sleeve. I have been using these since 2011 when I assembled my first few pieces, since then I've built dozens for making various TRS-to-TRS connections in the recording studio. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Getting Balanced Input/Output connected to QA403</b> - <i>The Chain Of Plugs And Adaptors</i> – </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here is the combination I'm going to show you next: </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtF9BCpyTUXp0stYUEmcgrWiAjqThWZKipWsflXCpipeRt_5TcPXDQepKv6n-xeOakrm0cVjVZ22lZIU99HcdNg9zxCr2jW13qvKeq1-eu7xnZ-MyFrpwQ5SiQIrllEmyWAeXzGBzRoUjd6M1Vmf8EKKaH-NXvdTGkGa8M_U2LSfYGDQg9tUzGh-0KSI/s3902/8BF7A214-9EC2-441B-8C17-556B609DE939_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1822" data-original-width="3902" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMtF9BCpyTUXp0stYUEmcgrWiAjqThWZKipWsflXCpipeRt_5TcPXDQepKv6n-xeOakrm0cVjVZ22lZIU99HcdNg9zxCr2jW13qvKeq1-eu7xnZ-MyFrpwQ5SiQIrllEmyWAeXzGBzRoUjd6M1Vmf8EKKaH-NXvdTGkGa8M_U2LSfYGDQg9tUzGh-0KSI/w640-h298/8BF7A214-9EC2-441B-8C17-556B609DE939_1_201_a.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BNC-to-RCA adaptors on Hosa split cable, TRS-to-TRS box, XLR adaptor of choice</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Certainly there are many other combinations of connectors to get an XLR connected to a dual BNC, these are the ones I'm using in my recording studio for testing gear with the QA403.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>1/8" TRS MINI PHONE PLUG INTO QA403</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DdS5232zf3dswcOSSxNPMLcjb3U4QbTWEwuujYvVRAj7HW2E44wIRb-fOeHiw_D5VELisYjHrmIzCu8ZvAQJMycCEVys0d8lSlGspoUkUTcfsMdsA-NXRRnZ4QA0jxVk_337gNMsZwWHJIHud-HqxDo0MwGNTgOT-cM93iWMnv20r4rU28SmRCegvrU/s3672/8196DA7C-D192-4BE0-9337-B1934C88DDA3_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1594" data-original-width="3672" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DdS5232zf3dswcOSSxNPMLcjb3U4QbTWEwuujYvVRAj7HW2E44wIRb-fOeHiw_D5VELisYjHrmIzCu8ZvAQJMycCEVys0d8lSlGspoUkUTcfsMdsA-NXRRnZ4QA0jxVk_337gNMsZwWHJIHud-HqxDo0MwGNTgOT-cM93iWMnv20r4rU28SmRCegvrU/w640-h278/8196DA7C-D192-4BE0-9337-B1934C88DDA3_1_201_a.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I bought these small gold adaptors for converting 1/4" headphone outputs to 1/8" plugs in my recording studio but I've also turned them around to use them as a way to feed stereo audio signals from phones, laptops and portable CD players.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>MORE HANDY BNC ADAPTORS</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The "BNC Two-For" can convert one front panel QA403 jack into two just in case you want to feed an Oscilloscope input simultaneously or possibly a monitor speaker system. Keep in mind you could be polluting your test with ground-loop or other RF interference. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVVJUEgRT1xSzq4PCEI2pAMjon7cvagsVQhHwfIPI3G8X9mQMJMos_JHv0m_DzSN9235C71rg8jqjR94EZbtyFSYmcWMyBf-Sk43yXKA1Dkvl8Z1h34plERJ3USfOXVSpG_EXkR1ToSpyBltIC44U5grg0eaYnyEXtPeFQ3tOUrjPrDv3nzbVOLQU3EY/s2343/301A5BAC-8873-4CC3-8FB8-612868570C41_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2343" data-original-width="2109" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVVJUEgRT1xSzq4PCEI2pAMjon7cvagsVQhHwfIPI3G8X9mQMJMos_JHv0m_DzSN9235C71rg8jqjR94EZbtyFSYmcWMyBf-Sk43yXKA1Dkvl8Z1h34plERJ3USfOXVSpG_EXkR1ToSpyBltIC44U5grg0eaYnyEXtPeFQ3tOUrjPrDv3nzbVOLQU3EY/s320/301A5BAC-8873-4CC3-8FB8-612868570C41_1_201_a.jpeg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You might also like to feed a BNC from a Binding-Post Banana plug, there's an adaptor for that.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You can adapt a BNC cable end directly to an unbalanced 1/4" male phone plug.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQyNpYs7wmJCinKcCgfbxYl7-dG__cmg-5NWtV9znu6OfaTp3Wa_Wk5OB5mG51TaUpvZ-4axSwLry_JdiA5hn1czBmXf9Pw9YNLSYzZaznDCetB1MBo5o4TK0zERE49fLr5Ys7yjx7SriRXWwTGXYvbAidIQEPlU-PAsdpbYl5yyj-Y7OueUjRK6UI2c/s3708/EB1D1E5F-8735-441F-89AC-73D1C7968C78_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2122" data-original-width="3708" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQyNpYs7wmJCinKcCgfbxYl7-dG__cmg-5NWtV9znu6OfaTp3Wa_Wk5OB5mG51TaUpvZ-4axSwLry_JdiA5hn1czBmXf9Pw9YNLSYzZaznDCetB1MBo5o4TK0zERE49fLr5Ys7yjx7SriRXWwTGXYvbAidIQEPlU-PAsdpbYl5yyj-Y7OueUjRK6UI2c/w640-h366/EB1D1E5F-8735-441F-89AC-73D1C7968C78_1_201_a.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another handy BNC adaptor is the "Female-to-Female" which provides even more adaptor and signal flow options.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>EPILOGUE</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There are many paths for connecting the QA403 Audio Analyzer, these are just a few I've implemented for testing and evaluating various pro audio gadgets found in a typical recording studio or live sound situation.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>CAUTIONARY NOTE: <i><u>Don't drive the QA403 generator outputs into a short</u></i></b>. If you use a TRS adaptor box like I showed you earlier you could plug an unbalanced guitar cord into the TRS output and this would provide a dead short to the ring connection feeding back to the QA403 on the other side of the adaptor box - <u><i>Don't Do That!</i></u> BE CAREFUL and think about the connections you're making. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Once you have YOUR box of adaptors and cables together, dig in and start evaluating audio gadgets with the incredible QuantAsylum QA403 Audio Analyzer.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">©March 2024 by Mark King, it's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-54838604578907260232024-02-11T17:46:00.007-05:002024-02-16T02:11:14.489-05:00REVIEW QUANTASYLUM RACK MOUNT KIT<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Racking Up QuantAsylum Test Equipment</i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkIFfDm5veDezt6ZXg7PkSv8aY3TS_ay4La3kFRFPTalsuuSVSEw9Tm8qwL99SbkVhebI5ZZ-7IgR_Ig6nZBIc-AF9hICNhaZvI2JMvkrq0A-zC1Aqgpr6eXQPfPtu5T8-F-1OFgos7qm4kNKOg4C6fNEMrqhOwTIk2dHhILcKXcAzYJ2A0CPGvK1V_0/s3775/04%20rack%20shelf%20IMG_5135.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1973" data-original-width="3775" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkIFfDm5veDezt6ZXg7PkSv8aY3TS_ay4La3kFRFPTalsuuSVSEw9Tm8qwL99SbkVhebI5ZZ-7IgR_Ig6nZBIc-AF9hICNhaZvI2JMvkrq0A-zC1Aqgpr6eXQPfPtu5T8-F-1OFgos7qm4kNKOg4C6fNEMrqhOwTIk2dHhILcKXcAzYJ2A0CPGvK1V_0/s320/04%20rack%20shelf%20IMG_5135.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New QuantAsylum rack shelf on SKB 19" rack</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I wanted to pull my QuantAsylum test pieces together into a solid kit that I can transport, plug-in and use conveniently. It took me three tries but I finally got it put together in a nice test kit configuration that sets up fast, has all the connections accessible and protects the equipment during transport. The new <b><i>QuantAsylum rack mount accessory</i></b> brought two QA test gear components together to form a sturdy package. <span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxNjxblGhuRu14FenhRMBcfghyX5LOx5HjmG-SDV2seQRYwd6bq49RK6ssnQFsEqCUgw1IyybMuegEfor7MP8lpOFHmY3REvWNLJDQXRM0gK1Di734zBMW1zaR9J5CUU4tfGrLGVAqje4vMEEo6MWJK9AIxVcDYr-3g0lu0yDtF9FB56GAcZs_kTUG9I/s4032/06%20rig%20running%20w%20laptop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxNjxblGhuRu14FenhRMBcfghyX5LOx5HjmG-SDV2seQRYwd6bq49RK6ssnQFsEqCUgw1IyybMuegEfor7MP8lpOFHmY3REvWNLJDQXRM0gK1Di734zBMW1zaR9J5CUU4tfGrLGVAqje4vMEEo6MWJK9AIxVcDYr-3g0lu0yDtF9FB56GAcZs_kTUG9I/s320/06%20rig%20running%20w%20laptop.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The assembled system - Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>When the system is deployed the laptop sits on top of the rack and all the cables connect easily. One (white) extension cord connects the rack to AC wall power. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCRHfBPdv61cFQ7FEgTHIXMrPR2OkKO-TNsyqOsJ1MTWR8ctLgISptfm39T-uqsHkn7B64q3FswtS1HnO0JpzLlG38_9t2ZbM5c53NuYQFUDtsnI6PYlbMBXGyyOSdxBCk1lskKLAwO9OEy-2ZDiv8XrS1KqSqPccBF7C1zfUgQN2MfJTRTTIkbk0Wi8/s4032/01%20rack%20shelf%20pwr%20sup.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCRHfBPdv61cFQ7FEgTHIXMrPR2OkKO-TNsyqOsJ1MTWR8ctLgISptfm39T-uqsHkn7B64q3FswtS1HnO0JpzLlG38_9t2ZbM5c53NuYQFUDtsnI6PYlbMBXGyyOSdxBCk1lskKLAwO9OEy-2ZDiv8XrS1KqSqPccBF7C1zfUgQN2MfJTRTTIkbk0Wi8/s320/01%20rack%20shelf%20pwr%20sup.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rack shelf power supply - Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here is my power supply rack shelf out of the rack. This shelf will actually be mounted upside down in the rear of the rack so the attached boxes will hang from the roof inside. This will keep the adjacent unused front rack space free for two more QA boxes to be added using a second QA rack shelf. The USB Hub has lots of additional ports and is ready to connect with more QA test gear or other USB accessories. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUybmm60Bq7EgtGkFJQFEF2GSvfgnkaUOgCmFULm5GwpvrSiI5pw7LPTRZOug1M-gBGMxvM3xHxLzIpUP_uf9UM3lAIjc4NZI7jKlj2orQsWOowq5CYnd9C_HC6fOD5cO_4bhR9oqXP336bbgPf58mk34_gOE2euz5T6l_d66AqMCHsA89SSi2bEsFBlg/s4032/03%20usb%20outlets%20rear.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUybmm60Bq7EgtGkFJQFEF2GSvfgnkaUOgCmFULm5GwpvrSiI5pw7LPTRZOug1M-gBGMxvM3xHxLzIpUP_uf9UM3lAIjc4NZI7jKlj2orQsWOowq5CYnd9C_HC6fOD5cO_4bhR9oqXP336bbgPf58mk34_gOE2euz5T6l_d66AqMCHsA89SSi2bEsFBlg/s320/03%20usb%20outlets%20rear.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>USB Hub outlets face towards rear - Click to enlarge</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBlSPtiWG6evGOLWQYkwZPjKm8as6kV3kcZJXcX8wH-j0pQx4soqpE4MEYqXxxjkTtmxuTqHDN_ps3LtaUMv8J0MymlAQQMBzb5dn9OoRZPhFGgQBxpgEkLFh8y7zE92c8Jfs-68xo4bkky8YBF4LQ8RABRV0wNMV-MYHouIbDTMN7Nr1FRVVoidNfGY/s4032/IMG_5162.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2907" data-original-width="4032" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBlSPtiWG6evGOLWQYkwZPjKm8as6kV3kcZJXcX8wH-j0pQx4soqpE4MEYqXxxjkTtmxuTqHDN_ps3LtaUMv8J0MymlAQQMBzb5dn9OoRZPhFGgQBxpgEkLFh8y7zE92c8Jfs-68xo4bkky8YBF4LQ8RABRV0wNMV-MYHouIbDTMN7Nr1FRVVoidNfGY/s320/IMG_5162.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Power Supply & USB Hub hanging - Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><i><b>FAST SET UP</b></i>: (1) Plug the white extension cord into the wall, (2) plug the power supply cable to laptop and (3) plug the USB cable to laptop. Boot up the computer and start analyzing. All the other components are already connected.</p><p>The 12-volt/5-amp USB Hub power supply provides lots of current for the hungry QA Audio Analyzer. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6QXZdZn7_JZYVe1kEr667Ics1OX_LtwbcLt7UOkVFwZ3dGIxHv5rb12d5Vtw3Jljr0PiwL9tDNkVWrC_phMKWBXG1P1aQhqAwpyTpjEBn8o6oNwS68UdhQY19CCOlaswb15Ws-dej7SwU08ZxQBiAPpliH_H_xmkMb17lumBAdblhwFfCS8WWcyVOg4/s3775/04%20rack%20shelf%20IMG_5135.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1973" data-original-width="3775" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6QXZdZn7_JZYVe1kEr667Ics1OX_LtwbcLt7UOkVFwZ3dGIxHv5rb12d5Vtw3Jljr0PiwL9tDNkVWrC_phMKWBXG1P1aQhqAwpyTpjEBn8o6oNwS68UdhQY19CCOlaswb15Ws-dej7SwU08ZxQBiAPpliH_H_xmkMb17lumBAdblhwFfCS8WWcyVOg4/s320/04%20rack%20shelf%20IMG_5135.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">QuantAsylum rack mount accessory - Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I had read on the QA web site that there was a rack mount accessory. I contacted QA and obtained their latest rack mount kit, a formed metal shelf with mounting screws for attaching the test equipment components. </p><p>The QA shelf is finished in a very attractive QA factory-red paint job. The shelf is made from some fairly thin metal but once you have the QA boxes mounted it firms up nicely. The QA boxes are so compact and lightweight that the shelf does not need to be heavy gauge metal. </p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iWePNay3Bx4VdrQXJkLzNy3XljEtVCQuwiH82u_TAfCFuUSEaB9NlgPX231NsqYu6xovpKL34oGTh4zNhFIUQ_z_8-r2MZsdw7PRoE-NoVfqwQc4PzIRWR8GpuComPAd-Y8V60MweAQiU_sN7Ar3-idVX7OUIDrxCD-iA1KKP-uR8XIlvexdb3amIoc/s3553/05%20mounting%20holes%20IMG_5136.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1913" data-original-width="3553" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iWePNay3Bx4VdrQXJkLzNy3XljEtVCQuwiH82u_TAfCFuUSEaB9NlgPX231NsqYu6xovpKL34oGTh4zNhFIUQ_z_8-r2MZsdw7PRoE-NoVfqwQc4PzIRWR8GpuComPAd-Y8V60MweAQiU_sN7Ar3-idVX7OUIDrxCD-iA1KKP-uR8XIlvexdb3amIoc/s320/05%20mounting%20holes%20IMG_5136.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the mounting holes in the shelf and bag of mounting screws</td></tr></tbody></table><p>MOUNTING QA BOXES TO THE SHELF</p><p>The shelf came with a small bag of mounting screws which appear to have a bit of blue Locktite on the threads. You remove the stock feet from the QA box and use the new screws to go through the shelf into the bottom of the box where the feet previously attached. All the hardware lined up and mounted very easily. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC0CnsqTJUA6YaWG1XcsL_IdsnoiIVmeVTyu_zNelY_nIRfRf_m2US9FzTy2eXOCTO4odFr_0iOojdI9is_nStOT5Xx3EIrAdoFgVFFsa4Afz2mDhofbLxPuwgR6Qf4zcMBuCflphmFk3zU1ucSqLzv6kQFbdVCQsS1_NJBE0xiWw_YBVYDsEQChW2Co/s3694/06%20monting%20bottom%20IMG_5138.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1917" data-original-width="3694" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC0CnsqTJUA6YaWG1XcsL_IdsnoiIVmeVTyu_zNelY_nIRfRf_m2US9FzTy2eXOCTO4odFr_0iOojdI9is_nStOT5Xx3EIrAdoFgVFFsa4Afz2mDhofbLxPuwgR6Qf4zcMBuCflphmFk3zU1ucSqLzv6kQFbdVCQsS1_NJBE0xiWw_YBVYDsEQChW2Co/w400-h208/06%20monting%20bottom%20IMG_5138.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom view of mounting holes</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It took less than five minutes to remove the feet and mount two QA boxes to the shelf.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpPLpJ1zbdf9A3ha7-8fV64dYKdGmzujKx0Aj6dIZ_IsJ0duJqQsMPoSxTPTTjMwsVam-D_X7LaobROAm3tpZYvOzT1euRKJvpCjzLJ3U7m6toXTcPFuf78W7g2occ4Il08b3mivEh_PF74hRAphz0ALTJCLei47m-xy7cOCxX2SUGLWrNszx2_-G50c/s3638/07%20QA%20racked%20IMG_5137.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1755" data-original-width="3638" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpPLpJ1zbdf9A3ha7-8fV64dYKdGmzujKx0Aj6dIZ_IsJ0duJqQsMPoSxTPTTjMwsVam-D_X7LaobROAm3tpZYvOzT1euRKJvpCjzLJ3U7m6toXTcPFuf78W7g2occ4Il08b3mivEh_PF74hRAphz0ALTJCLei47m-xy7cOCxX2SUGLWrNszx2_-G50c/w400-h193/07%20QA%20racked%20IMG_5137.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>After mounting the QA test devices to the rack shelf I slid the whole thing into the carrying rack to check the fit. Any fears I had about the unit being flimsy or too light vanished after I had everything screwed together tightly. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabq6aj1zixTwkGzHAdpVcQJ0Lh2y1CqRC6K6qq35LTAURWQhuZ3wR5r3j_y3T6ps1VoxH-LJRVscmt4gwe8AMbGp2qAvHEhe1-4cVWtEHUMbBauEgDMLeGVKwKl0Gl2oW5kWvaRv-PnHvhaePNL-fE9SbUdAnfcWDUPHUydwUcdNy0AFXtWSW-FMGH8g/s3324/08%20rear%20racked%20IMG_5139.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="3324" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabq6aj1zixTwkGzHAdpVcQJ0Lh2y1CqRC6K6qq35LTAURWQhuZ3wR5r3j_y3T6ps1VoxH-LJRVscmt4gwe8AMbGp2qAvHEhe1-4cVWtEHUMbBauEgDMLeGVKwKl0Gl2oW5kWvaRv-PnHvhaePNL-fE9SbUdAnfcWDUPHUydwUcdNy0AFXtWSW-FMGH8g/w640-h178/08%20rear%20racked%20IMG_5139.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p>There is plenty of clearance on the back side for the USB connections on the rear of each QA box.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FX60ltHV8hvLfZQSi8oANUBJ7SKm2SaU65bSgoJyibE7e32s-lp9DQIvcf2zPHB_hpFUc_zDeXoUbilxYlNEl3uUzLdtcL1U7Z6p7T7uL8Sa5KKOE1d7XKmcQg7TzbvaMYSj6Ttrd7von1JbsK78u-ZA4wOiQoD-RsUNHEZQ03miFA-rA2pRTZNbQWc/s3635/11%20rack%204screws.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="3635" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FX60ltHV8hvLfZQSi8oANUBJ7SKm2SaU65bSgoJyibE7e32s-lp9DQIvcf2zPHB_hpFUc_zDeXoUbilxYlNEl3uUzLdtcL1U7Z6p7T7uL8Sa5KKOE1d7XKmcQg7TzbvaMYSj6Ttrd7von1JbsK78u-ZA4wOiQoD-RsUNHEZQ03miFA-rA2pRTZNbQWc/w640-h168/11%20rack%204screws.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I slid the two rack mounted QA boxes into the rack and mounted it up with industry standard 10/32 screws. A<u>ll the holes lined up beautifully</u>. </p><p>To test the fit of the QA pieces in their new rack mount configuration I mounted a beefy, 1U, 19" DBX stereo compressor above the QA boxes. It was easy to slide the DBX into the rack, nothing on the QA shelf stuck up or got in the way of another piece being mounted above or below. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EXmyDtcEAkcS22KqxO-L6HfBEujWiNF6UdcGcEDaxPtuM4JqbApmEwGfeOr8lJwprYdGUlRigBOW0vOnxSFxTkhPpRvT1AFp-fRrbqMCv3ReJt6-9VXJwWtLzB6L42DrfQUHbIlOkDwfGqz5AJs4AnzbkmajVkGIYliIS403lCiKj9TE0MiwcxoAlr8/s4032/06%20rig%20running%20w%20laptop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EXmyDtcEAkcS22KqxO-L6HfBEujWiNF6UdcGcEDaxPtuM4JqbApmEwGfeOr8lJwprYdGUlRigBOW0vOnxSFxTkhPpRvT1AFp-fRrbqMCv3ReJt6-9VXJwWtLzB6L42DrfQUHbIlOkDwfGqz5AJs4AnzbkmajVkGIYliIS403lCiKj9TE0MiwcxoAlr8/s320/06%20rig%20running%20w%20laptop.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The assembled system running - Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Overall I like the QuantAsylum rack mounting accessory a lot. It was easy to implement, sturdy enough to handle the QA test boxes and light in weight so my portable test rig remains easy to carry. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFhIhJC1TAIDMhGhD8WQYU6w1JrI7bhdTpPzXlfcjPSTVD9OffogAsydAml0C4eTjhFBIvU8KZegrvL-tXk9tFS1vbCljtzUKKRhq_0o4gbb9J26XvScL5PPRAgKxJU8GfB-7IkUV1JBxtCBtrC8iCdd8IebdE5PiI8YpVMw6UowcYBvqpjNPUgzKv3s/s4032/07%20rear%20view%20w%20laptop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFhIhJC1TAIDMhGhD8WQYU6w1JrI7bhdTpPzXlfcjPSTVD9OffogAsydAml0C4eTjhFBIvU8KZegrvL-tXk9tFS1vbCljtzUKKRhq_0o4gbb9J26XvScL5PPRAgKxJU8GfB-7IkUV1JBxtCBtrC8iCdd8IebdE5PiI8YpVMw6UowcYBvqpjNPUgzKv3s/s320/07%20rear%20view%20w%20laptop.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rear side of rack - Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Around back there are only three cables exiting the rack for connections, the system sets up in less than three minutes and most of that is spent removing the case covers. </p><p></p><p>I've got a studio full of equipment just waiting for the testing experiments to begin. Next in this series we'll be looking at the specialized cable connections needed to interface professional audio equipment with the QuantAsylum BNC connectors. </p>Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!<p></p><p>©FEB 2024 by Mark King, it's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-89287320371395700212024-02-03T11:07:00.003-05:002024-02-03T11:08:59.145-05:00REVIEW QUANTASYLUM QA472 ULTRA LOW NOISE PREAMP FOR PRECISION EQUIPMENT TESTING<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThLQVT4GKpP_w8xSMb6fvTfPcAdFbYH_s7ejw4V2c0vEahYKcGYlWnGWxSuIUU1MZaTqkKbn2kyhMT3mT8cSrlsnugwJ6Wq7EhGQ4x_AScnMYgsJW3ZHEHT6QwGkB8C5reFcRMx3-UWhADXrVtzLOBKrBtCUAObytB6Sb-aPJDXrIaxlJszGq5WR1R-E/s3808/01%20Preamp.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="3808" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThLQVT4GKpP_w8xSMb6fvTfPcAdFbYH_s7ejw4V2c0vEahYKcGYlWnGWxSuIUU1MZaTqkKbn2kyhMT3mT8cSrlsnugwJ6Wq7EhGQ4x_AScnMYgsJW3ZHEHT6QwGkB8C5reFcRMx3-UWhADXrVtzLOBKrBtCUAObytB6Sb-aPJDXrIaxlJszGq5WR1R-E/s320/01%20Preamp.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to Enlarge<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The recently released QA472 low noise preamplifier provides a reliable way to increase small signals for testing purposes. You can learn more about QuantAsylum by reading the HoT review for the <a href="http://www.highontechnology.tech/2024/02/review-quantasylum-403-audio-analyzer.html" target="_blank">QA403 audio analyzer here</a>. </p><p>What's new in this latest version of the preamp?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The QA472 costs almost 33% more than the previous model it replaces but it now includes two preamplifiers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbKGpcJumdf1D8k1vq4_dW2TdktZrnXIljMIt6Jx25cr3XsouhDdjM6-BebQyZF6elculfnQbtmqTD1lxDeWdLbdhmI_Fp2TPLmTST2Ngqn9r591nUE2C0-ijqohTXU0TpQGf2ePQ70sg7Iij_ukGOX72ckqblCh9RfSMvElWccwteThF2zhTAl-J0SQ/s3982/04%20Preamp.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1748" data-original-width="3982" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbKGpcJumdf1D8k1vq4_dW2TdktZrnXIljMIt6Jx25cr3XsouhDdjM6-BebQyZF6elculfnQbtmqTD1lxDeWdLbdhmI_Fp2TPLmTST2Ngqn9r591nUE2C0-ijqohTXU0TpQGf2ePQ70sg7Iij_ukGOX72ckqblCh9RfSMvElWccwteThF2zhTAl-J0SQ/w400-h175/04%20Preamp.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to Enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Pre1 has an XLR input for convenience and it features switchable phantom power. Pre1 has a low noise spec of -122 dBV. That is really low and it makes testing typical tube preamplifiers an easy and reliable job. </p><p>Pre2 is based on an entirely different circuit design, this JFET input has an input impedance of 1MΩ and a fixed gain of 30dB. With this simplified circuit the noise floor drops to -134dBV. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7G5NwnglZVM5NDoONjWKnTT0CCpkEfIr5aa0-9M1Cmy_wg-lO5SXZudwdTUngPppg55FY4bYh8JVp02SnLjql1RxsokGsYIQ56sOfClV3HQMNva_FMNWV69uN0-Y7Bxm2qCj6Dqx34Sn7udySsZIWQmYl3tEQB1ciqzUwVnmfqHGfn2N_T5ivgE9xLjI/s3808/01%20Preamp.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="3808" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7G5NwnglZVM5NDoONjWKnTT0CCpkEfIr5aa0-9M1Cmy_wg-lO5SXZudwdTUngPppg55FY4bYh8JVp02SnLjql1RxsokGsYIQ56sOfClV3HQMNva_FMNWV69uN0-Y7Bxm2qCj6Dqx34Sn7udySsZIWQmYl3tEQB1ciqzUwVnmfqHGfn2N_T5ivgE9xLjI/w400-h138/01%20Preamp.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to Enlarge<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p>WHAT'S IT FOR?</p><p>Unlike other preamplifiers we discuss here on High on Technology, this one is intended for testing purposes (not necessarily recording audio though you probably could). </p><p>When combined with the QA403 Audio Analyzer you have the makings of a very high quality toolset to look at frequency response and noise in an acoustic environment (you would also need a flat response microphone). </p><p>For someone building boutique microphones, testing large diaphragm microphone capsules for output performance and consistency could be another very useful application. </p><p>In-ear monitor manufacturers need special tools for testing their products, the QA472 could be a very consistent preamplifier for such applications. </p><p>Testing your studio microphones for noise and frequency response could be accomplished with excellent uniformity and consistency not available with even high end microphone preamplifier solutions (you would also need a QA403 for such testing). </p><p>POWER SUPPLY</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2s8PVkNtyw0E3yeHgSFRVb2Y7bNjRAfbD9I5knacOZs7KdbWax5AtRscfnbsub5_ajLsjtaLRAJ9bRUa2Yf9JDd3XMH4fO2Zh5vWBG5kExPcAc_g3qNiK_Lq5vl1ADfydiR7WK3rc6ri8LaFWEozUOXNYQkzPqtFxS5dXaDl9YIK_wPgssF9QotV1LA/s3648/06%20Preamp.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1913" data-original-width="3648" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2s8PVkNtyw0E3yeHgSFRVb2Y7bNjRAfbD9I5knacOZs7KdbWax5AtRscfnbsub5_ajLsjtaLRAJ9bRUa2Yf9JDd3XMH4fO2Zh5vWBG5kExPcAc_g3qNiK_Lq5vl1ADfydiR7WK3rc6ri8LaFWEozUOXNYQkzPqtFxS5dXaDl9YIK_wPgssF9QotV1LA/w400-h210/06%20Preamp.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to Enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This new model is powered by a fully isolated USB power source so if you're using a USB Hub with several outlets to power other QA boxes (like the QA403 Analyzer) you can just branch off that to power this little box too. You'll need to provide your own USB cable but the current demand of the preamp is very low and the DC-to-DC power system means ultimate isolation for your test measurements. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNBtk1dL2w2ibVSakxnu_KpaKQyehlGATDXwShxZvfGJKR6D0Ek2zW1Y8l1MIXT3wD1sARvnfCRYpl_z45z4xTLdnrkmWGHxsfjuWk_HqLEvyGDnzwktCOa6G7PMWIEFYaO_Q0ITrI7Uj9-MgqElBw1h9QQzke7eXCEvLrmZOiaN4y8Ou-9N08G-mNKw/s4032/02%20Preamp.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNBtk1dL2w2ibVSakxnu_KpaKQyehlGATDXwShxZvfGJKR6D0Ek2zW1Y8l1MIXT3wD1sARvnfCRYpl_z45z4xTLdnrkmWGHxsfjuWk_HqLEvyGDnzwktCOa6G7PMWIEFYaO_Q0ITrI7Uj9-MgqElBw1h9QQzke7eXCEvLrmZOiaN4y8Ou-9N08G-mNKw/w400-h300/02%20Preamp.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to Enlarge<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><p>If you're using the QA403 Audio Analyzer the QA472 Dual Preamp provides a very useful, precision, reliable and repeatable source of gain for use in evaluating circuits and hardware. </p><p>For more information check out the QuantAsylum web site and forum (do a search for the company address link). You'll find a legion of dedicated users who are improving their audio with these tools. </p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!</p><p>©Feb 2024 by Mark King, it's not ok to copy or quote without written permission</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-21409027668051187012024-02-01T03:33:00.004-05:002024-02-12T08:00:48.685-05:00REVIEW QUANTASYLUM QA403 AUDIO ANALYZER<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG0A3N3dBNVWg1OZTyxKQHZyxf4vjDMI0sBH7dEQDt9ZHv7nYIKGtTMIRbwConmzcdkpB6D_8-7GDTliNcoY5q2l42Lz44iARY46sRryq16Nyfd-20wPY1wg7DSer4tdDd4etXk9KOlLOULIKR0cPXOzgMYuaPfBhNtnR49avKNHDpJ0pHCDXwPh1-Oo/s3240/QA403.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="3240" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLG0A3N3dBNVWg1OZTyxKQHZyxf4vjDMI0sBH7dEQDt9ZHv7nYIKGtTMIRbwConmzcdkpB6D_8-7GDTliNcoY5q2l42Lz44iARY46sRryq16Nyfd-20wPY1wg7DSer4tdDd4etXk9KOlLOULIKR0cPXOzgMYuaPfBhNtnR49avKNHDpJ0pHCDXwPh1-Oo/w400-h108/QA403.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Work Sans", HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif" style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;">Click To Enlarge</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>What is going on inside your audio equipment? We talk about frequency response, noise floor and dynamic range but where do these numbers come from? They come from the manufacturers of the equipment; but how do you know if these things are true?</p><p>QuantAsylum manufactures a range of affordable test equipment. The products are designed and built in the USA. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The following comes directly from the QuantAsylum website:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;">“<span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>QuantAsylum is a portmanteau of the words quantify (to measure) and asylum (protection, shelter, refuge). Since 2010, QuantAsylum has been developing and offering unique products for embedded hardware and software developers.”</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face=""Work Sans", HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif" style="color: #4e4e4e;">I became aware of QA in the final quarter of 2023. I was looking into buying a much more expensive Audio Precision test system to do advanced performance analysis on audio equipment for High on Technology. Is the QA403 a replacement for a modern AudioPrecision system?<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>QA makes no pretense about their measurement capability which can be a little bit confusing as you digest the features of these little boxes. This product is aimed at industrial electronic engineers (NERDS) and unlike typical audio marketing, QA is not boasting or spewing a bunch of blah-blah-fluff: Instead, the company is delivering an extremely powerful audio testing device for an amazing low price. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImrc0nyTaaLgFk6V-Uvsn_2PdHrAErY4far4UkBP55xbm-dHtYVbNlsCWN9vI_U2ps3RMHcoyCF5___-JuRdLVyz8Uxd4GyfsLDZzxHv22aYe7UK8QfcC8f3fTnbbvIQSJLV3LZrbpwBHhk6vHkmfFSGQKAiL7R5PxqfrU4ru0qBcR3yWWQ2NJeQuXkc/s1424/QA%20403%20line%20art.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="1424" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImrc0nyTaaLgFk6V-Uvsn_2PdHrAErY4far4UkBP55xbm-dHtYVbNlsCWN9vI_U2ps3RMHcoyCF5___-JuRdLVyz8Uxd4GyfsLDZzxHv22aYe7UK8QfcC8f3fTnbbvIQSJLV3LZrbpwBHhk6vHkmfFSGQKAiL7R5PxqfrU4ru0qBcR3yWWQ2NJeQuXkc/w400-h126/QA%20403%20line%20art.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Click To Enlarge</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>MEET THE QA403 AUDIO ANALYZER</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>It took me a couple of weeks of digging around the QuantAsylum website to realize what this little red box is really capable of; at that moment when it became clear I immediately placed an order for a QA403 Audio Analyzer. Honestly, it's so inexpensive, I had to build confidence it was something I wanted and needed. They were on backorder but it was not a horrible long wait and the time passed quickly. One awesome day near the end of November 2023 my QA403 arrived.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 gives you the capability of testing a complete, mono or stereo audio signal path, from input to output, balanced (differential) or unbalanced (single ended). You can benchmark characteristics like noise, distortion and frequency response easily after you understand how to make the necessary connections and operate the software on a Windows 10 based PC. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Audio Analyzer Overview</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 is part of a precision stereo audio test system. For a complete functioning system you need the QA403 hardware, the free software application from the QuantAsylum website and a Windows 10 based PC along with appropriate cables and terminators. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Like all high quality analyzer systems the QA403 digitally generates “known” test signals; you feed these “known” signals from the generator into the input of a DUT (device under test), the output of the DUT is then connected back into the QA403 to test it for performance. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>For comparison, understanding and benchmarking you can check the quality of the QA403 by simply connecting the generator outputs back into the analyzer inputs and use the QA403 to check itself.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Inputs and Outputs</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 has a precision <i><u>stereo audio frequency generator</u></i> which you feed into the “Device Under Test” (the gadget you're testing). The analog audio outputs from the QA403 generator section can be used balanced or unbalanced to accommodate all input/output configurations of consumer and professional audio equipment. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 analyzer section has two pairs of differential inputs which can be used as one or two balanced or unbalanced input connections. In order to make accurate measurements you'll also need some inexpensive “input terminators” to mute any unused inputs on the analyzer which can skew the accuracy of measurements. Terminators with 75 or 50 ohm BNC connectors are cheap, half a dozen delivered from Amazon was under $10 and that quantity will get you going making measurements with the QA403.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>All the audio inputs and outputs on the QA403 are BNC connectors. BNC connectors are those annoying weird cables you use to connect digital audio clocking signals on a DAW system. The BNC connectors on the QA403 provide 100% isolation and ground control when connecting devices to test. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>THE CONVERTERS - The converters in the QA403 are by ESS Technology. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The Windows 10 PC Connection </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 is designed for a high speed (480Mbps) USB connection to a PC running Windows 10 or 11. The computer USB connection is completely isolated from the audio section of the analyzer so hash or noise from the computer won't distort your measurements. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The current software version available through the QuantAsylum web site is a very compact package. There is no software key or licensing system, anyone can download the software but you need the QA403 to run it and have it make any sense. You can run the QA software from a USB memory stick if necessary. On my personal system I installed the software and it just worked. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 is powered through the PC USB connection and it is a demanding load at 800mA. Many PC-USB outlets simply cannot handle the current draw. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>I bought a budget model AMD powered Lenovo laptop to use with the QA system. I added a 10-port powered USB hub which is capable of delivering 1,000mA to the QA403, I run the hub between the analyzer and the USB connection on the laptop; this allows the QA403 to get all the power it needs from the hub power supply and protects the PC USB connections from trying to draw too much current. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Good Things In Tiny Packages</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 is designed and built in the USA. The compact enclosure is aluminum, the paint and silkscreen nomenclature are very high quality. The QA403 features 24-bit ADC/DAC which can operate up to 192KSPS. The QA403 hardware inputs can handle +32 dBV in signal level which is equal to a little over 34dBu. That is over 7dBu louder than an SSL mixer screaming at the top of it's lungs so the QA403 is ready to handle some seriously big line-level professional signals. Even my vintage API 312 microphone preamps are out of gas at 30dBu of output level. The inputs on the QA403 have ample headroom to handle even the beefiest audio outputs in professional audio. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Testing – Testing-Testing</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Boutique equipment manufacturers are turning to QuantAsylum for affordable test gear to achieve high standards of reliability and quality control. A customized QA system including all cables and dedicated PC can be put together for under $1,000. The footprint for a system like this is small enough that the QA system can be right in the heart of manufacturing and easily integrated into the production process. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>For someone operating a recording facility the QA403 removes variables and provides several useful tests quickly and easily. The QA403 performs many additional tests through the use of programming. The ability to accurately perform just these four tests on a piece of studio gear can be the equivalent of a physical health check up. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Noise</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>THD</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>THD+N</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Frequency Response</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>If you're using a mixing console in your recording studio profiling the individual channels and the EQs with the QA403 can help you understand their impact on your recorded sound as well as finding channels that are performing poorly. A noisy switch can spray high frequency junk into your otherwise pristine mix. If you're using a pair of vacuum tube processors for stereo buss processing the QA403 can help you see the noise and frequency response of each so you achieve consistent stereo performance. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Repair Shop Friend</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 does not require calibration, that is done before the device leaves the factory and like your trusty DVM it is ready to answer the call with measurable, objective data. Typical handheld DVMs don't have good high frequency response to truly verify what the QA403 analyzer is telling you. A bench type meter with response out to 20K or beyond is recommended if you need that level of performance and verification. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>The QA403 Audio Analyzer is being used by repair shop techs and amp design engineers along with other boxes QA makes. The QA451 is a programmable 4 and 8 ohm load for amplifier testing. Check the QA website for detailed product information. QA makes a precision microphone preamp to accompany the other components which can be used in various audio industries (like In Ear Monitors).</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Testing the actual full-range frequency response of your gear can be an eye opener and the QA403 makes frequency testing so easy and compact compared to setting up my dual-trace scope, calibrating my audio generator and testing the old way. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>I'm building a custom wood enclosure to hold and power the QA403 and USB hub, with room for the laptop on top. This will help integrate the components into a handy package I can move around the studio for doing tests with minimum cables blossoming out to catch on things. I'm also wanting to tidy up the AC power connection for powering the laptop and USB hub and make setup as quick and easy as possible.</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>EPILOGUE</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>I'm still just a noob with the QuantAsylum Audio Analyzer and not finished with the process of integrating my test rig for portable applications. I'll be doing A LOT more testing in the months ahead and you'll find it here on High on Technology. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>If you'd like to know more detailed information about the QA403 Audio Analyzer point your browser towards the QuantAsylum web site. You can download the “Users Manual” for the QA402/QA403 analyzers and dig in to see if one of these belongs in your tool box. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>Thanks for reading High On Technology, Good Music To You!</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #4e4e4e;"><span face="Work Sans, HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif"><span>©Jan 2024 by Mark King, It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission. </span></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-25562234008236912662024-01-24T01:40:00.004-05:002024-01-24T01:46:20.955-05:00REVIEW NUX MOD CORE, IS IT GOOD?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> IT'S NU-X (like "New X")</i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHspRE1izRA6IMVnYIFf2KV7hRVnDAA6XjSdOeHBwCR2xEiBNaXYfQxjtFhkMU3Us7lN-EPk0I7LmF-c2RI3TPDTIhtedmnPJ1lrYuBPdoVh85lJKNil8Loi19PC9ByOnfx2XRzfzgnteCtyK-PdvWju2NvUlvDsgUixXyUH-q02WpECRSZfLLpU1UBKU/s3630/01%20Mod%20Core%20main.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3630" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHspRE1izRA6IMVnYIFf2KV7hRVnDAA6XjSdOeHBwCR2xEiBNaXYfQxjtFhkMU3Us7lN-EPk0I7LmF-c2RI3TPDTIhtedmnPJ1lrYuBPdoVh85lJKNil8Loi19PC9ByOnfx2XRzfzgnteCtyK-PdvWju2NvUlvDsgUixXyUH-q02WpECRSZfLLpU1UBKU/s320/01%20Mod%20Core%20main.jpeg" width="267" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Mod Core from Nu>X is a powerhouse of good sounding modulation effects and features.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>For about the same price as a single low priced phase shifter you can have an encyclopedia reference of all the classic modulation effects. Here are the effects NuX has packed into the Mod Core:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Chorus</li><li>Flanger</li><li>Phaser</li><li>Tremolo</li><li>Pan</li><li>Rotary</li><li>U-Vibe</li><li>Vibrato</li></ul><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfP3nEIjiIw8fD0fcuf7Xyly4VVxKXYuq8PFXFBXxIrbcn6z7n_c2UKuHm5WoRL12qOlLouF3G4A2yJq6t6WSC33a_pCKVLrlAT-aJU2RomINm3aKpGRzaw8o4xeHNRQtf4KdMHR1liiaIds8POkTtqCPglzz_w1gKrdVrvGZ0dewsxs1hmWt67efZWc/s3494/02%20Mod%20Core%20controls.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3494" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfP3nEIjiIw8fD0fcuf7Xyly4VVxKXYuq8PFXFBXxIrbcn6z7n_c2UKuHm5WoRL12qOlLouF3G4A2yJq6t6WSC33a_pCKVLrlAT-aJU2RomINm3aKpGRzaw8o4xeHNRQtf4KdMHR1liiaIds8POkTtqCPglzz_w1gKrdVrvGZ0dewsxs1hmWt67efZWc/s320/02%20Mod%20Core%20controls.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>You choose the effect type with a rotary switch. Other control knobs include:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rate (or speed)</li><li>Depth (amount of effect)</li><li>Tweak (depends on effect)</li></ul><p></p><p>The Tweak knob adjusts different features of the various effects, you might say it is context sensitive.</p><p>BUILD QUALITY & INDUSTRY STANDARD 9-VOLT OPERATION</p><p>The build quality on these pedals is really good. The enclosure is a heavy cast metal box. The use of chrome plating and silk screen imprinting is all very high quality. The shiny blue metal flake paint job is vivid without looking overdone. The NuX Mod Core is a good looking pedal. </p><p>SOUND QUALITY - FULL STEREO</p><p>I bought this pedal for the "Pan" feature, I needed it for a song I was recording. It does the Pan effect beautifully. The "Chorus" sound also caught my ear and immediately I was using it on a song. The Mod Core uses digital technology to achieve the sounds and they all sound good and usable. </p><p>The Mod Core has dual 1/4" inputs and outputs, this allows the pedal to achieve full stereo performance. You can also use it with a Mono-Input to Stereo-Output configuration or classic mono. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>There are better sounding modulation pedals but not without spending a lot more money and achieving marginal subjective differences. For under 100-bucks you can get a single pedal that does a nice job on all the included effects. Mod Core is a winner. I wish this was around when I was in my 20's.</p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">©Jan 2024 by Mark King, It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author. </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-18164547138947024682024-01-24T00:52:00.001-05:002024-01-24T06:35:50.102-05:00REVIEW CRY BABY JUNIOR WAH PEDAL BY DUNLOP<p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">NOTHING JUNIOR ABOUT THE SOUND</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwDNQrU4ealGfxfAgYDX6FvaOZWoDwOFxzfpxClKxHRv40dMP_cnI_vshFuOIKb9p0sfwrdApSpw8fkR53aTmTIakkPsw6sUwKWh5CFTbc9Z59Y36THLujM3AyZW-ZHboXhqlOhoFxmPCxtC8WoAR-nzQQQLnygWeEvQjXG-JfYctbZStgyt3_iwCzTU/s4032/01%20front%20IMG_4955.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwDNQrU4ealGfxfAgYDX6FvaOZWoDwOFxzfpxClKxHRv40dMP_cnI_vshFuOIKb9p0sfwrdApSpw8fkR53aTmTIakkPsw6sUwKWh5CFTbc9Z59Y36THLujM3AyZW-ZHboXhqlOhoFxmPCxtC8WoAR-nzQQQLnygWeEvQjXG-JfYctbZStgyt3_iwCzTU/s320/01%20front%20IMG_4955.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Dunlop makes a Cry Baby Wah-Wah pedal for every player and style of music. The Cry Baby Junior is a slightly smaller version of the classic Cry Baby wah pedal. Designed in collaboration with Pedal Train, is this the best wah pedal Dunlop has ever built?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span></span><p></p><p>The Cry Baby Junior (CBJ) is packed full of useful features that will leave a vintage style wah feeling lonely. Lets start with the size; the CBJ is slightly smaller than the classic Cry Baby model. The reduced physical size means the CBJ takes up considerably less space on your pedalboard (so you can pack in more pedals :).</p><p><b>ON-OFF LED INDICATOR</b> - Come out of the darkness</p><p>The Cry Baby Junior includes an LED which lights when the pedal is active. Never again will you accidentally play a song with a cocked wah, the LED is positioned so the performer can see it easily. </p><p><b>THREE POSITION VOICE SWITCH</b></p><p>There is a tiny three position switch on the side of the CBJ. This switch controls the "voicing" of the pedal, the voices are:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Agressuve</li><li>Vintage</li><li>Dark</li></ul><p></p><p>This switch is truly recessed, you'll need something small to reach in and change the position. It's not a super heavy duty switch either so don't plan on changing the setting often; for occasional adjustments it should be fine. </p><p><b>TOP MOUNTED JACKS</b></p><p>For years Cry Baby Wah pedals have had the input on the right side and the output on the left side. This Junior model moves the jacks up to the front (Fulltone called this top mounted) where the Cry Baby logo usually shows off to the audience. </p><p><b>DUAL POWER</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmIG9q8sz0-tzQjMlyPLo3LP_MBWFd_OA5iLkH4CD_3Arz9m_ze4cMUvEzoVTHmqCwhZDJJTb2Kntp94qSBqPsDlba6v9s4wSvEe2LpRay4KxiKJCj2N86UaandmUmtjOqY-arfiY0Y0X4cDFuP61ooEjA6q6xEz2B8ONafk6VaspgjaTuBMcHQF9vbk/s4032/02%20rear%20IMG_4956.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmIG9q8sz0-tzQjMlyPLo3LP_MBWFd_OA5iLkH4CD_3Arz9m_ze4cMUvEzoVTHmqCwhZDJJTb2Kntp94qSBqPsDlba6v9s4wSvEe2LpRay4KxiKJCj2N86UaandmUmtjOqY-arfiY0Y0X4cDFuP61ooEjA6q6xEz2B8ONafk6VaspgjaTuBMcHQF9vbk/s320/02%20rear%20IMG_4956.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For many years Wah pedals were all powered by a standard 9-volt transistor radio battery and that was your only option. You had to remove the screws which hold on the feet just to change the battery. Not any more. The CBJ features a nice plastic battery door in the bottom which makes changing the inbuilt battery a breeze. You turn on the circuitry when you plug a cable into the input jack of the CBJ. Fortunately Wah pedals don't draw much current (mA) so a battery can last for months if you unplug the input jack when not in use.</p><p>Dunlop added external pedalboard power input jacks which use the standard polarity so they're compatible with all the popular power supply makers (like Voodoo Lab).</p><p><b>QUALITY BUILD</b></p><p>These pedals have a nice solid build quality. All the parts and pieces fit together and operate well to deliver a great feel to the player. A wah pedal is an interactive dynamic device, it reacts to your input and this slightly compact model from Dunlop never disappoints. </p><p><b>EPILOGUE</b></p><p>I got my first Wah pedal 55 years ago. Since then I've had many different brands but none of them has advanced the whole pedal design quite like the Cry Baby Junior. I love the sound of a good, well played wah, possibly even more important is the feel of the pedal under your foot. That interactive feel coupled with a good bite in the tone has helped Dunlop sell more Cry Baby Wah pedals than all other wah pedal brands combined. </p><p>I like the Cry Baby Junior a lot, if I was using a Cry Baby live this would be the one.</p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology. <i>Good Music To You!</i></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">©January 2024 by Mark King. It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-46906824004354585222024-01-06T17:45:00.001-05:002024-01-06T18:13:36.634-05:00REVIEW PRESONUS ERIS SUB 8 COMPACT STUDIO SUBWOOFER<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigybesNGIirt-WHEyEXtUqmZ1MfLJwOVgubo9LlAJYVythyphenhyphenLh33HQvOXrRgHDzEhx8xpKSHJ1zm2OzHbRixIiB5uTIsQKK3VQCoqzV5cy-LDbguikGP_pLZMmd4PXEMmW-sRCzNMfk3J0ljDnkCqbT3clqw2h-URcwMd4BJPUlvJ4DOg_eBtiN9zzMSKk/s1380/Eris%20sub.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1098" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigybesNGIirt-WHEyEXtUqmZ1MfLJwOVgubo9LlAJYVythyphenhyphenLh33HQvOXrRgHDzEhx8xpKSHJ1zm2OzHbRixIiB5uTIsQKK3VQCoqzV5cy-LDbguikGP_pLZMmd4PXEMmW-sRCzNMfk3J0ljDnkCqbT3clqw2h-URcwMd4BJPUlvJ4DOg_eBtiN9zzMSKk/s320/Eris%20sub.png" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eris 8 Subwoofer - click to enlarge</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Need to put a little boom in your room? This little subwoofer is up to the task so long as you don't need to play too loud.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Presonus makes several small speaker systems that are a little bit short on bass response. By adding a subwoofer you can add a lot of fullness in the bass frequencies. I added one of these compact and inexpensive subwoofers to our little Eris 3.5 monitor system in Studio-B. This is one of my favorite places for listening to mixes I've created in the main studio. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>CONNECTING THE SUBWOOFER </b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpJvcIGVSH8UJ5GQeRbvInD0F0QGUCYgXuwww08EKnluNSlPdQllcxpZ9VmcAacAD42Ew7PgLdy36fH8sCaB8JnF-3LZXwaZ7Xon8PxagNsytMgmSikkUKGRAl2FFTeP9FQlq_jSwUdPscUYO-07IQUdaKnULvzA7mvhK_ql2iessf5iMm0HiRdE0tMg/s1380/Eris%20sub%20rear.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1092" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcpJvcIGVSH8UJ5GQeRbvInD0F0QGUCYgXuwww08EKnluNSlPdQllcxpZ9VmcAacAD42Ew7PgLdy36fH8sCaB8JnF-3LZXwaZ7Xon8PxagNsytMgmSikkUKGRAl2FFTeP9FQlq_jSwUdPscUYO-07IQUdaKnULvzA7mvhK_ql2iessf5iMm0HiRdE0tMg/w506-h640/Eris%20sub%20rear.png" width="506" /></a></div>Around on the backside of this little subwoofer you'll find a bunch of jacks and controls, lets look at what it's all for.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm1_y57kq2ZazxX6SJUmP90WcJXe3ebMoqOaC9qSUK_h-UrxfYoxcAHM7j__sKHO4Y0HWoY0obSjlW7Ft9nxDmEQV4tj3SmkCmNKOr6yZ9_cidphBh32FRjCKwTGA1ZOr_eBT41qlrD3QDIOL6OdjN3IwsXlBGFT5gx47yKlAjt12CEuGU9svdB6vCU4/s1230/Eris%208%20sub%20IO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1230" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm1_y57kq2ZazxX6SJUmP90WcJXe3ebMoqOaC9qSUK_h-UrxfYoxcAHM7j__sKHO4Y0HWoY0obSjlW7Ft9nxDmEQV4tj3SmkCmNKOr6yZ9_cidphBh32FRjCKwTGA1ZOr_eBT41qlrD3QDIOL6OdjN3IwsXlBGFT5gx47yKlAjt12CEuGU9svdB6vCU4/w320-h163/Eris%208%20sub%20IO.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inputs and outputs - <i>click to enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>INPUTS</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The inputs are available as a pair of 1/4” balanced jacks for connection to pro-audio systems and a pair of RCA phono unbalanced which are used for matching the subwoofer to consumer stereo equipment.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>OUTPUTS</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The subwoofer has a builtin crossover network which is capable of isolating the bass region and sending the bass frequencies to the subwoofer speaker while simultaneously passing the high frequency sound to a connected pair of stereo speakers. The crossover outputs which drive the stereo speakers are available on 1/4” TRS balanced jacks for pro speaker connections and a pair of unbalanced RCA phono jacks to drive consumer modelss of unbalanced powered speakers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3YFaUGGFdat5G1-eA718VZJN46BwOYPtcsKrkw8LPpTRLVB5FFVMyBGebVSHYPQK42pKb8YSE0THvlwTtqNlXUWZCyy-1HHJV6ZB1WXqPWjzW91osCkBkMULRSFE2VpSUeX2R56aYmrUn51tzML7C86pMnouGT7UmhDRlOJdZmhvuXY3j0-cr9BQpKQ/s1240/Eris%208%20sub%20controls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="1240" height="60" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3YFaUGGFdat5G1-eA718VZJN46BwOYPtcsKrkw8LPpTRLVB5FFVMyBGebVSHYPQK42pKb8YSE0THvlwTtqNlXUWZCyy-1HHJV6ZB1WXqPWjzW91osCkBkMULRSFE2VpSUeX2R56aYmrUn51tzML7C86pMnouGT7UmhDRlOJdZmhvuXY3j0-cr9BQpKQ/s320/Eris%208%20sub%20controls.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Subwoofer controls - <i>click to enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>CONTROLS</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Above the Input and Output jack area is where you'll find the Gain-knob which sets the volume from the subwoofer. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A variable LowPass Filter knob is provided for adjusting the frequency where you want to transition from speakers to the subwoofer. I'm using my Eris Sub 8 with a pair of Eris 3.5 powered speakers so I set the LowPass Filter knob to around 100 Hz. I adjusted this setting by ear until the response from the Eris 3.5 speakers transitioned smoothly to the subwoofer.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A phase switch is provided which flips the polarity of the subwoofer relative to the speakers connected. This allows the subwoofer to be used with the widest variety of speaker brands and models (not just Presonus speakers).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A HPF (High Pass Filter) switch is provided. This switch cuts the bass to the speakers at the selected frequency on the LowPassFilter knob. Hint: I run my connected Eris 3.5 speakers full range, HPF off, then I adjust the crossover down around 80 or slightly lower to fill in the bottom end with the Sub-8.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">These settings can give a flatter overall frequency response when adjusted carefully. With the HPF Off, the connected stereo speakers run full range and the subwoofer output (from below the crossover frequency) is added to your listening experience. This can lead to bass build up in the crossover region; to help mitigate this effect set the crossover point low, to where the bass from the speakers is naturally diminishing.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Speaker Size: 8”</li><li>Paper composite low-frequency driver with rubber surround </li><li>50 watt RMS Class AB amplifier</li><li>Frequency Response (adjustable): 30Hz to 200 Hz</li><li>Maximum Peak Volume: 100 dB @ 1m</li><li>Balanced 1/4” Inputs and Outputs</li><li>Unbalanced RCA phono Inputs and Outputs</li><li>Weight 15 pounds</li></ul><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>LIKES</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Budget price</li><li>Surprising amount of bass output</li><li>Reliable performance </li><li>Lots of connection options</li><li>Builtin electronic crossover</li></ul><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>DISLIKES</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">None to speak of</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>EPILOGUE</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This is a versatile subwoofer available in a stand alone package. The features allow it to be used quite effectively with a wide variety of powered speaker systems by various brands. I wondered if it would have enough power, would it be adjustable enough and maybe most important, would it last and be reliable. I've had it in use 24/7 for the last nine months and so far this compact subwoofer has not disappointed. If it breaks down I'll report back right here.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for reading High on Technology. <i>Good Music To You!</i></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbm5bppUfLNfWm00kkro0CfIrUX_rqQZIaDxYpB-ciB336VPwnzJRA0lTEyOnzdhSdW4vAh-SdmUmcxbt2f0eydyaiyRclK2z1nO5u42opoklklMmjcB7s_StYUucnkX2R0faQlg49W2Mi-togB8YSb4yBYxIRuWZ8yvLtF_gBvIfu3aqscUgTUkbIrfw/s1380/Eris%20sub.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1380" data-original-width="1098" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbm5bppUfLNfWm00kkro0CfIrUX_rqQZIaDxYpB-ciB336VPwnzJRA0lTEyOnzdhSdW4vAh-SdmUmcxbt2f0eydyaiyRclK2z1nO5u42opoklklMmjcB7s_StYUucnkX2R0faQlg49W2Mi-togB8YSb4yBYxIRuWZ8yvLtF_gBvIfu3aqscUgTUkbIrfw/w510-h640/Eris%20sub.png" width="510" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">©January 2024 by Mark King. It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-19979917329756440022024-01-06T15:55:00.002-05:002024-01-06T18:15:28.154-05:00REVIEW PRESONUS ERIS 3.5 POWERED STUDIO MONITORS, ARE THEY GOOD?<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Are you tired of mixing on headphones?</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedRoVnSwp4wrI6Ac0RhnAc_gSPcosQRp_MiKLGgTEZDvufIsgMk8W_9hWOanqjdwQmrQnsABEAJpI8ZtQDjVensLm2SfgOMuqi4uBENNOVWI0IIWP-ckKR6eNoPopBpLMG6qFDgwSmZ3L_xPwUk2ZBl8bn_SawpML9tU8tcuSUOixmhC6Re-a8gMmtUM/s2120/girl%20in%20need%20of%20speeakers.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="2120" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedRoVnSwp4wrI6Ac0RhnAc_gSPcosQRp_MiKLGgTEZDvufIsgMk8W_9hWOanqjdwQmrQnsABEAJpI8ZtQDjVensLm2SfgOMuqi4uBENNOVWI0IIWP-ckKR6eNoPopBpLMG6qFDgwSmZ3L_xPwUk2ZBl8bn_SawpML9tU8tcuSUOixmhC6Re-a8gMmtUM/w400-h235/girl%20in%20need%20of%20speeakers.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">DOES YOUR STUDIO NEED SOME GOOD SPEAKERS, CHEAP?</span></i></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Presonus offers a small set of powered speakers which sell for $99 almost everywhere, are they any good?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span></span><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Eris 3.5 speaker solution from Presonus was something I never looked at because I've been burned by so many small, inexpensive, powered speaker solutions (weird frequency response, no headroom, not reliable, distorted, no bass; I could go on...). </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The 2022 Black Friday sale netted me a pair of these speakers for an incredible low low price, I bought them because I thought they would be fun to toy with. I was shocked when these actually sounded quite good for such a compact, low-priced, pair of speakers. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNIGUZyZarLKgxlg6KGEYHo-eU4txuiYORIE2TB-WlzkrqwdZizT36I8MMXxeHmOR9UAVVJ2CmyOFbYIadEzFfKL-8A2jMMQLT7CYd9k7QVO4zk8MXgaRG4g9TPTnBKSxu9-qXuV_DQ0e7iIvilOJaaUrBO-W2a_G48ufHtygffHGhQP3_h65BR4UpvY/s1688/Eris%20pair%20front.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1688" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNIGUZyZarLKgxlg6KGEYHo-eU4txuiYORIE2TB-WlzkrqwdZizT36I8MMXxeHmOR9UAVVJ2CmyOFbYIadEzFfKL-8A2jMMQLT7CYd9k7QVO4zk8MXgaRG4g9TPTnBKSxu9-qXuV_DQ0e7iIvilOJaaUrBO-W2a_G48ufHtygffHGhQP3_h65BR4UpvY/s320/Eris%20pair%20front.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eris 3.5 by Presonus</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">USING THE ERIS 3.5</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">These speakers are not bi-amplified so the phase response is never going to be as good as more expensive biamp-powered monitors. The woofer is only 3.5 inches in diameter so these will never produce much bass on their own. With that out of the way, a pair of these speakers sound surprisingly good all on their own. The silk dome tweeter is very bright and natural sounding. The little woofer does not move much bass but the output from the system conveys a proper image of the music you're trying to hear, these little speakers offer uniform, flat response where they should.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'm feeding the Eris 3.5 from my Coleman Audio speaker selector which allows me to A-B compare between five different speaker systems. I've grown quite fond of checking mixes on the Eris 3.5, similar to how I used Auratone monitors back in the 70's to see how a mix sounded (on what I always considered to be a deluxe TV speaker). </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Gradually I grew to appreciate the smooth uniform frequency response of the Eris 3.5 speaker system, it's not perfectly flat (like the JBL III Series) but these speakers do have extended high frequency response which helps give a useful sonic picture of the content you're listening to.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLq4OkZXoyWBdzBBHQjDoy4KRI2v7ZhOoaNNVvbKpCFet4hHV525_4HlIt86NT9nP_O9y8mKRAR_LFOhjh8i0bWXUF8kCtdG6h-LPHRy7nA6D0K_RpHwlbjxZSxKqkxjwredQn5S5SNStXr8oNqgNXL0uicziGOYT6HxqRDkjbnkxMAIfkv_GaQDqJ3mQ/s1492/Eris%20pair%20rear.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1492" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLq4OkZXoyWBdzBBHQjDoy4KRI2v7ZhOoaNNVvbKpCFet4hHV525_4HlIt86NT9nP_O9y8mKRAR_LFOhjh8i0bWXUF8kCtdG6h-LPHRy7nA6D0K_RpHwlbjxZSxKqkxjwredQn5S5SNStXr8oNqgNXL0uicziGOYT6HxqRDkjbnkxMAIfkv_GaQDqJ3mQ/w400-h185/Eris%20pair%20rear.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eris 3.5 Speakers Rear Panel - <i>click to enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIIONS</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Powered Studio Monitor </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Woven Composite 3.5” Woofer</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Silk-dome Tweeter</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">50 Watt Class AB Power Amplifier</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Frequency Response: 80Hz-20kHz</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Headphone output (only 1/8<sup>th</sup> inch jack provided)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Tuning Controls</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Balanced Inputs</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Rear Ported Enclosure</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Weight: 6.4 pounds</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>LIKES</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">$99 a pair, bargain price (occasionally even cheaper on sale)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Compact pair of speakers</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Only one speaker needs AC power</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">1/4" TRS input jacks</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Easy to connect together with lightweight cable supplied</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Easy to use</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Plays surprisingly loud</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>DISLIKES/CONCERNS</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Nothing to speak of (they're bargain speakers)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>EPILOGUE</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After a few months I ended up liking the Eris 3.5 pair of speakers so much in my main studio (as a reference listening platform) I bought a second pair for use in studio B (aka, the kitchen). I augmented this second pair with the Eris 8 Subwoofer which we use for watching movies or listening to music while we do art (and eat dinner :)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If I can get mixes sounding good in the main studio (checking them on the studio pair of Eris 3.5), then move them to the Studio-B system (2<sup>nd</sup> pair with 8” subwoofer) and still have the music mixes sound right without adjustments, that's when I'm happy. Those mixes go right out to our Chrysler 300 car stereo for additional test playback. This process has been delivering mixes that repeatedly get two-thumbs up from listeners.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You'll find the link to the Eris 8 Subwoofer review here when it goes live.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!</i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL9-iZyVKFAXDX2RcUH2KnWyjJqR8rSgzdRxiXgChNbqIWjV-aZ6T_axQR1LQivVhvAQ4y6gBkH1FCtyTcmIyuSKNDnSHV2ySPvFWG0fo9A08VVNt-Ayhfz3jOUymjsQPnYEoAmeYKB92H2EWD0SiYNV_GnFlSCFGRHbDWe2gjq4rJMUxWiRrg-G3Upk/s1688/Eris%20pair%20front.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1688" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyL9-iZyVKFAXDX2RcUH2KnWyjJqR8rSgzdRxiXgChNbqIWjV-aZ6T_axQR1LQivVhvAQ4y6gBkH1FCtyTcmIyuSKNDnSHV2ySPvFWG0fo9A08VVNt-Ayhfz3jOUymjsQPnYEoAmeYKB92H2EWD0SiYNV_GnFlSCFGRHbDWe2gjq4rJMUxWiRrg-G3Upk/w640-h416/Eris%20pair%20front.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">©Jan 2024 by Mark King, it's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-3186684364052303962024-01-05T17:52:00.003-05:002024-01-05T17:52:51.427-05:00REVIEW JBL 308P AND 305P III SERIES MK II POWERED STUDIO MONITORS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkGwxUbRoSqplOxc-Obg_JQh7Z2AjhVo8GlEw9t4OZA35uctFJkGkh_VUC4WUJPtYQDLzDEiZGMb2Kil7jsNXSh9e2SieSnJBLatVp3p91cQZ0KVrfUZ2ojdYqCxu-1KYav7QrbyM_sFhZUShwqWezjet6tmZi-efjhiAyHlVxNH7xpaj0Zb88stO5qI/s1560/01%20cropped%20girl%20at%20DAW.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1560" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkGwxUbRoSqplOxc-Obg_JQh7Z2AjhVo8GlEw9t4OZA35uctFJkGkh_VUC4WUJPtYQDLzDEiZGMb2Kil7jsNXSh9e2SieSnJBLatVp3p91cQZ0KVrfUZ2ojdYqCxu-1KYav7QrbyM_sFhZUShwqWezjet6tmZi-efjhiAyHlVxNH7xpaj0Zb88stO5qI/w400-h254/01%20cropped%20girl%20at%20DAW.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Does your DAW setup need some new speakers?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>JBL III SERIES, GREAT SPEAKERS, BARGAIN PRICES</p><p>The III Series Mk II powered studio monitors prove that you don't need to spend a small fortune to get great sounding speakers for mixing music. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfc0OxiT1UReQ7w0LnyNm2elMHy0y3OR64E_lkxybNXfiXIKgTrsG2-X6iUOLwbjFOOSXpbSCg3DaZn5_iSIs-qryWeqmjCWzDxzf_8SIQnE7OpAf8yznl266Znzvqm1Tbxsb4Tb6gA70kWPBx2RpINQcUi2CQ7ZOnJNK1NupoOBkjec5HB3H6Ylb9zg/s4032/w%20Coleman%20switcher.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibfc0OxiT1UReQ7w0LnyNm2elMHy0y3OR64E_lkxybNXfiXIKgTrsG2-X6iUOLwbjFOOSXpbSCg3DaZn5_iSIs-qryWeqmjCWzDxzf_8SIQnE7OpAf8yznl266Znzvqm1Tbxsb4Tb6gA70kWPBx2RpINQcUi2CQ7ZOnJNK1NupoOBkjec5HB3H6Ylb9zg/s320/w%20Coleman%20switcher.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In my control room I run five different monitor speaker pairs and use a Coleman speaker switcher to direct which pair is active. In late 2022 when one of my trusty Mackie HR824 (purchased new in 1998) finally died I replaced both with a new pair of JBL 305P. What an improvement!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>JBL MONITOR SPEAKERS - INTRODUCTION</span></p><p><span>The 305P monitor speakers have a five-inch diameter woofer and the unique JBL wave guide directing the output of the soft dome tweeter. The sweet spot for listening is nice and wide and I felt no sense of separation between the woofer and the tweeter; the acoustic output is natural, crystal clear and has a surprising full sounding bass response for such a small pair of speakers.</span></p><p><span>My $7000 pair of Meyer monitor speakers also died in 2023, the woofer cone surrounds finally rotted out. For replacements I looked at Genelec and some more expensive models by JBL but based on how much I liked the sound of the five-inch version JBLs I decided to replace the Meyers with a pair of the 8" JBL 308P. </span></p><p><span>I have grown very fond of both the five inch </span>and the eight inch versions of the III Series Mk II in a very short time. Both of these sets of speakers have the same flat response JBL is known for. The high frequency response sounds very bright but the mixes I've been doing are translating as well as anything I ever mixed using the much more expensive and powerful, Meyer or Mackie monitors. </p><p><i><u>TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS</u></i></p><p><b>305P III SERIES MK II</b></p><p>5" Woofer, 1" soft dome tweeter</p><p>Bi-amplified, electronic crossover at 1725 Hz</p><p>41 watts on woofer, 41 watts on tweeter</p><p>Frequency Response 49Hz - 20kHz (plus or minus 3dB)</p><p>Maximum Peak SPL: 108 dB</p><p>Rear ported enclosure</p><p>Weight: 10.4 pounds each</p><p><br /></p><p><b>308P III SERIES MK II</b></p><p>8" Woofer, 1" soft dome tweeter</p><p>Bi-amplified, electronic crossover at 1800Hz</p><p>56 watts on woofer, 56 watts on tweeter</p><p>Frequency Response: 45Hz-20kHz (plus or minus 3dB)</p><p>Maximum Peak SPL: 112 dB</p><p>Rear ported enclosure</p><p>Weight: 20.7 pounds each</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8O-JnWKVOFgK3mp6u7ve6kv0_7q-UqQmoxjewuo3qVzV7kkZgsasIzQClc-7Zl1nvcudOZZfERWQDsxTwvsNSaqUOcF-MH3ZBmcNZl8RF8L240CQP3h0SOAtbiQ63H43xvGHdCg1etrjuYBOCzAdTsDzEFZ30KW5Fua12MZcVytZQZ_jyIsfcTqbLGIM/s4032/back%20panel%20controls%20close.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8O-JnWKVOFgK3mp6u7ve6kv0_7q-UqQmoxjewuo3qVzV7kkZgsasIzQClc-7Zl1nvcudOZZfERWQDsxTwvsNSaqUOcF-MH3ZBmcNZl8RF8L240CQP3h0SOAtbiQ63H43xvGHdCg1etrjuYBOCzAdTsDzEFZ30KW5Fua12MZcVytZQZ_jyIsfcTqbLGIM/s320/back%20panel%20controls%20close.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click To Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>THE BACK PANEL - features the same controls for both monitor models</p><p>Around back is where you connect and adjust these self-powered speakers to conform to your setup. The volume control is not stepped so you can set it anywhere, I like that.</p><p>A recessed sensitivity switch allows you to select -10 dBv or +4 dBu input signal level. </p><p>Both the 5" and 8" have 1/4" TRS and XLR balanced input jacks available for connecting to pro audio signal sources. </p><p>A three-position high frequency trim switch allows for +2 dB, 0 dB or -2 dB settings (mine are set to 0 dB).</p><p>A three-position boundary EQ switch is also provided so these monitor speakers can be precisely adjusted to accommodate the physical space they're used in (mine are set to 0 dB).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscp2cjkO4FyEn_hgt92PC7XLeE0xS2gJczC2e-V7MH9ndEsMos03_EJtil8KpudGAgyX6vE52GQ-Fpmd_ti9p6BjCLXRLNOn0ifNOJw4s3Ln8mPG5XaHdLcnSDSXqpuVKqwjy3rfA6bvZDx5GxZVmbtnSRCwq7oQF5EFzqloXoi1OFBMvfDBBb0e2FFU/s2597/R%20side%20JBL%20pair.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2531" data-original-width="2597" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscp2cjkO4FyEn_hgt92PC7XLeE0xS2gJczC2e-V7MH9ndEsMos03_EJtil8KpudGAgyX6vE52GQ-Fpmd_ti9p6BjCLXRLNOn0ifNOJw4s3Ln8mPG5XaHdLcnSDSXqpuVKqwjy3rfA6bvZDx5GxZVmbtnSRCwq7oQF5EFzqloXoi1OFBMvfDBBb0e2FFU/s320/R%20side%20JBL%20pair.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click To Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>USING THE JBL III SERIES MONITORS</p><p>On the front of these speakers, right under the JBL logo, a single inset LED glows when the monitor is powered up.</p><p>I have done full range mixes on the five inch and the eight inch models. Generally speaking I favor the eight inch version, it sounds a little bit bigger as you might expect from more power and a larger woofer. In use the five inch model feels like it has less bass than the 8" version. Even though the 5" model has sound that is not as big as the 8" model it would be ideal for remote trucks or very small control rooms where natural sounding flat response is required. </p><p>Both of these speaker models are sold in pairs or singly so you can buy multiple matched speakers to build your surround system. </p><p>I'm driving the monitors from a Neve 8816 output which peaks at greater-than +26dBu into 600 ohms, this provides a lot of output signal. These JBL monitors are much less sensitive than my other monitors, regardless of the input sensitivity switch setting which I keep on the louder, -10dBv position. I spent quite a while balancing the volume levels of all the speakers in my monitor setup to the 85dB listening level I like to work at. I ended up with both of these JBL models in the -10 position, the volume is full-up on the 308 and a little less than maximum on the 305P. I'm not hearing any excess noise from these settings so I'm going with it until I can do further precision testing. </p><p>WITH SUBWOOFER</p><p>The 5" model, 305P, sounds great when used with an additional subwoofer. I have a 250 watt 10" subwoofer under my mixing console; the sub is controlled by a separate monitor controller which allows me to turn the sub on and off and adjust the volume level to support the five different speaker systems in my current studio.</p><p>I like mixing using the JBL 8P model without the subwoofer, if I get the bass sounding right without the sub then it sounds awesome when I add the sub. Most listeners are not using a subwoofer so I mix for the masses and try to get the bass level right, these JBL 8" speakers help me get the job done correctly the first time.</p><p><u>LIKES</u></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Great price </li><li>Fantastic flat frequency response</li><li>Wide sweet area for listening</li><li>Lightweight and compact</li><li>Perfect for console near field monitor application</li></ul><p></p><p><u>DISLIKES</u> OR CONCERNS</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Input sensitivity seems low regardless of sensitivity-switch position</li><li>Regardless of claims these don't play very loud without running out of headroom</li><li>Not for use as midfield monitors</li></ul><p></p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>I love mixing and listening with these speakers. The 305P sounds great, the 308P sounds even better. If you have the money and the physical space for the 308P that's the model to get for full range mixing. The 305P offers the same brilliant sound with slightly less fullness but half the weight, much smaller and less expensive. The model you choose comes down to what you need for your situation. I'm not planning on acquiring any but there is also a model with a 6" woofer size and it is priced between the 5" and 8".</p><p>Initially I was scared away from these budget JBL monitors because they are too cheap, low powered and lightweight. After using them and comparing them to several other 8" monitor systems my fears have been put aside; I'm blown away at what a great job JBL engineers did on this design and that they deliver it for such low prices. </p><p>There are so many silly monitor speakers on the market that cost a LOT more than these JBL and deliver substantially less performance. Give these a try, you won't be sorry.</p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!</p><p>©Jan 2024 by Mark King, It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-42309762933745816132024-01-03T19:14:00.006-05:002024-01-05T17:57:21.254-05:00HOW TO FIGURE OUT THE KEY OF A SONG, SET THE RIGHT KEY IN AUTOTUNE™ STYLE SOFTWARE, SET HARMONIZER™<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN09D0x85yACZ3x8WcuHBnFdYLaRSYDvHXz_anfF1Hv2bDqqrXXGQe446FVBSvnBtCWxgj4WFTnGQgGwHv-h9B8RjZxQJKVLgr-4XGWJz0MT6n5eqR1PGJFsKsCl7u2acZPS_CM-6jjUOTx7qCDKdoB-O21QDmUfgyFGShE6IXZEnN74Jxx_S8nAzrcSQ/s2270/confused%20girl.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2270" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN09D0x85yACZ3x8WcuHBnFdYLaRSYDvHXz_anfF1Hv2bDqqrXXGQe446FVBSvnBtCWxgj4WFTnGQgGwHv-h9B8RjZxQJKVLgr-4XGWJz0MT6n5eqR1PGJFsKsCl7u2acZPS_CM-6jjUOTx7qCDKdoB-O21QDmUfgyFGShE6IXZEnN74Jxx_S8nAzrcSQ/w400-h244/confused%20girl.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Confused about the Key of a song?</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><b>What key is your song written in? Why does it matter?</b></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Some excellent reasons to know the “key” of the song:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">Setting the key in AutoTune™-style software sounds more natural than chromatic scale</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">Knowing the key helps you choose notes for guitar solos</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.49in;">Setting guitar harmonizers correctly so they produce good sounding harmony</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So how do you figure all this out without years of boring music theory?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you happen to have sheet music available you could look at the key signature, you did memorize all those sheet music symbols didn't you? No? I didn't either, I was too busy working a job. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE PARENT KEY</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the best music instructors I ever had introduced me to the concept of “Parent Key” which is really what this article is talking about. The parent key is the one to build musical solos from, generally speaking all the notes in the parent key are “inside” tonally and will produce good sounding notes (aka not clunkers or wrong sounding); YOU make a solo interesting by leaving out certain notes and occasionally sliding in a note that is outside the parent key (for dramatic effect).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>THE SECRET TO FINDING THE PARENT KEY</i></b>, “THE CHORD CHART”</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Welcome to my music studio, here's a photo of the Chord Chart hanging on the wall. It's a great visual aid I refer to for lots of reasons and it also happens to hold the secret to instantly figuring out the parent key of a song. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9L9OJVs-ywQVeTTsq4lvKKsUOrCZhHJxm4_jNUM-QYUsIBVEkr0WLHK0oMctYZNUzJAsaVsslgRIHFXchzrTNnv1w1O-h2HnKXbBwKmle6OxONGXSv1tkRS1ij2yMf_UB51_Ld4AipuuqboYLvTXiHDVbhda7IbfNUDhyP2qgi5eXcUu8bcoDRyudtQE/s3050/Chord%20Chart%20photo%20on%20wall.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3050" data-original-width="2558" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9L9OJVs-ywQVeTTsq4lvKKsUOrCZhHJxm4_jNUM-QYUsIBVEkr0WLHK0oMctYZNUzJAsaVsslgRIHFXchzrTNnv1w1O-h2HnKXbBwKmle6OxONGXSv1tkRS1ij2yMf_UB51_Ld4AipuuqboYLvTXiHDVbhda7IbfNUDhyP2qgi5eXcUu8bcoDRyudtQE/w335-h400/Chord%20Chart%20photo%20on%20wall.jpeg" width="335" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chord Chart taped on the wall of my studio</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Across the top of the chart you see the relationships of the chords to each other in Roman numerals: I,ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii, (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) many session musicians refer to these numbers when trying to give a quick overview of how to play a song. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJHfxSiMV7W8Z3ArcA2t_k5Z-joGnOkb53ihfoxj9c4ow9eoR0VeNY6-Ird3HpJL3C-63USBuceOkXe8CxmSRx3TajTTC3eJ85ApRN3WPH3KsJhV68yya0r-dl6hqJCJvjuvleziHIc1rppmV4ngL3LajVGaLD0svglhKYN7C4fnEU5r9Io31w174TMs/s1328/Roman%20Numerals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="1328" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJHfxSiMV7W8Z3ArcA2t_k5Z-joGnOkb53ihfoxj9c4ow9eoR0VeNY6-Ird3HpJL3C-63USBuceOkXe8CxmSRx3TajTTC3eJ85ApRN3WPH3KsJhV68yya0r-dl6hqJCJvjuvleziHIc1rppmV4ngL3LajVGaLD0svglhKYN7C4fnEU5r9Io31w174TMs/s320/Roman%20Numerals.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roman numerals across top of chart</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After you spend some time referring to this chord chart you'll quickly discover that a lot of <i>pop music</i> includes chords from the I, IV and V (1, 4, 5) columns with an occasional vi (6) chord joining in on a big chorus. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The chord chart's superpower is that it can guide you to the parent key of the song you're working on. Let's get right into some example songs. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>Two Tickets To Paradise</u> by Eddie Money </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Chords: G, A, D = parent key of D Major</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This song revolves around a two-chord vamp moving between G and A. The chorus is D – G – A. It's a simple three chord song (<i>with killer vocals and production</i>). </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To find the parent-key <i><u>you need to know the names of the chords of the song you're playing</u></i>; starting in the I column on the left, slide down and find the row that has most of the chords to your song.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoEB_zGd3C4b9vZEzW7Rs-Z5wdtNYVHYSBq11Z_-GNOx8zWdb8gqXGuKklZa6QAT9ZbCAqe6r3PeBeiwDqm-Z-4N4IoIXzLLJKqqygJuNaa6B47qraIfrSlFgU_R_ApWIMG1VAB4di_PkOfUmpYiqxYEBI96NiZzu-kIhnYbAeXwhhfIOtfvXlWczgRQ/s1478/Key%20of%20D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="1478" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoEB_zGd3C4b9vZEzW7Rs-Z5wdtNYVHYSBq11Z_-GNOx8zWdb8gqXGuKklZa6QAT9ZbCAqe6r3PeBeiwDqm-Z-4N4IoIXzLLJKqqygJuNaa6B47qraIfrSlFgU_R_ApWIMG1VAB4di_PkOfUmpYiqxYEBI96NiZzu-kIhnYbAeXwhhfIOtfvXlWczgRQ/w400-h36/Key%20of%20D.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G, A, D are all in parent key of D Major</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Slide down the I column to the key of D, then go right (horizontally) across that row and notice there is a G in the column IV and an A in column V. Notice that no other rows have D, G, and A chords in them, it's a pretty safe bet this song is in the key of D Major, that's the parent key you should set AutoTune™ style software to. If you're going to rip some lead guitar you'll want to choose notes from the D Major scale and that's where guitar players should set smart-Harmonizer™-style pedals.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>With Or Without You</u> by U2 </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Chords: D, A, Bm, and G = parent key of D Major</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBB-gkXT0d9osGjdhZ1U7s_9BjOOO4P9xH7485jbJAsr5HT8to37visjJ5Vp6qZJYtr2kl-rzeaEESkH7abLaLom9FFaV0eR_O_RMHHsRpRympom4Y4PZ22H7OGNLlINZ9Gx6a4thVMIFLT3eH6Pi-FNQjg6rnTAsbO6Pa1xTkT2GKf2nnkyT6JqUaAA/s1478/Key%20of%20D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="1478" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBB-gkXT0d9osGjdhZ1U7s_9BjOOO4P9xH7485jbJAsr5HT8to37visjJ5Vp6qZJYtr2kl-rzeaEESkH7abLaLom9FFaV0eR_O_RMHHsRpRympom4Y4PZ22H7OGNLlINZ9Gx6a4thVMIFLT3eH6Pi-FNQjg6rnTAsbO6Pa1xTkT2GKf2nnkyT6JqUaAA/w400-h36/Key%20of%20D.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G, A, D, Bm are all in the parent key of D Major</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Look at the chord chart, slide down to the D in column I then go right, (horizontally) across that row and notice there is a G in column IV, an A in column V and a Bm in column vi. It's a pretty safe bet you'll want to set your vocal tuning software and harmonizer™ to the key of D Major. This is also where you'll find complementary notes for creating guitar solos. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>Twilight Zone</u> by Golden Earring</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Chords: Bm, Em, F#m, A, G, F# = parent key D Major</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When songs have a lot of minor chords they are a little more challenging to determine the parent key. This song is fun because it breaks a couple of rules but we can still figure it out. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eg6c17LxDbhMJJ5xq0hlYnPbqJ51EIrm9BzGQhtClAKqkiUFQDfeONrNWGpxZZebwX-RDmXc4YHuGSG5hzSdL4yea5k3xRD1BEKBMlZmi0tZ1iiEZCS9-PmCKX0B1i9mKCbm7Tayr-fzVDSL0fkrv_7LxbNxq8kP8ERITQtavfxdx5VVCF4jU2oz3js/s1478/Key%20of%20D.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="1478" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eg6c17LxDbhMJJ5xq0hlYnPbqJ51EIrm9BzGQhtClAKqkiUFQDfeONrNWGpxZZebwX-RDmXc4YHuGSG5hzSdL4yea5k3xRD1BEKBMlZmi0tZ1iiEZCS9-PmCKX0B1i9mKCbm7Tayr-fzVDSL0fkrv_7LxbNxq8kP8ERITQtavfxdx5VVCF4jU2oz3js/w400-h36/Key%20of%20D.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bm, Em, F#m, A, G are all here in the parent key of D Major</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The first thing to notice is that no horizontal row has all these chords but one row comes very close, it's the key of D Major, it has all these chords except for the F# Major, this chord appears in the chorus section and it adds emphasis to the chord that follows it. The key of D Major does have the F#m chord so we have major and minor tones appearing in the same song. I told you there would be exceptions to rules but you'll want to set your vocal tuning software to D Major and choose your soloing notes with this key in mind.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>Lyin Eyes</u> by The Eagles</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Song Chords: G, GMaj7, C, Am, D7, Em, Bm, A7 = parent key of G Major</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1g7RmmjFb8ryn9qoK0HNXnc6eCvIcHL__sI3jFPK5J0WvbrIZuKHYGcViOYXAthOTE6PiUtiWKY-MQYmoGDxirpTf7SYh5auRdn6tivxvER9AVTPVjL3nlpzWBdqCvDX9INN6gypNl-jPBpUaNIYpfPKw3Wow1qjvtWbWz-beF5hgShS-qPPRpGQQAY/s1478/Key%20of%20G%20Major.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="1478" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1g7RmmjFb8ryn9qoK0HNXnc6eCvIcHL__sI3jFPK5J0WvbrIZuKHYGcViOYXAthOTE6PiUtiWKY-MQYmoGDxirpTf7SYh5auRdn6tivxvER9AVTPVjL3nlpzWBdqCvDX9INN6gypNl-jPBpUaNIYpfPKw3Wow1qjvtWbWz-beF5hgShS-qPPRpGQQAY/w400-h36/Key%20of%20G%20Major.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G, C, Am, D, Em, Bm are all here in the parent key of G Major</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The key of G Major has all these chords except for the various “7-chord” versions and that A Major tone which is part of the A7 chord. You'll want to set your vocal tuning software to G Major and look to this key for notes to play on solos. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>Change For The Better</u> by Mark King (Me)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When I wrote this song back in 1980 I knew nothing about the chord chart or parent key. This song was created purely by the way the chords sounded with the Guitar Rockman amplifier I was playing through in the studio; floating between the Dm and Am was an ideal platform for slow bluesy lead solos.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Song Chords: Dm, Am, Gm = parent key of F Major</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3j70tqreRASPiADP23s8Z1RfVryhhO8G2RmQFaMuNvk2a6UOWloOJT84dk-hq_q5AjLdfpJMp4mXmAZKaJhfdiYw74J__ZVM_hTVevCHgYMGjqFHO-t5aYK1Z3-XHpVHKEOU3yMrNoMVJzbjZuZBT2Ante7T3atWvBi6llMKd30j0BLz3LgkpF7ZZm0/s1328/Roman%20Numerals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="1328" height="35" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3j70tqreRASPiADP23s8Z1RfVryhhO8G2RmQFaMuNvk2a6UOWloOJT84dk-hq_q5AjLdfpJMp4mXmAZKaJhfdiYw74J__ZVM_hTVevCHgYMGjqFHO-t5aYK1Z3-XHpVHKEOU3yMrNoMVJzbjZuZBT2Ante7T3atWvBi6llMKd30j0BLz3LgkpF7ZZm0/w320-h35/Roman%20Numerals.png" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXqjbpqQpsuiRXV6BIDu_01vtlw9FuhV1w8wezwPJ0ezUBoKiulULPggIBvRh-KYgSkh6wpy9MDep-FwmnNj9jzfkQaW1SlIXqyUTVqpDMwHblX22h7ZjDyTjT7sa4lKSnpM6RbQICiW7jOXLEWkAHXgJvHbeFQU8hd8KrkJGb2biok4K4s5kglNGxUo/s1478/Key%20of%20F.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="136" data-original-width="1478" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXqjbpqQpsuiRXV6BIDu_01vtlw9FuhV1w8wezwPJ0ezUBoKiulULPggIBvRh-KYgSkh6wpy9MDep-FwmnNj9jzfkQaW1SlIXqyUTVqpDMwHblX22h7ZjDyTjT7sa4lKSnpM6RbQICiW7jOXLEWkAHXgJvHbeFQU8hd8KrkJGb2biok4K4s5kglNGxUo/w400-h36/Key%20of%20F.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dm, Am, Em are all here in the parent key of F Major</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This song is a bluesy two-chord vamp which moves between Dm and Am in the verse section. On the chorus it drops to a Gm, Dm, Am progression before returning to Dm – Am vamp for verse and solo. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The tone of the Dm-Am, vi to iii (6 chord to 4 chord) vamp plays a big part in this song which was meant to be a vehicle for lots of guitar soloing. It's an unusual chord structure but it works. Notice, that F (the parent key) does not appear in the song's chords. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If we consult the chord chart we find that Dm, Am, and Gm are all contained in the key of F Major which is the key I chose to pull guitar solo notes from but back then I was doing it all by ear and could not afford a harmonizer so I played all the harmony guitar parts individually.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">EPILOGUE</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My technical music training mainly came from learning on the street and playing by ear, both of which were WAY before there was internet and YouTube. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you're a songwriter then the chord chart is your friend; it can quickly show you which chords mesh together in pleasing ways, and maybe even introduce you to some new chords.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music To You!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">©January 2024 by Mark King</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-67176291458273833792023-12-26T20:20:00.004-05:002023-12-27T10:21:26.159-05:00WHAT IS LATENCY IN A DAW? WHY DOES IT MATTER? IS A LITTLE LATENCY OK?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqASH9aw21jwDV3iisgFsBUwHQSrJtFSmZfVB74CQwOngFrW7aC5exI8PQlA1f4DLPoIUz36wQnUMm-O6AWDVDZUpapR_oxT3U9SfdzpR4VzRABJlKCz9uzsYuJhL423UrbX8a4sroqKb_wYK79ca5CoqghmkYN1y6G1RuP4F0arvfsT51ncN_vG8nKE/s2374/Confused%203.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="2374" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqASH9aw21jwDV3iisgFsBUwHQSrJtFSmZfVB74CQwOngFrW7aC5exI8PQlA1f4DLPoIUz36wQnUMm-O6AWDVDZUpapR_oxT3U9SfdzpR4VzRABJlKCz9uzsYuJhL423UrbX8a4sroqKb_wYK79ca5CoqghmkYN1y6G1RuP4F0arvfsT51ncN_vG8nKE/w640-h362/Confused%203.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Confused by latency?</i><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Latency in a DAW can ruin a song creation by throwing off your timing; how bad things get depends on the amount of latency in the system you're using. Let's examine a topic that all too often gets swept under the rug or buried in a myriad of less important specifications. </div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">IN THE OLD ANALOG DAYS</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Back in the 70's when multitrack tape recording was in its infancy, there basically was no latency. With a proper headphone system, when you sang into a mic the sound was heard immediately, with no delay in the musicians headphones. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WHY THE LATENCY NOW?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In 2024 there are many paths to increased latency, it comes creeping into your production in little 7-15 ms (or more) increments depending on how much memory you devote to your buffers and how well your interface operates with minimal buffer settings. We'll talk more about buffers later.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxR5dON3U-0KS2r9Pd5jqMEwQAOmsBMrbHpze6PAJTz9ReVP21quC0Bcy06H5pe599flpqtlw39aj2IutbTNdMWge7UKvFxTgBchYTg1gb629w1zQhomsRXMArjt4_TaR5cK592G_Xu4u0QnL5TcPue8KLGwsNBT-2ruCajOUpqC5eGnOwVKXLox3R6o/s3252/audio%20latency.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1830" data-original-width="3252" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxR5dON3U-0KS2r9Pd5jqMEwQAOmsBMrbHpze6PAJTz9ReVP21quC0Bcy06H5pe599flpqtlw39aj2IutbTNdMWge7UKvFxTgBchYTg1gb629w1zQhomsRXMArjt4_TaR5cK592G_Xu4u0QnL5TcPue8KLGwsNBT-2ruCajOUpqC5eGnOwVKXLox3R6o/w640-h360/audio%20latency.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What Does Latency Sound Like?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Each millisecond of latency-delay is equivalent to about 1-foot in physical distance. This means extremely low latency, something like <u>two milliseconds</u> total roundtrip, from input to output, is equal to the delay your ears would experience if you were playing with other musicians who were about two feet away from your ears. It is about the same time-delay a drummer experiences playing the snare drum in a typical drum set. That is what extreme low latency sounds like, we call that “real time” because there is virtually zero delay, it feels natural to the performer and sounds good in their headphones. Not many current systems deliver this level of performance but a few do. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At relatively low levels of latency (8-15 milliseconds total, various per track), sounds blending in your studio headphones become slightly blurred or cloudy. In trying to understand latency and its affect on your studio recordings, it is always handy to visualize the various recorded tracks as musicians on a stage and how far away from you are the other performers (the tracks). More latency means they sound like they are farther away. When they are far away it takes more time for the sound from their instruments to reach your ears. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The best sounding DAW interface is the one that has the lowest latency because it delivers performance that feels like “real time” which allows the various recorded tracks to deliver great feel. Musicians call this "tight" because it sounds like everyone is playing very near the beat and their performance together sounds good.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">TWO SOLUTIONS TO DAW LATENCY</p><ol><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Use a DAW which provides fast (two millisecond, or better) round trip latency performance</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Use a DAW that provides a separate monitor layer in software</p></li></ol><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A separate monitor layer in your DAW software means another mixing panel to keep track of, it's like running another whole separate mix, or several of them depending on the hardware and software setup. Many manufacturer's act like having another application to control your monitor mix is a great feature but I like things simple: if your DAW interface has extremely low latency you won't need an external app for monitor mixing.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">MORE LATENCY OPTIONS: A Good Reason To NOT Use Wireless Systems In The Studio;</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Modern digital wireless systems can inject latency too, under five milliseconds on good ones, 12-15 milliseconds on the extremely low priced models. Lets say your budget DAW system has eight milliseconds of latency and you use a low priced wireless guitar system too, it's like the band you're playing with is 20 feet away from your ears. If you've ever played with a band on a large stage, things get weird when the band members spread out too far (without sophisticated monitor systems). </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A long guitar cord can also affect your tone in the studio but a cord will NEVER increase latency. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">LATENCY MATTERS FOR SOLO ARTISTS</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you're a solo artist creating original compositions (that is one person, recording all the musician tracks yourself), you want the lowest latency system you can get. With all the challenges a recording artist faces the last thing you need is built-in, blurry sound, courtesy of latency. Tweaking-out latency is an editing nightmare; it is so much easier to record the tracks with minimal latency in the first place. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">LATENCY SPOILS SOFTWARE SYNTHESIZERS TOO</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you've ever played a software synthesizer using a keyboard controller then you know what it feels like when latency is high; you press a key down but there is a slight delay before the tone sounds, it's not much of a delay, but it's there and it spoils the artistry of your performance. Latency gnaws on your timing and tightness as a musician. The only way to get rid of this problem is to buy hardware for your DAW that provides the lowest level of roundtrip latency delay.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQd1k3HWcsiRZEGzXRnxu-j7jwIx086aTMiieV7q0mcK3Ccwn2Bi_CdMpJvhoihpHFufaZ05JWcZ1v1oD1VC30-zuCSoyxc_y-8W1rhCVRSQLutTkxxWjma-rTHEI2xC5qqNGFnDcRDuLqY99wo_rKg2nOyDLUk67HnSosao4ul7zMtWcv98IMje87zEU/s3238/midi%20latency%20graphic.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="3238" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQd1k3HWcsiRZEGzXRnxu-j7jwIx086aTMiieV7q0mcK3Ccwn2Bi_CdMpJvhoihpHFufaZ05JWcZ1v1oD1VC30-zuCSoyxc_y-8W1rhCVRSQLutTkxxWjma-rTHEI2xC5qqNGFnDcRDuLqY99wo_rKg2nOyDLUk67HnSosao4ul7zMtWcv98IMje87zEU/w640-h360/midi%20latency%20graphic.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In a system with very low latency, the time it takes from when you press a key on the midi controller to when the sound comes out of the DAW interface is about one millisecond. This level of low latency performance feels natural to a keyboard player, very close to the playing experience of using a real acoustic piano. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WHY IS LATENCY HIDDEN IN THE SPECIFICATIONS?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Manufacturers don't really want you to know about latency, they don't want you to give it a thought. They can brag about extreme headroom or the A-to-D and D-to-A chips they're using as a smoke screen of technical specification jargon to draw attention away from their lack luster latency performance. Don't be confused: Latency matters because it dramatically affects how your performance is recorded in the first place and that affects how it sounds when your song is done. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Driverless hardware (which relies on Apple Audio Units or the Windows equal) sounds like a good idea until you realize it can't achieve ultra low levels of latency on its own, even using Thunderbolt. As it turns out, requiring you to install a special piece of driver software is the best way to achieve ultra low latency using the latest computer technology. Custom software drivers that exploit Thunderbolt to the max deliver realtime performance without an additional monitor layer of software. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">OUTSIDE THE BOX</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This latency discussion should be very important to folks who use their DAW as a replacement for a multitrack tape recorder. In a “Hybrid” out-of-the-box studio which uses virtual instruments, real instrument recordings and realtime processing, all mixed through an analog console with effects sends and returns; low latency is EXTREMELY important. If you're recording a lot of individual instruments acoustically and mixing these with virtual synthesizers and sample based instruments then you definitely want to be focused on latency and doing whatever you can to improve your recorded performance.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">ADJUSTING BUFFERS FOR MINIMUM LATENCY</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Depending on your DAW software latency may be referred to as "Delay Compensation", it's the same topic with a different title. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Somewhere in your DAW settings is something called “Buffers” or "Buffer adjustments", it might go by a different name but it's in there and every DAW has this. When you adjust this setting you allocate more DRAM (memory) to each tracks playback performance. Terminology gets confusing here, buffers are in "Samples" while delay Latency is measured in milliseconds. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5LM6nzkujtso5XShIaXlqOYt6Mh4pKTK99D05Fhv0WGNUdPu1TNXOfPPrL3LRkHjq8OTEAV6X-Z0XYafRXIaLaj2U0WGrYO6agjWFt_Bm_3L4fT3kB_kz2PtNlWEJNbATEhdC4zBMJV1rhpSQLM0EWLH-0TedI0akcM6PIy5VGO2ZEZNMVS2xu_DvLg/s1488/Quantum%20Buffer%20setting.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1488" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5LM6nzkujtso5XShIaXlqOYt6Mh4pKTK99D05Fhv0WGNUdPu1TNXOfPPrL3LRkHjq8OTEAV6X-Z0XYafRXIaLaj2U0WGrYO6agjWFt_Bm_3L4fT3kB_kz2PtNlWEJNbATEhdC4zBMJV1rhpSQLM0EWLH-0TedI0akcM6PIy5VGO2ZEZNMVS2xu_DvLg/w640-h454/Quantum%20Buffer%20setting.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Buffer adjustments in Apple Logic DAW software, Mac Studio 20-core, 128GB memory, 4TB SSD</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">On this system with the I/O Buffer Size set to 32 Samples minimum Resulting Latency is only 2.0 ms which is virtually <i>Realtime Performance.</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Quantum 4848 audio interface software driver reduces latency to this low level and you can leave it there all the time.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For big mixing projects on DAW systems with worse latency you can increase the I/O Buffer size up to 128 or even 256 samples to allow a lot more plugins to be used. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With the I/O Buffer at 256 Samples, resulting latency delay makes accurate realtime recording virtually impossible but it allows you to use more plugin processing on lower powered computer systems.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">From a creative mixing standpoint a big buffer setting can become intoxicating with seemingly unlimited plugin processing until you discover you want to record a new vocal or guitar part. In this unfortunate situation you would need to go back to low buffer settings to eliminate the adverse delay effects of latency; changing your buffer size midstream in a song production with a lot of virtual instruments and tracks can lead to a crashing computer (and wasted time).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you increase your buffer size then you also increase the monitoring latency. With large buffer settings it can be like trying to play along with a band that is literally150 to 250 feet away from you. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">THE REASON FOR LATENCY</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When you're recording with a digital audio system and listening simultaneously to the audio output from the interface, you are hearing the audio signal after it is: </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i>Analog to Digital Conversion in the interface > sent to DAW computer > returned from DAW > digital to analog audio conversion > to headphone amplifier</i></b>. (when you see "roundtrip" mentioned, this is the trip they're talking about, one track going through the whole process from input, to recording to playback).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">All these steps take tiny amounts of time, they happen real quick but these bits of time add up to milliseconds (ms). Another name for all this is "processing time" because digital audio is not yet truly real time (though it is getting very close).</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The fastest (and lowest latency) DAW systems deliver "roundtrip" delay of 2 ms when you're recording with a mic or analog input. Using virtual synthesizers they are even faster with latency delay performance of 1.1 ms between when you press a key and when you hear the synthesizer play; that is fast enough to please a classical pianist playing a virtual grand piano live. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">EPILOGUE</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you can find a DAW hardware interface with custom driver software that takes maximum advantage of the Thunderbolt bus interface and reduces latency to less-than three-milliseconds total, you'll be on your way to tighter sounding recorded performances. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">BEWARE of the interfaces that use “Thunderbolt” as a marketing virtue but don't actually deliver faster roundtrip latency performance than USB 3 without another software application for monitoring.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Dig a little bit deeper into the real specifications of whatever system you're looking at (before you buy) and invest in systems that deliver the lowest latency. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">FINAL NOTE</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Older, personal DAW interfaces had an extra hardware knob or button that would turn on “hardware-thru monitoring” which lets you hear the microphone or guitar/instrument input directly with zero latency. When hardware-thru is enabled you can blend recorded tracks playing back from the DAW with a live microphone or instrument input feeding into the DAW. While these interfaces don't have the greatest technical specs and you don't get to listen with reverb or effects, the “real time” monitoring this simple feature provides is hard to beat. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I keep an older Focusrite two-channel interface in my kit of devices because it works "driverless" with modern operating systems and it's dirt simple for realtime monitoring. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">GOOD MUSIC TO YOU! <i>Thanks for reading High on Technology</i></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">©2023 Mark King It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-22597777709436502432023-12-13T01:14:00.001-05:002023-12-13T01:23:21.032-05:00ARTURIA V COLLECTION X RELEASED<p style="text-align: center;"> NEW SOFTWARE SYNTHESIZERS FROM ARTURIA</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9qbdw5J2ZxmxNRHoQ2fUyhTOtT_G5RIA0dFTTlpih0hldhMZlxaIawjhCgOwKeR7K7FGYPaKnmusCL1mvw_MKZp3FDxMAVspxhzhQ_7UOjVtGsjhMcB0GkzsYN_lk5P_hZibPo6mH958Xs1mjGaXpWYNIrzUwUbWEpEXR-vQQDNy6fkNRSPqpnC9N7A/s1296/Arturia%20V%20Coll%20X.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1296" data-original-width="1252" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9qbdw5J2ZxmxNRHoQ2fUyhTOtT_G5RIA0dFTTlpih0hldhMZlxaIawjhCgOwKeR7K7FGYPaKnmusCL1mvw_MKZp3FDxMAVspxhzhQ_7UOjVtGsjhMcB0GkzsYN_lk5P_hZibPo6mH958Xs1mjGaXpWYNIrzUwUbWEpEXR-vQQDNy6fkNRSPqpnC9N7A/w193-h200/Arturia%20V%20Coll%20X.png" width="193" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Click to enlarge</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;">Arturia has released the latest in their mega pack of software synthesizers, <b><u>V Collection X</u></b>. In addition to all the synthesizers in V Collection 9 the new release adds:</p><a name='more'></a><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> CP-70 V (modeled Yamaha style electric piano)</li><li>MiniFreak V (experimental hybrid synth, combines analog and digital voices)</li><li>Acid V (Roland Bassline style synth)</li><li>Augmented GRAND PIANO</li><li>Augmented BRASS</li><li>Augmented WOODWINDS</li></ul><p></p></blockquote><p>In addition to all these new synthesizers the following have been REWORKED:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><ul><li>Mini V (Mini Moog modeled synthesizer)</li><li>Wurli V (vintage Wurlitzer electric piano)</li></ul></ul><p></p><p>WHY V COLLECTION?</p><p>Since I upgraded my DAW to the 20-core MacStudio, V-Collection 9 has been finding its way onto almost every one of my compositions. This little computer has so much power, storage and DRAM (4TB SSD and 128GB memory), it has truly made the V-Collection synthesizers a joy to use by eliminating processor overload. When I saw the announcement for V-Collection X update it was a no-brainer upgrade for me. </p><p>If you are already an Arturia user they always offer a great upgrade deal and this one is no exception. The $199 upgrade (my personal upgrade price) was an easy decision and one that keeps the V-Collection up to date with the latest patches and tweaks.</p><p>Arturia generously allows the package to be installed on up to five computers and all of this is made easy by installing through the ASC or Arturia Software Center app. For the most part my antique brain has found the ASC to be intuitive and easy to use. </p><p>NO DONGLE: You install and manage your Arturia synthesizers from the ASC, they track your installs and usage from this one easy to use application. </p><p>FULL DETAILED REVIEW COMING SOON TO H.o.T.</p><p>After I complete my installation of all the new synths and upgrades I'll post a full and detailed review covering the latest additions.</p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology.</p><p>Good Music To You!</p><p>©Dec 2023 by Mark King</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-11636508489572169042023-11-03T14:42:00.001-04:002024-01-06T07:00:34.996-05:00REVIEW GFORCE OFFICIAL OBERHEIM OB-X SOFTWARE SYNTHESIZER<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZUWc39I-NrSQQKfGYOavyIte2jTuXJ3soK01w4CNcGbZfrLcqQtPEgFCqa4QU3NAF8HqWKrdoFiVUIKNEnl7SE7OERBLfE1E9HP6LGrAg3x343EZkrfG6NELV_10Sy98P4zqNPf__JGiYhKbsc1MPUvMSJMlDv0EZCLX7Mfzj5lOwG9AG9tgZf5wrKc/s3208/GForce%20OB-X.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1692" data-original-width="3208" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZUWc39I-NrSQQKfGYOavyIte2jTuXJ3soK01w4CNcGbZfrLcqQtPEgFCqa4QU3NAF8HqWKrdoFiVUIKNEnl7SE7OERBLfE1E9HP6LGrAg3x343EZkrfG6NELV_10Sy98P4zqNPf__JGiYhKbsc1MPUvMSJMlDv0EZCLX7Mfzj5lOwG9AG9tgZf5wrKc/w400-h211/GForce%20OB-X.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Click to Enlarge</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Another software synthesizer from GForce has landed, it's the officially endorsed Oberheim OB-X. It runs native on Apple Silicon Mac and it requires MacOS 10.13. For full compatibility details see gforcesoftware.com.</p><p>The most important question has finally been answered, how does it sound?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>I go to great extremes to have a lot of analog mixing options in my studio using real hardware instead of plugins, but when it comes to software synthesizers, I'm sold. This new Oberheim from GForce is juicy and delicious sounding. The bass tones are fat as can be, the high frequencies are smooth as silk and the mids are rich and full of character. </p><p>Here are just a few of the features listed on the GForce web site:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Fully-scalable UI</li><li>Powerful Preset Browser</li><li>Over 400 presets</li><li>Augmented with vast modulation options</li><li>Chord mode with scales</li><li>Arpeggiator</li><li>Chorus, Delay and Reverb effects</li><li>Monophonic, polyphonic, legato and unison trigger modes</li><li>Per-voice-pan for wide stereo sounds</li><li>Programmable Aftertouch and expanded Velocity controls </li></ul><p></p><p>DEMO VERSION AVAILABLE</p><p>GForce has a demo version of the OB-X so you can check it out on your PC or Mac before you buy it. The trial version is limited to 6 hours of use or 7 days whichever is shorter. Patch access also has restrictions. Using the demo is an excellent way of testing your PC to see if you have enough horsepower to do this synthesizer justice. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>I have become a big fan of GForce Software synthesizers, they bristle with features and back them up with great sound, which in this case is one of my favorites from Oberheim. </p><p>I recommend you get on over to the GForce Software site, get registered and give the Oberheim OB-X demo a test drive. By registering on their mail list you'll get email updates about sales where you can score this software for a lot less than the regular list price. </p><p>The OB-X from GForce is ready to embellish your next synth masterpiece with big sound without sucking up too much of your hard earned pay. </p><p>Good Music To You! Thanks for reading High on Technology</p><p>©OCTOBER 2023 by Mark King, It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAFvAB6mW8PwReKmZN0g0hXo6tzEAlDBWN7XDcstqpQ8OodlxoZmuizjKlp2rGRfTj5N_yvtwhT87qfZEVyXIjtgp1omvPoBLVKtXDwThXJeX-n57m7Q-HyeIyGCZDYUlriWbcgHJjL5NmTOgbw41CyYgIavJRmqLHTKxmWRVqfchEqh785zgbz3fV5U/s3208/GForce%20OB-X.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1692" data-original-width="3208" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAFvAB6mW8PwReKmZN0g0hXo6tzEAlDBWN7XDcstqpQ8OodlxoZmuizjKlp2rGRfTj5N_yvtwhT87qfZEVyXIjtgp1omvPoBLVKtXDwThXJeX-n57m7Q-HyeIyGCZDYUlriWbcgHJjL5NmTOgbw41CyYgIavJRmqLHTKxmWRVqfchEqh785zgbz3fV5U/w640-h338/GForce%20OB-X.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-85306449419316019452023-10-28T20:10:00.009-04:002023-11-04T02:59:07.002-04:00HOW TO WRITE AND RECORD YOUR BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRzLRZAiwzbrCNVEQRAAYOL7ifvtjJUUiPu5bxJVzvN14MVeg77lCctnaeq4Zi5JlEqMEbssUUhCR8kjDiQVcy9pYyI_u5Z4-YBuCe3z-uWeweAS6ZgH5FmogOFu3TmY2n44hGuEgj9eq8m3KC7CUVSKl_w57QzRx1VOHNeYFq6giaA45_AWMHqoYvl8/s1598/pencil.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="1316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRzLRZAiwzbrCNVEQRAAYOL7ifvtjJUUiPu5bxJVzvN14MVeg77lCctnaeq4Zi5JlEqMEbssUUhCR8kjDiQVcy9pYyI_u5Z4-YBuCe3z-uWeweAS6ZgH5FmogOFu3TmY2n44hGuEgj9eq8m3KC7CUVSKl_w57QzRx1VOHNeYFq6giaA45_AWMHqoYvl8/w165-h200/pencil.png" width="165" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">This is going to sound like an over-simplification but think about it.....</span><p></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">First, there is the music you play and jam with your friends. Cover tunes? Blues? Country? Rock? Jazz? Bluegrass? Metal?</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><u>Why do you play these songs</u></i>? </p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>They’re fun? </li><li>Your friends tell you “you sound great”? </li><li>You get money from bars and restaurants for playing these songs? </li><li>Strangers tell you you’re great and want to have sex with you? </li><li>They're songs you all know so they allow you to play together?</li></ul><p></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But what is YOUR music? Where is it? What does it even sound like? Have you ever experienced it? Do you care? <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Most people either have given up on being creative or never were. Life is so hard and expensive, plus there is such a teensy tiny reward for most musicians, creativity is squelched in favor of making a few bucks for the advantages listed previously.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>TRY THIS</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, calm down, listen, what do you hear around you?</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Can you hear music in your head? Are there any unrealized original music ideas that come to you in this moment?</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What is THAT sound? Is it fast? Is it slow? Is it LOUD? Is it soft? Does it have vocals? Is it instrumental? Is it rich acoustic guitar tone? Is it electric guitar? </p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What would it take to create those sounds in your head? The first step is to figure out what that sound is that you’d LIKE to BE making. Maybe you’re happy with what you’re doing, in which case all of this discussion is a moot point. But……</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If you are not happy or excited by what you’re “creating” then maybe it’s time to do self assessment and try to identify what you’d really like to be making in the way of music. For well over forty years of my life my original music efforts were pretty much ruled by:</p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Friends Opinion</li><li>Financial reward </li><li>Lack of Understanding</li></ul></span>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">$100 band gigs and free drinks only takes you so far, then what? Getting out of the business? I’ve heard so many people say “I’m getting out of the business, I’m quitting music.” My inner voice always responds with “were you ever really IN the business?”. </p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Want to make your greatest music ever? Forget the business. Focus all your attention on discovering what YOUR sound really is. Maybe your sound is playing cover tunes but if that is not really where your heart and soul are then maybe it’s time to try other things.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Get some basic recording gear and learn to record. Error and Trial until you get the sound to match what you hear inside your head. It takes time to learn new skills so you’ll need to plan to <u>give yourself the space to achieve results</u>. </p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>WHAT’S YOUR GOAL?</b></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If financial security is what you crave don’t count on music. </p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Pinning your success in life to the success of your music is a sure road to disaster for your creative efforts. </p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Put your original music above financial rewards, it needs to be lifted up and given respect. If you don’t respect your own creations why should other people?</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">Maybe your friends won’t understand, that’s ok. Who knows where music could really take you once you set yourself free from whatever is constraining your efforts. </p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><b>EPILOGUE: </b></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span>You can mimic a result, but not the creativity.</span></i></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Good Music To You! Thanks for reading High on Technology</p>
<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">©2023 by Mark King, it's not ok to copy or quote without written permission</p>
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<p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-32534482483347477842023-10-24T13:49:00.003-04:002023-10-27T08:02:37.195-04:00WHO IS AUDIOSCAPE? HIGH QUALITY, HAND MADE IN DAYTONA FLORIDA USA<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0x2168CRZlHb3s2M5IsAbU4knT_41J8EW7_U8KZX_ynRKPd7s1omaGXTXxuLdhDfri06T9EX4plErvqEC-KZSlFz7xS4G_HO4FI4IqibMzj9Zne6lIJ2EYDk0sYPLk7iLuvKrNYz9f8-x7iAMXJhH2PJoPZH10eH-QwCWNTwnhasYQIDtC5WX7esxjs/s772/Big%20V-comp%20Meter.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0x2168CRZlHb3s2M5IsAbU4knT_41J8EW7_U8KZX_ynRKPd7s1omaGXTXxuLdhDfri06T9EX4plErvqEC-KZSlFz7xS4G_HO4FI4IqibMzj9Zne6lIJ2EYDk0sYPLk7iLuvKrNYz9f8-x7iAMXJhH2PJoPZH10eH-QwCWNTwnhasYQIDtC5WX7esxjs/s320/Big%20V-comp%20Meter.jpeg" width="232" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1950's Gates Sta Level Clone</td></tr></tbody></table><p>AudioScape is changing the way many hardware aficionados purchase boutique audio processors. </p><p>WHO IS AUDIOSCAPE?</p><p>You can answer the question, "who is AudioScape?" by visiting the company web site. While there you can check out the latest group photo of all the human beings who design, assemble, tweak, pack and ship your AudioScape product(s). <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>AudioScape manufactures a variety of high quality gadgetry, which include microphone preamplifiers, limiter/compressors, a reverb and a couple of vintage style EQ. Audioscape builds their products in Daytona Florida in very limited quantities and sells them factory direct to you, the end-user. By focusing on a few popular designs, keeping prices as low as possible and keeping quality to highest standards AudioScape has built a fleet of devoted users.</p><p>BUYING AUDIOSCAPE PRODUCTS</p><p>High-on-Technology gets their AudioScape products the same way everybody does, by getting into a shopping-donnybrook on Wednesday and Saturday nights at 8PM EST. A select group of products from this weeks production will be available on a first come first serve basis. The most popular items sell-out in seconds, higher priced items are often available for an hour or two, then they're gone. It took me a month to score my second V-Comp+.</p><p>By focusing on a limited number of items AudioScape is able to keep inventory tight and avoid build ups of components/parts and finished goods. </p><p>If you want to get into the game and buy some of this sonic truth you should go to the AudioScape web site and register for their weekly emails, this is where you'll find out what will be for sale next. Even if you're not quite ready to make a purchase right now it's a good idea to get on their email distribution, this is the direct news about what AudioScape is up to and it is worth keeping track of. </p><p>WHY ARE THEIR PRODUCTS SO LOW PRICED?</p><p>By selling factory-direct AudioScape avoids the extra 50-100% retail dealer markup. While selling independently limits their appeal to dealer folks, pro audio users are grabbing up each weeks production like hungry Florida vultures. </p><p>Word of the value AudioScape offers and the high performance of their products is spreading fast. I first learned of the company from a posting in a pro audio forum, then I checked out the company web site. The users of the products are the sales people who spread the word about the great sound and value; from there it's a short trip to the company web site where you can look at the individual products and specifications. </p><p>Looking at the web site alone can be a bit confusing since almost everything shows as "Sold Out", it can leave a newcomer wondering what is going on. Get on the email list, that is where you find out what you'll need to know in order to make a purchase. </p><p>ARE THEY ANY GOOD?</p><p>The AudioScape products are so good they sell out every week. </p><p>Many of the AudioScape products look like their vintage original counterparts, this makes it easy to navigate the controls. By eliminating unnecessary hardware features like fold-down front panels, custom vintage design metalwork and time consuming point to point wiring AudioScape can put the emphasis on the most important items like: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Authentic tube complements</li><li>Custom wound transformers </li><li>Premium meter movements</li><li>Solid metal work</li><li>True to the original schematic(s)</li><li>Assembled, carefully by human hands, in small batches</li></ul><p></p><p>Crack open an AudioScape product and look inside. There you'll find premium circuit boards, meticulously hand stuffed with vintage components. While other brands scramble to design changes which make construction easier and cheaper, AudioScape takes advantage of their nimble company size to score premium new tubes as well as vintage NOS tubes. </p><p>CONTACT</p><p>If you send AudioScape an email the chances are very good it will be answered by Chris, the owner/operator of the company. Chris is very knowledgeable and hands-on with each individual product AudioScape makes. He knows every resister, capacitor and vacuum tube by name. He took lots of time from his busy schedule to explain the lengths they go to in order to get the exact right combination of tubes into every product. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>It is unique and fun to have a high quality, home grown audio equipment manufacturer with its headquarters in Daytona, Florida. Vintech and Upton are also both Florida manufacturers though they're located on the opposite side of the state. I'm hoping to arrange a road trip to AudioScape World Headquarters in the near future.</p><p>So, who is AudioScape? They're your best opportunity to score a classic sounding stereo bus comp, or a Vari-Mu compressor, or maybe an 1176 in one of several model eras. AudioScape is your direct connection to sonic truth. </p><p>Until next time, Good Music To You!</p><p>©October 2023 by Mark King, It's NOT ok to copy or quote without written permission. </p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-12853272833014187212023-10-07T21:08:00.009-04:002023-10-24T13:51:12.838-04:00STARLINK INSTALLATION AND REVIEW, EXCELLENT SYSTEM FOR MEDIA CREATORS<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbI7UcMI2WaiefHS8EwyDISJyhYeWfhmuzeKHbB8BULaS5weSzXFOEzHSYjgUgq3lb4zP9FtljsfAV8iBJu-hm32HZHdIpLvNT4TG1D1aqCuGaNHl9pMyVrNLXx6R_egi_jkf0lFZQht9ZVmULWrdNHGXwAL0ULOzQS91kETEJoraDhFGIcsYrMiHeXk/s4032/IMG_4698.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2273" data-original-width="4032" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbI7UcMI2WaiefHS8EwyDISJyhYeWfhmuzeKHbB8BULaS5weSzXFOEzHSYjgUgq3lb4zP9FtljsfAV8iBJu-hm32HZHdIpLvNT4TG1D1aqCuGaNHl9pMyVrNLXx6R_egi_jkf0lFZQht9ZVmULWrdNHGXwAL0ULOzQS91kETEJoraDhFGIcsYrMiHeXk/w640-h360/IMG_4698.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">STARLINK ROUTER, AC POWER AND ANTENNA CONNECTIONS ARE ON BOTTOM</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><i><u><span style="font-size: large;">UPDATE 10-23-23 Scroll to the end of the article to see updates for wifi, mesh, app and more</span></u></i></b>.</p><p>Who here remembers dial-up internet service through the phone company? It was very slow and so boring watching a single jpg image download over the course of a minute in a series of bars and squares. Cable networks finally broke through with something resembling modern internet distribution speed, then DSL from the phone company gave us another path to higher speed access. For years we've been held hostage by the wire needed to get fast internet into the home. Now, Starlink, high speed, bidirectional, direct satellite access is here and it's fast! How fast?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz5QOBNuYq-6r1OiVMHZjiEeDjll9W4QHERgdcSVCVMpT5mOCsMoJFsaXytdd5pUS87h_Kqqu8AVXdl-v7yU7PNsFvhFMNUGYJmIm2iiv4PgyiPa1sR0euduimlitzERsSrRvLGXqxkWQWMvg7bGbGj-WglaXghDeQTP4JVDzE5jtbxTNno6abZncVmQ/s4032/box.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlz5QOBNuYq-6r1OiVMHZjiEeDjll9W4QHERgdcSVCVMpT5mOCsMoJFsaXytdd5pUS87h_Kqqu8AVXdl-v7yU7PNsFvhFMNUGYJmIm2iiv4PgyiPa1sR0euduimlitzERsSrRvLGXqxkWQWMvg7bGbGj-WglaXghDeQTP4JVDzE5jtbxTNno6abZncVmQ/s320/box.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Complete Starlink Kit</td></tr></tbody></table><p>When I placed my order for Starlink in September of 2022 they were projecting my service to begin around June of 2023. After almost exactly a year of waiting I received the hardware in September of 2023 and got the service online October 6, 2023. I was offered slower speed service a few months earlier but I opted to wait for the full service to be available (they needed to put up more satellites to service Florida). There were some other bumps and surprises along the way to completing the installation so here's the story in detail. </p><p>Signing up for Starlink is straightforward, you create an account, pay $100 for a place in line and then wait. Finally you get that magical email which tells you your hardware package has shipped. A compact gray carton arrived, it was smaller and lighter in weight than I imagined. Was everything in this one box? YES. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLo6pYrqY_lksX0-c9F-iszTcgSyhsBkVZPHSKbdl5THrSN7H0QUqd3_NvVlXTmfY0n2Q2hVl4Vr49d9syr-sAcv1M7OKjjgI8OP6Na40sU7frDRd76vo7pxF10tkwkqAeib4EBAcIVfZnpd0EUHk9PfFk28MywLsDdDMRdudhlfoMXYvRR2KKZp2Dww/s3430/base.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1688" data-original-width="3430" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLo6pYrqY_lksX0-c9F-iszTcgSyhsBkVZPHSKbdl5THrSN7H0QUqd3_NvVlXTmfY0n2Q2hVl4Vr49d9syr-sAcv1M7OKjjgI8OP6Na40sU7frDRd76vo7pxF10tkwkqAeib4EBAcIVfZnpd0EUHk9PfFk28MywLsDdDMRdudhlfoMXYvRR2KKZp2Dww/s320/base.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cast Metal Base Included With Starlink</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The compact rectangular dish has a bit of pipe sticking out the bottom at an odd angle (hint don't force it to a different position). A four-legged base is provided, the pipe on the dish plugs into the base with a nice solid click. The cable which feeds signal from the antenna to the Starlink router is already plugged into the dish. The Starlink router is also included in the box. There is no installation guide included, you must scan a code to view installation information. Starlink also has videos you can watch. </p><p><b>THE INSTALL PROCESS</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BShchusen7GtgT6KQ8VlGRlSYZL5fJjXXKSjUMwtBuS8Fn-O4YeGmFC8IAAFn1jbn-lUyzW170m3vNHpo28KGdhZFZvKrx-Os0IUzc1XPwmeRIEDRc6RLlpVOpuEmOONzbDVWvICjlBUtNOxaA-9egJYLnmruc967Esk9JedbsbQhMlg6Jce9A4yKdc/s3167/dish%20blue%20sky.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3167" data-original-width="2881" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BShchusen7GtgT6KQ8VlGRlSYZL5fJjXXKSjUMwtBuS8Fn-O4YeGmFC8IAAFn1jbn-lUyzW170m3vNHpo28KGdhZFZvKrx-Os0IUzc1XPwmeRIEDRc6RLlpVOpuEmOONzbDVWvICjlBUtNOxaA-9egJYLnmruc967Esk9JedbsbQhMlg6Jce9A4yKdc/w364-h400/dish%20blue%20sky.jpeg" width="364" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starlink Installed</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I wanted my Starlink antenna up on the roof, this location has a convenient place for the cable to enter my attic and make its way down into the living quarters of our single story home. The roof is also where the most unobstructed view of the sky is achieved.</p><p><b>Step One:</b> Download the Starlink app to your phone. Armed with the app you stand (up on the roof in my case) where you're thinking about installing your antenna and then scan the sky using the camera in the phone. When you've done this the app shows you a hemispherical picture and identifies any obstructions (like trees, phone poles, or cell towers) which might block your reception. The app revealed problems from oak and pine trees on our property, it looked like we'd be returning the Starlink. </p><p><b>Step Two: Call <u><i>Satellite Steve</i></u> for help</b>. </p><p>I'm old and don't bounce like I did years ago. I went up on the roof a few times during this Starlink installation process but I'm not really comfortable with ladders and high places. </p><p>We have a guy in our area who has been installing dish antennas for 30 years. Satellite-Steve (that's his name, you can search for him and he is on the Starlink web site too) - quickly returned my phone call and was at my house the following morning, right on time at 10am. He used the ladder I had in place, got up on the roof and ran the app from his phone, from this he determined the system would work at the location I wanted it. He added a short extension to the mount to place the antenna higher in the sky. Using standard Dish-type mounting hardware he put together a custom mount for our Starlink antenna and attached it to the eve of the house where a Direct TV dish had been years ago.</p><p>1-hour and 15 minutes after Satellite Steve arrived here we had high speed Starlink internet access working. </p><p>Without Steves help I probably would have returned the system based on my results with the app. Thankfully Steve put his experience to work for us and delivered a working system. Steve sold us the necessary mounts to attach the Starlink antenna to our house. The hardware he used is tried and true pieces from 30 years of retailing and installing Dish and Direct TV systems. </p><p><b>SURPRISES</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lo1PRXbfxYI-5FD2Ffvwc9mVx_tWUs3huXwldqjzgXv7GqaETGQKUDWoaE6E54OlB43-ABWX_qgmrdzems14WgIf8QQXemMLJQGXkyXqdWh_I96SM8M1G9t6E07bzFFR9Go6e_3ihdGlzHhDWbEX3SN0SuvOzXXyb0074LtUtaodZpEVj1UyDNJPKVM/s4032/dish%20tree%20bkgd.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lo1PRXbfxYI-5FD2Ffvwc9mVx_tWUs3huXwldqjzgXv7GqaETGQKUDWoaE6E54OlB43-ABWX_qgmrdzems14WgIf8QQXemMLJQGXkyXqdWh_I96SM8M1G9t6E07bzFFR9Go6e_3ihdGlzHhDWbEX3SN0SuvOzXXyb0074LtUtaodZpEVj1UyDNJPKVM/s320/dish%20tree%20bkgd.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees are the enemy of Starlink</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Remember, I said the Starlink antenna has a piece of pipe attached, right out of the box? The really surprising thing is, inside the compact antenna package, there are little motors that rotate and adjust the tilt of the antenna. This is all the more amazing to me since the antenna is so small and there are no external clues about the tiny electro-mechanical positioning system. </p><p>We finally had the antenna mounted and plugged it into the Starlink router. After waiting a minute or so the antenna literally began to dance; it rotated itself to facing North and adjusted the angle of its tilt in seconds, look away for a minute and you'll miss this technological marvel in action. </p><p>All the press said Starlink needs a clear view of the sky; what it really wants is a clear view of the North Eastern sky (at least for Florida based installations). My home looked like it has plenty of sky but the reality is we barely got it working without obstructions due to the tall trees that surround my property. If I had it to do all over I'd get the app sooner and investigate mounting options before ordering the unit. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPp8jSv6sGuOLGcb2o-wF21ArshKIV9cAR8GZ2pFfzpMkcwnoJzk8R-G6JXfkt38i2xgwhBZoj35m60FfTwdkqLbkcElaEDXXxb9YGCwfnpKxkfcWMtP8nHYgptHCdbSAGudBww1rNQH9_CoB3GJrcDszcYhISKcCDh_NyuqxdEAnHxpDyyBlbUPT6Co/s4032/dish%20trees%20and%20sky.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPp8jSv6sGuOLGcb2o-wF21ArshKIV9cAR8GZ2pFfzpMkcwnoJzk8R-G6JXfkt38i2xgwhBZoj35m60FfTwdkqLbkcElaEDXXxb9YGCwfnpKxkfcWMtP8nHYgptHCdbSAGudBww1rNQH9_CoB3GJrcDszcYhISKcCDh_NyuqxdEAnHxpDyyBlbUPT6Co/w640-h480/dish%20trees%20and%20sky.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starlink Pointed North-East</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>HOW FAST IS IT?</b></p><p>As he was packing his tools to leave Satellite Steve told me "wait til tomorrow, the system optimizes and gets faster". From my limited time with Starlink I'd say he is right, The speed test results were faster the day after installation. </p><p>My GF and I used Speedtest dot net to compare our old wired DSL connection by AT&T to the new Starlink antenna/system. </p><p>The stock Starlink router is only WiFi, there is no wired ethernet connection without an optional box I don't have yet. All tests were done on my Intel based iMac running Catalina 10.15.7. My GF has a 2023 MacBook Air running the MacOS Ventura and got similar performance. </p><p><b>AT&T DSL connection</b>: AT&T server in Daytona, <b>26.14 </b>Mbps download, 3.63 Mbps upload</p><p><b>Starlink connection</b>: AT&T server in Daytona, <b>107.24</b> Mbps download, 25.47 Mbps upload</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Starlink four-times as fast on download and six times as fast on upload</i></p><p><b>AT&T DSL connection</b>: AT&T server in Miami, <b>47.98</b> Mbps download, 3.59 Mbps upload</p><p><b>Starlink connection</b>: AT&T server in Miami, <b>139.4</b> Mbps download, 13.8 Mbps upload</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Starlink over double the download and over four-times as fast on upload</u></i></p><p><u><i>MORE STARLINK SPEED TESTS</i></u></p><p><b>Starlink connection</b>: Server in Orlando, 134.15 Mbps download (forgot to write down upload)</p><p><b>Starlink connection</b>: Server in Atlanta, download 226.63 Mbps, upload 10.91 Mbps</p><p><b>Starlink connection</b>: GA State University server, download 58.39, upload 17.5 Mbps</p><p>Using the internet connected through Starlink feels faster and more responsive. Videos on web pages play instantly (depending on the server of course). The controls on Amazon streaming video feel more responsive, actions like play, pause, and jump-10 seconds ahead or back just happen quicker with less hesitation. Resizing video is instantaneous.</p><p><b>EPILOGUE</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdumwhlot6BOlOZ3Cug0Fphb5cErMojNp0fZruJNXff4PlI3IqwS2GFXK7H8vgiLQ72Qhd_v-oKs4xQm7YNiSRW2lWPKjOuVCdv6U1yf7wg9sa3JoN7fxk2YtX6vknrDVNhhVj8bZEOfV6xCK3v9k-ZzvhlXBHAxZLSmRtyJCvHGcpv8Qt2COxWhMvEU/s4032/logo.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2688" data-original-width="4032" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdumwhlot6BOlOZ3Cug0Fphb5cErMojNp0fZruJNXff4PlI3IqwS2GFXK7H8vgiLQ72Qhd_v-oKs4xQm7YNiSRW2lWPKjOuVCdv6U1yf7wg9sa3JoN7fxk2YtX6vknrDVNhhVj8bZEOfV6xCK3v9k-ZzvhlXBHAxZLSmRtyJCvHGcpv8Qt2COxWhMvEU/s320/logo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starlink is division of SpaceX</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Starlink is not cheap. The initial box of Starlink hardware was around $600 for the antenna, cable and router. Satellite Steve charged me $80 for the mounting hardware he provided. He took care of mounting the antenna to our house. He also drilled the hole in the house and fed the cable in to me in the attic. I took it from there on the wiring side.</p><p>Starlink service is $120 per month, our AT&T DSL is around $85 per month so Starlink speed definitely comes with a cost. </p><p>Our AT&T DSL stalls regularly and needs the router rebooted to make it work again. The wiring box for our AT&T DSL is over a quarter mile from our house, it was hit by a car and laid over in the drainage ditch for months, like a wounded robot; there were all the fragile solid copper connections and punch blocks, exposed to full-on Florida humidity, rain and weather. I would sometimes stand the junction box back up, I even reattached it to the base since it appeared AT&T was not going to do anything about it. I finally phoned them and had several really weird long involved service calls and emails. </p><p>If Starlink continues to perform without problems it will be a wonderful feeling to wave goodbye to AT&T DSL.</p><p>As a media creator uploading 650MB 192k-24bit music files to my Soundcloud takes 1/4 the time it did on DSL. Uploading 100MB videos to my blog also takes 1/4 (or less) the time it did using DSL upload speeds.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Will the Starlink system be reliable?</li><li>Will the antenna stand up to hurricane force winds?</li><li>What happens to our internet service in a heavy rain storm?</li></ul><p></p></blockquote><p>The answers to these questions and more will only be answered with time and experience using the Starlink system at our location. I'll update this article when I have more data.</p><p>UPDATE-1: I'm not a phone person, I like computers and bigger screens. What was not clear to me in the beginning of my Starlink journey is how critical the Starlink app on your smart phone really is. The Starlink app on my Apple iPhone 11 works great. It's intuitive, easy to use and it was really fun evaluating my wifi distribution around the house.</p><p>Besides telling you where to position your antenna the Starlink phone app helps you do speed benchmarks, see which devices are using the network, check your local coverage, add mesh routers (whattt????) and file support issues. </p><p>ETHERNET ADAPTOR: I ordered the Starlink ethernet adaptor, it cost $25. Installation could not be easier. I powered down the main wifi router, unplugged the cable from the roof mount antenna, plug the antenna cable into the ethernet adaptor and then finally, plug the ethernet adaptor into the main Starlink router where the antenna cable was previously connected. Unplugging the power to the Starlink router was the hardest part. Plugging in the ethernet adaptor took about 10 seconds. I need to change some cables around before I can report on the wired speed of the ethernet connection.</p><p>MESH ROUTER ADAPTOR: Another big W H A T T T t t t ? ? ?</p><p>I was looking around in the Starlink online store and found "Mesh Router". Within seconds I ordered one. Two weeks later it arrived along with the ethernet adaptor. The mesh router is a self-configuring box which looks almost identical to the main router electronic package which came with the original system purchase. The only wire on the Mesh router is the AC power cable which plugs into the wall. You use the Starlink app to configure the mesh router. I found a good place for this mesh point in my kitchen, plugged it into the wall and used the iPhone Starlink app to check my internet coverage around the home. My kitchen previously had been poor reception but now with the Mesh router connection speed is G R E A T! (did my Tony the Tiger enthusiasm come through?).</p><p>How great is the Mesh router? On the other side of my kitchen is our outdoor screened-in gym and porch, we previously had NO service out there from our home internet connection (aka AT&T DSL). With the addition of the Starlink Mesh router we now have G R E A T wifi coverage out there. I ran a speed-test using the Starlink app in the gym, 101 mbps everywhere, n i c e !</p><p>Good Browsing to You!</p><p>©October 2023 by Mark King. It's not ok to quote or copy without permission. Thanks for reading High on Technology.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdXxdsGozMMRNaaztCv-bmiWP8teuerUEknDTUmVCIhIQrfJ2gzwrrqTDgzBfYZl3uIlBrdjs-nT2SS7fN-dO6UqwURf-9wLrbmIRgIs29JuIsN5YLly-GLB6l2OtsF53oY-z9Roy023F8oZQM90t5K93bQPXp8dQUgE4XRUlwDpTNgGoD4_dxJYg3vw/s1200/Satellite%20Steve.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1200" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdXxdsGozMMRNaaztCv-bmiWP8teuerUEknDTUmVCIhIQrfJ2gzwrrqTDgzBfYZl3uIlBrdjs-nT2SS7fN-dO6UqwURf-9wLrbmIRgIs29JuIsN5YLly-GLB6l2OtsF53oY-z9Roy023F8oZQM90t5K93bQPXp8dQUgE4XRUlwDpTNgGoD4_dxJYg3vw/w640-h438/Satellite%20Steve.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><b>Satellite Steve, 321-636-3474 </b>- Melbourne Florida area, He goes West all the way to Tampa, North to Orlando and up and down the Space Coast of Florida. He is an authorized dealer for Dish and Direct TV and he does Starlink installations on RV's too. <b>Steve is old school, takes care of business. Call him for a quick quote about your installation needs. 321-636-3474</b></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-77195597702327503972023-10-05T18:22:00.002-04:002023-10-21T18:12:00.757-04:00R.I.P. Glenn Coleman<p> LOST A FAMILY MEMBER, RIP Glenn Coleman</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcCoLXElp7QQe7zgcNyFHg3JlL06QTTKcOk6Vhf4GjGUR0_HBNi-tIOH9RCn9otxgNjGDMwy_sMfYDj3vwuBqGByZeeq_cZ2pEfsfR3kMv45Ze_6o_qmSgWoeRnltKoaANgpg_tLsVSu9bDTgxxllSAVWHE2ODsm_tZF7m11AZuoD7zn79dKfVTO82NQ/s1118/Glenn%20Close.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="1118" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcCoLXElp7QQe7zgcNyFHg3JlL06QTTKcOk6Vhf4GjGUR0_HBNi-tIOH9RCn9otxgNjGDMwy_sMfYDj3vwuBqGByZeeq_cZ2pEfsfR3kMv45Ze_6o_qmSgWoeRnltKoaANgpg_tLsVSu9bDTgxxllSAVWHE2ODsm_tZF7m11AZuoD7zn79dKfVTO82NQ/w640-h442/Glenn%20Close.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>I've seen him many times at trade shows. I was in communication with him back in June of 2023 when I was doing reviews of some of his switching and mastering products. He confided to me that he had liver cancer. He sounded strong and on a path to health. Today I was saddened to learn he has lost the fight and left us. </p><p>Glenn was a nice guy, old school, a man of his word. He worked hard to make sure his gadgets worked right. His TC-4 Transfer Console is one of a kind and I'm so glad I have one. </p><p>Pro Audio lost a warrior. R.I.P. Glenn.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-51173040748520469862023-09-06T07:18:00.005-04:002024-01-06T07:01:30.492-05:00REVIEW GFORCE SOFTWARE GOES APPLE NATIVE, ODDITY AND MTRON UPDATES<p>TWO OF MY FAVORITES BY GFORCE SOFTWARE RECEIVE GREAT UPDATES</p><p>GForce software in the UK has a long history of producing software versions of hardware instruments. </p><p>Their popular and beautiful sounding Mellotron-style instrument is updated to the M-Tron Pro IV, with lots of useful new features and sounds, plus it is now native for Apple processors.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCF9AlpCyJvU7bhtjcz9RG-b_uCAr9PV6D2f2VaBnxPqYqSXfxVBg1zWHhTVLWFQztjSUJY_701wyljSKkviUIUSWWa27nS-lCWPKFGJcJCr9hQe-FksEuLo2jlNo9TnklF5HB0FOf_ozi1UdCmCT1eajSdCXzEScgM2Cq5Fxl3jcxLFe6nSNEUJ2Lvk/s2086/M%20Tron%20Main%20view.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2086" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqCF9AlpCyJvU7bhtjcz9RG-b_uCAr9PV6D2f2VaBnxPqYqSXfxVBg1zWHhTVLWFQztjSUJY_701wyljSKkviUIUSWWa27nS-lCWPKFGJcJCr9hQe-FksEuLo2jlNo9TnklF5HB0FOf_ozi1UdCmCT1eajSdCXzEScgM2Cq5Fxl3jcxLFe6nSNEUJ2Lvk/s320/M%20Tron%20Main%20view.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MTron Pro IV</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Oddity 3 is the updated Apple processor version of the GForce emulation of the vintage ARP Odyssey analog synthesizer. Everything about this synth sounds great, new inbuilt effects, new preset browsing and some of the best sounding filters I've ever heard, including hardware and software. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZVlMO_7Qvt-sJq9tMfYmLz2g_i3A6EotFsmoeYhNUuZBykAgDJnOwWbZMkpSMjDOGL60rTYxgRrTaMp-uKlfh_19f6O4ArJKYZm0reVhsHWdalXwWknRZVrZJev-uFZNsJdtDoWPRMazLPJSK7gvEUOpcCZh62sIEtMhybPaQP-mSMQb2dKRfe3lEYs/s2398/Oddity%20synth.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="2398" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZVlMO_7Qvt-sJq9tMfYmLz2g_i3A6EotFsmoeYhNUuZBykAgDJnOwWbZMkpSMjDOGL60rTYxgRrTaMp-uKlfh_19f6O4ArJKYZm0reVhsHWdalXwWknRZVrZJev-uFZNsJdtDoWPRMazLPJSK7gvEUOpcCZh62sIEtMhybPaQP-mSMQb2dKRfe3lEYs/s320/Oddity%20synth.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oddity 3 from GForce Software</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My only complaint about GForce instruments is that they can be extremely processor intensive. How did they perform on the new 20-core Mac Studio?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p>TESTING TESTING</p><p>For this review I'm running the GForce Software on the 20-core Mac Studio with 128GB of DRAM and 4TB of SSD storage. The OS is fresh and up to date and all the software on this machine, including the latest version of Logic Pro is newly downloaded. </p><p>I don't honestly remember when I purchased software from GForce or the process of acquiring/installing. I think my GF got me the M-Tron as a gift quite a few years ago.</p><p>The current GForce web site is up to date and if you're a registered user it is very easy to acquire your download and authorization codes: the installation process went perfect every time. My only criticism about any of the purchase was during the downloading of the software, the server seemed slow. It got the job done and as I said, it all went smoothly and worked the first time.</p><p>FUNNY STORY</p><p>I contacted GForce Software about using their instruments on my new 20-Core Mac Studio. This was about six months ago as I was planning the Mac Studio purchase and I was reviewing which software would come with me from the Intel based Mac Pro to the new Apple processor based, Mac Studio; some software bits have been left behind;-)</p><p>GForce has always responded very fast to my support emails and within 24 hours, on a Sunday, I got my answer. At that time I was told there were no updated versions for Apple hardware but the old versions would run fine in Rosetta, Apples processor/emulation bridge-piece of software. Sadly I waved goodbye to GForce because I did not want anything that was not native on the new 20-core machine. </p><p>I was filled with joy when I saw that the GForce pieces have not only been updated for Apple processors, they've been totally revamped. This news gave me a big smile and I jumped on a summer sale to upgrade and get them on the Mac Studio. </p><p>THE <b>M-TRON PRO IV</b></p><p>The M-Tron has been my favorite Mellotron simulation since I first used it years ago. Unlike some other "tron" emulations, this one really sounds like a real hardware based Mellotron keyboard, complete with all the tape loops and funky hardware. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyYTg38CB6sVU1AmokdNPGBI7jFLCGfKS_BmCsZ4wMieWtCCqT_brhbc66EfBaQZZUCmZ_VFlZn_6npyYE29mqb4ZeeyFn7Bpn4hL5P-YZDxaSEyAhpn6eVyXCK-pQyUuOdIbI7AUrY-zAL16d1nEOE7rN9p2R9Nw_abpFQK05MWzRlaAb3A8kYSwZys/s2086/M%20Tron%20Main%20view.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2086" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNyYTg38CB6sVU1AmokdNPGBI7jFLCGfKS_BmCsZ4wMieWtCCqT_brhbc66EfBaQZZUCmZ_VFlZn_6npyYE29mqb4ZeeyFn7Bpn4hL5P-YZDxaSEyAhpn6eVyXCK-pQyUuOdIbI7AUrY-zAL16d1nEOE7rN9p2R9Nw_abpFQK05MWzRlaAb3A8kYSwZys/w640-h540/M%20Tron%20Main%20view.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>The latest iteration, the M-Tron Pro IV does not disappoint, it's the best sounding M-Tron yet. The included library is approximately 3.5GB in size and it includes more sounds than either of my other Tron emulation program/library/instruments from other software companies. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJly1xyghi_2L7WrEVpng1TxTksb6eFJ5mDAMyb08RwF1M0XuTHXGNMhT4Rr6S8ers1YUS5Ll3CNjufC41SlALKHo0munGUYbGJdizGOm-rD-RxOeXVGU71MNCqLwfvTeXX9ZFK1PRmS9fIxoi4ag3R_V19ypHYWd8bULlK7tssF1I8Xbm-K584qRoKo/s2086/M%20Tron%20Browser%20view.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1760" data-original-width="2086" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJly1xyghi_2L7WrEVpng1TxTksb6eFJ5mDAMyb08RwF1M0XuTHXGNMhT4Rr6S8ers1YUS5Ll3CNjufC41SlALKHo0munGUYbGJdizGOm-rD-RxOeXVGU71MNCqLwfvTeXX9ZFK1PRmS9fIxoi4ag3R_V19ypHYWd8bULlK7tssF1I8Xbm-K584qRoKo/w640-h540/M%20Tron%20Browser%20view.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>There are lots of presets included with M-Tron but I like getting down in the library and hunting through everything. The M-Tron remains my top pick for Mellotron sounds, definitely a lot easier to use and maintain than a real tape based Mellotron. </p><p>The <b>Oddity</b></p><p>The Oddity is a software version of the 1970's ARP Odyssey keyboard hardware. Oddity goes WAY beyond the original hardware to deliver even more sound options. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRVU9RSix5ag-Gckolhc8C8IULbOfors1eGKjxlS1HE5FoWLS1c_e2XPpZrN8qGzuMGtKdH3u7FD21F5tcgSPwuNlB81RK-N40bGbawGNHZR3XmGvq6zQ6iB7SGf2tsQgGgDTByjmzzyxMc3qRpriltnPWYSQ1A5Fjnw-5Jj6_BM_zwEwCxmgO4k-O_A/s2398/Oddity%20synth.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="2398" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRVU9RSix5ag-Gckolhc8C8IULbOfors1eGKjxlS1HE5FoWLS1c_e2XPpZrN8qGzuMGtKdH3u7FD21F5tcgSPwuNlB81RK-N40bGbawGNHZR3XmGvq6zQ6iB7SGf2tsQgGgDTByjmzzyxMc3qRpriltnPWYSQ1A5Fjnw-5Jj6_BM_zwEwCxmgO4k-O_A/w640-h474/Oddity%20synth.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>The only Odyssey hardware I had on hand to compare Oddity to was a Korg Odyssey. The Korg sounded thin next to Oddity. The software emulation, even without effects, sounded bigger, more juicy, sweeter and just overall more vibrant and inspirational. It is fast to use, easy to edit and makes it simple to try out a lot of sounds quickly. All these features made it easy to send the Korg packing on the gear resale site, Reverb.com. If I was playing live shows I might want the hardware version but for composing in the studio, give me the software version, Oddity. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_RDp7xMOkcTXxGfHlZiPvZI6-zyCFKG-p0eQmOJe_oTssdQGV8BkPHV4CwGbE3-w6puwdQyO8sXmZ8SavVwtEWaUevzexpNBToEFg85uswhohagmzk6riJr8i7qSU6m6V1Ro4KGnEJdR2FcosSWq-1DRTAK3iPGqWqFMu_zmwIyQugZHNUBA32rnnK8/s2398/Oddity%20browser.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1774" data-original-width="2398" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_RDp7xMOkcTXxGfHlZiPvZI6-zyCFKG-p0eQmOJe_oTssdQGV8BkPHV4CwGbE3-w6puwdQyO8sXmZ8SavVwtEWaUevzexpNBToEFg85uswhohagmzk6riJr8i7qSU6m6V1Ro4KGnEJdR2FcosSWq-1DRTAK3iPGqWqFMu_zmwIyQugZHNUBA32rnnK8/w640-h474/Oddity%20browser.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>SOFTWARE SYNTHESIZERS</p><p>17 years ago I did not enjoy using software synthesizers because computers were so low in horsepower. Today, with machines like the 20 and now 22 core Apple models I think software synthesizers have come of age and taken their place at the head of the table. </p><p>These updated models from GForce reinforce the idea that software based synthesizers have usurped their hardware brethren with memory, polyphony and creative options. Both of these GForce models feature incredible sounds and they run on modern processors without stalling or stopping your creativity. Since they're inside your DAW and your song you don't need notebooks of settings and paper track sheets to remind you of how they were set or how you used them because their settings get saved with your song.</p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>My favorite software instruments are emulations of hardware I was toying with or dreaming of owning back in the 70's and 80's. I learned on the hardware and have applied that thinking and compositional technique to these modern emulations. Since I know how the hardware worked I also have a good idea how the software works and that helps inspire me to making new musical compositions. </p><p>Both of these synthesizers from GForce deliver reliability, affordability and most importantly, great sound.</p><p>Good Music To You!</p><p>H.o.T. purchased the software reviewed prior to creating this article. </p><p>©2023 by Mark King, it is NOT ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-19324677156843446362023-07-25T18:30:00.001-04:002023-10-16T20:57:00.583-04:00REVIEW WARM AUDIO WA-73 VS LOCOMOTIVE AUDIO WT-72, OUTSIDE THE BOX<p>SOLID STATE VS TUBE, MASS PRODUCED VS BOUTIQUE</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoJYzwnGq-qwiq0DuPPpUDtPYqY5HpbLltlXrFdna6rjafp2M8MyPvQhtlQdxN3HgFqMuUmsxFAM_azzZhe4V4Z08aAWfYZn8gRaPmivBTXGPSOSbtlq_mb23gy9vRUww_Xf9guXhysvfDJGgpyCLebr-xnNVKos6CfgIBJB7jMrt6lKeOkjiLPvU2JM/s3497/03%20front%20panel%20IMG_4413.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="3497" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoJYzwnGq-qwiq0DuPPpUDtPYqY5HpbLltlXrFdna6rjafp2M8MyPvQhtlQdxN3HgFqMuUmsxFAM_azzZhe4V4Z08aAWfYZn8gRaPmivBTXGPSOSbtlq_mb23gy9vRUww_Xf9guXhysvfDJGgpyCLebr-xnNVKos6CfgIBJB7jMrt6lKeOkjiLPvU2JM/w640-h118/03%20front%20panel%20IMG_4413.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weight Tank WT-72 single channel preamplifier with minimalist features</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The WT-72 is one sweet sounding tube mic preamp. It is designed and built in St. Louis, Missouri by Locomotive Audio.</p><p>The WA-273 is a two channel version of the WA-73. This solid state preamplifier was designed with the Neve 1073 as a guide for the appearance, controls and sonics. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujIYtwqZ1fBAMyNRDBDLmVeJSpq5Vh4v-UZfXWGd9cbL15wSLZpui80WNh70do9yImuWF8tUU2sQlqEOeKijQ-oWyRAeL72gGDriY7jagnEEBKAfG_r1TBB5lKr0THxkNakbtHJdT25WqgZgTZXDzi0DPo0WDFMlVmmlPcOjhOEmEPAkpdtt0Tuxw5H0/s912/wa-273-gallery-front.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="912" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujIYtwqZ1fBAMyNRDBDLmVeJSpq5Vh4v-UZfXWGd9cbL15wSLZpui80WNh70do9yImuWF8tUU2sQlqEOeKijQ-oWyRAeL72gGDriY7jagnEEBKAfG_r1TBB5lKr0THxkNakbtHJdT25WqgZgTZXDzi0DPo0WDFMlVmmlPcOjhOEmEPAkpdtt0Tuxw5H0/w640-h128/wa-273-gallery-front.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One channel of Warm Audio WA-73 preamplifier</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In this review I'll be comparing the sound of a single channel of the WA-273 to the single channel Weight Tank 72-style tube preamp. Can the budget-reproduction of the classic Neve design keep up with the tubular bliss of the Weight Tank 72?<span> <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span>WHO IS LOCOMOTIVE AUDIO?</span><p></p><p><span>Locomotive Audio is a small boutique builder of high quality studio gadgets which include direct boxes for reamping, exotic vari-mu compressors, tube mic preamps and tube mic processing gadgets. In this review we'll be looking at the WT-72 which gets its design heritage from the vintage German broadcasting, V-72 tube preamp.</span></p><p><span>The Weight Tank 72 uses the original German design as a starting point and then adds a second vacuum tube and some unique switching to yield 56 dB of total gain. The vintage German modules were only capable of 36 dB of gain. Locomotive Audio has pulled off a bit of a miracle to change this new incarnation into a very viable studio preamp even though it delivers way less gain than the typical Neve 1073 which clocks in with 80 dB of gain available. <br /></span><br /></p><p>WARM AUDIO </p><p>Warm Audio began making their 1073-style clones several years ago. High on Technology previously did a comprehensive review of the WA-73EQ vs the current Neve 1073spx and <a href="http://www.highontechnology.tech/2021/07/neve-1073spx-compared-to-warm-audio-wa.html" target="_blank">you can read it here</a> (it's actually our most-viewed review-comparison). </p><p>After many hours of listening tests we found the Neve EQ section sounded sweeter than the WA-73EQ but the actual preamp section of the Warm Audio hardware sounded VERY similar to the actual Neve hardware. With the EQ section turned off in both pieces it would be very difficult to hear any difference between the WA-73 and the Neve 1073. Armed with this information I jumped at a chance to get a great deal on a new WA-73 <i><u>sans-EQ</u></i> to add to my rack. </p><p>The Warm Audio hardware is built somewhere overseas, they don't specifically reveal publicly the actual location or country of origin where their products are made. </p><p>Warm Audio typically uses high quality components and builds in sufficiently large quantities which allows them to offer very low prices. </p><p>MEET THE LOCOMOTIVE AUDIO WT-72</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpXxyxnlfDmJZs5R37g1xTwVPxb4VGb2-uRvaql2x4ArlmRoqYt_thl1rgdzSsTuo0W8YLETUJbWxjgQyhMuJlqQn2tdSA-O8tGBG3bYf3Sl4l-QVgV_ZWCg7AyD8dTXSRjCK9iRpOO3TMpypnQzwf5xx6PwxXwUeURUpwedyjuTAn-BQ555LuysWIxo/s3123/06%20WT%20family%20and%208816%20IMG_4417.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2956" data-original-width="3123" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpXxyxnlfDmJZs5R37g1xTwVPxb4VGb2-uRvaql2x4ArlmRoqYt_thl1rgdzSsTuo0W8YLETUJbWxjgQyhMuJlqQn2tdSA-O8tGBG3bYf3Sl4l-QVgV_ZWCg7AyD8dTXSRjCK9iRpOO3TMpypnQzwf5xx6PwxXwUeURUpwedyjuTAn-BQ555LuysWIxo/s320/06%20WT%20family%20and%208816%20IMG_4417.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top = WT-72 over WT-Compressor</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Locomotive Audio caught my eye with their "Weight Tank Compressor" which I saw advertised in an online forum. I checked out the company's web site and subsequently bought a Weight Tank compressor. It was built to order and arrived within the 2-week window I was quoted. Everything about the Weight Tank product is highest quality, even the shipping carton. I reviewed the Weight Tank compressor and <a href="http://www.highontechnology.tech/2022/05/review-what-is-weight-tank-vari-mu.html" target="_blank">you can read it here</a> on High on Technology. The short version: it's awesome!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdL6nL99BPQ6wxdE3y40A5Z_BOXH1A8sdOEQYvPGnlypazfyqx0KPoaM06Qy4kCoOT9EhpY0uh5FhtnHm5y1hhX0k2-OusTr9OqP2R_MF3dfl1Z3t4LyTOhpzD2QV9wfmQKmXFurN93xqiQ7W0f_XZIzk0oNXgnVPhxSVb9aaOG1upcqmwJfvzT_nuAU/s1244/WT-72%20transformers.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="1244" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdL6nL99BPQ6wxdE3y40A5Z_BOXH1A8sdOEQYvPGnlypazfyqx0KPoaM06Qy4kCoOT9EhpY0uh5FhtnHm5y1hhX0k2-OusTr9OqP2R_MF3dfl1Z3t4LyTOhpzD2QV9wfmQKmXFurN93xqiQ7W0f_XZIzk0oNXgnVPhxSVb9aaOG1upcqmwJfvzT_nuAU/w400-h290/WT-72%20transformers.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round input transformer on lower left, output transformer top right</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The WT-72 is the Weight Tank preamplifier. Inside the WT preamp hardware you'll find a pair of EF86 vacuum tubes and some clever switching which allows this vintage design to deliver modern performance and spectacular vintage tone. A shielded input transformer and a large core output transformer keep the WT-72 true to the original configuration and features. </p><p>I plugged my Yamaha nylon string acoustic-electric into the WT-72 and had a blast playing blues licks. The WT-72 added a beautiful sheen to the tone of this instrument, complete with pinging harmonics; suddenly several hours of my life disappeared into a big beautiful jam. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>HARDWARE COMPARISON</u></span></p><p><b>LOCOMOTIVE AUDIO WT-72</b> SPECIFICATIONS $899, Factory-Direct, built to order</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Single channel, all tube microphone preamplifier, Made in USA</li><li>19" (2) RU, steel enclosure</li><li>Vacuum Tube circuits (no semiconductors in the signal path)</li><li>Vacuum Tubes: (2) EF86 equivalent</li><li>XLR Input and Output </li><li>Transformer-coupled input and output</li><li>Single knob "Gain Control"</li><li>Maximum Gain: 56 dB</li><li>Maximum Output Level: +24 dBu</li><li>THD +N: less than 1%</li><li>S/N: Greater than 70dB</li><li>Microphone or Line Level input selector switch</li><li>Polarity switch (sometimes referred to as "phase reverse")</li><li>Phantom Power On-Off Switch with LED "ON" indicator</li><li>(1) very sensitive LED indicates "Signal Present"</li></ul><p></p><p><b>WARM AUDIO WA-73</b> SPECIFICATIONS, $649 in Stores</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Single channel, solid state microphone preamplifier, Not made in USA</li><li>19" (1) RU, steel enclosure</li><li>XLR and 1/4" TRS Balanced Input and Output </li><li>Custom Carnhill Input and Output transformers</li><li>Rotary Gain Control Switch: 80dB of gain available</li><li>Four-position rotary Hi Pass filter switch (50-80-160-300 Hz)</li><li>Polarity Switch</li><li>Tone Button (changes input transformer circuit)</li><li>48-volt phantom power switch</li><li>unbalanced insert(s), send-return 1/4" jacks</li><li>(5) LED Output Level Meter, Max = +20 (assuming dBu)</li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>PERFORMANCE</u></span></p><p><b>WARM AUDIO WA-73</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2cBZAiR2cMJ62bD5bKTf8Pr_3piA4JbVIEhIutIfDvOKkNLHRJBWOtb9P5sTmOsHfJ3Y9af9QbkWy0M3v4hII0XAHLBJ7nTxZYJ7zRskH1DvYV_DeMcnZdmQu9dw6-sUP52SeF5avzgKGzVUPOFP0eyN0a6VZ45qUexHMquxUZ9tse9_Tq00zNxObpQ/s912/wa-273-gallery-front.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="912" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2cBZAiR2cMJ62bD5bKTf8Pr_3piA4JbVIEhIutIfDvOKkNLHRJBWOtb9P5sTmOsHfJ3Y9af9QbkWy0M3v4hII0XAHLBJ7nTxZYJ7zRskH1DvYV_DeMcnZdmQu9dw6-sUP52SeF5avzgKGzVUPOFP0eyN0a6VZ45qUexHMquxUZ9tse9_Tq00zNxObpQ/s320/wa-273-gallery-front.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p>Warm Audio <i>never fails</i> to deliver a healthy list of great features which ultimately provide you with excellent options and professional performance. I compared the WA-73 preamp to the WT-72 preamp with various microphones and sources.</p><p>I like the 80 dB of gain available in the WA-73, I was recording a dobro with a ribbon microphone and used a lot of gain to capture the resonator tone. The higher gain positions on the WA-73 brought out more noise but they also delivered a relaxed character and greater intimacy to the tin-foil tone of the Gretsch resonator guitar ;-)</p><p><span>With a boutique U-47 style microphone on the input, the WA-73 delivers beautiful recorded tones that are sure to beat the preamps built into your DAW interface. Carnhill (in the UK) did a great job creating the clones of Marinair™ Neve transformers for the Warm Audio preamps. </span></p><p><span>Once again Warm Audio goes very light on the actual performance specifications they publish. Instead they rely on you to buy the piece of hardware, see if you like it and return it if you don't. My industry insider contacts tell me there are very few returns. </span></p><p><span><b>LOCOMOTIVE AUDIO WT-72</b></span></p><p>The WT-72 is made to be a studio workhorse. It promises and delivers spectacular vintage tube tone. It's the kind of simplified electronic configuration Johnny Cash or James Brown might have been singing through in the '50's or 60's. </p><p>I've always loved the tone from the EF86 tube and Locomotive Audio knows how to extract every bit of goodness from it. The WT-72 sounds huge, warm and friendly. It takes whatever you feed in and adds delicious tube gain and harmonics. The output is brilliant, bright and clear, this is no box of fuzzy distortion, it's bold and solid sounding. </p><p>Plugging a bass into the front panel instrument input on the WT-72 rewards you with unstoppable headroom, depth and tone. Tubes have unique distortion characteristics; unlike solid state designs that flip to a hard square wave (ugly sounding distortion) when their dynamic threshold is exceeded, tubes have a smooth progression towards higher levels of distortion. Solid state and even digital preamps can sound excellent unless that invisible line is crossed, in which case they sound VERY bad. The WT-72 never sounded bad, even floored out at max gain driven with humbucking guitar pickups on the instrument input. </p><p>The WT-72 is the best answer for direct recording instruments, everything passing through it sounds gorgeous and it seems to never run out of headroom; push it and the WT-72 never gets gross, although it might overdrive the input on your DAW so look out!</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>EPILOGUE</u></span></p><p>If you want to capture classic tones you need classic gear, it really is that simple. We are lucky to be living in a time when innovators have been able to reverse-engineer the finest sounding classic designs and then do their best to bring similar sonics and the best capabilities to users around the world.</p><p>The Locomotive Audio, Weight Tank 72 preamp is not for everybody. It is for the person who appreciates huge tone. With a maximum output of +24 dBu the Weight Tank preamp has big potential to overdrive your DAW input if you don't keep a a close watchful eye on signal levels. </p><p>The Weight Tank does not have any output level control on it, the designer intends for you to directly control the output with the one big gain knob in the middle. To set the level with this piece you need to find the position which does NOT overload your DAW. Hopefully the inputs on your DAW have level meters because the Weight Tank has NO output level indication other than the "signal present" LED located directly under the big Gain knob. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUSST_cD5al1XlsaxKOkL5NLJalT-KgiCqiON57GKcxR-H6_Pr0ZbiSPwyVPUL7nwttjBOFEp_qfBT-2yvGXMoSCAQMHEQD1B6ktEyg1SBgrDJaeh_JFKwKwMnFgg_qi1HXB_0SADh_2WzXK2IHgMLoE6JOiLJNZCW0EZemMT2TEP94wIaL6zSKCIUgw/s2635/IMG_4431.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2635" data-original-width="2465" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUSST_cD5al1XlsaxKOkL5NLJalT-KgiCqiON57GKcxR-H6_Pr0ZbiSPwyVPUL7nwttjBOFEp_qfBT-2yvGXMoSCAQMHEQD1B6ktEyg1SBgrDJaeh_JFKwKwMnFgg_qi1HXB_0SADh_2WzXK2IHgMLoE6JOiLJNZCW0EZemMT2TEP94wIaL6zSKCIUgw/s320/IMG_4431.jpeg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the gadgets that feed my DAW</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I ran the Weight Tank into a Neve 8816 mixer which gave me additional level control with stereo metering. I fed this into my DAW and recorded it. The results were spectacular and will be featured on an upcoming album project. </p><p>The Weight Tank preamp is a unique product; it's like an artists favorite paint brush, it delivers texture and dynamic control that connects with your ears and your soul. The Weight Tank is dynamic in an unusual organic way, your ears already know the sound, you just could not achieve it before. </p><p>On another outing I played my Gibson BB King Lucille guitar through the <i>Weight Tank <u>preamp</u></i> into the <i>Weight Tank <u>compressor</u></i> into the Neve 8816 mixer; it was like the sweetest Twin Amp style tone I ever played through. I normally shy away from direct connected electric guitars but this tone was so fat, I've got to explore it more. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovzdGnbxJDsdLS2zVKiJK8sIdvCnO6avUrgPBmHgsejv3NocIQnWUiuGQH9zpX26xPTgN-ApcqUT9sjYjwM0_mIxcUaKY2ei_-RiiC9p3ZF6X4zcmOwHGUDtgUbskqNeYH2x1F2YBn7e4Ukb-NIzN7YF3VaGZJaT7MDRs4wN8VkkDHVDYMuW_j7n5LvU/s2874/IMG_4430.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="2874" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovzdGnbxJDsdLS2zVKiJK8sIdvCnO6avUrgPBmHgsejv3NocIQnWUiuGQH9zpX26xPTgN-ApcqUT9sjYjwM0_mIxcUaKY2ei_-RiiC9p3ZF6X4zcmOwHGUDtgUbskqNeYH2x1F2YBn7e4Ukb-NIzN7YF3VaGZJaT7MDRs4wN8VkkDHVDYMuW_j7n5LvU/w640-h62/IMG_4430.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new WA273, it's two WA-73 in a single RU chassis</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Warm Audio 73' Style preamp is a high headroom Class-A design framed up with custom made input and output transformers from England. This package delivers honest boutique tone and a ton of features for an incredible price; used correctly, the WA-73 is indistinguishable from much higher priced clones and even the current offering from AMS-Neve. Playing guitar through the WA-73 into the Neve 8816 yields a rich and solid classic tone.</p><p>The Warm Audio price is only incredible if you're comparing it to other boutique gear prices. For an average guy, a $600 mono preamp is a big investment and he's NOT looking at $3200 clones of the same thing. Warm Audio brings a complete product to you for the price of a DIY kit. The WA-73 feels like, and sounds like, quality. </p><p>The preamp stage is the first thing your instrument see's as it heads towards being recorded. The right choice in this shoot-out is <i>BOTH</i>! The WT-72's sound is huge and brilliant while the WA-73 is tight and focused; both sounds belong in your paint box when you can afford them.</p><p>With a Locomotive Audio tube preamp and a Neve style 73, you've got all your bases covered. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Good Music To You! </i></span></p><p>© July 2023 by Mark King</p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology. It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author. </p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-78740070799490623332023-07-20T07:17:00.001-04:002023-07-20T07:21:46.575-04:00REVIEW WARM AUDIO BUS COMP VS SSL BUS+, <p> WARM AUDIO VS SSL, SAMSON VS GOLIATH GEAR SMACKDOWN</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIwUKviLc8uTMoknY6nN9Mvg6z_J8xhb1eg0pvjv_Dv0iIQNbudgo9Sx5VTfnM8-pvSReOKNCS2mFCuvvEbzn2HLm7EnfvovM6_BGnZrhFuAAiOrZf9zuVTFSkVH1caDTbk8Q5zsDGeA8CFNTOKiv6ljFHAR_fYpeVgunOIDxbVUUyAepNZ6q9vPfZcg/s3779/01%20Bus+%20frt%20panel%20IMG_2748.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="3779" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIwUKviLc8uTMoknY6nN9Mvg6z_J8xhb1eg0pvjv_Dv0iIQNbudgo9Sx5VTfnM8-pvSReOKNCS2mFCuvvEbzn2HLm7EnfvovM6_BGnZrhFuAAiOrZf9zuVTFSkVH1caDTbk8Q5zsDGeA8CFNTOKiv6ljFHAR_fYpeVgunOIDxbVUUyAepNZ6q9vPfZcg/w640-h152/01%20Bus+%20frt%20panel%20IMG_2748.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Solid State Logic Bus+ in Aux rack at High on Technology Studio</td></tr></tbody></table><p>How will the little company from Texas fare against a legendary name like Solid State Logic?</p><p>The latest bus compressor from SSL vs the bus compressor from Warm Audio is important data for consumers of gear. $2899 US vs $799 US. </p><p>Both units share some common ground:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Both products are derived from classic SSL console bus compressor designs</li><li>Both are manufactured in China</li><li>Both feature balanced inputs and outputs</li></ul><p></p><p>Is the current SSL Bus+ worth $2100 more?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>THE NEW KID</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMSe-69yvqHc-T3HD0XusRQv-oiI_VICI3iQUXCp2haHO0FeRnryj5q0mMq2kLsooPpjsLWoWA2IvJ2-QstEJ3ergvhj4HWIVERrW7UFYC6qwuUrfnmIGXk8b6VRroQ6e9xC7Fr857tq-fYbNol0m8B62KWmfcmMMVHMyH3O8JPJd0_iuVRYxLYKWZ3Y/s3667/IMG_4410.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="3667" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIMSe-69yvqHc-T3HD0XusRQv-oiI_VICI3iQUXCp2haHO0FeRnryj5q0mMq2kLsooPpjsLWoWA2IvJ2-QstEJ3ergvhj4HWIVERrW7UFYC6qwuUrfnmIGXk8b6VRroQ6e9xC7Fr857tq-fYbNol0m8B62KWmfcmMMVHMyH3O8JPJd0_iuVRYxLYKWZ3Y/w400-h40/IMG_4410.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm Audio Bus Comp</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Warm Audio is a game-changing company, their WA-76 compressor/limiter put the company on the map and laid out their path forward as THE clone manufacturer to beat. Their products built the company's reputation by delivering low purchase price, reliable performance and high quality sound.</p><p>Warm Audio designs their products in Texas and has them custom manufactured in China. Warm Audio inspects every piece of product at their facility in Texas. This attention to detail and quality control has helped them deliver gadgets that work consistently. </p><p><br />THE GOOD OLD BOYS</p><p>The SSL brand is a company with a rich history in professional recording, their mixing consoles from the 70's and 80's have helped produce mega hit songs for artists like Peter Gabriel; he liked the company so much he bought it. SSL has since changed hands and been acquired by corporate aggregator Audiotonix. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsftB-2RCw1Hk-WpezgY3xSs47aWNsMK3YFzVLaKw9hSFoTsi_qCV8RJd51xLf3tA1GLH3TX48bCaN-9HjKsIZTc3ddv20dUaz_uogAKtPpFsKu6iOF5Xl3quqF9SOch0rOCLIXqSoqL2CtIBY_rhkDSIrQyHBhhwBg5dVq_NzZFTw2-iUBMy6bZ_Gj0/s1318/SSL%20Bus%20Comp.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1318" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWsftB-2RCw1Hk-WpezgY3xSs47aWNsMK3YFzVLaKw9hSFoTsi_qCV8RJd51xLf3tA1GLH3TX48bCaN-9HjKsIZTc3ddv20dUaz_uogAKtPpFsKu6iOF5Xl3quqF9SOch0rOCLIXqSoqL2CtIBY_rhkDSIrQyHBhhwBg5dVq_NzZFTw2-iUBMy6bZ_Gj0/w400-h210/SSL%20Bus%20Comp.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE definitive Bus Compressor IN the SSL Console, this is the sound</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Today, the SSL company designs their products in England and has them custom manufactured in China. Very few of the current SSL products (in July 2023) are built in the UK. All of their reasonably-priced (under $4,000) hardware designs are manufactured in China. The SSL Bus+ feels like a substantial piece of hardware. </p><p><b>PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS</b></p><p><u>WARM AUDIO BUS COMP</u></p><p>1 RU hardware size, All Analog Stereo VCA Bus Compressor</p><p>Dynamic Range: Greater than 120 dB</p><p>Noise: less than -90 dBu</p><p>Frequency Response: 18 Hz - 22 kHz</p><p>Distortion: THD + Noise, 20-20K @ +20 dBu Input: less than .05%</p><p><u>SOLID STATE LOGIC BUS+</u></p><p>(2) RU hardware size, Digitally Controlled Analog Bus Compressor</p><p>Dynamic Range: 117.5 dB (Compressor In)</p><p>Noise: -90 dBu (Compressor In)</p><p>Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20kHz (plus or minus .025dB)</p><p>Distortion: THD + Noise, .004% at 1k @0 dBu</p><p><br /></p><p>What do you buy a Bus Compressor for? When I went looking for an alternative to my API 2500 I wanted a sound that I did not already own. I looked at a lot of hardware products by a range of boutique builders. </p><p>When SSL dropped the Bus+ on the world I had the cash and was ready to pounce. What I really wanted was a classic SSL Bus Comp sound but all the extra features looked nice and the price is not out of line for a high-end piece of equipment. </p><p>The SSL Bus+ has a plethora of knobs and controls on the front. Around back it has detector inputs along with XLR balanced connectors for inputs and outputs. SSL has provided some quick ways to get to the coveted Bus Comp sounds. There were at least two console versions, the Bus+ emulates either plus it has some EQ options to further shape the sounds passing through it - too bad there is NO memory for saving configurations.</p><p>HOW DO THEY SOUND?</p><p>In preparation for this review I spent two weeks using the Bus+ in every way I could on a variety of original tracks I'm preparing for an album. I'm an old school, analog, outside the box guy, I love hardware. I used the Bus+ on drum, guitar and vocal subgroups.</p><p><i><b><u>On its best day</u></b></i> the<u> SSL Bus+ </u>always sounded a little over-done, using the parallel compression mix knob just made the compression disappear but did not result in an improved mix. It was a lot of trial and error, mostly error.</p><p>The Warm Audio Bus Comp is true to the original SSL hardware circuit designs from years gone by, at least for components that are available. The VCA chips in the WA-Bus Comp are from THAT Corp. The control layout is simple and effective. You can use it as two mono processors but that's not what it's for. I gotta say, I love the single rack-space, stereo processor layout of the Warm Audio Bus Comp. It's a solid piece of hardware and it feels good mounted in a commercial rack or a home-brew wood rack. </p><p><b><i><u>On its best day</u></i></b> the <u>Warm Audio Bus Comp</u> helped pull the mix together, made it speak-like-one and glued all the tracks together into a cohesive sonic landscape. It is easy to bring a mix to life with the WA Bus Comp.</p><p>Warm Audio gave their Bus Comp a secret weapon, <i>switchable discrete op amps and transformer coupled outputs</i>. This feature means you can have the standard old electronically balanced outputs like classic SSL designs or you can switch in the big USA Cine Mag transformers driven by discrete op amps and enjoy enhanced sound output; this is an old-school boutique design, built for the artist. It is a bit like adding an API output stage to an SSL Bus Comp and it definitely affects the output in a positive way.</p><p><b>CONTROLS</b></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2lA_mBt2Bz_BCU_UQVr9Rm1Z0ihCwe9RICeFC6IOLTlF44pGtIjZ3ZNkseaw9oeBdjoUobtHnLB0vXqZnZXAxADtf3N-lge5nMg03HGviIHR_k-0hQb-cbB6Cmq8wRsGtcuG9fRtJNGnNNMdJYA9a3NAZJ4DrkozeKDtqZDLbXWKgnzkfU5hSsMiZP0/s3755/02%20Bus+%20left%20ch%20controls%20IMG_2749.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1485" data-original-width="3755" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl2lA_mBt2Bz_BCU_UQVr9Rm1Z0ihCwe9RICeFC6IOLTlF44pGtIjZ3ZNkseaw9oeBdjoUobtHnLB0vXqZnZXAxADtf3N-lge5nMg03HGviIHR_k-0hQb-cbB6Cmq8wRsGtcuG9fRtJNGnNNMdJYA9a3NAZJ4DrkozeKDtqZDLbXWKgnzkfU5hSsMiZP0/w400-h159/02%20Bus+%20left%20ch%20controls%20IMG_2749.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SSL Bus+ Left Channel Controls</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The SSL web site is full of more information about all the knobs and controls. If you're serious about adding a Bus+ to your studio then I suggest you go to the Solid State Logic web site and download the manual to learn about all the features in depth. </p><p>Frankly I found the face panel of the Bus+ to be confusing to use in actual mixing situations, the left and right channels are not symmetrical so when I'm working fast I'm distracted by knobs changing position and function from left to right. I'm not a fan of all the detented pots on the Bus+, the feel of these components does not inspire confidence. The square buttons feel more like cell phone or TV remote control quality (which might be great and reliable long term but I don't care for them).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9o0S8CXMxYRkSIZ_FixpAjiPn6QUkL3WwDyQLGcuHx8Svm1zyiA_gwAnxmn_tlBd_PYuUC0tZwkRbtEp_ffUbjw1JgqEfr-9Ck34HPui6SvB-KP9pPAgkvd4HaNn98F7pYSBT-3IXG8IqjN7SGVMpztvbyp2TjRASEdyc1b5eBhssSBfBpQ1_BW_z7U/s3915/03%20Bus+%20right%20ch%20controls%20IMG_2750.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1459" data-original-width="3915" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9o0S8CXMxYRkSIZ_FixpAjiPn6QUkL3WwDyQLGcuHx8Svm1zyiA_gwAnxmn_tlBd_PYuUC0tZwkRbtEp_ffUbjw1JgqEfr-9Ck34HPui6SvB-KP9pPAgkvd4HaNn98F7pYSBT-3IXG8IqjN7SGVMpztvbyp2TjRASEdyc1b5eBhssSBfBpQ1_BW_z7U/w400-h149/03%20Bus+%20right%20ch%20controls%20IMG_2750.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SSL Bus+ Right Channel Controls</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Warm Audio Bus Comp has a neat clean face, clearly labeled controls, and overall the knobs and switches have a professional feel. I have 15 tons of equipment and I appreciate the 1-RU enclosure. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9jaIo7fQcIE0la0i7ie5Z4PtbTuk4Pst68yQ960MgqMuZjTDypzHcRCTuW7z2CjYeofbMat6YaazOH_tqeRKqtd2BMQws9C82gwO4nc7IAAcFK6R4jewebSutK5_gPghmdCdwaYA-DEPiPu-TYa4c4oXqEXyI9kZT-TBnSc0uetMROREVI9AyNzCFjw/s3667/IMG_4410.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="3667" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9jaIo7fQcIE0la0i7ie5Z4PtbTuk4Pst68yQ960MgqMuZjTDypzHcRCTuW7z2CjYeofbMat6YaazOH_tqeRKqtd2BMQws9C82gwO4nc7IAAcFK6R4jewebSutK5_gPghmdCdwaYA-DEPiPu-TYa4c4oXqEXyI9kZT-TBnSc0uetMROREVI9AyNzCFjw/w640-h64/IMG_4410.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm Audio Bus Comp</td></tr></tbody></table><p>KUDOS AND CONCERNS</p><p>The SSL Bus+ is a beast of a piece of hardware with good weight, a lot of switches, stepped pots and two beautiful meters. It's got a lot of ways to tweak, distort and manipulate your sound. If you're a mixing guy that makes his living grinding out mixes for artists this might be a real hardware asset to you. If you're a mastering guy this might offer some fun sonic diversion and exploration. If you're a creative artist looking for a stereo bus compressor to glue your mixes together there are much lower priced pieces of gear that will be indistinguishable in a mix (unless they sound better ;-)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiydu8FcVO63Hn35oEdK6iIb1TrY6yiXRwY3yV9gK__ZyfStLgZ9QjiU2H6firJQSx8f3qUkFTS_X4Rf0rGdyCZ9doPtDU2URUJavB8AmRn7iITI14hY_07wnAZQ7GG1tMMNLQ45UmP16c-31NMh-EvvUkGKHVFk2whePqFSdfRL5rYAEASwFWFno0Oko/s3848/04%20Bus+%20meters%20IMG_2751.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1991" data-original-width="3848" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiydu8FcVO63Hn35oEdK6iIb1TrY6yiXRwY3yV9gK__ZyfStLgZ9QjiU2H6firJQSx8f3qUkFTS_X4Rf0rGdyCZ9doPtDU2URUJavB8AmRn7iITI14hY_07wnAZQ7GG1tMMNLQ45UmP16c-31NMh-EvvUkGKHVFk2whePqFSdfRL5rYAEASwFWFno0Oko/w400-h208/04%20Bus+%20meters%20IMG_2751.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus+ has two meters and some shaping EQ</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Inside the enclosure, the Bus+ features fiberglass circuit boards and surface mount components, a lot of surface mount components. Surface mount is not bad unless your repair shop does not have the specialized equipment needed to do component replacements (in the event a repair is ever needed). </p><p>I avoided buying the Warm Audio Bus Comp for quite a while, I was sure (for no good reason) I needed something better. I've never been unhappy with my API 2500 since it arrived here years ago but I'm always open to discovering something different that improves my mixes. </p><p>The Warm Audio Bus Comp has been an absolute joy to use, it's hard to make it sound bad and it's easy to bring a mix to the foreground, make it sound like it is meant to be and hold the level in the pocket. The Cine Mag output transformers give the Bus Comp a huge sound.</p><p>Inside the enclosure the Warm Audio Bus Comp uses fiberglass circuit boards and through-hole components like gear of yesteryear. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>Ultimately the measure of any piece of equipment is how much you use it. I have the Warm Audio Bus Comp patched to the inserts of my vocal subgroup so I'm mixing with it every day. Makeup gain and threshold are the two controls I use most often. I love how this box pulls a vocal mix together and puts it right in your face (in a pleasant way).</p><p>The Warm Audio Bus Comp delivers totally professional performance for an extraordinary price. </p><p>Good Music To You!</p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology. </p><p>©2023 Mark King, It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission from the author.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-42852175939364620492023-07-16T04:29:00.007-04:002023-07-26T20:54:04.837-04:00REVIEW NEVE 8816 VS SOUNDCRAFT GB4-16, OUTSIDE THE BOX<p> NEVE VS SOUNDCRAFT</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHq0chBrPr-P-q7lr_mL1vW7wLBnpIGhMLyFrfbTE2yiSPe1HXgCEcTqPqnW6ljVlE7zbiLzU-IPH5PavNiabcPO8DlHt3MUqel06S7o9DB5F2CPR4N26XdqXs_uIOievQV6icAgesCm_MXY1BLA1623WfVtyzTZEvE2oDwT8fuLxFYxT8seDvYqT7Os/s1882/01%208816%20vs%20GB4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1882" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHq0chBrPr-P-q7lr_mL1vW7wLBnpIGhMLyFrfbTE2yiSPe1HXgCEcTqPqnW6ljVlE7zbiLzU-IPH5PavNiabcPO8DlHt3MUqel06S7o9DB5F2CPR4N26XdqXs_uIOievQV6icAgesCm_MXY1BLA1623WfVtyzTZEvE2oDwT8fuLxFYxT8seDvYqT7Os/w400-h229/01%208816%20vs%20GB4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>When the Neve 8816 first hit the market I ordered one. I also ordered the 8804 fader package which basically changes the 8816 into a mini Neve console with hands-on faders. Was it a wise investment?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>WELCOME TO THE CHALLENGE, NEVE VS SOUNDCRAFT, HERESY?</p><p>First of all, I love both of these great British brands and have a lot of their gear which I've purchased over the years. The Neve brand has had a crazy ride over the last 30 years but the current management seems stable and the products they are outputting are genuine British design and manufacture. Most importantly, their gadgets sound awesome. Few gear purchases have delivered inspiring sonics like my Neve pieces. </p><p>Soundcraft was born more than 14 years after Mr. Neve had started his business. Phil Dudderidge and Graham Blyth started Soundcraft and their products were well accepted in the live sound marketplace. The Soundcraft 200 was a great success, a full modular stereo mixing console with several input modules available to meet the needs of the user. Currently the Soundcraft brand is owned by Samsung.</p><p>The GB in the name of the Soundcraft GB series is a tribute to the product engineering by Graham Blyth.</p><p>WHICH NEVE?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVO-b3IiX1ew8Qsh803Q8h4LDIBpxg3lX3rtWasV6N-FFYC-O2cr_M1y_mFw-y8aQuwqhAMMYf6oWVGm0Ml44J1sRLLU3YrI_l2rc9N5qGw8pDhDFtODhBUS32osiZRN3Sc5Z50zcrfQPbPmu9YRu2nUCby-EK9TQpSr_4nPKXnmNnCbrBpVqVIcWeJfs/s4032/8816-2.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVO-b3IiX1ew8Qsh803Q8h4LDIBpxg3lX3rtWasV6N-FFYC-O2cr_M1y_mFw-y8aQuwqhAMMYf6oWVGm0Ml44J1sRLLU3YrI_l2rc9N5qGw8pDhDFtODhBUS32osiZRN3Sc5Z50zcrfQPbPmu9YRu2nUCby-EK9TQpSr_4nPKXnmNnCbrBpVqVIcWeJfs/s320/8816-2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neve Main Mix 8816 at H.o.T. Studio</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Neve 8816 was introduced over 15 years ago and was the first product specifically engineered to answer the needs of DAW mixing. I ordered mine through the local Guitar Center store in St Louis. The 8804 fader package arrived three months after I placed the order for both pieces. By itself the 8816 is a bare bones stereo mixer with some trick monitor and cue options. The recall software is a big advertising point but I never use it. It's too much of a pain to have another little program running along side my DAW. In my experience Neve has been tardy in keeping their software up to date. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVK4iDHdUzSjHI5AWiCjYU-gWyblkQrzGICqvKGURR_QSJEc2iTcWUkcY8kjxrmurEaDXtE-sFrtpsPI_ykSC6woj4x9VvxKOb6PUsopRcl8ohT4-MSygSsW7-FAXlB54LL1XZqK-WizCq1aVRtEO1ybjIQx3Ktqs-fBla8hBzcSv6v7X1s9TjlImAf5k/s3515/8804.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="3515" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVK4iDHdUzSjHI5AWiCjYU-gWyblkQrzGICqvKGURR_QSJEc2iTcWUkcY8kjxrmurEaDXtE-sFrtpsPI_ykSC6woj4x9VvxKOb6PUsopRcl8ohT4-MSygSsW7-FAXlB54LL1XZqK-WizCq1aVRtEO1ybjIQx3Ktqs-fBla8hBzcSv6v7X1s9TjlImAf5k/s320/8804.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8804 Fader Pack</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Basically the 8816 is a stereo line mixer with 16 input channels. There are also a pair of bus inputs for expansion. To install the 8804 you must open the top of the 8816 and move some jumpers along with installing the I.O. connector in the rear panel. It's not simple and it's not an easy installation for someone without technical skills. </p><p>The sound is what I really love about the 8816, it adds an overall air of spaciousness with tight authority in the lower registers; all my mixes have been going through the 8816 since it first arrived in my studio. </p><p>Neve uses a technology they refer to as "voltage mixing". In this analog summing bus design they knock the signal level down from line level to -40dBu inside the mixer. The output stage of the mixer amplifies the summed mix signal back up to line level through a pair of custom Neve designed transformers, ultimately the outputs are electronically balanced, but the sound they're carrying has that sweet vintage Neve magic which we'll be talking about in more detail. </p><p>WHICH SOUNDCRAFT?</p><p>Soundcraft has made A LOT of mixers since the company began in the mid 70's and the brand continues to deliver products today, in spite of multiple corporate acquisitions. The actual manufacture of most Soundcraft products moved to China many years ago, along with other British console brands like Allen and Heath and SSL. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bTW-2_jgViV--78Pj0YxjQt_Q_TKFb2OVW8lI9IR1eLmB5wWp8VLpQDgH-9WEcLheC4qVrh1Gpu68RQgGsN8MIVrKRUXMUlUPlAQKO0KUxPcoTJz09gxV7LCNzk_6SBYuXmrZXoN8ErDgG-BU8AgmdNhZc9RzpvJKrxG1X_6td7NBT4GbwjYf3khX30/s3839/GB4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2844" data-original-width="3839" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bTW-2_jgViV--78Pj0YxjQt_Q_TKFb2OVW8lI9IR1eLmB5wWp8VLpQDgH-9WEcLheC4qVrh1Gpu68RQgGsN8MIVrKRUXMUlUPlAQKO0KUxPcoTJz09gxV7LCNzk_6SBYuXmrZXoN8ErDgG-BU8AgmdNhZc9RzpvJKrxG1X_6td7NBT4GbwjYf3khX30/s320/GB4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In this review we'll be considering the Soundcraft GB4-16 mixing console. This mixer is a full and proper mixing console. It has 16 mono input modules and two stereo input modules. The GB4 features 8 auxiliary sends (4 pre-fader and 4 post-fader, switchable to pre-fader), 4 sub groups and a stereo master output along with a mono center channel output which is intended for live applications. Each subgroup has an auxiliary return. There is also a little matrix section (top right, just below meters) for creating alt mixes in live applications. These consoles have been quite popular with churches and houses of worship, the matrix could be used to create mixes for hallway and restroom feeds. </p><p>WHAT MAKES A GOOD MIXER?</p><p>Smooth, linear frequency response throughout the audio range is a hallmark of quality professional products. </p><p><i><b>FREQUENCY RESPONSE</b></i></p><p><b>SOUNDCRAFT</b>: Less than 1dB of deviation from 20Hz to 20,000Hz is the frequency response range of the Soundcraft GB4, from input to output. </p><p><b>NEVE</b>: Neve lists the frequency response of the 8816 as plus or minus .5 dB from 20Hz to 20,000Hz and frequency response extends on up to 60,000Hz where it is down 3dB. </p><p><i><b>OUTPUT LEVEL</b></i></p><p>Output level is another important characteristic to consider. A mixer needs to be able to deliver a stereo output with sufficient signal level for professional recording applications. </p><p><b>SOUNDCRAFT</b>: The Soundcraft GB4 has a claimed maximum output of +20dBu. </p><p><b>NEVE</b>: The Neve 8816 has a claimed maximum output of +26 dBu. </p><p><b><i>DISTORTION</i></b></p><p>Low levels of distortion are another benchmark for quality equipment. </p><p><b>SOUNDCRAFT</b>: Soundcraft claims the GB4 has total harmonic distortion of less than .006% at +20dBu, this means it has virtually no distortion at full output.</p><p><b>NEVE</b>: Neve rates the Total Harmonic Distortion of the 8816 at better than .02% from 50 to 20,000 Hz at +20dBu. This specification also means the Neve has virtually no distortion in its useable range. I suspect that Neve limits the scope of their frequency response rating due to the audio transformers inside, transformers distort more as frequency goes down, it is just a matter of physics not bad transformer design. </p><p>WHAT MAKES A BAD MIXER?</p><p>Back in 1987 I bought a 24 channel British console which had an integrated 16 channel monitor section for use with a tape deck. Advertising said this configuration delivered 40+ line inputs at remix. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobMGL2KqOUMXzjlW7enxJgf_viKSEoAxAovLSFAYWSVe-_ypnTYplHmWjUEqfEd4caAqmsUdNMqMuV_RmqrPG9O3K3lrR3_4nsfyJZBDW4ESZZSOuDuxTtj-gPOUkTtZ-kxm7wGzJ4v-AAqJXDs8rZWXCnkpewGp9vekYCZhE76uRrlkBzkthn4KYrdo/s529/AHsys8.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="529" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobMGL2KqOUMXzjlW7enxJgf_viKSEoAxAovLSFAYWSVe-_ypnTYplHmWjUEqfEd4caAqmsUdNMqMuV_RmqrPG9O3K3lrR3_4nsfyJZBDW4ESZZSOuDuxTtj-gPOUkTtZ-kxm7wGzJ4v-AAqJXDs8rZWXCnkpewGp9vekYCZhE76uRrlkBzkthn4KYrdo/s320/AHsys8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least it looked cool (not a good reason to choose any gear)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>With only 16 tape tracks and a couple of reverb returns in use this console sounded pretty good; but when you filled every input (two synchronized 16-track tape decks) along with a few stereo effect processors (aka Reverb) and hammered it with a rocking mix the summing electronics would break down and distort. This was not a pleasant, progressive distortion and once you begin to hear it you can't get away from this awful character being added to your music. Within 6-months this big hunk of hardware was no longer in my studio.</p><p>Other people who only listened to this console doing a 2-track playback never complained but the more I listened to this desk the more I hated its sound. This became my benchmark for listening to mixing boards, whether, over time, I heard something alarming or not good about the tonal quality of the output. As my electrical engineering chops developed I came to believe that the outboard power supply for this mixing desk was under sized and incapable of delivering sufficient current to light up all the 5532 and 5534 op amps contained in the console input and output modules. This is not condemnation of the 5532 and 5534 op amp components in the slightest, the best components can easily be used in compromised designs. </p><p>So to answer the original question, what makes a bad mixer? The answer is, one in which sound passes through and is made unpleasant to the human ear. </p><p>LONG TERM USE AND LISTENING</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBc5aqJVRDtRM6j6NyE8EfGf5B0S13YFDstsgoN-cX7PHDSznbUjWOLfcsXBhU4rTmWkxKZPZ6xJY-GDtRT10X1jy31yi1HHGun2iTvj_elLIe38Wuc1aXhtXuuqYwb412zR9rS8dEw-VUYlYscqhd_0_DQ9NLWG0PTY7R1b8tKjsTsJss2IfmdKMVSrc/s950/8816%20front%20and%20rear.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="950" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBc5aqJVRDtRM6j6NyE8EfGf5B0S13YFDstsgoN-cX7PHDSznbUjWOLfcsXBhU4rTmWkxKZPZ6xJY-GDtRT10X1jy31yi1HHGun2iTvj_elLIe38Wuc1aXhtXuuqYwb412zR9rS8dEw-VUYlYscqhd_0_DQ9NLWG0PTY7R1b8tKjsTsJss2IfmdKMVSrc/s320/8816%20front%20and%20rear.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front and rear of 8816</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've been using my first Neve 8816/8804 mixer since around 2005 and it has been a joy sonically. I've had no breakdowns or difficulties with it ever. </p><p>The first Soundcraft GB series mixer came to work with me when my partner and I were streaming a live show on the internet in 2011, it was a 16 channel stereo console, I liked the sound of it so much that when it came time to upgrade I went for the GB4-16. This console also performed electronically way-above-its-cost, delivering quality low noise performance on every mix.</p><p>Neither the Neve or Soundcraft have ever been disappointing sonically in any respect. </p><p>LETS COMPARE CONSOLE HARDWARE FEATURES</p><p>NEVE 8816 FEATURES</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>16 line level balanced inputs, Stereo output fader with "Width" control</li><li>Mute switch, volume and pan on every channel</li><li>Dual Master inserts, One pre-Master fader and one post-Master fader</li><li>Dual peak reading output level meters</li><li>Full control room monitoring with two outputs for speakers</li><li>Inputs and Outputs on 25-pin D-sub cables</li><li>Uses 88 series "Voltage Mixing" technology, a Neve exclusive</li></ul><p></p><p>SOUNDCRAFT GB4 FEATURES</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>16 input channels, each with mic or line input socket, unbalanced channel-insert socket, mute, 4-LED pre-fader input level display</li><li>Variable gain preamp on each input channel</li><li>4-band EQ on 16-mono channels, each with sweepable frequency on the two mid controls</li><li>Eight auxiliary mix sends (4-prefader, 4 switchable pre/post fader)</li><li>Two stereo input channels with 4-band EQ (great for effects returns)</li><li>Four mono subgroups, each with balanced output, LED VU, unbalanced pre-fader insert-points, aux return input, 100mm fader, mute, </li><li>Four mute groups</li><li>Stereo master output section with Control Room and 2-track return functions, Stereo Master LED VU, unbalanced pre-fader insert-points</li></ul><p></p><p>COMPARING SOUND BETWEEN NEVE AND SOUNDCRAFT</p><p>For my A-B listening tests I reconfigured my Coleman Audio TC-4 monitor controller. The TC-4 features relay switched loops for switching mastering effects in or out of the circuit. These loops also provide an excellent means for comparing any audio in A-B listening tests, pushbutton simple, instantaneous, noiseless and colorless. My TC-4 meter outputs are connected to high resolution JLM bargrraph meters which have 1-dB resolution; this makes it easy to match analog signal levels very precisely.</p><p>To try and get an idea about the sonic imprint of the Neve and the Soundcraft I listened to favorite CD's I'm familiar with. Listening to CD's through the Neve and Soundcraft in an A-B setup really did not reveal anything definitive, <i><u>both products sounded basically equal</u></i>. For straight sonic appeal I'll admit I lean towards the Neve, there is an authoritative character in the low frequencies and a zing in the highs which I don't hear using the Soundcraft alone. On the other hand, the Neve has no EQ, only one pre-fader aux send, solo is a pain to use and there are very limited 1/4" jacks for making connections. This means expensive D-Sub cables just to plug the 8816 in and use it. </p><p>I mixed an album back in 2009 using only the 8816/8804. All EQ was done with plugins. Outboard compressors were used and the stereo master bus compressor was a Chameleon Labs clone of an SSL (which was recommended and sold to me by Warren at Zen Pro Audio). My output converters were a pair of Apogee Ensemble, two 8-channel rack mount converters provided 16 balanced output channels. That album was the least fun mix I've ever done, it took 9-months to mix ten songs. I felt like my hands were tied using only plugins for EQ. I'd look down at the 8804 and wonder "where's the rest of my mixer". My background was analog multitrack tape so going almost totally digital with practically no hands-on controls was a struggle even though I'd been working with digital audio since the late 80's. My plugin collection back then was almost entirely Waves brand. </p><p>I've spent countless hours mixing on the Soundcraft, I love all the knobs, EQ, faders, inserts; all that hardware I can put my hands on and jockey the balance between anything, louder or softer, push a fader or turn a knob instantly. I need all this analog mixing control to work my magic, I could never go back to digital-only, even with some analog mixing thrown in. My analog console workflow takes off the handcuffs of digital-only workflow and gives me the best of analog and digital working together.</p><p>GB4 EQ</p><p>The equalizer stages in the GB4 can be switched IN or OUT of the signal path. My approach is to record material <i><u>right</u></i> from the start of a track so I don't use the console EQ very often. The EQ in the GB4 is sweet and useful when I have called on it. Being able to switch it completely out of the signal path is very useful. </p><p>A High-Pass filter is available on a switch up at the top of each GB4 mono channel strip. This filter removes just the right amount of bass to help tighten up a track in a mix. </p><p>BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, <i><u>FEED THE SOUNDCRAFT INTO THE NEVE</u></i></p><p>One day, while fooling around, I connected the GB console stereo master output to feed a pair of inputs on the Neve 8816, I did it so I could use the Neve for parallel compression, stereo width control, dual monitor speakers for comparing mixes and even a little output level boost as the stereo mix heads for a 2-track master recording. Going through the Neve 8816 adds that <u>authoritative low-end</u> and <i><u>zing in the highs</u></i> which makes the Neve sound so unique and desirable. </p><p>WHAT IS MISSING?</p><p>How do you feed your DAW with the tracks you want to record? </p><p>The Neve 8816 has a convoluted way of feeding the DAW but it does not include mic preamps so you'll need to address that if you're using one of these.</p><p>The Soundcraft GB4 does not have inline monitoring or any function to feed the DAW so you'll need to address that if you're using a GB4 for mixing. I use a lot of TRS 1/4" patchbays for routing signals around; these provide reliable and flexible ways of sending signals where they need to go.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShflT20OFF6tN4tg3mK7dAXDTgsoIlDarsZGw4MdMvS-xgN2P0dDjvBjhSaSRA1z5-u98ZZDgbnK0pnp7-CO8itd8YFei-DOsO1TACy-5h53FlBTglDDQtl8yNxhySeJKyNpS1U81oxEnNYtXbvWT1VwGuv1rPEWnEaaRngua6pUMcc_36dT9Pl6Z_-g/s3700/1073-8816-2%20rack.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3700" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShflT20OFF6tN4tg3mK7dAXDTgsoIlDarsZGw4MdMvS-xgN2P0dDjvBjhSaSRA1z5-u98ZZDgbnK0pnp7-CO8itd8YFei-DOsO1TACy-5h53FlBTglDDQtl8yNxhySeJKyNpS1U81oxEnNYtXbvWT1VwGuv1rPEWnEaaRngua6pUMcc_36dT9Pl6Z_-g/s320/1073-8816-2%20rack.jpeg" width="262" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second 8816 for feeding DAW</td></tr></tbody></table><p>To get the recording flexibility I wanted and the right sound, I purchased a second 8816 mixer, a rack full of preamps and a patch bay that allows me to pick which preamp feeds which DAW input. It was another "wiring" festival to connect all this gear but total flexibility was the pay off. The 8816 is a great piece to mix through but it's also a great piece to use to mix signals together and input them into the DAW.</p><p>Sending the Neve 1073spx through a Neve 8816 imparts that classic Neve tone which our ears are accustomed to from listening to albums mixed on Vintage Neve desks. Recording the Kemper Rack through the 8816 adds that authoritative Neve low end analog character to the Kemper digital sound.</p><p>BUYING ADVICE</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkfGiMjGu73JE7fwh9PyHiZ8ga-3NCQ-eEPZQYQAs1NKE9mIYWP1Vqbi4nQklw3B0AtqH_FNeHe77hHmGMCDAZXOqDGqpHV0uh6OHswJNM2Q4nq1nviWWHsfA399GifUIgATnqL2DFSiOxfOS3dZ3eNHTIYPVAYMSGgIXGyny-5eDu2XLVo3jHi1nNV0/s3515/8804.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="3515" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkfGiMjGu73JE7fwh9PyHiZ8ga-3NCQ-eEPZQYQAs1NKE9mIYWP1Vqbi4nQklw3B0AtqH_FNeHe77hHmGMCDAZXOqDGqpHV0uh6OHswJNM2Q4nq1nviWWHsfA399GifUIgATnqL2DFSiOxfOS3dZ3eNHTIYPVAYMSGgIXGyny-5eDu2XLVo3jHi1nNV0/s320/8804.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neve 8804 Fader Package</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I'm not a huge fan of the Neve 8804 fader pack. The solo controls don't function unless you have both the mixer and the fader pack connected to a computer with (2) USB cables, plus you need Neve software running, which takes more processor horsepower away from your DAW. The Neve software does give you "Recall" which could be useful but in my personal studio workflow I don't need it. One final important bit about the 8804, the line level direct outputs per mixer channel come from the 8804 fader pack, on more recent issues these direct outputs are connected using D-Sub cables instead of a custom made piece (which cost me $300 to have built). Implementing the direct-outputs on the Neve is more painful wiring.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxvtYE5MY_OnI5AHQl3dGwWQ_CP4vpBpDnFL9EB3ASQaFMhwQNx0B_YQkP9JbnrYZnf_6MRwBS6zJclIfI7J7ATgIJXctpLMZLclFvC7EwQPw-77FzMwPp1yg3bBtftFZ73gpX1Ej0oTy3eWA9qJz4A3vmctcRDzjDjI4H27SIIdNi1ij6PBl4cK--XI/s3742/GB4%20vs%208816-3.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2687" data-original-width="3742" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxvtYE5MY_OnI5AHQl3dGwWQ_CP4vpBpDnFL9EB3ASQaFMhwQNx0B_YQkP9JbnrYZnf_6MRwBS6zJclIfI7J7ATgIJXctpLMZLclFvC7EwQPw-77FzMwPp1yg3bBtftFZ73gpX1Ej0oTy3eWA9qJz4A3vmctcRDzjDjI4H27SIIdNi1ij6PBl4cK--XI/s320/GB4%20vs%208816-3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using GB4 to feed Neve 8816</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The 8804 Fader Package is currently selling for $1740 on Sweetwater. The GB4-16 mixing console is selling for $2059 on Sweetwater. I suggest that you buy a Soundcraft GB series mixer and connect it to the inputs 1 and 2 on the 8816. This will get you 16 faders, mutes, solo which works without software, metering, mute groups, subgroups, direct outputs on every channel using the Soundcraft, along with parallel Neve processing connections (which are fully balanced) and the Neve "Width" control. With this setup you can use the Neve control room features and drive two sets of monitor speakers which are switch selectable. A Soundcraft GB4-16 mixing console feeding a Neve 8816 produces an even more flexible workflow for only around $300 more than buying an 8816 and 8804. </p><p>One final payoff, the 100mm faders on the GB4 console "feel" a lot better than the parts Neve chose for the 8804.</p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>I admit it, I love both the Neve and the Soundcraft GB series mixing consoles. I'd be totally happy with a GB4-16 for mixing, it's got EQ, aux sends, inserts, effects returns, metering, everything an old analog guy craves and the price is silly low. You'll need to use a split console metaphor, just like the original Neve Wessex desk did. The reward is great sound and lots of control. </p><p>Snobs might argue that the Soundcraft can't compete in the Neve league of sonics, I very politely beg to disagree. The Soundcraft GB series offers excellent sound (if anything it's clinical sounding), plenty of headroom to accommodate all the inputs and a hands-on analog console with rock solid features. True, it was designed as a "live" mixing console; with 40+ years of experience, I just look past the hype and see a mixing console. There is nothing about it being a live mixer that limits it sonically in a studio mixing situation. </p><p>If I could only pick one for mixing it would have to be the Soundcraft GB4 because I NEED all those analog aux controls, subgroups and all those individual EQ circuits. They're not resonant inductor equalizers like the Neve 1073 but they sound really good and the whole GB4 console is about the same price as one channel of Neve 1073spx. The GB4 EQ does not contribute a bunch of noise, each can be individually switched out of the signal path. Having two sweepable mid bands really gives you a lot of tone control.</p><p>Once I made the Neve 8816 the master output of my mixing process, my sonic paint palette was complete, the sweet authoritative sonics of the Neve complement the capabilities of the GB series Soundcraft mixing console, perfectly. </p><p>You can download the user manual for both of these mixing systems and learn a lot without investing in either product. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzr2eVTcHqTmZZ3uXIRZ9fIbMWWwcsa-8krdLSnlPAiB8nPhcPQ0_jeAWlSZihgu0HXbu89pkG9UKIkrMz0WQu6df11IsSC7-dw87ZubWTzPysgm2HxMTttv0plXC1HwXlagneStfIQm0uwGil1hXXtoL82zL2hHZxldhlB5sFDB0M411W_r5f9jUXKc/s3742/GB4%20vs%208816-3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2687" data-original-width="3742" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzr2eVTcHqTmZZ3uXIRZ9fIbMWWwcsa-8krdLSnlPAiB8nPhcPQ0_jeAWlSZihgu0HXbu89pkG9UKIkrMz0WQu6df11IsSC7-dw87ZubWTzPysgm2HxMTttv0plXC1HwXlagneStfIQm0uwGil1hXXtoL82zL2hHZxldhlB5sFDB0M411W_r5f9jUXKc/s320/GB4%20vs%208816-3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The combination of the Soundcraft feeding the Neve 8816 is the ultimate winner in this shootout. This pairing gives you lots of hands-on control through the GB4 and that sweet Neve sound. </p><p>Good Music To You! </p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology, ©July 2023 by Mark King, all rights reserved, it is NOT OK to copy or quote without written permission. Thanks again.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-62492638637333649112023-06-26T13:45:00.001-04:002024-01-06T07:01:51.540-05:00REVIEW ARTURIA SOFTWARE V COLLECTION, VIRTUAL SYNTHESIZER, ARE THEY GOOD?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj_yeEXhdCnVHixAXcdWRHVHQJZzeSvcG8CfkeG3ijvn9thJauW3mRI7ViMVs1o5qP5F73y2JBp4eM3BEqashsxEYGAC8jkZ0ZqwvEk1Ybn21pru3WHK6WMzuafwcl-krUnyHfso_QoyIBnX4kGaKbnoXT6LSSMbW-w4_Ioq4ke3LB4Ebv3Ic9txEElU/s2570/SQ80%20V.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1288" data-original-width="2570" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj_yeEXhdCnVHixAXcdWRHVHQJZzeSvcG8CfkeG3ijvn9thJauW3mRI7ViMVs1o5qP5F73y2JBp4eM3BEqashsxEYGAC8jkZ0ZqwvEk1Ybn21pru3WHK6WMzuafwcl-krUnyHfso_QoyIBnX4kGaKbnoXT6LSSMbW-w4_Ioq4ke3LB4Ebv3Ic9txEElU/w400-h200/SQ80%20V.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SQ80 V, <i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>THE ARTURIA V COLLECTION REVIEW</p><p>If you spent all your time testing and listening to ALL the various synthesizers and presets included in this package of instruments I think it would take a lifetime. It's D E E P !</p><p>I have been composing with the V Collection since version 8 of the package. I started this review after downloading fresh new versions of the complete V Collection 9 which has been updated for running native on Apple Silicon. Arturia generously gives you 5-authorizations, which lets you install it on several machines, dig into the software and forget about everything else. The newly recoded versions for Apple Silicon seem to be functioning beautifully. I'm using the V Collection with my buffers down at 32 samples in Logic Pro, which yields roundtrip latency of 2 milliseconds and synth output in 1.1 milliseconds through the Quantum Thunderbolt interface. </p><p>This review is mainly going to be ME, cherry picking the meat and potatoes of this instrument collection to help you decide if this software is right for you. Don't be confused by all the pretty instrument interfaces, these are powerful synthesizers. At the end of this article I'll reveal some secrets I've discovered to make them sound even more like real hardware synths. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>INSTALLATION. . . .no iLok required</p><p>Arturia has created a good software licensing system which is straight forward to operate. You create an account on the Arturia web site, then download the software licensing application for your operating system. Whenever you need to get updates or interact you simply run the app on your computer, the software knows your computer so the whole process is very streamlined and secure for Arturia and the user. An "Install All" button gets the full-install process rolling or you have the option of installing the synthesizers one-at-a-time in case you're limited on hard drive space and install time. </p><p>ARTURIA V COLLECTION, INSANE OR INSANE VALUE?</p><p>My introduction to the Arturia V-Collection began many years ago (around 2005) with my purchase of their Mini Moog, stand-alone, virtual instrument plugin. I was struggling with an early ProTools system on a Mac Laptop; every time I tried to use the Mini Moog plugin the DAW computer crashed. The Mini Moog V sounded very good but it was a huge processor resource hog. I'm so happy to report those days are far behind and the V Collection on modern computer hardware sounds fantastic and won't bring the system down. </p><p>WHY? WHAT?</p><p>Why use virtual synthesizers? Especially if you already have some really great hardware synths?</p><p>The answer comes in two parts. </p><p>1. The virtual synthesizer sounds REALLY REALLY good and each one comes with a LOT of presets that can help get you into the ballpark when you're composing. The knobular interface of these software synthesizer(s) allow you to manually tweak parameters to fit your song, speed up an attack time or adjust a filter and its release time. It's all adjustable and it's real synthesis inside your computer, so it requires almost zero setup time, no cabling or preamps and no physical space in the studio. </p><p>2. All the settings on the virtual synthesizer are stored, along with your musical session, inside your DAW so you don't need to write it all down or export the synth tracks to analog tracks. This allows all your synth parts to remain fully editable in the future if you want to remix the composition. </p><p>Couple these virtual synthesizers with a really nice keyboard controller and you've got an extremely powerful synthesizer system. </p><p>WHAT IS THE V COLLECTION</p><p>For the most part the V Collection is 33 virtual software instruments that resemble hardware units from many years ago. Each of the classic virtual synthesizers has controls and operates similarly to the way the original functioned. I like this system because I know how to operate many of the hardware units from experience a long time ago. I owned two Mini Moog Model D back in the very early 1980's so working with the knobs on the virtual version is like an old friend. More recently I owned a Moog Voyager for a few years. The excellent sound quality produced by the Arturia Moog(s) made it easy to sell off the heavy Voyager hardware and never look back.</p><p>While I never owned a Moog Model 55 Modular synthesizer I understand the workings from other Moog products so the Arturia virtual modular gives me a chance to experience things I never would otherwise. Before he passed away Dr Moog worked with Arturia on the creation of their virtual Moog synthesizer products so the sound quality is satisfyingly similar to hardware I'm familiar with. When I call up synth voices like the ARP 2600 (which spent time in my studio back in the 1980's) I love having that familiar sound inside my DAW attached to and stored with my song.</p><p>Many of the Arturia software synthesizers are capable of playing polyphonically, something the originals could not do. </p><p>None of this would matter if the software did not perform at a very high level; great sound quality is the only way to entice composer/creators to use a product like this. Fortunately, if you have the DAW computer horsepower this software delivers amazing sounds. </p><p>This company is very clever. They get you to buy one instrument for around $149 and it sounds great, so you buy another, and it sounds great and .....wait a minute, the V Collection offers ALL the Arturia software synthesizers for one low price. Suddenly that $599 price is starting to look like an amazing deal. . . . and it is!</p><p><b>An ever growing list of virtual instruments in the "Collection"</b></p><p>I'm running the latest V Collection on a 20-core Mac Studio, I'd almost swear the synthesizers sound better on the native Apple processor than they did on my 12-core Intel Mac Pro.</p><p>I bought into the complete V Collection back in 2020, you save a lot of money on the complete collection even if you don't use all of the individual instruments. Typically the synthesizers cost around $149 when purchased individually but your cost each goes WAY down when you buy them all in the V Collection. </p><p>After playing the V Collection for a couple of years I can finally say I am DONE with keyboard hardware. I've spent time comparing the V Collection Moog instruments to my Mini Moog Voyager keyboard hardware. I've spent time comparing my 1980s Yamaha DX7 keyboard to my DX7 V. I've also spent time comparing my Sequential Prophet 6 keyboard to the Prophet 5 V. I have also spent time comparing the sound output from my Kurzweil keyboards to the V Collection. In the future I'm going to put my money into the most powerful computer I can afford and run the Arturia V Collection on it. </p><p>ARTURIA AUGMENTED INSTRUMENTS</p><p><b>Augmented Voices </b>is a new synth in the V Collection. A simple interface gives way to powerful sound creation,</p><p><b>Piano-V</b> I already own so many great sounding piano sample libraries that this one is not getting much love but it is an amazing sounding collection of piano voices with a nice interface that invites experimentation. These piano sounds are generated, not sampled. Samples were involved in creating the sounds but the Arturia Piano V engine creates the sounds you're playing. It is processor demanding but wonderful sounding and it takes up a smaller hard disk footprint. </p><p><b>Augmented Strings</b> is another new addition. This one is not a redo of a vintage synth, this is Arturia stretching their legs and creating something brand new. This instrument is a malleable mashup of string voices, textures and effects. In typical Arturia style, there is a big collection of presets which can get you close, then use the knobs to tweak it more to fit your song. The interface is simple but very effective for accessing a huge variety of sounds easily. </p><p>A FEW OF MY FAVORITE V COLLECTION SYNTHS</p><p><b>MOOG Mini V</b> is what started it all for me with Arturia. Even though I lost track of my initial log in and license Arturia had everything on file and my original license still intact. This is a powerful and good sounding lead instrument. If you know how to adjust a Mini Moog Model D then you already know how to work this synth. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6rtPcA1VGoKyPg9Qnad_4etGy_XQzdFfKUe23FkAHcAdUZLP3Akg_eoLYAQ1Xxit3t6AZigsAKj3n8UWPrkq4Tj8TWnATN_-2I6LueNZyQPnjVtOU33j-fG4m9o4qPlx0uYkMg23LtJZdyUVLq-9rb6-dWnBRoefeOp1w6wjyR4wScJ0ILZwnEjkkGA/s2570/Moog%20Modular%20V.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2238" data-original-width="2570" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6rtPcA1VGoKyPg9Qnad_4etGy_XQzdFfKUe23FkAHcAdUZLP3Akg_eoLYAQ1Xxit3t6AZigsAKj3n8UWPrkq4Tj8TWnATN_-2I6LueNZyQPnjVtOU33j-fG4m9o4qPlx0uYkMg23LtJZdyUVLq-9rb6-dWnBRoefeOp1w6wjyR4wScJ0ILZwnEjkkGA/w400-h349/Moog%20Modular%20V.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moog Modular, <i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>MOOG Modular V</b> is where I go for Moog sounds whether it's leads, pads or basses. The ADSR are easy to adjust so you can really get this dialed in to match the song you're working on. The patch cords are easy to move when you want to do some experimenting. The attack in the virtual ADSR has the same fast snappy performance as the attack in the hardware ADSR. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_pHH61JsB6M4O05Kqz4-fvVBFODEccnyBrhifjydhquM5A35ZwXbSoice13eME65SSMuObctkJe31od7i0QyJ54WKNySlmvCUgbSvmfh-l2IBCbymO2OhbOdkaKhxkKpttCKBrjhGZHc82UeLFfRLdE07i3O9oc-OcKEe1IVuvk_7lz9ZL8mjyj1ZQw/s2570/ARP%202600.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2086" data-original-width="2570" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_pHH61JsB6M4O05Kqz4-fvVBFODEccnyBrhifjydhquM5A35ZwXbSoice13eME65SSMuObctkJe31od7i0QyJ54WKNySlmvCUgbSvmfh-l2IBCbymO2OhbOdkaKhxkKpttCKBrjhGZHc82UeLFfRLdE07i3O9oc-OcKEe1IVuvk_7lz9ZL8mjyj1ZQw/w400-h325/ARP%202600.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ARP 2600 V</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>ARP 2600 V</b> has the classic brash ARP tone which cuts through a dense mix. Stack up a few oscillators and enjoy the vintage flavor. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdWciEmqVFhR8DYlsIZrkUF5_V75tgXce83h0b5j_7sSs3_mxg4CTFsguvaXDPrd4qXwAexPKJlc21eO0U2407Hf5R2zQYmWmIckxLgzqzWC5-ri-4wWSGxkXTl_8-NylK_gmD2mTyHu5dqocouh-EZCNSgbEQmPq8m1kpmRprdkhpasZ8racHih0yqc/s2570/Yamaha%20CS80%20V.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="2570" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdWciEmqVFhR8DYlsIZrkUF5_V75tgXce83h0b5j_7sSs3_mxg4CTFsguvaXDPrd4qXwAexPKJlc21eO0U2407Hf5R2zQYmWmIckxLgzqzWC5-ri-4wWSGxkXTl_8-NylK_gmD2mTyHu5dqocouh-EZCNSgbEQmPq8m1kpmRprdkhpasZ8racHih0yqc/w400-h305/Yamaha%20CS80%20V.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CS-80 V, <i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Yamaha CS-80 V</b> is a heavy beast of a keyboard machine in real life hardware, they were very complex and "flakey" is how I'd describe their reliability, as a result there were not many of these expensive synthesizers made. Fortunately we have the Arturia virtual CS-80 and it is a juicy sounding synth capable of awesome pads, big resonant basses and wild lead tones. It took me a while to get around to getting into this one but it has great sounds in it. The filters are warm and very pleasant sounding. This synth has special character if you get into it deeper. This one dings the processor horsepower demands more than any other in my experience so far. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIUed-TLEF4pHKSwO2uZcFeLmzMbMKpnb4RM5w8zi8KD-_yxwM6x7Xrs3LSREfXpQ1Rgjm0tG3bdUC3g7wLOoOhR32IVBsw2B2s7Yshqtb4q88jMJABxUl-yWcpc-SLZgR9wpFOoBNBRcIbh74dbbQBvTalMz42cEGjJLXCzdCbT4_seKIXq7qmmRNC0/s2570/SEM%20V.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2168" data-original-width="2570" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIUed-TLEF4pHKSwO2uZcFeLmzMbMKpnb4RM5w8zi8KD-_yxwM6x7Xrs3LSREfXpQ1Rgjm0tG3bdUC3g7wLOoOhR32IVBsw2B2s7Yshqtb4q88jMJABxUl-yWcpc-SLZgR9wpFOoBNBRcIbh74dbbQBvTalMz42cEGjJLXCzdCbT4_seKIXq7qmmRNC0/w400-h338/SEM%20V.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oberheim SEM V, <i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Oberheim SEM V</b> can be a wonderful sound effects engine for things like wind, steam or surf. It also produces some juicy bass sounds. I have one of these included in my "regular" song writing template because it sounds so good and it's so versatile. </p><p><b>Ensoniq SQ80 V</b> is another bold sounding synth from the 80's. A friend of mine had an 88 key version of this synth hardware, I remember it being heavy and awkward to move and support but what a sound, massive, full dynamic, bright and imaginative. I never got a lot of hands-on time with his hardware because it was too heavy and difficult to carry it to the studio.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmvh1XZJEinTUsHYWUVuN_3xEDvVKDIrCPxrqH8YccdsFh_EWoUcLrtzG6Eb4zfHy_zGWSgRTYEmo8ntaAsiFp5ykTqZHFKNKDN_TY_IjNH6EIUP11LaqofQQRX0KRl8ejHfZsqHJ-rIYLJ35wZXWiVwUuJLIx4Qy-6FaQ2OsU0lbc0FrzXE5L37NbaA/s2570/Juno%20V.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="2570" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmvh1XZJEinTUsHYWUVuN_3xEDvVKDIrCPxrqH8YccdsFh_EWoUcLrtzG6Eb4zfHy_zGWSgRTYEmo8ntaAsiFp5ykTqZHFKNKDN_TY_IjNH6EIUP11LaqofQQRX0KRl8ejHfZsqHJ-rIYLJ35wZXWiVwUuJLIx4Qy-6FaQ2OsU0lbc0FrzXE5L37NbaA/w400-h210/Juno%20V.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Jun-V</b> sounds better than I remember the original Roland keyboard hardware sounding. I love surfing around the presets to see how the sounds are made by studying the front panel controls. There are good pads, leads and sound effects waiting for you to discover. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2xIq28dsitfxGjj_PFABAynb1MRdJsHGG6qW6C4G3WXAHIIdXbIuJ9fqv3jnoSK57w4AdhGxp5BeKnYPWUZSSknAPUGr2N-iO0eb5QtUjLVv0Zuy9MzU_sDqvkgp4kMTYe8O_qUypDmN7fnoS24r4dry2KSkMgZXoxMVTb4rdbMWLDe6_aaClAoIqVI/s2570/Mellotron.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1686" data-original-width="2570" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2xIq28dsitfxGjj_PFABAynb1MRdJsHGG6qW6C4G3WXAHIIdXbIuJ9fqv3jnoSK57w4AdhGxp5BeKnYPWUZSSknAPUGr2N-iO0eb5QtUjLVv0Zuy9MzU_sDqvkgp4kMTYe8O_qUypDmN7fnoS24r4dry2KSkMgZXoxMVTb4rdbMWLDe6_aaClAoIqVI/w400-h263/Mellotron.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mellotron V, <i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Mellotron V</b> is much better sounding and way more versatile than the current digital Mellotron brand keyboard hardware. The Arturia Mellotron V is easy to use and is dripping with the original instruments vibe and character. The interface works like the original hardware did, complete with dial to blend between the three tracks on a Mellotron tape cartridge. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TjdadOk26RUrmGhpd-ftBc-3dMT7oHeJJ7Qejge_iSRTpE-rTxLvaLme5VKjY9hYLwJ3ddbxmMa5CSJ2AY--L9muDjqclxlRkndPix5IoVXtibZDC3BVvED4WFaHfMz3fGD1bqZw8yxqLYt5o5ZOWlY0X4wLUzu_FvWrZoTlXkFWlCL5CvMWx0mtFKg/s2570/Prophet%205%20V%20w%20adv%20panel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2116" data-original-width="2570" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TjdadOk26RUrmGhpd-ftBc-3dMT7oHeJJ7Qejge_iSRTpE-rTxLvaLme5VKjY9hYLwJ3ddbxmMa5CSJ2AY--L9muDjqclxlRkndPix5IoVXtibZDC3BVvED4WFaHfMz3fGD1bqZw8yxqLYt5o5ZOWlY0X4wLUzu_FvWrZoTlXkFWlCL5CvMWx0mtFKg/w400-h329/Prophet%205%20V%20w%20adv%20panel.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prophet 5 V with Advanced Panel, <i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>Prophet 5 V</b> offers the classic Dave Smith polyphonic synth sound. It will instantly sound familiar to anyone who has ever noodled around with one of Daves synth creations. I still have my Prophet 6 but it's in danger of heading to a Reverb or ebay sale soon. This Prophet 5 sounds great and it lives inside my DAW, zero setup time makes it the obvious choice for tone and convenience. </p><p><b>Solina V</b> String Machine is a modeled version of the original string machine from the 70's with one big difference, this modeled version sounds A LOT better than the old hardware. The hum and background noise are gone. I have several different plugin versions of the original hardware, this one by Arturia has the closest to original tone (that's a good thing).</p><p><b>Wurlitzer V</b> electric piano is a modeled version of the old keyboard complete with "whoomph" when you release the keys (it's the sound of the mechanical action in the original hardware). These pianos used small metallic reeds which were struck by little hammers to deliver their funky mellow tone. I love this sound as a background to progressive rock instrumental guitar songs; it's a great complement to acoustic and electric guitar. </p><p>DEEPER CONTROLS</p><p>The V Collection synthesizers have extended control features beyond the original knobs and switches of the vintage designs. A hidden switch or button reveals these extended adjustments, on a per instrument basis, ranging from effects mixing to arpeggiator to sequencing, depending on the instrument. </p><p>CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT</p><p>Arturia continues to improve their classic creations. The latest versions for Apple Silicon are playing without any problems on my Mac Studio. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>"<u>GENESIS</u>" AN ARTURIA SYNTH COMPOSITION</b> BY MARK KING</p><p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1550360860&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-835457971" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Mark King">Mark King</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-835457971/genisis-192k" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Genesis 192k">Genesis 192k</a></div><p></p><p>For this ambient style musical creation I loaded up a LOT of Arturia V Collection instruments (see end of article for full updated list); these are all big processor-horsepower demanding choices like the CS-80 V, DX7 V, Piano V with lots of damper pedal down to keep a lot of strings ringing, Moog Modular V dancing back and forth with an ARP 2600V, with a Juno 106-style V sound playing across the full length of the tune. I added two different Mellotron V for the choir voices. No effects were added during the "out of the box" mixing, everything you hear is coming from the Arturia instruments (most are playing default patches). I did use an arpeggiator provided by Logic to creatively over stimulate the Prophet 5 V during the final minute of the song. It was the fastest way I could think of to play a lot of notes and see/hear if the computer would max out and choke (it did not). </p><p>My ultimate goal was to see and hear a bunch of my favorite V Collection synthesizers, all engaged and playing across one another on the 20-Core Mac Studio. Would it run out of processor horsepower? None of the tracks were frozen, they're all live and fully editable as midi. </p><p>The track was mixed through the H.o.T. hybrid Soundcraft GB40/Neve 8816 mixer, Coleman TC-4 with Neve 33609 bus comp engaged. The analog output from the TC-4 feeds the Tascam DA3000 converters and was recorded 192k/24-bit.</p><p>HOW TO MAKE VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS SOUND MORE LIKE HARDWARE</p><p>An analog hardware musical instrument like a Mini Moog, has a big physical body with "Output" electronics which add muscle, color and hue to the analog tone source. A digital hardware instrument like a Kurzweil K2000 keyboard also has an "Output" stage which delivers the analog audio signal in a useable form. Like Glen Coleman always says, "in the end, it's always analog" which means until we all get digital implants we will be hearing with our analog ears for the foreseeable future. All electronic keyboard instruments whether they are analog or digital deliver analog output(s) for us humans to listen to. </p><p>So, to make your virtual synthesizer(s) sound even thicker and more delicious, give them analog outputs by routing them out of your DAW to a mono or stereo tube EQ like a Warm or KT EQP style. As an alternative try routing it out through a stereo compressor like a DBX 166. Be sure to have the controls of the 166 handy, you need to be able to tweak them. Better yet run the EQ into the compressor for extra fatness. Even if the EQ is set flat or the audio is below the threshold on the compressor, the electronics you've added are like hardware outputs on a real keyboard instrument, they give adjusted sheen and girth to the virtual instrument voices.</p><p>This is where mixing "outside the box" adds unique color and dimension options to your musical creations. In this case it's about giving your Arturia digital instrument a physical body to speak with. You could attempt something similar with plugins but in my experience that never yields as BIG of a final sound as playing through real hardware does. </p><p>If you don't like my hardware choices use whatever you like,<i> the important thing</i> is to route the virtual instrument to the outside world by converting it into analog signals (exiting digital realm, entering real world as analog like we hear with), then give those analog sounds some electronic stages to play through so they can manifest more as pieces of analog hardware.</p><p>My first job in the Musical Instrument Industry was "repair technician". From this throne I got to see the circuitry in a lot of Roland, Korg and Yamaha synthesizers and effects. Whatever budget EQP style gadget you choose, the circuitry inside will be more robust than what keyboard manufacturers actually used in their products. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>Arturia virtual synthesizer instruments require significant computer horsepower to run in a fluid and natural way but they deliver huge sonic performance. At $149 each they are worth their price of admission but the $599.00 V Collection bundle price for 33 instruments makes these a must have for any serious modern composer. </p><p>Good Music To You!</p><p>Words and Music ©June 2023 by Mark King, all rights reserved. It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission. </p><p>Thanks for reading High on Technology</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJqCt2RqwCFZWhA_FAS3l4A7i3K1IuATkeDB9fawwz8uxikck4mB4-jqi700ys32dwW60qw-y8xWl9eDrk3F_s3jc_89FGK8tQ7YI6jWaU9PuA4iy0Di-K7Eet4k2dsewg-YFVim5-2akWImqvzKYPIjwXAGrAfz-6uTglnlBPoGpwQ804_bKQyYxoMo/s2570/DX-7%20V.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="2570" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJqCt2RqwCFZWhA_FAS3l4A7i3K1IuATkeDB9fawwz8uxikck4mB4-jqi700ys32dwW60qw-y8xWl9eDrk3F_s3jc_89FGK8tQ7YI6jWaU9PuA4iy0Di-K7Eet4k2dsewg-YFVim5-2akWImqvzKYPIjwXAGrAfz-6uTglnlBPoGpwQ804_bKQyYxoMo/w400-h213/DX-7%20V.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arturia DX-7 V, <i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>INSTRUMENTS USED IN "GENESIS" COMPOSITION</p><p>ARP 2600 V</p><p>Moog Modular V</p><p>SQ80 V</p><p>DX-7 V</p><p>Solina V2</p><p>Augmented Strings</p><p>Augmented Voices</p><p>Piano V</p><p>Matrix 12 V</p><p>(2) x SEM2 V</p><p>Prophet 5 V</p><p>CS-80 V</p><p>Jun-V</p><p>(2) Mellotron V</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-45277455607771081282023-06-18T18:35:00.004-04:002023-06-30T02:51:55.957-04:00HOW TO CONNECT BALANCED SIGNAL PROCESSOR TO UNBALANCED INSERT POINT, WHAT IS AN INSERT POINT?<p>HOW TO CONNECT BALANCED INPUTS AND OUTPUTS TO UNBALANCED INSERT(S)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHir_BbmV1e_jb_Jb-s_NhIMCQy_E0ao3BZlkHRuNrBSokzIlS0h4eQiAzI9Ooxkp-rnftJf25k78wCuXdn8RHZEJc6hG1ZAnBn4yNGYQQW7nw5_14GX-nC3ZBWnOU6a1fz6OcW6RmA5Y7bWy6-bTb77_StfJmTW9A_HPuNuILZ8-NqC-jlv_0dAu/s3344/IMG_4290.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1785" data-original-width="3344" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHir_BbmV1e_jb_Jb-s_NhIMCQy_E0ao3BZlkHRuNrBSokzIlS0h4eQiAzI9Ooxkp-rnftJf25k78wCuXdn8RHZEJc6hG1ZAnBn4yNGYQQW7nw5_14GX-nC3ZBWnOU6a1fz6OcW6RmA5Y7bWy6-bTb77_StfJmTW9A_HPuNuILZ8-NqC-jlv_0dAu/w400-h214/IMG_4290.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Balanced-Insert cable no company offers</td></tr></tbody></table><p>CAVEAT: This article will describe a method for making an unbalanced Insert-cable for use with balanced input and output connections like you find on most professional audio signal processing. This Insert-cable will not work with unbalanced inputs and outputs, both input and output must be balanced type circuits. </p><p>I'm going to break this story into three parts. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><u>Part One</u></b> will look at and consider "What is an Insert-Point"? You can't use it if you don't know what it is. If you know, then skip to Part Two.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><u>Part Two</u></b> will explain how to make the "Balanced Insert" cable which will allow you to connect your outboard processing using the unbalanced insert jack on a mixing console. This is a non-standard way of wiring the plugs which connect to the balanced input and output on your outboard processing.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><u>Part Three</u></b> will explain why this wiring works.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">PART ONE: THE UNBALANCED INSERT POINTS ON YOUR MIXER</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What is an Insert Point?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">An Insert point is a location in the signal path where you can "insert" some outboard signal processing, maybe a higher performance EQ or compressor or a whole external signal chain of gadgets. An insert usually comes after the preamp stage and before the channel fader on most mixing consoles. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Technically the Insert is a normalized, unbalanced, TRS 1/4” jack; it has been used by Mackie, Soundcraft, Allen and Heath, Amek, Midas, Behringer, Peavey, Phonic, Crest, Tascam, Studiomaster, Carvin, and Yamaha. Normalizing allows the audio to flow through the jack when no plug is inserted in the Insert jack. When you insert a TRS plug the normalized connection between the ring and the tip is opened and the audio can flow out to an outboard signal processor and then return to that individual console channel for further mixing. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Before you implement the Balanced-Insert cable, which I'm going to describe, you should check the technical specifications for YOUR mixer (or insert point) to be sure the send and return (output and input) are wired the way I'm going to describe. Just reverse the Tip and Ring connections on the TRS insert plug if your mixing console Insert point is backwards to what I describe, there is no real industry standard for this connection (that I'm aware of) so <i><u>the most important thing is to get the inputs and outputs identified correctly</u></i>. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQsISPt9BXezR7YyBLIjq7oxFGNsabFcA4QnJNcDu4hTUxO5CTIIhfzGfv0ayAhfM6jh5O3OIuAqfVNHuMyemgaW7fG8SJJBWlOaHEQDTCqjQBRh73sDd_i5fTJeePGYtCzGMbNVsgv9LipUDnS5b5voKmY9ISwwHld0HWEx3iCyzEugX2zRSDxAA/s4032/IMG_3104.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQsISPt9BXezR7YyBLIjq7oxFGNsabFcA4QnJNcDu4hTUxO5CTIIhfzGfv0ayAhfM6jh5O3OIuAqfVNHuMyemgaW7fG8SJJBWlOaHEQDTCqjQBRh73sDd_i5fTJeePGYtCzGMbNVsgv9LipUDnS5b5voKmY9ISwwHld0HWEx3iCyzEugX2zRSDxAA/s320/IMG_3104.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My field notes for Balanced-Insert cable</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The “Tip” connection of the insert jack is the unbalanced HOT (+) signal output which will feed to your outboard-gear “Input”. You're supposed to use the sleeve of the TRS insert jack for the shield of your two-conductor, insert cable, output. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLPxuI49SG17bWUO0luIz2g0hbfECZYgqEDGdXE-8b3sbixdpReoyej5EpSdBfbaRXw-SlNZbxnq8dJPZYn6MQfv9FwufkdZ7Kbc_osvo5sBMkyuYcp8yZwira30H4T0FlMWVxgUzLnwpR6Z8MB2uvY5Wq50wK_ViD1yzGEjM0kp2zo27yapeOwhj/s2853/TRS%20to%202%20unbal.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2784" data-original-width="2853" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLPxuI49SG17bWUO0luIz2g0hbfECZYgqEDGdXE-8b3sbixdpReoyej5EpSdBfbaRXw-SlNZbxnq8dJPZYn6MQfv9FwufkdZ7Kbc_osvo5sBMkyuYcp8yZwira30H4T0FlMWVxgUzLnwpR6Z8MB2uvY5Wq50wK_ViD1yzGEjM0kp2zo27yapeOwhj/s320/TRS%20to%202%20unbal.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical molded Insert cable</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The “Ring” of the insert jack is the “Return” input connection for bringing an external audio signal back into the console for further mixing. Again, you're supposed to use the sleeve of the TRS insert jack for the shield of your cable (the shield is common between the Ring and Tip connections). </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you buy any brand of premade “insert”cable you'll get a 1/4” TRS male plug which feeds to two 1/4” unbalanced male plugs. Those cable makers intend for you to use the two 1/4” unbalanced male plugs to feed the input and output of your external signal processor, the TRS end goes in the insert hole on your mixer. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you use this “typical” insert-cable on your mixer with a piece of outboard equipment, you'll hear hum in your output because these cables are wired in such a way they compromise your audio and electrical grounds. You could try using AC ground lifts to get rid of the hum but that is dangerous, it is less than 50% effective at eliminating hum and as you'll see, unnecessary. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">MAKING INSERT CABLES THAT DON'T HUM</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The easy way to get a correctly wired cable is to buy a premade insert cable, cut the unbalanced connectors off the TIP and RING input/output connections, solder on some XLR plugs the way I'll show you, plug in and enjoy your outboard processing. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVV5fBOx917Q8gc_Qf7jm4xI1PJWaYPmPsLSnTvjwebr-5rSWaR8rNOlUyD2krC_f9SKbn2LeBwJsmLHCVhiZgTvqX6Dg7CenpDsVnccpOBliE0BiMtT9Pcwjt0CnYgR_ONtZM_JZevoiu0-7HUQm5mPDq1IiyskHKGQ9OJJCPuqmGSsKr99JiHOM/s4032/IMG_3097.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyVV5fBOx917Q8gc_Qf7jm4xI1PJWaYPmPsLSnTvjwebr-5rSWaR8rNOlUyD2krC_f9SKbn2LeBwJsmLHCVhiZgTvqX6Dg7CenpDsVnccpOBliE0BiMtT9Pcwjt0CnYgR_ONtZM_JZevoiu0-7HUQm5mPDq1IiyskHKGQ9OJJCPuqmGSsKr99JiHOM/w300-h400/IMG_3097.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hosa Insert cable available in variety of lengths</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This project requires four little soldered connections per cable, two per plug. If you can't solder buy the parts and get them ready, then ask a friend to complete the soldering. It's very easy, maybe this would be a good time to finally sharpen up your own soldering skills. <a href="http://www.highontechnology.tech/2017/05/50-years-of-diy-how-to-solder-correctly.html" target="_blank">Here is a step by step guide to soldering right here</a> on High on Technology. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">PART TWO: MAKE YOUR OWN INSERT CABLE, STEP BY STEP</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For this example I'm going to modify off-the-shelf HOSA brand insert cables. They're easy to find and the wire is such that it is not difficult to solder. You are free to modify whatever brand conforms to the same specifications electrically. I like working with Switchcraft XLR plugs but you can use Neutrik or whatever brand you want. You could also use TRS male plugs instead of XLR, solder the (+) to the Tip lug and the shield wire to the Ring lug. If you don't know what that means then use the XLR plugs as shown. You will need one XLR male plug and one female XLR plug for each insert cable.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">STEP BY STEP</p><ol><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Determine which is the corresponding tip and ring connections on the insert cable you're going to modify. I put a piece of red electrical tape on the ring lead wire (Red is for Ring and Ring is for return, my little way of remembering).</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Cut the unbalanced connectors off the ends of the cable which correspond to the Tip and Ring connections. (Don't cut off the TRS plug). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDnw3HJRUvG_OGSxQYa32p13A7kqq7Ydul9lVN2u6yL8lOmVp1Zp8448sXTLvLPIAVuPsBJW4sZWAf9K7zGexcJSAFR2tyeyjPyqxF9vWA2EMkLBqRcceSXaUz8NymRSe5TBS-F1nrs2af6a9YfSWKwTUnsuhenO5QH69WkKJ5BJ6NsqnU_JEWAiD/s4032/IMG_3100.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDnw3HJRUvG_OGSxQYa32p13A7kqq7Ydul9lVN2u6yL8lOmVp1Zp8448sXTLvLPIAVuPsBJW4sZWAf9K7zGexcJSAFR2tyeyjPyqxF9vWA2EMkLBqRcceSXaUz8NymRSe5TBS-F1nrs2af6a9YfSWKwTUnsuhenO5QH69WkKJ5BJ6NsqnU_JEWAiD/w300-h400/IMG_3100.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Carefully open up the jacket on the Tip and Ring wires, separate them and prepare them for soldering. In my experience the Hosa brand insert cables have nice copper inside (it solders easily), there is not lots of extra so don't waste a single strand. Take your time preparing these connections. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCQ7gblFJ_UgRraFIB78oXbCp1sywBMOKbUnM8Nwb64AxsEOktBpQJskANeR6Rs74cNABdUXWuamAvGNGhTJ6MFViHyzdunrYrnHQ8cZOxlx_cnVbR73hvB78s_8sVsM0dVaX6180rLTDLLf9kjf9EXP6nO3rXS8QLX8tzO1mItcmRzFxSiUeCLCw/s4032/IMG_3101.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCQ7gblFJ_UgRraFIB78oXbCp1sywBMOKbUnM8Nwb64AxsEOktBpQJskANeR6Rs74cNABdUXWuamAvGNGhTJ6MFViHyzdunrYrnHQ8cZOxlx_cnVbR73hvB78s_8sVsM0dVaX6180rLTDLLf9kjf9EXP6nO3rXS8QLX8tzO1mItcmRzFxSiUeCLCw/w300-h400/IMG_3101.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepping for Soldering</td></tr></tbody></table></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Identify all your connections and prepare your connectors. The Tip connection has two electrical conductors, an inner hot wire and the outer shield. The <b>Tip connection is an audio output</b> so it will have a male XLR plug attached. The Ring connection has two electrical conductors, an inner hot wire and the outer shield. The <b>Ring connection is an Input</b> so it will have a female XLR plug attached. </p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Identify the pins on your XLR plugs. They are numbered 1, 2 and 3. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">1 = ground (Not Used), 2 = hot (+), 3 = cold (-)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSxl8WM2LV3DUeQ2JjpKzNMqxtdiMqAP47JVM0Fdtm2lyr8xeHYpeNCz8hfaAYqvuHQlmDsIqi6eIMgKCiTMEeXhp3rqyDdodhprMQMDUWawCE6WtNqZAHFuBuNqKmt2_z76SKxnk-g_NgURJM8L5BDydw1TXcbYI4BYYGzH_ZSi7_kptOYT2ruJz/s4032/IMG_3102.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSxl8WM2LV3DUeQ2JjpKzNMqxtdiMqAP47JVM0Fdtm2lyr8xeHYpeNCz8hfaAYqvuHQlmDsIqi6eIMgKCiTMEeXhp3rqyDdodhprMQMDUWawCE6WtNqZAHFuBuNqKmt2_z76SKxnk-g_NgURJM8L5BDydw1TXcbYI4BYYGzH_ZSi7_kptOYT2ruJz/s320/IMG_3102.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pin 2 = (+) hot lead, Pin 3 = (-) shield wire</td></tr></tbody></table></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Solder the inner wire from the Tip connecting cable to pin #2 on the XLR male plug</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Solder the shield wire from the Tip connecting cable to pin #3 on the XLR male plug</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Solder the inner wire from the Ring connecting cable to pin #2 on the female XLR plug</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Solder the shield wire from the Ring connecting cable to pin #3 on the female XLR plug</p></li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Check your connections to be sure there are no whiskers between the XLR pin connecting points before carefully reassembling the XLR plugs. Note: there is no connection to pin #1 in any of the XLR plugs. </p></li></ol><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I use my digital voltmeter to check the cable for shorts before plugging it in and using it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMMw_15uqLORqvPLsX0nx8W4uqG0oxrQZqWmqZG3TfWEYiAZ0mtDDv0QIa0Ax0pNBqyo8lrY0wFXfBqdOJrwcPZ-vIteCwoXNTwSDnzovVZrSDnqRoNKOvvWv3EVa9LXxP19HmMnpH7pzAAVlKEHbFYzkqvPEQXclCvHD84KFrXIjM81q_vz7is0x/s3344/IMG_4290.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1785" data-original-width="3344" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMMw_15uqLORqvPLsX0nx8W4uqG0oxrQZqWmqZG3TfWEYiAZ0mtDDv0QIa0Ax0pNBqyo8lrY0wFXfBqdOJrwcPZ-vIteCwoXNTwSDnzovVZrSDnqRoNKOvvWv3EVa9LXxP19HmMnpH7pzAAVlKEHbFYzkqvPEQXclCvHD84KFrXIjM81q_vz7is0x/s320/IMG_4290.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The modified cable should look like this</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The TRS male connects to an insert point on your mixing console. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Male XLR plug feeds out of the Insert point into the input on your outboard processing</div><div><br /><div>The Female XLR returns your processed signal back to the Insert point, into the mixing console<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">UNBALANCED BUS INSERTS TOO</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Many mixers use this unbalanced insert point scheme on the output buses, this is where you can insert bus compression and more EQ. The insert cables I've described work great in these connections too. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">OUTBOARD PROCESSORS</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My current mixing desks are all Soundcraft GB series which have these unbalanced insert points on every input and output. Each of my four stereo bus compressors uses two of these modded insert cables. Currently all of the following in my system are wired using insert connections like I've described.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Audio-Scape Bus Comp (active balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">UA 1176 (transformer balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">UA LA2a (transformer balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WA76 (transformer balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">KT76 (transformer balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Neve 1073spx (line in to line out) (transformer balanced)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">API 2500 stereo bus comp (transformer balanced)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">SSL Bus+ stereo bus comp (active balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WA EQP tube EQ (transformer balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">KT EQP tube EQ (transformer balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WA2 tube comp (transformer balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WA Stereo Bus Comp (active balanced output, optional transformer balanced output)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">DBX160, 166 compressors (active balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Midas 500 modules (EQ and Comp) (active balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Various graphic equalizers (active balanced inputs and outputs)</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><u>PART THREE</u></b>: WHY THIS WORKS</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Transformers are the undisputed kings of differential input and output connections, nothing beats them for electrical isolation and common mode rejection. This means transformers can pass audio and disconnect ground loops at the same time.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If you use a stock, unmodified Hosa insert cable to connect a signal processor like a DBX 166 compressor to a console Insert point, you are creating a ground-loop connected at the sleeve of the Insert-TRS jack, that's where the hum is entering your signal path. In this example lifting the AC power ground on the DBX 166 won't eliminate the hum, though it will reduce it by about 6 dB. Lifting AC power grounds is a desperate move which creates unnecessary safety issues and it should be avoided.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The grounded AC power plugs on your mixing console and your outboard equipment should all be connected to electrically grounded outlets in accordance with N.E.C. standards. Anything else compromises your safety and increases the chance of death by electrocution. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">PROCESSORS WITH TRANSFORMER BALANCED INPUTS AND OUTPUTS</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The modified Hosa insert cable takes advantage of the galvanic isolation provided by the audio transformers used on the input and output of your outboard signal processors. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For example, an 1176 style FET compressor has nice transformer balanced inputs and outputs. Pin #2 (+) and #3 (-) in the XLR plugs of the modified insert cable take advantage of the galvanic isolation provided by the inbuilt audio transformers. Even though the Insert sleeve connection is shared by the input and output they are isolated thanks to the input/output transformers and no connection to pin #1 in the XLR plugs (pin #1 is a ground connection). This makes an 1176 or any other processor with transformer balanced connections a perfect choice for inserting on your unbalanced TRS insert points. You get all the benefits of transformer isolation without any additional circuitry adding noise and distortion.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">PROCESSORS WITH ACTIVE BALANCED INPUTS AND OUTPUTS</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When you use the modified Hosa insert cable to connect a piece of gear with electronic balanced connections to a TRS insert jack you're relying on the electronic balanced input/output connections to isolate the audio and electrical grounds. We've been told for years that "electronically balanced" is just as good as transformer balanced (but a whole lot cheaper for the manufacturer). When connected like I've shown in this article it turns out that active balanced inputs/outputs can perform with virtually identical isolation to transformers. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">WHY HOSA CABLE?</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I buy my Hosa cables just like you, HoT does not accept compensation for product mentions. Hosa cables were used as an example because they're easy to obtain, reasonable in cost and easy to work with. You could just as easily use cables by any brand that is wired similarly or you can feel free to make your own from scratch. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Once upon a time in 1998 I made 32 of these insert cables to bring out the inserts on a Mackie 8 bus mixer to a patch bay, I used Mogami console wire and Switchcraft connectors. It is not fun trying to pack all the required wires and connections into a Switchcraft 297 TRS plug for the Insert connection. After years of stubbornly making my own Insert-cables I started modding premade Hosa cables for my own studio use. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">BETTER SOUNDING INSERT</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Using your unbalanced mixer-Insert-point with balanced outboard gear can actually provide a better sounding audio connection compared to mixers with active or transformer balanced insert points. If a mixer manufacturer includes the necessary active circuits or transformers to give you balanced connections on the insert points that means more op amps or more transformers for your audio to go through. Many mastering engineers have been known to remove audio transformers from gear to reduce distortion and cloudy reproduction. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">EPILOGUE</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have read many posts on forums which degrade, denigrate and disparage unbalanced insert points as inferior or somehow less than professional. I think one of the problems which leads to this way of thinking is that you need to know what you're doing with your signal path and not be afraid of a simple solder job to make the right cable wired the right way. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When connected correctly unbalanced mixer-Insert points provide identical frequency response to the rest of the mixing console. Likewise headroom and noise floor are not compromised on unbalanced insert points unless you are grossly mismatching levels on the outboard processor. Inserting a compressor or Dimension D chorus (or both) after the preamp stage in a console makes it easy to gain stage the signal correctly which results in better sound.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Try one of these modified insert cables with your balanced outboard gear and discover how well it can function.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Good Music To You!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">©June 2023 by Mark King, All rights reserved. It's not OK to copy or quote without written permission from the author. Thank you for reading High on Technology. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZT4nga5avUrNVtFGN3TDwYMrY4y3vSu4tVj8db4swxjT525zIiFkynqea4IfpLavSUegq5_RSufwZR_BX7ZIHd9P43diqP1RRGMtNms7hm9C6cB1QOPYUxJOPd9IMqQbQyMRLS5a6-cBfsDRDFUoQH-ADQ29EAUD_FZOedDCCoFPOj7HA2C_1awC/s3344/IMG_4290.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1785" data-original-width="3344" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-ZT4nga5avUrNVtFGN3TDwYMrY4y3vSu4tVj8db4swxjT525zIiFkynqea4IfpLavSUegq5_RSufwZR_BX7ZIHd9P43diqP1RRGMtNms7hm9C6cB1QOPYUxJOPd9IMqQbQyMRLS5a6-cBfsDRDFUoQH-ADQ29EAUD_FZOedDCCoFPOj7HA2C_1awC/w640-h342/IMG_4290.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TRS Insert plug feeds to and from XLR 3-pin connectors</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113360912436853636.post-91753713195531706442023-06-01T21:19:00.008-04:002023-06-02T02:52:30.422-04:00COLEMAN AUDIO TC4, TRANSFER CONSOLE REVIEW, DO YOUR OWN MASTERING<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ISe_CQeVTT1y3Uwjd7dLDU4e_RSo6pg3vC8FTaaNtMYnvQFfoXn0tFUmQTcBxTbyu7EULK6xMBa-mq5V6R1uo3d3fPeWTX2AHbMQDukXtJWZVEc601IV5NL6xWqExio3N78_lieKd6IhhmOFBAVs-PshodiVVUNP-ggi2nQhltJ-flTyFR-sQCKD/s1672/TC4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="1672" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ISe_CQeVTT1y3Uwjd7dLDU4e_RSo6pg3vC8FTaaNtMYnvQFfoXn0tFUmQTcBxTbyu7EULK6xMBa-mq5V6R1uo3d3fPeWTX2AHbMQDukXtJWZVEc601IV5NL6xWqExio3N78_lieKd6IhhmOFBAVs-PshodiVVUNP-ggi2nQhltJ-flTyFR-sQCKD/w640-h68/TC4.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coleman Audio TC4, TRANSFER CONSOLE</td></tr></tbody></table><p>HANDMADE, PREMIUM COMPONENTS, MADE IN USA = MAX BOUTIQUE</p><p>Glen Coleman does not build mass produced equipment, instead he focuses on solutions to problems faced by every audio professional. Is the TC4 something you could use?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>SPEAKER SELECTION, VOLUME CONTROL, LEVEL READING, PROCESSING</p><p>The TC4 is the center piece for your monitor speakers, mixing and mastering. In this review we'll be looking at all the functions this box brings to your studio.</p><p>AUDIO PATH = PASSIVE DESIGN</p><p>Most of the boxes built by Coleman Audio are passive which means no capacitors or semiconductors in the signal path. By eliminating frequency response altering components you're left with the pure audio signal which is what you need to be focused on. </p><p>VOLUME CONTROL</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PLfACOOELzRLilqsLbtnmxOp9e_sXEDVT-G09kVLX5EjeFLsRqW295aiewS2U08FFmksy8L4Y_DcivZ6-LkA75Ct3fdXyBvtH_I5Q_PMwK8bAWRcJWvhewwSzRczYAEINnGPNfcC9tI5rKJnQfotbg1dUMZBGlU0oAuMRk4WPgmtoo791cTiF7Ql/s484/Atten.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="484" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PLfACOOELzRLilqsLbtnmxOp9e_sXEDVT-G09kVLX5EjeFLsRqW295aiewS2U08FFmksy8L4Y_DcivZ6-LkA75Ct3fdXyBvtH_I5Q_PMwK8bAWRcJWvhewwSzRczYAEINnGPNfcC9tI5rKJnQfotbg1dUMZBGlU0oAuMRk4WPgmtoo791cTiF7Ql/s320/Atten.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Main Level rotary knob on the front panel controls the speaker output level, it does not affect the signal passing through the inserts. This is a "mastering quality" stereo rotary selector switch with very tiny precision resisters used to control volume level in logical audio increments. This knob feels a little gritty and chunky as you rotate it but rest assured your audio will arrive at your speakers without shifting left or right due to variances in manufacture. </p><p>The headphone amplifier provides plenty of output for low and high impedance headphones. I've used it with a variety of headphones including the Sennheiser HD600, Audio Technica ATH50 and ATH70 and Beyer 770 200-ohm. </p><p>MASTERING LOOPS - THE INSERTS</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhwVkBccgqmaL1jcknvUqTXgeGEDjqIO7XtocVDGMyNpqzuOnvffQ8-P68RHNJSJ37AZJdANuPNGS0sn8193rULPwZ6OlM9_H5joi7Mq_EnJ1_svWxOOaJyEkDdittWsxPWFixT1jKESjWCz-bAKCE4OahTpfLCNerSsGxviwxFtOh6jHniTN2a-x/s384/Insert%20Controls.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="384" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrhwVkBccgqmaL1jcknvUqTXgeGEDjqIO7XtocVDGMyNpqzuOnvffQ8-P68RHNJSJ37AZJdANuPNGS0sn8193rULPwZ6OlM9_H5joi7Mq_EnJ1_svWxOOaJyEkDdittWsxPWFixT1jKESjWCz-bAKCE4OahTpfLCNerSsGxviwxFtOh6jHniTN2a-x/s320/Insert%20Controls.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The really big and unique feature on the TC4 is the four relay-controlled stereo processor inserts. Each insert is selected with a lighted front panel button which shows which loop(s) are selected. Your stereo audio travels through the loops in order, from left to right, 1, 2, 3, and 4. The mastering audio path is all passive to provide you with the truest representation of the final sound. Premium quality relays are used on all the audio insert signal paths and this means you're going to hear exactly what is going on without any distortion being introduced from the TC4.</p><p>Loops 1 & 2 are for your mastering EQ and final Bus Compressor. Typically you'll put your master EQ on the first pair of inputs and your Bus Compressor on the second pair. An additional FLIP 1/2 selector button allows the order of the first two loops to be exchanged so you can easily check for sibilance problems. </p><p>How you use the loops is totally up to you and your workflow. </p><p>ADD A PATCH BAY FOR EVEN MORE VERSATILITY</p><p>I connected the four stereo insert loops (inputs and outputs) to a patch bay (not included with the TC4) so I can easily change the processing I'm using on any loop. This allows maximum experimentation as I zero in on a final stereo mix. </p><p>TYPICAL INSERT ASSIGNMENTS</p><p>These are my usual processing assignments but I love changing them to hear alternate versions. </p><p>INSERT 1 = Heritage Audio Symph EQ</p><p>INSERT 2 = Neve 33609 Bus Comp</p><p>INSERT 3 = Pair of EQP Pultec Style EQ with custom output attenuators</p><p>INSERT 4 = Prism Sound Overkillers</p><p>In my setup the mix output from the TC4 feeds to the input of a TASCAM DA3000 stereo master recorder running at 24/192k to record high quality stereo masters. </p><p>The four insert selector pushbuttons on the front of the TC4 provide you with instant A-B comparisons of your processing. Your ears will love hearing the changes each processor adds (or subtracts). By carefully scrutinizing the IN and OUT characteristics of audio passing through your most vaunted processors you can truly hear their positive and negative characteristics. </p><p>The most surprising thing I've found from using the TC4 is how subtle changes with your processing can improve a mix dramatically. The ease of turning a processor ON or OFF in your final audio can be very enlightening. </p><p>The IN/OUT switch on many pieces of equipment is not a hardwire bypass, this means potential level differences can be present whether the unit is IN circuit or OUT. The TC4, with its bypass relays, eliminates ambiguity by giving you four, switchable stereo hardwire bypass controls for crafting your final stereo mix.</p><p>EXPERIMENTING</p><p>I tried patching my Bricasti M7 reverb into insert #4 and added a nice concert hall ambience to a sweet acoustic guitar performance. The IN and OUT monitoring on the TC4 made it easy to get the reverb adjusted to a very subtle, realistic sounding level. </p><p>METERING</p><p>The TC4 has a pair of TRS stereo meter output jacks on the rear, I run these to a high resolution JLM stereo bar-graph meter so I can constantly see the output level exiting the TC4.</p><p>MORE CONTROL</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoP2TCYG5MQs5p4bikBKIwMbLHk9FHVCI9bB6ewmWA9VVqwJAI_sS7MFZ8ZUHoIoLHE6h_lJWz6d-WMNcjt4g3MyunRTojJncF7MaavKh_A3V7pcFtgQxSbi5Wa1amHK8_BO-c4R4sITc-7sMcvRQDVegMllwKeWS5J-4TAbgStwrfw07zhZwSNJA/s400/buttons.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="400" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoP2TCYG5MQs5p4bikBKIwMbLHk9FHVCI9bB6ewmWA9VVqwJAI_sS7MFZ8ZUHoIoLHE6h_lJWz6d-WMNcjt4g3MyunRTojJncF7MaavKh_A3V7pcFtgQxSbi5Wa1amHK8_BO-c4R4sITc-7sMcvRQDVegMllwKeWS5J-4TAbgStwrfw07zhZwSNJA/s320/buttons.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Click to Enlarge</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The TC4 has an array of other buttons to assist your critical listening. </p><p>PRE/POST INSERTS selects whether the monitor output comes before or after the Insert Loops. Think of this button as a master IN or OUT switch for all the Insert processing. This provides a fast way to hear the effect of all your loops or take them completely out of your signal path for comparison. </p><p>ALT SPK selects an alternate set of powered monitors for listening to the mix. </p><p>MONITOR INPUT 1 / 2 This lets you select the source to hear through the speakers. Monitor 1 Input is where your main stereo mix enters the TC4, it feeds through the Loop Inserts and comes out the Master Output. Monitor Input 2 is fed from a rear pair of TRS inputs. Monitor 2 is where the output from my stereo recorder connects, this selector lets me quickly listen to the recorder without processing. </p><p>MONO converts the main output to mono using an active summing amp stage. </p><p>MUTE L R does what it says, it mutes the Left or Right output depending on which button you press. There are times when it is handy to turn off either the Left or Right speaker, there's a button for that. If you select both L and R to Mute you'll have no output. </p><p>Ø Polarity or sometimes called Phase, this button reverses the wiring on one speaker so you can hear phase cancellation. When you combine Ø with MONO you end up with a simple vocal eliminator (don't buy the TC4 for this effect lol).</p><p>AC POWER</p><p>This is one of the few active boxes Coleman Audio manufactures. The TC4 has an IEC style power inlet connector on the rear of the steel chassis. </p><p>BACK PANEL</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEink0CymoHyciLkU_YNXSJ6N8wvOhz052dbfRFgupYdIKvTc41O8J9n-LbA2kB6aZR6-gEpjnEw4yzehvgM5CKJqbNLVuiQi3cuIAF_OJn5xm47m38uhhEiZ0FuMMM8y7WilcNYneG2U3G4KOqmA07zkdm31IQr1G2oC32c8btjjacDDKBmspwQYkc9/s1672/Coleman%20TC4%20rear.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="1672" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEink0CymoHyciLkU_YNXSJ6N8wvOhz052dbfRFgupYdIKvTc41O8J9n-LbA2kB6aZR6-gEpjnEw4yzehvgM5CKJqbNLVuiQi3cuIAF_OJn5xm47m38uhhEiZ0FuMMM8y7WilcNYneG2U3G4KOqmA07zkdm31IQr1G2oC32c8btjjacDDKBmspwQYkc9/w640-h69/Coleman%20TC4%20rear.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Connections on the back of TC4</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Around back there is a little bit of everything. Most of the outputs are XLR but in the interest of space a few had to be TRS jacks. The loop INSERT audio paths are presented on a pair of 25-pin D-Sub connectors. </p><p>EPILOGUE</p><p>Pricey but <u>priceless</u> is my final verdict on the TC4. If you care about hearing your main bus processors with absolute authority, clarity and transparency there is nothing like the Coleman Audio TC4. Once you truly experience what the TC4 is capable of that $1950 purchase price seems quite reasonable. </p><p>Good Music To You!</p><p>©June 1, 2023 Mark King, all rights reserved, it is not ok to quote or copy without the authors written permission. </p><p>Thank you for reading <i>High on Technology</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ65rIUeXtI3IswG8oZ5nfj8FQk0obNmhvAx-tFJvwwO4_IgHRHYCcwfOJ31ZSUkyJWTs4ixu_0pQH6JwdQsABUDXtUiZjRUpr5q0O1j9AduAkF8CwxRFvoNmyKc_JJVmQAul60JxAhE9Squ3emNQXKYVGmQHBG_dFnBKj7agn_OSKYN-R1WpclSCr/s1672/TC4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="1672" height="68" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ65rIUeXtI3IswG8oZ5nfj8FQk0obNmhvAx-tFJvwwO4_IgHRHYCcwfOJ31ZSUkyJWTs4ixu_0pQH6JwdQsABUDXtUiZjRUpr5q0O1j9AduAkF8CwxRFvoNmyKc_JJVmQAul60JxAhE9Squ3emNQXKYVGmQHBG_dFnBKj7agn_OSKYN-R1WpclSCr/w640-h68/TC4.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com