sontec 1 RU build thread

thanks a lot! ill ask tat again.

he sent me to the bom to check which ones the project needed, i guess ill know soon enough what cutout they have

thanks again!

i asked Tat and theyre fine for the cutouts of the case.. i just dont know if they will fit into the pcb nicely or i will have to wire the good ol hard way? id prefer the pcb style termination

would any be able to tell me if these are it?
there is H and V type of both male and female neutriks. do i need the V" kind so the pins are vertical? im not sure
thanks a lot!

Biasrocks said:

ptron said:

i asked Tat and theyre fine for the cutouts of the case.. i just dont know if they will fit into the pcb nicely or i will have to wire the good ol hard way? id prefer the pcb style termination

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I installed the XLR's and used Shielded Mogami hookup wire for connector to board.

You can use pretty much any Neutrik XLR using this method.

You might want to contact Igor, if the connector type that you want to use isn't specified in the BOM.

Regards,
Mark

Click to expand...

thank you very much!!
will contact him right away. got a question about the 2254 trannies too

Hi!

I would love to build a stereo sontec and I would like to use it for mastering duties. I'm no mastering engineer but many of my clients (smaller bands) wants me to master their demos/ep's so I would like to have a decent eq for that job.

The stepped version would of course be the better option but it seems like too much work to me at this time.
Do you think that normal pot version would be suitable for mastering duties/how many of you guys are using the normal version for mastering?

Thanks!

sedit1 said:

Hi!

I would love to build a stereo sontec and I would like to use it for mastering duties. I'm no mastering engineer but many of my clients (smaller bands) wants me to master their demos/ep's so I would like to have a decent eq for that job.

The stepped version would of course be the better option but it seems like too much work to me at this time.
Do you think that normal pot version would be suitable for mastering duties/how many of you guys are using the normal version for mastering?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hi!

congratulations! very good idea. Igor's sontec is unquestionable the best diy mastering eq out there! incredible value for money.
i finished the sontec around 2 weeks ago and this unit has greatly enriched my existing gear arsenal!
yes! this unit works brilliantly for mastering!
i'm aware of eq techniques for mastering, but in this case i have to say: no matter what you do with this eq, which knob in which direction: it simply sounds so much better than before!
there may certainly different opinions on the stepped version out there, in my opinion: the non-stepped version is totally sufficient for mastering. the stepped version would - as you already assumed - mean a substantial increase on your diy efforts!
it maybe a nice to have but for me (i use to evaluate sound-wise, only): not justifying the extra effort (if you realize what other remarkable diy adventures are also currently available, also from Igor: the 2254, CRM kit, 33609, mnats 1176, even a u47 clone, 1084 etc. pp...) - my advice: save resources you do not really need to spend on comfort that add only little value on your goal no. 1: SOUND
just do it like this: the midrange is the key! in order to identify disturbihng frequencies cut the lows and highs off.
then boost through the midrange and if you found the poor dog, just make a cut of ca. 3db. you can do this with all 3 midrange knobs. if you are done with the midrange, just add a lil air and balls and there we go.
best wishes.

thought of it a while. the stepped one seems the right choice if you really want control over the frequency you wanna treat and not messing up stereo image but it is bit more work..

sorry
I would like to build this equalizer
there is a cheaper alternative to Alphastat pot?
Can anyone tell me the approximate cost for the stereo version?
thanks

Hi

The board is designed around those specific pots so for a clean build you really need to use the alphastats. You could use other pots of the same values but they would have to be mounted off board (lots of extra wiring, noise etc). Also with the correct case they act as the mounting for the PCB to front panel.

I spent about $800 US on mine not counting the DOA's which I already had.

Thanks, Charles

Thanks!!!

Where are you guys taking voltage for a mains power LED?  I've read through the thread, and maybe I've missed it, but I can't see anything here.  I've measured a few spots and there's plenty of 23v going on, but nothing low that I can use.

Any ideas much appreciated,
Thanks!
Sig

Hi

Use JP1 on the power supply board. That's what it was designed for. There's 10k resistor in series to pad 2.

Charles.

Huh?  Where's JP1?

All I see are 2 pads that are joined together, but labelled +3 and Ground.  Are these what you mean?

I tried using them as they're labelled, but nothing...

Ohhhhhhh you must mean the actual spot labelled LED on the PSU board.  Doh, I actually stuck the LED in place on the PSU as an indication of whether it was powered up.  I shouldn't have done that.  I'll remove, do it right.

PS - what are these other 2 pads for?

Thanks!
Sig

It's marked JP1 on the schematic. On the pcb it's labeled LED+ and LED -. Is this the PCB you have? +3 and ground are AGND.

I see you updated your post. Yes exactly!! You might be able to see it better on the front panel  .

ANGD is connected to your star ground on the chassis.

Haha indeed.  I actually fed off the bottom of the PCB so now I am using BOTH led's...ya I'm crazy.

Ahhh ok, I wondered about that for star ground.  Awesome thanks!

Cool. Enjoy the rest of the build. It's an awesome eq!

Charles

Thanks!

1 more quick question - do the XLR IO boards have to also be attached to star ground?  I didn't do it, and my unit it pretty damn quiet.

Thanks!
Sig

usually you would do so, yes (as i did it for my sontec as well)

but who cares..!? - if it works - it works and seems to be a minor issue (as you deal with 24v only).

It is designed to be attached to the star ground at CHAS on the I/O board. That's how I did it. You could measure the noise level with and without to see if it makes any difference. I think mine is around -107dB.

Charles