chuck's racks!

[mulletchuck]

An old friend of mine who also has an API Lunchbox and is a bassist asked if I could run his bass thru my new gear, so he could compare it with what he had.    So, he sent me a minute of him playing his bass thru an Apogee Duet.

My signal chain:  Logic -> MOTU Traveler -> PreAmps -> Traveler -> Logic

I tested all possible configurations for what I currently have built:

VP26 + Gar2520/Gar1731
VP312 + Gar2520/Gar1731
VP312DI + Gar2520/Gar1731 + Pikatron/IC1/FET Plugins

http://soundcloud.com/matkatmusic/sets/vp26-vp312di-all-options-tests

The original AIFs are downloadable from that link. 

Next up:  VC528 ST2+!!

 

[mulletchuck]

while working on the VC528, i managed to kludge up one of the millmax pins and get solder inside the opening... #fail *facepalm*

I had a heck of a time trying to remove the solder.  Jeff, I might be ordering a set of millmax PCB sockets from you....

I'm able to still insert the op amps but this particular Op Amp slot is much more difficult to plug in an op amp than the other, hence my desire to replace the pin i kludged.

 

[mulletchuck]

finished the VC528 tonight!!  However, I didn't build the cable yet for calibrating it.






EZ1073-500's YOU'RE NEXT!!!!

but, not before some ice cream!  ;D ;D

 

[jsteiger]

....but, not before some ice cream!  ;D ;D

Nice Chuck. I love ice cream!~! 

 

[fazer]

Looking good Chuck.  I know you've been working along time towards this. 

The milmax pin could be drilled by hand to clean the solder. 
Try a drill bit kit for cleaning welding tips for an acetylene torch tips.  You can get these at harbor freight.  You use your hands to turn a small chuck for cleaning out tips.  I find them a handy tool for cleaning solder from a through hole solder that wont come clean when repairing a card.

It might be just as easy to replace the pin as well.

Looking great!

 

[mulletchuck]

Thanks, fazer!  I couldn't have done it without you, cuz of that gig you hired me for!  With that said,

EZ1073-500 is NOT SO EASY!!!  the pair of these took 2 days to build, and unfortunately, i was missing 2 caps from one kit so i haven't completed the second module.    However, this build can be completed in 7 easy steps.

Step 1:  Hacksaw the boards!!

Step 2:  Fill with resistors and diodes:

Step 3:  Fill with ceramic and film capacitors.  Note that the upper right PCB is missing 2 caps in the lower left corner, compared with the lower right PCB.  Anyone got any spare 220nF 63V wima's?

Step 4:  Fill with Electrolytic Capacitors!

Step 5:  Fill with Switches, Toggles, Knobs and Inductors!

Step 6:  Attach the sub PCBs.  sometimes you gotta attack from the bottom!

Step 7:  Attach some IRON!!!!

Step 8:  Attach top PCB to lower PCB and show off Faceplate!

Step 9:  Attach the Faceplate and admire your handiwork!!

This was a seriously awesome kit from Slenderchap, and I can't wait to hear it **ONCE I FIGURE OUT HOW TO MEASURE THE CURRENT DRAW WHILE IN THE RACK** lololol

Comin' up soon:  Igor's 51X-F76!!  Should be confusing!!

 

[mulletchuck]

Figured out how to measure Current Draw!!  dialed in the proper draw for the module and tried 'er out on myself talking.  Sounds AWESOME.    Gonna do an A/B tomorrow against my Golden Age PRE-73 v1 using my housemate talking.

i'm gonna wait a moment for the F76's cuz a) i don't have any output transformers for it and b) i never received face plates with it (d'oh!!) and c) i haven't tackled any of the backlog of work that's been building while i've been building lol.  and d) i finally got the parts to assemble the cable to calibrate the VC528, so I should do that first.

 

[abechap024]

JUST GOT TO SAY LOOKS AWESOME!

way to go!

 

[Rochey]

Holy **** MC -- you've been busy!

Awesome work. Just Awesome.

I have so many partly built kits, but no time to build, and right now, no direct use for them.
The closest I came to it was podcasting at the first half of the year.

aye aye aye... now I feel 

 

[jsteiger]

Indeed Chuck. You have really put your head down and cranked out the work the last few weeks! Keep at it and keep having fun!

I know for sure you are hooked now. 

 

[mulletchuck]

@abechap024 thanks doc!

@rochey  lol that's what happens when you don't have a day job/wife/newborn distracting you.

@Steiger My hat's off to guys like you for putting together essentially fool-proof kits who make it very easy for guys like me to assemble. 

I'm just tryin' to keep up with all y'all, with yer fancy studios filled with gear!  lol

My next post will probably occur when i receive the missing parts from slenderchap(2 caps) and igor(2 face plates and brackets)

 

[pucho812]

chuck looking good. to remove the solder out of the pin, I suggest a desolder vac pump. not the hand held crap but a real electronic desolder vac and oh yeah do not desolder with the tip pointing down in a vertical manor, as it will clog.

 

[mulletchuck]

Igor asked me to double check all the bags that came with my F76 kits since I was missing the metalwork, so I thought that the best way to do that would be to build the kit as far as i could with the parts i had!

 

[mulletchuck]

I finished up the cables for the 528 and calibrated it tonight, so that guy is officially DONE!  Awesome!!

 

[mulletchuck]

Received a package from Colin today!  missing caps are no longer missing! 

 

[kato]

You are a maniac. Enjoying this thread enormously! 

 

[mulletchuck]

I did some A/B/Cing today. 

Here's all of the mic pre's on my sax:

http://soundcloud.com/matkatmusic/mic-pre-shootout-sax

And here's on my housemate reading step 3 of a Betty Crocker Brownie Mix box:

http://soundcloud.com/matkatmusic/mic-pre-shootout-voiceover

It's funny.  On my sax, there is very little difference (to my ears) between the different preamps.  But on my housemate's voice, they all sound VERY different.  very ear-opening.

 

[abechap024]

It's funny.  On my sax, there is very little difference (to my ears) between the different preamps.  But on my housemate's voice, they all sound VERY different.  very ear-opening.

Interesting! Speculation: could be maybe you don't need as much gain on the sax as on voice, so less of the preamps character is imparted on the source. Also could be sax is already pretty harmonically complex....I like how everything sounds different on everything though! Keeps it interesting

Way to go!

 

[mulletchuck]

finished one of the 51x-F76s tonight!!

some audio of an Apple Drum Loop:  http://www.zshare.net/download/96271568919bf8bd/ 

Be sure to listen near the end when I turn on SLAM!!!  it's too bad the faceplate isn't bigger so Igor could've fit more exclamation marks for the SLAM label.  he clearly needs to add about 9 or 10 to it.

and pics: 

some op amps.  I elected to build igor's DOA for the Input, and the IC Output op amp.  I'm using Lundahl 1524 transformers. 

a pic of the module with the rack upside down so i can access the trimmers for adjusting

 

[mulletchuck]

Got a little package in the mail today!!!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D