Hi All - New DIY dude about to unleash an opening to a new money hole...

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jBam

Well-known member
GDIY Supporter
Joined
Jan 31, 2016
Messages
117
Location
Melbourne
Hi everyone :)

My name's Jonny, and I've been floating around the forum for a few weeks (only - but very regularly floating around!!).

I'm an Australian (Melbourne) music enthusiast who has spent the past 18 or so years encapsulated in a love for sound design, production and music writing.  Over this time I've remained interested in a broad range of music (as do many), but my writing and production has slowly headed toward electronic music and over the past decade have slowly realised that I've become primarily a dance music producer ("Techno" and "house" music I guess), realsing music on various Labels in UK / Europe under "jBam"... That said, I just love sound design and production, and always find a way to get caught up in a love for music and sound.

Over the years, thanks to good old fashioned "day job" work in a good field, I've managed to turn the dream of an "awesome home studio" into the reality of owning and using my very own "dream studio" :).  Most of this, however, is sound source type stuff (synthesisers, drum machines, random gadgets) and FX (guitar pedals and Rack FX); with the other "dream" studio always seeming to be far away (e.g. SSL Bus comp; Neve anything; API whatever; dream dream dream).

About 6 months ago I started building kits for modular synthesisers...  I'd always loved the idea of doing this, and then just thought: "F@#$ it... just do it, and if you suck then you suck, and if you don't... then you get to build your own stuff ---> fun and a fraction of the cost too!"...  I realised I CAN solder and connect and build my own things (like geeky lego or something), and I was sold.

And that brings me to now...!  I realised:  WAIT...  typed in "DIY SSL Bus Comp" into the internet machine... and I'm overly-excited about what I've found...  It's obvious now - but there's a great world of helpful / friendly DIY people creating amazing gear... and I'm in :).

I have a mate who's in the pro industry (designs / builds tube amp equipment), and he's going to help / supervise me through the dangerous stuff (yes- death by electrocution does scare me a little haha - healthy fear I'd say)... And so the rest will no doubt be the start of a long growing interest in DIY studio equipment.

I'm at least a month away from getting cracking (have a few modular builds to get through, and a few weeks till next Credit Card bill is paid), but just wanted to pop in and say hi / thanks to you all for having a community like this going.

Look forward to popping in and looking through the extensive threads on various builds once I get cracking.  Maybe even asking a question here and there :).

For what it's worth... I'm thinking I'll get cracking with an SB4000 - well supported and documented here.  Then - who knows ;)... too many options to decide now!!

Cheers,

Jonny (aka jBam)
 
Hey Jonny,

Good to see another Melburnian on the forum! I'm a newb here too although I have a reasonable amount of experience with audio and music tech. mostly on the software side of things for the past few years, although I have built a few guitar amps and effect under my father's watchful eye. Sadly he passed away recently and I'm currently in the process of clearing out his electronics workshop. It's mostly radio and hifi-related stuff. Many years ago he built some massive sand-flled speaker boxes which I have no idea what to do with!  Whereabouts are you? I'm in St Kilda East.

Cheers,

Chris
 
Hi Chris... Nice to know there's another Melbourne'r around the forum :).... Sorry for your loss - hopefully it's fun going through the workshop rather than the other way round, finding weird gadgets and bits and pieces... Was he a muso too? Sand filled speaker boxes sounds like a homemade bass trap?!

Maybe you'll find enough random componrnts and things to make a tribute gadget for your dad :)

I'm north in Brunswick...

What sort of things are you hoping to build via resources like this forum?

Peas!
 
jBam said:
Hi Chris... Nice to know there's another Melbourne'r around the forum :).... Sorry for your loss - hopefully it's fun going through the workshop rather than the other way round, finding weird gadgets and bits and pieces... Was he a muso too? Sand filled speaker boxes sounds like a homemade bass trap?!

Maybe you'll find enough random componrnts and things to make a tribute gadget for your dad :)

I'm north in Brunswick...

What sort of things are you hoping to build via resources like this forum?

Peas!

It's kind of weird actually. He built a ton of stuff so I see his stamp on everything. He built all his own radio test gear (although he later added to the collection with stuff he bought). Would you believe I came across a wireless from a WWII bomber (a B24 Liberator I think). Not sure what I'm going to do with the speaker boxes - maybe I can find an audiophile who wants them. Problem is they weigh hundreds of kgs each! They're based on a Wharfedale design. I managed to find the original plans in a brochure they put out (some time in the 40s or 50s I'd say). And then there's the turntables (6), cassette decks (5), etc. There's also stuff that my Dad built for me that needed fine-tuning - an LA-2A and valve mic pre that are both a bit noisy, numerous guitar amps in various states of disrepair.

I'm a bit of a lurker here - I'm mainly interested in making a few different mic preamps. I'm also interested in some guitar stuff too but that's probably for another forum.

Cheers,

 
cpsmusic said:
I'm also interested in some guitar stuff too but that's probably for another forum.
One may be inclined to think so, but you may find that some of the most (outwardly) respectable  members of this group are in fact lovers of electric guitar and amplification, with the added bonus of actually knowing the technical stuff, which is often not the case with many guitar amp gurus who are better historians than technicians.
 
gyraf said:
Welcome to GroupDIY, Jonny!

Jakob E.

Thanks Jakob :)… I'm honestly overly excited by all of the options… I've also read through your site (most of it) at least twice now too - excellent work… I've learnt a heap, including how to pull apart a dual pot to get a double neg AND… well more importantly "what a potentiometer actually is!" (makes sense as soon as I saw it though…  changes in the length or length/width path of a restive material).

I've also just been reading and reading… about builds, sure, but also just about components…  I'm really getting to understand it too which is cool :)

Really good stuff… A long way to go, because I'd love to design something new and useful one day haha…!  Have a few "stupid" (but awesome) conceptual ideas I'd love to try out actually!!

Be well, and I'll see you round the forum and elsewhere on the net :)
 
cpsmusic said:
It's kind of weird actually. He built a ton of stuff so I see his stamp on everything. He built all his own radio test gear (although he later added to the collection with stuff he bought). Would you believe I came across a wireless from a WWII bomber (a B24 Liberator I think). Not sure what I'm going to do with the speaker boxes - maybe I can find an audiophile who wants them. Problem is they weigh hundreds of kgs each! They're based on a Wharfedale design. I managed to find the original plans in a brochure they put out (some time in the 40s or 50s I'd say). And then there's the turntables (6), cassette decks (5), etc. There's also stuff that my Dad built for me that needed fine-tuning - an LA-2A and valve mic pre that are both a bit noisy, numerous guitar amps in various states of disrepair.

I'm a bit of a lurker here - I'm mainly interested in making a few different mic preamps. I'm also interested in some guitar stuff too but that's probably for another forum.

Cheers,

Wow!  Sounds like he was quite the electronics guru!  LA2A for his son… good man!  I should have a chat with my Dad and tell him to pull his sh#t together haha!…  Although I guess he did buy me a bike about 30 years ago :)

Well yeah… let me know of any cool builds you're up to, or any local resources?

Jonny...
 
Cheers buddy :)

Of course to all of those things ;P…

I'm somehow, prebuilt (apart from modular synth kits), now regressing back and back into DIY…

First step:

Build my work bench…

Next: Build an aluminum sheet bending contraption…

THEN… build a case to see if I can… (I've come up with a good enough idea that should work for bending sheet into parts suitable for a case… why? f#$k it… because it'll be fun building my own case :)…)

Drill, punch, route and saw out the front and rear panels...

Then powder coat and silk screen…

It's almost as though I've been researching so many things that I forgot about the electronics…. haha...

SO then… or maybe simultaneously with the case building, get cracking on either a double preamp with EQ (Maybe REDD 47 flavour, with a passive EQ in there, or a double LA2A).

I mentioned an SB4000 above, which I'm totally keen on, but I might just get cracking on some classics first...

Fortunately I stopped myself short of: design and build my own power tools ;)...
 
Doing your own chassis is pretty nice, I will try to do that for a chassis I need to build.

There were some nice docs on the web about aluminum homemade benders, I will see if I can get them.

As for Powder Coating, how do you going to achieve that?
 
Whoops said:
Doing your own cass is pretty nice, I will try to do that for a chassis I need to build.

There was some nice docs on the web about alluminum homemade benders, I will see if I can get them.

As for Powder Coating, how do you goind to achieve that?

Hey Whoops… yeah cool --> I've got a pretty good idea for a simple bending gadget, and have done plenty of research on alloy types good for bending and rules of thumb… I'm also sure I'll stuff it up a few times too :)… I think the tricky bit will be bend back (i.e. it springing back a little away from 90*); but I just figure I'll bend one at what I think should be 90*, and then measure the actual angle and correct it for next time - then the same thickness and alloy should always bend to roughly 90* :)

Powder coating seems interesting… But there there are some relatively cheap systems out there (around AU$150).  Baking the coat in is a little more annoying though, because most of the cheaper options (e.g. a Toaster Oven / mini tabletop oven) won't fit a 19" faceplate in them!  SO:  I think I'll go super cheap… and use a BBQ :)…  I think I'll create a hanging unit that hangs a faceplate horizontal and face down and with some kind of basic way of lowering / raising it; then without powder paint, I can put a test piece on and measure the temp till it's at the right height / temperature for the powder coat.  Then I can pop a powdered face plate on and use the lid to adjust temp (?? - probably gonna be hard, but I've read about using a bbq successfully!)…

I'm slowly building up a great list of websites in an excel sheet so I don't loose track… Maybe I should post it up here at some point and share the love :)

Be well!
 

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