Shaker Desk - A/B Path Vinyl Mastering Console

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Ah...Nice idea... Makes sense......  Guess I should've done some more reading instead of staring at pictures....lol

Super impressive building... wow... As if the electronics side isn't challenging enough... love it..
 
Very impressive build, congratulations Paul.

Gold said:
I'm in year 12 of this build. Shaker Desk is an A/B Path console for mastering directly from open reel tape to lacquer master.

Just curious about something, how many works a year do you receive to do a lacquer master from open reel tape?
 
Whoops said:
Just curious about something, how many works a year do you receive to do a lacquer master from open reel tape?


At least a couple per month. I recently finished  three record set of jazz recorded live in LA in the late 1970’s. I also did a separate record of another artist of the same genre and time period directly from tape.

I hit a few snags but I’m back on track with a 4 channel Barry Porter EQ. When that’s done I’ll have the full 4 channel processing path. I’ve been really digging the IJR Sontec. I’ve practically stoped using my Maselec. I can’t wait to put the BPEQ in.

 
Gold said:
At least a couple per month. I recently finished  three record set of jazz recorded live in LA in the late 1970’s. I also did a separate record of another artist of the same genre and time period directly from tape.

I hit a few snags but I’m back on track with a 4 channel Barry Porter EQ. When that’s done I’ll have the full 4 channel processing path. I’ve been really digging the IJR Sontec. I’ve practically stoped using my Maselec. I can’t wait to put the BPEQ in.

Very nice,
congrats again and have loads of fun with it
 
BPEQ-1.JPG


BPEQ-2.JPG


Here is one of two Barry Porter EQ's. Like everything else it's a four channel unit. I decided to make this EQ M/S only using Wayne Kirkwood's first generation M/S boards. I built a two channel prototype before I built this one. I wasn't completely happy with the switch wiring on the first one so I left that one and plan on circling around and finishing that one now.


BPEQ-3.JPG


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In the pictures above you can see discoloration on the PCB's. I had a mishap with some aluminum cleaner and polisher. I had just started using Alumi-Brite. It came in a thin plastic jug. The jug got punctured so I poured the chemical above the puncture into a metal container I had that previously had acetone in it. I left for the weekend and when I came in on Monday the Alumi-Brite had eaten through the metal can and leached onto the workbench which had the Barry Porter PCB's on it. Four out the eight PCB's had chemical damage marks.

I use two of the undamaged ones to make the two channel prototype. For this unit I used the four damaged boards. I wanted to see if they were a loss or could be salvaged. I thought the chemical had eaten through all the solder pads but when I polished them with a 1200 grit brush they brightened up. It took a bunch of flux and solder but eventually I got solder to stick. There were problems with some of the boards but I was able to figure them out. One of the four has an internal short in one of the SVF sections so that's a loss. Luckily I know someone who has a pair of boards that aren't going to use. I will shuffle the PCB's around for final construction so the two damaged but working boards are moved to a preview position.

BPEQ-5.JPG


All the boards are mounted on PVC bar stock. I had to mill out holes to be able to get a screwdriver to to terminal blocks mounted on the underside of the board. Each board can slide forward and back to expose the terminal blocks.


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More guts shots. I'm happy with the mechanical construction. I was able to get to and work on every board without destroying anything.

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Face plate.

 
With the BPEQ finished I now have the full compliment of processing that was in the original design brief. Two EQ's and two compressors. The BPEQ, TFEQ, Pico Compressor and DAOC. I have an unfinished aluminum faceplate for the Maselec MDS2 so it matches.

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Nice! Hope you make a session video someday. Sure I'm not the only one that'd love to hear everything in action.
 
I mastered my first album with the new rig today. Various artists covering Sharon Van Etten. Everything went well. I wasn't distracted by the gear. I was able to just use it. The only thing that need tweaking is the threshold of the DAOC. I need to raise it probably 3dB. Pretty minor.

I was uneasy all weekend. Waiting twelve years to find out if what I built will suffice is nerve wracking. It's not a total surprise it's okay but quite a relief.
 
New Meter Panel. I used a hole saw to cut out the holes for the VU meters.

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MeterPanel-2-2.JPG


I used a stepper bit to remove a bunch of material. Then an angle grinder make rough cuts. Then I used the micro mill to clean up the PPM cut out and get it to the final dimensions.

MeterPanel-2-3.JPG


MeterPanel-2-4.JPG



I'm using these giant Weston VU meters. Weston are my favorite. I like them better than the Sifam's I was using. I thought I would like the Sifam Mechanical PPM's but I didn't. They were replaced with an RTW plasma PPM.

MeterUnit-2-1.JPG


I had meter driver PCB's made. Originally I was going to include a correlation meter but I had trouble with the one I had. I could never get it going properly. There is also a Meter Offset provision. +14dB for the NAB calibration record frequency response test. +20dB because it's the level I like to calibrate the lathe at. -3dB and -6dB for those really loud masters. There are also four stereo buffered outputs. Currently one feeds a headphone amp and another feeds an oscilloscope. Two are for future use.

MeterUnit-2-2.JPG

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Here is the latest addition. This is Elliptical EQ and HPF/LPF. The elliptical EQ has been installed in the console for about four years now. The Neumann HT75 filters I was using were on their last legs. They use eight section PCB mount rotary switches. They are impossible to replace AFAIK. They are touchy. One section on the B side was non functional in two positions. I only ever used 40Hz and 16K when cutting so that's all I wanted out of this. This is eight channels. Stereo Preview and Modulation for both the A half and the B half.

EE-FilterSet-1.JPG


There are some mistakes on the faceplate but I'm happy with it overall. I did the stripe down the middle on the micro mill.

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There was a lot of wiring. I used DIN rail terminal blocks for the power distribution.

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Installed in the console.

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