The Year in Retrospect
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AnalogPackrat
Well-known member
I did tractor repairs, made a simple grape trellis for muscadines, planted various blueberries, two apples, and some decorative shrubbery and trees. Removed 100' of old fencing (saved the materials for other uses). Re-did some crappy wiring in part of my house and started on structural and insulation improvements in the attic. Haven't had much time or energy for hobbies other than reading a few books this year.
pucho812
Well-known member
I started a new gig at a known console manufacture as tech support. It’s been tough as there are so many sub assemblies and part numbers but, hey it’s been worth it.
I didn’t do much diy this year but I did keep the studio running. As usual big plans fell by the wayside. Trying to press forward and maybe get to them this coming year. I have no excuse other than work distractions kept Diy down to a minimum. Happy holidauys
I didn’t do much diy this year but I did keep the studio running. As usual big plans fell by the wayside. Trying to press forward and maybe get to them this coming year. I have no excuse other than work distractions kept Diy down to a minimum. Happy holidauys
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fallout
Well-known member
DIY-wise, I built a couple of electric guitars, finished building a Buchla Easel synth, repaired a few old tube amps and built a pair of EQP1a's. I also finally got around to writing music again and enjoying it. Finished a lot of cool projects at my day job and spent lots of quality time with friends and family.
Overall, a productive year and hoping 2023 will be just as productive and maybe more so.
Overall, a productive year and hoping 2023 will be just as productive and maybe more so.
Mostly worked on the property like fencing and the garden but repaired some mixers and outboard gear as well as some guitar amps. Main job this fall was putting a kitchen in the rental and new flooring. Hope to get back to recording in 2023 
ruffrecords
Well-known member
Completed a mastering EQ, still building the first poor man's tube mixer, old customer sent back the 'tube tone box' I made for retrofitting a couple of REDD EQs and I have been tinkering with little AVR 8 bit micros for console logic and VU metering.
Cheers
Ian
Cheers
Ian
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Ricardus
WILL SOLDER FOR FOOD
This year was a super eventful year for me. I probably did less building than I had the previous two years, but that was because life happened. But I still built my 4 channel API clone using the ML12 boards, Graeme's KM84 conversion, several Sound Skulptor MP573s, and a friend and I did our own API clones for the 500 series. I also built two more channels of the Pete Millett tube preamp but I am modding it up more than the first build. It's done, all I need to finish it is the metalwork. I am probably forgetting a few things as well. After I moved (see below) I was finally able to get my GSSL out of storage and finally get it running. The fix ended up being super easy, but I am glad to have it available to use.
I think I mentioned this when it happened, but dad died suddenly in May, and I was his live-in caregiver. There was a period where I was genuinely afraid I might be homeless, but some friends (and many kind donations) helped me move out of state to be a part of an amazing creative cooperative where I have full access to a recording studio, and I have my own private workshop in a makerspace. I had been planning on moving here next year, but dad's death forced me to expedite that move.
One of the reasons I was going to move here in a year anyway was to get my life back on track. I had moved in with mom and dad 5 or 6 years ago when mom became wheelchair bound, and I stayed on to be with dad after mom died three years ago. Anyway, I had been stagnating, and I was going to have the rest of the family chip in and help with dad so I could move out of state, but dad's dying changed all that.
So now having access to a studio where I get to play with all of my gear is a real gift, and it's super fun. Having my own shop with access to all the resources of the makerspace is pretty damn amazing, too.
So this is my first Xmas without my folks, but life happens.
In any other year I would be celebrating the traditional Polish Wigilia today. And while the religious aspect of the celebration is important for many, it isn't for me. For me it was about community and amazing food.
Until my aunt Genevieve got sick and was unable to host it in her home, we did it there for decades. Everyone in the family would be there and we barely fit in the house.
Sadly, no local stores seem to carry gluten free Pierogi, so they're not on the menu for me this year, but I'll have some amazing food anyway, and maybe I'll be able to locate some of those Pierogi and have them on New Year's Eve.
I think I mentioned this when it happened, but dad died suddenly in May, and I was his live-in caregiver. There was a period where I was genuinely afraid I might be homeless, but some friends (and many kind donations) helped me move out of state to be a part of an amazing creative cooperative where I have full access to a recording studio, and I have my own private workshop in a makerspace. I had been planning on moving here next year, but dad's death forced me to expedite that move.
One of the reasons I was going to move here in a year anyway was to get my life back on track. I had moved in with mom and dad 5 or 6 years ago when mom became wheelchair bound, and I stayed on to be with dad after mom died three years ago. Anyway, I had been stagnating, and I was going to have the rest of the family chip in and help with dad so I could move out of state, but dad's dying changed all that.
So now having access to a studio where I get to play with all of my gear is a real gift, and it's super fun. Having my own shop with access to all the resources of the makerspace is pretty damn amazing, too.
So this is my first Xmas without my folks, but life happens.
In any other year I would be celebrating the traditional Polish Wigilia today. And while the religious aspect of the celebration is important for many, it isn't for me. For me it was about community and amazing food.
Until my aunt Genevieve got sick and was unable to host it in her home, we did it there for decades. Everyone in the family would be there and we barely fit in the house.
Sadly, no local stores seem to carry gluten free Pierogi, so they're not on the menu for me this year, but I'll have some amazing food anyway, and maybe I'll be able to locate some of those Pierogi and have them on New Year's Eve.
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living sounds
Well-known member
Let's see, I rebuild and reorganized my studio after the basement (flooded last year) was finally fit for use again. Installed the console and outboard, built additional bantam patchbays for the console, soldered a myriad of multicores, did a lot of fixing and installation in the console, bought and fixed a broken H3000 and TC2290, built a Heikki's trafoless vari-mu, upgraded 2 KT2A with better caps and T4Bs, re-build my BA preamps, completely overhauled the OB-8 (including design of DIP8 BA662 inspired VCAs I then had manufactured and a full recap including poly and ceramic), modded a few chinese mic clones until they pretty much matched my U87, painted keyboard racks, modded the output sections of a few romplers, installed an SSD and an ultra-quite fan in the ancient Mac that houses my Lexicon Nuverb cards (makes less noise than the AMS delay now), finished a 20 I/O DIY MIDI interface.
Also installed the complete indoor home gym in the basement, including wall mounted pulley, mirrors, power rack, indoor bike. Built a full body red / infrared light to heal sports injuries and for general well-being. Re-installed the robo-mowers boundary cables in the garden.
And DIYed lot's of tasty Pizza Napoletana for friends, family and myself.
Funny, how I always think I never get anything done, but in retrospect do wonder a little how I find the time...
The plan for 2023 is to finally make lot's of music again.
Also installed the complete indoor home gym in the basement, including wall mounted pulley, mirrors, power rack, indoor bike. Built a full body red / infrared light to heal sports injuries and for general well-being. Re-installed the robo-mowers boundary cables in the garden.
And DIYed lot's of tasty Pizza Napoletana for friends, family and myself.
Funny, how I always think I never get anything done, but in retrospect do wonder a little how I find the time...
The plan for 2023 is to finally make lot's of music again.
I mainly fixed/replaced stuff that broke.
Recently my cheap Christmas lights window display failed. I wasted a little too much time (over an hour) swapping bulbs trying to find the bad one but It looks like there may be more than one bad, and the cheesy bare wire to clip connections are not exactly inspiring. I bought a new replacement string of lights for $3. I should just discard the decades old faulty string but inquiring minds (mine) are curious about whether I could troubleshoot with a non-contact voltage tester. I suspect it is too sensitive but could experiment with using a variac to reduce the voltage feeding the lamps to improve sensitivity. Curiously the new cheap light sting is almost exactly the same technology as my 20 year old dead light string.
[edit- I just wasted another half hour trying to parse out open bulbs using a NCVT (non-contact voltage tester). It seemed promising and I identified a couple more suspect bulbs but still no Christmas miracle. I suspect I was getting weak connections good enough to register with the NCVT but not good enough to light the incandescent bulbs. If I didn't value my time highly, my next experiment would be to rig up a shorting cord to probe into the bulb sockets, perhaps with a current limiting resistor. Starting at the midpoint of the string I should be able to zero in on the bad contact. /edit
[edit3-] I gave up trying to repair the old cheap series string of lights. Being cheap I waited until prices drop after christmas. I just purchased a 39' multicolor LED string with 120 LED lights for only $4.99 so that's about 4 cents per LED. /edit]
===
I seriously considered replacing my 25YO car after it died on me at speed on the interstate. I was able to get it restarted before it stopped rolling on the shoulder, but again that did not instill confidence. I paid a back woods mechanic to replace my 25 YO fuel pump. I was not willing to drop my gas tank in my driveway. He opened up the old fuel pump and it looked OK so that was not the fault. While messing with the gas tank he replaced the filler tube grommet that was leaky. By trial and error it looks like I repaired my intermittent gas flow by replacing the control relay module. Those relays also control the fuel injection so a likely suspect. The car has been starting crisply and running well since I replaced that module.
My check engine light had been on for more than a decade. I finally invested in a code reader and identified the error as related to the emissions system. So far I have replaced the emissions control solenoid, the vapor flow sensor, even the gas cap. About the only component of the emissions control system that I haven't replaced (yet) is the vapor canister.
I cleared the check engine light code and it has been dark for two weeks so far. I only drive the car once a week, so I need to put a few more miles on it before declaring victory.
[edit2] Another car problem that I have decided to live with is the flaky burglar alarm. I didn't lock my car for about a decade because the alarm would randomly go off... blowing the horn and flashing the headlights. Annoying to say the least. Recently when I was on my latest car repair kick, I dug into the car's alarm system, and apparently it has two separate systems. One is a smart ID chip built into the key, that detects for the correct key in the ignition. The second theft system is armed when you lock the car doors using the key fob, if it detects an open door, trunk or whatever, while locked it trips the theft alarm. I have realized, that if I lock the car doors using just my physical key the squirrelly alarm system doesn't false trigger. I suspect the fault is in the 25 YO wiring, but as long as I don't use the key fob to lock my car, it's all good. [.edit2]
I will be glad to put this year in the rear view mirror.
JR
Recently my cheap Christmas lights window display failed. I wasted a little too much time (over an hour) swapping bulbs trying to find the bad one but It looks like there may be more than one bad, and the cheesy bare wire to clip connections are not exactly inspiring. I bought a new replacement string of lights for $3. I should just discard the decades old faulty string but inquiring minds (mine) are curious about whether I could troubleshoot with a non-contact voltage tester. I suspect it is too sensitive but could experiment with using a variac to reduce the voltage feeding the lamps to improve sensitivity. Curiously the new cheap light sting is almost exactly the same technology as my 20 year old dead light string.
[edit- I just wasted another half hour trying to parse out open bulbs using a NCVT (non-contact voltage tester). It seemed promising and I identified a couple more suspect bulbs but still no Christmas miracle. I suspect I was getting weak connections good enough to register with the NCVT but not good enough to light the incandescent bulbs. If I didn't value my time highly, my next experiment would be to rig up a shorting cord to probe into the bulb sockets, perhaps with a current limiting resistor. Starting at the midpoint of the string I should be able to zero in on the bad contact. /edit
[edit3-] I gave up trying to repair the old cheap series string of lights. Being cheap I waited until prices drop after christmas. I just purchased a 39' multicolor LED string with 120 LED lights for only $4.99 so that's about 4 cents per LED.
/edit] ===
I seriously considered replacing my 25YO car after it died on me at speed on the interstate. I was able to get it restarted before it stopped rolling on the shoulder, but again that did not instill confidence. I paid a back woods mechanic to replace my 25 YO fuel pump. I was not willing to drop my gas tank in my driveway. He opened up the old fuel pump and it looked OK so that was not the fault. While messing with the gas tank he replaced the filler tube grommet that was leaky. By trial and error it looks like I repaired my intermittent gas flow by replacing the control relay module. Those relays also control the fuel injection so a likely suspect. The car has been starting crisply and running well since I replaced that module.
My check engine light had been on for more than a decade. I finally invested in a code reader and identified the error as related to the emissions system. So far I have replaced the emissions control solenoid, the vapor flow sensor, even the gas cap. About the only component of the emissions control system that I haven't replaced (yet) is the vapor canister.
I cleared the check engine light code and it has been dark for two weeks so far. I only drive the car once a week, so I need to put a few more miles on it before declaring victory.
[edit2] Another car problem that I have decided to live with is the flaky burglar alarm. I didn't lock my car for about a decade because the alarm would randomly go off... blowing the horn and flashing the headlights. Annoying to say the least. Recently when I was on my latest car repair kick, I dug into the car's alarm system, and apparently it has two separate systems. One is a smart ID chip built into the key, that detects for the correct key in the ignition. The second theft system is armed when you lock the car doors using the key fob, if it detects an open door, trunk or whatever, while locked it trips the theft alarm. I have realized, that if I lock the car doors using just my physical key the squirrelly alarm system doesn't false trigger. I suspect the fault is in the 25 YO wiring, but as long as I don't use the key fob to lock my car, it's all good. [.edit2]
I will be glad to put this year in the rear view mirror.
JR
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gar381
Well-known member
Helped several Sphere buddies upgrade, recap and repair
modules on their Eclipses. Designed and built Sphere
900 EQs into a 500 series formate for my little Sphere desk.
(Duncan likes them) Its been a Good Sphere year.
Generally tried to stay out of trouble which can be hard lol.
Hope we all have a great, healthy and productive 2023.
Gary
modules on their Eclipses. Designed and built Sphere
900 EQs into a 500 series formate for my little Sphere desk.
(Duncan likes them) Its been a Good Sphere year.
Generally tried to stay out of trouble which can be hard lol.
Hope we all have a great, healthy and productive 2023.
Gary
sahib
Well-known member
Weldone to everybody. A lot of activity out there.
Unfortunately I have not been able to do any of my own projects other than helping a friend to build a customised Blues Junior with the parts that I had lying about at the workshop. However, I have done a lot of self study in DSP and FPGA based digital design which I am hoping to put into practice in the new year.
Unfortunately I have not been able to do any of my own projects other than helping a friend to build a customised Blues Junior with the parts that I had lying about at the workshop. However, I have done a lot of self study in DSP and FPGA based digital design which I am hoping to put into practice in the new year.
I don't want to jinx it, but after another week my check engine light is still dark... maybe the emissions fault is finally fixed.
3 weeks good so far.
[edit- I just ordered replacement parts to repair my car odometer that broke years ago... apparently there are some brittle plastic (worm) gears that fail over time. The ECU drives a small electric motor to turn the odometer. Apparently this is a common failure and a new gear set is only $12. /edit]
JR
3 weeks good so far.
[edit- I just ordered replacement parts to repair my car odometer that broke years ago... apparently there are some brittle plastic (worm) gears that fail over time. The ECU drives a small electric motor to turn the odometer. Apparently this is a common failure and a new gear set is only $12. /edit]
JR
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I finished and rolled out the Shaker Desk A/B path mastering console I've been working on for 14 years. I was hoping they would beat a path to my door, which hasn't happened. I have to work hard this new year to spread the word.
I'm most proud of the technical aspects because that was hardest stuff for me. I've realized that this is basically unimportant to the potential client. They want to know about functionality. What it does for them and why they would want to use it. I have to try to think more like a client and approach spreading the word that way. I'm not a natural salesman but this is a sink or swim moment.
I'm most proud of the technical aspects because that was hardest stuff for me. I've realized that this is basically unimportant to the potential client. They want to know about functionality. What it does for them and why they would want to use it. I have to try to think more like a client and approach spreading the word that way. I'm not a natural salesman but this is a sink or swim moment.
Contrary to Ralph Waldo Emerson, You can build a better mousetrap but the world will "not" beat a path to your door.
Good luck communicating to your potential customers, in ways they can relate to.
JR
fallout
Well-known member
So do I. I'm working on an email to send to all the A&R at labels I know. This is the first time I've ever sent out a promotional email. I figure I only have one shot so it better be right. I've realized the TapeOp ad I took out was not right. It assumed too much technical knowledge of the viewer and was about the 'what it is' rather than 'what it can do'. I have to get that right. I figure I have two short paragraphs to hold attention.
work on FAB (features, advantages, and benefits) often presented as bullet points. They won't read anything unless they are hooked. Maybe do some name dropping.
JR
JR
fallout
Well-known member
Name dropping never hurts! You have some impressive credits, why the hell not?
Who's your target? Bands? Management? Other studios?
You have some impressive credits, why the hell not?Who's your target? Bands? Management? Other studios?
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