Category Archives: APKaudio
My first microphone pre-amp design
Doing a school project is the PERFECT excuse to design build a test my first ground up original Microphone pre-amp!
I learned these buzzwords from the Kimber cable guy:
The imaging is fantastic, totally forward sounding with edge AND detail on the soundstage. Though precise, there isn’t that analytical flavour tainting the dry sound in the copper typically found in other microphone pre-amps. Micro-clipping isn’t an issue anymore! By a factor of at leased 10, the noise floor is lower than you’d ever expect. With an un-constrained matrix, painting the sound stage will be a pleasure. Tipping the value curve, the proportions are just right.
But honestly… I’ve not heard it yet, or kimber cable for that matter.
Seriously though… it’s a transformer coupled double balanced class A instrumentation pre-amp using only the best. Actual results to follow!
Moving stuff across the country
Reply
I most certainly had a busy “reading week”. It started with finishing up a job My brother Mike started. Moving 7 pallets of equipment from my moms garage in Saskatoon. Followed by great visits with Family and friends. I’m sorry I did not get the chance to meet with everyone I had planned to visit with. Things got a little busy in the IT support world and there was so much family to visit!
Three consoles were packaged and palleted up for shipment across the country.
Custom made dollies were built for the two large sections of console frames.
Modules were packed, boxed and palleted. A small fortune in bubble wrap and pallet wrap were employed.
This is the PSU for a console along with a 1″ Studer A80 8 track Recorder that was made transportable.
I’m excited to work on these projects again in my “Spare time”
Stay tuned for updates of what’s happening with this lot. We’re very excited for what’s planned :-)
Pictures of us building Wilma
Before
Continue reading
Balancing and un-balancing simulation
Started a project for school… got side tracked and designed a balancing and unbalancing circuit for some modules. 
console dolly
moving a few frames across the country.
Ward-Beck Systems Dinner Box 4 – Ready to be soldered – dB-4
Here is the prototype for the dinner Ward-Beck Systems Dinner Box 4 – Ready to be soldered – dB-4
The parts can be quickly ordered here and assembly the simplest DIY project out there.
Soldering and tests to follow!
DB-4 first PCB
got my prototype back and there were some tweaks needed. So many lessons to learn about PCB
Moving a patchbay
A couple of weekends ago I helped move a patchbay out of a studio and down two sets of stairs…
It was like “moving a washing machine down the stairs with a sofa attached”
Avid crash
I was given an AVID pen, it crashed when the tip fell out
Ward-Beck Systems “DINNER BOXES” dB-4
Well after some time away, I’ve gotten back to the Dinner Box
The dinner box is a PCB that users can solder EDAC connectors that mate with Ward-Beck Systems Auxiliary modules.
With a standardized 5 PIN XLR power connector, users can simply power up (4) WBS filters and Compressors.
In Addition to power and audio, there is the interconnections stereo linking of the M466 compressors using either M466M OR M467 Noise gate modules.
the dB-4 also allows user to mix and match equalizers: any of the M462, M462A, M462B or M464 Filter interchange seamlessly into this bucket.
A balancing card for M472 eq modules is on the drawing board.
Here is a revised version.
The major change is the addition of XLR connectors… The idea of using a dB25 connector is now optional!
RTO-PSU
Working with a Power one Power supply in the construction of a 25V bi-polar PSU for some WBS modules. I’m using the lovely CatherineNorth.com power supply as a voltage doubler to get 48V phantom power. 
Dinner Box – M461
Joel Plaskett rocking some WBS pre-amps
I was reading http://professional-sound.com/ (like I do every month plug plug) and saw Joels lovely new studio and Neve Console. Front an centre I was happy to see the set of WBS pre-amps I wired up for him a few years ago. Glad they’re making great records! And congrats to Thomas, who was apparently a regular at Revolution Recording… I just kept my head down and in the back
Ward-Beck Systems “DINNER BOX” – dB-4
Working on the new Ward-Beck Systems “DINNER BOXES” dB-4
Because there’s real Meat in it… Because sometimes I skip lunch… Because they don’t serve lunch at 4AM… Because I eat lunch for breakfast…
It’s a backplate to simply wire and power up (4) WBS filters and Compressors. M466, M466M, M462, A, B or M464 Filter. A balancing card for M472 eq modules is on the drawing board too! 
Knee deep
The Gorton brothers are in their new home!
I’ve got my new Gorton 256-6 grinder in the shop along side the P1-2 engraver! I’m excited to have it back in the shuffle. They look very different under the light! 
Herman Miller Chair repair
My Old Herman Miller wheels were really ruining my floor. This is something you don’t really think about until it’s too late…
I ordered hardwood floor safe wheels for my chair. I really recommend them for any surface… the soft rubber really keeps your floor looking new.
While I had the chair upside down I thought I’d share a mod I do to them. If you’ve spent a lot of time in these chairs you’ll know the KLANG the legs make… to keep that klang down to a minimum I Supper 77 in some scrap acoustic foam to the legs.
Passive HP/LP Filter calculator – More fun with Excel
To better understand the behavior of a Passive Resistor Inductor / Resistor Capacitor I built another excel calculator….
ly
Finished a project for school
I had to build a 1 watt Class AB – Amplifier for an Electronics devices course. The school has an LPKF PCB prototyping machine to make these PCBs with. I’m not going to turn down the chance to have the boards made up so any project that involves PCB layout, I will over do it! The machine does 2 sided boards and with a special baking process plates the holes. I only learned this after I spent all the time making it single sided with a ground plane on top. So many lessons learned on this one.
After two revisions and some trace cutting, she’s alive. I used some Phoenix connectors on the board for connection. I will never make a board without some simple way to connect or disconnect it. Also, the idea of a PCB copper heat-sink was a bad idea. I imagine the copper has to be thin for the machine to router… so chunks of aluminium were added on the back. Thing gets rather hot. 
