Dave Adams did my a solid today. I needed some support cut to exactly 1.6 *12 plus 0.02 worth of “wiggle room” spaced over 12 modules. He has the tools and knows them too well! Thanks again Dave! 
Category Archives: Shop
Custom Dangerous Master Panel
SOUND GUY XMAS! The family delivers sound guy gifts!!
I’m so lucky to have such thoughtful family.
I know how difficult it is to shop for us sound guys.
I hope the ideas I’ve been sharing have been of inspiration to eager shoppers.
I thought I would share some of the ideas my family and friends came up with that I missed and appreciate as professional tools and inspiration to learn from!
Super bright LED flashlight. This one is very small, takes 4 AAA batteries and I bet will last a very long time!
Gear tie Flexible ties. I’ve never seen these! This things are very soft and wont scratch anything.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=67776&cat=1,43326,59481
Maped pencils. These are awesome because they are orange and they are triangular. Very nice to work with!
Ike Zimble of Zimble Audio hooked me up over the holidays with a product he really enjoys.
Rawn America’s Tefrawn, I’m very excited to try it out! Truly a Sound Guy Gift!!
I’m very protective of my hearing (and the family knows this).
I’m going on a trip this week and there will be swimming in the ocean. Aqua Ears!
Make it stick – the science of successful Learning, a very very good read. I got 1/2 way through and gave it to a teacher that needed it more than I did.
Flex X-RAP Finger protection. I’ve never seen anything like this stuff. If you’re making a bunch of cables and want to move faster this is the ticket! http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=64762&cat=1,42207,64762
A KAZOO!!!! Because I’m easily entertained.
Happy holidays to everyone! You’re all an inspiration to me and mine! Keep the feedback coming!
Anxiety, regret, and satisfaction at the 1/2 way point
Sound guy xmas – Flow Mach 2 Waterjet
This is a little extreme for hobbyists, but I can see something like this really coming into handy around the shop.
Sound guy xmas Idea – CN37 Light guided Connector Assembly
Got a Call from Christopher today. “I do a lot of EDACs” I said. He said “what you really want is the CB37 Light Director Board“
And he was right.
Sound guy Xmas idea: Ultrasonic Cleaner
I cannot count the number of things I’ve cleaned in this thing. Seriously has saved me thousands of dollars in parts and time.
sound guy xmas idea: Paladin Tools 901039 Premise Service Kit
Oh yes, this would come in handy with the increase of RJ45 working being done! 
sound guy Xmas idea: APx515 2-Channel Audio Analyzer
This would be a dream for the test bench. Simple, robust effective analysis tools! I would be happy with an old system one… but this would be on the shelf in a heartbeat.
The APx515 is a high performance audio analyzer optimized for production test. APx515 has a typical THD+N of –106 dB, a one million point FFT with 24-bit resolution, and 192K digital I/O. It is a best-in-class instrument for its combination of speed, performance, automation, and ease-of-use.
APx515 is a significant product because it delivers the performance and reliability of Audio Precision at a production-level price.
APx is the fastest audio analyzer in the world, returning 21 audio measurements in as fast as 1.2 seconds. It is also the easiest to use, with one-click measurements, custom reporting and sophisticated automation without any programming. A full API and LabVIEW driver is also provided.
This speed and ease-of-use means test will never be a bottleneck, and production line managers can achieve reliable, consistent results compared to the current low-cost alternatives like a distortion analyzer.
For companies outsourcing their production, requiring APx515 on the production line gives tighter control over production, ensuring manufacturers are meeting their contractual requirements.
sound guy xmas!!! Day 1 – Syscomp Curve Tracer
Xmas is around the corner. Sound guys and gals are the hardest people in the world to shop for… I will be posting a stream of gift ideas!
Day 1: The Syscomp CTR-101 Curve tracer:
Key Features
-Plots device characteristics for diodes, transistors, MOSFETs, JFETs, and more!
-Up to 30V test voltage at 1A test current
-True voltage and current source drive ampli ers
-High resolution measurements
-Pulsed test mode to minimize device dissipation
-Auto-scaling real-time plotting during analysis
-Sample-by-sample power and current limiting
-Open-source software
– 
VW golf – Will it fit?? 14 power amps…
BARELY!!!
This was a hairy transport… I feared getting into an accident with this load. I most certainly would have been taken out. Also, the weight of them sure dropped the back of the car 3″! Thanks again D, I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into!
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
Visualization of what’s on your hard drive
I was introduced to “Disk Inventory X” that displays a visual representation of what’s on your hard drives. Within minutes I identified HUGE files that were plugging up my laptop. The worst culprit is parallels… but I already knew that virus was huge!
By selecting a file, you can reveal it in the finder and see what it’s really doing!
I would recommend checking it out, just for fun!
McDSP ultimate Compressor and Eq
Today I had the good fortune of meeting with Derek Heimlich of McDSP. Derek introduced me to a solution to a grief I’ve always had with software plugins. After his introduction and chat about this product, I blurted out that “Software has sucked, until now”
McDSP has released the 3060 Ultimate Compressor and 6020 Ultimate Equalizer bundles.
Until now no software allowed users to switch the character of an equalizer and compressor without loosing their settings. Modeled after some of the industries most revered equipment, McDSP comes through with another must have studio essential tool. This functionality gives you a true A/B between different compressors and equalizers. A unique experience. “I know what I want to achieve when I compress and eq, all I ever want to do is change the character”. As far as I know this is the only piece of software that keeps the EQ and compression setting between plugins. A+ work in my opinion.
I would suggest you give them a shot today for your next project. McDSP offers a free demo that is a worthwhile experience and great investment, check it out.
Dinner Box – M461
For the love of tools
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
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.
