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[Noah Mintz]

Sontec Repair... is like asking for someone to repair a damaged warp engine?

Does anyone do this? We have a 4 channel (program/preview) Sontec Disc Mastering EQ that is kaput. We have had our tech look at it, but it's going to need a specialist or someone who has experience with these. We are very anxious to get this thing repaired.

Thanks for any help,
Noah
noah@lacquerchannel.com

(cross posted on the mastering web-board)

[bblackwood]

Hi Noah. Seems like about the only thing that goes wrong with the Sontecs are the line amps dying (good luck finding any).

Also, fwiw, I am unaware of any repair facilities that can work on Sontecs. If you can somehow (miraculously) get in touch with Burgess @ Sontec, I'm sure he can do it (if you live long enough). If you do get in touch with him, as k him if I can buy a few more HS1000s - I've been trying to get in touch with him for about 5 years now...

[Noah Mintz]

we are having a mryid of problems. I don't think it's just the line amps.

When we move the bandwidth knobs all hell breaks loose. Crackle, noise, DC, screaming.

The self-noise of the unit changes from day to day. Sometimes it's tollerable (-70bdfs) other times it's unuseable.

this thing has been in this studio for 25 years. it's a shame to not use it.

Noah

PS. Last I heard, Burgess was with Sasquatch.

[bblackwood]

Well, you have three HS1000's per channel (if memory serves) - one on input, on in the filter section, and one on output. When I had one go out a few years ago it acted very similarly - varying noise floor and heavy distortion (which varied according to which knob you adjusted).

I think just about everything else in the box is pretty standard stuff.

[Noah Mintz]

very interesting. One of the other engineers here (Phil Demetro) says that Chris Muth (Dangerous Music) is going to be making Sontec Amp Cards. I put a call into them a couple of days ago and was told to email. I haven't heard anything yet...

[bblackwood]

Yah, Chris and I chatted about it a few months back at TapeOpCon. Unfortunately, there are few 9other than one that  i own) HS1000's that aren't potted, apparently. Even when it's not potted, the numbers have been scraped off the transistors so you cannot tell what they were. I'm told that if someone has the right device, they can figure out the actual part number of the transistor, and since my HS1000 isn't (and never was) potted, it could easily be reverse-engineered...

When you speak to Chris, tell him I'm willing to give my HS1000 to science if he knows how to figure out what transistors were used. If they could accurately reverse-engineer the HS1000, all the Sontecs out there would regain a lease on life.

As it is right now, without knowing what the actual parts are, you can make a line amp that works, but it won't sound the same...

[dcollins]

Noah Mintz wrote on Tue, 10 August 2004 18:56

Sontec Repair... is like asking for someone to repair a damaged warp engine?

No, that would be easier.  Any source of goat's blood up there?

There are several things that one could look for without a schematic, which is a good thing as there ain't one. Sounds like there is some oscillation going on.

As B-rad suggested, since "some" part of the Sontec sound is in the HS-1000, then you have to find a real replacement.
 
I've heard the Inward Connections parts in a Sontec and they seemed to work, although you could argue there are beaucoup opamps that can make a parametric eq nowdays.

Or existing users should hire a private detective and find Burgess.

DC