Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[ALLEN WRENCH]

Looks like I’m going to need a bit of help with my 1978 MCI  JH-16  2” 24 track.

MDI-Precision Motor Works is rebuilding my capstan motor and I’d like to get a tech over to show me what’s up with alignment and to survey my machine.

Does anyone have any MCI tech/people they would recommend that are from the Southern California Area?

I live in Riverside.

From a previous post I got a recommendation for Charlie Bolis of Vertigo Recording Services (Sherman Oaks) (818) 907-5161

Any PROFESSIONAL input would be greatly appreciated!


- ALLEN

[RKrizman]

I'd recommend Charlie as well.

And I'm a perfessional.

-R

[David Schober]

Was it me who recommended him?  If not...my four cents...

Charlie is the man.  He's worked on that exact machine.  I've known Charlie since he went independent from the old MCA/Whitney Studios.

He's as easy going as it gets...completely professional and first class work.  And he's a great guy and maybe one of the most connected guys in LA.

Also....

When I worked at Schnee's they had (probably still do) two of them and put in a special mod that made the machine sound a good bit better.  Charlie should know about that mod.  If not his old buddy from the MCA days, Mike Wambsgans who now works at Record One might know it.  It's been a long time since that machine was done so I doubt they'd know it off the top of their head, but it's worth asking about.  If you have some decent skills once they showed you how it was done you could do it yourself, card by card.

IMHO that's the only number you need.

Cheers.

[Bryson]

David Schober wrote on Tue, 17 May 2005 17:18

When I worked at Schnee's they had (probably still do) two of them and put in a special mod that made the machine sound a good bit better.  Charlie should know about that mod.

Weren't they unbalanced/xfrmrs removed (like the rest of his room)?



BTW: I opened this thread to recommend Charlie as well.
He used to do regular maintenance at a room I worked at on Sunset Strip around '92.  We had an MCI. and an Amek Angela that Charlie had built custom mic amps for some of the channels.

[David Schober]

Don't remember about the unblanced part, but I'm pretty sure the transformers were pulled.  (as well as a bit of other parts)

I've mentioned this before, another major reason why that studio sounds so good is that the ins and outs of all machines go directly to XLR connectors, go under the floor, to where the other end of the wire is soldered directly to the output of the amps.  No multipin connectors anywhere!

That one little principle I believe makes a major difference in the sonic path.  And it's something almost everyone could do.  It was a pain to change machines around, but thankfully that didn't happen that much.  Even still, that's the way I'd do it were I to build a room like that.

In a related issue, anyone ever still do the mod to bypass the top electronics of the ATR 102?  Another cheap, but very cool way to mod the machine.  I've never seen one done here in Nashville.  Used to see it done once in a while in LA.