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R/E/P => R/E/P Archives => Brad Blackwood => Topic started by: Viitalahde on June 11, 2004, 04:17:18 PM

Title: My console..
Post by: Viitalahde on June 11, 2004, 04:17:18 PM
Hiya,

here's a couple of photos.. My console is all passive & unbalanced. It has four inputs: three of them are routable to the process path and two+1 (daw return) of them are to the monitor path. Process path has two 25k ladder attenuators (0.5db steps to -11db) and the first position takes them completely off the circuit. Monitor attenuator is a 10k ladder attenuator and the "mode" switch has two toggle switch where you can compose stereo, mono, L mono and R mono.

When listening to process path input, processors are NOT feeded with signal but the input is routed directly to monitors. When listening to DAW return, processors receive signal again. I wanted to avoid any parallel loads. Works for me!

I like this thing.. Great to use!

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v240/virtalahde/pmc1_1.jpg

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v240/virtalahde/pmc1_2.jpg

Then two shots of the little room I'm building. Still on progress but hopefully running later this year. Monitoring is Dynaudio BM6A's, and I really think I succeeded well with the monitoring&acoustics. Perfectly pleased for now! The rack is holding a Gyraf Audio G10 vari-mu compressor, a shelving Pultec imitation with Quad-8 CA27 gain make-up, and the console. An open Aphex Dominator 2 can be seen also, under mods, as also an RNC on the computer. The computer screen is around 1m behind the listening position - I like it better when I don't have to look at the screen while tweaking.

I'm building a Sontec MEP-250A clone with all discrete op-amps, also will have a M/S matrix and a passive splitter/summing unit.

But I started out with good monitoring and acoustics. ADC/DAC is LynxTWO-A for now. Still a beginner to mastering.

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v240/virtalahde/rakki2.jpg

http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v240/virtalahde/rakki1_1.jpg
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: bblackwood on June 11, 2004, 05:13:16 PM
Looks sweet!

Have you measured the crosstalk in the box? Frequency response?

How's that pultec imitation?
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: Viitalahde on June 12, 2004, 04:31:45 AM
No I haven't.. Will do.

The Pultec thingy is just great. After I got my monitoring right, I found out I didn't like the input trafo - so I removed it. It now has only output trafo (Jensen) and it's there just for the sound. This thing really sings! I love it! It's a real sound-digging tool, you can bend bass out of anything. Very pure sounding.
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: davidc on June 12, 2004, 05:21:21 AM
Jaakko,

If that gear in the photo is home built, then Ive got to say you have done a fantastic job, and I'm envious. My home built projects always look home built Embarassed

Can I ask where you got the circuits from?

Best Regards

David C
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: Viitalahde on June 12, 2004, 05:53:08 AM
Well,

the Gyraf Audio G10 is a commercial circuit, the designer Jakob Erland & I had a prototype thing going on so it's a result of that.. G10 review is here: http://www.gyraf.dk/g10/g10_review.jpg

The console is my own design.. And the Pultec EQ is a variation of the old Pultec, also can be found at Gyraf Audio, under DIY projects.

You should join us at "The Lab" - there's a bunch of people who do this all the time! Great minds and most of them do better work than me!  Laughing Forum:

http://www.prodigy-pro.com/forum/index.php
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: davidc on June 12, 2004, 06:20:46 PM
Thanks Jaakko, looks an interesting site.

David
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: dcollins on June 14, 2004, 04:09:07 AM
Viitalahde wrote on Sat, 12 June 2004 01:31

No I haven't.. Will do.

The Pultec thingy is just great. After I got my monitoring right, I found out I didn't like the input trafo - so I removed it. It now has only output trafo (Jensen) and it's there just for the sound. This thing really sings! I love it! It's a real sound-digging tool, you can bend bass out of anything. Very pure sounding.


What are you using for the interstage trafo?

DC
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: Viitalahde on June 14, 2004, 04:29:56 AM
No interstage trafo. Just the passive circuit, seeing a 15k load at the Quad 8 amp input.

The Gyraf variation of the Pultec is done like this, except that the amp is tubed (SRPP). Now I feel it gives just the right amount of goodies, and it's not a one-trick pony. I am actually pretty sure this thing will follow me through my life.
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: OTR-jkl on June 16, 2004, 02:13:08 PM
Nice work.
How'd you do the face plates...?
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: dcollins on June 17, 2004, 04:27:41 AM
Viitalahde wrote :

>No interstage trafo. Just the passive circuit, seeing a 15k load at the Quad 8 amp input.

Then is it fair to call it a "Pultec?"  How about an LC equalizer with tubes?  What mu in the toroids?

There's a reason it's famous, you know.

DC
Title: Re: My console..
Post by: Viitalahde on June 17, 2004, 06:01:10 AM
Dave, You're probably right.

It doesn't even have inductors - caps only. Shelving EQ. So it's even more far away from Pultec.. Just an adaptation of the classic Western Electric circuit.

Haven't really thought of that. On the front plate I have: PEQ-8A, which stands for "passive equalizer (with) quad 8 amplifier"


OTR-jkl:

Front plates are actually just done with a Dymo-something writer. Black text on a transparent sheet.. So the sheet is visible when you look at it, but I don't really care. As long as the thing sounds good & works well, I don't care too much about cosmetics as long as things aren't butt-ugly. Nice colours are one thing I try to implement in my gear.