From BROADCAST ENGINEERING Mag, circa 1964, plans by one Robert Tiffany on the design and construction of a low-cost ‘standby’ broadcast console. Output amp stage uses my fav line output transformer, the UTC A-25: still unequaled among air-gapped plate:line transformers for low-frequency response. BTW, add a 600:60K mic input transformer to the front of this thing and you’ve got a pretty nice mic preamp with a LOT of gain.
DOWNLOAD: Console_0001 
I know there’s not too much value in my ‘re-tweeting’ (it’s safe to use that verb as a generic descriptor now, right?) something that the Ole Gray Lady published, but the piece by Jon Caramanica in Friday’s NYT really got my attention. The article concerns a hip hop reissue label in Mass that’s doing terrific business because they have realized that the consumer-value inherent in certain sound-recordings can by applied, via symbolic transference, to what are essentially display or decor items. Even tho the sound-recordings THEMSELVES no longer have cash value due to ‘the internets,’ by packaging certain totemic items alongside those sound recording it is possible to imbue the totems with a value that far exceeds their manufacturing costs. WELL DONE. I worked for many many years on reissue campaigns at one of the last Major Labels, and while we occasionally had products that skirted this semiotic territory, we never really went all the way. These folks, ‘Get On Down,’ made the realization that it does not matter HOW LITTLE cash value there is to be had in sound-recordings at this time in history, because the emotional value, the use-value of those recordings in the lives of consumers, is still as great as ever. Click here to read the piece in the NYT. And if yr into classic hip hop at all, you will probably be very tempted to purchase some of these objects/recordings here: Get On Down.
Download a five-page article from Broadcast Engineering mag regarding “Live Music Pickup” for broadcast. This article seems to be primarily concerned with recording large live ensembles of acoustic instruments on-location; I.E., symphonies and the like. It is written by one Robert Carr, then product-manager at SHURE.
DOWNLOAD: MusicPickup
Above: circa 1963 announcements for the Bauer model 920 “Peak Master” (appears to be a UREI model 175) and the Teletronix LA-2, which was at some point re-branded by UREI. I feel like I have seen these Bauer pieces on eBay from time to time, but the internet is silent regarding them. Anyone? Whats the story with this piece?
How are y’all doing on this fine day… Wanted to LYK that I recently wrote another software review for our friends at ProductionHUB dot com… you can read the full piece by clicking this link. The review is for a new(ish) sample/loop collection called ‘What It Is,’ and it’s a library that I have found useful+ enjoyed working with lately. As I have often remarked on this website… my interest in all the ye olde audio stuff is not academic or collector-ish in nature… I actually use this stuff all the time in my work, be it studio sessions with bands or television/film music. Loop libraries often a part of the latter, and it’s a product category that I have been exploring for many many years now. You might imagine, therefore, that my interest in a 70s’-themed loop library would be especially strong. And you would be correct. If any of you, my dear readers, also use these types of products, drop us a line with any recos that you have to share.
For my previous ProductionHUB review, click here.
Courtesy of Kodak, a discussion of the problem of print-thru on audio-masters. I used to notice this on LPs quite a bit as a kid, Led Zep esp. comes to mind, and I always assumed that it was intentional… kinda just makes the whole thing seem more EVIL, ya know? But apparently not. Apparently this was a thing-to-be-avoided. Hey any of y’all ever create an artificial print-thru ‘effect’ for a DAW production? Drop us a line and let us know… seems like it could be interesting,,, anyway here’s the bit:
How are y’all doing… I recently picked up a large pile of the old ‘Broadcast Engineering’ mags from the mid 60’s. Although much of the content focuses on video engineering (not quite ready to go there yet…), I found a good amount of audio-related content that is still potentially relevant today. I’ll be uploading bits and bobs throughout March. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned…. oh and here’s a sample of that yr in for…
We were lucky a few months back to have the fantastic band MATES OF STATE at Gold Coast Recorders to tape part of their AUDIO-FILES episode. You can watch the whole performance right here. Wonderful performance by Kori and Jason and just an absolutely delightful crew to work with. Directed by Matt Eastin. Recorded by Chris and Cade Thalman at Gold Coast Recorders, mixed by Jason Hammel.
that’s right, git all up in that shit MOTHAFUKKA
Ahem. From RADIO-ELECTRONICS circa 1950 comes this piece on a forgotten cul-de-sac of audio production, the ‘magnetic-transfer-field’ method of duplicating analog audiotape. WTF? Read on and learn, dudes (VIA is there a lady? Do any women read this nonsense? if so, pls speak up thanks).
DOWNLOAD: MagneticTapeDupe1950
I was in Marin county this past weekend and I met some pretty interesting folks at the yard-sales. First, a dude who made a lot of the DigiRack presets in protools, and hours later, a very old fellow who used to build bridges+road by day and then service musical equipment by night. Hooked me up with some amazing ancient tech-data books. fascinating sorta shit/sorta folks that I don’t seem to find too often out here East. Anyhow… point is… there are so, so, so many weird little roads of audio-production that have not been traveled by plug-in designers… so many paths still unexplored digitally. Every weird dead-end of commercial audio production awaits a potential rebirth in the plug-in age… Via: someone make a magnetic-transfer-field simulator already?
Some random bits of Electrodyne kit that I came across… Above, their ACC-1204… looks pretty neat… anyone?
