It has been a little over a year since our last post and so much has happened.
Since it has been so long since our last post, should we begin with putting to rest old topics or start chronologically? I guess we’ll start with the old and then go chronologically.
Well, the Neve’s Flying Faders automation system is finally up and running. This was perhaps the most aggravating project we have undertaken as a result of the numerous compounding problems that manifested themselves after tackling the previous problem. To keep the story short, we swapped out the old HP 286 computer for a custom built system we designed and assembled that not only is significantly quieter but also packs many bonus features including the use of USB mice and keyboard as well as an SSD. After a problem with the DPCI was dealt with, the system was reading SMPTE reliably and accurately. Now we just have to clean and lubricate 64 faders, but that should be the easiest part of this project.
Now on to the chronological events. Beginning in December of 2018, five songs off of Marc Anthony’s Opus, including “Tu Vida en la Mía” and “Parecen Viernes,” were mixed by Carlos Alvarez at our facility. For this project, we decided to bring in new mixdown converters to replace our PSX-100 and we ultimately settled on Apogee’s Symphony MKII 2x6SE.
As the months in 2019 progressed, a lot of little technical things have occurred. We upgrade our Lexicon 480l to v4.1 and acquired a Classic Cartridge, upgraded our AMS RMX16 to include all 17 programs in its EPROMs which is up from the 9 originally included programs, and acquired an Apogee Symphony MKII 32x32 with Dante. Perhaps the biggest of these updates was the acquisition of the new multitrack converters from Apogee.
But, the update doesn’t stop there. Within the past two months we have acquired even more gear. We were able to get a Lexicon Prime Time II, a Lexicon 300L, a Lexicon 224XL (previously from Sunset Sound Factory), and a second Lexicon PCM60 (these are seriously great for guitar rigs). The 224XL needed some love and attention; we had to 3D print a new PCB rail as one of the original rails for one of the PCBS was broken, 3D print the PCB card retainer and its pins, and we designed and manufactured a PCB that allows for the replacement of the stock AC fan, which is quite loud, with that of a quiet 12v computer fan (we’re talking about well over a 20 dB reduction in noise).
Aside from gear acquisition, we also had the pleasure of mastering the Ndlovu Youth Choir’s upcoming album, which was mixed by Jimmy Douglass.
Until next time.