Studio finished....for now !


Dr_simon
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Dr_simon
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08/23/2003 12:20 pm
Well I finally have it finished, the studio I have dreamed of since the age of about 13!

I have really enjoyed the process although Iā€™m about 12K lighter!
Now all I have to do is get it back to the UK.....doh !


[Edited by Dr_simon on 08-23-2003 at 07:37 AM]
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# 1
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08/23/2003 5:34 pm
Very Nice!

The studio that I will be building after I get my custom guitar is a bit more simple. I will be getting a Pentium 4 3GHZ with 1GHZ front bus (or more), etc. I plan on having a program, maybe like ProTools SE (which uses FireWire, high quality for audio), and using my POD XT for direct recording. I'll explain more down the line......

~Incidents
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SPL
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SPL
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08/23/2003 6:04 pm
How do you like those Alesis monitors? They're in my list of potential purchases so I'm curious as to how well they do the trick.

Originally posted by Dr_simon
Now all I have to do is get it back to the UK.....doh !


How are you going to do that? Outlets in Europe are 110V/50Hz right?


# 3
Dr_simon
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Dr_simon
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08/23/2003 7:24 pm
I love the Alesis monitors, if they have a fault it is an overemphasis of particular bottom end frequencies which makes my mixs bass light. However, as Iā€™m mixing in a less than acoustically perfect room, it may not be the monitors but the room helping generate standing waves. Acoustic treatment is possible however as Iā€™m only going to be in Iowa for the next 10 months it is not really worth it (Hence the EQ on the RME-audio card!)

As far as moving to the UK I have a big bad 1000w step up /step down transformer (I got it especially for the move) which I can plug into the wall in the UK. This will convert everything to US mains voltage etc. This then feeds my power conditioner and we are all set.

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08/23/2003 10:25 pm
Is you going to England part of the $130,000.000 grant that the Government gave you?

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(Feel free to send some of that cash my way:D;))
# 5
Dr_simon
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08/24/2003 12:06 am
No, I got that grant from the American Heart Association to pay my wages for 3 years! I have just started year 3 and when the cash runs out me and Catherine are heading back to the UK. Iā€™m fairly pleased they didnā€™t just hand me a check 2 years ago or thereā€™d be nothing left and no food in our cupboards!
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08/24/2003 1:59 am
3 years of wages?! Your a doctor, i thought that doctors made more than $43.3 Grand a year.....

My friend's dad is an anesthesiologist (sorry, can't spell that word:D), makes $450,000.000 a year. Granted, he's the "Head" anesthel.....or however it's spelled. Anyways, your job seems harder than his, I don't see how that works out!

~Incidents
# 7
Dr_simon
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08/24/2003 2:17 am
Thats 'cos Im just a little doctor !
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Lordathestrings
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Lordathestrings
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08/24/2003 2:30 am
Jeez, that setup looks too complicated to be able to function! I'd doff my cap, but it's really sunny today, and my bald pate would suffer for it. :)

Check the specs on that stepping transformer carefully. In my line of work, I often encounter line transformers that don't function well at 50 Hz, even though the nameplate says "50/60 Hz". That 17% drop in line frequency can really knock the stuffing out of a transformer's efficiency.
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# 9
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08/24/2003 3:46 am
I'm surprised PonyOne isn't on here yet, telling Simon to simplify it! ;) Just kiddin:D.

Doc, I have to admit that I got a little confused by the mass amount of gear you have there!

How does the 1.8 GHZ computer hold up?

# 10
Dr_simon
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08/24/2003 2:26 pm
I will have another look at the transformer, thanks for the heads up (I to dazzle people when doffing my cap in the summer Tee He!)!

The setup isnā€™t that complicated. It is just a noisy thing going into a preamp going into a recorder, going into a computer and that is the critical path in each case.

Everything else is just gravy and monitoring! I could and did get rid of the recorder however it makes the process less fun as the computer (as it stands at the moment) canā€™t do triggered recording. I have been careful to bypass the preamps on the D1200 (they are not the best) using the optical S/PDIF input on the Korg, this also helps a lot!

Several people have said that the Tascam is not a good idea as its electronics will be harsh in terms of signal degradation. As this bit of kit is not in the critical recording chain (i.e. works after the signal has been written to the disk) and the room acoustics are currently rate limiting I figured Id give it a go and test it. So I put in an A/B box to see if bypassing the Tascam would make any difference and as I couldnā€™t hear any, it stays and saves me having to eBay it and get a hold of a small desk.

The computer holds up fine..... so far ! As you can see I have a bunch of pluggins (I didnā€™t mention Autotune which is also in there !) and I have run 16 tracks at 16 bit /48 mHz with about 2 plugins on each channel with out any major problems.

[Edited by Dr_simon on 08-24-2003 at 01:02 PM]
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# 11
Dr_simon
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08/24/2003 4:04 pm
Lordathestrings, this is the transformer I have:

http://traveloasis.com/transformers9.html

Iā€™m sucking 785.8W (allowing 100W for my PC -with no monitor) through an ART Power distribution unit rated at 1800W @ 15A

Please let me know if you can see any problems!

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# 12
The Other One
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The Other One
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08/24/2003 5:33 pm
WHOA! and i thought all i had to do was get a few microphones a mixing board and a program for my pc and i'd have it made!:confused: man i was wrong!:D
....What a long, strange trip its been.....
# 13
Lordathestrings
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Lordathestrings
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08/24/2003 7:01 pm
Originally posted by Dr_simon
Lordathestrings, this is the transformer I have:

http://traveloasis.com/transformers9.html

Iā€™m sucking 785.8W (allowing 100W for my PC -with no monitor) through an ART Power distribution unit rated at 1800W @ 15A

Please let me know if you can see any problems!
I found some stuff on the manufacturer's website. The FAQ button leads to some quasi-helpful answers, but they don't address the frequency/efficiency issue. One is left to assume that the spec is for the worst-case condition, an unwise assumption.

The suggested Wattage calculation ignores an inconvenient detail called the Power Factor. Multiplying the Voltage x Current only gives an accurate value for the power consumption if the voltage and current are [u]sinusoidal, and in phase[/u]. When power is drawn through a transformer, some phase shift is introduced between the voltage and the current. The amount of this shift is the Power Factor.

The power supplies of most consumer electronics use a capacitor to store DC energy (rectified AC), to smooth out the pulses of the AC line voltage. This means that there is very little current drawn until the voltage at the rectifier output exceeds the voltage stored on the capacitor. Then, there is a sudden increase in the current, as the rectifier 'tops up' the storage capacitor. The resulting AC current waveform has sharp spikes on it. This is definitely not a sinusoidal waveform.

The bottom line? The power calculations based on nameplate information is only an approximaton, and may be off by as much as 20%. The reduced efficiency at 50 Hz could mean that your present setup is more than one transformer can handle. In industrial applications, where reliability is critical, it is common to select components with a 100% over-rating. That is, with twice the capacity of your expected 'normal' load.

I suggest asking AED some pointy questons about how, and under what conditions, their ratings are calculated, and how much power you can expect to draw from the output when the unit is fed from 50 Hz British AC mains.
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# 14
Dr_simon
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08/24/2003 7:58 pm
Well that is a bunch of news, I think Iā€™m going to go for a 10 fold excess rating as sinusoidal = good and spikes = very very bad even running stuff through a power conditioner (I can still hear the odd pop when a light goes on or off!).

I know I can run the computer on UK mains voltage witch takes 200w off the calculation and much of the stuff with wall warts I can buy new power supplies (down another 180w), so a 5KW transformer should be OK.

I will contact AED before parting with any more cash however all is well as we have a bunch of other US electrical gizmos that can make good use of this particular transformer!

Cheers mate !
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Lordathestrings
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08/24/2003 8:54 pm
The 'pop' you hear sometimes when a light is turned on or off, is usually due to the spark that jumps across the switch contacts as they close or open. That's the sort of once-in-a-while transient noise that AC line filters and surge suppressors are supposed to get rid of.

The current spikes I was talking about, are present continuously, and are more likely to cause 60 Hz or 120 Hz (50 Hz or 100 Hz) buzzing noises.

No need to go overboard on the the ratings. You need to be able to plug into the mains with a normal line cord. If memory serves, UK mains are limited to 16 Amps. For the gear you listed, 1500VA is a good compromise. I use the notation VA (Volt-Amps) as a more specific indication. As I mentioned earlier, Watts is not quite the same thing. The Marketing Department probably changed VA to Watts to make the public more comfortable with the text, but you never know...
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# 16
Dr_simon
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08/28/2003 10:59 pm
Ok, so a little more research has reviled that this transformer doesnā€™t convert mains frequency. Kit in the UK runs @13 amps 50 Hz 240 V AC so Iā€™m gonna be running my US kit at 50 Hz as opposed to 60.

How bad in that?

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# 17
Lordathestrings
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08/29/2003 1:44 am
It shouldn't be a problem.

Your equipment actually operates on DC produced by the internal power supplies from the AC mains. I doubt that any timing functions are associated with the line frequency, so all should be well.
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# 18
Dr_simon
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08/29/2003 1:22 pm
{in calm female voice} "Simon's stress levels are holding at 85%, further hair loss and heart attack no longer imminent"

Thanks Lordathestrings !

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