free mad professor workshop

Just a heads up to anybody in the NYC area. UK-based dub producer Mad Professor of the famed Ariwa Sounds studio is giving a free workshop at Dubspot on 9/16/11 from 6-7pm as part of the Dub Invasion Festival I'm helping out with. If you're at all interested in dub production, you should RSVP to workshops@dubinvasion.net with the subject line "Mad Professor". And if you can't make it in person, the workshop will be streaming live on the Dubspot website.

You check him out live the same night at Knitting Factory Brooklyn: http://bk.knittingfactory.com/event-details/?tfly_event_id=60525

moog demonstration record

A special someone got me this demonstration record from Moog. Made in the late '60s when the company was called R.A. Moog, Inc., the record is a collaboration between Robert Moog and Wendy/Walter Carlos. You can listen to it in the Moog Archives and download a 320 kbps version I ripped here. Enjoy!

synapse magazine

I came across an ad for this magazine in WET, which is another excellent publication from the late '70s. The scans are online courtesy of Cynthia Webster of Cyndustries, maker of awesome modular analog synths and the founder of Synapse. Please check it out here and enjoy!











P.S. If any hard copies surface anywhere, I will pay good money for them...

aurora

The aurora open source mixer is a real beauty. It's a usb-powered midi controller that's compatible with software like Ableton Live, Max/MSP, etc., making it ideal for the digital DJ and VJ. All the info to building your own is listed on their site along with schematics.

technics SL-1200Mk2

I fixed a Technics SL-1200Mk2 turntable in the record store today (Good Records NYC if you ever want to come by and say hi) that had an issue with the speed slightly wavering. Pretty painless procedure - just opened the baby up and cleaned the speed adjustment pots.

I've listed a few resources for repairing/modding a Technics turntable if you should ever feel so inclined. These turntables are built like tanks. I'm pretty sure you could drop it down a flight of stairs and it would probably still work.

For basic info:

FAQ of Technics 1200Mk2/SL-1210Mk2 Turntables

For the DIYer:

Technics SL-1200Mk2 Service Manual

And last but not least, the MAN of Technics turntable mods:

InnerUrban.com

clara rockmore and the theremin

For a special Memorial Day treat, here's a video of the great Clara Rockmore playing the theremin with the delicate vibrato of an opera singer. Just saw the documentary about the theremin called Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey, which features Clara Rockmore, Bob Moog, Brian Wilson, and Léon Theremin himself. Amazing film about an amazing invention.



The theremin operates with heterodyne oscillators for both the frequency (pitch) and amplitude (volume) antennas, using L/C circuitry and grounded variable capacitance (your hand as the "ground") for changing the frequency and volume - much like "tuning" a radio or the electrical equivalent of a tuning fork. As you can imagine, DIY projects for the theremin are plentiful and varied with solar-powered optical theremins that are light-sensitive like this one by the artist Jan van Nuenen (check out his awesome animations, too!):





And back to my love for the arduino, check out this one with infrared sensors called the Squaremin by Nick Hardeman:



And finally, scans from Electronics Illustrated 1960 about the theremin available online thanks to the wonderful website SynthGear.

learning from the pros

A quick look at a few living legends of custom preamp/mixers for your everyday sound system. There are a few features that seem to be included on all of these preamps: kill switches for treble, mid, bass, sub (or alternately, low mids), 10 band graph EQ, parametric equalizers for bass, mid, treble, etc.

Jah Tubbys Sound System (JTS):


Mostec:


Barracuda (retired since 2005/2006):


Jo Red:


Also on the Jo Red website are extremely helpful tips and schematics to building your own DIY preamp.

And if anyone ever finds a copy of this, let me know: