Wow have I have been bad about updating my website over the years! In a lot of ways, the site isn’t an integral part of my work.
But I also deleted my social media accounts earlier this year and am happy to be without them. So I am toying with making this a bit more of a personal space for me to share all of the boring non-audio things that I might otherwise share with friends on social media. Or maybe I won’t.
As a kid, I learned to share well… but in the social media and networking age, I don’t share so well. 😛 I am not the kind of person who revels in a carefully curated online image of myself. I’m going for something a bit less formal, a bit more uncensored. (haha! That sounds like it is potentially bad for business!)
What has happened over the years?
Hmm, where to begin… I have been “wheeling and dealing” on new and used audio equipment and doing new builds and repairs and restorations of older units in my spare time. I’ve somehow amassed almost my entire dream front-end audio equipment collection. I need to build and/or mod a few more tube microphones to sound more mid-forward and less bright for that vintage tone, and I’m thinking putting M7 capsules on my GrooveTubes GT-67’s may be just the thing to start with since everything is on-hand with which to do it. I still haven’t dished out the funds to purchase a U47 or a decent clone kit to build out. But I have my bases covered on bright, neutral, mid-forward, and darker tones for FET condensers and dynamic mics. I think I have 44 working mics to choose from at this moment.
I changed up my mic preamp and converter situation slightly, adding a pair of the wonderful Miktek MPA-201 preamps. (Let me take a moment to sing their praises! While I’m not entirely unaffiliated with Miktek, that relationship cannot change what my ears hear. These preamps are the best features and functions of any of the Neve 1073-based mic preamps on the market. It may not have Marinair or St. Ive’s windings for its transformers like a racked and restored console preamp module, it may not have the EQ included… but it does have some sweet AMI transformers all around, transformer DI inputs, VU and peak metering, and the unique “smooth” switch that toggles the Neve console’s patchbay resistor which dampens the ringing of the output transformer — something the racked Neve preamp units don’t include at all. It has high-pass filters, and more than everything I need! It’s a beast!) I also have been building what I’m referring to as a Po’Boy 3124, which is my hand-wired take on the API 3124 with several mods including an external power supply floor box. I’ll make a post about it when it is 100% finished, maybe later this year. I sent my MOTU Traveler mk1 up to Vermont for a friend to do some home recording with. It got replaced with a reasonably priced used MOTU Traveler mk3. I also added another 8-pack of transformerless preamps to the interface rack that are based on a Midas or TAC design or something.
I rewired everything with quad cable to help reject more noise and interference when on location.
I added a set of 3-way transformer isolated splitters as well, which is perfect for multi-tracking live concerts and routing line- or mic-level signals all over the place.
And that’s just the audio gear!
I got involved with the Collaborative Productions gang during the 2015 54-Hour Film Festival (hosted by Watkins University, I believe), and again in 2016 as well as for the 48-Hour Film Festival. The first year, I did location audio, Foley effects, and the final audio mix for our film to win the award for best sound design. The next film won best picture, best musical, and was nominated for best sound design but did not win that category. That day on location I recorded the hissing and popping of a bad mic preamp that was inaudible in my old headphones but glaringly obvious during postproduction; things ran long during editing and the film didn’t get mixed by the deadline. I felt like Murphy’s Law had gotten us that time, and bought some better headphones and repaired the faulty mic preamp. That was a mistake that will not be repeated!
Here is a link to “The Family Keel”, our 2015 54FilmFest entry. “Take It All The Way” was our 2016 48-Hour festival entry.
This spring I had the pleasure of brushing up on the latest broadcast and cablecast loudness metering standards! With that new practical knowledge, I got to mix and master the Ride 100% commercial. Check it out!
