Mackie sound mixer testing

Mackie – developer of the Tracktion3 recording software I use did a comparison physical abuse test of several prominent mini mixing desks.

The tests included yanking them off a table onto a hard floor, walking over them, then walking over them with a heavy weight, then driving and SUV over them, then driving over them with a heavy pickup truck loaded with several people in the back then finally dropping them from the roof of a three storey office building. The mackie desk survived all the tests.

Check out the video

 

New collaboration coming soon

Merry Christmas season!

I am working on a new collaboration on YouTube with Chansherly – watch this space. In the meantime, here is one I did earlier. I hope to write a bit more regularly in 2011 – this year has been a busy one and I’ve neglected the blogs a bit. So look on this as a renewal ahead of the new year:-)

Cheers
Jerry

 

Mirecourt violin repair – 9 – First notes

With the violin complete all that is left is to string the instrument and tune it up. It will develop more tone with time and playing, but I’m very pleased with the sound. This is a fine 3/4 size Michel-Ange GARINI made in the Vosges Mirecourt region of France for the workshop of Jerome Thibouville-Lamy (JTL) in the early part of the 20th century – probably around 1903-5.

Here once again is the ‘before’ photo

Garini violin 'before' photo

And here is the first tune after restoration:

So it’s been quite a learning journey for me, and worth every step and mis-step.

Cheers
Jerry

 

Mirecourt violin repair 7 – Setting up and finishing

Still a fair bit if work here – new sound-post, new end button, new pegs – shaped and fitted – nut shimmed and re-glued, saddle refitted, new bridge cut, and new strings fitted.

Here is nut being shimmed and refitted

Now for the soundpost. itting the soundpost. By tying two threads to the soundpost, with one leading out through each F-hole, the soundpost can be guided into position and nudged into place with the soundpost setting tool. The threads allow for rapid retrieval when the post falls out of place. The end-button was not yet fitted, enabling a good visual sighting to ensure the sound post was vertical in length and breadth.

The soundpost was cut to length after using a soundpost gauge to determine the length, and was shaped at each end to fit the curvature of the instrument.

Then the peg holes were lightly reamed to the correct taper, the pegs were tapered in a shaper – which is like a large pencil sharpener, then the pegs were cut to length and fitted to the peg box. Then with a pencil I marked the position of the string holes, then removed the pegs and drilled them with a 1.5mm drill and countersunk each end of the hole with a round file.

reaming the peg holes

shaping the pegs

cutting the pegs to size

fitting the pegs