Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Yeah, I wouldn't take it that far either Cal.. Sorry.
I recorded for about 7 years, some amazing rooms, callibrated rooms while building studio control rooms, never stained my pants...
Fidel,
I know I'm exaggerating as usual. LOL.
One venue I still remember was in an old Church in Santa Fe. My friend Dave was getting married, a classically trained guitar player, and his friend Craig Dell who was also classically trained (who played at Carnigie Hall and was at that level) played for the wedding. Really interesting how one nylon stringed guitar could fill a church like a pipe organ.
My old loft had very lively acoustics. My friend Tim wanted to record in my loft.
When I worked at Grumman I heard a story that one engineer hooked up a 50K watt amplifier that was used to check resonate frequencies of aircraft. Imagine a large speaker that was made to shake a F-14. The engineer hooked up a filter and amped the subsonic frequencies to play "Jingle Bells" loud enough that it could be felt in Plant 5 which was a building 1/8 mile wide and a quarter mile long. Boom-boom-boom...Boom-boom-boom... rattled and shook the building.
Subsonic frequencies can make some people fart involentarily. I knew of one band leader who reported this when my friend Dave (another friend Dave who was a bass player) hit a low "B" string on his 5 string. I wonder if the band leader ever stained his pants involentarily. LOL.
Cal
finguanzo
Well-known
I had a teacher, one man band, electronic music. NY Space Ansamble was the name. He would have speakers blaring before the show started, anywhere from 5-10Hz, couldnt hear it, but you could see the speaker cones going nuts.. He thought it was funny to see people leave his show to go throw up, unexplained.. Everytime I saw people throwing up outside the knitting factory, I assumed he had a show that night..
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Fidel,
I have an iron stomach. LOL.
One friend had a 400 watt Audio Research solid state amplifier (about $50K decades ago), and he has these small book shelf speakers that were only two way (about $30K decades ago), but had some long throw woofers. The speakers were articulate and well damped, but not efficient and required amps with crazy-crazy wattage.
The only problem with this hi-fi was that it was so smooth that it never sounded loud. Basically this stereo was an "ear killer." Also the sound was not contained and this system had the power to play through walls with great clarity. LOL.
Today my ears are kinda gone. Between cars, my dad yelling at me, and music I can't hear very well.
Cal
Range-rover
Veteran
There's something about tube's either in Stereo amps and guitar amps
that has the depth and midrange along with the high's that sound great
I have two Fisher amps and one Eico amp that I rebuilt and so far there
the best I ever had sound wise in my system, the Eico use EL84's and is
only 14 watts per channel.
finguanzo
Well-known
I always wore earplugs to his shows, so did he. Still upsets your stomach, but lessons it big time.
You would like his studio in his Brooklyn basement John. Floor to wall racks of modular synths, not sure if he still has all his stuff, haven't spoken to him in a while.
Very cool. Speaking of those stomach churning frequencies, I have heard about this being used in certain foreign horror films (though I'm sure it only works in a theater for the most part).
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Bob,
I'm a big fan of EL84's, both the Matchless amps have them for output tubes.
I forgot to mention that I also stockpiled some vintage NOS tubes. Tube rolling to hear the differnces between say a Telefunkin, an Amperex Bugle Boy, and RCA's with long plates.
The even order harmonic distortion is what gives tube amps an apparent smoothness and warmth. Not really high fidelity when compared to solid state amps.
For me I like the purity of a simple single ended triode running class A. My ParaBee monoblocks used a big custom wound choke on the plate to give good bass response. The sound is lively, open and has a very 3-D soundstage that is particularly great with vocals and acoustic instruments. Even though I have a tube setup I have "fast bass" like a solid state amp.
The Straight Eights use many small speakers to push a lot of air and are kinda like a P.A. speaker. Also with only 8 watts I can rattle the windows and you can feel the SPL's in your chest on the low notes. What I like about tube amps is the separation and the sense of space that can be recreated.
Back in my loft I could recreate a live recording at the Blue Note, or Rudy V's recording studio in Englewood Cliffs in New Jersey. Many times I got a startled response when I was a lone because I could feel the presence of someone in the room because it was as if someone was standing right next to me.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Go to the staging area of a Drag Race and feel 5000 HP top fuel engine being tested. Instant hearing damage without hearing protection. The smell and vibration is really disturbing. The unburned nitro in the air burns your eyes also.
Cal
JeffNYC
Well-known
Nothing like the smell of nitro while standing by the starting line. NHRA.
Range-rover
Veteran
Cal, very nice I have a few blue note records and with tube's they sound
great. Did I mention good luck tonight and enjoy the evening.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Well we had an April Meet-Up in Philly that was great. Hooked up with our friend Ben.
Jean-Marc, Phillipe and I went north and west where we were warned to avoid. The weather was perfect.
Check out the other thread on the May excursion to visit an abandoned penitentiary that was closed in 1971 that operated for 142 years. This is a $30.50 bus ride and a $12-$14 admission.
Cal
Jean-Marc, Phillipe and I went north and west where we were warned to avoid. The weather was perfect.
Check out the other thread on the May excursion to visit an abandoned penitentiary that was closed in 1971 that operated for 142 years. This is a $30.50 bus ride and a $12-$14 admission.
Cal