DIY thread.....

[thane1200]

I propose to the admins that we have a full-time DIY thread/topic. I truly think this would be a good additon to this already wonderful forum.

I just went to the HomeDepot and purchased the materials necessary to build the PVC studio monitor stands that were on here a while back. I don't know who came up with the idea, but who ever you are: Thanx.

PS step-by-step pictures will be posted shortly for the newbs

[EdWonbass]

That's a great idea. I love the DIY part of home recording. There are a lot of guys with some pretty cool ideas. Frederic is one of them. That guy can make anything.

[nuemes]

Sounds good to me too. Let us know how the PVC monitor stands end up working out for your room - I'd be curious to do the same project if suitable.

[mshilarious]

Why don't we start by listing all the DIY stuff in our studios?

Here's me:

monitors - modded home stereo speakers
subwoofer - same
rack case - modded home stereo case
several bits of modded gear, like preamps, mixers
lots of cables and a few patch panels

Right now I'm working on portable absorbers & bass traps.

[frederic]

Modded studio monitors (Awia home theater speakers with Vifa drivers)
Homemade Steel Console Table and video monitor shelf.
Homemade producer's desk with integrated racks
Homemade wordclock expansion (one in, 16 out)
Homemade under-console wooden tri-bay rack
Homemade audio monitor selector (with sub bypass)
Homemade flip-floor vocal booth
Heck, homemade studio
Semi-Homemade SCSI hard disk recorder hot-swap unit
Homemade Mic Arm Corner/Wall mount
Homemade 1.97TB Media Storage Server (Linux based)
Homemade Akai DR8--> DR16 mod
Homemade Toslink buffer (1 in, 16 out)
Homemade 4 voice analog bass module (midi in only)
Modded Ampeg guitar amp and cabinet
Homemade portable guitar amp (practice cube)
Homemade Opto-isolated stereo compressor (tubes)
Homemade 16 stereo input outboard summing mixer (knob free)
Various PAIA kits:
Vocoder, ring modulator, phase shifter, fatman mono analog synth

And probably 20 other things I can't think of...

Only studio stuff, right? LMAO

[nuemes]

Hey Fred, what Ampeg amp did you mod?

[frederic]

Originally Posted by nuemes

Hey Fred, what Ampeg amp did you mod?

Oldie but goodie... Ampeg 270.

[thane1200]

just a few for me......................so far:

completely custom PC (from scratch)
desk shelves modded to fit Roland monitors
new mounting brackets for Roland monitors
PVC monitor stands for Alesis MKIIs

LAVA LAMP! LOL






note: as far as non-studio DIY goes, my pickup truck has air suspension, a 4-link, shaved everything, custom harley taillights and mirrors, interior, stereo, hood scoop.........blah blah blah
I've custom built 5 bitch'in bicycles from scratch,
I'm currently fabricating a toolbox and chest from sheet metal,
I've built circuit boards,

GOD help me! I can't leave anything alone.

[frederic]

Originally Posted by thane1200

my pickup truck has air suspension, a 4-link, shaved everything,

Too bad you're in WI, I'm in NJ and going to be added similar upgrades to my truck, after the TT 500cid thing.

[mshilarious]

I put custom stripes on my Mini, and sprayed the mirror caps and calipers

This summer I think I'm going woody. Gotta get a rack for a surfboard though. Oh yeah, and learn how to surf

[DDev]

I can't match Frederic but here goes for my DIY list:

Custom studio PC;
Custom built studio furniture including mixer desk with monitor shelf, 4-space effects rack, 10-space rack on rails for larger gear, and 2 side wings to hold it all;
Custom acoustic treatments including corner bass trap, wall mounted absorbers, and portable absorber panels;
Custom vocal booth (a curtain rod that holds one HEAVY blanket to close off a 5x7 ft area adjacent to my control room);
1 small diaphragm condenser mic;
1 microphone pop screen made from a sewing hoop (69 cents) and a pair of black panty hose ($2 or so);
1 headphone distribution amplifier (PAIA circuit design but not their kit);
Lots of cables;
1 Dynaco power amp (kit built from the 70's; I actually didn't build it but did resurrect it after it sat on a shelf for 15 years);

I guess that's everything I can think of for now.

Darryl.....

[livilaNic]

Originally Posted by mshilarious

monitors - modded home stereo speakers

What did you use? I'm lookin to do a mod myself. Is there a site where I can find. Amps, Drivers, Raws and stuff?


frederic,
I know you do this stuff also could you help me in this department?

Thx,
livilaNic


Sry if I'm hijackin this thread :/.

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by livilaNic

What did you use? I'm lookin to do a mod myself. Is there a site where I can find. Amps, Drivers, Raws and stuff?

I built passive monitors; I have a pro quality surround sound power amp that I got dirt cheap so those work for me.

What kind of monitors do you want? I use 6" L-R plus a 10" sub. I used Seas drivers from Madisound; I can send you a parts list for the crossovers too if you like. Or Madisound has a Seas monitor kit on their site for $245 without cabinets--that's with 8" drivers.

http://www.madisound.com/cygnet2.html

Find some old stereo speakers with the right size holes for cheap, and you're ready to go.

If you want to go cheaper, partsexpress has these:

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage....WebPage_ID=209

plus they sell subwoofer amps, and also small power amp kits if you want to build active monitors. You could use a stereo amp kit with an active crossover in front of it for active biamped monitors. There are plenty of schematics out there for stuff like that.

[livilaNic]

Thx,alot I'll get to researching.


L8er,
livilaNic

[thane1200]

Originally Posted by frederic

Too bad you're in WI, I'm in NJ and going to be added similar upgrades to my truck, after the TT 500cid thing.

Right on! Keep me current, when I break mine out this spring I'll get you some pictures. Scrapey scrapey!

[thane1200]

just wanted to add that this
PVC monitor stands
is where I originally found the idea.....props to Flat Rock!

[frederic]

Originally Posted by livilaNic

I know you do this stuff also could you help me in this department?

I took a pair of Awia SX-AV1000 home theater speakers, which have two 5" LF drivers and 1 HF driver, which were next to free (shipping cost me more than the purchase!). I replaced all the LF drivers with vifa bass drivers (woofers, essentially) and the HF drivers (tweeters) with scanspeak drivers. Then I put a lot of effort into tuning them in the Aiwa cabinets, by increasing and decreasing the interior volume as well as the amount of dampening material, through trial and error. Once I found a combination I was pleased with (i.e., reasonably flat response), I then mimic'd what I did to the other cabinet hoping to achieve a balance. The crossovers on both monitors are homemade. At the time I did this mod, the two monitors cost me a total of about $250 if I remember correctly, which was quite a while ago where Event 20/20's (and equiv) didn't exist. 90% of the parts in this pair of monitors are used, thus cheap.

[frederic]

Originally Posted by thane1200

Right on! Keep me current, when I break mine out this spring I'll get you some pictures. Scrapey scrapey!

What year truck/cab style is it? I've been working slowly at figuring out how to do an air suspension for my F350 crewcab, however I do not necessarily want to lower and raise the truck, or "slam" it into the weeds. Stock height is fine for me, just want to smooth out the ride when it's unloaded, and air it up for hauling.

[livilaNic]

Originally Posted by frederic

I took a pair of Awia SX-AV1000 home theater speakers, which have two 5" LF drivers and 1 HF driver, which were next to free (shipping cost me more than the purchase!). I replaced all the LF drivers with vifa bass drivers (woofers, essentially) and the HF drivers (tweeters) with scanspeak drivers. Then I put a lot of effort into tuning them in the Aiwa cabinets, by increasing and decreasing the interior volume as well as the amount of dampening material, through trial and error. Once I found a combination I was pleased with (i.e., reasonably flat response), I then mimic'd what I did to the other cabinet hoping to achieve a balance. The crossovers on both monitors are homemade. At the time I did this mod, the two monitors cost me a total of about $250 if I remember correctly, which was quite a while ago where Event 20/20's (and equiv) didn't exist. 90% of the parts in this pair of monitors are used, thus cheap.

Koo, thx for your time. I'm really into doing things yourself. Seems to me things are just way over priced. I like building and wiring its hella fun. Is there a basic idea to start off with (volume/width/height) when your making boxes? What freqencies do I look for in raw speakers in general? Best wood would be MDF right? Also what glue do you use? Carpenters? Staple or Screw? Angled, square? Crossover frequencies? Woofer, mid, tweet? Ok I think I covered it.


Thx,
livilaNic

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by livilaNic

Is there a basic idea to start off with (volume/width/height) when your making boxes? What freqencies do I look for in raw speakers in general? Best wood would be MDF right? Also what glue do you use? Carpenters? Staple or Screw? Angled, square? Crossover frequencies? Woofer, mid, tweet? Ok I think I covered it.

Well I like to pick and choose my DIY carefully, since my time is limited. So I only do stuff that is much cheaper than buying, or stuff I can't buy.

There is no way I could build cabinets for as cheap (time and materials) as you can buy used stereo speakers--find 'em with blown drivers if you can.

As for drivers/crossovers, the easy answer is to use the same drivers as one of the kits, whether you use the kit or not, and select a box the same size as the one in the kit. Beyond that you ought to pick up a book on speaker design and learn what all those stats mean.

Crossover frequency is very dependent on the drivers you select. I feel that lower is better, but then the crossover parts are more expensive. I use the lowest frequency the tweeter can support, which was 2 kHz in my case. I wouldn't go with a three-way setup, that's another driver, more crossover parts, more complexity in getting the design right, for little benefit.

[thane1200]

Originally Posted by frederic

What year truck/cab style is it? I've been working slowly at figuring out how to do an air suspension for my F350 crewcab, however I do not necessarily want to lower and raise the truck, or "slam" it into the weeds. Stock height is fine for me, just want to smooth out the ride when it's unloaded, and air it up for hauling.

A mini....1995 singlecab, shortbox Nissan Hardbody XE; fully shaved including squirters, door handles, tailgate, bumber, antenna, emblems, badge holes, etc. floss'in primer right now, forward facing triangulated 4-link, dual tier conveluted air bags, 1/2" solenoid valves, pathfinder rims with 205/50/15 V-rated street tires, short shifter, GT steering wheel, Acura Integra GSR bucket seats, 8in monster frame-rail notch, custom bridge, custom dash bezels, shaved interior pieces, ................wow sounds like a lot but I have miles to go! LOL

I better stop before this turns into a Hotrodder forum

[Light]

• Custom desk to fit my recording shit
• modified Furman patch bays to work as solder bays instead of 1/4 inch rear jacks
• Computer from the ground up
• about 15 guitars for myself (but of course, I make money building guitars for other people. The ones I have for myself are mostly prototypes that are not quite perfect)
• I'm about to make a new amp

I guess that is about it for music stuff. Nothing on my car (I have other things to worry about than my car. It gets me where I am going, and I am happy with that).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[thane1200]

Excellent!

[livilaNic]

Originally Posted by mshilarious

Well I like to pick and choose my DIY carefully, since my time is limited. So I only do stuff that is much cheaper than buying, or stuff I can't buy.

There is no way I could build cabinets for as cheap (time and materials) as you can buy used stereo speakers--find 'em with blown drivers if you can.

As for drivers/crossovers, the easy answer is to use the same drivers as one of the kits, whether you use the kit or not, and select a box the same size as the one in the kit. Beyond that you ought to pick up a book on speaker design and learn what all those stats mean.

Crossover frequency is very dependent on the drivers you select. I feel that lower is better, but then the crossover parts are more expensive. I use the lowest frequency the tweeter can support, which was 2 kHz in my case. I wouldn't go with a three-way setup, that's another driver, more crossover parts, more complexity in getting the design right, for little benefit.

I'll get one of those books. I read one way back when I was like 17. I was into building inclosures for cars. I made a couple sweet ones but they weren't sealed right. DAMN ELMERS! Thx for your time ms. I'll be seein ya around.
I'm frickin addicted to this site lol.



L8er,
livilaNic

[notbradsohner]

Acoustic treatment
Desk
Speaker switcher
Pre-amp
modded 3630 (now it sucks not as much)
most of my cables
racks
acoustic guitar
tube amp