Shipping the LXP-15II out for the Jim Williams mod tomorrow

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Seeker of Rock

Seeker of Rock

Seeker-Lou ‘32
Sonic Albert hooked me up with his number in May. He does mods to various processors, tape machines, boards, etc. Thought about a PCM but I just don't have the kind of need for the power, especially considering my finances right now (I need a new roof thanks to hurricane Wilma and have a 2.7K windstorm insurance deductible :( ) but want to upgrade in sound. Not that the LXP isn't a great box, but I'm ready for the next step up. I think that is what his mod will do, and I am looking forward to it. I'll post back once it is done if anyone is interested.
 
Willaims is definitely a wiz with the electronics, and he has certainly made a niche for himself using a philosophy of sprucing up some older / lesser designs and cleaning them up; making them sonically clearer and with better transient response.

He's not going to make your stuff sing with color and character with rich harmonic overtones ... but if Jim lays hands on your gear, you can rest assured your audio path will be clean and accurate; free of extraneous noises and distortions.
 
chessrock said:
He's not going to make your stuff sing with color and character with rich harmonic overtones ... but if Jim lays hands on your gear, you can rest assured your audio path will be clean and accurate; free of extraneous noises and distortions.
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Interestingly enough, that cleaning up can lead to your stuff "singing" better. I've had Jim mod a couple of pieces for me, one of which was the Aphex Compellor. The Compellor definitely has a sweeter tone now after the mod. An engineer friend of mine bought a Compellor after he heard mine, but then was frustrated that his didn't sound as good!
 
I still hear a little "tinniness", even with the LXP. He says that will be a thing of the past. He also says the tails will end smoother. I have heard good things and guess will only be able to judge once it is back. It was reassuring that he said they are "great units, and he keeps a couple for himself". I figure, not ready $$ for a PCm 90/91, the LXP sounds great, if the improvement is what I think it will be, I will be a happy seeker. :D
 
Guess I should've added previously....I recently read up on the PCM series, the 80/90 vs. 81/91, the difference between the two series, etc., and this is what I concluded. The later PCM models have power and tweakability and fathoms that I probably could not even dream of using. They are truly powerful machines. But all I want right now is great reverb with good multi-effects should I need them. The other effects (besides reverb) are very usable and I'm sure I will use them in my LXP, but reverb is what I'm after right now and the best I can get for the buck. Fortunately Sonic Albert steered me right a few months ago to a unit that has a front control layout I am in tune with. If I can just smooth the reverb for my liking, that is all that I seek. After talking to Jim briefly, I feel very good going into this. There is no way without rebuilding the circuitry to make an LXP a PCM, but that is not what I am looking for. I am looking to get the "singing", or at least closer to it. Again, I'll play Guinnea Pig and let everyone know. I feel good about it thus far, else I wouldn't be willing to spend the $$ to do it. :)
 
I don't want to speak for him, but Jim likes the LXP-15II better than the PCM-91. We had a conversation about it a while back. So I think you'll be pretty happy with the LXP-15II when you get it back.
 
The LXP-15II is nothing to sneeze at to begin with, that's for sure. Easy to use, good sounds. Love to hear what you think after the mod.
 
Looking forward to it. UPS tracking says he received yesterday. :)
"II" version was Sonic's advice and it made selection a lot faster, as well as gave me some additional reverbs that "I" did not have. I'm excited, obviously :)

Saw that he does Alesis D4. If all goes well, DM Pro I believe is similar enough and I may have him mod that. I'll re-post after I get a chance to play with the new LXP :)
 
Interestingly enough, I didnt even know he modded gear, other than microphones...

Thats how I heard about him..through his work on AKG and NEUMANN mics.
 
He does boards and, as I saw on his site, the Alesis D4. If I like the LXP, I may ship my DM Pro to him if he can do it as it is similar to the D4.
 
Got the modded LXP back yesterday. Unfortunately with my new job, I haven't had time to unpack it yet. I will do so in the next day or so, maybe tonight. Anyway, look forward to hearing it. Also, it was very professional of him to put the parts he replaced in a plastic bag and give them back to me. It just adds a little extra trust regarding his mods and lets you know exactly what he replaced. :)
 
It also allows you to restore the unit to original condition in the unlikely event you would want to.
 
Seeker of Rock said:
Got the modded LXP back yesterday. Unfortunately with my new job, I haven't had time to unpack it yet. I will do so in the next day or so, maybe tonight. :)
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Waiting???? I used to have an LXP-15 back in about 97....too bad it got stolen :mad: ...I ended up with an H3000, but I always miss some of the lxp sounds....I have used 80,81,90,91,70,60,42, and have a 41.....lxp was of the same quality..except for the damn scroll knob ;)
 
Sorry for the delay, no pun intended, but between waking up at 5:30, getting home at 8:00, etc, etc.
The LXP sounds fantastic. It is like a new machine. It sounds "broader" and like Jim said would be a result, there is no apparent metallic sound. It is smooth. The tails of the longer verbs sound, I'm not sure how to say it, but the acronym of harsh. I played with the plates on some of my DM Pro tracks and some of the halls and rooms on vocals and acoustic guitar from a song I already had some rough scratch tracks for on my 488 from last year.
Now the unfortunate part...my MSR-16 is in the shop with what I believe to be a problem with the Dolby NR, but who knows. I had to test this through my 488 (and through a pair of headphones at that) which I had previously heard it with, but I had a pretty vivid sound of the original from memory. But being now-spoiled by the msr, I need to get it back and hook the LXP up to its rightful owner so I can really explore the new sound. But so far, it is a beautiful improvement in the unit. My poor ears are not attuned to the same detail that some of your guys' may be, but I do know the LXP sounds much different in two ways...same character, same presets, but MUCH smoother and deeper is the best way I can describe it.
When my msr gets back I'll give a better, more detailed review when I get a good chance to play with it more.

Sonic, if you are ever in South Florida or I'm out West, I owe you a couple of drinks or dinner :D :D :D
Thanks for the awesome advice, man :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
 
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