sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
And then there were 16...
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sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
I'm getting close to being able to call the Soundtracs project "done".
Cleaned all the junk out of the frame where the last 16 strips go...
Becauuuuuuuse...
The last 16 strips are cleaned, inspected and grounding mods complete:
And one by one in they go...
Cleaned all the junk out of the frame where the last 16 strips go...
Becauuuuuuuse...
The last 16 strips are cleaned, inspected and grounding mods complete:
And one by one in they go...
Last edited:
T
The Ghost of FM
Banned
I'm looking forward to seeing this all in one piece! 
Keep going, Cory!
Cheers!
Keep going, Cory!
Cheers!
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Done.
Not all tested, but...done.
Now for the arduous task of wiring and racking everything up.
Ghost of FM did some INCREDIBLE work with my pics...Jeff, go ahead and post links. I'm too tired.
. If I don't see them by sometime later today I'll put 'em up.Lots more to share on this thread as well as about three others but...tooo tired.
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T
The Ghost of FM
Banned
Well, it's taken you close to a year and a half to get the mixer to this stage and have to congratulate you, Sweetbeats on a stellar restoration job and for also steadily refining and improving your photography skills to give me better and better files to work with.
Anyway, without further ado, Here's the 3 shots I've processed so far which are all formatted to be 1920x1080 - 16x9 wallpaper type glamor shots.
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0062wallpaper.jpg
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0074wallpaper.jpg
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0066wallpaper.jpg
Cheers!
Anyway, without further ado, Here's the 3 shots I've processed so far which are all formatted to be 1920x1080 - 16x9 wallpaper type glamor shots.
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0062wallpaper.jpg
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0074wallpaper.jpg
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0066wallpaper.jpg
Cheers!
T
The Ghost of FM
Banned
One more variation...
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0064wallpaper.jpg
Cheers!
Full resolution here;
https://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h250/thefontmeister/DSC_0064wallpaper.jpg
Cheers!
j.harv
@#$%
Looks AMAZING!!!
Nice work...both of you.
Nice work...both of you.
T
The Ghost of FM
Banned
Thanks!
Sweetbeats gets all the analog credits and I'll take half of the digital ones.
Cheers!
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Yeah, kudos to Ghost...Jeff I still don't know how you crank those out so quick. The funny thing is, guys, I uploaded the D-SLR pics to the web server dayyyyys ago and just haven't had time to post the current status until early this morning, but Jeff started sending me renditions shortly after I uploaded the files several days ago! He was watching...annnnd waaaaiting....theyyyyyy're heeeeeeere!
It looks great Jeff...its not just the background but so much more and you do it so FAST! Its like a "Where's Waldo" to look for all the subtle touches...
So here are some other postlude thoughts/summations on this project...
It feels pretty stinkin' good to have it to this stage.
It really did clean up quite well. I feel that it was a pretty fortunate find for $300 because a lot of my good finds need a lot more help. Not that this one didn't call for some work, but I could have gotten away with a lot less than I did and the reason it feels like a good find is that it is solid. I think corrosion/oxidation is one of the most trying elements of a refurb process...switch and connector contacts and such, and the other thing that can make a project like this stretch out is "scunge"...dirt and filth buildup that isn't just dry/dusty but has some cling or adhesion to it...sticky filth. This mixer was mostly just afflicted with dusty buildup, and all the contacts are corrosion/oxidation free. It had been put out to pasture but it was a pretty clean pasture in a dry part of the state, and overall I really think this thing has seen low miles. Look at the channel card switches...these cleaned up so quick with a vacuum and a soft natural fiber paint brush:
A lot of times if gear has been in a smoking environment or had drinks spilled on it or have been loaded with contact cleaners and such it becomes nearly impossible to really get it to clean up nice.
And look at the channel card I/O pins and bussing pins...nice that they chose gold plated for the bussing connector...that kind of decision pops up frequently on this mixer with regard to the relative quality of the componentry (Philips electrolytic caps, TI branded opamps, glass fiber PCB's, etc.):
So the innards were really easy to clean up, and the metalwork didn't need polishing and such, just a wash-down with soap and water. And because the caps are a good quality make and the mixer is relatively late model I'm really not worried at all about needing to recap the audio cards at this point. I see it as something that will be really fun to get familiar with its sound and character and then recap a couple channel strips. Actually, I'll have to review what I decided to do in that area but I think I have like 3 or 4 flavors of recapping to try out and compare from just replacing the local power filter caps to replacing all the audio path electrolytics with modified value audio-grade non-polar caps and doing some selective bypassing. In all this my goal would be to AVOID making it a "transparent" element in the signal path. What I've heard of it so far leaves me feeling that this board has a nice character to it...not tons but really musical and pleasing sounding...a nice balance of enough but not too much. I want to keep that and just access more of the same. And as its come together I really appreciate that the channel strips are really straight-forward. It really is a simple console but replete with enough of a feature set that it can handily get the job done. I'll be able to handle 16 input sources and 16 tape returns all on full channel strips, and have at least 2 separate cue mixes and 4 channels of effects sends permenently setup with fexible pre/post eq and fade pickup points, and the 8 returns in the group section will be great for bringing effects back into the mix (4 stereo or 8 mono or a mix...) and each return has a 2-band eq on it...and furthermore the 8 x 4 matrix mixer in the groups section can be applied to each subgroup or to the return so I'll be able to setup supplementary monitor mixes off of those if needed...and a usable talkback mic and oscillator round out features that will be helpful in a recording application.
So to sum up with what's been done, its been deep cleaned, meter bridge and frame modified for 24 x 8 x 8 configuration vs. factory 32 x 8, side panels painted to match new custom structural underpinnings, frame and meter bridge housing strategically modified for improved grounding, all audio cards and jack PCB's and internal harnessing modified for improved grounding, repaired the meter bridge logo illumination, replaced/repaired about half a dozen broken pots, upgraded/modified the power supply (completely reworked the ground-scheme including new interface connectors on the PSU and mixer frame, completely recapped the supply with some strategic bypassing, designed and installed a completely new passive heat management solution, upgraded bridge rectifiers specs and custom mounted for better heat dissipation, upgraded all TO-220 packaged regulators and audio rail regulator circuit transistors).
Its ready.
So next up, as I indicated in my last post, I have about 34U of gear to rack up and then get everything cross-connected to the mixer which will require some snakes being made up, so there is a bit of work to do there, but it is really nice to have the hub ready to go, and it IS cross-connected with the Ampex MM-1000.
It looks great Jeff...its not just the background but so much more and you do it so FAST! Its like a "Where's Waldo" to look for all the subtle touches...
So here are some other postlude thoughts/summations on this project...
It feels pretty stinkin' good to have it to this stage.
It really did clean up quite well. I feel that it was a pretty fortunate find for $300 because a lot of my good finds need a lot more help. Not that this one didn't call for some work, but I could have gotten away with a lot less than I did and the reason it feels like a good find is that it is solid. I think corrosion/oxidation is one of the most trying elements of a refurb process...switch and connector contacts and such, and the other thing that can make a project like this stretch out is "scunge"...dirt and filth buildup that isn't just dry/dusty but has some cling or adhesion to it...sticky filth. This mixer was mostly just afflicted with dusty buildup, and all the contacts are corrosion/oxidation free. It had been put out to pasture but it was a pretty clean pasture in a dry part of the state, and overall I really think this thing has seen low miles. Look at the channel card switches...these cleaned up so quick with a vacuum and a soft natural fiber paint brush:
A lot of times if gear has been in a smoking environment or had drinks spilled on it or have been loaded with contact cleaners and such it becomes nearly impossible to really get it to clean up nice.
And look at the channel card I/O pins and bussing pins...nice that they chose gold plated for the bussing connector...that kind of decision pops up frequently on this mixer with regard to the relative quality of the componentry (Philips electrolytic caps, TI branded opamps, glass fiber PCB's, etc.):
So the innards were really easy to clean up, and the metalwork didn't need polishing and such, just a wash-down with soap and water. And because the caps are a good quality make and the mixer is relatively late model I'm really not worried at all about needing to recap the audio cards at this point. I see it as something that will be really fun to get familiar with its sound and character and then recap a couple channel strips. Actually, I'll have to review what I decided to do in that area but I think I have like 3 or 4 flavors of recapping to try out and compare from just replacing the local power filter caps to replacing all the audio path electrolytics with modified value audio-grade non-polar caps and doing some selective bypassing. In all this my goal would be to AVOID making it a "transparent" element in the signal path. What I've heard of it so far leaves me feeling that this board has a nice character to it...not tons but really musical and pleasing sounding...a nice balance of enough but not too much. I want to keep that and just access more of the same. And as its come together I really appreciate that the channel strips are really straight-forward. It really is a simple console but replete with enough of a feature set that it can handily get the job done. I'll be able to handle 16 input sources and 16 tape returns all on full channel strips, and have at least 2 separate cue mixes and 4 channels of effects sends permenently setup with fexible pre/post eq and fade pickup points, and the 8 returns in the group section will be great for bringing effects back into the mix (4 stereo or 8 mono or a mix...) and each return has a 2-band eq on it...and furthermore the 8 x 4 matrix mixer in the groups section can be applied to each subgroup or to the return so I'll be able to setup supplementary monitor mixes off of those if needed...and a usable talkback mic and oscillator round out features that will be helpful in a recording application.
So to sum up with what's been done, its been deep cleaned, meter bridge and frame modified for 24 x 8 x 8 configuration vs. factory 32 x 8, side panels painted to match new custom structural underpinnings, frame and meter bridge housing strategically modified for improved grounding, all audio cards and jack PCB's and internal harnessing modified for improved grounding, repaired the meter bridge logo illumination, replaced/repaired about half a dozen broken pots, upgraded/modified the power supply (completely reworked the ground-scheme including new interface connectors on the PSU and mixer frame, completely recapped the supply with some strategic bypassing, designed and installed a completely new passive heat management solution, upgraded bridge rectifiers specs and custom mounted for better heat dissipation, upgraded all TO-220 packaged regulators and audio rail regulator circuit transistors).
Its ready.
So next up, as I indicated in my last post, I have about 34U of gear to rack up and then get everything cross-connected to the mixer which will require some snakes being made up, so there is a bit of work to do there, but it is really nice to have the hub ready to go, and it IS cross-connected with the Ampex MM-1000.
Last edited:
T
The Ghost of FM
Banned
Well, first off, thanks for the kind words and glad you liked what I did with your shots.Yeah, kudos to Ghost...Jeff I still don't know how you crank those out so quick. The funny thing is, guys, I uploaded the D-SLR pics to the web server dayyyyys ago and just haven't had time to post the current status until early this morning, but Jeff started sending me renditions shortly after I uploaded the files several days ago! He was watching...annnnd waaaaiting....theyyyyyy're heeeeeeere!
It looks great Jeff...its not just the background but so much more and you do it so FAST! Its like a "Where's Waldo" to look for all the subtle touches...
I do confuse to sniffing around for the files early as I was really eager to see the mixer put back together and was impressed with how nicely you got it cleaned up and how little digital hamburger helper I needed to bring it up to showroom condition!
The processing was more-so to do some subtle perspective corrections to the shots and then reconfigure them into a 16x9 presentation.
The files from the Nikon were pretty clean but I did notice a couple of things about the shooting parameters that were used that were less then ideal. The first thing was the f/stop settings on all of the shots were f/3.5 which allowed for fast, hand held shots but ended up creating a very small zone of actual sharp focus. So if you would have used a higher number like f/11 to f/16, far more of the mixer would have rendered razor sharp rather then just a smaller part of it. The second issue was the auto ISO setting that the camera was in which on some shots ended up being as high as a 2500 setting which adds significantly to the noise and graininess. I realize you're not an experienced shooter and are relying on the auto settings of the camera but, I know you're an excellent student and quick learner and can make your shots even better but setting up the camera on a tripod, shooting in a "shutter Priority" mode and manually selecting an ISO of 100 and and f/stop setting of f/11 and just let the camera figure out the exposure time which would take a few seconds to expose and then give you shots which are fully in focus and with no noise/excessive graininess.
Anyway, glad to see the board all together now and will look forward to seeing some MCI mixer shots next!
Cheers!
briank
analog for the people!
CONGRATS, Cory! I can appreciate the great feeling you will get every time you walk into the room, see the console and sit down at it to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Your attention to detail is enviable and that board looks fantastic! Now let's find out how it sounds!
G
glaude
New member
realy good work sweetbeat !!!
V
victory12
New member
We take Tascam manuals for granted...this manual is much more sparse and unrefined. It is a copy of the original manual. It covers the controls and all that and actually has a VERY good section on grounding, but there isn't really any application information.Doesn't the manual document any of that? Seems odd that such a task would be left to guessing, no?
Cheers!
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Excellent spam post!
And the interesting thing is that that section on grounding is FROUGHT with errors when tested against current best practices. So thanks for the opportunity to offer that clarification to my original post.
And the interesting thing is that that section on grounding is FROUGHT with errors when tested against current best practices. So thanks for the opportunity to offer that clarification to my original post.
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
Am I too late jumping in? 
... Just wanted to say that this one's a keeper Cory (this and the MCI). I mean, what value can you put on such a detailed restoration job? I know it's probably never enough but still, most would never put in the time. So... my point is, there's more to this relationship that just routing signals or comparing a modern vs a more vintage or this and that..... but rather it is making music with a good friend that you got to know well inside and out.. ... 
.. and then, then.... you will have a more modern mixer but then there's also the MCI, which, I'm sure, will take its place right beside the Soundtracs. Keep 'em both, Cory, keep 'em both.... Wow, the sight will be something with Matilda in there as well! BTW, great photos Jeff.
... Just wanted to say that this one's a keeper Cory (this and the MCI). I mean, what value can you put on such a detailed restoration job? I know it's probably never enough but still, most would never put in the time. So... my point is, there's more to this relationship that just routing signals or comparing a modern vs a more vintage or this and that..... but rather it is making music with a good friend that you got to know well inside and out.. ... .. and then, then.... you will have a more modern mixer but then there's also the MCI, which, I'm sure, will take its place right beside the Soundtracs. Keep 'em both, Cory, keep 'em both.... Wow, the sight will be something with Matilda in there as well! BTW, great photos Jeff.
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Am I too late jumping in?
Thanks Daniel!
The reality is that one of the consoles will have to go. There isn't enough room in the studio for both. Compounding the issue is that I STILL have the super-cool Tascam prototype mixer. Something's gotta go. Actually TWO somethings have got to go. But the decision-maker will be what the MCI sounds like and it will be quite awhile before I can test that out, so the time put into the Soundtracs is not for naught. Its going to get used for quite some time and ulitmately in the end it may be the one that stays. When other projects have been abated the plan for the MCI is to get the motherboard powered up and do some simply A/B testing of a input/output module or two and if (and ONLY if) the sound just blows me away will I truly begin the rebuild project on it because its going to be an extensive project.
So I happy in the meantime to have a console I feel good about, that sounds good, and that can reject all the RF garbage from the radio station down the street!
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Working on selling the Soundtracs.
I've had it on craigslist and might have a buyer.
I did a complete functional test and its 100%.
Sweet.
I've had it on craigslist and might have a buyer.
I did a complete functional test and its 100%.
Sweet.
T
The Ghost of FM
Banned
Best of luck with the impending sale and hope the transaction goes smoothly for you!
I know you did a lot of work on the mixer to clean it up and get it all working as it should. So who ever gets it next will be getting a great mixer at a great value. And that's a rarity these days in CL land.
Cheers!
I know you did a lot of work on the mixer to clean it up and get it all working as it should. So who ever gets it next will be getting a great mixer at a great value. And that's a rarity these days in CL land.
Cheers!
Blue Jinn
Rider of the ARPocalypse
{mouth gaping/stuttering sound}
Nice work bro! Nice price too. "If I didn't......."
Nice work bro! Nice price too. "If I didn't......."
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Hey, guys, can I get some advice? I've had my Soundtracs mixer listed on CL for a couple months and its not really drawing much of any interest. Wondering if some of you could look at my listing and tell me if there are elements that could be removed or added that might help the draw, or if the price is unreasonable considering the current slow market.
Thanks in advance.
The listing is here: Soundtracs MX 32 Channel 8-Subgroup Brit Mixing Console!! PRICE DROP!
Thanks in advance.
The listing is here: Soundtracs MX 32 Channel 8-Subgroup Brit Mixing Console!! PRICE DROP!
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