u/PortaOne

Buying my first dishwasher (hooray!) and the internet suggests a Bosch Series 2 / 4 or Hotpoint machine would be best.

Can anyone offer any advice on these? It's for a two person household and I'd like to get something which will last a while.

Thanks!

Hello, I'm looking to upgrade my Dell UP2715k to something lower wattage and with better blacks. I do a lot of work on a dimmed screen later in the day and I'd love to have less light coming from the screen on programs that run in dark mode. I use my computer for everyday things - work, browsing, PDFs, photos, audio in Pro Tools and occasional video in DV Resolve. The Dell puts out noticeable heat and I'd like to minimise that. I don't need high frame rates, but it looks like most come with that now anyway. I also run my screen on a 1920x1080 UI, but not sure if the quality is any better on a screen with higher resolution, so I may not need a 4k display. It would be great to have accurate colour or calibration available for light video editing/colour grading but not essential. I'm on an M4 Mac Studio which has TB/USB/HDMI connections.

I have an LG G series OLED TV which looks great, but I've heard screen burn in can be worse on OLED monitors due to the static nature of computer images. What's good these days in modern OLEDs or other screen technologies? I'd like to keep the price under £500 but could potentially stretch if the quality is really good and the performance won't drop after a few years. I'm happy to buy second hand but probably best buying new if it's an expensive item. Also, I'm sure most monitors have VESA mounts these days but I use mine on an arm so this is an essential requirement! Thanks

Hello, I'm hoping someone can help with a sustain issue I'm having!

I'm using an MPC One as a sampler for live shows (no sequencing) and have key splits set up so I can play Piano on left hand and another instrument on right hand using program changes to select different instrument tracks. Everything almost works except for the sustain. My Roland A800 has 2 pedal inputs that can be configured for sustain, so I've set them to CC64 on channels 1 & 2. On Logic they both work independently but on the MPC the sustain off message seems to kill the other channel's sustain message.

Has anyone has experienced something similar before? I can reach out to Akai directly about this but not sure if/when they'll respond with an update.

I don't need the sustain messages to be independent but can't see a way to use one pedal for both channels. I also looked at a different way of doing this using the 'Send To' option on the MPC but then I had two instruments overlapping on the left hand with no workaround. (I know you can limit the key range but I need the full range for other songs.) I also tried using the Roland's second virtual MIDI port for the other sustain message but couldn't get that to work either.

I'm using the latest firmware V3.9.1 by the way. Thanks!

Looks like a lot of plugins are finally on sale at Thomann / Plugin Boutique until end of August. I've been waiting ages to buy Jura at a reasonable price!

I'm downloading demos for Mini D & OPx-4, but what else is worth trying out? Are the Stage pianos any better than Fabric? And what else is good in the plugin section? I have the Pro Pack but otherwise my unit is stock.

Thanks!

Looking to build a CTCE pedal to replace a H&K Tube Factor on my board and thinking the Particle Accelerator might be the one to go for. Any thoughts?

can anyone recommend a smaller tube pedal to replace a H&K tube factor on my board? something with similar tone and breakup characteristics for pushing the front of my amp with high plate voltages would be ideal. thanks!

Hello, I'm working on a few designs that I'd like to release commercially in the future and wondering what the best microcontrollers would be for this? Ideally I could port code from Arduino/Teensy IDE to a standalone M/C for released products.

One project is a very simple MIDI controlled VCA. I could use an entry level Arduino for my own module but looking for better options for commercial use that are decent quality and low cost.

Another is a comprehensive MIDI controlled analog synth which I'm currently using a Teensy 4.1 for. I could release it with one of these in as they're very powerful but I'm not sure if it's the best M/C for a commercial product.

A good feature the Teensy has is copy protection / encryption and I think the modules can still be updated by the end user at home. While these products aren't ground breaking in terms of coding, I'd still like to do my best to avoid factories cloning them!

Any advice would be most useful, thanks!

I'm looking at buying a 10 or a 12 Pulse XL but can't find any demos or much info on them online. Has anyone heard these in person? If so, how's the overall tone and low end response?
Thanks!

I've never been happy with the muffled sound of combined pickups on my Strat and apparently it's due to there being two tone pots in the circuit when the pickups are combined. (It's a USA 2000 Strat)

Just wondering what the best way round this would be, and if there's any benefit in installing an S1 switch or anything else while I'm in there?

My original idea was to double the tone pot values so they are the normal value when combined, then wire a parallel resistor for the individual pickup positions to bring them back to normal values when not combined. (Assuming they're 250k pots, this would mean installing 500k pots and 500k parallel resistors for the individual pickup positions.) This would alter the taper a bit, but nothing drastic.

I don't use the tone pots that often but it would be good to keep them in. Alternatively, if I went down to one tone pot, what else could I use the other pot/socket for?

Hello, I'm seeking some help with relinking files on Apple Music.

I have a main music library for all purchased music but I keep all my own song recordings in Dropbox. When I moved to a new Mac, the main library switched over but my own songs need to be relinked one by one which is a bit tedious !

Is there a way to bulk relink these files? Apple Music gives the messages below but only searches for other files within the lowest folder directory, and can't be set to search higher folder directories. If it could, it would find them in no time. The file structure hasn't changed, it's just the computer name and Dropbox location which has.

Thanks!

[The song "X" could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?]

[Would you like to use the location of “X” to find other missing files in your library?]

Hello, I'm interested in buying a noise reduction unit for my Uher report monitor and looking for advice on DBX vs Dolby units.

I'd like to improve the self oscillation sounds when using as a tape delay in long feedback sections of a track. At the moment, the noise floor becomes louder over time and the frequency response warps with build up in the bass and hiss becoming more audible. I'm hoping a DBX or Dolby unit will help to resolve this issue and give me cleaner repeats that can oscillate into their own dirty noises, rather than the self noise / noise floor of the machine.

Dolby looks pricey but apparently operates in a 'cleaner' way than DBX, while the DBX units are affordable and offer dynamic range expansion which might help with cleaner repeats.

Does anyone have any experience with the two and can offer any advice? I'll be running the Uher around 2-3 IPS for the correct delay time, unless I can add another playback head in which case it would run closer to 7.5 IPS.

(I have a couple of 'real' tape echoes which are great, but when used for long feedback delays, you end up hearing dropouts in the repeats where the tape splice is and these then become clicks and other loud noises.)

Thanks!

Hello, I'm looking for a new single air bed or fold up bed for home use as our air beds always seem to develop slow punctures and you wake up on the floor in the middle of the night!

Does anyone have any recommendations for a comfy one that will last more than a few uses?

I've also been looking at fold up / camping beds and potentially a roll up mattress for it, but I'm not sure how comfortable these would be.

The thicker air beds are in the £50 range and the cheaper Jay-Be fold ups are around £100, but am I wasting my money on these?

I don't want to spend hundreds on it but would be happy investing in something if it means I don't have to buy another again soon!
Ideally it will be somewhat portable - small/light enough to fit in a small car or carry up the stairs single handedly and compact enough to store under a bed or down the side of a wardrobe.

Thanks!

I'm interested in pursuing computer science with a focus on audio related programming for music hardware and software. I'm a freelance audio engineer with a knack for DIY / equipment repairs and I've been programming MIDI devices on Arduinos for a couple of years and designing simple analog electronics, synths & PCBs.

What's a good next step for me to take? I'm wondering if education is worthwhile and which programming languages are worth learning - Juce, C++, others? I'm in the UK not too far from London and there are a few music/CS related courses but I'm not sure if the curriculum is what I want to focus on.

I'm mostly interested in programming for physical devices like synths and electronically controlled acoustic instruments, but I'm sure I'll have some digital only projects in future.

In this field, where are the good jobs and money these days?

Thanks in advance for any advice !

I'm a longtime freelance audio engineer with a decent studio and a knack for DIY and audio equipment repairs. I've been programming MIDI devices on Arduinos for a couple of years and I'm interested in pursuing design & computing as the next step in my career. I've also got some experience with designing analog electronics, synths & PCBs.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do next? I'm wondering what programming languages are worth learning, how easy/worthwhile Juce is, if C++ is relevant and similar to the Arduino environment?

I'm interested in hardware/software integration, synths and creating new and exciting products rather than rehashing the 'this is another 1176 or Minimoog plugin'. What do you find satisfying in programming and where are the jobs and money at these days? Is hardware still relevant or is it all just beginner level audio interfaces and toy keyboards?

I'm physically not too far from a few pro audio companies in the UK but I expect they'll want full time in-office employees with a degree/proven track record in programming rather than someone who's starting out in the field.

Thanks in advance for any advice !

Edit: in addition, I'm not in a position to retrain full time but I may be eligible for part-time funding in a computer-science degree or "conversion masters" program. So any recommendations or advice in relation to this would be helpful too (if you think a degree is worth pursuing).

Are there any excellent activities or restaurants to visit near Torquay?

We're looking at sea kayaking, a boat trip to Paignton or Brixham and a trip to Totnes. We're there Monday to Friday and travelling by train so no car available.
Thanks !

I’m designing a new monosynth and have bought a handful of ICs that are clones of SSM, CEM & Roland designs to work with.

Just wondering what your favourite VCOs, VCFs and VCAs are sonically and why?

I initially had a Polysix voice in mind as it’s nice and brassy but I’m going to start with a CEM VCO for breadboarding simplicity and a few different filters for band pass or low pass including the SSM2144. I may end up with a couple of selectable oscillator/filter options within the synth or different models for different sounds.

I'm also interested in building a VCO with a continuously variable waveform which is quite a rare feature. I’ve built some wave-shapers before but if anyone has any recommendations on the best way to implement this on a single dial, please speak up!

Thanks!

Hello, I'd like to design some visuals for a live set and wondering what the best software options are on Mac for processing video?

I've experimented with Recur on a Raspberry Pi which is very cool but quite limited and unreliable. I'll mainly be manipulating pre-recorded videos and live camera inputs with shaders.

If anyone's seen Deftones or A Perfect Circle live recently, their projection styles are the sort of thing I have in mind. Thanks!

Hello, I'm planning to mod my KP1 with an LTC1799 to repitch samples and alter the sonic qualities of the unit. Looking at the schematic, there are three points which receive clocks inside the device (the CPU at 20MHz, and the ADC/DAC & DSP receive a shared 22.5792MHz clock). I'm assuming I'll just need to reclock the CPU, but is there anything to be gained in reclocking the DSP or converters?
Thanks!