Fixed EMS B Left Channel Speaker

The left speaker in EMS B was causing lots of crackling noise. We originally thought that it was either an opamp going bad from the output or input section of the API Vision console. Each channel/set of channels has a card with the opamps on it. I swapped out opamps on the output section and found that the noise went down but was still present. I then swapped the L/R input channel card with the SL/SR card expecting that the noise should migrate with the bad opamp to a different speaker. The problem did not migrate, which was very confusing. This pointed to the fact that it might not be a bad opamp, which was unexpected.

Dave and I eventually found that it was another part of the output card that went bad. We received a new card from API, swapped out the old card for the new one and the problem disappeared. We are taken preventative measures for the other 6 channels to avoid this problem. Below are some pictures from the troubleshooting.

Immersive Ideal

In my daily listening to podcasts, I became hip to this project called Immersive Ideal by the band Beauty Pill. A multimedia art space, Artisphere in Washington DC asked singer/guitarist/producer, Chad Clark to do something musical and artistic in their space. This was pretty open-ended. Clark saw a 2nd floor window in the space when he was exploring ideas for the project that reminded him of Abbey Road Studio 2. He decided that he wanted to record an album with the band and have spectators watch from the window. Observers that spent a lot of time watching the sessions were invited into the studio.

I think this is a very cool idea. It changes the way one thinks about making decisions in the studio. Check out some of the links below to read up more about it.

Story courtesy of 99% Invisible

Beauty Pill

Converter A trouble in Audio Studio

Recently, I have noticed that converter A does not always lock in with the computer correctly. As we try to figure out why it does not always work when converters B, C and D always do, I'd like to share ways to troubleshoot and fix this problem.

Whether you are using the busses or the multitrack inputs, you will experience this problem if converter A does not lock in with the computer.

The simple way to test this is to move your input to the DAW to the B bucket of converters, which start at input 17 or B1. Then switch the input in ProTools to match. If you were not getting signal before and you are now, it means that converter A did not lock in correctly.

You can either choose to use converter channels from 17 up or you can restart the system. If you restart the system, turn the computer off from the Apple menu on the computer and once the computer shuts down, press the green power button for the converters. Wait 60 seconds and then restart the system. This works pretty much every time.

Installed A and B Speakers in EMS B

On Friday, Jacques + Audio Staff installed the A and B side speakers in EMS B. These speakers are a unique feature to the room. It allows the room to function as a 7.1 or 8.0 setup. 7.1 is the blu-ray standard and 8.0 will allow users to compose in new and creative ways.

Audio Studio Speakers Aligned

The Audio Studio speakers had not been aligned this since the beginning of the term. I spent some time last week measuring out the distances and the angles of the Griffins and the Genelecs. They should be properly aligned and centered to the console. The sweet spot listening position is marked on the floor with a blue x for now.