Been Busy
I’ve been slammed at work the last couple weeks. I don’t want to jinx it but I think I’ve officially finished drums and bass tracks for the record. 3 years in the making, UGH. I just need to listen back to the tracks and make sure there are no issues. There’s one song that’s IF-y, but I’m going to try and remix it.
Pedal Build: Boost / Electra Drive – Part 2
This pedal is a mashup of a few different pedals.
I like the idea of the Double Barrel, where you have two distortions with an order selector. This way you can slam one into the other for different tones. I used a 4PDT toggle and this wiring diagram I found HERE
The left hand side pedal is my version of LPB-1 Boost. I added a toggle to the input capacitor value. 220nF or 47nF. This comes in handy when I slam the boost into another pedal on the Neck pickup. The 47nf cuts off some the low end to let it breathe. I also added a clipping diode selecting toggle. It’s similar to the tube screamer side of the Double Barrel. The CENTER position is off. The DOWN position is Silicon Diodes. The UP position is Red diffused LED’s.
The right hand side pedal is my version of an EM Drive. I added another clipping diode selecting toggle. This time a negative germanium diode remains in the circuit, but the toggle chooses between a positive Silicon or a positive Red Diffused LED.
Fuzz Face Shoutoutz
Woke up this morning with a bunch of notifications from Instagram. I guess Mammoth Electronics‘ Insta found my fuzzface clone and reposted it!
D.I.Y. Studio Rack
I’ve had some extra rack units that I’ve wanted to setup. I started looking online for another rack case. Anything close to what I was looking for cost over $100. I didn’t need anything nice. So I looked up instructions for a DIY option. There were tons of ideas. I even found people using IKEA side tables for their rack gear.
Last Sunday, Anny and I went over to Lowe’s to pick up some wood. I just went with all the cheapest stuff, but it still ended up costing over $40. I used a power conditioner to measure the width.
I made some lines and used a handsaw to cut it up. Then yesterday after work, I picked up some nails and screws. I used the nails to line everything up. Then came back over the joints with a power drill and wood screws.
When it was time to mount the rack gear, I found these mini screws to drive in. The only issue is that I broke 6 trying to screw them in. I guess the wood is too hard.
It’s not pretty, but it works! All I got to do now is wire up everything to my patch bay.
Lobsterfest with Anny
Yesterday was our second time ever going to Lobsterfest, for Anny and myself. We had gone with friends a few years back, but it was miserably crowded. We were expecting it to be even worse this year.
We were shocked at how easy it was to find nearby parking. And when we walked to the front gate and there was no line! Once we were in we looked for the lobster meal tent. What took us over an hour to wait for previously, this year took no longer than 10 minutes. It was too good to be true. We shared a double lobster meal, but It wasn’t as good as it looked.
We were both confused at how mellow the festival was. The only issue was the beating sun. We were sure we were going to get burned, but we made out alright! We cleaned up and stayed for L.A.P.D. and Avid Dancer to perform. They both shredded away. On our way out we grabbed some Lobster Mac and Lobster Fries. We inhaled them and headed home. It was a great day with the booger lady<3
NEW PATCH BAY!
I was so stoked to set it all up… I forgot how impractical a patch bay would be right in the middle of the rack. So I had to undo all the wiring.
Now it’s setup correctly!
My New Mic Pre – TB12 Warm Audio
It wasn’t until last year, that I finally purchased a mic-pre. I was always too stingy. I figured the preamps on my interfaces sounded good enough. Then I heard about the JHS Colour Box. I was stoked. It was a NEVE clone that didn’t cost over a $1000 dollars. I bought one at the beginning of 2016 as a late Christmas present to myself.
I thought I would use it more for microphones, but it added too much of a fuzz. I did enjoy the grit it adds, but the box became a one trick pony. I always ended up just using it for guitar and bass. I did get some great sounds for vocals out of it, when I re-amped takes I had already tracked. I was hesitant to let it go, but I didn’t use it enough. I knew I could get at least $300 for it.
After I heard some samples of Warm Audio’s TB12, I listed my Colour Box on eBay.
The day my Colour Box sold, I bit the $600 bullet and ordered the TB12. It showed up yesterday. I wired it all up last night after work. I love it! I haven’t yet tested it as a preamp. I have it routed as a plug in. You can really push tracks through it. It gives everything a little “oomph”. You can even slam the gain and get some fuzzed out grit.
My only gripes with the TB12 are its aesthetics:
- That tacky “TONE BEAST” font.
- There 3 different fonts on the front panel that don’t match. (5 if you include the logo)
- & They chose to paint these things the ugliest orange.
Now it’s time for me to get a patch bay. I need to be able to switch around my compressor in the signal chain. I worried that I would miss my Colour Box. That great fuzz and those gain stages it gives you, but the Tone Beast can do all that and more.