Things you don't get into anymore

[MikalE]

About 80% are real parts. The rest I built or fabricated.

[tdot]

I don't record music any longer.

I had a home recording studio in one form or another since 1987. That hobby lasted until 2013. I still have some of the gear, but it's all packed away.

How come you stopped?

I still have mine set up, complete with 300 lbs 32 channel inline console.

http://tdotshack.net/studio/ (yes, there are pictures at this link for anyone on mobile)

I rarely actually record anything anymore though. I guess I've gotten older and life has become more boring and I've just run out of inspiration?

Maybe that's why I started collecting Thinkpads - along with running Windows 98 being extremely nostalgic, I just can't justify the price of collecting vintage audio gear anymore

[Thinkpad4by3]

I just can't justify the price of collecting vintage audio gear anymore

I can.

I just record on a 5$ GE mono tape deck with no line level control.
Its not that you don't have enough money, just need to lower expectations.

I've always have a little part of my heart set away for old audio equipment. Not something that I would necessarily collect, but if I found an old 8 track silver front wood grain box laying out for trash, you bet that thing would be in my trunk in a heartbeat.

[tdot]

I just can't justify the price of collecting vintage audio gear anymore

I can.

I just record on a 5$ GE mono tape deck with no line level control.
Its not that you don't have enough money, just need to lower expectations.

I've always have a little part of my heart set away for old audio equipment. Not something that I would necessarily collect, but if I found an old 8 track silver front wood grain box laying out for trash, you bet that thing would be in my trunk in a heartbeat.

When I talk about 'vintage audio gear', I'm talking about the legendary units like a 1073 or an 1176 or a Lexicon 480. Also units that defined the sounds of generations, like an SP1200 or Oberheims. You could probably pick up 20 701Cs for the price an SP1200 goes for now.

To me, that's collectible vintage audio gear

[Thinkpad4by3]

@tdot.

I ain't got a single clue about vintage audio gear if haven't gotten the message.

Looks cool until I looked at the eBay prices.

[tdot]

@tdot.

I ain't got a single clue about vintage audio gear if haven't gotten the message.

Looks cool until I looked at the eBay prices.

No, I assumed you were serious. Some people actually do still record on obscure vintage units (such as the Tascam Portastudio multitrack cassette recorders) for the 'sound' of them. Tape is one thing I've refused to do ...

Some people are really fond of the look of the older wood grained glowing tube equipment. I personally prefer cold steel with discreet transistors driving transformers. Most 'audio people' thought it was wrong for me to take the wood sides off my console. I much prefer the hard industrial look over wood (just like I much prefer the rubberized black on Thinkpads to the shiny aluminum crap macs?)

[ajkula66]

Some people are really fond of the look of the older wood grained glowing tube equipment. I personally prefer cold steel with discreet transistors driving transformers. Most 'audio people' thought it was wrong for me to take the wood sides off my console. I much prefer the hard industrial look over wood

You can actually have both when it comes to looks...my old Audio Innovations setup was all tube (or valve) but had that "industrial" look to it. Or, if you want to go the "player's route", Ampeg B-15 maintains a similar concept.

There's some great equipment on both sides of the isle, realistically speaking. It all depends on what one gets hooked on in their very young years IMO.

[MikalE]

When I came into the hobby the TASCAM 38, 48, and 58 recorders had just been released. The prices were astronomical for a two-stripe Airman back then, so I had to settle for a Ross 4-track cassette machine. Horrible signal to noise ratio, bass and treble controls, etc. But it was pretty exciting back then to get seven tracks on four tracks of tape with some careful mixing and bouncing.

I used Sennheiser 441's, and tried to buy the best outboards I could afford, but that little Ross was still a sow's ear.

By the late 90's all of that TASCAM equipment was nearly obsolete except for some diehard users like me who insisted on recording to magnetic tape. Heck, even the digital recorders like the DA88 were obsolete, but I had to have one of those too. I just recently sold my last DA88, but I still have the TASCAM 38-8 upstairs in storage somewhere. The outboards are long gone and the Sennheiser's when to a good home. I had a TASCAM 52-2 that was used for mixdown. What a tank that was. Someone in St. Louis bought that and drove 80 miles for the privilege.

About the only thing I have left of my amateur/semi-pro recording days is the TASCAM M2524 console and the TASCAM 38. The only reason I still have these two is that they are too large and heavy to ship these days. I even sold the DBX units that I had for the 38.

[ajkula66]

@MikalE:

If you were any closer, I'd happily take that Tascam 38 off of your "unused items list"...

Recording gear aside, I'm still in absolute amazement over that cockpit that you had recreated. Can't wrap my head around the fact that it was even possible to complete such a task. My hat's off to you, sir...

[Thinkpad4by3]

@MikalE
Yeah, the cockpit is absolutely incredible.

I'm assuming it was all hand fabrication, no CNC or 3D printing?

[MikalE]

No, there was no high-tech involved with that project. Only the computer controls ie, input and output cards and the programming required was about all the high-tech that was involved. The rest was mostly electro-mechanical modifications to allow the Boeing equipment to operated in a simulated environment. That Maxon trim switch in the Captain's control yoke gave me fits for a few days, but other than that, calibrating the engines with the linear potentiometers was another hair-pulling experience.

I have posted some photos taken during the build of this simulator over in the photo forum if anyone is interested in seeing how this was built. There are far too many to post here and I had to go through Photoshop and reduce the size of each of these photos. If there is something not pictured you'd like to see, just reply over there and I will look through my archive and see if I have something.