Jump to content

kgallen

Members
  • Posts

    1,068
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

Posts posted by kgallen

  1. 1 minute ago, BearBoy said:

    My daughters had to go to the theatre for the "technical rehearsal" on the day before the show. They said there was a lot of messing with the lights then.

    I have to be VERY organised!

     

    It's been 2 years since our last show due to the unmentionable. I've had to do a lot of revision... "so how does this lighting desk/sound desk work again....?"!

  2. 15 minutes ago, BearBoy said:

    Wow 😲 I guess they're programmable or something? There was a lot going on with the lights but he didn't seem to be touching anything a great deal.

    Yes but so are most lighting consoles above the most basic. Obviously features and capability vary widely, but some element of programmability would be normal for all but the most basic of lighting tasks. In my case, I programme the lighting (into my Zero88 FLX) during our "tech" rehearsal (which was 7 hours on Sunday). This means that during the performances, I concentrate on the timing of the lighting, but much of my focus is on managing the live sound.

     

    Due to the nature of your daughter's show, your man there probably has the lighting and sound cues triggered using some show control software on the Mac, probably OSC or MIDI triggers (or both).

  3. 9 hours ago, BearBoy said:

    Nice set set up. Is that a Behringer X32 mixer all the Sony decks are connected to?

     

    Sounds like you have a lot to manage throughout the show. Pretty critical that you have confidence that your equipment won't let you down!

    It's an X32-Compact, same DSP processing power but fewer physical faders - I don't have room for the full-size X32.

     

    Equipment reliability is key, indeed! So often I'll buy quality second-hand gear (and refurbish) rather than low-quality new gear.

     

    9 hours ago, BearBoy said:

    No MiniDiscs. The guy doing the sound was using a Mac Mini and just hit the space bar when the next number started (it was a dance show with 30 ish routines). No extra sound effects etc that I noticed.

    MiniDisc was pretty popular in theatre around the heyday, for the same reasons as for me. But like many, the pro's have moved on to the solid state solution. I'd need to go the Mac route if I moved away from MiniDisc.

     

    9 hours ago, BearBoy said:

    The guy next to him had some fancy looking mixer things. Googled them when I got home but it turns out the "Sapphire" and "Sapphire Wing" were for the lights and nothing to do with the sound.

    Probably 30 grand (GBP) right there. Well out of my league!

     

  4. On 5/12/2022 at 6:30 PM, BearBoy said:

    Great stuff @kgallen Would be interesting to see some shots of your kit getting a proper work out 🙂

     

    My daughters are performing in a local theatre at the weekend. The sound desk's at the rear of the front section of the stalls IIRC so will see if I can get a glimpse of whether any MDs are being used 😉

    Sorry I don’t have great pictures as it’s a fast-paced show and I have lots of sound and lighting cues (67 lighting and 47 sound cues plus 4 radio mics and 3 stage mics to manage) in a 90 minute show. Here’s what I got worth posting when I could grab my phone at the Dress Rehearsal tonight.

     

    I have my rack of two MDS-E12 plus the rack of an MDS-E12 plus the CDP-D12, both of which I’ve posted details before. 
     

    In truth on this production I only need one MD machine to run the show as I don’t have any overlapping music/sfx cues. But they’ve all come along for the ride as one rack case has some gooseneck lights on it and I have a backup machine and disc should anything go wrong - but this is just me being chicken as MD has been solid for me for a long time.

     

    The CD player is for me to play some background interval must on, I’m not using it during the performance, that’s all MD.
     

     

    363408BE-16B4-4962-B8BE-676FD5C1E439.jpeg

     

     

    FE21C458-8B4E-49EF-AB1A-0C1771C4A2E8.jpeg
     

     

    B8AC4C7E-5A60-43B0-AB44-1143520D453D.jpeg
     

    0F52761D-DCCC-4228-95FB-8DC82C94AAB0.jpeg

  5. From today I’ll be setting up for a (community theatre) show where I use MD (MDS-E12 machines). I’ll try and take some photos at an appropriate point and context (probably at the Dress Rehearsal on Monday).

     

    This is a production 2 years delayed going to stage due to the pandemic. It’s a musical called ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’.

  6. On 3/23/2022 at 2:27 AM, guyser said:

    I bought the same one, the only problem I had was of course the belt was no good. Replaced it and put it in a MDS-E10 , and it works peachy.

    I was just thinking about this... you must have bought a different drive to me. The MDM-7X2A has a 27 pin ribbon and then a 17 pin ribbon. The MDM-7SC, like the "normal" Type-R/MDLP MDM-7A has a 23 pin ribbon on that second connector. So the MDM-7X2A I bought wouldn't fit (electrically) into an MDS-E10...

  7. Since minidisc machines were sold around the world, often the mains transformer used has all of the primary taps required for all regions and the selection of input voltage is made either by a switch on the back (not common due to cost) or links on the PSU circuit board. You might find that a simple link mod in your (mid- to high-) machines can change them from 100V to 120V (or 230V).

     

    However it's also possible that for the low-end machines or high volume machines they used a custom transformer for the region to minimise costs. Service Manual and/or PCB inspection required!

     

    Nice to have you back @sfbp🙂

  8. I would be looking for a laser recalibration in the service menu if there is an automatic one not requiring an LPM etc. Laser diode performance is very temperature dependent. I suspect reading the SACD layer is a different laser power setting (and focus) to reading the CD layer. The SACD is a ‘buried layer’.

     

    You will probably need to let it cool down to room temperature first. I know nothing about SACD players but as it’s a Sony I suspect it has some service menus similar to MD …

  9. Regardless of the line voltage the internal supplies to the electronics are low voltage and regulated. 
     

    Excessive ac line voltage (say a 100V machine on 120V) will cause additional heating in the power transformer and additional power dissipation in the linear regulators because their input voltage is higher but their output voltage is fixed. Power dissipation is voltage drop times current. 
     

    However the internal electronics are running on regulated rails, the main ones being 3.3V and 5V plus something like +/-8V for the analogue. So their power dissipation won’t be any different.

  10. Are you after any part in particular @BearBoy or just a drop-in spare drive for the future?

     

    I'm wondering if in a year or so people will get bored of their ‘new’ machines and start flogging them off again. Prices are sky-high on eBay-UK at the moment though. I’m glad I got the machines I need (thinking of my E12 machines I use for shows) when prices weren’t stupid like this!

  11. I’ve ordered another 🤦‍♂️ I need a laser for one of my E12 and a laser alone is more than £60 delivered (Ali Express and eBay) so I thought a whole drive will give me lots of spare parts and in theory a guaranteed working laser and OWH (based on Techmoan’s experience with his SACD of just buying the laser).

     

    If this one arrives intact then maybe I’ll use that in the D4 and strip the one I have for parts. This time it will be a laser change as the E12 has the MDM-7SC drive…

     

    Will keep you updated…

×
×
  • Create New...