OT: Broken Computer

[DominicPerry]

My f******* f****** Mobo and CPU are broken for the third time in a month, during which time I've been forced to use my c***** half broken Eee to get on the Internet.

Buying a tape machine.

Just venting. Sorry

Dominic

[905shmick]

Bummer.

Now you can switch to an Intel processor!

[TotalSonic]

My f******* f****** Mobo and CPU are broken for the third time in a month, during which time I've been forced to use my c***** half broken Eee to get on the Internet.

Buying a tape machine.


Might not be a popular thing to say here -
but got to say that some of the best sounding mixes I've received recently came from tape sources.

Hope you work out of your PC troubles soon! fwiw - I know it's a big added expense - but I think having redundancy with a second DAW in any studio where you actually need to get work done every day is critical.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[DominicPerry]

Bummer.

Now you can switch to an Intel processor!

True enough. Good idea.


Might not be a popular thing to say here -
but got to say that some of the best sounding mixes I've received recently came from tape sources.

Hope you work out of your PC troubles soon! fwiw - I know it's a big added expense - but I think having redundancy with a second DAW in any studio where you actually need to get work done every day is critical.


If I was running a studio for anything other than my personal use, I'd have two or three machines. It's just frustrating to keep carefully putting the thing back together and then discovering that it's completely dead again.

When I looked into tape machines last year, there was almost nowhere in the UK to buy them. Now it looks like ProAudioEurope has stopped selling them and they never come up on UK ebay. I guess the whole studio market in the UK is pretty ruined and the X-factor winners who make up the bulk of the charts now just get sent to big US studios. A lot of the big studios in the UK have simply shut. And there are probably no techs left to keep the tape machines going, although consoles are still being sold and serviced.

Dominic

[Cary B. Cornett]

When I looked into tape machines last year, there was almost nowhere in the UK to buy them. ... I guess the whole studio market in the UK is pretty ruined and the X-factor winners who make up the bulk of the charts now just get sent to big US studios. A lot of the big studios in the UK have simply shut. And there are probably no techs left to keep the tape machines going, although consoles are still being sold and serviced. As a former (or should I say "recovering? :) ) studio tech myself, I have some understanding of what you are up against. From what I can tell, in many places analog recording has essentially become a "boutique" market. A studio-owner friend of mine has both Pro Tools and an MCI 24 track available. The MCI is almost never used now.

Analog tape machines are still out there, they just aren't being manufactured. Here in the US I watched the value of analog recorders go through the floor. I believe there are still people in the UK who can find you a machine if you are really interested. I frequent the Ampex Mailing List, and I'm pretty sure there is at least one List member involved in pro audio in the UK. Look here (http://www.recordist.com/) for some info about the old Ampex stuff and about the mailing list.

I am sure there are still "top level" professional studios in the UK, just not as many of them. Wait... isn't the Abbey Road facility still a going concern?

There are still service techs out there, I'm sure. They probably don't advertise. When I serviced recording studios most of my clients found me by asking other clients.

[Tim Miskimon]

My f******* f****** Mobo and CPU are broken for the third time in a month, during which time I've been forced to use my c***** half broken Eee to get on the Internet.

Buying a tape machine.

Just venting. Sorry

Dominic

I own several tape machines - I love them for their sound.
But believe me - keeping a tape machine running is a bigger hassle than fixing computers - mainly because parts are getting harder & harder to find.
Also the cost of parts is going through the roof.

[Pedro Itriago]

Wait... isn't the Abbey Road facility still a going concern?

Yes, they are. But when they start using the Studio to record TV shows rather than recording, I think is pretty much safe to say that things aren't going that good.

[Cary B. Cornett]

... believe me - keeping a tape machine running is a bigger hassle than fixing computers - mainly because parts are getting harder & harder to find.
Also the cost of parts is going through the roof. All true, but there's more! For the most part, your computer does not require frequent maintenance. An analog recorder, OTOH, frequently needs to be checked and adjusted. Things drift with time and temperature, stuff wears, and frequent cleaning of heads and guides is necessary. Back in the day most recording engineers could do these things for themselves, only calling the tech when things were "broke". Anyone using analog tape needs to learn the basic maintenance stuff. It is a whole 'nother skill set, not exactly rocket science but requiring some effort to learn and understand.

Not saying it can't be worthwhile, but just be aware what you are "in for" with the old tech stuff :eek::rolleyes::D;)

[AntonZ]

My f******* f****** Mobo and CPU are broken for the third time in a month, during which time I've been forced to use my c***** half broken Eee to get on the Internet.

Buying a tape machine.

Just venting. Sorry

Dominic

If you did not change anything else in your system, I suspect your power supply is causing these problems. A good one doesn't need to cost much. Google the model/make you use or intend to buy for bad capacitors. Or do some reading at http://www.badcaps.net/ , plenty useful information, lots of pc hardware suffers from failing caps.

[Bud Johnson]

Sorry for your trouble. Big PIA I know.
I only like computers when they work.

[Dave Labrecque]

Yes, they are. But when they start using the Studio to record TV shows rather than recording, I think is pretty much safe to say that things aren't going that good.

Starting with the "All You Need Is Love" broadcast in 1967... ;)

(although I think things were going pretty well at the time)

[RBIngraham]

It's not just in the UK. Many professional studios in the US have closed as well. Any studio that hasn't made a good transition to working on TV, Video, Film etc... has probably gone out of business or it's a small mom and pop place that's all paid for already so the over head is low and they just don't make much money as opposed to closing their doors.

Even major artists are working in their home studios these days. You hardly can pick up a trade rag and not read about some band that cut their latest album in a rented house or villa in the middle of no where. :)

As for tape machines, the last time I looked Otari was still in business and still making them and selling them. I think one local theatre even bought one recently so they could have a new one, keeping an old one for spare parts so they can access their old open reel inventory. But maybe that's just the 1/4" stuff. I don't know about the 2" machines.

[Tim Miskimon]

As for tape machines, the last time I looked Otari was still in business and still making them and selling them. I think one local theatre even bought one recently so they could have a new one, keeping an old one for spare parts so they can access their old open reel inventory. But maybe that's just the 1/4" stuff. I don't know about the 2" machines.

Otari is only making the 1/4 inch machine (I believe they still call it the 5050b).
It's doubled in price since I bought one back in the 80s.
I don't believe anyone is making a 2 inch machine anymore - Studer stopped several years ago.

A customer who's doing an analog session at my place just paid $289 for a reel of tape.
I use to stock tape but at those prices I now leave it up to the client to pay for the tape first.

[DominicPerry]

There's someone making a 2" 8 track at the moment, but I can't find the link. They're called something like ATC or APC or AMC. Not cheap - over $30,000 IIRC, but impressive that someone thinks there is still a market for a modern design. I believe you can sync several together too.
There's not much that's sensible for the home-recordist.

Dominic

[DominicPerry]

If you did not change anything else in your system, I suspect your power supply is causing these problems. A good one doesn't need to cost much. Google the model/make you use or intend to buy for bad capacitors. Or do some reading at http://www.badcaps.net/ , plenty useful information, lots of pc hardware suffers from failing caps.

Could be true, but I have a power supply tester and it's all well within spec. It's a good one, chosen because it's very quiet - an Enermax Modu82+. They're not cheap.

Dominic

[DominicPerry]

As a former (or should I say "recovering? :) ) studio tech myself, I have some understanding of what you are up against. From what I can tell, in many places analog recording has essentially become a "boutique" market. A studio-owner friend of mine has both Pro Tools and an MCI 24 track available. The MCI is almost never used now.

Analog tape machines are still out there, they just aren't being manufactured. Here in the US I watched the value of analog recorders go through the floor. I believe there are still people in the UK who can find you a machine if you are really interested. I frequent the Ampex Mailing List, and I'm pretty sure there is at least one List member involved in pro audio in the UK. Look here (http://www.recordist.com/) for some info about the old Ampex stuff and about the mailing list.

I am sure there are still "top level" professional studios in the UK, just not as many of them. Wait... isn't the Abbey Road facility still a going concern?

There are still service techs out there, I'm sure. They probably don't advertise. When I serviced recording studios most of my clients found me by asking other clients.

Thanks Cary. I'll have a look at the list. Once I calm down I'm sure I will realise that building a new machine is cheaper and easier. :)

Dominic

[bcorkery]

Not to mention the cost of tape! Oh, I guess I mentioned it. :o

I meant to put this at the end of Tim's comment about the cost of maintaining a tape machine.

[jazzboxmaker]

Sorry Dominick, you seem to have more than your share of hardware problems. How clean is the power coming in- maybe throw an O scope on it. Something's gotta be causing all the trouble you're having.

Anyway-better luck!

[Grekim]

Not a direct substitute for tape, but someone who likes the sound of tape might get some satisfaction from ribbon mics. One of my first impressions of recording with a Royer ribbon (the only ribbon I've had experience with) was that it reminded me of a tape recording.
But anyway...sorry about your computer troubles.

[John Ludlow]

That sucks, Dom. Did I hear you say three motherboards and three processors in a month?! Wow!! I'm not fond of Asus, but nobody has that kind of trouble by themselves. There's got to be a power problem. It may be intermittent, you know? Like someone next door firing up an arc welder... or a flux capacitor.

[905shmick]

I'd highly recommend one of these, which is what we're using to protect our SAC rig along with a 1U UPS.

http://www.surgex.com/products/sa15.html

[Naturally Digital]

I'd highly recommend one of these, which is what we're using to protect our SAC rig along with a 1U UPS.

http://www.surgex.com/products/sa15.html+1

[Cary B. Cornett]

There's someone making a 2" 8 track at the moment, but I can't find the link. They're called something like ATC or APC or AMC. Not cheap - over $30,000 IIRC, but impressive that someone thinks there is still a market for a modern design.
There's not much that's sensible for the home-recordist.
I bet you are thinking of the ATR services machines that Mike Spitz (formerly of Ampex, who made the original ATR-100 machines on which that particular boutique product is built). It is not entirely a modern design, since the machines that must be "adapted" for the purpose stopped being made in the 1980's when Ampex got out of the pro audio recording business.
The original ATR100 was never meant to be for the "home recordist", to say nothing of Mike's remarkable re-worked "upgrades".

[DominicPerry]

Well, that's an Intel MoBo and an i3 processor blown. :mad: :mad: :mad:

I think it may be time to change the PSU. And the lesson is............

.........Don't waste your money on a power supply tester. It may say everything is ok, but it might not be. :mad:

Dominic

[John Ludlow]

That sucks some more, Dom. I hope your next one goes better.

[jazzboxmaker]

Geeze Dominic,
Are you sure you're not living next to some mad scientist working on electromagnetic experiments?

[mr_es335]

Hello,

May I ask what is causing it to "break"?

[Naturally Digital]

Well, that's an Intel MoBo and an i3 processor blown. :mad: :mad: :mad:

I think it may be time to change the PSU. And the lesson is............

.........Don't waste your money on a power supply tester. It may say everything is ok, but it might not be. :mad:

DominicTry and get the parts replaced under warranty. Or, if you can prove it is the power supply get that manufacturer to give you replacement cost on the items you blew up.