the watmm GAS thread

[Squee]

Saw the nOb at a friend's place last night and bought one this morning.

[thawkins]

8 hours ago, Squee said:

Saw the nOb at a friend's place last night and bought one this morning.

Did you have any hands on with it? It looks like it controls the mouse somehow (or it IS a mouse kind of) which makes me all kinds of specktical.

Actually here is the SoS review which clears a lot of things up https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/nob-control-nob

 

(time passes)

 

Wow this seems kind of cool. Like a poor man's Faderport. Well, since it's €238, it is actually rich man's Faderport. Seems way too pricey for what it is, but maybe that is just because they have not scaled their production up or something.

[TubularCorporation]

There was a really old Tape Op article about building something that was sort of similar to that in a way.  Except the idea was to get a mechanical trackball (the kind with little wheels, like an old ball mouse) and disabling the X axis so that you could put your cursor over a fader or control with your mouse and then use the Y-only trackball to have a really tactile way to make fine adjustments.  This thing seems like the logical next step of that idea.

[Squee]

It’s basically a knob for people too lazy to assign midi to knobs. 

[TubularCorporation]

If I was going to spend that money on a knob controller I'd probably go for an X-Keys module:

 

 

[sweepstakes]

7 minutes ago, Squee said:

It’s basically a knob for people too lazy to assign midi to knobs. 

Four times the resolution can be handy though

[Squee]

8 hours ago, sweepstakes said:

Four times the resolution can be handy though

Absolutely!

[Nil]

I have a Griffin Powermate gathering dust somewhere, quite similar to the nOb. I've found that the scroll wheel of my Kensington Expert Mouse trackball to do the task extremely well.

[thawkins]

On 7/15/2021 at 12:05 AM, Squee said:

It’s basically a knob for people too lazy to assign midi to knobs. 

Not really. If I have a workflow where I use a variable number of tracks, effects and custom stuff then it's not really possible to map everything I need beforehand. Of course there are automapping control surfaces like the Push, but I really do see the immediate benefit of having something mouse-like where I place the pointer with the "real" mouse and then fine tune the value using the "knob" mouse.

Can't argue with the small physical footprint either!

[TubularCorporation]

You could buy a Nager IT Fair Mouse kit for $23 euro and make a n0b style device from that with only very slight modification and another 5-10 euro of parts.  Because it's literally just a mouse with the sensor swapped for an encoder and a switch toggling which axis the encoder is connected to.

 

For the price of the n0b I'd probably go for an off-brand LCD drawing tablet and use that as a tactile interface for mixing.  Depending on how risky you want to be with low end drop-shipping suppliers you can get definitely get a decent size Wacom knockoff for under $200 USD.

 

EDIT: I checked some negative reviews and they were all about things like color accuracy and stylus feel that aren't really relevant to using it as a mixing surface, so now I'm kind of considering whether I would get enough out of it to justify buying it. I hate mixing with a mouse but the limitations of hardware controllers are just as bad.

Edited July 18, 2021 by TubularCorporation

[thawkins]

Come on, guy I messaged about buying his Yamaha QY100, get your shit together and reply and let's get this over with.

 

Also is it me or is K&M 26772 literally the best monitor stand solution for gaining some precious desk real estate? I haven't seen anything else like this around. My current desk gets really cramped if i lay my huge Roland A33 keyboard on it, but I feel like switching to those stands I could make it work much better (and finally stop using books to get the speakers to the correct height.

[TubularCorporation]

I use this and it works well and is a lot more solid than I expected for the price.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07S1V2VN7/

 

But I had to have a vertical dual monitor setup and not pay much, so my options were really limited.

 

EDIT: of course a couple months later my eighbor gave me a bigger monitor that doesn't have a VESA mount, and the mount adapter I need costs as much as the whole monitor stand so I'm back to keeping the primary monitor on top of a pile of rack gear for now.

Edited August 1, 2021 by TubularCorporation

[thawkins]

I guess I should have specified that I'm thinking about the speaker type monitors, although maybe I should think about a VESA stand for my screen too at some point.

[Bubba69]

Anyone know any decent room treatment options that aren't super expensive or require being handy with power tools?

[auxien]

29 minutes ago, Bubba69 said:

Anyone know any decent room treatment options that aren't super expensive or require being handy with power tools?

also in need of this knowledge pls & thx

[psn]

Can you handle a saw, a hand drill and a stapler?

[Alcofribas]

I have a number of old socks and rags I found under my son’s bed. They are inexplicably rock-solid and when hung up on the way they not only dampen sound but they exude a most pleasing, musky odour throughout the studio environment. 
 

not saying this solution will work for everyone but it’s my experience fwiw

[auxien]

1 hour ago, psn said:

Can you handle a saw, a hand drill and a stapler?

yeah, seen a few things on the DIY acoustic panels that makes them seem relatively easy to do (i'm assuming this is what you're referencing). supposedly just towels are cheap and easy and work well as the filler for them, about as good as the more expensive stuff. i've got these two videos saved as reference for when i do want to do the project. i think the triangles look a bit nicer than just rectangles but that's just aesthetics i guess.

i think i'm more worried about what else do i need to do, it feels like just building 5 or 6 acoustic panels would be a big help but maybe only part of the goal? not in a financial position to fully convert my 'studio' room into an acoustically separated studio with all the bells and whistles but hoping for more than just 'yeah put up some acoustic panels randomly'

[TubularCorporation]

11 hours ago, thawkins said:

I guess I should have specified that I'm thinking about the speaker type monitors, although maybe I should think about a VESA stand for my screen too at some point.

Ooooh.  I got some cheap monitor stands in a trade a couple years ago but I don't have any space to set them up.  They'd be fine if I filled the tubes with sand to stop them from ringing.

Anyway, even budget stands are kind of overpriced.  If you have access to minimal tools, this is a pretty easy DIY option:

 

https://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html

 

I used to have a set of them I made, they worked fine.

That whole site is quite a relic of crusty old web 1.0 audiophile stuff, but with an emphasis on keeping things as cheap as possible so it's actually pretty useful. I think the turntable stand I built 4 or 5 years ago is based on one of their designs, too.

Edited August 2, 2021 by TubularCorporation

[psn]

6 hours ago, auxien said:

yeah, seen a few things on the DIY acoustic panels that makes them seem relatively easy to do (i'm assuming this is what you're referencing).

I built panels for early reflections. Just a simple frame behind a Rockfon Industrial ceiling tile, and finally the whole thing was covered in cloth.

This particular material is important, because it is relatively dense and therefore absorbs lower frequencies than most other insulation materials. It is best to mount them so that there is an inch or two of air between them and the walls, too.

https://www.rockfon.com/search/?q=industrial

 

[thawkins]

8 hours ago, TubularCorporation said:

Ooooh.  I got some cheap monitor stands in a trade a couple years ago but I don't have any space to set them up.  They'd be fine if I filled the tubes with sand to stop them from ringing.

Anyway, even budget stands are kind of overpriced.  If you have access to minimal tools, this is a pretty easy DIY option:

 

https://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html

 

I used to have a set of them I made, they worked fine.

That whole site is quite a relic of crusty old web 1.0 audiophile stuff, but with an emphasis on keeping things as cheap as possible so it's actually pretty useful. I think the turntable stand I built 4 or 5 years ago is based on one of their designs, too.

I am eyeing the K&M 26772 strictly because their [ shape means that I can put things under the monitors in a way.

My current setup is basically a desktop drawer unit with some books on top to get the speakers to the correct height. They take a lot of horizontal space that I would rather use for my keyboard.

I guess it would be possible to get a pair VESA mounts that I can attach to my desk and dangle the speakers on top like that, or maybe even some badass thing that carries speakers and my screen.

My screen is a Dell 25" and according official specs it weights like 3.5kg / 7.6lbs. The Neumann KH120As weigh 6.4kg / 14.2lbs each. So if I get a VESA mount, it better be some heavy duty thing so it can carry all that weight.

[psn]

I have the K&Ms. They are half an inch or so tall at the base, so not super flush with the table. But an Analog Heat or something of that size fits neatly underneath. 

Edited August 2, 2021 by psn

[modey]

I have Wavebone Gemini monitor stands and they're awesome. Not my photo:

They clamp to the back edge of the desk so there's tons of room underneath.

[auxien]

20 hours ago, psn said:

I built panels for early reflections. Just a simple frame behind a Rockfon Industrial ceiling tile, and finally the whole thing was covered in cloth.

This particular material is important, because it is relatively dense and therefore absorbs lower frequencies than most other insulation materials. It is best to mount them so that there is an inch or two of air between them and the walls, too.

https://www.rockfon.com/search/?q=industrial

 

ah, i see so that's just using the Rockfon tiles spaced off the walls via the framing. that's different than i've seen. can you even get just an order of 5-10 of those Rockfon tiles? they look they're set up for commercial orders only so runs of dozens/hundreds.

found this when searching, i'd love to do the staggered lengths of wood centerpiece diffuser as well

https://bettersoundproofing.com/diy-sound-diffuser/

[chim]

What kinda midi klobber do y'all rock? I'm ditching my Studiologic SL73 keyboard and on the lookout for a replacement. It's just unwieldy, lacking in CC controls and the syrupy TP/100LR keybed is hopeless. Well, actually I'm looking for two replacements to cover all bases but I've settled on the Roland A-88 for realistic key action, which leaves a DAW/synth oriented control keyboard for quick key input and nifty controller features. I'll probably be alright with 49-61 keys. 

I've looked at the usual big name candidates like Komplete Kontrol, Keylab, Nektar and Novation SL. The SL mk3 is looking pretty juicy since I'll be using ableton and there's hardware connectivity, arp and sequencing, it just seems a bit bloated with menu diving and the sequencer is a bit gimped. I suspect a lot of these fancy features will go unused. The keylab is a close second but I'm not really into the proprietary gear focus of arturia and NI. Nektar Panorama looks really cool but seems to play well with everything but ableton. No idea about the keybed on any of these. I guess I want quality but not the full weighted experience, the A-88 has that covered. There's no unanimous verdict on anything these days, all of these receive equal amounts of "the last keyboard I'll ever need" and "overpriced plastic toy" opinions.