black angels

my new favorite band, great psychedelic rock

Depeche Mode

I may just be hanging on to the last tattered threads of my genX youth, but the new album is sublime, particularly tracks 1,4,8,10

Yeah Yeah Yeah’s

We saw them at the electric factory PA in ‘08, and the acoustics didn’t do them justice; this latest album does, and is incredible in range

solid state audio

Attached is the PCB schematic for an audio amp based around national’s overture series. I designed and built this to suit a B&O beogram purchased when I had v. little coinage. The pad layout was created under circad, on a little old laptap running windmills 95. I was at a conference in Monterrey CA at the time (2004), and the bucolic scenery was too much to resist; I mostly sat on the beach drinking it all in, knocking this design together. There was a neat record shop which appeared to be the last bastion of the counterculture popular in Monterrey during the sixties. I picked up several LP’s including rare garage rock and was regaled by the owner’s tales of hearing Dylan back in the day.

I sampled out the 56W overture model from national; if you’re not familiar with this, engineers etc can get free samples from manufacturers, try it sometime. I also included a phono stage based around the LM833, to perform the RIAA equalization. This is of course necessary since the freq response of LP playback is not flat, so as to counteract deleterious mechanical issues. You could of course forgo this stage for a rather weird aural experience.

All you need to know is contained in the National tech note on the LM833 and overture, including supporting discrete components. I also include in the circuit a mixer/balance IC and notch filter for 50Hz. Thankfully I didn’t need to utilize the latter, the hum left when I eliminated all the ground loops; don’t forget to tie the ground of your LP to the amp & connect voltages to the right rails. The speaker(s) I built from pine to suit, which has a lower resonance than a hardwood like oak and to my mind the sound is richer, more mellow. The speakers (bose) and cross overs were bought online from allelectronics.com for pennies.

In the works 2009 is a tube amp…

main board PCB art

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Weezer blue album

Makes me miss 1994

Superb Debut by Wolf Parade

albeit in 2005; tracks 9 and 11 are brilliant

latest Walkmen album

sure, it’s been out a while, but I finally bought and have been enjoying again the melodic genius of The Walkmen in the form of You & Me

Fiery Furnaces/Widow City

I always thought PitchFork’s review was a little terse, this is a thoroughly playable and pleasant album, particularly tracks 3,6 and 8. It’s in heavy rotation this week on my playlist(s)

widow city

new BRMC album

…is brilliant and they (as can you) support not for sale, all the more reason to buy ‘the effects of 333′