Paul Wolff has designed more legendary pieces of gear than most of us have used. In his years with API alone, Paul designed the 550B EQ, 512 and 3124 mic preamps, Legacy console, and 2500 compressor. He was recently honored by NAMM TEC hall of fame for inventing the Lunchbox and 500-series format, which he helped turned into a cottage industry. I was honored to have Paul on the podcast to discuss console design and how he's seen the industry change in the last 40 years. Just a few of the...

I've often fantasized about building a huge analog synth. But besides the obstacles of cost and not having a spare room in my house for it, I've always found the DIY synth world to be a bit intimidating. In this podcast, synth wizard Abby Echiverri walks me through the basics, such as: Is it feasible to build your own synth? How much should I budget? What are the basic modules I need to build? Abby is a composer, DJ, DIYer, and audio gear designer. I caught up with her when she was on the...

DIY audio folks like to share--that's what makes us a community. My kits and the DIY Project Directory are possible because others have shared their research, schematics, designs, etc. without any legal limitations. In turn, I document my projects so that anyone who cares to can learn from, tweak, or improve upon them. So, while the greater audio world remains largely closed, with patents, secrecy, and lawyers protecting intellectual property, our little DIY corner is very much an "open...

When I sent out the newsletter announcing the last "Explain Like I'm 5 Podcast," I asked which audio topics you wanted to hear explained to a 5-year-old. As as result I now have a list of over 25 topics for future shows! But the response I got the most was "impedance." One reader even taunted me: "Haha, explain impedance like I'm five..good luck with that ;)" Challenge accepted, buddy! Impedance is one of those audio concepts that comes up at almost every recording session or live sound gig,...

This podcast marks the first of a new series in which I attempt to explain complex audio subjects so that a 5-year-old could understand them. In this first "Explain Like I'm 5" podcast, I tackle the important subject of balancing. What is the difference between balanced and unbalanced connections? How does balancing work? Why do we need balanced connections? In less than 15 minutes, I answer these questions the way I wish someone had for me: assuming no electronics knowledge, sticking to the...

What's the difference between "pro" and "consumer" line levels? Is it ok to plug an instrument into a line level input? What's the difference between peak and RMS levels? In the long-awaited return of our "Explain Like I'm 5" podcast series, Peterson and new DIYRE team member, Chris, explain the basics of audio levels. Download the mp3 or subscribe via iTunes Topics discussed: Can you damage equipment by plugging the wrong thing in? In analog audio Volume = Voltage The difference between peak...

Sticker shock is a common malady in the recording world. It takes a lot of money to outfit and maintain a studio. But why? What are the factors that drive the price of professional recording gear? Why does gear cost so much more than the sum of its components? Are the prices justified, or is someone getting ripped off? In this month's podcast, Peterson and Chris discuss what goes into the cost of a piece of gear, and how you can short-circuit some of these costs by doing it yourself. Download...

How do filters work? As audio engineers, we use filters every day. We're all intimately familiar with high-pass, low-pass, band-pass, shelf, etc. filters. But how do they actually work in analog gear? The basic operating principles of analog filters are actually very simple. In this quick (10 minute) podcast, Peterson and Chris explain the very basics of high-pass and low-pass filters so that any 5-year-old could understand. Download the mp3 or subscribe via iTunes View the circuits we...

We audio nerds love to talk about particular parts and circuitry—transformers, op-amps, discrete vs integrated, passive vs active, etc—but we rarely discuss the biggest part and the one we actually interface with the most: the chassis. In this episode of our resurrected podcast, I talk to Jon Erickson about the ins and outs of chassis design and manufacturing. Jon Erickson has been involved with some of the most delicious-looking audio gear on the market: the A-Designs Pacifica preamp, JHS...

Last week, I put out the call for you to ask "Everything you always wanted to know about audio electronics, but were afraid to ask." The response was awesome, and a tad overwhelming: almost 50 questions! I want to sincerely thank all of you who posed questions, we got some great stuff. On Saturday our volunteer expert, Duncan Gray, joined me to answer your questions podcast style. Download the MP3 file or subscribe via iTunes Here's what we covered in chronological order: How Duncan got into...

In this month's DIY podcast, I talk to Dafydd Roche of Expat Audio about their new Eden Mic Preamp. Download the mp3 or listen on iTunes . Subscribe to the DIYRE podcast Dafydd and I get into some good stuff about mic preamp and general audio design, including: The difference between surface mount (SMD/SMT) and through hole components in terms of sound and performance. Are SMDs good for audio? Should we audio folks resist industry's march toward all surface-mount parts? The concept of...

DW Fearn knows tubes. Since he rediscovered the sound of tubes in 1991, DW (Doug) has crafted a legendary line of all-tube, all-red-front-paneled recording gear. In April I had the pleasure of visiting Doug at his home and workshop outside Philadelphia. Doug and I sat down on either side of a ribbon microphone and had a great conversation about tubes, electronics, and sound. During our conversation Doug tells the story of how he returned to tubes after decades of operating an all sold-state...

Our resident electronics expert, Duncan Gray, is back to answer your audio electronics questions! Duncan and I recorded two hours of answers last week to the questions you asked in the original "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Audio Electronics..." post. So to spare you the tedium of digging through 120 minutes of audio to find the answer to your questions, we've split our conversation up into smaller, more easily digestible podcast. Stick with us until the 33 minute mark, where we...

Jeff Steiger of CAPI and I get nerdy about various vintage audio and DIY topics, including: Why create a company dedicated to vintage API gear? Why not Neve, SSL, etc.? Will we ever see ClassicAPI kits in a 1RU rack format, instead of 500-series? Why does old API gear sound so good when it's specs are so bad? The sonically stunning Gar2520 opamp Jeff's new, two-stage preamp design, the VP28 How Jeff tried to cram a full API console strip into one 500-series slot. "Inventory management is a...

One thing I often wondered when I first got into DIY was whether any "real" producers and engineers built their own gear. So I was thrilled to visit Marc Alan Goodman at his studio Strange Weather in Brooklyn to see his DIY gear and talk to him about how DIY fits into his career as a successful studio owner and engineer. We recorded some video of Marc's DIY gear which you can see below. After my camera ran out of batteries, we sat down and chatted about lots of DIY stuff. Download the MP3...

Today, I discuss the ins and outs of making your own condenser microphones with Scott Helmke, creator of the popular Alice Microphone project. Scott walks us through how he designed the Alice microphone, including some practical tips for making your own mic bodies and headbaskets. Download the podcast Topics discussed: How Scott developed the Alice mic The brilliant Mic Builders Yahoo group. The Transound TBS-165A condenser capsule What happened when Scott swapped electrolytic for film...