Shoptalk Sunday: Build a Home Studio & Radio Station (#2)

In last Sunday’s ShopTalk,  we ambled through some of the construction fine points of building a room suitable for high performance sound. 

Today, with a converted room at the ready – silent lights, HVAC sound boots, dual airlock doors, and sand-filled walls plus a fortune in Auralex wall coverings – we need to put something in our studio.

What to Spend? First: Tools

How much you got?

As with any home improvement project, the “correct answer” is all over the board.

There is a low, middle, and high-end approach to equipping a studio.  A great low-cost studio can be made from eBay and Craigslist items if you shop carefully.

However, if you learn some basic electronics repair skills, you can get a major “force multiplier” because many electronics failures come down to either the moving parts (switches – and potentiometers, or “pots” for short ,- twisties).  The other thing that degrades over time are certain types of capacitors.  Especially the electrolytic variety. The insulative paste used in their construction dries out over time.  Anywhere from a few years to a half century.

In order to gain some confidence (without spending 60-years in ham radio as I have) you might begin with a great book on electronic repair “How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic, Second Edition” by Michael Geier. Great book.  Doesn’t get into use of Kapton tape while reflowing surface mount micro components, but it’s a GREAT starting point. (Did I mention it’s great?)

Tool Readiness follows.  To work on your home studio, you will want a tool kit.  Some of the items in this kit may include (depending how overboard you go):

  • #1, #2, #3 Phillips and slotted screwdrivers
  • Wire strippers
  • Needle nose and slip joint pliers
  • An inexpensive digital multimeter
  • A cheap PC tool kit
  • That sound meter shown last week

The “next level” tool kit gets you enough to do basic electronics repairs on used equipment.  Which comes in three flavors.  Old-fashioned “tube” gear is usually easy to work on – big components.  You need a tube tester. Through-hole components are smaller and generally solid-state.  This will get up into the 1980-1990 changeover era when Surface Mount devices (SMD) components showed up.

The tube gear and the through-hole (big solid-state) are helped with a set of dental picks for soldering helpers, an assortment of alligator clips for testing (and use as heat sinks), along with a Crescent type adjustable wrench or two.  You can buy a set of nutdrivers if so moved, as well.  Won’t need them often, though.

Learning soldering skills, too – implying an adjustable heat soldering pencil that tops out in the 40-60 watt area OR a soldering gun isn’t a bad idea.  Just remember, size the soldering tools to component size.  A 15-30 watt pencil (setting) is fine for most through-hole work.  40-60 watts (or small gun) may be useful on tube-type equipment.

SMD work will require specialized hot-air soldering gear.  Plus, solder wick tape, heat shield tape (plus scissors, tweezers) and so forth.  Desoldering stations ($100-$150) are neat but unless you do massive gear restoration (it can be a business), use common sense and don’t over-buy on the tools.  Low melting point temp solder and rosin paste.

Studio Topography

The “dirt simple” playback setup is nothing more than a reasonable set of choices along the “signal path.”  So, we will follow sound from an MP3 file.

When you click on an MP3, your computer will launch a suitable player depending on your program preferences.  For most Windows users this will be Windows Media Player.

Take some time to carefully go through privacy settings related to any media player you install.  Ask yourself “Do I want anything to do with the Internet when I launch music?”   (Thing rights management.) (I don’t, but to each their own.)

As the player spools up, it will output to your computer’s chosen output device.  This is normally speakers, which will then appear at the “headphones out” of your computer.

Now you have a choice:  Do you want headphones, speakers, amps and processing?  With headphones, you don’t need a room and you don’t need a toolkit.  Just start collecting MP3’s and learn how to use Media Player to roll your playlist.

On the other hand, plugging in speakers directly will be unsatisfying because it will be deathly quiet.  Your computer really wants a good set of AMPLIFIED speakers. OR alternatively you can go into an assortment of audio peripherals here and build up an “audio chain.”

IF your computer is “talking” to other gear in your studio (we’ll get to that in a minute) THEN you absolutely need a good (>116db) sound card. These are about $50-bucks and up.  Another aspect (if your computer is >5 years old) is to consider replacing your power supply as well.  They can become noisy over time, introducing hum and noise we don’t need.

Typical onboard sound outputs aren’t very impressive, especially in noise measurements.

Backing Up Half a Step

While most users will be happy with an upgraded sound card, better amps, and bi or tri-amped speakers, and perhaps a simple USB recording interface for a mic or two, this is the “junction of complexity” area.  This is where you need to decide “How serious do you want recording and editing capability to be?”

External Hardware

Once you get at least clean headphone level audio, we can then begin to tack-on external sound processes.  Some of these include:

  • Equalizing:  There are two general types:  Graphic (slider for each discrete frequency) and Parametric (center frequency and bandwidth.  For example, a Graphic EQ might let you bo0st (with four sliders) 1000, 1500, 2000, and 2,500 HZ. A parametric EQ lets you pick the center of this range, then set width and boost.  E.G., “boost the mid’s” might be what the producer says.
  • Compression: Keeps the loudness in check above a certain level.  Compression on FM stations may be only 10-15 dB.  The compression resulting in “sounding like AM radio” may be on the order of 20-30dB.  All loud, all the time.
  • Noise Gates: When sound is quieter than the gate level, ALL sound is killed.  Like putting a dash of noise gate on all the drum kit mics (7 or 8 of them, right?)  so that room noise doesn’t get captured.
  • Effects Processors: Delay lines add time between right and left channel and give an expanded stereo field effect when used in moderation.  Or an echo sound.
  • Phase overlay:  This gives you that Itchykoo Park jet sound. Pick it up from :48 in the video and again from 1:49  Brian Auger used a bit in 1968 in Wheels on Fire, too.

IF you decide to have a rack for outboard gear, consider leaving some gaps occasionally to keep good air flow.  Heat kills electronics.

The Simple Case

You get an upgraded soundcard.  You hang on some of the better computer speakers out there (three or more parts: l/r speakers and a subwoofer).  MAYBE you’ll want a USB mixer for recording.

In the “simple case” you either route sound through Audacity (more in a minute) or a software sound package.  (Anyone remember WinAmp?)  And you can use the mic in on the sound card, but brace for major disappointment.  USB mics work (so-so) and one or two channels is practical (read: cheap) but the real answer is a purpose-built external interface.

The key limitations of a USB mixing interface are:

  1. USB “mixers” usually only output two channels (e.g. one stereo pair)
  2. When recording into a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that’s it:  2 channels.

If all you’re doing is podcasts and the occasional voice-over, something like the TC Helicon GoXLR MINI ($139) may suffice.

Why does 2 channels out matter? Well, depending on your plans, it may not.

BUT!  (Critical info – listen up!)

IF you want real studio capability, you may be ready to look at entry pro level gear and that means FireWire or Thunderbolt.

A typical USB mixer gives you 2 channels out (to the computer for recording).  So, for podcasting, maybe that’s fine.  Host on one mic and the guest on the other.  Stereo theme on both – and since these inexpensive mixers have effects and a “cough button” – they will work fine.

Now imagine that the Rolling Stones drop by for an interview.  They’ve even got the roadies with ’em and they’re setting up in your (now wholly inadequate) studio to debut their newest song.  Yes, a world premiere in your studio.

Do you really want to lay that down as JUST two tracks?

Hell no!  Why, even a basic drum kit is one mic per (drum) head plus overheads for the high-hat…(8-9 mics usually)

This is where the the REAL studio gear (Firewire) shines.  Because you can record 16-discrete tracks on a decent console (called a “desk” in the trade).

Our choice a dozen years back was the Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 16-Channel Audio Mixer ($1,300) (scroll down here).  Eight mono inputs, plus four stereo tracks, so on the DAW you will have 16 individual tracks when mixing  – on one recording pass.  Firewire sound card is built in.

No “desk” is perfect.  This is real electronics.  I had to re-cap the power supply on mine, for example, a couple of years back.

Why It Matters:  For people new to actual recording, it’s a revelation to have dedicated tracks for everything.

Remember, when you set up a pro level room, not only can you record 16-tracks at a time, but you can “stack” another 16 by playing the first set of tracks so the band can “play along with itself” and lay down another 16.

When mixing, the basic technique is to set the kick drum track and maybe another drum (snare?).  Then add in melody tracks (*instruments) and then voice.  Now go finish with the toms, high-hat and crash-ride.  Salt with effects as moved.

196 tracks is a bunch to edit.

DAW Basics

Our favorite Digital Audio Workstations – which is where we go when not in “dumb playback mode” (Media Player, listening only) roll out like this (low cost to high):

#1:  Audacity

Free.  Hit their website and begin reading.

However, while free, Audacity may not give you the whole “kit and kaboodle” when comes to multi-track recording.  As in Firewire.  See the discussion here.

#2 Reaper

Trial then $60 (non-commercial) or $225 (commercial use).

Website is here and we recommend this package because it simply does so much.  Real grown-up feature set.

#3 Magix Samplitude

(If you’re on a Mac, ProTools).

Samplitude is in the $350 class and offers a very feature-rich workspace.  An intro video can be watched here.

As you can see, it’s a matter of narrowing down what you want to do.

Grown-Up Pants

Before you spend a dime on a DAW, you’ll want to make sure you understand everything that you will eventually migrate toward.  Some of the key concepts when DAW shopping and equipping:

ASIO:  Short for Audio Stream Input/Output this was a sound card driver system designed by Steinberg of Germany.  The goal is to reduce latency as much as possible.  There is a proto called WineASIO so the same functionality is coming for the Linux crowd.

While most people jump right into Audacity as their first-time DAW, it doesn’t (natively) support ASIO.  BUT there is as program (ASIO4ALL) and this video on Youtube will get you into the process of building your own personally compiled version of Audacity that will support ASIO4ALL.

VST:  Stands for Virtual Studio Technology.  This enables your computer to sound like – well – anythingThere’s a useful list of free VSTs over here.

VST capability is a huge deal because you can cascade multiple VSTs to get amazing sounds.  For example, a beat-box (drum looping) system can feed into an equalizer and then a compressor. An d this is all in software.  Even more processing on the listening/output audio chain of your studio.  No end to possibilities.  Main limits eventually get down to computer horsepower and harddrive speeds.

It’s a given when you get into this level of music creation you’ve almost transitioned to 100 percent SSDs – and with several at 1 TB or more…

The good news is (with a couple of asterisks) is that Audacity supports VSTs.  Check out this page for details.

I cannot say enough glowing remarks about Gary Garritan’s Virtual Instruments which are on the must-have list. Start with Garritan Personal Instruments GPO5 and marry it up with a notation program like FinaleVersion 27 professional is on the order of $489 but if you’re planning to track movies….

Workflow Exercises – Scenes

Since we are each the Producer of our own epic classic movie (as we go through Life in conscious GoPro mode, then get into uploading when we die in the Life Review process), it makes sense to use some of these newly found skills to have fun.

As a complete producer package, you have to figure how to keep your life absolutely FUN and ENTERTAINING.  So, to do this, you create “scenes you’d like to live” and then bring them to life.  Sure, a jam-packed shop with every tool known to God or Man is a good start – but the Home Studio gives you tremongous opportunities to get creative.

Since we already have a Disney-ish home (homes that transport) we used sound as “location spice.”  For example, in the Trader Vic’s themed dining room there is a parrot perched on a hunk of bamboo who may say anything.

At the moment, the bird is cycling a cockpit warning from an Airbus (“pull up, PULL UP!~ “ ) and an Eastwood movie.  “You dig.”

Those get old, though, so out of the blue, there is a new soundtrack for the stuff parrot to key from the motion-sensing MP3 box.

To get this little gem, here was the workflow:

  • Get the idea (Best Hecklefish lines from the Why Files on Youtube)
  • Cue up the video and pause it.
  • Launch record in Audacity
  • Hit play on the video.
  • Stop video when line is captured
  • Stop Audacity.
  • Use Audacity edit tools to get just what you want. Throw out useless lead-in and outs that you don’t care about.  (Cut the front, drag to beginning of track, cut the end junk, delete the endmatter.)
  • Move the clip to the beginning of the Audacity editor.
  • Export to an MP3 file.

Get the USB addressable motion sensing player and connect via USB to the DAW workstation.

Upload the file to the motion sensing audio player.

Oh, here’s the audio track which may end up in the master bath tomorrow morning at o-dark-thirty when the princess finds the pea, so to speak:

Using this technique, we are incentivized to begin editing by simply beginning with shocking suggestions from a talking fish in the toilet at 2:30 AM, lol.

Then we work up to important editing of politicians. With practice, you can rearrange some of them, so they actually make sense.  If you succeed, post it on YT and let us know.  It’s harder than you think.

Are we having fun yet?

Write when you get rich,

George@Ure.net

60 thoughts on “Shoptalk Sunday: Build a Home Studio & Radio Station (#2)”

  1. Cupple comments:
    (I could do hours on this subject, mostly born of the pain of costly failures…)
    (In no particular order… …and all just my semi-worthless OPINION.)

    1) Learn to edit audio or viddy-o using a pen & tablet. There’s a curve, but once a P&T replaces your mauz, and becomes comfortable and second-nature, you’ll never go back. There are dozens available. 5 x 7 inch as a minimum hot zone. Too small will make you crazy.

    2) Build yourself an audio patch panel. It’s good to bypass any gear not actually needed in the chain, because all devices don’t passively “loop through” when not active. They may have line level “unity gain” supposedly inaudible buffer amps. In any event not having a lot of series Krappe in the line, but not doing anything useful is bad practice. Yes, the contact points in a patch panel might themselves introduce some “scratchies” over a long time: for this reason, I avoid “normalled-through” patch panels, where a “normal” bypass path is established if nothing is jacked in. Normalizing contacts wear and get noisy over time, but the flexibility in having a shorter and simpler path pays off. Patch panels also help you to clearly envision the path AND ORDER your signals are following through various processing devices. (Yes, order matters.)

    3) I use a decent AM-FM stereo 100 watt class receiver as a driver for a pair of extremely good Studio Monitor-grade WOOD-cabinet speakers. (JBL 4011s–BIG bastards) A super-high power audio power amp is NOT better. A “right-size” amp is best due to a phenomenon called “crossover distortion.” As a signal in a solid state amp passes through the zero-level point, some small non-linearity occurs at the crossover point from positive values to negative values of the signal voltage. The junctions in solid state high power transistors have a slight hiccup around the zero-point due to the transistor’s junction’s diode effect.
    A 100 watt amp will be working at a couple of watts most of the time, a certain percentage of full-bore, where a 1,000 watt amp will be loafing along at that same couple of watts, BUT the crossover effect is a much larger total amount of the passing signal. (This is NOT in reference to speaker crossover networks that separate the low, mid, and high frequencies for bi-amping or tri-amping.)

    4) Buy the very best headphones you can. Full ear-muff type. I prefer Sennheiser or Sony proline stuff.)

    5) Realize that most people that listen to your product will be using Krappy audio systems. BUT, even so, make your product the best you can for those who DO have “ears.”

    6) Realize most “clients” are horse’s asses, who have almost NO idea of what they really want — AND they can’t usually explain it well, even if they do. Most. Most. Dream clients are those few who “get” what you’re doing, and trust you to Just Do It, as Nike would say…

    • I forgot all about patch panels…

      -=UGH!=-

      They’re great, they work, they eliminate weird audio garbage, but UGH…

      I was a Junior in High School when I got serious about sound. ‘Bought myself a Shure reference mic and a set of Koss Pro-4 AAs with me paper route money. That was well over 50 years ago and while they’re not as light as my Sonys or as good as Sennheisers, they’re still better than any speaker, at any price, and in all that time, my earpiece donuts have not cracked.

      • My electronics technician brother acquired a cast-off radio station Pentron reel-to-reel when I was about 2yo. I learned how to splice using a razor blade and Scotch tape (before the green-plaid stuff existed) on paper recording tape. BigBro had an Atlas Sound MS-20 and a Shure 55 (the original, bigassed one). Dad had a Craftsman amp w/ some kind of 12″ speaker (nude, mounted to a piece of 3/4″ plywood as a sounding board) which was usually hooked up to Dad’s (homebuilt) TV, but we could wire the tape recorder into it and hear what we’d recorded. That was how I learned the how and why of twisting wires before I put them under terminal screws.

        By the time I landed in a studio, I kinda knew my way around mics and reel recorders… ;-)

      • Several pairs of Koss Pro4-AA’s is why I have tinnitus in both ears. Something about volume high enough to overcome bone conductivity while performing high-energy Top 40 Radio. I’m sure George knows what I’m talking about.

      • “is why I have tinnitus in both ears. Something about volume high enough to overcome bone conductivity”

        Lol that’s why many military and factory workers wear hearing aids to..

      • “Several pairs of Koss Pro4-AA’s is why I have tinnitus in both ears.”

        As I mentioned, the loudest concert I ever did registered 138db in the 3rd row, which is where I placed the (borrowed, Nakamichi) mics. I did several shows that were above 130db. I always wore my own Pro-4AAs at these shows, because they did an excellent job of attenuating external sound, and the PTB frowned upon the idea of wearing shooters’ muffs. When recording live, once you had your marks, there was no actual need to babysit those marvelous Ampex decks, ‘cept to change reels…

  2. That fish in Ure toilet ..a Wrinkled Neck Bass, or a One Eyed Trouser Trout ?

    ..”oh damm! that waters cold.” winkwink

      • Volks,

        Ja, the White House official schedule is now updated with the transcript from the Presidential visit the other day to the Westwood LA Mexican takeout in the company of Democrat mayoral candidate Ms. Bass, and a Ms. Hilda Solis (former Obama admin. Secretary of Labour?). The President spoke Spanish. Apparently a staff member return inquiry as to customer wellbeing was not heard. Ms. Solis was able to interject that “he’s (The President) doing good”.

        The video soundtrack payment exchange does not appear to match the web transcript. The transcript segues into a pay-it-forward of “$45” (actually $40 or $43.55 without tip) to the next customer. The actual voice recording of the payment process appears to reflect that the President thought he was being given a bill for $60 not $16. Maybe it was his sense of humor? However the presidential party demurred to accept the 55 cents coinage of the change AND declined to accept the cashier offer of a receipt.

        Local media imagery of the takeout scene framed the President between pictures of two restaurant specials – the Armadillo (Hoover Hog?) and the Vampire. They also noted the event appeared to be spontaneous as the restaurant was only given a few minutes notice. Security services must be livid?

        One may wish to seek solace of studio respite with DJ George cooking up a platter from Scorpions’ Crazy World on wrapped spindles –
        “Wind of Change”.

        Speaking of Germany, Cologne was in the Deutche Welle newstream last week as the city moved to permit public broadcasting by mosques of calls to prayer. Today’s Cologne news was a traffic stopper. It’s BAB555 route, the first autobahn to open in Germany 90 years ago, was closed in one direction by police. Apparently a BMW(?) allegedly cut off a taxi and car following at an exit. 10 people from 3 families disembarked from the 3 vehicles with 1 knife in attendance entering into a fracas in the road. Apparently 1 person was hospitalized with “emergency internal injuries”, and 7 others were treated on scene for lesser wounds. One hopes all the affected autobahners make a speedy recuperation,
        Inshallah.

        • Does that mean the International Urban Church can mount arrays of Klipsche speakers and broadcast the opening rift from Van Halen’s “Jump” five timhttps://urbansurvival.com/wp-admin/users.phpes daily, as well? You know – a freedom of religion thing?

  3. Thanks George and WRR. Lots of good info. I hadn’t heard of Kapton tape before – I’m always getting frustrated doing pc board work melting stuff I don’t mean to.
    I think back in the 60’s and 70’s, they actually did their final mixes in mono with crappy eq to see how a song would sound through 3″ transistor radio speakers.

    • A lot of studios I frequented doing voiceovers had a couple of old car radio speakers (ripped cones and all) so you should preview commercials on shitty sound to get an idea how it would play in the car.

      • I have a friend that is a producer.. we went through film school together and he was telling me about how much he has to do voice overs and mechanically alter the tracks so that they sounded good.. I said heck I can’t sing like a frog he said no worries.. you would be surprised..
        that is how I got my val autograph.. LOL.. he was friends with the production manager of the movie tombstone.. and they were drinking buddies.. so at the time I got the autograph for my collection.. then they sent a photo from his publicist from another movie.. my friend asked me if I got an autograph.. sure but it wasn’t from the movie tombstone.. so .. a few weeks later I get a working copy of the script a photo from tombstone with his autograph and photos of him signing the autograph LOL LOL.. Lucky me.. nice guy.. I was completely happy with it the other way..
        I no longer collect autographs.. but an old coworker is a huge fan of stephan King.. well years ago I was in buying books at a bookstore and he was there doing an autograph thing for his books.. so I bought one got his autograph.. all I had at the time was an older book of his I had in the car.. but he signed it.. so I had it framed and had the front cover of the book framed with the autographed cover page.. she was shocked.. it is only a thing and things don’t hold any value to me.. and can be replaced..

    • They were searching for just the right amount of compression. Leslie Gore 45’s were squished 74.5%. You could listen to one with just the needle; volume all the way down.

  4. Caught myself this morning, thinking from a prior lifetime. As I gazed down your mornings musings the first concept that hit my mind was “studio” then reading down my eyes saw wire strippers, while my mind just saw “strippers”….hmm. Think I need some coffee

      • The joke around here… speaking of wire size, Is a few years ago, the wife put on the shopping list…25 year old blonde … Must enjoy gardening… Lol lol..

  5. Not sure if you have wrote of this? Friend tells me that 432 hz music sounds better than 440. Not sure that I can tell, being tone deaf, but can you address. Why is it perceived as better?
    Thanks,

    • There are so many answers on this it would make your head spin.
      Will tell your an on the QT from broadcasting days.
      KJR (Seattle, channel 95) did all of their music at regular speed.
      Dick Curtis (RIP) our station manager had the pucks for the QRT turntables machined so thatr we would play everything, so it was 440 pitch.
      Then, when our jingle said “Kolorful K0-O-L Plays more music!” we did by a whopping 1.85% more. We could prove it in court.
      Strangely, had a whole different mindset of listeners, too…which just shows to go you…something!

      • I worked at a rock n roll AM in the early 70 where the PD wanted to ‘hype’ the music by speeding it up. I wound up wrapping a layer or two of editing tape around the turntable spindles until he was satisfied.

      • I tried the speed-up on a few stations I programmed back in the mid 70’s. Net result gave the station more energy. I couldn’t prove it affected ratings one bit.
        One thing that did work was 130% modulation on positive peaks. Worked at one station where the engineer dude would come in the x-mitter room next to control; stand there and tweak (not twerk) his ass off to make it just a “lil” bit lounder than anything else on the AM band.

        • No one beat the late Lerza at KFRC – the whole idea of a T-match so both sidebands of the antenna phasor were equally louds – genius, I tell you.

    • To each his own…

      The base tone (low “A” tune) for A432 is A13.5; the base tone for A440 is A13.75. Pianos are also tuned to A442.6 (A13.83) and A448 (A14). I have a very good ear, but I don’t have perfect pitch, so I’ve never noticed a difference, other than the amount of cussing the piano tuner did when he had to retune a perfectly-tuned Steinway to suit some guest musician, and I noticed that A448 is noticeably “brighter” (sharper) than A440. To my “musician’s ear,” brighter is irritating when my brain “knows” what the pitch should be, and very slightly flat, while I “hear” it, is much more tolerable.

    • You’ve probably heard that someone singing that hits the right pitch glass shatters…
      I must have that pitch… I start singing and everyone drops their glass to cover their ears…

  6. George:
    Current self-ordering fractal decay observations and current modeling predictions.

    The Federal Reserve QE’s and QT’s the money/debt supply based on its boundary limits of unacceptable unemployment vice unacceptable consumer inflation. The macroeconomic system then takes the Fed’s ongoing actions and self-assembles the most efficient time-based pathways to trading saturation valuation peak growth (money easing) and trading saturation valuation nadir decay(money tightening). (The interlinked global macroeconomic system does this thru the collective action of all central banks.)

    Equities:
    1. The Composite (35.8 trillion dollar) Wilshire market peaked in the 90th year of a US 1807 36/90/90/54 year fractal progression on 8 Nov 2021. 8 Nov was contained within a March 2020 8/16/10 of 11-16 month interpolated fractal series.

    The 10 of 11-16 month third decay subfractal started on 24 January 2021. From this intermediate low, the Wilshire is observed to be following a 7/15/14/10-11 week or 31/73/60-61/46-47 day series: Starting 9/12-13/2022 The 46-47 day 4th decay sub-fractal appears to be following a 8-9/16 of 20/20 day decay fractal series. The expected 20 day second fractal low valuation is expected on Thursday 20 October 2022 with about 16 days of counter valuation growth thru 12 November and thereafter a 4 day nonlinear decline. Bitcoin as represented by GBTC (matched with the 5 of 7 days of Wilshire trading) is following a similar 4 phase fractal pattern.

    Debt as an Asset
    2. There US Debt (Debt-as-Asset)Market had its sharpest 10 and 1/2 month valuation decline (dv/dtsquared) since 1794 (yes, 1794).

    Using the debt market’s inverse parameter: The US Ten Year Notes rise in interest rates (QT) (currently 4.01 %) from 1 August 2022 is observed to be following a 11/27/18 of 22/16 days with an expected transient peak interest rate on Thursday 20 October with trending declining interest rates through 12 November 2022. The current rise in the US Ten Year Note interest rates dates from March 2020 and is following a 7-/16/11 of 13-16 month pattern.

    • Interesting
      Seven days after Yom Kippur was Friday the 14th.., then a five day sell off. Since Monday is 7th trading day after Yom Kippur – then the sell-off should be over on, or by the 20th. This coincides with your “…, second fractal low valuation”.

  7. Two weeks ago I asked myself if we are headed for a depression what could I do now that would significantly improve my life next year. I decided to replace the livingroom rug, that the new puppy pees on, and the cracked kitchen tiles with wood-like flooring. Guaranteed for 30 years. No more vacuuming or carpet shampooing. If there is no electricity I can still sweep it clean.

    Well I’m glad I’m doing it. The contractor found 2 areas of water damaged floor that need to be replaced in the kitchen. I had it repaired once before but the tile layer must not have solved the problem.

    I also bought 2 large bags of mung beans and 2 bottles each of apple pectin and potassium iodine.

    Thanks to you and all your subscribers who keep me thinking.

    • You made the right move Eleanor. Puppies and carpets are not a good combination. I spent several years of my career in carpet stain and odor removal technology. Very few products work as they say they will and very few people use them correctly. I am well qualified to help my friends on this site in this area if any advice is needed.

      Enjoy your puppy and good luck with the training.

    • “the cracked kitchen tiles with wood-like flooring. ”

      I seen the nicest linoleum.. once down it looks and feels like wood.. nicest stuff I’ve ever seen.. im not a carpet fan..area rugs yes c appetite no..
      Carpets almost shut down a medical facility.. you wal into a room and carry viruses and bacteria on your shoes.. the cdc had a hell of a time finding out why a particular virus was spreading.. tile and linoleum you can effectively clean..

    • I have always told others interested in having a stock.. for the what if.. is don’t do it big.. it can be a daunting task.. instead do the one can method.. on the shelf we have a can rotator.. for it holds one flat of twelve can’s.. so if you use six.. then buy seven pretty soon you have a couple of months supply and you didn’t feel a thing.. it is the same thing with beef.. in two weeks my cow goes into the locker to be processed.. the beef left over from last years will be retort canned..
      retort canning is similar to jar canning except you use metalized plastic retort bags.. I will buy a thousand of the half pound and five hundred of the pound.. for a single person.. you could use four ounce bags.. vacuum seal it up frozen.. then pack the pressure canner tight verticle.. put a jar rack on top with a weight and pressure can it accordingly..
      The magic seal snorkle sealer works good for the bags.. put the half tsp of salt in and what ever spices.. and your good to go..
      I like to do italian tomatoes..
      https://www.amazon.com/MAGIC-SEAL-MS175-Compatible-Restaurant/dp/B08R2FKCF5
      I have several vacuum sealers.. this one is my favorite.. I didn’t know it did retort bags until recently.. for the larger stuff I use a chamber vac..
      https://youtu.be/ngOcjACZshk
      you can use an iron.. and a regular vacuum sealer to.. put the cold food in it.. then iron it except for one small area.. vacuum it then hit it with your hot clothes iron.. Now not all chamber vacuum sealers have enough heat to seal a retort bag.. just so you know.. the problem is the metal foils in the bag.. if you choose to get a chamber vac then you need to talk to thom.. great guy he rebuilds them and puts a stronger coil in them..
      here is a video of my friend thom.. great guy easy to work with.. I have two chamber vacs from him.. I had tried some of the others but they didn’t work.. then I met thom..
      https://youtu.be/lG_TrqcyYBc
      the other thing is.. freeze drying..
      https://harvestright.com/
      I have two of these.. one i actually bought for my ward.. but they said they weren’t interested in it.. so I have two.. and I mounted it on my cart with the meat ager on it..
      Now I am a little more anal about this.. but that is only because I starved one year and have had a few of those what the hell moments that came and knock you to the ground..
      if you have always had plenty you probably don’t see the value of having that..
      because of my experiences I did learn how to make the comfort items that we all live for.. well everything except the luck of andy LOL but those are the two things we live for in life.. as a rule.. things break and get lost

      • Warning, LOOB:

        I just bought a medium Harvest Right freeze-dryer — took me several months to save enough discretionary buckage to afford it. ‘Got the shipping confirmation a few hours ago. I’m probably going to bug the crap outta you for “tips & tricks,” for the foreseeable future…

  8. So.., using info from the last two weeks – we have a five day sell-off – Monday 17th thru Friday the 21st.., then – two to three weeks of sideways, slightly up recovery – thru Nov 12th., then a 4 day, half-off fire-sale. Nov 12th is a Saturday – so.., Monday Nov 14th the bottom drops out. Nov Full Moon is the 8th [ one year since Wilshire peak.] and New Moon is the 23rd. “Markets never crash at their peak.”
    – I have never traded using ‘fractals’., nor the ‘Moon cycles’., though I have followed both.

  9. “Tool Readiness follows. To work on your home studio, you will want a tool kit.”

    I suggest a “security” quarter-inch-drive bit-set. This gets you oddball things like T-2 Torx and Posidriv bits, which pop up occasionally.

    The Crescent or Kobalt sliding adjustable wrench is a nifty tool. I have used big adjustable wrenches on big, tight nuts, but they’re not as good or robust as real open-end wrenches. They are very handy though, and while most of mine are worm-screw (like the genericized “Crescent wrench”) for small work where you’re using a 4″ or 6″ adjustable on soft 8-32 screws, the slider is amazing.

    I much prefer cheap analog to cheap digital. I have had one HF and one Micronta (Radio Shack) cheap DMM which were usable, and at least a dozen (at least 3 HF and one RS) which were utter junk. Maybe its me, but I’ve not found a DMM less than a B-K which I could reliably trust for anything other than voltage. I’ve got a $24 Elenco in my car kit, which has saved several people’s days, including my own. It’s small, cheap, and it just works…

    • I agree that analog meters give information that’s nearly impossible to suss out on a DMM, regardless of accuracy. Unfortunately, they’re getting hard to come by, since everyone wants to produce cheap digital. Harbor Fright was giving out free meters up until a couple of years ago if you just went to the store with the right coupon. Now they want $7 for them plus tax.

      I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned an oscilloscope(or two) as an essential troubleshooting aid! Good ones still cost three digits used, unless you get lucky at a yard sale. Has anyone used the cheap ‘scope apps with devices that plug into USB? I can see the potential value, but I wonder about quality, bandwidth and isolation. I’d probably try such a thing on a throwaway laptop.

  10. “use common sense and don’t over-buy on the tools. “
    Coming from a self-confessed tool slut, that is an apocryphal statement! LOL!

    “Do you really want to lay that down as JUST two tracks?”
    The Tom Hidley designed studio I worked on had a 24 channel MCA console, factory refurbished, that Steve Miller allegedly recorded ‘Jet Airliner’ on. The tape machine was also 24 track on 2” wide tape. We learned we could not use 2” video tape as the grain was cross-wise for rotating video head usage. Too noisy for audio mastering. The linear-grain 2” tape for audio was much more expensive and hard to find.

    And if I encountered a talking fish in the toilet at 0230 AM I’d be quick on the ‘FLUSH’ lever!

    WmRR gave me nightmares when he suggested patch panels. I cannot count how many I have wired in my career. I was always the ‘newbie grunt’ who got that job when rebuilding broadcast facilities.

  11. “many electronics failures come down to either the moving parts (switches – and potentiometers, or “pots” for short ,- twisties)”

    DeoxIT!

  12. “SMD work will require specialized hot-air soldering gear. Plus, solder wick tape, heat shield tape (plus scissors, tweezers) and so forth. Desoldering stations ($100-$150) are neat but…”

    I always use hemostats for soldering heat-sinks and keep a can of freeze-mist handy. For desoldering, I’m a hardcore fan of the Soldapullt (geez I’m getting old – just checked prices. The first one I bought was $4.25 from my local electronics dealer…)

  13. “When the princess finds the pea”…. so to speak…

    Dripping paradoxes…..

    ~ The Green Spider ~

    I didn’t tell you the whole story last night George when I sent the picture of the green spider given to me last night. I know this off topic with sound other than it happend at concert last night.

    Somethings stop me in my tracks and I have to sit and take deep breaths. I don’t know if I will ever write a book about my life or if anyone else will. Or it’s written in heaven somewhere and THE DUDE will keep it as a treasure only HE will read. I know I’m not the only one especially on urbansurvival that experiences what I experience sometimes so much all I can do is sit and breathe, it is so so whooaaa.

    The rest of the storey about the green spider. So last night at the concert in my tuff hard ass mode. As soon I walk back stage around the baracade something switches in me and I’m hyper alert, understanding many things movements etc in my environment. Met the sweedish all female band that opened. Really nice bunch of girls.

    Durring the show the lead singer talks about the Ukraine and says we are waiting for Man of peace to end all wars. The band starts playing sings the song man of peace. In the song the lead singer points at me and sings he is the man of peace. Looking right at me and pointing at me as I’m at the front next to the stage. The whole crowd sings he is the man of peace. Then he goes back to singing the song and takes his focus off of me. Which I’m grateful for. I don’t like that much attention. I’m there as the silent warrior, who handles things quickly and discreetly. I prefer zero attention in that roll.

    After the concert, a very beautiful lady comes up to me and says hi (I will omit her name myself George) I said hi I’m Andy. Nice to meet you. She has a very thick accent. She said I am from the Ukraine. I said very nice to meet you. You are a long way from home. She said i can’t to home. When putin was marching his army’s to my country, I lived on the boarder. I have a good visa and many contacts from around the world. I do modeling and fashon shows. When I went to leave my house. I turned around wondering if I’d ever see it again. All my stuff was there. I had only one bag packed. I saw this green spider on the floor. It’s just a toy. I heard take it. It for someone you will meet. I shook my head and I went to get in the cab to go to the airport. When I got in the cab. I heard go hack and get the green spider. 2 blocks down the road I tell the cab driver. I forgotten something important. I have to go back. So I ran in the house and I grabbed the dumb toy and put it in my purse. It’s been in purse ever since. I was in Berlin, Paris, New York, LA and I every time I reach in my purse. There is that dumb green spider. I thought it may be for a kid. I thought a few times. Is it for this person? I hear no. In my head. Is for this child? No, I will tell you who to give it too.

    Yesterday I was in LA and had no plans to go to Seattle. Today I’m Seattle meeting some new friends. One says I have passes for you and your friend to go concert tonight. I never hear of this band. I had to look them up. But why not have fun. Half way through the show I went got something out of my purse. And I saw the green spider. And I heard look. And I saw you standing there infront of the stage all dressed in black and looking strong. I laughed. Thanks. She said I hear. It is for him. Give the the green spider to him. She said honestly I had that stupid thing in my purse so long. I didn’t want to give it to you. It reminds me of my home. Then I heard it is for him. You give it to him. So Andy nice to meet you. I have this green spider toy for you. It has been with me since I left my home I. Ukraine. Here. So you can remember me. I said wow. That is amazing. She said I don’t know what it means. But someone or something wanted me to give it to you. Maybe you can heal the world with it? Maybe it will bring you good luck? Then she gave me a hug, kissed me on the cheek. And said I never see you again, I will never forget you. Please don’t forget me either. And walked away.

    Dripping paradox indeed sir.

    Today at church the preacher was talking about the promises God made to Abraham. At the same time my friend Abraham called me.

    Just another day in the life Andy and his talks with THE DUDE.

    I had to take moment to just breath in and out on that one tho. That one made made me step back a moment. Especially after what I saw and we discussed yesterday about the spider and me deciding to not squish it.

    Elton John backstage security tonight, may be the last show I do for a while. I’m very busy at my roughneck mountain man job and don’t have much time free for shows much anymore.

    Not sure about that girl. She is really quiet. And full blooded Italian women when they get quiet. Are either going throw something at your head. Or thinking hard about how best to love you. I don’t know why I always fall in love with full blooded Itallian girls. Other than. The first word in romance is Roman. They birthed a nation of men, fed them and believed in them enough to conquer 3/4 of the known world. Alot of credit goes to the Generals and Ceasars but it was their mother’s that made them those men. And it mother of Al Capone and all those good fellas that raised them up to be what is know as the mafia and OG.

    So I know what is in her and what she is capable of. That is a fact. Hopefully she not throwing something at my head unless it’s kisses. And maybe. She is really done.

    I don’t know. But I got a green spider now.

    I only shared this with you all so you Hopefully find what I find as truly living and a dynamic connection and conversation with THE DUDE.

    • Your comic book plots life has gone from Incredible Hulk now to Spider Man – in 24-hours.

      Glad to be old and slowed down. such a pace is for the likes of you and G2

      • I was meditating before suiting up for Sir John’s show tonight and it occurred to me before Jesus did is world changing mission. He met a John too.

        Not that I’m even remotely as cool as Jesus is. I’m just Andy. You know the fella who proposed to a stipper while taking a bath in a bathtub full of gold fish a suite at the W, drinking a giant Marini, smoking a Cuban cigar wearing nothing but a cowboy hat.

        I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t do stuff like that. LOL

        If anyone could talk me into stepping into the fullness of my power? Its the rib chick. It’s in her Blood to propell me to the tippy top. The DNA that berthed a thousand generations of legionary..

        Divinis Ritus!

        Summus Fortuna!

        Spicy meat a Ballas.

        Hahahahaha

      • ‘Tis the essence of life that the Alchemists sought, and THE DUDE has heavily infused into Andy. It’s what enhances that amazing synchronicity with your surroundings. It’s how THE DUDE works. I have no doubts that Andy will live to 138 years. He radiates pure life essence. Doesn’t matter the age.

    • Andy is the Green Spider??? A computer spider crawls searching a website to find buried information.

      Yesterday Andy said: “Remember what I discovered buried in a million web pages. 1/3 of the population will die in the worst natural disaster ever in history. And we don’t have as much time as I thought and I started searching my personal data sets and reviewing them.”

      Color Green Meaning: Typically, it symbolizes life, fertility, renewal, and resurrection. Green is a mix of yellow (which symbolizes glory and energy) and blue (which relates to The Dude and the heavens

  14. Yeah I don’t know. It’s funny THE DUDE said to me, I will make you One of the Greatest men in the History of the World Andy. And I look at my resume and I think uhhh I’m not quaking for that job. And I had bad gas last night at the show from eating Chinese food and was crop dusting the front row and more than a few women were looking at there husband’s and saying with their face stop farting!

    And I said DUDE I don’t know about all that. HE said my word is good. It does everything I say it does. You’re resume doesn’t matter. When I say something, it is so.

    And I say. Well I’d rather just you know, If ya can fix things with the rib chick and have a nice ranch uhmmm maybe spend my Saturdays having a private no pants party with her for 50 years. And stop the world from blowing up, or death heat waves, droughts and famin or financially anarchy, or vaccinated zombie apoloclyps? That would be great! I’m good with that.

    He laughed and said watch this Andy! I said oh fuck here we go.

    Not sure if I’m a super hero. I scared of a rib. LOL

    See ya young man.

    Love

    The grasshopper.

    • Wine-addled haze…if I remember your last posts Andy you visit here to quench your power. I somehow feel that when you speak of hard times ahead you have already changed the time line, just by your words alone?

  15. I learned something I didn’t know… Pepper plants are technically perennial, which means that they can survive…
    In regions with super-hot and sunny climates, peppers can thrive and seamlessly produce year after year. That is, peppers can effortlessly grow as perennials,
    Trim them back to the y and put them in pots and brought them in…so that’s what I did… New house plants.. I always have issues with pepper plants…these are looking good..

  16. By far, the most helpful and down to earth advice on doing it right. One of your best, I’d say. Unfortunately, I worked for Radio stations, so that was always out of the question due to “budget cuts”. But you present some great ideas!

  17. How farked is Matt drudge . A greater piece of $&@/ and $&@i have never seen . I hope him and his kids burn in the$&&,!? Fires of $&@/ forever . Yankee sheet

  18. Even Ackerman turned into a
    Paid shill . Should post here with 73 and stab the bears big time. Creeps all over America. Psychotic loosers. They have no ethics or morals only old glory . Ackerman traitor would be at home here

  19. How about 73 S load of crock and fear . Eh !!!! Here’s a recipe for him . Strangle out one after a big breakfast into a crock pot . Put stock , red wine and peppers !!! Simmer and then put in potato’s and turnips(Peoplenomics suckers)add carrots and heaps of salt . Eat yum yum while shorting market . 73 cook up

  20. Or maybe 73 can have like a capacio !!! Sliced thin donkey penis with capers balsamic olive oil and heaps of salt . Cooked natural
    With crusty bread !!! Eat while shorting market as it goes up and up and up . Free membership to Ackerman for Peoplenomics sarkers

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