HC Confidential: Issue 172
By Guest |
Issue 172
Topics News User Reviews Forums Articles Videos Classifieds
| Dear Musician, |
|---|
Diversify, but don’t suck. Though my primary axe is guitar, I am a multi-instrumentalist and can point specifically to this skill as the door-opener to career opportunities that would have been otherwise unavailable to a uni-picker. For example, to play so-called “society gigs” for the social elite of Manhattan (where I reside), big bands will often hire a singing guitar player who doubles on bass. The way this works is that the doubling six-stringer would be instructed to play bass for all the fox-trots, waltzes, swing dances, Latin tunes, and ballads—in short, most of the evening. But somewhere in the latter half of the third set, this player would put down the bass, pick up the guitar, step on all his pedals, step up to the microphone, and lead the band in the “rock portion” of the show. After enough of that, the leader would nod with a pained smile to the guitarist, which was the signal to stand down and get the hell back on that bass. To work the society racket, you had to play bass in a variety of styles, be able to read charts, and sometimes read single notes in the bass clef. Plus lead the band in Cold Play and Chili Peppers songs.
So you decided to re-visit that older piece of digital gear you had sitting around, plugged it in, and—ooops, nothing! Although this could mean you’ll have to cough up the bucks to get it serviced, if it’s out of warranty anyway, there are a few tricks you might try to get it working again.
First, you have to unplug the unit (seriously, some people forget to do this!) and disassemble it. You may get lucky and find a service manual online, but be careful—you want to fix any damage, not create more. Use your cell phone to take pictures of what went where so you won’t have any trouble putting everything back together again. Get a small plastic container or cup to hold any screws; if it seems you can’t get the bottom off because of a hidden screw, check to see if it’s under a sticker or label on the unit’s underside. And please—if you don’t have the right size screwdriver, get one that fits. Stripping the head of a Philips head screw before it’s out completely means you probably won’t be able to remove it at all.
Second, very carefully unplug and re-plug any ribbon connectors, ICs, and Molex connectors. You don’t have to take the plugs all the way out; just take them out far enough so that pushing them back in will wipe the contacts of oxidation. You may need to do this a couple of times if there’s any serious oxidation or even corrosion, and remember, some connectors may have tabs that have be pried away from the connector in order to remove it. With socketed integrated circuits, it’s worth getting an IC puller and gently rocking the IC back and forth to move the pin contacts within the socket (they don’t need to move much). If you pull the IC out, be extremely careful when re-inserting it so you don’t bend any pins, or end up bending a pin underneath the IC.
After doing this, reassemble the device, plug it in, cross your fingers, and prepare for the “smoke test.” These procedures aren’t always the solution, but you might be surprised at just how often you’ll end up with a working unit—and not have to send it in for servicing after all.
—Craig Anderton
| Forum Watch |
|---|
A few of this week's top discussions from our ForumsClash of the Titans: Bigsby vs. Floyd Rose With over 400 replies in four days, floating bridge systems seem to be a hot topic. Read about the difference between the two mechanisms, the write-in votes for the Kahler solution (not mentioned in the opening poster’s question), and people’s experience using both systems in a wide variety of situations. Passions run high in this thread, but it’s not without humor, either. There are many ways to damage a speaker—like torn cones. This useful thread gives instructions for how to repair a tear or cut in your speaker’s cone using basic materials you can find in just about any craft store. New Pro Review: Universal Audio Apollo Audio Interface with UAD-2 DSP It’s an incredibly anticipated product—having a first-class audio interface that includes the DSP needed to run Universal Audio’s plug-ins in near-real time would seem to be a winning combination. But is it? And is it worth the bucks? This pro review puts Apollo under the Harmony Central microscope. Active, passive—what’s the difference? Will a higher-quality DI box make an audible difference in your recordings? What about active direct boxes versus passive ones? Tune in for the answers! Remember to Save Your Work—for Yourself The folks in the acoustic guitar forum give some valuable and practical advice on copyrighting, protecting, and proving ownership of your creative work. Included are examples of simple protection procedures, fees, and links to PROs (performing rights organizations, like ASCAP and BMI) and the Electronic Copyright Office. Essential reading for all songwriters. Why Do Guitarists Obsess Over Their Amplifiers? The obsession guitar players have with their amps may seem extreme, but there are some really—un, "sound" reasons—why this is so, starting with the interaction between the guitar output and amp input. What setlists are the forumites in the world of Solo and Duo Acts taking to the stage? Check these out, and you just might get inspired to add some of these songs to yours. Can Jango help you understand more about what music your fans like, what they don’t like, their other favorites, and more? And can you make any money off of it? Our own intrepid Mr. Knobs, Moderator Extraordinaire of Open Jam, checks it out—and reports back on the results. If you play keys, you gotta have an expression pedal. But which ones are durable, practical, and work with a wide variety of keyboards? There’s no better place to ask than the Keys, Synths, and Samplers forum. Is there any benefit to Eqing sub-woofers? Opinions vary considerably, but there’s a lot to be learned from the experts in the Live Sound and Production forum. |
This newsletter was sent by Harmony Central. Harmony Central respects your privacy and will never ask for personal information in a newsletter; for more information, read your privacy rights.
To ensure delivery, please add harmonycentral.com to your address book.
Editorial Craig Anderton, Editor in Chief • Jon Chappell, Senior Editor • Phil O’Keefe, Associate Editor • Chris Loeffler, Reviews Editor
Advertising adsales@harmonycentral.com
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.