#Built-in digital sound processor

[caraudioexpertaustralia0]

Headunit With Carplay For HONDA 2002 FIT/CITY/JAZZ | 9INCH, RHD

[woradat]

Dear, memories #4

<- back — PT4 (here) — next ->

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·

“So, how long have you known him? When did you two meet, exactly?”

You were never exactly what one would call “cooperative” Everyone knows that — and if they don’t, well, they find out sooner or later, usually the hard way. Several hours had already ticked by in what Tarn insisted on calling an interrogation. You preferred “nosy biography session” personally. Not that you were especially helpful throughout the process. Your answers were, let’s say, lacking in enthusiasm — a fact that forced Tarn to repeat himself more times than even he cared to count

The only reason you weren’t currently being disassembled bolt by bolt for answers was because of his beautifully twisted sense of justice. That, and to be perfectly honest — because it's was you

Your frozen expression was hardly unique. Tarn had seen it all before. Most bots reacted that way. Sometimes with a scream, a sob, or a total system crash — the usual when one suddenly realizes they’re playing hopscotch with Death

But you? Oh, you made the fear taste so much sweeter

His clawed digit lazily traced your shoulder plate, just enough pressure to jolt you back to reality and remind you of the extremely murder-capable mech standing inches from your frame – a gesture both oddly intimate and viscerally threatening, the kind that said: You’re still breathing because I allow it. Don’t forget

“Well? You don’t object, do you?”

Your processor buzzed like a dying fan. You were still stunned, still shaken by the scene you had just witnessed. Not that you were some wide-eyed innocent — no, you’d seen bots die before, seen the light leave their optics. But this? This had been especially horrific. Creative, even

Enough to scramble the nerves of any bot not built for emotional resilience

But you weren’t that kind of bot. Even if every circuit in your body was screaming for a reboot and your energon pump was doing its best impression of a dubstep beat, you’d never let him see you break. The very idea was offensive

So you swallowed it all down — fear, disgust, bile and with a voice so cracked and tired it could have come from a rusted exhaust pipe, you replied: “No object..”

“I did already answer your question. Why do you keep—”

“That answer wasn’t detailed enough, Y/N” Tarn cut in smoothly, like a knife through polished chrome. “If you want to prove your innocence to me — and to be clear, you do – then you need to cooperate. These curt, vague replies of yours? They’re not doing you any favors. You’re lucky it’s me asking. My team doesn’t have my… patience” He tilted his helm, that smile audible in his voice “So. You’re welcome”

“This is all for your sake, remember?”

You didn’t reply. Mostly because you were too tired to bite back, but also because you’d run out of fuel — figuratively and literally. Your systems were humming in protest, trying to keep up as the stress burned through your reserves like an overclocked CPU

You had no idea how long this had been going on. Tarn, for his part, didn’t seem bothered at all — like this was just another Tuesday for him. You were starting to hate how professional he was, efficient, methodical, unshakeable. Ugh

“So” he said voice low and silky “what were you doing before you met him?”

You opened your mouth, already pre-loading another snarky comeback — until you realized… that was a new question

It gave you pause

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, my apologies” Tarn replied, and you hated how damn pleasant he sounded “Let me clarify. During the Great War — what exactly were you doing back then?”

“I don’t think that’s relevant” you snapped, optic narrowing “I have the right not to answer, don’t I?”

You said it with as much venom as your voice could manage. Tarn, ever composed, simply hummed, like someone being mildly entertained by a glitchy vending machine. You hated that too

“Yes” he said “You have the right not to answer. But I have the right to keep asking. Over and over. Forever, if necessary. Just to remind you, Y/N, I’m helping you here. All I ask is cooperation”

—

The room fell into silence after that. A tense, heavy kind. You were thinking – whether it was worth dying here, now — though realistically, death wouldn’t come swiftly. Not with Tarn. No, he was the type who’d make a performance out of it. A deeply moral, disturbingly artistic performance. Your thoughts flickered – Hardwire. Primus, you hoped she was okay. Maybe she’d escaped when the ship went down. Maybe she never made it out. In some twisted way, that might actually be better. Because if she were here - if they had her. well, you couldn’t even imagine what she’d go through. She wasn’t like you. Tough, yes. But not enough

Tarn, meanwhile, leaned back in his chair with the ease of someone who could and would kill you, but didn’t need to rush. He studied you, calculating, amused, saw how tightly your servos were clenched, how hard your optics stared. He heard the low whine of your internal systems that beautiful background music of resistance. You wanted to fight. To lash out. But you weren’t an idiot

His frame, battered but pristine, every mark a trophy told you everything you needed to know. You, by contrast.. weren’t exactly showroom condition. The crash hadn’t done you any favors. Singed plating. Soot. Scratches. You looked… a little pathetic, honestly. Not completely unsalvageable. Maybe even cute, if you’d stop glaring daggers at him long enough for him to enjoy the view

You looked weak, defeated, and accidentally dramatic

— he was eating it up like it was fine dining

.

.

“I think you ought to rest a bit. You must be terribly exhausted”

Oh yes, so concerned, weren’t we? The way he said it, with that smooth-as-polished-chrome voice, it was almost like a lullaby. If lullabies were sung by judgmental opera singers who secretly wanted to slap you. Tarn rose from his seat with all the drama of a villain in a high-budget musical, circling around the room like he was on a runway. For a guy who looked like a walking tank, the grace was unsettling

“This way, Y/N. Allow me to escort you to your quarters.. We don’t receive guests very often”

He glanced back briefly, just to ensure you hadn’t tried to bolt

The corridor was eerily silent, unsettling in a way that had nothing to do with the dim lights and everything to do with Tarn’s looming presence. Even from behind, he radiated menace. Everything about him screamed authority, brute strength, and military precision — a war machine made with care and a disturbing amount of love. No wonder Megatron had such a fondness for him. Tarn was a fine weapon, the kind of loyal hound most tyrants dream of

Sure, he outclassed you in almost every measurable way but that didn’t mean you couldn’t quietly insult him in your mind, right?

He stopped abruptly, too abruptly. Thankfully, you weren’t daydreaming and managed not to slam right into him

Jackass

“This will serve as your temporary room, for the duration of the... debriefing”

He keyed in a code, and the door whooshed open. Lovely. It looked just cozy enough to be mistaken for a cell. For all you knew, it could only open from the outside. A delightful little design feature, really. Your fate had officially arrived

“Pardon my bluntness, but I must say... You really haven’t changed one bit, always refusing to play second, even when the situation gives you no choice”

What the hell did he mean by that?

Have you met him before? That couldn’t possibly be true. You’re certain of it—if you’d ever crossed paths with a bot like him, it would mean this must be the afterlife or some twisted version of reality. There’s no way you could’ve survived the encounter

You frown, mind spiraling with confusion. Tarn doesn’t strike you as someone who throws words around carelessly

“Please, enjoy your stay, Y/N”

He gestured politely, like a maître d’ at a very exclusive prison. You stepped inside, too tired to fight—not that you were feeling particularly obedient

Naturally, you didn’t just waltz into the room without first shooting him a look that said: ‘I hope your favorite arm malfunctions'

“Good night”

The door slid shut behind you. Predictably, locked tight

“What do you mean he got picked up by the Council? That’s rough”

“hm.. I heard they gave him the deluxe punishment package. Poor guy”

“Pathetic, more like. He brought it on himself—sticking his nose where it didn’t belong. Honestly, he had it coming”

Your words were surprisingly cruel, even by your standards. Damus—once mildly tolerable, now freshly redesigned by the Council’s one-size-fits-all makeover program for “social threats”—was a walking cautionary tale. The Council didn’t just punish. They humiliated. Because why settle for justice when you can also throw in a complete aesthetic downgrade?

“Honestly, if he had two more brain cells to rub together, he might’ve stayed out of trouble. Am I wrong?” a bots you called friend, ever loyal, shook their helm

“So, what’s the new look? Haven’t seen him all day. Still as punchable?”

“Well, they gave him one optic and pincer hands. So.. yea. Imagine a sad crab with daddy issues”

“Yikes. But kind of adorable, no?”

You raised an eyebrow so hard it practically hit orbit. Adorable? Please. This was Damus we were talking about. The sentient doormat. A bot who could be insulted six ways to Sunday and still offer you a thank-you card afterward. He wasn’t just unoffended – he welcomed it and naturally, you adapted. You treated him like the doormat he was. Because that’s what he became. Rubber welcome mat and all

Sure, a part of you feels kinda bad for him—this whole mess is gonna haunt him for the rest of his life in society. But let’s be real, there’s no way you’re telling your savage side to sit this one out. That little voice in your head? Yeah, it always wins

That day, you started calling him: Glitch

A nickname dressed up as a joke—just insulting enough to be remembered, just cruel enough to sting. You claimed it suited his new look. Sounded stupid. Looked stupid. A perfect fit

As usual, Damus said nothing – not because he agreed

But because he couldn’t

He didn’t have the guts

[p1nkcanoe]

We Depend (I Depend) On You

[ jayvik multi-chaptered fic ]

summary: Viktor has always been alone, so he uses his brilliant mind to assemble the crude, metal frame of a “friend”. His self-modifying robot quickly becomes his obsession and the center of his young adulthood. But it was designed to record a lifetime of memories – and Viktor’s life has never been glamorous enough for tape. What begins as artificial intelligence becomes something more, something unexpected, and against all odds, his creation learns to love.

“I’m going to call you Jayce.”

or: viktor builds a robot to document his life, but somewhere along the way, it begins to feel

• inspired by “sad machine” by porter robinson

Chapter One is posted below the cut, continue to read on ao3

In the dim yellow light of a cold, cluttered lab, a twenty-five-year-old engineering student tightens the final screw into the metallic panel covering the delicate inner processors of his latest project. He exhales, lifting his safety goggles off his head and setting them carefully on the workbench beside him. His spine sinks into the soft backing of his chair at the same time his goggles hit the wooden surface. So far so good. Nothing has popped, cracked, or bent under pressure. He isn’t sure he has another piece of scrap left if the screw managed to dent the plate again. His free hand drags down his face, heavy with exhaustion – from too many sleepless nights and a grueling number of failed diagnostic tests. But this time, he thinks, this time will be the last. This time, it will work or Janna help him.

His creation is nothing spectacular – just six repurposed metal panels soldered into a crude steel box. On the front, a screen flickers, displaying endless lines of code he once wrote and has since forgotten how to read. Silver ones and zeros shift and rewrite themselves in real time, a chaotic stream of digital language pulling from the many mechanical nuclei he’d designed and installed inside of the box’ rigid frame. Above the screen, a hole no larger than his thumbnail houses a recording device for visual media. To the right, another opening, shielded by thick, spongy mesh, for the purpose of capturing sound.

It’s not a large prototype. It only stands about two feet from the floor and barely eighteen inches wide. But it’s far heavier than what’s healthy for his back and his hips. It’s been weeks since the last time the thing was moved, and it will continue to stay in its spot in front of the workbench for as long as it continues to be modified and upgraded.

The young engineer watches as his creation speaks to him in code, the nucleus he recently connected seemingly doing its job. A self-modifying computer – entirely capable of squashing its own bugs and learning from the diverse input it records. He wants it to evolve, to speak in his language, to respond in a complex alphanumeric code instead of the one it was built from. To recognize his voice, to obey his commands, answer his questions with answers he would have never thought to consider – not out of programming, but from its own discovery and worldly understanding. But alas, after his last adjustment, all he can do is stare at the endless stream of ones and zeroes as they rush across the screen from left to right.

“Hello?”

Even his voice sounds tired. Weak. He rolls the handle of the screwdriver back and forth over his palm and talks again towards the box.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

For a brief second the code falters, and he holds his breath readying himself for the imminent [ERROR] message. The text cursor blinks and blinks and blinks. And then–

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

The code skips a line and continues to run as it had before. Endless and chaotic.

It hadn’t failed.

A sharp exhale escapes from his lungs as the young engineer loosens his grip on the screwdriver. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding it so tightly, but now his fingers are marked with a mottled pattern of red and white and he watches as the blood slowly pools back into place. Back to normal.

“How strange,” he mutters to himself, though whether he’s referring to his own sudden tension or the hesitation in his creation’s programming is unclear. Most things in his lab are. He moves to set the screwdriver aside but stops when he sees the code falter a second time from the corner of his eye.

The cursor blinks…

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

The code skips a line and continues.

He should be happy when his code runs without failure. He should feel relieved that his project isn’t breaking down or spitting out a concerning stream of smoke towards the concrete ceiling. But as he watches the endless lines scroll across the screen, all he feels is bone-deep exhaustion and grey indifference.

With a sigh, he reaches for his cane, planting it firmly before him as he pushes himself upright. Pain flares in his right leg and down through his tibia, drawing a sharp curse in his native tongue. It always aches when he forgets to take breaks. He knows this, and yet he never seems to learn. Maybe he continues to do it for an excuse to feel.

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

He glances at that code again.

It continues on as normal.

“That’s enough for tonight.”

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

He grabs his coat from the hook and heads for home.

— continue to read on ao3

[mochimelt]

Half-Built

Shockwave & Gn!Reader (could be romantic or platonic)(oneshot)

Your audials activated first. The whirr of your machinery and the low hum of the lab filled your senses, slowly dulled out as the rest of your body began to wake. Your digits twitched against the table, curling into a fist and flattening again, the cold seeping into your metal servos. A sense of familiarity washed over your spark.

“Test. Test.” A close voice spoke out, bits of static slipping into your audio sensors as they recalibrated. “One, two. Do you hear me?”

Your voicebox creaked to life. “Yes, sir.” Far too much static for your liking.

“Staticy and unstable.” A scribbling sound followed, pen on paper, instead of the typical digital clicks and clacks of typing. “Visuals?”

“Not on yet.” Smoother than before. You pushed down the tiny sense of pride that grew in your chassis.

A short ‘hm’ sounded from beside you. “Slow. … Continue.”

Anxious disappointment took over the tidbit of pride like a weed. Unwanted thoughts crawled through your processor, leaving as quickly as they came. Did you break? Had you done something wrong? Corrupted your own body? Was he disappointed with you? You hadn’t failed him, had you?

Your optics flickered online after far too long, the glow of your eyes filling your vision as the rest of the room came into focus. Your vision traced the metal paneling of the ceiling above you, the tubes and wires running into the wall beside you, the flickering light and shadow from the bulb just out of sight.

Oh. That light didn’t typically flicker that way.

“Optics are online, sir.”

“Good. Can you sit up?”

Your helm nodded and scraped lightly against the metal table. Cables pulled against the movement, resting uncomfortably behind your helm. Your arms braced against the table as your servos pushed against it, body slowly raising, optics flicking across the space as you did. The room was in disarray. Wires pulled from their sockets, sparks of electricity from broken tubing, cracks spread across the tile floor. The computer display was missing, the comforting blue glow absent for the very first time.

“Sir, may I ask a question?” You spoke softly, your vision finally focusing on the mech before you.

He had a purple frame, his servo resting on the table beside you, his other arm limp by his side. His digits tapped rhythmically against the clipboard resting on the table. Paper clipped tightly in place, a pen set just beside it, neat handwriting filling half the page. A singular, yellow optic watched you as you moved. Two gray ‘audials’ (though you hesitated to call them that, unsure if those were his audials or not,) sat on each side of his helm. Like little antennae, they flicked up at the sight of your movement. His helm nodded slowly to your request.

“Why is the lab in such disorganization?”

He turned to the rest of the room, looking over the broken wiring and cracked floor, and turned back to face you. “There was a disturbance that resulted in damage to the local area. Power has been cut and is being fixed at the moment.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Sympathies are useless.” His hand picked up the pen once more, holding it just above the paper. “Remain focused on the task at hand. Status?”

“Right.” Your digits held to the edge of the table you sat on. “Status update; all systems online. Audials green. Optics green. Touch green. Vents green.”

Your body moved to demonstrate each system as you read them off. Your optics flickered on and off, your servo tapped against the table, your chassis venting out the slowly heating air within. Energon flowed freely through your body, your spark thrumming rhythmically within your chassis, safety tucked away from open air. You’d need to refill soon. Shockwave responded to each check with a sharp nod and a scribble on the page.

“Left arm online. Right arm online. Servos online.” You flexed each arm and digit before letting them fall limp once more. “Left leg offline. Right leg offline.”

Two stumps sat at the bottom of your torso, where your legs would someday connect. This was expected. Shockwave wasn’t finished building your legs yet, and there was no point in connecting them when they still didn’t work. Not that you minded. His work was difficult, and you would wait as long as he needed to finish building you. You had him to thank for your life, after all.

“Damage report?” His voice rung out, snapping you out of your thoughts. His optic watched you curiously, head tilted only a couple degrees to the side, one digit tapping against the side of the pen he held.

You twisted your helm, one hand pushing into the wiring of your neck. You could barely see the metal of your open back, your internal wiring visible and unfinished, temporarily patched together until Shockwave could find the pieces for your wings. Small wires pulled from your back into the machinery beside you. “No damage to helm. No damage to chassis.”

He hummed. You twisted each arm and bent each digit, stretching and tensing, then let your arms fall. Wires tugged and loosened from each limb as they moved. “No damage to arms or servos.”

“Very good.” His scribbling came to a stop and he stood straight. His helm looked down at you just a bit, optic unchanging as he observed you, as always.

You weren’t sure if his optic was unsettling or comforting. Shockwave was the only mech you knew, and something within your spark cried of fear at the sight of his single optic, his mangled arm turned into a weapon, the cold tone in his voice and the uncaring words he spoke. At the same time, you couldn’t help but feel a warm comfort at the sight of him. More than once you were left in the lab alone, unable to rest and shut down, staring up at the empty ceiling. It wasn’t often, but on these occasions he would stay in the room with you. Off to the side doing his own work. He would tell you about things he encountered that day, other mechs he ran into and possibly ran over, and theories he had regarding you and your form. He would ramble about the modifications and adjustments you needed, the pieces he planned to give you to complete your body. You were his perfect experiment, he said. A mech to traverse all areas. Land, air, and sea of any kind, you would travel them all.

Your form was all thanks to him. All the metal of your body had been repurposed from dead bots, melded and shaped to fit you. A menagerie of colors lay on your plating, cracked and peeling at the ends, not that you cared. Once you were finished you would worry about getting a fresh coat of paint. Maybe you’d go with purple, to match Shockwave. Would he like that?

There was a deep warmth in your spark. A feeling of comfort and familiarity, of care and admiration. Your spark. You didn’t know if he had taken your spark from another mech, or if he had somehow created one of his own, or taken a piece of the Allspark. At the same time, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. There were no memories within this spark. Nothing to connect you to anyone or anything, nothing to taint your memories. A blank slate in the purest sense.

“May I ask a question sir?”

Shockwave stared down at you for a moment before nodding, waving his servo toward you.

“Why wake me up?” A cable pulled at the back of your helm as you leaned forward, twisting to look behind you, at the group of wires and cables that connected to your helm and back. Sparks of electricity emanated from tiny cracks in the wiring insulation, bits of tape wrapping together the more broken pieces. “Am I not a waste of limited power? You could have waited until the power had returned to wake me.”

He watched you as you spoke. His helm sat still, his optic revealing no emotion beneath, none of his thoughts or feelings. But the way he tilted his head just a bit, the way his digits tapped against your frame as he watched you, subtly checking for any external damage, it revealed more than he knew.

“I wanted to check on you. Ensure no damage was done to you during the power outage.” His voice was smooth and monotone as ever, his digits tracing the scrapes on your arm. “Yes, you use some of my limited power, but it was optimal to do so. Tracking your state and fixing any errors is of most importance at the moment. Trying to fix any problems when they have settled and corrupted would be far too troublesome a task.”

You couldn’t help the twinge of satisfaction that came to mind when he spoke. He cared about you, your safety and your status, enough to use his limited power to boot you up and check on your state. His touch drifted away from your arm, leaving behind the insignificant scrapes and peeling paint, and you leaned in to try and keep him there.

“Now, allow me to fix the errors within you.” His servo found purchase on your chassis, a gentle push moving you to lay back down.

“I have problems?”

“Yes. Your slow activation shows you cannot run optimally on low amounts of energon. I will fix this error and optimize your frame to run smoothly on limited quantities of energon.”

“Right.” You didn’t resist as he pushed you back on the metal table, shuffling slightly to get yourself as comfortable as possible for the process to come. It was a familiar routine. “You’ll be careful, right?”

“Of course.” His helm nodded above you, servo fiddling with the machine hooked up to your form. “Disabling pain sensors.”

[thekingofgear]

Sam Petts-Davies's Setup for Thom's 'Everything' Tour

A photo of the setup, shared by Sam on his instagram account with the caption "tour begins tonight. i’ll be parked at front of house with this box of esoterics for the duration. it’s going to be something really special."

Thom's solo tour has just begun with a show in Christchurch, New Zealand, and Sam Petts-Davies is along for the ride!

Since Radiohead's earliest shows, there's always been at least a few effects added by an engineer at the FOH (front of house) mixing desk to keep the band's sound clear and coherent. With Radiohead, that role was filed by Jim Warren. Even after Thom started bringing pedalboard full of vocal effects on tour, Jim continued to apply additional effects including plugins such as the Waves C4 multiband compressor for vocals. You can find more info on Jim's work in these posts.

For The Smile, even fewer hardware effects were needed at the FOH desk, in part due to Thom's expanded vocal pedalboard. In 2022, the Smile's mix engineer mainly relied on plugins from an Avid VENUE S6L-32D digital desk, supplemented only by a TUBE-TECH CL 1B Tube Optical compressor (presumably for Thom's vocals).

It's clear that when Thom is performing totally solo, a different approach is needed. But it's hard to imagine that any past FOH setup has been so full of hardware effects! And not just effects, but also modulators and an usual mixer, as we'll see....

For those who don't know, Sam initially served as a engineer under Nigel during the recording of Junun in 2015. He subsequently did engineering work on Spectre, A Moon Shaped Pool, and on the strings for the OKNOTOK singles. In 2018, he co-produced the soundtrack to Suspiria with Thom, and apparently Thom was a fan because Sam received a full production credit for Thom's soundtrack to Confidenza. He also produced both of the Smile albums released this year: Wall of Eyes and Cutouts.

For comprehensibility, we've divided the setup into four sections: the core, the modular, the pedals, and the rack. We'll start with the core setup.

Core Setup

This section is the nexus: receiving input from Thom's stage setup, sending it through various effects, and mixing it all together. The Matrix Mixer is using to both mix together and feedback the various effects in Thom's eurorack setup. The Yamaha DM3-D appears to be the central mixing console for the entire setup. Despite its small size, the Yamaha boasts 22 channels and a huge range of built-in effects, and on top of that it can also run VST plugins.

Death By Audio Echo Master delay

? Electro-Harmonix 45000 looper

Roland RE-201 Space Echo tape delay

?

Erica Synths Matrix Mixer

Yamaha DM3-D Digital Mixing Console

Modular Setup

In the decade since Thom first used a Make Noise Shared System Plus to process his voice and piano, his eurorack effects setup has expanded quite a bit! The Shared System is designed to be both a sound generator and an effects processor, and since then Thom has created dedicated setups for each of those applications. This setup is the effects processor, with lots of delays, filters, and reverbs, plus some LFOs and CV sources to modulate those effects. The additional Doepfer case that Thom has on stage, might have some of his sound generators, but knowing Thom it could just as easily be even more Make Noise Echophon delays.

Row 1 (left to right):

Make Noise Maths (unused)

Intellijel Planar² joystick

Xaoc Devices Belgrad dual filter (unused)

4ms Dual Looping Delay

4ms SISM: Shifting Inverting Signal Mingler

blank panel (4hp)

Row 2 (left to right):

4ms QCD: Quad Clock Distributor (unused)

Soma Lyra8-FX (unused)

Make Noise Echophon delay

Make Noise Erbe-Verbe reverb

Vermona TAI-4 transformer-isolated I/O

Row 3 (left to right):

Intellijel µMIDI interface

Make Noise Richter Wogglebug random generator

Make Noise MULT

Make Noise QPAS dual filter

Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium spectral resynthesizer

? Make Noise Memophon delay

Vermona TAI-4 transformer-isolated I/O

Row 4 (left to right):

Make Noise Morphagene sampler

Mannequins Three Sisters filter

Mannequins Just Friends

Qu-Bit Aurora reverb

Earthquaker Devices Afterneath reverb

unknown module (2hp)

Xaoc Devices Kamieniec phaser

It appears that these are Thom's Rows 1 and 2 are kept in a Doepfer A-100P6 Suitcase 6U case. Rows 3 and 4 are kept in a Doepfer A-100PB Suitcase Base case. The modules on row 4 are impossible to identify at this angle, but Make Noise style knobs are clearly visible on the left-most module.

Pedal Setup

Furman M-8Lx power supply

? Radial Engineering EXTC-Stereo reamp

Eventide Pitchfactor

? Hologram Chroma Console

Empress Effects Reverb

Rack Setup

We'll double back on this one once we have a better photo...

Edit (Feb 27, 2025): added missing bits of gear to the lists.

[charlesmwa]

The Growing Role of Audio Equipment in eSports Events

In recent years, eSports has exploded into one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries in the world. What started as small gaming tournaments in community centers has evolved into sold-out arenas, millions of online viewers, and prize pools that rival professional sports leagues. But while much of the spotlight shines on the games, players, and graphics, there’s an unsung hero working quietly in the background — audio equipment.

High-quality audio gear is no longer just a nice-to-have feature in eSports events; it’s a critical component that impacts both player performance and audience engagement. Whether it’s the clarity of team communication or the immersive soundscapes for live audiences, audio technology has stepped up to become an essential part of competitive gaming events.

Why Audio Matters So Much in eSports

In eSports, sound is more than just atmosphere — it’s a tactical tool. Competitive games like first-person shooters (FPS), battle royales, and strategy games rely heavily on positional audio. Players need to hear the faintest footsteps, distant gunfire, or subtle environmental cues to stay competitive. A minor delay or distortion in sound could mean the difference between winning a round or getting eliminated.

For this reason, eSports players — especially professionals — rely on advanced audio equipment that delivers ultra-low latency and crystal-clear sound separation. A properly tuned audio setup allows players to react faster, strategize better, and anticipate opponents’ moves with greater precision.

Audio for Live Audience Engagement

It’s not just players who need top-notch sound. Live eSports events — especially those held in arenas or convention centers — depend heavily on professional audio systems to keep both in-person audiences and online viewers immersed in the action.

Picture this: A massive crowd cheering as a clutch play unfolds, sound effects booming through the venue, and commentators’ voices cutting through the chaos with crystal clarity. This level of production requires a sophisticated blend of microphones, speakers, mixers, and digital processors to create an audio experience that’s not just loud, but also balanced and immersive.

Essential Audio Equipment for eSports Events

To understand how audio equipment shapes eSports, let’s break down some of the key gear that’s becoming standard at major gaming tournaments:

1. Headsets for Players

Professional players use specialized noise-isolating headsets that block out ambient noise from the venue while delivering high-fidelity in-game audio.

These headsets also have built-in microphones for clear team communication, ensuring every callout is heard without interference.

2. Broadcast Microphones

Shoutcasters and analysts — the voices that bring the action to life for online audiences — rely on broadcast-quality microphones.

These mics capture every word with clarity, even in loud environments, making sure commentary enhances the viewing experience instead of being drowned out.

3. On-Stage Speaker Systems

For live audiences, line array speaker systems are often used to deliver even sound coverage across large venues.

These systems balance in-game sound effects, crowd noise, and commentary, ensuring the audience stays connected to the action whether they’re near the stage or in the back row.

4. Mixing Consoles

Audio engineers manage the entire sound experience using digital mixing consoles.

These consoles allow precise control over volume levels, equalization, and effects for multiple audio sources — from player mics to game sounds to background music.

5. In-Ear Monitors (IEMs)

Some players, especially in tournaments with live audiences, use IEMs instead of traditional headsets. These custom-fit monitors provide direct audio feeds, further isolating players from external noise and ensuring they only hear what’s crucial to their gameplay.

The Evolution of eSports Audio Technology

As eSports events have grown in size and prestige, the technology powering audio production has evolved significantly. Early tournaments relied on basic setups — often just consumer headsets and simple PA systems. Today, many eSports events feature audio systems on par with large concerts or sporting events, blending state-of-the-art hardware with advanced digital signal processing.

One particularly exciting innovation is the integration of spatial audio and 3D sound mapping. These technologies allow sound engineers to create immersive soundscapes that enhance both gameplay and audience experience. Imagine hearing the exact direction of an explosion or a character’s footsteps moving across the virtual map — all replicated in real-time for the audience in the venue.

Challenges in eSports Audio Production

Even with cutting-edge gear, managing audio at live eSports events is no easy task. One of the biggest challenges is balancing player communication with broadcast audio and in-venue sound. Players need isolation from crowd noise to focus, but the audience still wants to hear their team comms during replays.

There’s also the technical hurdle of syncing in-game audio with live commentary and audience reactions across both in-person and online streams. A slight delay or mismatch can disrupt the immersive experience and frustrate viewers.

This is why experienced audio professionals — those who understand both gaming culture and large-scale event production — are in high demand for eSports events. Investing in professional-grade equipment from reputable audio shops can make all the difference in ensuring these technical challenges are met smoothly, without compromising sound quality.

Audio Equipment Trends Shaping the Future of eSports

Looking ahead, the role of audio in eSports will only continue to grow. As tournaments get bigger and production values rise, expect to see:

More AI-powered audio processing tools that automatically adjust sound levels based on crowd noise or player communication needs.

Enhanced virtual crowd noise systems for online-only tournaments, replicating the energy of live audiences.

Improved wireless audio systems with lower latency for more flexible player setups.

There’s also a push for eco-friendly audio solutions, as the events industry — including eSports — becomes more environmentally conscious. Manufacturers are exploring energy-efficient equipment and recyclable materials, ensuring sustainability doesn’t come at the cost of sound quality.

Audio equipment might not always get the spotlight in eSports events, but its impact is undeniable. Whether it’s helping players gain a competitive edge, enhancing the live audience experience, or making online streams more immersive, high-quality audio gear is the invisible backbone of every successful tournament.As eSports continues to evolve, investing in reliable, professional-grade audio equipment from reputable audio shops ensures every sound — from game effects to crowd roars — is delivered with precision and power. Because in the world of competitive gaming, hearing every detail isn’t just important — it’s essential for victory.

[aaditnayyar]

What exactly is Blockchain

A Comprehensive Guide for All: What is Blockchain?

Try to picture yourself with a notebook in which you record every purchase or sale. Each time you do a transaction, you note it in the notebook. Now, what if you distributed this notebook amongst your friends and everyone had one? All of your buddies would scrutinize your entry before adding it to their notes. This way, nobody could fake an old entry, since everyone else would spot it.

Something known as blockchain is built upon this basic concept — sharing a record of transactions open for everyone to verify. Though it may sound intimidating, it is a technology gaining traction in the financial and computer sector. We will clarify it in this blog in simple words, so anybody may follow it.

What Exactly Does Blockchain Mean?

Fundamentally, blockchain is simply a unique form of digital record-keeping. Think of it as a series of blocks (hence the name “blockchain”), each block including transaction information. These blocks are related in a way that makes them quite stable and difficult to change.

Step by step, this is how it works:

A Transaction Occurs: Suppose Alice wants to give Bob $10. This is an interaction.

The transaction is registered: the information of this transaction is passed to a network of computer nodes instead of being written in one notebook.

Everyone Checks the Transaction: The computers in the network check to make sure Alice has $10 to transmit. By examining her past deals kept in earlier blocks, they do this.

The transaction is added to a block: Once everyone concurs it is legitimate, it gets formed with other transactions into a block.

The Block Is Sealed, attached: The block is assigned an individual code (known as a hash) and then included in the chain of already existing blocks. This makes a fixed, permanent record of the deal. There it is! It is like one huge, common ledger keeping track of all system events.

What Makes Blockchain Different?

Now, one might be wondering, “Why not simply use a normal database or spreadsheet?” Fantastic issue! Blockchain distinguishes itself by several distinct qualities.

It is distributed across.

Most models today have one main custodian — be it a bank, company, or government — that manages the records. The entire system can crumble if something goes wrong with that central authority — say, hacking or corruption.

Blockchain relies on many, but not one authority. It rather distributes the blame amongst several computers (nodes). Every node has a full blockchain copy, therefore no individual or group may manage it. This all but prevents evil actors from using the data.

It is transparent.

Given that each transaction is visible to all people in the network, and recorded on the blockchain, it is clear. You can observe when and where money or assets traveled from one location to another. Since no one can hide anything, this openness fosters confidence.

Consider how a nonprofit uses blockchain to monitor contributions, for instance. Donors might observe very clearly how their funds are used, therefore guaranteeing that they reach the intended beneficiaries without middlemen siphoning off funds.

Safe.

Adding a transaction to the blockchain makes it virtually irrevocable.

Therefore: Every block has its distinct code (hash), including the one from the preceding block. Trying to change a block would also require one to re-compute the hashes for every subsequent block, hardly a small job.

Since the blockchain is decentralized, hackers would have to simultaneously compromise more than half of the computers in the network to fiddle with the data. Considering how vast these networks can usually be, this is virtually impossible.

Such a level of security makes blockchain perfect for sensitive uses including medical records, banking, and voting systems

It cuts out intermediaries.

Usually, when you want to buy anything online or move funds, you go via middlemen including banks, payment processors, or even legal practitioners. These intermediaries increase both costs and time for the project.

Blockchains free you from the need for intermediaries. Transactions take place between parties on their own, therefore saving both time and financial means. Sending funds abroad the old way can take days and incur large charges, for example. Using blockchain-based cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the same transaction can take minutes for a small percentage of the cost.

Examples of blockchain in the real world:

To know more about how blockchain operates in practice, let us look at some instances:

Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have the most well-known applications of blockchain. People can transfer money and accept it without a bank using these digital currencies. Each time somebody sends Bitcoin to another, the blockchain notes the transaction.

Supply Chain Management Tracking

As goods traverse the supply chain, enterprises including IBM and Walmart use blockchain to monitor them. If you buy a mango, you can scan a QR code, for instance, and find exactly where it came from, who touched it, and when it reached the store. This ensures product quality and reduces fraud.

Election processes

Some nations are trying voting systems based on blockchain. Blockchain might help to lower voter fraud and raise public faith in election results since it is open and safe.

Health information

Ways hospitals and clinics could leverage blockchain for patient records storage are under investigation. This would let doctors quickly access precise and current data while permitting patients complete control of their information.

Some popular misunderstandings surrounding blockchain

Though blockchain is growing in popularity, some questions remain about its nature and usage. Those should be cleared away:

“Blockchain Is Just for Cryptocurrencies.”

Though cryptocurrencies were the first significant application of blockchain, the technology itself has great applications beyond finance. Industries including logistics, healthcare, and government are discovering creative applications of blockchain.

Blockchain is anonymous.

Though blockchain provides privacy, it is not entirely anonymous. Since transactions are listed publicly, anyone can see them. Users’ identities are typically expressed by codes — rather than actual names — thus granting some level of pseudonymity.

“Blockchain is flawless.”

Though very secure, blockchain is not free from dangers. Thankfully, such attacks are really rare because of the complexity and size of the majority of blockchain networks — for instance, if someone gains control of more than 50% of the computing power of the network, they could theoretically manipulate the blockchain in what is known as a “51% assault.”

The Future of Blockchains

Though blockchain is still fairly new, its possibilities are vast. Improvements in general efficiency, openness, and security across the board will probably follow the more widespread acceptance of it. Some professionals think that blockchain could transform everything from our personal data management to our voting.

Still, popular usage will need time. Scalability (managing vast transaction numbers), regulation (governments determining how to deal with blockchain), and education (assisting people in understanding and embracing the technology) are obstacles to be tackled.

Wraps up.

So, at its most basic, blockchain is a decentralized, clear, and secured means of documentation. Whether it is assisting farmers in obtaining fair prices for their products, accelerating international payments, or safeguarding sensitive medical information, blockchain has the capacity to change our lives and employment fundamentally.

Next time you learn about blockchain, recall the notebook analogy: It’s a shared, tamper-proof book everyone can view but no one can edit. And who knows? Maybe someday soon, blockchain will become as common as smartphones or the internet!

Even a small tip goes a long way!

ETH: 0x788571C4c836ec733a72ff84c626BF7F20736d76

Thanks for reading Aadit’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

[sokowachi]

Understanding Web3 and the Role of STON.fi: A Simple Guide for Beginners

The internet is evolving, and so is the way we interact with it. If you’ve been hearing terms like “Web3,” “blockchain,” or “decentralized exchanges” and wondered what they mean or why they matter, this guide is for you. Let’s break it down together in a simple, relatable way that connects directly to your everyday experiences and financial goals.

What Is Web3, and Why Should You Care

To understand Web3, think of the internet as it exists today, often called Web2. It’s like renting an apartment—you get to use it, but you don’t own it. Platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon hold the keys to your data and control how you interact online.

Web3 flips this model. It’s a decentralized internet where you’re not just a tenant—you’re the owner. Imagine owning a home instead of renting one. You control what happens with your space, your rules, and your data. That’s what Web3 offers: an internet owned and operated by its users.

The Foundation: Blockchain Technology

At the heart of Web3 is blockchain technology. If this sounds intimidating, let’s simplify it. Think of blockchain as a digital notebook where every transaction or interaction is written down in permanent ink. It’s transparent—everyone can see it—and secure because no one can erase or alter it.

For example, let’s say you lend money to a friend. In the current system, you might rely on a bank or a written IOU to confirm the transaction. With blockchain, that agreement is recorded on a digital ledger for everyone to see, ensuring neither party can change the terms later.

The Open Network (TON) Blockchain: Built for the Future

Not all blockchains are the same. Some are slow, costly, or difficult to scale. That’s where The Open Network (TON) stands out. Imagine it as a highway built for high-speed traffic, ensuring you get to your destination quickly without delays.

TON is optimized for fast, low-cost transactions, making it perfect for real-world applications like payments, contracts, and even crypto trading. This efficiency is why platforms like STON.fi chose TON as their foundation.

Meet STON.fi: A Gateway to Decentralized Finance

If you’ve traded cryptocurrency before, you might be familiar with centralized exchanges like Binance or Coinbase. These platforms act as middlemen, holding your funds and charging fees for their services. It’s convenient but comes at the cost of control—you don’t fully own your assets.

STON.fi changes the game. It’s a decentralized exchange (DEX) built on the TON blockchain, meaning you maintain full control of your funds. Transactions happen directly between users, secured by the blockchain. It’s like trading directly with someone at a farmers’ market, without needing a cashier or payment processor.

But STON.fi isn’t just for trading. It also offers opportunities to earn passive income. By providing liquidity—essentially lending your assets to the platform—you can earn a share of the transaction fees. Think of it as renting out a spare room in your home and collecting rent every month.

Why Should You Care About Decentralized Finance

Decentralized finance (DeFi) might sound technical, but its goal is simple: give people more control over their money. In today’s world, banks and financial institutions act as gatekeepers. They decide who gets loans, how much interest you earn, and even how quickly you can access your funds.

DeFi eliminates these middlemen. It’s like having a direct line to your money, 24/7, without needing anyone’s permission. Whether you’re investing, saving, or earning, DeFi puts you in the driver’s seat.

STON.fi takes this concept and makes it accessible. With features like token swaps, liquidity pools, and user-friendly interfaces, it’s designed for both beginners and experienced users.

Getting Started: A Beginner-Friendly Approach

If all of this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. Like learning any new skill, the best way to understand Web3 and DeFi is to start small and explore. Open an account on STON.fi, try a simple transaction, or read about how liquidity pools work.

Think of it like learning to drive. At first, it’s intimidating—so many buttons, rules, and potential mistakes. But once you start practicing, it becomes second nature. Web3 is no different. With a little patience and curiosity, you’ll soon see how it fits into your life.

The Bigger Picture: Why Web3 Matters

Web3 isn’t just about technology; it’s about empowerment. It’s about creating a world where individuals have more control over their data, finances, and online interactions.

Imagine a future where you can send money to a friend in another country instantly and without fees. Or where artists and creators can sell their work directly to fans without losing a cut to intermediaries. That’s the promise of Web3—it’s a more inclusive, fair, and efficient way of doing things.

Final Thoughts: Taking the First Step

The transition to Web3 is already happening, and platforms like STON.fi are leading the charge. Whether you’re a seasoned crypto enthusiast or just curious about what’s next, there’s never been a better time to explore.

Remember, you don’t have to understand every technical detail to get started. Take small steps, ask questions, and stay open to learning. The future of the internet is being built right now, and you have the chance to be part of it.

Web3 isn’t just a trend—it’s a revolution. And like any revolution, the earlier you get involved, the more opportunities you’ll have to shape it. So, what are you waiting for? The future is yours to explore.

[eitherlyingorstupid]

G1 Red Alert/Beachcomber, mind-altering substances (magnets), hypnosis (to a degree).

Red Alert relaxed into the cushions, letting his cables go slack. The piece of furniture he was laying on (Spike had called it a chaise lounge) was scaled up to comfortably fit Red Alert. It conformed nicely to the slight curve of his back, letting him recline in a comfortable position. Beachcomber had said the first step was all about getting comfortable.

Apparently, human electronics sometimes had problems with interference from magnets. They had to periodically be “degaussed” with magnets.

Beachcomber had noticed there were many similarities between human tech and Autobot anatomy, and had thus started experimenting with magnets.

The minibot was standing at the end of the lounge, his smaller servos resting on Red Alert's head. “Relax, man. Just empty your mind. Don't think about anything.”

Red tried. His processor was exceptionally quick and nimble, able to make dozens of tactical decisions in a second. It was tough to turn off that part of it, but he managed to tamp his thoughts down.

Beachcomber ran his digits over Red's sensor horns, flooding them with tactile feedback.

"Just feel that," he said softly. "Let your sensors take it all in."

Beachcomber's touches became more focused, more deliberate. They were still soft and gentle, but there was an intentionality to them now. He caressed the sides of Red Alert's sensor horns, drawing slow circles with his digits. Then he traced a line down the center, following the ridges. The sensation was electrifying, sending shivers through Red Alert's processors.

A pulse of ecstacy shot through his valve, the nodes inside flaring with charge. Red Alert bit his lip, trying to keep from making a sound as the sensation built, becoming more and more intense. He arched his back, pressing further into the chaise lounge as the waves of pleasure coursed through him.

It felt like his processor had become liquid mercury, turning into a puddle beneath his sensor horns. Every touch from Beachcomber sent another pulse coursing through him, making him writhe in ecstasy. He could feel his servos tightening, his joints flexing involuntarily, his entire body responding to the sensual onslaught.

He whined softly when Beachcomber took his hands away.

"Hush, Red. I'm just getting the magnets."

Red Alert opened his eyes in time to see Beachcomber approach him with a small metal box. The minibot stretched up to reach him, opening the box and revealing several small, shiny magnets. He placed one on each of Red's sensor horns, gently sliding them into place.

A strut-deep pleasure coursed up through Red's frame as brilliant bands of red, blue, and green swirled in his optics.

His head felt fuzzy, filled with static like one of those human CRT TVs. His usually busy mind quieted, fear and doubt sinking below the waves of sensation. Arousal swelled up from beneath the sea of static, and he whined softly.

“Hush…” Beachcomber rested his fingertips on Red's jaw, rubbing in slow, gentle circles. “I'll take care of you.” He stepped away from the lounge's end, walking down towards Red's feet. He trailed his hand along the larger bot's body as he went, drawing a purr from his motor. Beachcomber's servo slid over Red Alert's modesty panels, and they opened readily.

“Yes, yes… please…” The feather-light touches on his spike made Red's sensornet flare wildly, surging with pleasure. He squirmed, trying to buck his hips upward, into Beachcomber's gentle grasp.

A tide of static seemed to fizz in his frame, racing up and down his circuits as he heard colors burst in his abdomen. Or was he seeing sound? The world melted into one big soup of sensation. His whirring fans and low groans blended with the feel of Beachcomber's hand, the smell of transfluid spilling from his body, and the taste of his own lip as he bit down.

He didn't know how much longer he laid there, entranced by the mesmerizing patterns still rippling before his optics. At some point, he felt the magnets come off, and normal sensation returned to his frame.

“How do you feel?”

“Wonderful. So… relaxed.” Red Alert closed his optics, enjoying the silence in his processor. His glitch wasn't gone, he was sure of that, but it had quieted. It felt as if his entire processor had been reset to a blank state, fresh and ready to run at optimal capacity.

“Good.” Beachcomber caressed Red's cheek, leaning on the lounge to get closer. “Try to note what you feel like going forward.”

Red hummed, already halfway to recharge. “Sounds good.”

[hollosene]

"Devon Turnbull: Old School Hi-fi Influencer" by Rade Arnott & Photography by Isa Saalabi

…

See HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 2, Turnbull's audio installation on view @ SFMoMA May 4, 2024 through August 18, 2024).

"Devon Turnbull, who produces audio equipment under the moniker OJAS, is a multidisciplinary artist who also works in music, fashion, and graphic design. Known for his brutalist, high-performance, hand-built sound systems, he is a sculptor of speakers and an icon of audiophiles. Turnbull created HIFI Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 2, a site-specific immersive sonic environment, for Art of Noise. This listening room-one of a handful of his "shrines to music" is a functional sculpture that facilitates exceptionally high-fidelity music playback using analog media.

The custom-built system consists of alnico and beryllium compression drivers on brass and steel horns; alnico and paper woofers in plywood enclosures; alnico and beryllium super tweeters; autoformer-based crossovers; lacquered, cotton-covered, copper speaker wire; tube amplifiers; autoformer volume control; tube phono preamplifiers; custom-built turntables; phono cartridges; a digital signal processor, a multichannel class D amplifier; and a 1970s Studer A80 reel-to-reel tape player."

[jcmarchi]

Francis Fan Lee, former professor and interdisciplinary speech processing inventor, dies at 96

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/francis-fan-lee-former-professor-and-interdisciplinary-speech-processing-inventor-dies-at-96/

Francis Fan Lee, former professor and interdisciplinary speech processing inventor, dies at 96

Francis Fan Lee ’50, SM ’51, PhD ’66, a former professor of MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, died on Jan. 12, some two weeks shy of his 97th birthday.

Born in 1927 in Nanjing, China, to professors Li Rumian and Zhou Huizhan, Lee learned English from his father, a faculty member in the Department of English at the University of Wuhan. Lee’s mastery of the language led to an interpreter position at the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, and eventually a passport and permission from the Chinese government to study in the United States. 

Lee left China via steamship in 1948 to pursue his undergraduate education at MIT. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering in 1950 and 1951, respectively, before going into industry. Around this time, he became reacquainted with a friend he’d known in China, who had since emigrated; he married Teresa Jen Lee, and the two welcomed children Franklin, Elizabeth, Gloria, and Roberta over the next decade. 

During his 10-year industrial career, Lee distinguished himself in roles at Ultrasonic (where he worked on instrument type servomechanisms, circuit design, and a missile simulator), RCA Camden (where he worked on an experimental time-shared digital processor for department store point-of-sale interactions), and UNIVAC Corp. (where he held a variety of roles, culminating in a stint in Philadelphia, planning next-generation computing systems.)

Lee returned to MIT to earn his PhD in 1966, after which he joined the then-Department of Electrical Engineering as an associate professor with tenure, affiliated with the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE). There, he pursued the subject of his doctoral research: the development of a machine that would read printed text out loud — a tremendously ambitious and complex goal for the time.

Work on the “RLE reading machine,” as it was called, was inherently interdisciplinary, and Lee drew upon the influences of multiple contemporaries, including linguists Morris Halle and Noam Chomsky, and engineer Kenneth Stevens, whose quantal theory of speech production and recognition broke down human speech into discrete, and limited, combinations of sound. One of Lee’s greatest contributions to the machine, which he co-built with Donald Troxel, was a clever and efficient storage system that used root words, prefixes, and suffixes to make the real-time synthesis of half-a-million English words possible, while only requiring about 32,000 words’ worth of storage. The solution was emblematic of Lee’s creative approach to solving complex research problems, an approach which earned him respect and admiration from his colleagues and contemporaries.

In reflection of Lee’s remarkable accomplishments in both industry and building the reading machine, he was promoted to full professor in 1969, just three years after he earned his PhD. Many awards and other recognition followed, including the IEEE Fellowship in 1971 and the Audio Engineering Society Best Paper Award in 1972. Additionally, Lee occupied several important roles within the department, including over a decade spent as the undergraduate advisor. He consistently supported and advocated for more funding to go to ongoing professional education for faculty members, especially those who were no longer junior faculty, identifying ongoing development as an important, but often-overlooked, priority.

Lee’s research work continued to straddle both novel inquiry and practical, commercial application — in 1969, together with Charles Bagnaschi, he founded American Data Sciences, later changing the company’s name to Lexicon Inc. The company specialized in producing devices that expanded on Lee’s work in digital signal compression and expansion: for example, the first commercially available speech compressor and pitch shifter, which was marketed as an educational tool for blind students and those with speech processing disorders. The device, called Varispeech, allowed students to speed up written material without losing pitch — much as modern audiobook listeners speed up their chapters to absorb books at their preferred rate. Later innovations of Lee’s included the Time Compressor Model 1200, which added a film and video component to the speeding-up process, allowing television producers to subtly speed up a movie, sitcom, or advertisement to precisely fill a limited time slot without having to resort to making cuts. For this work, he received an Emmy Award for technical contributions to editing.

In the mid-to-late 1980s, Lee’s influential academic career was brought to a close by a series of deeply personal tragedies, including the 1984 murder of his daughter Roberta, and the subsequent and sudden deaths of his wife, Theresa, and his son, Franklin. Reeling from his losses, Lee ultimately decided to take an early retirement, dedicating his energy to healing. For the next two decades, he would explore the world extensively, a nomadic second chapter that included multiple road trips across the United States in a Volkswagen camper van. He eventually settled in California, where he met his last wife, Ellen, and where his lively intellectual life persisted despite diagnoses of deafness and dementia; as his family recalled, he enjoyed playing games of Scrabble until his final weeks. 

He is survived by his wife Ellen Li; his daughters Elizabeth Lee (David Goya) and Gloria Lee (Matthew Lynaugh); his grandsons Alex, Benjamin, Mason, and Sam; his sister Li Zhong (Lei Tongshen); and family friend Angelique Agbigay. His family have asked that gifts honoring Francis Fan Lee’s life be directed to the Hertz Foundation. 

[audio-luddite]

Nothing is real or correct.

I am making headway on the ARC amp, but it made me think.

Decades ago a rather pompous man created an audio magazine because only he knew best. Actually come to think of it that has happened several times. I am currently talking about "The Absolute Sound" from just outside of New York City in the 70s.

His concept was two fold. The sound of any component should be judged only in comparison to live performances in Jazz clubs and concert halls or some similar site. It sounds like a good idea but is it even a little realistic? The second fold was to not take advertising from manufacturers as that is a conflict of interest. That fell away after a few years as it takes money to produce a real printed magazine. A friend and I were early subscribers and devoured each new issue. I know better now.

In a symphony concert every seat in the place is slightly different. I have sat in several concert halls and listened to lots of music from different seats. It is not the same at home on the system. I find my home system sounds better than live performance in general. I guess I cannot afford the best seats, but recording engineers tend to place mikes in the best places. Yes that big drum in the back is impressive live, but the rest....

In a Jazz club all the sound you get comes through a PA system of not necessarily high end quality. And be real, you are there for the performance not the audio or should be.

In a Stadium Rock event I need ear plugs as it is always so FN loud.

So comparing a system to live is not truly valid. Whatever you get is a matter of taste and luck

Consider the rather long chain of custody the sound endures from musician to your ears.

Start with the venue. Most recordings are done in purpose built studios with usually extensive sound treatments. Likely totally unlike your listening cave. How the musicians are set up and what equipment they use is very dependent too. How many times have you seen singers and instrumentalists in isolated boxes or behind barriers in a studio so the mike they use does not conflict with the ones around them. How natural is that?

Or how about recording a Piano. You always see several mikes around pianos for Jazz or solo or small group performances. I only have two ears solidly fixed to either side of my head.

Next microphones and mixing consoles all have characteristics and a voice. The type and brand and technology of the microphone all are adjusted and tuned. The sound in the mix is adjusted to get just the right effect. Accuracy, what's that?

One of my favorite audiophile albums is Cowboy Junkies "Trinity Sessions" Nice big room with natural sound, the band set up around a single 3D microphone using the gear they use on tour and basically no mix. WYSIWYG. But if you were there it would have sounded different than the recording as you would not be where the mike was. Still likely as accurate a recording as you can get.

Another is Steely Dan's Aja. Every track is fiddled and massaged and made to sound just so coming out of the studio speaker. Very clean and totally unreal.

A very good album is Diana Krall live from Paris. Listen to the group and "see" where the mix has placed each musician. Then look at the photo of the group on stage. Not the same is it?

Then the fun really starts. Is it analogue tape and which brand of machine Ampex or Studer and which vintage? Is it DSD digital or lowly PCM? Which processor! All those have a voice.

And now jump into your media. How is the product distributed? Vinyl rules! Well that's my thing. Which master remixed the master, what plant pressed it?

Both streaming and hard copy digital are valid and can claim lower noise and distortion usually. But those are just numbers.

Each electronic device has a voice some more subtle than others. The higher you go the clearer and cleaner it gets or should at least.

Thinking of phono pickups there are so many methods and products. It is really impressive how linear and consistent those things are in spite of all that. Many writers go on and on about velocity versus displacement and when that happens I know they are full of it. It turns out that blind tests show that what some call clarity and detail is just a slightly different frequency response. Or even a resonance in a convenient place. A few db here a few db there makes all the difference.

Still I find it remarkable that I can extract as much information off of a flat disk as I do with my modest three figure phono pickup. At the very base of the issue is like choosing a microphone. People have favorites.

In the digital domain you are depending on microchips. A DAC may have exotic this or that attached to them, but all the chips come from one factory or another made by people in bunny suits. Discrete components cannot keep up to digital speeds so the chips rule.

And we have not even got to preamplifiers and amplifiers. Tube verus solid state you have to choose a tribe. Both are best and neither is. Frankly it is the place you choose the type of distortion you like. The flaw with every tube amplifier is the output transformer. They all need them and they have a major hit on the sound. The flaw with every solid state amplifier are the gain devices and the feedback used to tame them. Tubes use feedback too!

Designs that avoid or just minimize feedback just force you to accept an acceptable distortion.

As I am bouncing between the tribes now recall that tube amplifiers are rated at 1% distortion. Transistor amplifiers at about ten times less. (Sometimes tens times ten times ten less.) Much better, but not better. It is the sound of the distortion that makes the difference and the preference. Some people like different stuff.

Oh time for the worst offender, the speakers. The frequency response is pathetic compared the quality of the signal going in. Why fret about an amplifier being plus or minus 0.2 db when the speaker is plus or minus 6 db. And the room has modes and reflections and well unless you are rich enough to build very special room you just have to hope your brain gets fooled.

And that is it really. Your brain wants to be fooled. If you listen to any system long enough you get used to it and adapt. If you only listen to single ended triodes into horn speaker you come to think that is the way things should sound. And you will find a tribe to support you like a cult.

It is a flawed process from beginning to end. But it lets you experience brilliant music and performances when you want to. With care and attention to detail you can solve the puzzle in many different ways.

And no it is never like a live performance, its maybe better.

There is no best.

[hifilounge]

Chord Electronics Summer Promo - Mojo2 and Poly!

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick blog to say that Chord Electronics will be running a Sunshine promotion from June 12th to August 31st 2023 on both Mojo2 and Poly! For only £395 each you can own a multi award winning British designed and made Chord Electronics Mojo2 headphone/Hifi Dac or a Poly streamer that can be used both in the home or on the move - or both for £790!

MOJO 2 Portable DAC/headphone amplifier

The British designed, engineered and built Mojo 2 is the most advanced portable DAC and headphone amplifier in the world. Distinctly different from all other devices, the What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year-winning Mojo 2 uses proprietary British digital audio technology perfected over more than two decades, coupled to a powerful ‘FPGA’ processor. The result is class-leading sound quality both on the move or at home, with the power to effortlessly drive any headphones. For music just as the artist intended, Mojo 2 brings you closer to the music than any other portable.

UNIQUE FPGA TECHNOLOGY

For more than 25 years, Chord Electronics has exclusively used powerful programmable (FPGA) circuits with custom coding to provide the most advanced digital-to-analogue conversion performance in the world. With digital audio technologies perfected over two decades, Mojo 2 contains more digital audio know-how than any other small DAC, resulting in unrivalled sound quality, all backed by peerless technical measurements from the lab.

COMPATIBLE WITH POLY FOR STREAMING

Completely compatible with our wireless streamer/player module Poly, for wireless streaming, control and playback

POLY Music streamer/player for Mojo 2/Mojo

Poly is a revolutionary music streamer, the first of its kind in the world. When partnered with Mojo 2/Mojo, it enables music streamed from a range of wirelessly connected devices to be enjoyed in the best possible sound quality, whether at home or on the go. Poly is also a music player: its unlimited-capacity Micro SD card slot can house huge libraries and liberate storage on smart devices. Full smartphone control using everyday apps enables effortless music playback whether streaming or playing music from the Micro SD.

Poly directly connects to Mojo 2/Mojo’s award-winning audio processing (DAC) technology dramatically improving the audio quality of streamed music.  Its advanced design enables everyday devices, including Android and Apple smartphones/tablets, to become portable ‘hi-fi-quality’ digital audio players: the smartphone becomes the controller, with Poly and Mojo 2/Mojo doing the high-level audio processing.

Poly can also be used with computers and laptops, plus it can access networked audio stored on NAS drives using popular DLNA apps. Playback is via Mojo 2/Mojo’s twin headphone outputs, plus home and in-car audio systems with auxiliary (AUX) inputs can also benefit from the improved sound quality.

Poly connects to Wi-Fi networks, including mobile hotspots when on the go, and remembers multiple networks with its auto-connect functionality. It also benefits from Bluetooth® wireless technology, AirPlay and DLNA connectivity, offering uninterrupted music streaming when transitioning from indoors to outdoors. Poly also features its own hotspot mode, enabling a connection where devices, networks or countries do not facilitate tethering. Its rechargeable LiPo batteries offer up to nine hours of playback from a four-hour charge using the device’s fast-charging USB circuit; both Poly and Mojo 2/Mojo can be charged simultaneously.

Poly is high-resolution audio-compatible, with support for the latest studio-quality files; PCM data up to 768kHz resolution and DSD64 to DSD256 (Quad-DSD). Supported file types include ACC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, OGG VORBIS, ALAC, WMA and MP3.

Please don’t hesitate to contact HFL if you have any questions or require anything else 👍

https://hifilounge.co.uk/product-category/brands/chord-electronics/mojo-2/

All the best,

Billy

[awesome-therealjesus]

Technically it's FLOPS, the 'S' doesn't pluralize it's part of the acronym "Floating Point Operations Per Second". Which is basically what it sounds like, the number of times per second the processor (generally seen as a GPU measurement specifically) can run some sort of arithmetic on a float* value. GPUs are built to burn through floats.

* in case anyone reading is unaware, a float is a value that can have decimals. Storing and working with them is kind of wonky on computers because of how the conversion to binary from a 10 digit number system works

why is shopping for computer shit so difficult like what the hell is 40 cunt thread chip 3000 processor with 32 florps of borps and a z12 yummy biscuits graphics drive 400102XXDRZ like ok um will it run my programmes

[atplblog]

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