Michael's System

So here we go with the blocks....


....keep in mind that I have many more, but this was what I tested on this session.

Hi Michael

This will be educational

Sorry Jim

I really do want to cover the blocks but the more I listen the more I can't stop listening

Last night I started with Aerosmith and by this morning ended up with Scapegoat, go figure.



BTW SWAX is on my bass recording list.

About the blocks

As I play with the blocks, it makes me realize why it is so important to know how to tune in each recording. The better your system becomes the more you hear the differences in each recording, but not only that, you become aware that you can go anywhere you wish as you learn how to tune.

As I played Rickie Lee Jones I found myself using the blocks the same way someone would have changed amps or speakers, each swap out or adjustment easily made as big of a change as an equipment swap. The different variations applied to the recording simply took me somewhere else, not necessarily right or wrong, with one exception for my own taste. Soundstage size for me is a determining factor. Not just size but soundstage fill in. Using the recording itself as my guide I create the stage, or should say let the stage happen. In my case the LTR in different flavors and placement do the job most of the time. From that point the other blocks act like handing the microphone to each flavor and solo instrument, pace, timbre or whatever other creation I wanted to make.

There are so many variations and recordings are so dramatically different, I'm finding that saying this sounds like that is not valid. I know people expect me to say definites, but that honestly is like saying one setting plays it all and that simply is no where near the truth. I know people want me to make this hobby simple and say recordings have enough in common that one setting should be good enough. Well that might be true "enough" if the listener wants to let the equipment settings dictate the sound, or someone wants to listened to pre-programed music where the dynamic settings are all the same. That for me however takes me further away from the hobby. I want each recording to sound different, because I know the facts "they all ARE different.

Greetings Michael

Could you elaborate: "As I played Rickie Lee Jones I found myself using the blocks the same way someone would have changed amps or speakers, each swap out or adjustment easily made as big of a change as an equipment swap."

Sonic would find it useful if you showed some examples of what you did with the blocks and the changes you could achieve with these changes.

I mean something like this: on [name of track] I (MG) found that if I [describe the change...blocks of type of wood under or over transformer etc] and it sounded like [change created in terms of Tone, soundstage etc].

A few examples like this that give some specific examples even if these are only related to your system will help Tunees and Sonic see the kind of changes that can be wrought with blocks and encourage us to try some ourselves.

Sonic

Ok, let me go back to Rickie and start again.

So I went downstairs, put on Rickie Lee Jones again, and heard something that was different from before yet part the same. What was the same was the stage was full with no holes or black space. The changes I made for the other recordings were put back the way they were before (not that they were all that different). The components have a combination of LTR Blocks of different flavors. All except for the Mini Platform under the Yung which has the Buckeye Blocks (3 of them).

Now let's paint the picture again. This is a free resonant system. The components are stripped to a point where they are meant to work together or against what they are attached to. The speakers for example are built to respond to the other tools not replace them. Both the SW-12BP and TomToms are designed to depart from the typical signatures found in other speaker types even though they do have their own thing to a degree, but not nearly as much as other brands.

The Platforms are not Tuning Boards but Platforms. These are two different animals as well and shouldn't be confused. These particular platforms are built with the spike plates intact, which is again a different animal than Platforms without the plates. Spikes plates are there to use spikes obviously, but there are times when removing the plates will blow away using them. Even though in this system I'm using some end plates and one that is a all around spike plate glued, for myself I prefer to work with Platforms that have the flexibility of being able to take apart. Some people may not want to go that far, but I find it useful. The more options I have and learning how they work allows me the freedom and knowledge to recognize certain cues and the possibilities of the recording to be shaped.

Why do I spell this out

I don't have an Avalon, Wilson, B&W, Martin Login or any other type of speaker being used in this room (even though I do sneak them in and out). Nope what I have are speakers, platforms, tunes and a bunch of other goodies designed to be played together. It's much different to have a system that needs to be fixed vs a system that wants to be played. There's really no other way to describe it. A tunable system is just a different animal than a high end audio setup, or even one that is mixed, part audiophile/part tunable. My systems are not one size fits all by any means. One person is going to choose one speaker model over another as well as complimentary equipment, choice of platform and all the way through the line. When I look at a system and spot certain potential good and bads the first thing my mind goes to is "can it be fixed" or "can it be tuned". Obviously if it is a tunable system using my tools, it's a matter of finding which ones of my tools are going to end up shaping the system/environment. This is why I have a wider range of products than anyone else in the hobby. I don't see the products as being perfect, but more I see the products as being perfect when the listener chooses the right ones for their particular needs and wants.

What I'm saying is "there are levels to the hobby". I think it was Sonic who said the difference between the RT Pillows and the PZCs. My take on this is quite a bit different. Comparing the RT Pillow vs PZC is like comparing a Tuning Board vs Platform. True they do somewhat the same things but are different species.

What I'm seeing.

When I hit the remote listening to this recording my mind goes into one of two modes, listening and tuning. The common bond between these two mindsets is the space and body of the music. Keep in mind this is me speaking about my listening not listening for someone else. Someone else might hate my sound, but since I have grown up with my unique set of ears and certain comforts when the music starts to play I am drawn to these comforts first before anything else (again when it's me listening for me).

If I hit play and there are holes in the stage and if I don't find myself inside of the recorded space but more looking at it separate from me, this becomes the first sign that things are not in tune for my ears and concept. Someone who is the opposite, looking for those well defined boxes, is going to look for a different block, platform, speaker, cables, acoustics and all the rest for that recording. That other listener many times goes from bliss listening to hell and back more times than me because, looking at boxes is actually a more difficult discipline than listening to music on a sliding scale.

On Rickie Lee Jones after listening to seconds of the first song I flipped through the songs briefly to see how in tune or out of tune the recording was from the mastering point of view. In other words did the engineer go for the overall or each song as separate tracks. I will only know this by tuning my system to an overall match for the recording. This is where you guys can either live with the fact that each recorded end product (LP) is meant as an individual trip or think your system has the magical ability to adjust all on it's own . For the guy thinking the later, let me suggest buying one of my complete systems and experience the hobby for real . Sorry if that comes off cruel or unforgiving, but it's simply a fact that you as a listener are going to spend the rest of your life looking, or spend it tuning.

After that quick listen through, I decided to check my dynamic floor and range to see if not only space was being filled in but also that I was getting a fair gain. Since I've been playing with the Crossover/Amp I started there. I replaced the Buckeye Pucks with a medium to low tone LTR Block. I liked the sound but could also tell I had turned down the dynamic floor slightly, so after a fun listen I put back in the buckeye pucks and returned to range I had before. Now as fun as this was I know that I just screwed with the settling and could send myself down a path that was going to end up at a potential weird place. Decision time. Do I keep going or let the system reveal itself (talk) to me?

My other thought was how do I make this testing make some sense to the readers as most probably don't get the whole sliding rule thing.

I decided to move on and do something I shouldn't for the advanced tunee but might help the journeymen a little more. Putting my focus now on the main amp Platform (remember it has spike plates on), I put 2 LTR Blocks (one each side) under the low tone frame in the back which made the front of the platform with plate the same height as the back of the platform when using the thinner pucks.



So this may not be a good or even true testing of each block type but it will at least give an idea while with this recording and this particular setup and set of conditions.

Hopefully you guys can see the method I'm using for this brief testing, but to recap, I've setup the Amp Platform as a easy to do testing template. All I'm doing is placing the different pucks under the front spike plate.

Starting with #10 Paducah and Purple Heart

Both the Paducah and Purple Heart acted like lasers. The recording I'm using isn't one that naturally bloats unless the room and or system is making it do so. If throughout this recording the bloating is heard and a lack of specific control in particular ranges being small or large these two plucks can be used to settle things down and focus different parts of the music in. Me being a big picture guy wouldn't be using these to tailor things as much as doing quick fixes on over exaggerated conditions. At the same time there are many who like to focus more than seeing that big picture and could use these pucks in different parts of the system to off set bloated gains. These two pucks are extremely recording sensitive.

Next two African Rosewood and Special Walnut

These two remind me of high end audio audiophile listening. The stage is more full than the last two pucks yet very controlled much like listening to Krell, Roland, Classe', Coda, and with the Walnut a tubey flavor. If this was a contest comparing the first four pucks and judging on overall I would choose the Rosewood for that solid state listening and Walnut for the more tube sound. Keep in mind I'm not tweaking here just comparing. If I were tweaking I would use these blocks as a means to specifics. This comparison however allows me to get a little flavor and performance referencing in. I could take each one of these pucks and name cue specifics, but if doing so I would also be tempted to get very specific and this might give the wrong impression in their individual performance per session and recording. Another point I do want to make is how huge just these little pieces of wood in these specific areas of application contribute to the overall. It is very much like changing out amps or preamps, cable or even speaker swaps, and this is what might surprise folks. The amp changing game one would think would be much bigger in effect, but if your system is truly free resonant even these small changes are major. Get your head around that statement and it could be a game changer for you.

Hi Michael and Tuneland,

Whenever my friends come to listen to my system, they all say that they couldn't believe how natural and surround the sound is. Once I do some little adjustments, they say my room is really really sensitive because little changes = big changes in sound. And some of them have Krell too

Hi Obb

One of the most interesting things about tuning from a free resonance point of view is how it removes us from the "stuck what your with" syndrome. As I look through system galleries it's sometimes shocking to me that these folks think they're in the hobby of high end listening

Before I ever started TuneLand I use to get emails from folks asking how they should tweak their system the best. Back then I was even more pushy than I am now believe it or not. My advice for most of these guys was get rid of your system and lets start over with tuning being the method of doing instead of spending so much time trying to fix systems that may in many ways sound good with some recordings but on the flip side sound horrible with most music.

The whole idea of a complete tunable system is having the ability to go anywhere we want inside of that musical space.

I'm thrilled to see you back, cause honestly the more complete tunable systems come up here the more tempting it is for music lovers to see that they can get out of the never ending rut that is so prevalent in this hobby. Working around problems created by brand names not built to be tunable is the biggest downfall of this hobby. I always feel like a salesman until one of you who has the whole system come up, then it's a relief to not be thinking in the back of my mind "why in the world do they have that brand X".

I hope that this topic on the blocks helps at least a little for folks who have systems that yes they might hear a change, but don't yet know the power of the tune.

Thanks for posting on this thread and topic.

The next two are both game changers for the current setup.

When listening to the Walnut I was thinking "I can do the whole recording through with this sound" and actually came close to doing this. When I switched to the Buckeye my thoughts got flipped and I did listen to the whole thing start to finish.

Listening to the Buckeye and Western Red Cedar I was reminded why I love tuning . It was like someone told the speakers not to sound like speakers anymore. The emotion and weight is something that can not be explained if you are listening to speakers that don't do what tunable free resonant speakers do. Typical high end audio simply does not have the range of flexibility in the dynamics of flavor that free resonance gives you. Likewise, when a system is not set free you can hear the amount of component compression distortion take over. It's a sound most audiophiles confuse with dynamic range compression done in the mastering. They do sound similar with one main difference. System compression shrinks the stage, or parts of it, where mastering compression will still give space within the stage even though the wall of compression sounds collapsed to some degree. Putting in the Buckeye (this is a select section of the tree) made the music whole and girth-y and before when there was a stage yes, but now the stage surrounded me with pressure and pace. Parts of the music was gentle and still extremely full. Other parts seemed to extend itself with confidence and a sense of interaction. I can get excited about this recording now in a way that makes me want to get emotional. I'm not watching Rickie sing, I'm feeling her sing to me and the instruments are helping to support the story. For me this is a shift from what I've known as the high end audio sense and has become a movement and moment of expression. I was almost scared to put in the Western Red Cedar cause I was sure it would be a letdown. At first switch, it did leave me wanting and I started to get out of the chair when I heard my first drum and cymbal splash. I'm not saying the effect was better or worst than the Buckeye but the listening seatbelt pulled me back down for a longer listen.

With the Western Red Cedar I could tell this is a piece of wood that wants to settle in before it gives me it's very best. I should do an A/B/A with it and the Buckeye but for this testing time span I don't want to get too long in my results like I usually do. I mean this is barely touching on the results and changes and tuning ideas racing in my brain, all that can be explored later.

Hi Michael

This is something to think hard about – is Sonic correct to understand that you adjusted the platform so that in this test only One block was changed and the sound transformed as much as if you had swapped amps and such?



Sonic wonders if there is a permanent and non-system specific relationship of desired change to wood type that can be put into a list of Cause and Effect to help Zonees tune.

I mean if in this example you gave “Putting in the Buckeye made the music whole and girth-y and before when there was a stage yes, but now the stage surrounded me with pressure and pace.” Will Buckeye always have this effect on the systems it is used in to some degree?

If so, can charts of desired outcomes and wood-to-use be drawn up?

Like “if you want to increase low bass, use wood X/ if you want to focus an over-diffuse soundstage, use wood Y”.

This will remove the experimentation and guesswork over what to use and henceforth a matter of how much and where to use the pucks, above or below the equipment.

There will be the question "my system utilizes a CD player, a DAC and an integrated amp and speakers. Yes, I know that Low Tone Redwood will give me girth and bass depth – I got the pucks but where does it go, under the CD player or DAC, amp or speakers, how many?”

Beyond this there will be systems that end not in loudspeakers and rooms but headphones, in such cases do things change?

What if analog LP and tape front ends are involved which are very mechanical devices, what then?

The Tune is so exciting!

Sonic

All-righty-then

I'm ready to talk about more wood, but I wanted to take some time and go back to see how well the previous pucks did with resetting.  Resetting is a simple tweak that Tunees can use with great results once we learn the cycles of settling for our systems.

You see everything on the planet goes through a settling process that never ends. The Earth works on a balancing scale where as some materials settle, others rise. Materials are in constant change (aging). This process happens extremely fast with certain materials and very slow with others. The key thing to remember here is that there is no standing still. This is a problem audiophiles get into often because of their short sightedness in teachings of inert, absolute and isolation. It's much easier to get great sound by letting go of audiophile myths. You can get good sound, but you will never get great consistent sound by limiting your thinking to audiophile theory vs physics. Hears what I tell listeners who constantly get stuck with these theories. "the Earth is always cooking". If you can get inside of the thought that things are always involved here on Earth (involved meaning Physics) you will go further than the falsehood that things are in a state of still. There is no such thing as a state of still on a moving planet.

To show this I went back to the Buckeye and Western Red Cedar. I let each one of them go through a short settling cycle of one day, which is not long but surprisingly long enough. I knew that the setting was more than likely going to shift up as well as tighten up (squeeze) on my downstairs rm#3 with the current testing setup and music type. This is fairly obvious because of the weight and size of the platform and amp compared to the size of puck under the front edge. Luckily I was correct, hoping I wasn't going to embarrass myself or marginalize my pretend golden ear status . When this type of settling happens the cue to listen for is a slight shift in sound upward and if looking at the stage a thinning of stage content. Other conditions could as easily sent the settling in a different direction, but looking at the setup I figured this upward shift would be the case. I have a choice when listening as to how to approach the settling upward or downward but I'm not on this post to cover this but to compare these pucks.

moving on

So, when I heard the system starting to make the shift after a nice run of bliss, I only had to just barely raise the front edge a hair, set it back down and experience a fairly major return to dynamics and fill in. Here's a tip btw for listeners. If you are the type of listener that I am, listening to the same recording for several days or even hours, study when the shift starts to happen and set your system to enjoy it's best. Keep in mind it's best may be at the beginning middle or end of the settling period depending on your setup and recording. Another hint, you can train your system to keep getting better.

It's a wise tool to learn about your system, and your recordings and can come in very handy when the sound seems to be out of sorts.

Sonic said

This is something to think hard about – is Sonic correct to understand that you adjusted the platform so that in this test only One block was changed and the sound transformed as much as if you had swapped amps and such?

mg

Easily:)

Sonic

Sonic wonders if there is a permanent and non-system specific relationship of desired change to wood type that can be put into a list of Cause and Effect to help Zonees tune.

mg

I like starting with a foundation and then making simple adjustments. For example you've see me using a lot of LTR Blocks lately for my foundation.

Sonic

I mean if in this example you gave “Putting in the Buckeye made the music whole and girth-y and before when there was a stage yes, but now the stage surrounded me with pressure and pace.” Will Buckeye always have this effect on the systems it is used in to some degree?

mg

Totally dependent on the setup and resonant flexibility.

Sonic

If so, can charts of desired outcomes and wood-to-use be drawn up?

Like “if you want to increase low bass, use wood X/ if you want to focus an over-diffuse soundstage, use wood Y”.

This will remove the experimentation and guesswork over what to use and henceforth a matter of how much and where to use the pucks, above or below the equipment.

mg

Not only are there too many variables that take place, but also every recording injects it's own equalized signature into the mix.

Sonic

There will be the question "my system utilizes a CD player, a DAC and an integrated amp and speakers. Yes, I know that Low Tone Redwood will give me girth and bass depth – I got the pucks but where does it go, under the CD player or DAC, amp or speakers, how many?”

mg

I look at it this way, the hobby of tuning will take the listener as far as they wish to learn about their system and their music choices. The high end audio marketing really messed things up by telling people they could plug & play a hobby that is based on flexing variables.

Sonic

Beyond this there will be systems that end not in loudspeakers and rooms but headphones, in such cases do things change?

mg

Yep

Sonic

What if analog LP and tape front ends are involved which are very mechanical devices, what then?

mg

It's sad that the tuning disappeared from this hobby or should I say never made it to the rest of the system. Decks and Tables are great examples of tuning. This should have carried over to the rest of the chain, but never did. Kind of stupid when you think about it. With tables and decks being so successful in tuning you would have thought this would have naturally carried itself beyond.

What is common sense to the Tunee, is a mystery to the Stereophile & TAS's of the world. Weird isn't it

PS: there is an older wood chart somewhere here

Not on the list above as the list grows for me, but last night Select Pine took it's turn. Have to say I was taken a little by surprise . In the past using maybe just a hair too much Select Pine systems would go into midrange shock. For that reason I use it sparingly and very specifically when I find a magic spot. I must have hit one of those spots because I couldn't wait to get done with work so I could get back to the recording.

The Select Pine Puck injected into the system is like someone turned on the vibrating chair. I could not find a flaw in the recording for several hours and that for me is saying something, especially when I am not top tuning. Somebody reached in and turned up the dynamic gain control. Plucks, strums, hits, vocal impressions all took on a beautifully tight full body that dropped right into the midrange warmth nest that I love so much. Notes high, mid and low are vibrating my body. I turned down the volume to it's lowest possible setting on the pre and within seconds it felt like I was playing the music with great gain. Not loud but great gain. Even sitting in my writing room at this volume I can feel the notes. Interesting as well, this is the first puck setting where I can hear the full range equally through the upstairs. Before I heard more bass or highs break through, but when I just took a field trip around the upstairs the balance is even throughout. That's impressive

I know I like this cause I'm thinking of playing several recordings after this testing is over to see if I may have found another chapter for downstairs.

Who wood a thunk Another variable for the downstairs system . I love when I run into these tuning treasures as much as the music itself I think. It's like entering a room in the house that was never there before. I get to go in and look around, sit in the different chairs, look out the different windows. All of a sudden the place somehow becomes spiritual (sacred), makes me want to walk softly in reverence.

yep the Select Pine puck has up-ed it's reputation a couple notches the last day, how about that

The next puck applied is the "Brazilian Pine". Brazilian Pine used with Low Tone Redwood has been a favorite starter combo of mine for good reason. They're two woods together that cover almost any sonic combo you can imagine and work very well with some of the other tuning tools and wood.

I almost wanted to cry thinking about the removal of the Select Pine Puck but this testing must push on.

Brazilian Pine gave an extremely tight and visual presentation of the recording. At first a slight upward shift but within minutes the body and tightness became a sense of soundstage cleanliness that was perhaps more clean than the other choices. Seeing into the soundstage was most revealing, able to see instruments and action come to light that were there before but maybe obscured by their body and girth previously. Do I like this better than the select for this recording? Personally no, but I know many listeners would go this route over the former. It was fascinating watching the detailed lines around each action that took place. It was kinda like turning down the background houselights a little while at the same time turning up the spotlights. Or in mixing terms fading to more Direct patterns over Omni.

Doing the Select & BP back to back was a good comparison because it shows that the recording itself is more powerful than the chain that plays it. A concept lost on the plug & play only crowd.

Unless another type jumps into my brain with this particular testing I'm going to plug into one more.

I hope this has been some what useful for folks playing with the transfer of wood. Next from the Brazilian Pine I put in a cross cut Redwood Puck. Again this gave a completely different system to listen to. One that I describe as "mature". Does mature have a sound? I don't know but the Redwood put in this placement reminded me of old electronics where everything was polite with shiny highs, nice well rounded mids and a rich yet polite assertion of bass. A Hi Fi sound for sure but very listenable.

I have maybe 50 other pucks in my closet to go through, but I think you guys are probably wondering about your systems as a whole right now and the possibilities or wondering if your system is able to deliver this large range of flexibility. Maybe your thinking, why can't I get to that first base or why are the differences in Michael's system so huge? The answer is really very simple. How much time are you putting into exploring and are you taking the time to treat each recording as a special event? So the answer is a question but a very important one. If your walking away from the recording instead of bringing it to life, and then exploring it from many different points of view you might be cheating yourself, and limiting the hobby.

One thing I can guarantee you is. Your recordings have far more to offer you than you think and in this hobby of tuning you should be able to get just about anywhere you want if the tools your using will allow you to.

I want to keep moving forward here but I also think it's time for a little change up or maybe even curve ball to work with.

Because I have used these pucks before and have become friends with them, most of the time kinda knowing which one might take me where I want to go, taking more steps in front of you guys might be helpful.

With this I shift gears a little and put one of my hollowed out units in. These pieces are like drums with the bottom removed. There's several reasons I make these this way but before getting into that, lets put the round one in place of the puck. What is heard is two fold. One the body of the recording has change in a way that opens up yet another type of listening door. The second, when putting this in place of the puck in the same place remember, the systems chain spoke to me. After the drum was put in place I knew immediately I needed to retune the pre-amp power supply.

This is only something you can understand through learning what different parts, and where they are at in the chain, sound like. Yep, there will always be exceptions and new territory but the more you play and study the easier it is to hear specific part patterns. This is when you need to trust the recording and let it guide you.

The change I made was again a very simple one. My Superphon transformer was sitting on a piece of wood, then LTR Block. To get the drum under the front of the amp platform to perform correctly, I put a different pitch drum inbetween the board and LTR Block. And then the transformer back on top. This change gave yet another variation to the stage openness and quality. Dynamics increased and each instrument took on more of wanting to be working in-tune with the other instruments. I like this step tons with this particular recording. And keep in mind this was very simple and easy to do, I just had to listen to what I was being told.

Hi Mr. Green

I was surprised reading that you used the small drum under the Luxman platform. I thought they were for light weight components Secondly can you share some of the tricks? Sometimes Tuneland doesn't show all you are doing. Maybe that's on purpose

More of these latest posts are helpful.

Greetings Zonees

What Michael said in response to my questions:

Sonic: I wonder if there is a permanent and non-system specific relationship of desired change to wood type that can be put into a list of Cause and Effect to help Zonees tune. Sonic means if in this example you gave “Putting in the Buckeye made the music whole and girth-y and before when there was a stage yes, but now the stage surrounded me with pressure and pace.” Will Buckeye always have this effect on the systems it is used in to some degree?

Michael: Totally dependent on the setup and resonant flexibility.

Now should Tunees (particularly our Entry-Level members) worry that this signals that a product from RoomTune that may increase say, the treble in one system might just roll off the high-end in another? Are the things we post of our experiments and results on this site reliable?

It should not scare you!

Sonic believes it is the same with conventional audiophile equipment – amps, speakers, preamps, cartridges, DACs, CD/SACD players, cables – it just that manufacturers (less the reviewers) may not tell us the real story 100% beyond inserting a quiet Your Mileage May Vary somewhere.

Everything is a coupling of transfer and impedance down a chain that starts with the recording (that is the sum of an entire chain of events) down our equipment to finally reach our ears through the room (Michael rightly says the “room is your loudspeaker”) and alternatively the diaphragm of your headphones.

Think of the electrical, mechanical interactions and the combinations bouncing off each other. So when a product is claimed to “warm up the midrange” or “increase transparency”, it might or then it might not and truly no manufacturer can guarantee the outcome. And the reviewers in the high-end mags.....well read them if you wish but know them for what they are and for what they are not.

The ideas on Tuneland are guides to how a Tunee can go about getting the best sound possible. What works for A might do the opposite for B but the principles stand and they work.

So Michael is being honest and realistic.

Sonic

If I may. Something I have noticed while reading the forum is Michael's whole system approach finds few downsides. Reading threads mixing audiophile products for lack of better description vs Michael's recommended system the mixed systems seem to end with some confused result. Being a new owner of the Michael system I find the hobby has become easy as compared to the hobby I came from.

Greetings JC Carter III

You are right! Zonees who use Michael’s system end-to-end like you do effectively reduce one source of variables and the confusion that can arise from the interface, mix and match. Sonic just wrote up and posted some stuff on Variables on my thread. Have a read, and your insights are welcome!

We must have more dialog on this site

Also – what is the equipment, cables and products from Michael you are using?

Sonic

Hi Guys

Thought I would take a break from sanding and give my poor hands a rest



kinda fun going from my little shop to one of my listening rooms to see how I did. Even more fun shaping the sound of the materials into an instrument.

Almost ready to move on to other adventures, but wanted to give one last report with RLJ. I've been busy outside and upstairs working on cabinets and my listening has been elsewhere with the occasional quicky with Rickie. Today was time to change the recording out as it has been getting better daily in this particular setup. One last session before moving on was on the brain till I sat down

This play through I was greeted with an exciting occurrence. I could hear the mixer fades and how they were affecting the placement and dynamic ranges of each instrument and effect. This is actually fairly rare to hear but what it sounds like is when the fader is turned up for effect soft to loud you will hear the instrument or vocal move toward you. Then when turned back the image will retreat. I had to stay for this last treat all the way through, sound all around me and the entire recording alive with the engineering in full dynamic swing.

Thank you engineers for letting me visit

still haven't changed it out