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#226691 - 12/07/2004 15:51 5th Meet
smithj
new poster

Registered: 29/09/2002
Posts: 11
Loc: Berkshire, UK
Guys,

I have just got back, thanks for a great time at the meet.

We had a play with the new build while waiting for the ferry, had to buy a mic in Amersfoort supermarket (ever tried asking for a mic when you don't know the dutch word!!)

Thanks to the build brothers for the build. I can at least say David Bowie and it works, took a while for me to work out the new menu's.

Once again thanks for a great time.

Cheers
Jason

PS: Patrick, it was my idea about where to put the usb socket!!


Edited by smithj (12/07/2004 23:05)
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#226692 - 12/07/2004 16:03 Re: 5th Meet [Re: smithj]
tonyc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 27/06/1999
Posts: 7058
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
Quote:
I can at least say David Bowie and it works

The sound you're hearing is the sound of everyone who wasn't at the meet drooling on their keyboards.

Glad someone spilled the beans!


Edited by tonyc (12/07/2004 16:05)
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- Tony C
my empeg stuff

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#226693 - 12/07/2004 16:06 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tonyc]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Mic??? As in "microphone"?!?!?! As in "a use for the mic in jack"?!??!?!
_________________________
Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#226694 - 12/07/2004 16:13 Re: 5th Meet [Re: pgrzelak]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
It can't be...

Surely not...

No, I can't believe it...

Really?....

<pinches self>

Is this _really_ the long awaited VR feature?
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#226695 - 12/07/2004 16:15 Re: 5th Meet [Re: pgrzelak]
mtempsch
pooh-bah

Registered: 02/06/2000
Posts: 1996
Loc: Gothenburg, Sweden
Quote:
Mic??? As in "microphone"?!?!?! As in "a use for the mic in jack"?!??!?!


Yup. Hope you haven't hijacked the mic wires for other uses...

But I think tonyc got the wrong idea of usage...

A comment from one of the build brothers about shuffle applies...

At the meet the reaction was pretty much
_________________________
/Michael

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#226696 - 12/07/2004 16:23 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
mcomb
pooh-bah

Registered: 31/08/1999
Posts: 1649
Loc: San Carlos, CA
Quote:
Is this _really_ the long awaited VR feature?


<does a little happy dance>

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Gimme, gimme, gimme

-Mike
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EmpMenuX - ext3 filesystem - Empeg iTunes integration

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#226697 - 12/07/2004 16:31 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mcomb]
loren
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
Wow. That one post instantly made me forget about getting an iPod/Alpine link box. I'm back in full bore if this works!

Hrm... i wonder if i can use the same mic my wired bluetooth car kit uses...

Oh man oh man oh man....
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|| loren ||

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#226698 - 12/07/2004 16:32 Re: 5th Meet [Re: smithj]
g_attrill
old hand

Registered: 14/04/2002
Posts: 1172
Loc: Hants, UK
<swoons>

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#226699 - 12/07/2004 16:43 Re: 5th Meet [Re: g_attrill]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
<swoons>

Pack it in, you lot! There is no VR in those releases. This would be a different use for the microphone input.

Peter

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#226700 - 12/07/2004 16:46 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Hmm. Auto EQ based upon ordered sound file tracks?
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#226701 - 12/07/2004 16:49 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
Hmm. Auto EQ based upon ordered sound file tracks?

Now wouldn't that be a nice feature?

Peter

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#226702 - 12/07/2004 16:49 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
schofiel
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/06/1999
Posts: 2993
Loc: Wareham, Dorset, UK
No, but it IS the long-discussed and awaited (Censored) which - by the way - works pretty damn good, I have to say. Wonderful! The car sounds better already....
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#226703 - 12/07/2004 16:53 Re: 5th Meet [Re: schofiel]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Hmmm... If the car sounds better, if must be something to configure audio. Perhaps an automatic EQ configuration system or dynamic volume control???
_________________________
Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#226704 - 12/07/2004 16:55 Re: 5th Meet [Re: schofiel]
loren
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
awwwww... no VR. =[ I got all worked up too. heheh.
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#226705 - 12/07/2004 16:55 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
mcomb
pooh-bah

Registered: 31/08/1999
Posts: 1649
Loc: San Carlos, CA
Quote:
Now wouldn't that be a nice feature?


<shuffles feet and mumbles quietly>
Well, I guess that is pretty good too.

Its actually a much more useful feature I would imagine, but it doesn't quite have the same geewiz factor.

-Mike
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#226706 - 12/07/2004 16:56 Re: 5th Meet [Re: schofiel]
Phoenix42
veteran

Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
volume control?
the more background noise the louder it gets?

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#226707 - 12/07/2004 16:57 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mcomb]
loren
carpal tunnel

Registered: 23/08/2000
Posts: 3826
Loc: SLC, UT, USA
Quote:
I can at least say David Bowie and it works, took a while for me to work out the new menu's.


?? So what does that mean exactly? *confused*
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#226708 - 12/07/2004 17:02 Re: 5th Meet [Re: loren]
mtempsch
pooh-bah

Registered: 02/06/2000
Posts: 1996
Loc: Gothenburg, Sweden
Probably playing around with it w/o speakers, providing "David Bowie", spoken, as input to the mic, instead of the expected pink noise...

It behaved funnily at the demo, partly because shuffle and partly because it heard our clapping and cheering.
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/Michael

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#226709 - 12/07/2004 17:06 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mtempsch]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Hmmm... This implies something dynamic! Dynamic volume adjustment or EQ... Hmmm... Which could it be... Or, as was stated above, not quite VR but an audio match to perform specific actions on the player. Also intensely cool.

Question: why would this remain top secret / censored after the meet??? I know that the build is limited access, but surely the enhancements would be public... Right???


Edited by pgrzelak (12/07/2004 17:10)
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Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#226710 - 12/07/2004 17:09 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
So how'd'ya get over the sampling rate issue?
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#226711 - 12/07/2004 17:10 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mtempsch]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
It behaved funnily at the demo, partly because shuffle and partly because it heard our clapping and cheering.

The shuffle didn't stop it doing all the right things, just not necessarily in the right order. The clapping, cheering, cries of "Bravo", wolf-whistles, crowd-surfing, throwing of knickers etc. did skew the final part of the demo, but frankly, given the limitations of the sound system it was driving, that skewing provided a far more compelling demonstration of the principles than a perfectly clean demo would have done.

Peter

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#226712 - 12/07/2004 17:12 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Instant drool!!!

If I read that right, this is an automatic EQ configuration system! RTA?!?!? SWEET!

So, what kind of microphone should I immediately go out and buy?
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Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#226713 - 12/07/2004 17:14 Re: 5th Meet [Re: pgrzelak]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
Question: why would this remain top secret / censored after the meet??? I know that the build is limited access, but surely the enhancements would be public... Right???

I think the Amersfoortians are just collectively enjoying teasing the non-Amersfoortians. There's no official secrecy or censorship of that information -- in fact, the release notes all recommend the BBS as a good place to discuss the new features.

And just think how many days earlier you'd find this stuff out if you came to the next Empeg meet!

Peter

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#226714 - 12/07/2004 17:16 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Quote:
And just think how many days earlier you'd find this stuff out if you came to the next Empeg meet!


Hopefully not many.
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#226715 - 12/07/2004 17:18 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
So how'd'ya get over the sampling rate issue?

The sample rate is what, 29KHz or something? That gives us everything up to 14.5KHz in frequency, and above there we don't care. Very high frequencies are rarely the issue in this problem space.

Edit: I will just add that I only have a layman's knowledge of this particular feature -- I knew what John had done but hadn't even seen it in operation before Amersfoort. Really he should be answering all these questions, but I don't think he's on the board right now.

Peter

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#226716 - 12/07/2004 17:18 Re: 5th Meet [Re: pgrzelak]
mtempsch
pooh-bah

Registered: 02/06/2000
Posts: 1996
Loc: Gothenburg, Sweden
Quote:
So, what kind of microphone should I immediately go out and buy?


Development was made with a "Ultra-mini electret insert" from Maplins (part no QY62S)

It's only reasonably flat between 50 and 13kHz, and they don't currently have the exact curve, but working on it -- if there's someone out there with a good reference mic and measuring gear, they could reportedly help out...
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/Michael

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#226717 - 12/07/2004 17:28 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
The sample rate is what, 29KHz or something? That gives us everything up to 14.5KHz in frequency, and above there we don't care. Very high frequencies are rarely the issue in this problem space.

We were told a long time ago that the limit was something more like 11khz...
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Tony Fabris

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#226718 - 12/07/2004 17:43 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
peter
carpal tunnel

Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
Quote:
We were told a long time ago that the limit was something more like 11khz...

That's a much rounder number and so probably right (though maybe it does 22KHz normally and 29KHz in some kind of Super Pursuit Mode if you program all the right bits). But even if it's 11KHz, the comment still stands: all the action here is in the bass.

Peter

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#226719 - 12/07/2004 17:49 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Agreed.
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Tony Fabris

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#226720 - 12/07/2004 19:26 Re: 5th Meet [Re: smithj]
SE_Sport_Driver
carpal tunnel

Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
Quote:
Guys,

I have just got back, thanks for a great time at the meet.

We had a play with the new build while waiting for the ferry, had to buy a mic in Amersfoort supermarket (ever tried asking for a mic when you don't know the dutch word!!)

Thanks to the build brothers for the build. I can at least say David Bowie and it works, took a while for me to work out the new menu's.

Once thanks for a great time.

Cheers
Jason

PS: Patrick, it was my idea about where to put the usb socket!!


Is it April Fool's Day somewhere?
_________________________
Brad B.

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#226721 - 12/07/2004 22:19 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
AndrewT
old hand

Registered: 16/02/2002
Posts: 867
Loc: Oxford, UK
Quote:
There's no official secrecy or censorship of that information -- in fact, the release notes all recommend the BBS as a good place to discuss the new features.



So, would the BBS be a good place to post the release notes? Hint, hint! Is that allowed?

(Sorry, I can't hide my impatience after the serious appetite whetting that's gone on above!)


Edited by Rue (12/07/2004 22:20)

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#226722 - 12/07/2004 22:43 Re: 5th Meet [Re: AndrewT]
weasel
new poster

Registered: 09/11/2003
Posts: 7
Loc: Berkshire, UK
i have the VR working ... how cool!

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#226723 - 13/07/2004 00:07 Re: 5th Meet [Re: pgrzelak]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
I'm now back at home in Canada, and have a suitable mic with me here. All ya have to do is drop by to try it out. I also have one of the disc's here..

Cheers


Attachments
225758-bb.jpg (350 downloads)



Edited by mlord (13/07/2004 00:10)

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#226724 - 13/07/2004 08:22 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
Quote:
So how'd'ya get over the sampling rate issue?


I don't. But then I can't hear over about 14K so from a purely personal POV I don't care

In theory, since the (censored) is only measuring the RMS (censored), some sort of electronic hack could be performed eg calculating the RMS electronically and regenerating a signal of the correct level (it could just be a sinewave at a fixed frequency).

Maybe we should be collecting together this info somewhere for future reference - that will be easier if/when the veil of secrecy is lifted.

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#226725 - 13/07/2004 08:26 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
Quote:
Quote:
It behaved funnily at the demo, partly because shuffle and partly because it heard our clapping and cheering.

The shuffle didn't stop it doing all the right things, just not necessarily in the right order. The clapping, cheering, cries of "Bravo", wolf-whistles, crowd-surfing, throwing of knickers etc. did skew the final part of the demo, but frankly, given the limitations of the sound system it was driving, that skewing provided a far more compelling demonstration of the principles than a perfectly clean demo would have done.

Peter


In fact it was unlikely to work properly in the demo even if I'd turned off shuffle - the mic was far too close to the speaker, which was far too quiet and there was way too much background noise.

Cheers, John

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#226726 - 13/07/2004 08:38 Re: 5th Meet [Re: peter]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
Quote:
That's a much rounder number and so probably right (though maybe it does 22KHz normally and 29KHz in some kind of Super Pursuit Mode if you program all the right bits). But even if it's 11KHz, the comment still stands: all the action here is in the bass.


The input can be set to 11.025KHz, 22.05KHz or 29.4KHz. The 11KHz limit mentioned corresponds to a 22.05KHz sample rate which is probably the rate used when sampling aux or tuner for visuals generation (I think Toby wanted to use one of the "standard" rates for his algorithms).

I just maxed out to 29.4KHz for (censored) because the RMS algorithm doesn't care about the sample rate.

It might be a little strong to say that high frequencies are entirely irrelevent. There certainly seem to be fewer peaks and dips up there than in the bass range in real car systems, but you never know when someone's tweeters might have a horrible peak at say 17KHz - unpleasent for anyone who can hear that high.

Cheers, John

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#226727 - 13/07/2004 13:58 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Ah, I didn't know about the 29.4KHz rate. I don't believe it was mentioned in the old kernels and I've never read the full specs for the CS4231A. I'm guessing that makes a big difference. There's a lot of audible information between 11.05KHz and 14.7KHz.

If you're looking for a way to regenerate sine waves of a known frequency then I may be able to help. About a year ago I created a hijack patch to use the DSP's tone generators to produce any tone on demand. Unfortunately the patch never made it into the hijack tree, and since then some of the existing code that the patch relied on has been removed (I used the calculator UI for numerical entry), so it's not a completely trivial merge. The patch included ioctls and also included a fixed point library for the kernel which could be useful for doing other DSP related coding, athough I guess you've got such a library in the player codebase anyway.

Anyway, if you are interested then once I get the new alpha then I can create a patch against it.
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#226728 - 14/07/2004 00:32 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mtempsch]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Quote:
Development was made with a "Ultra-mini electret insert" from Maplins (part no QY62S)


Aw shoot, maybe I'm too electronically disinclined for this mic. Does it require soldering to get a cable and a jack on there? And... hm, I forget how the mic in line on the sled works. Is it just a bare mono line, or a single phono?

In other words, will it require me to learn how to solder and then tear up my install to use the cool newness of V3a8?
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#226729 - 14/07/2004 02:03 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mlord]
Daria
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/01/2002
Posts: 3937
Loc: Providence, RI
Can i drop by and try out the disc?

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#226730 - 14/07/2004 02:37 Re: 5th Meet [Re: FireFox31]
mtempsch
pooh-bah

Registered: 02/06/2000
Posts: 1996
Loc: Gothenburg, Sweden
Quote:
I forget how the mic in line on the sled works. Is it just a bare mono line, or a single phono?


It's a 3.5mm mono jack - it looks like the microphone is "bare", ie you'd have to solder on a wire (and the wire to a 3.5 mm mono plug at the other end)

Quote:
In other words, will it require me to learn how to solder and then tear up my install to use the cool newness of V3a8?


Solder: either you or someone else to do it for you. It's just 4 solder points in all.
Tear up: depends on where your mic input jack is currently stashed, if you can get your fingers on it or not, and if you can feed the wire from the mic from somewhere to the rear/top of the sled and connect jack and plug together w/o having to remove the sled.
_________________________
/Michael

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#226731 - 14/07/2004 03:17 Re: 5th Meet [Re: Daria]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
By all means, feel free!

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#226732 - 14/07/2004 03:52 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mlord]
Daria
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/01/2002
Posts: 3937
Loc: Providence, RI
Hm. Wonder how far of a drive it is.

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#226733 - 14/07/2004 09:02 Re: 5th Meet [Re: Daria]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
Mmmm.. about 7-8 hours I should imagine -- it takes me about 6.5 hours to get here from the Mohonk Preserve (aka "gunks"), which is 70miles this side of NYC.

Cheers

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#226734 - 14/07/2004 23:29 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mtempsch]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Thanks Mike.

Hm, I wonder if I should buy like 10 of these mic's (no, not possessive, just using an apostrophie to pluralize an abbreviated word). Since I'd have to ship from the UK, I might as well make it worth the cost.

.... scratch that. A quick attempt to register with Maplins shows that they don't ship to the US. Hm, ok. No "Build Brothers Certified" mic for me.
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#226735 - 14/07/2004 23:32 Re: 5th Meet [Re: FireFox31]
Phoenix42
veteran

Registered: 21/03/2002
Posts: 1424
Loc: MA but Irish born
I'm sure some one here will do the honours of mailing over a bundle of them to someone for forward to others.

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#226736 - 15/07/2004 02:23 Re: 5th Meet [Re: Phoenix42]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
I'm sure that we could find a local equivalent.
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#226737 - 15/07/2004 03:32 Re: 5th Meet [Re: FireFox31]
RobotCaleb
pooh-bah

Registered: 15/01/2002
Posts: 1866
Loc: Austin
apostrophe*

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#226738 - 15/07/2004 04:18 Re: 5th Meet [Re: Phoenix42]
jarob10
enthusiast

Registered: 07/01/2002
Posts: 274
Loc: Stockport, UK
Quote:
I'm sure some one here will do the honours of mailing over a bundle of them to someone for forward to others

I will gladly help out.
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A coward you are, an expert on bulls you are not.

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#226739 - 15/07/2004 11:46 Re: 5th Meet [Re: FireFox31]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
Don't worry too much about which mic element to use - I'll try and calibrate mine this weekend but I expect to find it's flatish from about 100Hz to 10KHz and just droops a bit outside this range. Pretty much any small condenser element should behave similarly.

Maybe someone over there in the US could choose an easily obtainable element and calibrate it (or you could post a sample to me and I'll do it, but my setup isn't exactly professional ).

One with a published curve would be better of course.

Cheers, John

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#226740 - 15/07/2004 12:02 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Does this work for you? I can get this and send it over asap.
_________________________
-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736

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#226741 - 15/07/2004 12:56 Re: 5th Meet [Re: robricc]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
That mic. is unidirectional, not omnidirectional.

A more likely RatShack candidate is this one.

If that's not suitable then digikey have a long list of mic's. I'd be willing to do a bulk order.
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#226742 - 15/07/2004 13:08 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
mlord
carpal tunnel

Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14496
Loc: Canada
It has to be a condensing microphone -- dunno if that one is or not.

On a related note -- running AutoEQ with NO MICROPHONE attached currently does not do what one might expect of it.. needs some fine tuning, I guess.

Cheers

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#226743 - 15/07/2004 13:11 Re: 5th Meet [Re: robricc]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Wow... And I was looking in the entirely opposite direction when it came to a microphone...
_________________________
Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#226744 - 15/07/2004 15:05 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mlord]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Hmm. I thought that all electret microphones were condensers...

What we do need to know is which parameters are important for this use. We know that we don't need a response beyond 15KHz as the sampling rate is 29.4KHz, although a microphone with an extended range may be flatter for longer. What what about the low end? The Maplin model goes down to 50Hz. We know the DSP is capable of EQing lower than that (17Hz IIRC), although it was limited in software (to 50HZ IIRC). How low does the autoEQ measure?

Is the sensitivity important? Presumably, because the software doesn't know anything about amp gains, it cannot make any assumptions about the audible volume vs the empeg's logical volume. As such, I would also presume that the software has to be fairly smart and would level the frequency response to the average volume, without caring what that volume actually was, hence making the sensitivity of the microphone non-critical.

Voltage and impedance requirements? The Maplin one is 4.5V (optimum) and 1Kohm. How much variance is acceptable?
_________________________
Mk2a 60GB Blue. Serial 030102962 sig.mp3: File Format not Valid.

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#226745 - 15/07/2004 16:27 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
Hi

Both Radio Shack microphones are condensor types and will be compatible with the car player's input (I think the phantom power supply is about 3V in a car player). There's a data sheet for the KUC1515-01-0850 at http://support.radioshack.com/support_supplies/doc9/9798.htm which specifies a wide voltage range of 2-10Volts. From this, and thinking about how these mics work, I believe the exact voltage isn't critical in general.

We do however need to use an omnidirectional mic, since omni mics measure the pressure due to the sound not the air velocity (hence we get a true SPL).

I also prefer the KUC1515-01-0850 as a "standard" unit because it has wires on. Soldering onto those mics is a bit tedious for someone with "normal" soldering skills like me.

I love the Behringer ECM8000 measurement mic - in fact the idea of AutoEQ came from a rainy day in Somerset with Roger, John Ripley and me in Roger's car with my ECM800 and UltraCurve2496 basically trying to determine how Roger's EQ should be set for a flat response. Sadly the ECM8000 specifies 15-42 volts DC supply (typical for pro equipment). It might just work anyway at 3V, but I couldn't guarantee it would still be flat, making the excercise a bit pointless. Another option might be to pre-amp the mic properly and use that signal.

The frequency ranges specified for the microphones is likely to be a "reasonably flat in this range" type thing. We should be able to compensate as long as the microphone doesn't lose so much sensitivity out of range that its signal drops below the noise floor.

I just looked at the EQ code, and can't find a trace of the limits that I added based on some research by someone on this BBS into which low-frequency settings make the EQ go wrong. It's in there somewhere, I'm sure . Basically it replaced the old 50Hz limit with a combination of limited boost/cut limits at frequencies below 50Hz.

AutoEQ bands are centred on:
  • 25
  • 40
  • 63
  • 100
  • 160
  • 320
  • 800
  • 2k
  • 5k
  • 12.5k
In the absence of calibration data you should only rely on the results for bands comfortably inside the mic's flat range. Other bands can be set to 0dB or set by ear.

Best microphone positioning is near your head, because that's where your ears are. You also need to keep background noise as quiet as possible (including handling noise). While AutoEQ is running, the level should be within the range of the cute little VU meter and ideally >=10dB higher than the background noise level. AutoEQ won't do this for you, you have to do it yourself and that may take a few trial runs.

Cheers, John

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#226746 - 15/07/2004 16:32 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
I just looked at the EQ code, and can't find a trace of the limits that I added based on some research by someone on this BBS into which low-frequency settings make the EQ go wrong. It's in there somewhere, I'm sure

That was me, and the reason you can't find it is because that's one of the things that went into place after the codebase tree split. It's in the 2.0 tree and not the 3.0 tree.

Please don't put the limits back into the 3.0 tree. I did the research hoping to find out why I was getting strange distortions and I thought it might be an easy bugfix. I didn't want to be artificially limited in the EQ ranges.
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Tony Fabris

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#226747 - 15/07/2004 16:48 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
pgrzelak
carpal tunnel

Registered: 15/08/2000
Posts: 4859
Loc: New Jersey, USA
I love the Behringer ECM8000 measurement mic - in fact the idea of AutoEQ came from a rainy day in Somerset with Roger, John Ripley and me in Roger's car with my ECM800 and UltraCurve2496 basically trying to determine how Roger's EQ should be set for a flat response. Sadly the ECM8000 specifies 15-42 volts DC supply (typical for pro equipment).

I can think of no better recommendation. And, because I have a 9V battery operated phantom power supply (as linked to in the other thread), I think this will be a good choice. Thanks!
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Paul Grzelak
200GB with 48MB RAM, Illuminated Buttons and Digital Outputs

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#226748 - 16/07/2004 00:39 Re: 5th Meet [Re: RobotCaleb]
FireFox31
pooh-bah

Registered: 19/09/2002
Posts: 2494
Loc: East Coast, USA
Quote:
apostrophe*

Aw, man. What have I ever done to you? And where were you for my past nearly 2 years of horribly spelled posts?
_________________________
-
FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set

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#226749 - 16/07/2004 01:03 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
Miltoid
journeyman

Registered: 17/10/2002
Posts: 57
Loc: Republic of Texas
Quote:
Please don't put the limits back into the 3.0 tree... I didn't want to be artificially limited in the EQ ranges.

I'll second that! I've been afraid to ask if the 50Hz limit from 2.0final had migrated into 3, since I've been too chicken to subject "Tux the tunebox" to any alpha builds.
_________________________
-Milton 100GB Mk2a / (DEAD)Tuner / Stalk Ford Ranger Republic of Texas

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#226750 - 23/07/2004 16:41 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
I also prefer the KUC1515-01-0850 as a "standard" unit because it has wires on.

Mister Graley, sir, I have a question.

In preparation for the autoEQ feature, I just bought a Radio Shack 270-092, which I think (from what I can gather from this thread) is the unit described in that datasheet you linked, Model # KUC1515-01-0850.

Depending on where you look, the last digits of the model number are either 092 or 0092, but I think those two are synonymous in the ratshack parts system. Anyway...

The part I purchased doesn't look like the photo at the radio shack web site linked above. It has three wires coming off of it when I expected two. There is a red and a white wire, as well as a sheath to the white wire. Photo attached...



I thought that the mic connector on the empeg was only two conductors, i.e., mono 1/8". I thought that three conductors meant a balanced connection. So here are my questions:

- Will this mic work?

- I've purchased a mono 1/8" male jack to solder to this microphone so that I can plug it into the empeg's mic connector. If this mic will work, then which wires do I solder to the tip and sleeve of the mono 1/8" jack?


Attachments
227175-mic.jpg (251 downloads)

_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226751 - 23/07/2004 16:52 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
The mechanical drawing lists the red wire as the "power supply wire" and the gray wire(s?) as the "output wire". That doesn't really help me, but maybe it'll mean something to someone else.
_________________________
Bitt Faulk

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#226752 - 24/07/2004 19:25 Re: 5th Meet [Re: wfaulk]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Here is a clearer schematic, from the back of the box. From the looks of it, this microphone needs to be powered. Not sure.



Anyone?


Attachments
227245-diagram.jpg (405 downloads)

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Tony Fabris

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#226753 - 24/07/2004 19:32 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
Waterman981
old hand

Registered: 14/02/2002
Posts: 804
Loc: Salt Lake City, UT
Under the white wire it says "Optional coupling capacitor". Think that means the white is optional? The others it says exactly what they are, Output and Ground. I should really take and electronics class sometime....
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-Michael

#040103696 on a shelf
Mk2a - 90 GB - Red - Illuminated buttons

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#226754 - 24/07/2004 19:35 Re: 5th Meet [Re: Waterman981]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
You're reading it wrong.

Red= V+
White = Output
Shield = Gnd

The "optional coupling capacitor" refers to the capacitor symbol drawn on the white (output) wire.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226755 - 24/07/2004 19:50 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
That sucker needs volts.

The diagram shows a little triangle, that's an amp hence it needs power. I'm sure you could power it off a battery. However it's probably easier to just get one that doesn't need power.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#226756 - 24/07/2004 20:01 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Actually, I happened to have a little two-double-A battery holder sitting here with a couple of wires hanging off of it. I'm trying that next.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226757 - 24/07/2004 20:02 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
Waterman981
old hand

Registered: 14/02/2002
Posts: 804
Loc: Salt Lake City, UT
Doh! I see now what you mean... Have to look closer next time!
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-Michael

#040103696 on a shelf
Mk2a - 90 GB - Red - Illuminated buttons

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#226758 - 24/07/2004 20:26 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
However it's probably easier to just get one that doesn't need power.

Anyone have any idea which radio shack part number would be the correct one, then?

Adding 3v power to this one works, however its output level is quite low.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226759 - 24/07/2004 20:42 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
gbeer
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
It would be low on only 3v. Try patching in a 3rd battery to bring it up to 4.5v.
_________________________
Glenn

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#226760 - 24/07/2004 21:14 Re: 5th Meet [Re: gbeer]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
It would be low on only 3v. Try patching in a 3rd battery to bring it up to 4.5v.


I just tried 9 volts on it (was easier than patching in a 3rd AA batery), and got the exact same output level. Recorded myself into Sound Recorder saying the same thing at the same volume level with the same distance from the mic, once with 3v power and once with 9v power. Same level of output when the two wav files were played back. They were both very quiet (needed to turn my speakers up all the way to hear it) but very clean.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226761 - 25/07/2004 01:43 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
dizar
Quiet One

Registered: 28/01/2004
Posts: 0
Loc: Athens, Greece
First of all, a liitle 101 on microphones: there are 2 kinds:

Dynamic - They are somewhat the opposite of speakers (sound waves move a coil in a magnet), are extremely directional (they have a "cardioid" response in horizontal level) and are typically used in drum sets and some high end models as cheap alternatives in various applications where good performance is required (community radio would be a good example). They don't need to be supplied with power and they don't come in small sizes.

Condenser - They are in essence a capacitor, as the diaphragm is placed over a back plate and as the diaphragm vibrates to sound waves the capacitance between the two changes. For them to work the diaphragm must be polarized, hence the need for power. Condenser mics are omni-directional (when you see a mic on a round table or the mics worn on clothes in TV you can safely bet it's a condenser one although there are exceptions), have generally better frequency response than dynamic ones but are susceptible to room volume and ambient noises.

Now to the point:

The schematic you have is obviously wrong since the way it is drawn it clearly indicates a short between power and ground (1 and 3). I think the black dot was intended to go after the triangle. That also explains the "optional coupling capacitor" that is there to cut off DC and let just the signal go through (and I think that may be why you are having poor performance with yours).

This is all more thoroughly explained here from where I'm copying the following:
Code:

vcc
O
|
/
\
/
\ EQUAL TO REQUIRED IMPEDANCE
/ EX.= 1000 Ohm
\
|
| CAPACITOR MOST ANY VALUE 10uF 16v
|---| | + | /
| |---0----| |------- AUDIO OUT
| | | \
| |----O--------------
|---| |
|
-----
---
-




Now what made me wonder is John Graley's post where he claims "Both Radio Shack microphones are condensor types and will be compatible with the car player's input (I think the phantom power supply is about 3V in a car player)."

Now I did measure with my multimeter and tada, there IS an aprox. 4.5V power supply on the mic connector, so I guess you can just plug wires 2 on the tip and 3 on the ring of the empeg connector and it should work ( i.e. the coupling capacitor should be inside the empeg somewhere and the mic will "feed" by power provided from the unit). Or perhaps you might need to connect 1 and 2 together on the tip if the mic refuses to work out of the white wire.

Sorry for the length and hope this helps.


Dimitris Zarafonitis.

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#226762 - 25/07/2004 04:25 Re: 5th Meet [Re: dizar]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Quote:
The schematic you have is obviously wrong since the way it is drawn it clearly indicates a short between power and ground (1 and 3). I think the black dot was intended to go after the triangle. That also explains the "optional coupling capacitor" that is there to cut off DC and let just the signal go through (and I think that may be why you are having poor performance with yours).


Actually that schematic is correct. It does not show a short to ground at all. The triangle is a preamp (op-amp) inside the mic somewhere. That's pretty standard having the power connections come in either side of the op-amp diagram.

Thus the 3 connections to the mic.
_________________________
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#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#226763 - 25/07/2004 10:57 Re: 5th Meet [Re: Shonky]
dizar
Quiet One

Registered: 28/01/2004
Posts: 0
Loc: Athens, Greece
Quote:
The triangle is a preamp (op-amp) inside the mic somewhere.


So that's what it (clearly ) is

Andy M mentioned it too, but I didn't notice. As I glanced at the schematic it seemed like line 1 was going under the op-amp not like a component with 4 connections. My bad.

So I guess this means for Tony that 1+2 go into the tip of the connector and 3 on the ring. This should work since emped does have phantom power so it must have the coupling capacitor in it's circuit internaly or else it would feed DC to it's mic stage.

The (oversimplified) schematic should look like this:
Code:
                         empeg unit

------------------------
| |
| |
| | vcc |
| / |
| \ |
| / |
--------- | \ |
| | | | |
|---| -------- | | | | / |
| |---|OP-AMP|---o-------0---| |-- |
| | -------- | | \ AUDIO |
| | | | OUT |
| |------O--------------------o---- |
|---| | | |
| --- |
| - |
------------------------



Cheers.

Edit: Allthough now that cofee has kicked in I can't help but think that a capacitor is needed between the op-amp output and the point where red and white wires get joined to cut off DC coming onto the op-amp's output. Hence the reference to the optional coupling capacitor on the mic's schematics.

Which should be lesson enough to not post a) before bed and b) after just having waked up

Code:
                         empeg unit

------------------------
| |
| |
| | vcc |
| / |
| \ |
| / |
------------ | \ |
| | | | |
|---| -------- \ | | | | | / |
| |---|OP-AMP|--| |-o-----0---| |-- |
| | -------- / | | | \ AUDIO |
| | | | OUT |
| |------O---------------------o---- |
|---| | | |
| --- |
| - |
------------------------



Edited by dizar (25/07/2004 11:47)

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#226764 - 25/07/2004 14:16 Re: 5th Meet [Re: dizar]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
This is very good information. Now the only real remaining question is whether I need the capactior or not.

Question: The capacitor, doesn't it change the frequency response of the microphone?
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226765 - 25/07/2004 14:29 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Hm, I've got a box of 0.1uF capactiors, would that work?

... And I'm not clear on which direction (plus or minus) the leads are supposed to go in the schematic. For that matter, I'm not sure which leads are plus or minus on these capactiors. They're little ceramic jobbies, ratshack part number 272-109a. It's not like an LED where one lead is longer than the other, they're both the same length...
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226766 - 25/07/2004 14:43 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
mtempsch
pooh-bah

Registered: 02/06/2000
Posts: 1996
Loc: Gothenburg, Sweden
Quote:
little ceramic jobbies


Most likely non-polarized...
_________________________
/Michael

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#226767 - 25/07/2004 15:04 Re: 5th Meet [Re: mtempsch]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Thanks. Okay, tried it with the 0.1uF capacitor in place trying to use phantom power on the signal line as drawn. Works, but is quieter than when I supply the voltage myself without the capacitor. Since I'm plugging into my SoundBlaster Live instead of the empeg, it's possible that the soundcard doesn't supply phantom power at all.

Still don't know whether this capacitor is changing the frequency response or not?
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226768 - 25/07/2004 16:22 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
dizar
Quiet One

Registered: 28/01/2004
Posts: 0
Loc: Athens, Greece
Quote:
Thanks. Okay, tried it with the 0.1uF capacitor in place trying to use phantom power on the signal line as drawn. Works, but is quieter than when I supply the voltage myself without the capacitor. Since I'm plugging into my SoundBlaster Live instead of the empeg, it's possible that the soundcard doesn't supply phantom power at all.

Still don't know whether this capacitor is changing the frequency response or not?


Check here again about 1/4 down the page where it says "Soundcards and electret microphones". Check the whole section as it has many alternative wiring methods for soundcards. Apparently SB has a stereo plug that uses "Input Wiring: Audio on Tip, Ground on Sleeve, 5Volts DC Bias on Ring" as mentioned on the page.

In other words, if you use SB then you can connect ground/red/white to sleeve/ring/tip respectively and it will work without a capacitor (if you have a stereo jack, then it would be interesting to let us know the results this way). If you used a mono jack on the SB, then you're not feeding the mic any power. On the empeg just use a capacitor and a 2 conductor wire (coaxial preferable).

I don't think the capacitor will (significantly) alter the frequency responce of the microphone.

Cheers.

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#226769 - 25/07/2004 16:26 Re: 5th Meet [Re: dizar]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Thanks, makes sense.

Quote:
I don't think the capacitor will (significantly) alter the frequency responce of the microphone.

Since the purpose of auto-EQ is precise frequency adjustment, even small changes in the frequency response would be undesirable. Anyone know just how much the capacitor would change the frequency response if at all?
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226770 - 25/07/2004 17:28 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
How will the empeg provide this power? Bearing in mind the jack is mono.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#226771 - 25/07/2004 17:42 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
How will the empeg provide this power? Bearing in mind the jack is mono.

On the signal line (tip of plug) as phantom power, just as drawn in the schematics above. Signal line does double duty: supplies power as well as sensing the signal.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226772 - 25/07/2004 18:04 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Never heard of single ended phantom power. Then again I try not slum it in domestic audio.
_________________________
Cheers,

Andy M

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#226773 - 25/07/2004 21:37 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
dizar
Quiet One

Registered: 28/01/2004
Posts: 0
Loc: Athens, Greece
Tony,

Try the following 2 on your SB:
Code:


----------------------- TIP
|
|---| -------- \ |
| |---|OP-AMP|--| |------------- RING
| | -------- / |
| | |
| |------O---------------------- SLEEVE
|---|


| /
------------ ---| |-- TIP
| | | | \
|---| -------- \ | | |
| |---|OP-AMP|--| |-o---o------- RING
| | -------- / |
| | |
| |------O---------------------- SLEEVE
|---|



Schematic 1 is the ideal, while 2 is closer to what you'll get on the empeg. Try recording with the two configurations and see what goes on.

I would suggest recording the same parts of a track out of your stereo with the mic in the exact same position and the volume untouched. If you get significant difference try using capacitors nearer the 10uF value (or even bigger) of high-quality plastic film type. Also bear in mind the voltage of your capacitors (the 16V offered in the aforementioned page is OK for a theoretical maximux 10V voltage).

If I understand the theory in this correctly, the capacitors will not in any way alter the response FREQUENCY WISE since the signal is of alternating nature and measured in the range of a few hundred mVolts max. There is a chance though that you will get weak signal, that's why I'm suggesting experimenting a little with the capacitance and you can also try adding a resistor as in the following shematic to adjust to the input impedance that is 600 to 1500 Ohms in SB. I have a tie clip type condenser here that uses a 22uF after its 1.35 volts button battery and a 1000 Ohms resistor.

Code:
                             | /
---/\/\/\--- ---| |-- TIP
| | | | \
|---| -------- \ | | |
| |---|OP-AMP|--| |-o---o------- RING
| | -------- / |
| | |
| |------O---------------------- SLEEVE
|---|



Me has no idea what the input impedance is on the empeg, but I'm quessing roughly the same as the SB.

Cheers.

PS. OTOH, istead of going through all this trouble, you could just go and get yourself a 2 wire condenser

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#226774 - 25/07/2004 23:32 Re: 5th Meet [Re: dizar]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
istead of going through all this trouble, you could just go and get yourself a 2 wire condenser

See, that's the problem. I want to get the exact correct mic that can be used for the auto-EQ feature on the v3a8 player software. I came to this thread and was directed to that radio shack part number. So was that part number wrong?

If so, then what is the right part number?
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226775 - 26/07/2004 05:54 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
StigOE
addict

Registered: 27/10/2002
Posts: 568
I'm not sure if they'd work, but you can put them either way. They're not polarized. Just try and see if it works.

It's a long time since I last read about these microphones, but I seem to remember that you'd need to put a resistor between pin 1 and 2. A Google should turn up something about them...

Stig

Edit: Looks like I just replied to an earlier post.... Think I need to check my cache settings. Bummer...

Edit 2: I think a 0.1uF cap is too small. I know that an amplifier I built used a 2.2uF at the input. And yes, the cap will affect the frequency-curve. It will be a LF-filter, but I can't remember much of the theory. It's about 16 years since I learnt (and used) it...


Edited by StigOE (26/07/2004 06:41)

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#226776 - 26/07/2004 15:19 Re: 5th Meet [Re: StigOE]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
Oooh dear it lookes like I've got a lot of catching up to do.

The AutoEQ is not optimised for any particular mic. It assumes the microphone has a flat frequency response. The better the mic you use, the better the AutoEQ will perform, but for thorectially perfect results, you would have to know the frequency response of your mic and correct for it afterwards (by simply adjusting the eq gains manually).

Now, my idea about nominating a particular model of microphone for a "standard" is simply that we can determine its frequency response and share that info between everyone who has the same mic. Rather like internet standards, consistency is more important than quality.

However, it turns out that radio shack were rude enough not to mention in their datasheet that the KUC1515-01-0850 is a 3 lead model.

This makes it hard to connect to the player without additional components, and those component values will affect frequency repsonse... thereby undermining our attempts sharing a measured frequency response.

The question is, how many people have bought one? If lots of you guys have then we now need to invent a recommended standard way of connecting the KUC1515-01-0850 to the car player otherwise I will un-recommend the KUC1515-01-850 and pick something else with 2 leads to recommend instead.

I couldn't find a circuit on http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/microphone_powering.html for connecting a mic such as KUC1515-01-850 to a car player. I would have thought, referring to Tony's image that
  • empeg ground to mic ground
  • empeg signal to mic power (red) via 3.3K resistor
  • empeg signal also to mic signal (white) via 4.7uF capacitor
might work from looking at the car player schematics (basically trying to seperate AC signal from DC power).

Cheers, John

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#226777 - 26/07/2004 15:33 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
At a total of $4, I'm pretty sure most people would be willing to buy a seccond more appropriet one should they have already bought the radio shack one.

Matthew

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#226778 - 26/07/2004 15:59 Re: 5th Meet [Re: matthew_k]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Yes, I'd be happy to spend a few bucks on another mic, provided that I knew for sure it was going to work.
_________________________
Tony Fabris

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#226779 - 26/07/2004 21:11 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
Waterman981
old hand

Registered: 14/02/2002
Posts: 804
Loc: Salt Lake City, UT
I stopped in Radio Shack today and found a 2 conductor Omnidirectional Condenser microphone for $1 less than the other one. Model number 270-090 (no docs on radioshack.com) The frequency response looks the same. From its wiring diagram it looks to do just like what we were saying before combining the power and output leads. It puts both power and output on the same lead, but wants a resistor later when it is split up(this would be inside the empeg?)
Differences from Tony's include:
Supply Voltage: 1.0 to 10VDC
Current Drain: 0.3mA (max)
Signal/noise: 60dB(min)
Sensitivity: -64 + or - 2dB

And now for the crappy pics! Sorry, no camera with macro capability.


Next to wiring diagram it says "Optional coupling capacitor (1-10 ufd)" and between the wires it says: "Resistor required (up to 1k)"


Attachments
227405-mic.jpg (364 downloads)

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-Michael

#040103696 on a shelf
Mk2a - 90 GB - Red - Illuminated buttons

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#226780 - 27/07/2004 08:44 Re: 5th Meet [Re: Waterman981]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
Looks hopeful. How about this time we try out the mic first and then standardise on it once we're sure it's suitable.

If others have the 3-wire mic and are impatiant to try out the feature, I suggest in the meantime using either batteries or my suggested circuit to run the mic and have a go... it will take a while to get used to the EQ. Remember to turn off shuffle, xfade etc and set EQ locks to independant.

Cheers, John

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#226781 - 27/07/2004 16:46 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
If others have the 3-wire mic and are impatiant to try out the feature, I suggest in the meantime using either batteries or my suggested circuit to run the mic and have a go...

Tried it with the batteries and the gain level was too low for v3a8 to do proper compensation. The level meter only flicked a few pixels briefly on the lowest frequencies. This was with the volume cranked uncomfortably loud on the player.
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Tony Fabris

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#226782 - 29/07/2004 13:07 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
JonnyGee
journeyman

Registered: 30/01/2002
Posts: 56
Loc: Cambridge, UK
It's possible that the mic is rolling off down at those frequencies. Were all the other bands looking OK for levels during the test? If so, then those other bands are probably EQ'd correctly.

Cheers, John

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#226783 - 29/07/2004 15:35 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
No, I'm talking about the animated "VU Meter" bar on the upper left of the screen. It blinks and shows the input level when the microphone gets input. For instance, if I tap the mic, I see it flash a level for a moment.

So I can tell when the mic is "hearing" something loud enough to register.

What I'm saying is that this particular mic is nowhere near sensitive enough to make any of the frequencies register at all, except the lowest subwoofer bass notes that make my car shake. Only those lowest car-shaking frequencies made that little level meter blink at all. The midrange and higher frequencies didn't even make it blip.

The mic just doesn't get "loud enough".
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Tony Fabris

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#226784 - 29/07/2004 17:33 Re: 5th Meet [Re: tfabris]
matthew_k
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/02/2002
Posts: 2298
Loc: Berkeley, California
Quote:
The mic just doesn't get "loud enough".

Should of got one that went up to 11, eh?

Matthew

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#226785 - 29/07/2004 17:35 Re: 5th Meet [Re: matthew_k]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
should've
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#226786 - 29/07/2004 19:02 Re: 5th Meet [Re: wfaulk]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
Gotta fix your user title back to "Grammar Police" again.
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Tony Fabris

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#226787 - 13/08/2004 01:26 Re: 5th Meet [Re: JonnyGee]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Ok, I picked up a RatShack 2 wire pcb-mount electret mike today, 270-090 for $2.59. The specs that their webpage link to do not match those given on the back of the package though. Package is;

V+: nominally 4.5V, 1V < V+ < 10V
ID: 0.3mA max.
SnR: 60dB min.
Sensitivity: -64 +/-2dB
Ro: 1kohm.

Frequency response graph is identical to that which Tony scanned earlier in the thread, flat from 30Hz to about 2.5kHz, 10dB/octave rise to 5kHz, 10dB/octave rolloff from 5KHz (ie 0dB at 10kHz).

I also picked up a cable. It turns out that RatShack sell one ideally suited to this task - 1/8" mono plug to tinned wire ends, 6' long, for $3.29. (42-2434)

I'll let you know how I get on with this when I get a chance to play with it.


Edited by wfaulk (13/08/2004 12:13)
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#226788 - 13/08/2004 02:12 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
Waterman981
old hand

Registered: 14/02/2002
Posts: 804
Loc: Salt Lake City, UT
Looks like the exact mic I have here as well. I haven't messed with mine yet so I can't wait to hear how yours turned out. I really need to go get more heat shrink as it's the only thing keeping me from finishing this.
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#040103696 on a shelf
Mk2a - 90 GB - Red - Illuminated buttons

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#226789 - 15/08/2004 10:07 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
SE_Sport_Driver
carpal tunnel

Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
I was planning on picking up these parts today. Have you had any luck with them?

I have about 4 or 5 local friends and family that have empegs (and for some reason never got involved on this BBS) and I'm going to setup my spare empeg with the AutoEQ alpha to bring to each of their cars. Granted, they'll have to pull their dash to gain access to the microphone input, but then we'll simply copy the EQ settings over to their players.

Is there a way to transfer only the EQ presets via ftp from one empeg to another?
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Brad B.

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#226790 - 15/08/2004 13:17 Re: 5th Meet [Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Guys, I don't know if you've already tried Auto Eq, but I warn you that you might be disappointed. It's still in the early stages of development, and out of the half-a-dozen curves I've made with this feature, only 1 is listenable and my favorite setting is still the one made by using the flaps of skin either side of my head.

The best feature of alpha8 is the extended memory support.
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Andy M

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#226791 - 15/08/2004 13:41 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
SE_Sport_Driver
carpal tunnel

Registered: 05/01/2001
Posts: 4903
Loc: Detroit, MI USA
Hm... I could have sworn a few people posted that they were getting great results with this. I think Mark Lord was one of them, I don't remember the others.
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Brad B.

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#226792 - 15/08/2004 13:52 Re: 5th Meet [Re: SE_Sport_Driver]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
It seemed to work the first time I tried it in the house but once I got in the car there was clicking/popping/whining noises as the eq tried to adjust itself. This was after following all of JonnyG's instructions.
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Andy M

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#226793 - 15/08/2004 18:45 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
schofiel
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/06/1999
Posts: 2993
Loc: Wareham, Dorset, UK
Then I would suggest that either your sled wiring is damaged for the mike (loose earthing crimp?) or that you have got the mike positioned pretty close to one channel of the amp output. Try checking them out.
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#226794 - 15/08/2004 19:06 Re: 5th Meet [Re: schofiel]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
I checked the sled before I installed the mic and everything was okay. The empeg behaves flawlessly in every other aspect so I doubt the amp wiring is at fault. The mic was held in the centre of the car. I have tested the mic with several other sources.

If I were to say anything was faulty then I think it's the DSP. As I mentioned in another thread, it never seems to play all the tones, there always one or two tones that you couldn't hear. Of course another run of the auto eq would result in another tone being inaudible. I very nearly damaged the speakers last time and was left with a high pitched whining noise that you could only get rid of by selecting another eq preset. I'm not really keen on trying it again just yet.

Has anyone sucessfully used AutoEq in a car? Because i'm unable to find any posts that say this.
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Cheers,

Andy M

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#226795 - 15/08/2004 19:11 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
One thing to note - having shuffle mode activated can cause unpredictable results.
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#226796 - 15/08/2004 19:17 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
I think I said earlier on that i'd made sure all of that sort of stuff was off.

Shuffle Off
Cross Fading Off
Pitch Bend Off
Hijack Bass and Treble set to 0
EQ Locks Independant
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Cheers,

Andy M

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#226797 - 15/08/2004 19:35 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31602
Loc: Seattle, WA
May I say that I've also seen situations where the auto-EQ does not properly play the tones. Sometimes it works fine, and sometimes it locks up or makes odd noises. I don't think Andy is imagining it.
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Tony Fabris

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#226798 - 15/08/2004 20:16 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
Shonky
pooh-bah

Registered: 12/01/2002
Posts: 2009
Loc: Brisbane, Australia
Quote:
The best feature of alpha8 is the extended memory support.


What about these then? If someone can tell me they are fixed or not I'll start harassing people for 3a8 or alternately I'll go back in my hole respectively depending on the answer.
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Christian
#40104192 120Gb (no longer in my E36 M3, won't fit the E46 M3)

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#226799 - 15/08/2004 23:56 Re: 5th Meet [Re: andym]
genixia
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/02/2002
Posts: 3411
Oh, two more things to check... Hijack's L/R time alignment, and VolAdjust.
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#226800 - 16/08/2004 16:15 Re: 5th Meet [Re: genixia]
image
old hand

Registered: 28/04/2002
Posts: 770
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
Loudness also set to 0db.

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#226801 - 25/08/2004 19:35 Re: 5th Meet [Re: image]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Tried setting everything back to normal. Had another go and blew the HF driver on my front components. Oh well, looks like an upgrade is on the cards now.
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Cheers,

Andy M

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