Noise-Ode to the Neptune Audio Mixer
Added: Sep 7, 2008
Author: ashfordaisyak
Duration: 2:45
This is one third a tribute to the mysterious and wonderful Neptune 610 Audio Mixer, one third a despairing melodrama of noise/music angst, and one third a documentary on the dynamics of ebay at the dawn of the 21st century. You may think this is rather self-indulgent, but I can assure you it is not, sir or madam!Everyone remembers their first ebay buy, yes? Mine was in 2000: an audio mixer, but a rather odd looking one with rotary controls, wooden sides and integrated spring reverb: a Neptune 610. The US-based seller was the coolly named Dr. Robert Rush who played in an interesting reformed 60s band, 'The Rip Chords' (a phrase which could equally refer to the shredded quasi-chordal grot this mixer would later be privy to). He included a photo of the band with the parcel, which I have treasured.After the mixer arrived, the vivacity of the EQs and the haunting reverb impelled a hardcore research effort into this device. It transpired that these fantastic mixers were manufactured in limited numbers during the 1970s as user assembly kits. It dawned on me that perhaps Dr. Rush had assembled this mixer himself from one of these kits? If so, his supplementary letters kindly dispensing encouragement to "make some great music" were not so much throwaway pleasantries, but personal pleas; last requests infused with earth-shattering, life-threatening urgency (conveyed in the vid through use of the Terminator II theme). Dutifully, I heeded his words both on the sheer brilliance of his mixer, and out of a slight fear that the 'Rip Chords' would appear on my doorstep one day and kick up aggro. Seven years later and after much usage and love, the 'great music' has not manifested itself, which is worrying. Incidentally, the benchmark on which I'm measuring 'great music' is the Rip Chords' 1964 hit "Hey Little Cobra". I have never witnessed any mini-skirted girls or 'teddy boys' jiving to my groove... and I've got CCTV and long-range binoculars too.Anyways, here the springy skeleton of a train seat is agitated by a door-bell solenoid (discovered on the pavement outside a SPAR newsagents on Tyrwhitt Road, London) controlled by a phase locked loop style feedback signal. The Neptune is mixing different signals from pickups placed on the train seat skeleton. 'Great music' or not, 'twas hyperinteresting. Thanks Neptune, you great 110V nutter!
Channel: Howto
Tags:
bosom
doorbell
ebay
electronics
epiphany
gubbins
loud
melodrama
metal
mixer
mother
neptune
noise
reverb
spar
spring
unit
Rating: 4.46 (59 ratings)
Views: 12672' favoriteCount='70
Comments: 73
Added: Sep 7, 2008
Author: ashfordaisyak
Duration: 2:45
This is one third a tribute to the mysterious and wonderful Neptune 610 Audio Mixer, one third a despairing melodrama of noise/music angst, and one third a documentary on the dynamics of ebay at the dawn of the 21st century. You may think this is rather self-indulgent, but I can assure you it is not, sir or madam!Everyone remembers their first ebay buy, yes? Mine was in 2000: an audio mixer, but a rather odd looking one with rotary controls, wooden sides and integrated spring reverb: a Neptune 610. The US-based seller was the coolly named Dr. Robert Rush who played in an interesting reformed 60s band, 'The Rip Chords' (a phrase which could equally refer to the shredded quasi-chordal grot this mixer would later be privy to). He included a photo of the band with the parcel, which I have treasured.After the mixer arrived, the vivacity of the EQs and the haunting reverb impelled a hardcore research effort into this device. It transpired that these fantastic mixers were manufactured in limited numbers during the 1970s as user assembly kits. It dawned on me that perhaps Dr. Rush had assembled this mixer himself from one of these kits? If so, his supplementary letters kindly dispensing encouragement to "make some great music" were not so much throwaway pleasantries, but personal pleas; last requests infused with earth-shattering, life-threatening urgency (conveyed in the vid through use of the Terminator II theme). Dutifully, I heeded his words both on the sheer brilliance of his mixer, and out of a slight fear that the 'Rip Chords' would appear on my doorstep one day and kick up aggro. Seven years later and after much usage and love, the 'great music' has not manifested itself, which is worrying. Incidentally, the benchmark on which I'm measuring 'great music' is the Rip Chords' 1964 hit "Hey Little Cobra". I have never witnessed any mini-skirted girls or 'teddy boys' jiving to my groove... and I've got CCTV and long-range binoculars too.Anyways, here the springy skeleton of a train seat is agitated by a door-bell solenoid (discovered on the pavement outside a SPAR newsagents on Tyrwhitt Road, London) controlled by a phase locked loop style feedback signal. The Neptune is mixing different signals from pickups placed on the train seat skeleton. 'Great music' or not, 'twas hyperinteresting. Thanks Neptune, you great 110V nutter!
Channel: Howto
Tags: bosom doorbell ebay electronics epiphany gubbins loud melodrama metal mixer mother neptune noise reverb spar spring unit
Rating: 4.46 (59 ratings) Views: 12672' favoriteCount='70 Comments: 73
