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Cobalt

@cobaltmusic.fi

35 followers 16 following 66 posts

I swear a lot. Musician and DJ from Lahti, Finland. The SFW alt of @tommyswanson.fi Other interests include: linguistics, shitposting, amateur radio, electronics, photography, radioactivity, gaming, networking, technology, etc.

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Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 24d

Hi! I'm Tommy. I'm a musician, producer, DJ, and a photographer, among some other hobbies!

If you like what I do, please consider supporting me by buying my music or getting me something from my Throne wishlist!

#introduction

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 3h

there's SOME difference but it didn't get all of it? at least the knob isn't sticky and gross anymore, but there's still some gunk looking stuff on it. I'll try repeating the experiment on another knob with the alcohol

the same knob as previously, the top of the knob is slightly less dirty looking

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 14h

I'm thinking I'm gonna design 3D printable replacement knobs and sliders for the ones that are missing. I've never had 3D modeling experience so wish me luck lol

coincidentally, any tips any of y'all would like to give me? I'm armed with a caliper and I'm not afraid to use it

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Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 14h

I'll test it on one of the gray topped white knobs since they seem to be the most abundant. I'm gonna leave it in very dilute dish soap water over night, see how that works out. no big deal if it destroys it, there are enough of these between the two mixers to make one complete one

the side of the knob. there is a clear gradient of dirt going up the knob, the less dirty part being at the bottom

the bottom looks fine too, but since I'm doing a comparison might as well get all sides documented

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 15h

recommendations on what to do with the knobs? let sit in IPA or dish soap for a while? idk how either reacts with this kind of plastic, they're all covered in that weird sticky oily gunk

eight plastic containers all full of knobs of different colours

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 15h

oh derp I have no idea why I skipped over the speaker outputs at the back. that's fixed now. so 266 out of 272 connectors tested and working!

also forgor there are two headphone jacks at the front, both work perfectly so 270 out of 278 connectors (+2 for talkback mic inputs, I have no mic for them)

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 15h

I lucked out, this is basically no work at all for ~1500€ profits. an "excellent" graded one went for 1200€ on reverb and a mint one went for 1650€. even the cut down 16-channel Venice 160 went for 900€

I think I can get 1600€ for mine since they're thoroughly tested and I've just serviced them

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 16h

it really does seem like all these mixers need is some isopropyl alcohol to get rid of all the dirt, grime, and tape residue and some contact cleaner in the pots. that's the only fault I could find with both of them is that the pots and buttons are oxidized. some more so, some less so

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 16h

it seems like these things are pretty rare, but not ONE THOUSAND US DOLLARS rare haha idk what kind of scam they're running here

last one sold in august for 240€ plus shipping

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 16h

the drama in the Midas EPS 1200 ebay seller community situation is crazy

the same listing as before, but this time the watermark from the original seller has been written over with the new seller's watermark, leaving the old one still visible. the overlaid watermark reads "automation-xncy". the seller has 29 reviews from customers on their account, 81.8% of which are positive

the same listing as before, but again, the watermark from the original seller has been written over with the new seller's watermark, leaving the old one still visible. the new watermark reads "autodevice-01", the seller has 20 reviews by customers on their account, 100% of which are positive

the same listing as before, but this time the watermark has been completely erased and replaced with a new one. however, the other images for the listing are of something completely unrelated with the first one being the only one that features the item being sold. the seller has 529 reviews from customers on their account, 100% of which are positive

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 16h

of course, I don't know if the external power supply connector works because I don't have one and they're expensive - several hundred euros expensive. there's no reason it shouldn't work though, it seems to be just taking the power from the PSU and putting it where the internal PSU would put it too

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 16h

I was able to test 262 connectors (plus all 48V phantoms) out of 272, and they all work perfectly on both mixers! for the rest I'll need a balanced 6.35mm cable which I wasn't able to buy today because all the music stores are closed. I highly doubt the rest are gonna pose any problems though

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 17h

I have NO idea how someone managed this, but the stalk on the channel 7 pot on one of the mixers was bent. no damage anywhere around it, it was just the stalk that was bent, and ONLY that. it's such precise damage that I wonder if someone hit it? gently bent it back with some pliers, good as new :)

a close-up of channel 7 of one of the mixers, the stalk (the part that the actual knob attaches to on the potentiometer) is bent to the left

the stalk has been bent back and now looks exactly like the others

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 20h

the power of the humble toothbrush and a can of compressed air lmao

I think the black schmutz is the same stuff that's on the pots, it's some kind of grease or oil or something. it's sticky and the toothbrush just kind of spreads it around. I can get rid of it tomorrow when I get some IPA

a picture of the mixer, there is black looking stuff everywhere around the pots

the very same angle as the previous picture, everything is noticeably better but still not perfect

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

I just counted all the removable knobs, there are a total of 353 of them. combine that with the 144 connectors on the back (and multiply the total by two because there are two of them!), I REALLY hope I'm not gonna have to take these apart lmao

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

there are two 4-pin sockets for 12V lamps at a maximum of 5 watts. wattage definitely isn't going to be a problem with modern LED lamps, but I'm pondering whether to get them in the first place. about 50USD per lamp. would they raise the resale value of the consoles by that much or more?

two connectors which look suspiciously like XLR but are actually 4 pins instead of 3. it reads "lamp" above them and "12V/5W" below them

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

nope, even though I scrubbed with the toothbrush, the pots are still disgustingly sticky haha

I'll need to get some IPA tomorrow to really get at it. at least I can get the biggest crap off with the brush

tried out all the mic inputs and phantom power, both of which seem to be fully functional

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

I swang an extremely soft toothbrush around and blasted it with compressed air. it's not quite perfect yet but holy shit the difference is already night and day. gonna give it a more proper clean with isopropyl alcohol later, but this is definitely good enough for testing the condition

an extreme close-up of some of the knobs, there is clearly visible grime around them

the same picture, but this time the knobs are looking almost squeaky clean

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

there's no way in hell that I'm gonna be assessing the working condition of these and touching all these knobs without giving them a good clean first, so I'm gonna do that before even powering them on

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

in theory most these two should need is some contact cleaner in all of the pots and maybe some resoldering. should be an easy fix, just gonna take a while. the one with the green tape at the bottom right should actually be working, but the seller told me it keeps dropping one of the stereo channels

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

even just taking all the knobs off so I can clean under them took THIRTY MINUTES just for the one mixer haha my fingers also hurt

the seller told me that these had been in use for a long time at a nightclub, and I can believe that based on the amount of grime on this thing. it's nasty lmao

a picture of the mixer with all the knobs in place

a picture of the mixer with all the knobs taken off

an extreme close-up of some of the knobs, half of the whole mixer is covered in grime as if it hasn't been cleaned in years

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 1d

thread about fixing up two Midas Venice 320 mixers that I bought for a total of 200€!

I also have an investor who's agreed to put 100€ towards it. if I get these in good working condition and can sell them for a good price, we'll split the profits

two Midas Venice 320 mixing consoles on the floor, there are an uncountable (slight exaggeration) amount of knobs and sliders

a close-up shot of the rows of knobs, there are white-ish ones with gray tops, white with green top, white with red top, and many other kinds of colours

a close-up of the faders. many are missing, but these shouldn't be too hard to source online

the back of the mixing console. there are a total of 144 connectors (unless I lost count somewhere which is somewhat likely)

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Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 23d

backspin practice!

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 23d

practicing spindowns!

Reposted by Cobalt

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 24d

if you'd like to read through the thread I made for this on my main account, see this post

the account is NSFW but nothing in the thread is NSFW. also, if you're OK with NSFW content, feel free to follow me on there! I only use this account for posting about music nowadays

Tommy Swanson @tommyswanson.fi · Aug 25

just secured a 555€ turntable for 375€ let's goooo

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Reposted by Cobalt

Cobalt @cobaltmusic.fi · 24d

the finger lift of the ortofon concorde club mk2 glows under UV light!

a concorde club mk2 being lit by a UV light. the cartridge is bathed in purple light

the same photo as previously, but this time zoomed out so the shine on the finger lift and the reflected light are more evident

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