Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart.

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bitman
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2008/05/21 15:23:23 (permalink)

Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart.

Hello,

So I like many, wanted a record light driven by sonar.
Now the prerequisites:

I have my studio somewhat outfitted with X10 home automation. (Cheap)
I also DO NOT use sonar's audio metronome, but use a hardware one that we can print on a track too.

So I:

Made a 22khz wave file with Wavelab's create a wave file option. and called it 22khz_key.wav.
The I assigned that wav file to SONAR's audio metronome. This gives a steady tone out a dedicated audio port above the range of hearing.
Set the audio metronome to only be active during record. Now when you are in record mode, you get this tone out of an audio port of your
choosing that you can drive a ducker with (For talkback/monitor gating) and because the tone is above what you can hear, feedthough is not an issue when keying a gate with it.

So what about the record light?

I found an X10 module that responds to audio input. The PF284 takes audio in and activates the x10 devices in your facility that are on its
"address". However, It's input range is 6-18 volts! - This cannot be driven from a line out. So I had to modify it. Here is the schematic of a PF284 front end.



The prescription for increasing it's sensitivity is as follows:

Remove the 3.3k resistor completely.
Put a 100k resistor across the input terminals.
This device will respond now to signals as low as -3db. The wave file I made is odb full scale.

So I address a lamp with this PF284 and trigger it with my metronone audio record key. Now any lamp
attached to a lamp controller at the same address as the PF284 will light during record.

Have fun.

:Ron


#1

13 Replies Related Threads

    The Maillard Reaction
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 15:33:58 (permalink)
    nicely done.
    #2
    garrigus
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 15:35:57 (permalink)
    Hey Ron,

    That's very cool! Yeah, I use some X-10 stuff in my home and it works pretty well. Nothing homemade like what you came up with though. I didn't even know they made an X-10 audio module. Very interesting and thanks for info...

    Scott

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    post edited by garrigus - 2008/05/21 15:57:30
    #3
    bitman
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 15:37:48 (permalink)
    I use X10 modules on little Behringer Cue mixers at all the play stations in the tracking room.
    I can turn them on and off from where I sit.

    X10 Rox.

    :Ron
    #4
    aiken
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 15:56:25 (permalink)
    This is why I desperately wish Cakewalk would allow a pre/post record/play script to be run. Wouldn't that be so much easier? I don't need a light, but I would love to be able to turn overclocking on and off when playback starts/stops (so as to minimize heat/noise when the computer is idle).
    #5
    NYSR
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 16:06:54 (permalink)
    Well done. A feature long wanted by many.



    Cakewalk customer since Apprentice version 1, PreSonus 16.4.2 ai, 3.5 gHz i7

    #6
    bitman
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 16:19:15 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: aiken

    This is why I desperately wish Cakewalk would allow a pre/post record/play script to be run. Wouldn't that be so much easier? I don't need a light, but I would love to be able to turn overclocking on and off when playback starts/stops (so as to minimize heat/noise when the computer is idle).


    Is the over clocking funtion turned on with a hardware switch? If so. you could use X10 and the audo metronome hack to do it. The UM506 device will "close contacts" in response to an X10 command.

    :Ron
    post edited by bitman - 2008/05/21 16:47:47
    #7
    bitman
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 16:33:04 (permalink)
    You know what though?

    Now that I've come this far, I have found out that real live "RECORDING" lights are outrageously overpriced.

    :Ron


    #8
    aiken
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 16:46:06 (permalink)

    ORIGINAL: bitman

    You know what though?

    Now that I've come this far, I have found out that real live "RECORDING" lights are outrageously overpriced.

    :Ron





    Check eBay.
    #9
    bitman
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 17:18:08 (permalink)
    I saw that. But I can't even afford a small bidding war right now.

    #10
    frankandfree
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 17:53:02 (permalink)
    Hossa, that´s smart. Draw my hat.

    Dumb question: Couldn´t that be done with midi MMC messages as well? There are these converters from midi to electric switch... I remember an anecdote about somebody who assigned a button in Logic for remote controlling his coffee-machine.


    Frank
    #11
    razor
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/21 19:25:44 (permalink)

    ORIGINAL: frankandfree

    Hossa, that´s smart. Draw my hat.

    Dumb question: Couldn´t that be done with midi MMC messages as well? There are these converters from midi to electric switch... I remember an anecdote about somebody who assigned a button in Logic for remote controlling his coffee-machine.


    Frank

    Yea, can't you do this with MIDI too? I went to a NAMM show years ago and there was a vendor selling MIDI driven light systems--you know, so the light show is automatically in sync with the music.

    sd
    #12
    Big Al
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/22 23:50:13 (permalink)
    quote:

    ORIGINAL: bitman

    You know what though?

    Now that I've come this far, I have found out that real live "RECORDING" lights are outrageously overpriced.

    :Ron


    A guy in New Zealand is selling them for $99US - is that too expensive? Here is the website http://www.studio-lights.com/

    Al
    #13
    mudgel
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    RE: Recording Light Solution - Not for the faint of heart. 2008/05/23 00:02:33 (permalink)
    I just checked them out.
    From the spec sheet its still just a light albeit a fancy one. How to turn it on and off is still left up to you or as they say on the site there are so many possible vaiations its best left to your electrical contractor. So not a complete solution.

    Mike V. (MUDGEL)

    STUDIO: Win 10 Pro x64, SPlat & CbB x64,
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