In article ,
Bill Thompson wrote:


but then you get to charge more for your services... right???

Only for a while. As soon as a studio starts skimping on maintenance it is
only a matter of time before they go out of business.
Ten years ago all the big studios here (UK) had full time maintenance staff
with standbies. Most producers would refuse to do a session without
technical backup on site. That was the first thing to go when the going
got tough. Now most of the famous residentials have gone, the big artists
that used to support them have consoles in their garden sheds, division 2
studios have second hand consoles and go out for 300 quid a day or less and
maintenance is unheard of even as an abstract concept. Don't know if you
heard Frank Andrews' tirade against the record companies when Ridge Farm
closed earlier this year?


Hmmm... guess you are right... but for basic alignment, excepting tape
decks, I think one can get away with a signal generator and a meter.

For tape alignment I wouldn't use a scope as I normally have a phase meter
on the console.
I meant more for checking all sorts of signals. Too many other indicators
are interpretive, even a DMM, but a scope shows you exactly what is there
with lots of tiny subtleties.


Now if you really want to build one combine the Amber 4400 with the
Portable One and sell it for $1k and you have a winner!!!!

That is just about what I was thinking of
The 4400 is still the standard I compare others to in terms of ease of use.
Not accuracy though.

Just out of curiousity... how would you describe the ideal studio test
set???

Fast and relevant to the job in hand, ie not based on the old paradigm.
Wait till I write the brochure.


It is, sadly, a very different world.

It gets more like Soylent Green everyday - the bit about finding someone
who can still repair a watch.