[Eeyore]

Eeyore wrote:

Mike Rivers wrote:

Sometimes a bad idea or concept gets copied. For example, the new Mackie
and Behringer mixers have gain trim controls that have a 20 dB increase
in gain over about the last 10 degrees of rotation (I don't remember if
those are the exact numbers but I've measured both bacause it was damn
annoying and I wanted to mention it in a review).

Tell me about it.

The justification,
which is indeed valid for a good many users, is that the 25-45 dB gain
range is spread out over a fair amount of rotation of the control, and
that's where most of those controls will be set. But for those of us who
don't regularly record amplifiers, drums, or screaming vocalists, we
want to be able to adjust gain in the 50-60 dB range.

But what I suspect is that Mackie had the idea for that taper (they've
used it on a number of their products) and Behringer gets the same pots
from the same source and probably never actually gave the taper any
thought.

No it's simply a standard taper, probably 10C or 15C. They do that.

I use something different that's specially made. In fact my history of doing so
goes back to 1981 because as a *sound mixer* as well as a designer I know it's
important.

Actually, if I can find the file, I just realised I have a copy of the special
taper Neohm made for use. They really spent some time on it. It had a carbon wiper
too to avoid the all too common early failure of this control, one of the most used
pots on a desk. Can be found on the Studiomaster '8 into 4' rack mounting mixer,
examples of which are still in use today.

It may have been the first real 'volume quantity' mixer ever built. We made 200 a
month which was unheard of back then. But for the lack of transformer ins and outs
we could have sold tons more to the US too.

http://www.studiomaster.com/1978%20-%201981.htm at the bottom. My first commercial
product.

Graham