A lot of people keep asking what to use for flashes, Zoom recorders, professional shock mount 
microphones adapters and their DSLR

1/4″ 20 threads per inch is the thread size used on photo and video camera mounts and tripods. Your DSLR camera is having a 1/4″ thread female mount and your DSLR tripod is a 1/4″ thread male mount. Professional microphones (like those you see on stage at rock concerts 🙂 ) use 3/8″ and 5/8″ thread mounts.

The 5/8″ 27 threads per inch  mount is popular in USA, while the 3/8″ 16 threads per inch (55° flank angle) are more popular in Europe.

For example, a usual zeppelin (blimp) shockmount would usually have a 3/8″ female mount. An usual stage microphone clip would have a 5/8″ female mount but they most of the time come with a simple to 3/8″ adapter or a double 3/8″ and 1/4″ adapter.

Zoom recorders (like the popular Zoom H1) are different beasts. Since they are built for photo and video enthusiasts, they come with a 1/4″ thread. This way, they can be mounted directly on your photo tripod, without any adapter.

I hope this crazy thread thing is more clear now for you.
Oh, and I did NOT opened the 55° vs. 60° flank angle subject 😀

[:en]It happened to me to get the nasty “An unexpected error occurred. Something may be wrong with WordPress.org or this server’s configuration. If you continue to have problems, please try the support forums.” message trying to install a new theme or plugin.

WordPress version: 4.7.

Solution: check the resolv.conf file. For some strange boot hiccup, my resolv.conf file was empty. 
The problem appear when wordpress has no way of resolving names.

Solution: check /etc/resolv.conf file for a “nameserver x.x.x.x” line.
If you have no idea what am I talking about, just insert there “nameserver 8.8.8.8” without quotes.

Problem solved.
Have a nice day 🙂

 [:ro]Dacă dai de “An unexpected error occurred. Something may be wrong with WordPress.org or this server’s configuration. If you continue to have problems, please try the support forums.” pe wordpress (eventual 4.7) este pentru că de exemplu serverul nu poate rezolva adresele.

Soluție:
Editeaza /etc/resolv.conf.Dacă nu înțelegi nimic, editează sau creează fisierul /etc/resolv.conf și inserează linia: “nameserver 8.8.8.8” fără ghilimele.

Problemă rezolvată 🙂

 [:]

Electro Harmonix 12AY7 Mic HUM problem – $33 solution for newbies

Have you got an EH 12AY7 Mic pre with hum problems?

Well, I did and this is how you can nail that annoying noise:

1) buy a short XLR to TRS (“stereo” for us, newbies) Jack cable (it should have a XLR female and a TRS male jack) – around $3. If you find the TS (“mono”) DON NOT buy that one, is useless;

2) buy a Behringer HD 400 hum destroyer (do not pay attention to the fact that is Beh*, is just a box with two transformers and some resistors/caps in it, you will smash your head against the wall how good it sounds) – around $29.

You have saved one buck for the road 🙂

Now, connect your microphone to your valve preamp, connect the wall wart to the preamp and then stick it into the wall (if you are doing it the other way, you may see nice sparks when the power plug touches the preamp case, which is nice though 😛 ).
Connect your short cable to the XLR valve microphone preamp output and the jack to the “INPUT 1”. It is important to use the “INPUT 1” port, since this is the only one that provides grounding for the case (clever design, to avoid any ground loops, btw).

Now connect another balanced/unbalanced jack cable to your computer interface, mixer or your guitar combo.

Miracle, THE HUM IS GONE !

Pe scurt, daca ai brum (greu) in Electro-Harmonix 12AY7, e simplu.

Il duci la specialist sa il “tuneze”, sa il “regleze” si sa te scuteasca de banuti.

Dupa ce te-ai linistit cu asta, cumperi matale un cablu scurt XLR (mama) – jack TRS (tata) (am zis TRS, nu TS, adica “stereo” NU “mono”, altfel e munca in zadar, iar “las ca poate merge si asa” e valabil in alta parte, nu aici)  si un Behringer HD400 hum destroyer. Ciocu’ mic, e el Bergenbier, da’ chinezu’ mai greseste cateodata si face si lucruri bune.

Acuma legi matale microfonul la preamp, legi iesirea de XLR la cablul proaspat achizitionat (sa nu aud ca ai luat ceva mai ieftin de Cordial, ca’ iar avem treaba cu brumul si nu e bine).

Jackul il legi in “INPUT1” (am spus 1, nu 2) la HD400. Din “OUTPUT1” pleci fie cu cablu TRS catre interfata ta sau catre mixer, fie cu cablu TS catre combo-ul tau de chitara, fie catre boxa activa, fie catre cam ce vrei tu, ca’ nu mai conteaza.

Ai sa mai auzi un pic de hum, si daca ai urechi, si un pic de hiss, dar asta e ideea, desteptule, de aia ai vrut preamp pe tub, vintage !

Daca tie ti se pare ca asta e brum, sa vezi cum e cand folosesti redresare cu tub (EH 12AY7 foloseste semiconductori).

E, ai vazut ca se poate si cu bani putini?

Eeee, cu sunetul asta, nu e cum crede lumea…