LJ SCULLY LS 76 as good as a neuman vms 70?

[Serif]

That was a nice buy! Which head(s) are you using? I believe the Ortofon heads were sold to Australia.

Yes, the heads and drive package went one way, and the lathe went another. I bought the Fuller LS and an Ortofon drive package from the guy (in the Netherlands) who bought from the guy (in Germany) who bought from Mike. German "repairs" were done to the Danish amps in a rather non-German way... eh-hem...

So, this lathe has been twice across the Atlantic - once, each way. The crate with the lathe and the amps weighed 990 lbs. One guy took it off his truck in front of my studio. Looked like something raided from the warehouse of the Lost Ark.


I have a couple of DSS heads - a 732 (blue) and a 731 (red). Have one pair of GO741s here and another on the way (from GalviMat). Ordered when I had an amp go down (while signaling to the dummy head!). Have fixed, already, but welcome the redundancy, since these are oldies and have yet to rebuild from total disassembly.

I do have a Neumann... table (SP 272, with Ash Butler - from Dietrich). Also, one U-87. hehe


Turns out that Mike learned cutting when he was still in high school (here in Cincinnati) from my studio landlord, who has been teaching me a few things, already. This guy is an E.E. who used to do recording, mixing, cutting, plating, pressing, printing, and packaging, all here. Still does on-site offset color printing and brokers disc replication (QCA - Queen City Album). My high school punk band (Sluggo) had our 33 1/3 rpm 7" EP mastered here in 1983. Also had a Synth Pop EP mastered here in 1984. Had no idea I'd end up working in this space so many years later. Have been here since 2000 doing CDs. Now getting back into the grooves.

I bought this lathe from Ted Vreman (GalviMat), last Spring. Have been repairing it and commissioning the cutting room all year. Some repairs required subcontractors (to fix the microscope threads and chip suction nozzle). Have had lots of support from Paul Gold, Al Grundy, Torben Rønne, and Len Horowitz, as well as from Mike Fuller and our own, Dylan Constan-Wahl. Oh yes, Dietrich Schoenemann, at Complete!


From The Lathe manual:

Speed accuracy: Max. error = 3 sec/hour.
Wow and flutter: 0.03% rms unweighted
Rumble: -65 dB, weighted relative to 10 cm/sec, per DIN 45539

Perhaps not the last word in cutting, but no slouch, this floor model!


- Doug Intuit

[Serif]

Serif, I was curious to where that went. nice purchase. Did Len send you a psyhical copy or just files.

I was sent a ring binder with the manual printed on thick paper. I also have the original manual that came with the lathe, but, since it was a 1976 manual, I hoped that the one Len sent would include the updated information and clearer pictures. What he sent, while super nicely fangled, was basically identical to what I had, already, minus the yellowing of the paper. There were some interesting notes on modding the saddle for the Westrex 3DII, however, as well as information on the AD converters for the automatic feed adjustments and also documentation on the servo motor.

I have guessed that no manual was made which included the updates, since they were few. It was not that expensive for how nice the manual is. Len worked on Dylan's LS-76 this year (his first year working on this model!) when a studio out West bought it. They haven't updated their website, which only refers to their VMS70, but Len tells me they are cutting beautiful sides on the LS using an SX-74 head. There's actually a gap between the Neumann head chip tube and the lathe chip tube on their setup. The Ortofon heads have no built in swarf tube. So a nozzle is added to the chip suction tube, placing the Venturi just in front of the stylus.





- Chip Swarf

[petermontg]

Thanks Serif, gave Len a shout for Scully manual.

[Infrasonic Sound]

Great thread!
I'm the guy that purchased the LS-76 from Dylan last year and have it installed here in Los Angeles. Len was instrumental in getting this thing up and running. We are using SX68/74 heads on a custom fabricated mount (designed by Len) and Neumann VG66 racks. I also have a AM-32B. I am very happy with this system. The pitch seems to out perform the VMS70...I've cut a quite a few 26+ minute rock sides without issue. The next project is to automate it via DAW using a MIDI/CV converter.

I'll try to post some pics soon...Haven't had time to update our website.

Pete Lyman
infrasonic Mastering
infrasonicsound.com

[Aussie0zborn]

Hi Pete, welcome to the Lathe Trolls. Look forward to seeing yoru pics and we hope you stick around.

[markrob]

The next project is to automate it via DAW using a MIDI/CV converter.

Hi,

That's a great idea! I've been thinking about pitch control and automation for my DIY home setup and I think that method could be used to setup a semi-automatic pitch contol. You would just use the DAW automation to draw/write groove pitch change via CC MIDI data to track the dynamics of the program material. A simple analog servo would responde to the CV signal as needed. Additional MIDI commands for head lift, lead-in and lead out, and even locked grooves would be easy to implement.

Let us know how you progress on that.

Mark

[opcode66]

If anyone is interested I've already designed and built my own MIDI to CV Gate converter for my studio.

I can make one that would flip different transistors on and off given MIDI Note On and Note Off message for a certain note (lets say starting at C0). I can totally customize this since I wrote my own source code.

You could use it to send midi notes out inbetween songs for automating the Time button on a VMS and also the Fast button at the end of a side. If anyone is interested I could program, fabricate and send out a box in a couple of weeks.

[Nickou]

The next project is to automate it via DAW using a MIDI/CV converter.

I did that on my lathe , with the vinylium ultrapitch . start , mark, fast and stop are automated by midi , I still did not do nothing for deph and land , but it is on the way ...
It is cool to have it when you cut at half speed a long side ...

[leo gonzalez]

that sounds great!

one nice thing could be possibility of making track marks or banding separations on the DAW sequencer within a midi track.

i was thinking on doing that via a 3rd audio track, but seems simpler using midi.

L.

[gold]

You could use this too http://www.paia.com/midibrn.asp

Whoops, that's a CV to MIDI. They used to sell a MIDI to CV board but I don't see it.

[Nickou]

I did mine from this kit
http://m.bareille.free.fr/mcv876/mcv876.html

I use it more to plug my old synths than my old lathe ...

[Nickou]

If anyone is interested I've already designed and built my own MIDI to CV Gate converter for my studio.

I can make one that would flip different transistors on and off given MIDI Note On and Note Off message for a certain note (lets say starting at C0). I can totally customize this since I wrote my own source code.

You could use it to send midi notes out inbetween songs for automating the Time button on a VMS and also the Fast button at the end of a side. If anyone is interested I could program, fabricate and send out a box in a couple of weeks.

If you have free time to program a vst delay for cutting purpose , it can be cool ...

[jjgolden]

@ Nickou

http://www.voxengo.com/product/sounddelay/

[petermontg]

@ Nickou

http://www.voxengo.com/product/sounddelay/

is this just placed across the master out or where is it placed? Trying to get a better understanding of the preview delay. Is there any papers about i should researching?

[jjgolden]

Yes.
If you are in the box source processing from a daw you could place this after all level & eq etc.
Same would apply if you are using your Daw as a delay only.
Ultimately what you'll need a delay for is to split your stereo signal into two paths to your lathe. (VMS-?/pitch computer??)
One without the delay (Preview/music to pitch computer) and one with delay (Program/music).

JJG

[dietrich10]

Carl @ Trutune has something similar DAW to VMS70 for 'time' spacing

[petermontg]

Yes.
If you are in the box source processing from a daw you could place this after all level & eq etc.
Same would apply if you are using your Daw as a delay only.
Ultimately what you'll need a delay for is to split your stereo signal into two paths to your lathe. (VMS-?/pitch computer??)
One without the delay (Preview/music to pitch computer) and one with delay (Program/music).

JJG

If i was working from an analogue chain would i place an external rack delay for it.

I suppose i could record back into the daw first after all analogue processing then add delay, then to pitch computer. Am i opening up a can worms doing it that way. Maybe it defeats the purpose of the analogue EQ, limiters,de esser, but i suppose am still catching the analogue characteristics.

[opcode66]

Primarily, I've seen two aproaches.

1. Outboard Analog Approach: Source audio comes from a tape deck or computer with a very high qualit DAC. Audio processing is done in an outboard gear chain. The final output goes into a very high quality digital delay. The delayed output goes to the cutterhead and the non-delayed output goes to your pitch computer. Or, you can bounce back to tape after processing and use only a tape deck with two playback heads to create the delayed signal.

2. DAW Approach: Source audio comes from a tape deck or is a track in the DAW. Audio processing is done digitally in the DAW via plugins. The final output can be delayed in one of several ways.

- You could use a specialty plugin.

- You could use an outboard digital delay unit.

- If your DAC has two stereo outputs then you could simply double up on the tracks/plugins in your DAW. Once you are done tweaking duplicate the track/plugins and offset it by the correct amount of time. Send one track out to the pitch computer and send the offset track out to the cutterhead.

[jjgolden]

If i was working from an analogue chain would i place an external rack delay for it.

Yes, you could and many people do.
Although dedicated digital delay's with the needed delay times that operate at 88.2/96k are not easy to come by. In which case you may be better off using a high quality A/D feeding the computer with that delay pluggin, then say AES out to a high quality D/A feeding the lathe program/preview.



JJG

[petermontg]

Thanks JJG and opcode66, that clears up a few things straight away.

Your prob going to kill me for asking this but why does the cutter head need a delayed signal.?? is there a preview happening in the pitch computer by 1.8secs so the delayed head signal acts in unison with pitch computer

I think i might understand it now