tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541107277474575079.post5355449527091821244..comments2023-09-23T08:18:46.358-07:00Comments on balance blog: Stephens Consoleebenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607633312790889832noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541107277474575079.post-7159854582391116712020-08-14T17:54:08.883-07:002020-08-14T17:54:08.883-07:00The Stephens tape recorder had 1 single amplifier ...The Stephens tape recorder had 1 single amplifier from input to tape. Then 2 amps from Playback head to outiput. All the amplifiers were hand made on an octal socket using all matched parts. The socket was then encased in an aluminum epoxy sleeve that guaranteed temperature stability and protected the design. Can you imagine a 1 amp anything these days? Incredible slew rate and because they were powered by a single pole supply, no zero crossing distortion. John also insisted on positive earth with a negative supply rail for lower nose. This is why they sounded so good. People would rent these like crazy to make tape copies or final mixing. I used 3 eight tracks on the movie Popeye with Altman and Harry Nilsson.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13455226107703748194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541107277474575079.post-68814981575874076392020-08-14T17:43:00.537-07:002020-08-14T17:43:00.537-07:00To Rod's question regarding the fader. Yes, Jo...To Rod's question regarding the fader. Yes, Joh's solution was very unique. We made a log optical piece of film that traveled up and down with a light source under neath and a photo resistor above. Basically a loop of black film with a clear portion that went from total black to clear in a v shape that was logarithmic. Hi Doug, Randy here!!Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13455226107703748194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541107277474575079.post-61065824569321082412020-04-24T14:12:45.655-07:002020-04-24T14:12:45.655-07:00awesome history and story. i was sort of hanging a...awesome history and story. i was sort of hanging around Whitefield in Santa Ana back then, Thom Roye and I were friends. Late, really late, one night after a session ended Thom said the Stephens machine (i guess is was an 821-B) needed a tweak of some sort and called John, at 2am! After he hung up the phone Thom said, "he's on his way". "On his way?!? from where?", I asked. "Burbank". We left the outside intercom on so we could hear in the studio when John arrived, and sure as shit, about 3am, we hear the put-put of a VW microbus and John appeared, white hair all sticking out every which way, and worked on the machine for a couple of hours and left. Gobsmacked, I'll never forget that. His machines sounded amazing and handled tape like nothing i'd ever seen.petehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13278563383962511580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541107277474575079.post-76911863148441944962012-04-12T14:13:13.322-07:002012-04-12T14:13:13.322-07:00Hi,
I just posted this to my archival group. Any...Hi,<br /><br />I just posted this to my archival group. Any info on the console's faders?<br /><br />Re: [ARSCLIST] The root of the slide-fader?Thursday, April 12, 2012 1:25 PM<br />From: "Roderic G Stephens" View contact details<br />To: "Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List" <br />Cc: "ryland bouchard" <br />I may be wrong about this, but my brother, John Stephens, developed a slide fader for his consoles that used a graphic taper that wiped the audio in and out. He developed it, because he was tired of dirt, etc. that got into regular pots creating noise. He probably didn't patent it, since like with many of his inventions, he felt that the process was too cumbersome with not much protection resulting. I'd like anyone to tell me if I'm correct about this type of fader, since we're setting up a web site honoring John and his accomplishments and would like to include any other items.<br /><br />Rod Stephens <br /><br />--- On Thu, 4/12/12, Stephen Anderson wrote:<br /><br />From: Stephen Anderson <br />Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] The root of the slide-fader?<br />To: ARSCLIST@LISTSERV.LOC.GOV<br />Date: Thursday, April 12, 2012, 11:25 AM<br /><br />Having recently refurbished an early '70s ADM console (thanks, Tom!), I can state fairly firmly that the Slidex, which used a twisted piece of aluminum activated by the slider to turn a conventional Allen Bradley pot, was pretty crude, and very difficult to match mechanically, channel to channel.<br /><br />Teac/Tascam in their Series 70 mixers used a string to turn a standard rotary pot, if memory serves, this was much better.<br /><br />Steve<br /><br /><br />On Apr 12, 2012, at 11:08 AM, Tom Fine wrote:<br /><br />> http://www.google.com/patents/US2517180?printsec=drawing#v=onepage&q&f=false<br />> <br />> Art Davis worked for Cinema Engineering, which was marketing a form of this kind of attenuator in 1953 and probably earlier.<br />> <br />> See:<br />> http://www.preservationsound.com/?p=4611<br />> (I provided the scans, from old magazines)<br />> <br />> As we know, slide-faders became the preferred interface for analog mixing boards, eventually replacing rotary faders in almost all applications (although small-format mixers sold by companies like Behringer, Mackie, Alesis and others still use rotary faders). There have been many varients on slide-faders over the years. In the 60's, Fairchild sold a fader that controlled the intensity of a light source, which then interacted with a LDR to control gain, branded "Autoten." In the 70's, Audio Designs & Manufacturing (ADM) patented a mechanical system that drove a pot that controlled a VCA to control gain. The advantage of the ADM "Slidex" attenuator was that liquid (perhaps coffee at a TV station, beer at a radio station or something more exotic at a recording studio) could spill across the slider section of the console and not short out anything, within reason.<br />> <br />> Here is the Slidex patent:<br />> http://www.google.com/patents/US3736801?printsec=drawing#v=onepage&q&f=false<br />> <br />> -- Tom Fine <br /><br />Stephen Anderson<br />631 E. Vista del Playa<br />Orange, CA 92865<br />steveaudio@earthlink.net<br />http://SteveAudio.blogspot.comUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11866997941528167675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8541107277474575079.post-69362065963864941002011-02-24T16:51:16.536-08:002011-02-24T16:51:16.536-08:00I worked with John Stephens building the 821B reco...I worked with John Stephens building the 821B recorders from 1978-82. John had one of his consoles as a permanent fixture in his private mastering room located in the center of the factory at 3513 Pacific Ave in Burbank, Ca. One Sunday afternoon John allowed me to record My friends 16 piece big band on that board direct to a Stephens (3M deck) 2 track. It was glorius! I've been out to Leo Hulseman's home in Brentwood, CA with John. Leo would record his wife "Broadway Rose". John would then 1/2 speed master the recordings on his record cutting lathe in his mastering room. John and Leo had a special relationship. Leo was very fond of John. He made a significant financial investment in John helping him to start his company. John was often at Premore, visiting with Leo or helping with some video related project they needed technical help with. There weren't many Stephens boards made. There was Johns, Leo's (in his home)and the one that Ike Turner had. They were the only ones I was aware of although it seems plausible that Premore may have had one also. <br />By the way, Pink Floyds "The Wall" was recorded on a customer's machine that we had in our shop for a deck servo update. John rented the machine to Floyd in England. Some of the overdubs and the mix were done at Producers Workshop (owned by Liberace) in Los Angeles.<br />The mix was done on the producers custom board that was built by Bill Wyatt (I think that was his name - I only met him once). One of the Producers Workshop machines and a portable machine(an 821B-16/24)that I had built for Randy Ezratty, the owner of Effanel' Recording located in New Yrok City. Mick Fleetwood took this machine to Africa and recorded an album entitled "The Visitor" with some of the natives in what I was told was an old WWII aiplane hanger located out in the jungle. The machine runs on DC voltage and a couple of car batteries were evidently used for power. This machine also used by Randy to record Pat Metheny on his live album "Travels" as well as many opf the "King Biscuit Flour Hour" live radio brocast concerts. Randy rented the machine to Producers/Floyd and it was sync'd to one of the Producers machine for 48 tracks. I was fortunate enough to get to service one of the machines while Roger Waters was in the studio mixing part of the record. By the way, that album received a Grammy for best sound that year! John Stephens was a brilliant man and was a good friend to me. Doug CioceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com