Battery for my Samsung C3212 mobile phone

My old Samsung C3212 mobile phone has been with me now for more than three years and it is still going strong with nary a complaint, well, unless you count the times when it reboots by itself for no apparent reason but other than that, it has been a rock. The nly thing that is not up to scratch is the battery. It does not hold as much charge as when it did when I first bought the phone. Well, after all these years of charging and discharging, something has got to give and in this case it is the battery. So I ordered a couple of new ones from my favourite online store. The problem is that it is taking some time to get here. When I called up or rather, had a chat with my online store, well, online, I was told that batteries can only be sent via a few selected airlines. It makes sense because airlines can be very “sticky” these days, what with terrorism terrorising the friendly skies. So, very soon, hopefully by today, I will receive the batteries and I can start 2014 in style because it will be the 4th year with this phone.

Sound-system for Malay wedding

I love Malay weddings. The hosts and their relatives are always very accommodating and are a joy to work with, client-wise. here is the Yamaha Stagepas 500 being put through its paces. There was more than enough power to handle the whole wedding and the Stagepas 500, together with the AKG WMS40 Mini wireless microphone system did the job very well, providing crisp and clear sound for all the wedding guests. Yup. Its safe to say I had a great time there…and the food!

Lovely painted mural along Victoria Street

I was walking along Victoria Street and I came across this huge girl and tiger cub mural painted on the sidewall of a shop house there. I must say that it beautifies the place and this mural of a little girl cuddling a tiger cub is just lovely. You will not miss it if you walk along Victoria Street!

Tiger Radler…that is Tiger beer with a dash of lemon juice

This is our very own local beer, Tiger Beer, trying to re-invent themselves. I tried it during Christmas…and it tasted like crap. I wonder if Tiger is trying to creep up on other beers, like Corona, which is normally served with a slice of lemon. This one tastes like shandy…and a horrible one at that. Come on Tiger Beer…you can do better than that!!!

Ravenhead Nova white wine glasses

I had a very pleasant surprise yesterday when I went down to a friend’s Christmas party and we had a Christmas gift exchange. We drew numbers from a hat and we could pic the present when our numbers were called. I must say that this was fantastic present that I picked…these beautiful white wine glasses by Ravenhead. I asked my wife if she needed any white wine glasses and she nodded her head, saying that these would do nicely…very nicely in fact. Now where is that bottle of white wine I was saving?

Prodipe TT1 – Lanen UHF wireless microphone

There are many places that have a budget when it comes to buying wireless microphones. Trust me, I know. Many of them do not want to get good quality and often settle for China-made ones that sound really terrible. Most of these people that want budget wireless mics are the karaoke lounges. But is it possible to get good quality on the cheap. Actually, yes there is.

Introducing the Prodipe TT1 – Lanen UHF wireless microphone. The picture above shows the receiver. One thing I like about it, besides the price of course (try $200) is the fact that it is tiny, and has 16 UHF channels. See that dip-switch on the right? That is the channel matrix. Looks like they are also taking a leaf out of AKG’s WMS 40 Mini with what looks like a balanced TRS 1/4″ phone jack. There is nothing to say that it is a balanced output. I have scoured the Internet to look for confirmation of it but I have not had much luck. The website has some specifications though and here they are:

• Power supply: AC100~240V/ 45-60Hz
• External: 16~20V
• Power Consumption: 5W
• S/N Ratio: >90dB
• Ratio P/N or F/N: >80dB
• Receiving sensitivity: 5dBu (SINAD=20dB)

That is about what is available as far as the receiver is concerned. Now on we go with the transmitter, or as the handheld is referred to:

This is the handheld microphone. Notice that the little stem below looks reminiscent of the Sennheiser wireless mics. Apparently, these transmitters are powered with 2 AA cells. Specifications, again provided by the website are:

• Transmitter power: 10mW
• Maximum deviation: ±50KHz
• High harmony: superior at 40dB
• Battery voltage: AA1.5V×2
• Battery life: 6h
• Power Switch Noise: Provide with perfect switch noise deducted circuit

Does not looks to shabby on paper but for the money, you do get what you pay for I suppose. $200 cannot be beat. As far as the whole unit is concerned, these are the specifications:

• Frequency range: UHF 742-758MHz
• Channel: 16
• Frequency stabilisation: <±30ppm
• Dynamic Range: >90dB
• Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.5%
• Frequency Response: 50Hz~15KHz ±3dB
• Cover range: 50 M

Not too bad. Something to bear in mind. It seems that the owner of this company, Ludovic Lanen said:

My decision to use the TT1 cartridge in a UHF mic was to make sure that everyone could have access to a superb sounding UHF mic, an incredibly balanced sound restitution and sixteen selectable frequencies for optimum frequency no matter the location and/or simultaneous use of the mic several times over.

I worked incredibly hard to balance the timbre and remove modulation noise. This noise affects a lot of mics and makes them unsuited for professional use.

What is modulation noise? It’s air that superimposes itself on your voice when you sing or when you speak. The TT1-UHF is ideal for professional use.

I’m one of those sound engineers who doesn’t compromise on quality and I respect this profession so much that I would never put my name to something if it didn’t live up to my standards.

Pretty cool if I do say so myself.

Wishing one and all a very Merry Christmas 2013

I would like to take this opportunity to wish one and all a very Merry Christmas. May the Good Lord bless all of you in this season of Advent.

Electro-Voice Eliminator series

Someone was selling speakers like these on the audio forums recently, and asking a very, very cheap price for them. I think they are a budget-line from Electro-Voice, and they are the EV Eliminator Series. According to a brochure I found online:

The reborn Eliminator® line is as revolutionary as its predecessors were nearly 30 years ago. Incorporating all of EV’s latest speaker technology, the Eliminator® is one of the greatest speaker values of all time.

The Eliminator series have a few products in the stable. But what I want to concentrate on is The Eliminator, pictured above whose specifications are:

• Matched system provides maximum performance from the individual components.
• Eliminator® woofer features a flat-wire voice coil for noticeable improvement in output and transient response.
• 350-watt, long-term power rating.
• High-Q 60° x 40° CD horn with DH2010A driver.
• Integral 1 3⁄8-inch stand mount.
• Choice of paralleled 1⁄4-inch or Neutrik Speakon® (Eliminator® E) connectors.

Not too shabby for a speaker that sports a 15″ woofer. And from what I see, its a great deal for someone who is just starting out in the audio business.

There go the CAF PS15s

Remember I said in a previous post that I bought a Behringer powered mixer and some PS15 replicas for the princely sum of $800? Well, those PS15s went back to the person that sold it to me a couple of days back. The reasons were twofold. One, I found out that the speakers could not perform the way I wanted to and two, the person who sold it to me needed speakers for his events. December is a mad time for events and sometimes, we can get overbooked. So, a couple of days back, I returned the speakers to him but I kept the Behringer mixer. I just put the Behringer mixer in one of my flight-cases and it fits beautifully. Now, all I need to get are a good pair of speakers like the Wharfedale Pro Delta 15s and I will be in business

Nasi briyani for dinner

A few weeks back, my wife and I felt pretty hungry so we decided to get some nasi briyani for dinner. For those of you who do not know what nasi briyani is, its a long-grained species of rice called Basmati rice, cooked in spices, giving it its yellowish colour. It is served with curries, vegetables or whatever you choose. I chose a fried chicken and so did my wife. The proprietor then put a dollop of curry on the plate and we were ready to eat. Absolutely delicious this place is. This will not be my last tome going back there!