Techmoan Video Oddcast April 2020
Video version of the April Patreon-only update.
Week 297 of lockdown and the cracks are stating to show.
2020-04-18 09:49:11 +0000 UTC View Post
techmoan posts
The beginning of the end of the MIDI
Concluding a chapter.
In December 2017 I reviewed a Floppy Disk MIDI 'Boombox' (It wasn't really a boombox - but hey, click-bait). In this video I draw this chapter to a close by featuring the culmination of Roland's line of stand-alone MIDI Music players, the MT-90U.
Since I've managed to get this one completed (I hope) a day early. I plan to use the 'spare' time to shoot...
2020-04-15 20:52:46 +0000 UTC View PostIt’s a wind up
This week I’ve been assembling a gramophone kit.
I’d forgotten just how long videos like these take to make. It’s one day shooting followed by three days of ‘post production’, for a fourteen minute video that looks like it took perhaps half an hour to make.
This one though is really part of a longer plan. I want to talk about my acoustic gramophone at some ...
2020-04-10 11:42:59 +0000 UTC View PostPrison Tech
Here's an odd subject for a video, a perfect example of what happens when you head down a late night ebay rathole.
There's also an intriguing story here that I'm not sure I've adequately navigated. It's an odd tale that connects US prisons with the continued survival of cassettes and the music tech sold in clothing stores.
Anyway I hope you enjoy this one - its been ...
2020-04-02 08:18:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe one where I open up a box and find myself in it
A quick Cheese Sandwich Video* in which I demonstrate Blu-ray packaging with a novel twist.
If everything goes to plan, the next video I'm working on will feature a collection of unusual tech that I hope you've all managed to avoid using.
Take care and thank you for all your support.
*A 'cheese sandwich video’ is a simple video that’s exactly what...
2020-03-29 11:16:42 +0000 UTC View PostVectrex UV Overlays - A niche too far?
I’ve felt discombobulated this week and as a result everything has taken far longer than it should. As the topic of this video is probably only of interest to half a dozen people worldwide, it was intended to just be a quick little extra.
Unfortunately it turned into a three day marathon due to multiple reshoots. The video has still got a number of technical issues, but I’ve drawn a line under it now to move onto something else. I’ll be making it public in a day or two....
2020-03-25 21:34:35 +0000 UTC View PostACTORS MASTER TAPE - Patreon Exclusive
A special just for Patrons today - a bit of a thank you.
Here's the full Actors Master Tape - unedited in its entirety.
Backstory - I picked this up from ebay where I saw it being re-listed multiple times over a few months. There was no information about the contents and the price with postage to the UK was a bit steep.
However one day my curiosity got the better of me and I ordered it. Looking at the list of names on the back of the box (PHOTO ATTACHED) - ...
2020-03-22 11:38:01 +0000 UTC View PostStaying in & testing out a Sony Reel to Reel
I’ve re-written this opening paragraph over and over but, well, you know how it is…so let’s just move on to the video.
This week I’ve been testing out a classic reel to reel. This is quite a long video, but for me at the moment I’m really in no rush. Some things just can't be hurried - they take as long as they take, if not longer. Patience seems to be the order of the day.
2020-03-20 11:42:22 +0000 UTC View PostQuick extra - Is the EP6 cam suitable for repair vids?
Is the EP6 head-mount cam suitable for repair vids?
Short answer: Not really.
Nine minute answer - watch this test video:
2020-03-14 15:51:21 +0000 UTC View PostHands-off Head-Cam Review
This week it's been nice to get back to reviewing a mini camera. I never intentionally made a decision to stop featuring them - it's just they all became a bit samey. This is the first one in a long time that's intrigued me.
Due to one thing and another I've fallen a bit behind this week. As a result there will be less of a patreon exclusive window on this video as I'd still like to g...
2020-03-13 13:53:57 +0000 UTC View PostTechmoan Audio Odd-cast March 2020
Audio version of the March Patreon-only update.
(Video version also available in separate post)
Links to things mentioned.
Coturn portable record player on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coturn/coturn-portable-record-player
The RTM cassette player that I didn’t feature: 2020-03-08 09:15:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Techmoan Video Odd-cast March 2020
Video version of the March Patreon-only update.
Links to things mentioned in the video
Coturn portable record player on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coturn/coturn-portable-record-player
The RTM cassette player t...
2020-03-08 09:14:49 +0000 UTC View Post[Insert Title Here]
I was working on a repair video for this week - but after most of it was shot, the device ultimately turned out to be irreparable.
These things happen. Repair videos are always a gamble. The idea of starting off with something that's broken and planning on demonstrating it fully working at the end while only possessing basic repair skills is really just asking for trouble.
So a quick pivot and on to plan B:
3M Tape Viewer - see the sound on a tape
In this video I’m demonstrating a really intriguing little gadget that enables you to see the recorded pattern on a tape.
Despite being quite a short and seemingly simple video it still somehow took me the best part of a week to put it all together.
I hope you find this one as fascinating as I do.
2020-02-26 16:40:26 +0000 UTC View PostNW-A55 - Digital Audio Walkman Review
This will likely be the last DAP review I post for a while unless there‘s an overwhelming demand to see more.
Summary: Yeah it’s OK-ish.
Taking the Mikiphone
It has been sitting in a drawer for a year, but a recent reorganisation has brought it to the surface and now to your screens. I present for your 'entertainment' the Mikiphone. A brand-new one hundred year old gadget.
UPDATE: A one-letter typo necessitated a re-upload. New (corrected) version above.
2020-02-13 11:17:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe Minidisc Label Printer
I’ve spent the week so far reorganising my to-do piles (and boxes and crates). Things had got a bit out of hand. On the positive side I’ve found a couple of things I’d mislaid, but the downside is that it’s been a week without video-making and also my back is killing me.
Fortunately I had one video left in the bag - so here it is.
2020-02-06 20:12:41 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon Exclusive Video - The making of Tech 93
Following on from the video about the Videophone - here’s a video about the making of the video about the Videophone and the video that’s in the Videophone video.
2020-01-30 22:14:23 +0000 UTC View PostVideophone '93
After a bit of juggling around, the video I had originally planned for next week is now embedded above. This one just felt a bit more interesting as I was editing it. Although that being said, the other video is still going to be coming out next week now so there’s no escape from it. I'm definitely not cut out for this hype business.
Anyway this video features a great old piec...
2020-01-28 19:31:32 +0000 UTC View PostA fair Majority
January’s videos continue with this review of a modern day HiFi tuner - a bit of a 'jack of all trades'.
The start of a year is always a transitional period - but 2020 has so far handed out more than a reasonable amount of time-sapping off-camera disruption and distraction.
There's nothing of any concern, but it's all just ...
2020-01-22 15:04:17 +0000 UTC View PostHow do I bid on Japanese auctions? How expensive is it?
I’m not convinced this video is either A) Interesting or B) Useful
UPDATE: Following your feedback I’ve made a few nips and tucks to the video. The new one is embedded and linked above. Thanks as always for your help.
2020-01-15 10:29:32 +0000 UTC View PostKenwood - masters of the mid range
An odd mix of a video - company history with a touch of personal nostalgia that then segues into a product demo.
This is the video in which I’ve used the data collected from the ‘Five HiFi manufacturers’ survey earlier in the week. I’ll dig deeper into the results of that survey in the next Patreon update.
You’ll notice revised Patreon credits at the e...
2020-01-10 10:06:16 +0000 UTC View PostName any five HiFi brands (Now Closed/Completed)
UPDATE
I’ve just woken up to over 400 notifications - wow. Many thanks for your help, it’s going to take me the morning to enter these results into a spreadsheet. I’d best draw a line under it at this point as I definitely have enough data. Thanks for all your input - it was a lot easer than standing in the street with a clipboard asking passers by.
I’ve left the original post below, however Lines are Now c...
2020-01-06 00:18:45 +0000 UTC View PostDVD - Twenty Three years ago (Patreon Extra)
I thought you might enjoy this clip of audio I found on an old cassette.
It talks about DVD just prior to the launch in the UK. There's a spectacularly inaccurate analyst prediction of DVD's potential towards the end of the recording.
The audio cuts off abruptly because that's the end of the tape - that's all there is.
Backstory:
A few years ago I bought a box of ten cassettes purely to use as props because I like the clear design of the shells. They ...
2020-01-03 15:20:06 +0000 UTC View PostBluetooth 5 TV audio transmitter test
In the end of year update I mentioned that I intended to release the occasional short video in-between the usual videos of indeterminate (but longer) length. This is one such short video, and due to its brief nature the Patreon names at the end are displayed as a series of frames over 20 seconds rather than as scrolling text.
Short videos are only deployed when a topic ...
2020-01-01 10:35:17 +0000 UTC View PostEnd of Year ™ AUDIO Odd-cast
I’ve made an end-of-year video/audio Odd-cast. This is the Audio version.
There’s also a video version available in a separate post.
Irrespective of whether you listen to this, I want to offer everyone here my thanks and gratitude for your support and help over the last year and I hope that you’ll continue to enjoy the videos I have lined up for 2020.
Links to things mentioned:
How to make money on youtube (in Mandarin)
End Of Year ™ VIDEO Odd-cast
I’ve made an end-of-year video/audio Odd-cast. This is the Video version.
Irrespective of whether you watch the video, I want to offer everyone here my thanks and gratitude for your support and help over the last year and I hope that you’ll continue to enjoy the videos I have lined up for 2020.
Links to things mentioned:
How to make money on youtube (in Man...
2019-12-30 06:30:18 +0000 UTC View PostRecordable 'Laserdisc'
This will be the last video I put out before Christmas, although it might not be my last one of the year on Patreon.
I’ll be fulfilling the usual family obligations over the holiday period, but if I do find the time I’ll put together an extra patron-only video.
If you’ve been a patron for a few months you’ll be aware that earlier in the year ...
2019-12-21 10:56:04 +0000 UTC View PostAudities 4 - New music / old formats
In this video I’m mostly looking at a few new(ish) releases on old and sometimes defunct formats.
Behind the scenes…
The making of a video has a few common steps.
1) Think of the idea
2) Get everything together
3) Shoot it
4) Edit it
With this one I was well into step 4 (editing) before I realised that the original idea didn’t real...
2019-12-15 16:27:12 +0000 UTC View PostKodak Smile Classic Camera - out and about
A while back I agreed to take a look at the new ‘Kodak’ instant camera. I don’t often accept review samples but this gave me a much needed excuse to get out of the house for a change.
The camera is pretty much what you'd expect, but it did give me a few nice days out.