Building the Slork Speaker Array, Part 2

I have pretty much finished the 6 speaker spatial array. I tried it out with 10k ohm resistors in each of the input lines, but it played extremely hot. I had to reduce volume levels within the ProTools sessions by about 13db average. After exchanging messages with my electronics-whiz brother about it, I went over to RS again and got what higher ohm resistors I could find. They had 33k ohm and 47k ohm to choose from, and I opted 33. After installing those, the levels were still at about 5db too hot. Tom suggested running the 33k ohm and 10k ohm (I'd started with) resistors in series, and so I did that and found the level to be pretty close to optimum. So I've got 43k ohms of resistance on the inputs.





So the array is now pretty much done. It sounds very good, better than I expected, with no buzz or rattle of parts on the shell or within. I did stuff some insulation that came from inside a sound dock type of speaker system in to protect some of the solders from touching each other and for damping. Once I've lived with it a while I may wood gloe the shell down onto the base, since it is now held together only with 5 small screws along the jack strap, but it is essentially complete and ready for playing out.





Now I just have to work on a radiophonic-type piece for presentation, which I have begun. It will collect several short electro-acoustic pieces I've done the past few years as part of "commercial work" and tie those together with longer abstract sections. It should be fun to create soundscapes especially with this spatial speaker array in mind. Thanks to brother Tom, Ge Wang at Stanford and the Princeton group for all the open source style information online. Could find myself grouping up with others doing this in the LA area and I have mentioned the idea of working with Wet Gate in this direction, as an electro-acoustic trio outside of the optical film bag (and as Black Gate). I appreciate the laptop orchestra ideas, but am drawn to more freeform approaches to solo, duo, trio etc work in this area. More on this as it develops.