Studio 2 Refurbishment work complete
A quick update for the technically-minded.
This year saw the start of a project to refurbish and repair the broadcast equipment in our two on-air studios. As a charity, we don’t have the luxury of being able to go out and buy expensive new studio equipment, and with our equipment now showing its age, we’re very grateful to our engineer Rick Poole for taking on the job of a major service / refurb of the mixing desk in Studio 2 of our complex in Southend.
The newly-refurbished mixing desk in Studio Two
The work has involved replacement of the majority of components, knobs and buttons, plus a re-paint to give our Alice 828 mixing desk a new lease of life. Thanks again to Rick for the hard work on this project. Presenters at the radio station can start to use the revamped studio equipment from today!
Just some of the components replaced in the Studio 2 refit
Some of the internal workings of the Alice 828 mixer in Studio 2
The last picture, showing the internals, is actually how it was before the work started. It’s a lot neater and simpler now! I’ve sent Pete some up-to-date photos, which I hope he’ll publish.
I must apologize for the temporary lack of labelling on the control surface, but I simply ran out of time. And, I was unable to obtain the right product anyway. To follow soon, hopefully!
The paint job was difficult, and I agree that it’s by no means perfect. But please bear in mind that there was no record of the original paint code (I checked with the designer), so, whilst the colour match is OK, the texture is somewhat coarser. There’s some wear to the upper section, but I did not to the entire panel as I particularly wanted to preserve the Alice logo in the top right-hand corner.
The new faders (first five) might seem a little stiff, but these had been sitting unopened on a shelf for 30 years – and are possibly the last ones in the world! (So please look after them!)
Any problems, please let me or Pete know immediately.
R.P.