Building OPA Impedance Buffers

completed Alice Mini board

Hot air reflow is so much easier than I thought it would be. The trick to getting everything placed correctly is to eat a good breakfast and not drink too much coffee. I am using these OPA “Alice” circuits in the hydrophones, dual impedance buffers, and Sound Urchin XLR products. They use a high definition, … Read more

Meal Worm Action: Using the Dual OPA Buffer

meal worm sounds

Headphones Recommended – Just a fun little sound experiment with our lizards food. I attached 2 – 35mm piezos to a small tub of meal worms via my Dual OPA field buffer and then into the trusty Mix Pre 6 II – kind of what you would expect, lotsa scratchy little legs in the saw … Read more

Sound Urchin videos

POTAR Design Devices Super Sound Urchin in orange with orange decal

The Sound Urchin is an electro-acoustic instrument that creates off-kilter sounds, atmospheres, and ambiance based on vibration. The entire instrument acts like a pickup and will amplify just about anything it sits on. It can be plucked, strummed, thumped, and “played” in many ways. You are only limited by your own imagination. What are other … Read more

SUPER-FUZZ clone time

From underground alt-punk legends like the Butthole Surfers and The Cramps to full-on heavy metal icons like Black Sabbath, the SUPER-FUZZ pedal has a distinct sound that is heavy, fuzzy, and righteous all at the same time. The Univox Super-Fuzz pedals are the most common version of the circuit but Shin-ei licensed the design to … Read more