A Geek Goes Flying

coconutBattery report Early 2020 MacBook Air , I think the max spec vis-a-vis RAM ¹  (16GB) and CPU ²  , and a 512GB SSD ³  (it could have been upgraded to 2TB at the time of purchase). Apple claimed up to 11 hours of web browsing, but Google’s AI reports “many users find that active, mixed-use workloads (especially video calls) drain the battery within 4–6 hours.” I’m not getting 6 hours. With 81% battery health (after 280 cycles, but also 72 months), I should be getting about 3:14 from 100% to dead battery. I think I’m actually seeing ~2 hours, but I’ll measure eventually. Anyway. The question I’m pondering: Do I swap the battery ( $110 for the kit from iFixIt ), and it’s described as a “moderately difficult” replacement . Could probably also have Asurion do it; they did a good job with the MacBook Pro . I know Intel is a dead end, but this is probably the most capable Intel Mac I own, and there will likely be edge cases that I still need x86 support for, for a lo...

I’m starting to rethink my love affair with Anker products. I mean, they do what they say, they’ve never damaged anything I own, and they seem to be well-made generally – but I’ve had some units fail well before I think they should. Examples: Distressed battery My Anker PowerCore Fusion 5000 gave up the ghost after a couple of years. Holds like a 5 minute charge now.  I picked up this Anker 321 MagSafe battery pack in October 2023. It has an 18 month warranty. I’ve used it relatively lightly (maybe 3-5x/month?). It gives me four lights when I charge it, but when attached to my phone, lights lit up or not, it doesn’t charge the phone. Phone doesn’t even see it’s there. (Yes, I’ve restarted the phone.) I’m pretty sure there is at least one other example. That said, my experiences may be relatively unique ? Kinda like Zendure before it, the products are great while they last, but they topple over a cliff earlier than I’d like, and then they’re worthless.  Meanwhile, the Anker ...

BeatBuddy Mini 2 Transitioning from the NUX, which has built-in drum loops (they’re serviceable, and I actually really found I like playing against the percussion backdrop), to the Fractal FM3, which doesn’t, I looked for something relatively inexpensive but flexible, that could stand in. I settled on the BeatBuddy Mini 2  ( Amazon ) from Singular Sound. It’s available on the Singular website as a pre-owned SKU for $111, and they’re offering a 10% discount to new customers, so the total package was a few cents over $100, which also qualified for free shipping¹. It’s a kind of ingenious little device. The drums are actual recordings, not synthetic, and there’s 24 different genres (including Rock and Punk 😎 ) with multiple songs per genre (with different songs having different time signatures; you’re not limited to 4/4), lead-in intros, different verse and chorus recordings with transitions between them, and you can obviously adjust the tempo (beats per minute). Singular ...

I’ve tried a bunch. These Moleskine dupes . (Pen always somehow went missing.) This thing (came close, but without a way to secure it closed, the pages got trashed; the pen is cute though). But I think I’ve found The One™: Leather Field Notes Cover from Etsy seller Tarberry; $21.50 currently (on sale), I got it in black, not personalized. I like that it snaps closed. The ability to stash some emergency cash and a card or three if you were so inclined, are bonuses. Clairefontaine Staplebound 3.5X5.5 notebooks ; $13. I’ve generally had good experience with Clairefontaine paper, if I use it with a fountain pen, etc. I’ve been using these since my days buying pens and an endless supply of journals from Writer’s Bloc [rip]. The other main option are the Field Notes inserts. Currently, a Zebra F-301 I had handy.  I’m likely to swap that for something like a Sakura Pigma Micro , “will not smear or feather when dry,” “waterproof and chemical proof,” etc. (I’ve had, e.g., an improperly...

Okay, so, I tried it out, connecting Out 1 (or 2) to the FX Return input on my Marshall G50RCD 50 watt solid state (“transistor”) combo amp. I’m new enough to all of this that I’m learning things / making observations that are probably “duh, old hat” to most folks, but it’s novel to me. I’m patched in with a standard instrument cable, 1/4" TS to 1/4" TS . Fractal sells a Humbuster™ cable , $20 for 15' (plus $22 to ship, plus tax...), that is probably a better solution, there’s a noticeable (although not overwhelming, at least in this application) hum even with the short cable run and both the FM3 and the amp connected to the same mains power outlet. Do I spend $44 on a cable to use this non-ideal amp, or do I put that money towards a proper FRFR setup (and the XLR cable I’ll need to feed it)? Probably the latter. Meanwhile... Running through the FX Return input, the pre-amp controls for the amp have no effect. Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, do nothing. There is no “volume” ...

Okay, I probably should have known this before taking the plunge ... I’ve been using NUX stuff as an audio interface basically (USB connected to a computer, with a TRRS headset connected, and the whole package used as the audio source for Google Meet etc. for online lessons ). At the office, I have the NUX patched into a Pignose, played at very low volume levels. At home, I really have only used the NUX with headphones; for light jamming / practice I’ve mostly been using a wireless Mighty Air . I have an amp at home, a 50W Marshall combo ( G50R CD ) I got from an apparent hoarder (that’s a whole story). I suppose I can  (at least temporarily) use that via the effects return (see below). But what I really should have is an FRFR (full range flat response) speaker setup. At the price point I’d like to stay, that’s probably something like a Headrush FRFR108 ($200 or so used) or FRFR112 ($300+ used) (the latter especially if I’m going to use it for bass at all), the Positive Grid...

But that’s where growth happens, right? (... right?) Heh. I went from a $139 (on sale) NUX to a device where at least one person is selling a $99 master class on how to use it! The user manual is hypertechnical, and informs the reader: “The language of the FM3 is for the most part the universal language of professional audio. This allows the FM3 to be used by casual and professional players, producers, engineers, and beyond. The terminology and concepts you will use and learn are accordingly not unique to the FM3. Understanding them will help you to master the craft of pro audio and to communicate with others.” Challenge accepted. Sitting down with the FM3, FM3-Edit on a Mac, and YouTube tutorials I’m collecting resources. Written Materials Start, of course, with the  FM3 Owner’s Manual . G66 AXE-FX III tutorial (a lot of carry-over) Yeks Guide to the Fractal Audio Amp Models  [ PDF ] and Yeks Guide to the Fractal Audio Drive Models  [ PDF ] (note: these no longer ...