A Geek Goes Flying

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 ...

This took me way longer to figure out than I expected, and all the AI tools got it wrong (maybe because firmware and Edit software versions differ?). Anyway. I picked up a used FM3 (oriignal, not Mk II Turbo) for a very good price. Immediately updated the firmware (from 8.00 to 12.00 ) with the latest version of FM3-Edit . (Tip: It will take a few moments between opening the app and Tools → Fractal Bot... being accessible (not greyed out). Just wait.) Loaded the FM3 Factory Presets . Reset System Parameters and Clear[ed] All Presets from Home → E:Setup → Utilities. But still a previous owner’s name appeared at the top of the display (FM3 Kip) and as the device name in FM3-Edit. FM3-Edit showing the Device Name Mildly annoying. To edit this, in FM3-Edit, click on Setup (upper right corner) and in the pane that opens at the bottom of the window, make sure Global is set, Config is the pane selected, and then over on the right side of that pane you can edit the Device Name (here r...

I’m continuing to get solid numbers when it comes to recharging this thing. I’m still using the Tesla Gen 2 UMC on an L6-30 outlet (240V 30A; the adapter I got automatically throttles the Tesla charger to 24A, so it’s effectively a ~5.76 kW L2 charger). I guesstimate about 7% charge per hour for the 2024 Solterra (72.8 kWh battery, per the Monroney sticker). Plugging in today at 50%, the car reported 6 hours 30 minutes to 100% charge, ~7.7%/hr, for an actual charge rate of about 5.6 kW/hour, with ~3% lost to inefficiency - which seems low, but, eh, I’ll take it. That’s one data point. The other is that when I plugged in at 95% the other day (I had a busy weekend ahead), the car self-reported it would take 1 hour 20 minutes hours to top off. So in the mid-90% range, I can expect maybe, what, 3.8%/hr charge rate? A few days before that, I plugged in at 82%, and the guesstimate was 2 hours 50 minutes, so the rate had dropped to ~6.4%/hr. Before that, 47% SOC (53% to full) was expected to...

Innioasis Y1 Ads popped up for The Classic MP3 Player (128GB) that tries to be a dupe of the OG Apple iPods. (No idea how close it comes, haven’t played with one personally.) The price as I type this is $179.99 $99.90 (and I suspect it never actually sells for $179.99), but I think  it was a bit more when I looked at it the first time. Just expensive enough to put it out of “impulse buy” territory for me (especially when I have a tragically underutilized Sony Walkman, and recently sold a Shanling M1s on eBay because I wasn’t using it enough.) Out of curiosity, I did a reverse image search and it’s apparently (also sold as?) the  Innioasis Y1 , and a bit cheaper on Amazon (which also has an even cheaper 64GB option , if you just want to try it out). It has a standard USB C port, doesn’t have a ton of storage but it’s not seriously hurting there (even using FLAC, 128GB will fit thousands of songs and hundreds of albums), claims 25 hours of music playback on a battery, has Bl...

I was intrigued by the Ridge pack ¹  that can also charge an Apple Watch, but at $80 it wasn’t an impulse buy. But then I saw this Energizer SKU (QM10010PQ) selling for $35 and it was a no-brainer. 10,000 mAh battery pack (38.5 Wh) with MagSafe charging for an iPhone or an Apple Watch (the latter is the killer app feature), plus two USB-C cables on the back for charging an iPad or MacBook Air, plus another USB-C port that can be used for charging the device (or you can hook up its built-in USB-C cable, USB 1, to charge - and I confirmed, it charged – albeit slowly, at ~10W – off the built in USB-C ports on the Solterra. Built in kickstand. It doesn’t have a ton of capacity and it’s not the fastest charger, but as an all-around device I’m likely to actually have with me, it’s the most flexible thing I have in my arsenal. Now I don’t have to lug around a separate watch charger device (though this Belkin has served me well), and/or I can somewhat declutter my pencil case , maybe......

This little $9 case is the perfect thing to throw in a tote bag and keep all the expensive little nick-knacks from wandering off. Mine’s holding: AirPods Pro 2 in their charging case  Apple Pencil (I still have Lightning iPads, so...) USB C to Pencil Adapter Stylus pen and a rOtring disposable USB C to C data + power cable (also useful for, e.g., side loading my Kindle on the go) USB C to Lightning adapter Short USB A to USB C cable USB A to USB C adapter USB C to USB A adapter USB C to micro USB B adapter Watch charger