BENCH NOTES

Welcome back to Bench Notes!

We hope y’all enjoyed your tricks and treats this Halloween! Last month certainly had one trick up its sleeve for us…

SEEING DOUBLE

Whether they be Juno’s, Polysix’s, or Minimoogs, it’s fairly common for us to have two or more of some particular instrument in active repair at the shop at any given time. That said, October proved to be a month of multiple multiples, gracing us with:

At some point, all of these sets of twins and triplets lived under our roof at the same time, which is a bit staggering when we step back and notice the pattern. That said, having pairs of any instrument at the shop can be hugely beneficial to us!

For instance, if we’re struggling to diagnose an issue in one unit, we can compare our troubleshooting results with a unit that works fine. Plus, a matching pair of synth repairs often nets us the opportunity to order parts for both at once, saving on shipping costs. This is good for us as it saves us from processing quite as many shipments, saves customers a bit of money in parts costs by splitting the shipping fees, and is even a little better for the planet!

And even though we are often seeing double, triple, or more, we have a flawless record of keeping every instrument straight. To us, they are never just devices; they all have a unique thumbprint due to their unique history. 

We also use a lot of green painter’s tape name tags.

THE “PERFECT” STRAW

It’s no question that we rely pretty heavily on the Deoxit line of electronic cleaners and lubricants. We use their D5 series cleaners to ensure better contact with jacks and switches, and their F5 series to clean and lubricate faders and rotary pots. They get so much play here that we just call them “red” and “green”, respectively (shockingly not a reference to our duct tape-loving friends). 

For those that are long-time users of Deoxit products, you may recall back in 2017 when Caig updated their D5 series cans with a new “Perfect Straw” nozzle design. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was far from perfect.

This new design was intended to make the nozzle more pressure sensitive for more precise spraying, and make for easier storage with their foldable straw mechanism. While it arguably delivered on both of these goals, the “Perfect Straw” design introduced an infuriating flaw: dripping. 

No matter how carefully you depress the dispenser and aim the straw, the over-engineered plastic head of the can is guaranteed to spill excess product on your hands and the instrument in repair. Even when held perfectly straight, cleaning fluid will drizzle into the lip that surrounds the top of the can and become useless. Additionally, it’s possible for the head and straw mechanism to break off of the can if dropped, which is not easily replaced.  The cost of this stuff isn’t nothing, so any loss of product is a regrettable waste, let alone an entire can.

However, this year we rejoice, for Caig has finally listened to their customers’ complaints and switched back to their older red straw nozzle design! More precise sprays, no spills, and a replaceable straw. The world is one tiny degree saner.

LOCAL EVENTS

Synth and synth-adjacent happenings in the GTA.

Monday, December 9th | Toronto Electronic Music Open Mic

On the second Monday of each month, our friends at TEMOM hold an electronic music open mic night at Handlebar. 15 minute sets. All live. All musical styles. Drop by at 8pm and enjoy!

Saturday, November 16th | Frequency Freaks

Frequency Freaks Synthesizer Workshops are free educational synth events that encourage sharing gear info and sound-design techniques in the Toronto synth community. They’re held in association with Arraymusic at 155 Walnut Avenue.

Wednesday, November 13th and 27th | Render File

You can often catch our talented tech Sam playing keys at Render File on Wednesdays. This casual event stars a different video game playthrough biweekly with a live band improvising a score to the gameplay. Check it out at Wenona Craft Beer Lodge every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at 8pm!

If you made it this far, thanks so much for reading Bench Notes! Feel free to let us know what you think, share it with a friend, or suggest new topics you’re curious about.

—The Team at Synths When