#audiotip

[taww]

#audiotip: Meguiar’s Ultimate Quik Detailer for Speakers

With everyone stuck at home (but hopefully healthy!), I imagine many have some extra time on their hands to play with their systems. I'll be starting a series of #audiotips posts to share tweaks that I've found useful.

My first #audiotip has nothing to do with sound, but caring for glossy finishes on speakers. My @audiovector SR 1 in piano black has a paint job very similar to luxury automobiles, and I've found that Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer spray does an excellent job cleaning and polishing them. On both my car and the speakers, it creates a flawless shine that has just the right amount of depth without appearing too wet or slick. The very gentle cleaning action helps polish out any marks and hairline scratches, and the smell is mild and unobjectionable. The key is to use a high quality, CLEAN microfiber cloth - I like Chemical Guys - and follow the fold-and-flip method that auto detailers espouse.

Usual warnings - test carefully on a small inconspicuous area first, use sparingly and infrequently (the treatment should last a year or more, use a every-so-slightly damp microfiber the rest of the time) and make sure to apply it only to the finish areas and not any sensitive components. The spray is available at many auto shops as well as Target, Walmart, Amazon etc., and I got a pack of the microfibers from Amazon to use all around the house. Highly recommended!

[everymanvoice]

How many of you actually use Audacity? Up until about a few months ago, I had never used Audacity, thinking it was more of a PC-friendly DAW than anything. And quite old-school, if you ask me. I preferred my GarageBand (which I no longer use- Thank GOD!) and, currently, the incomparable Twisted Wave desktop application which has been a life (client) saver. At any rate, about 2 months ago, I was struggling to find a way to get rid of the low rumble without messing with the HPF (High Pass Filter) and/or buying a crap load of bass traps. Well, an audio engineer/demo producer friend showed me the benefits of using the "noise removal" feature in Audacity. Once I got use to it, it felt like the second coming of someone special. Sometimes the outside noise from the elevated subway just down the block or air traffic at LaGuardia is just too much. In the above video, Phil Chenevert, a quirky dude with an interesting voice provides this how-to video. He rambles a little but you'll get the basic idea.