Matt Laur Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>There are plenty of places to go read about this interesting, disruptive, goofy, smart, eccentric man's work and his company. I use a fair amount of his gear, and have always appreciated his company's serious commitment to customer service and keeping his tools priced within reach for a lot of users. He'll be missed.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Javkin Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>Hi Matt,<br> Ellis already reported this sad news. It might be better to keep one thread:<br> http://www.photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment-techniques-forum/00dCJt</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>Woops! I should have known that Ellis would be on the case. Thanks, Hector.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelChang Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>I first met Paul Buff at an AES conference in Vegas back in the early 80s; still remember him manning his "Valley People" booth in jeans when most others were in suits. We corresponded frequently on his <a href="http://www.google.com/patents/US4341962">VCA patent</a> which our company subsequently used in an instrumentation design. </p> <p>One thing we had in common was our love of Abyssinian cats; I had one and he had two (at the time), and somewhere in my drawer is a Polaroid of his two cats that he sent me. </p> <p>We haven't spoken since the mid 80s but I've followed his evolving career through recently until his passing. Brilliant man whom I will always remember fondly. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted March 28, 2015 Author Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>Small world, Michael. Back in my pro sound selling days, we were a Valley People dealer. I always found their products to be very cool, and their product literature to be slightly wacky. Which, in retrospect, makes perfect sense.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelChang Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>Matt, I recall Paul Buff's VCA was at the core of most of their products which at the time was in stiff competition with Dave Blackmer's VCA design (and DBX products). I still remember the slightly sarcastic friendly rivalry between the two. </p> <p>The 70s and 80s were the golden age of pro audio, or audio in general. The good 'ol days. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>Amazing coincidences! I too met PCB at an AES show in the late 70's while I was designing a multi-channel audio system that used Valley People VCAs as the controlling element.<br> When I took up studio photography and discovered that Alien Bee strobes were made by Paul Buff, I called and spoke to him on the phone. He was always cordial and interested in what other people were doing, while being firmly convinced that he, and some times only he, knew the correct solution to the problem. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelChang Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 <p>Charles, did you use those little green VCA modules? I think Valley People also sold complete VCAs. </p> <p>Those green modules contained the 8 (log, antilog) transistors, Vbe matched to 1mV, and the same sex transistors were thermally bonded. The assembled package was then placed in the green housing to eliminate any thermal gradients across the package. The circuit was really quite elegant. </p> <p>Does the company Amber, Ed Meitner and Wayne Jones mean anything to you? </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famico Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 <p>Never met him, but use his products. Was very impressed with the company's customer service. I see no reason why it should change, so hopefully the level of service will continue.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 <p>Michael, as I remember we used PCB modules with PCB edge connectors. I recall mounting and wiring banks of the mating connectors, but it has been many, many years. And I'm sorry those names don't ring any bells, but again...<br> I left the AV engineering business in '83 to become a tech writer for a company that made analog recording equipment, and did little or no system design after that.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad_ Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 >>> ... tech writer for a company that made analog recording equipment... Just curious, would that possibly be Echo Science Corp.? www.citysnaps.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjoseph7 Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 <p>Wow what a shame. There goes a lot of innovation...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 <p>Brad, I worked for Otari Corp. who made analog tape recorders from 2-track 1/4" to to 24-track 2." They also made high speed cassette duplicating and loading equipment.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 <p>More small-worldness, Charles! I was also an Otari dealer back in the day. Loved those big white 16-track machines. There's nothing quite like watching a reel of 1-inch Ampex flying across the deck. I also sold a couple of Otari duplication machines to the Smithsonian (not as exhibits! their folk music curator used them to fill academic orders in prehistoric, pre-internet/MP3 days), and some to Navy Broadcasting, for a unit that was at the time detached to White House Communications. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 <p>I wrote the manuals for all the pro products and some of the semi-pro line from '83 to '88. In '88 they introduced a high-speed videotape duplicator that used thermal-magnetic transfer, so I was wrapped up in that project up until my departure in '89. I had an Otari 1/4" R-R until quite recently when it failed for the last time.<br> There are only 500 real people in the whole world and we all know each other.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelChang Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 <p>Charles, shame about your machine quitting. Have you tried repairing it?</p> <p>I've always drooled over Otari machines but they weren't that popular in my area. I once had a Tascam 8-TR 1/2" machine with DBX; never used it much but was cool to own. Had a Revox for a while and now have a Teac 1/4" that hasn't seen power in 20 years. </p> <p>The studios in my town mostly had Studer and Ampex machines back in the day, for unknown reasons Otari never gained popularity here.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James G. Dainis Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Just a guess but was Mr. Buff's company Alien Bees? James G. Dainis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 <p>James: His company ("Paul C. Buff") made several product lines, the Alien Bees products being one of them. Also under that brand were the White Lightning units, the newer Einsteins, the Vagabond portable power units, and a range of light modifiers, stands, and other accessories. I was never much for the stands, since I prefer proper C-Stands and heavier-duty booms/grip-stuff. But it's very hard to beat his lights for the money, and I'd say nearly impossible to beat his company's customer service. I'm hoping that his legacy will be the company's continued innovation and success. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles_Webster Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 <p>Matt, the Otari 5050BII was repairable but the labor cost was going to be enormous. As with all analog electronics of the era, it had lots of electrolytic caps, not just in the power supply but throughout the signal chain. All needed replacement. I wasn't willing to invest that much time/money in a machine that I didn't use at all once I had transferred all my r-r tapes to other media.<br> Watch out when you power up that Teac, like strobes the caps may explode. But the magnitude is different because of the lower voltage. But it definately lets the magic smoke out ;-)<br> Best of luck and I'll see around here from time to time.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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