MCI JH-636-VU-AF
MCI JH-636-VU-AF Console
DOB: 21/04/1980
SN: 229
Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Tristan@CatherineNorth.com
Claire -- our 1980’s JH-636 Studio Console from MCI -- is looking for a new home.
Traced as far back as Tusla, Oklahoma…
This console has changed hands a few times, while travelling across North America.
After being installed and operated as the centerpiece and control-center of our Studio-B-&-Mix-room for the greatest parts of the past decade, our work-flow has evolved more towards Dolby’s Atmos - and other Multi-Channel and Immersive Next-Gen mixing processes - for which Claire is simply under-equipped.
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All ‘Not-Necessary’ customizations from Claire’s life with us have been removed.
It is time for Claire to retire, and evolve into a new career path, where it will be able to provide another decade of exciting creative and artistic operation.
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This console has recently gone through a detailed inspection, and repair process.
(Early Feb 2024)
Every channel has been tested for Proper Operations:
Gain Stages, Phase, Frequency Responses, all analyzed at various stages along the signal paths.
- 32 channels have working Preamps installed. (Ch 1-32)
- EQ Responses and Curves checked for proper slopes/ranges.
- Low-Cut & High-Cut filters checked for proper slope and frequency points.
- Channel-to-Bus Assignments, and ACN Bus Outputs work.
- Aux/Sends + panning tested.
- Stereo Mixdown from every channel checked, via Monitor-VCA’s and the Rotary Channel-Faders.
- Patch-bay points work, as they were all used during the testing.
- Automation System (32 channels) currently allows Solo In Place, VCA Groups, and Muting.
- Aged-Glue on replacement LED-Strips for Meter Illumination replaced with new double-sided adhesive.
All issues were repaired when found.
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Console has been removed from active service for 5 months, and has been stored in an active studio, un-powered.
A week of service was dedicated towards cleaning, detailed testing, generic maintenance, and minor repairs.
Recent repairs required nothing more difficult than:
- A few dead/noisy Op Amps in a few Channel Strips, commonly EQ daughter boards.
- Quad Opamp and 741 in Digitizer boards,
- One 741 on CH23’s VU Buffer, noisy.
- A couple questionable through-hole solder points.
Mostly the switches needed to be worked clean.
With No Cleaner: 1-5 presses of a noisy switch - and signal was restored.
20-30 presses and 90% of the scratching disappeared for the week of testing.
Keep in mind… 1980 was 44 years ago!
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Console is currently set up, and available for further testing as needed.
It is also available for an ‘in-person’ showing, to demonstrate its condition, and discuss potential install and usage plans buyers are considering.
(By scheduled, and discussed appointments only.)
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Console is being sold ‘As-Is’ ‘Where-Is’
While the console is operational as of this writing:
Capacitor rework is 10 years old,
750+ Opamps, who's ages range greatly from Recent years, to early 2010’s, to 90’s, to 80’s stock.
Moving a frame of this size, much like moving a piano, may cause some re-tuning requirements.
With most electronics that are 44+ years old – the Switches and Pots do become ‘scratchy.’
Inconsistent use allows the contacts to build up oxide/dirt/grime layers, causing these noises.
Most of these noises will clean themselves with regular use.
However - it is suggested that the console gets a solid internal cleaning when re-installed.
**2-3 cans+bottles of contact cleaner**
**A fun and exciting night with a few of your friends**
**Meditative therapy of injecting cleaner into switches**
**Physical work-out of pressing them 200 times each!**
The pots in these modules are a fairly ‘Sealed’ design.
Injecting a cleaner is usually not as easy as with the switches.
Some/Bundles of the pots have had Holes drilled into them, in their pasts.
A syringe works to inject cleaner accurately, when needed.
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The Pro’s and Features:
- Factory ‘Red Mic Patch-Bay.’
- Factory-loaded with 28 channels, 29-36 have been sourced from another console.
- Channels 35&36 are ‘VariQ’ EQ modules.
- 36 Automation Faders - with Gold-DBX-202c
- All Channel Strips, Fader Packs, and Master-Modules were Re-Capped ~10 years ago.
- Power-Supply Regulator cards Re-Capped and ‘beefed-up’
- These Caps should have another 10-20 years of usable life.
- Aux-Send VU Meters, and Phase Meter sourced from another console.
- Phase Meter Card and harness was never installed, and the Meter currently utilises a proto-typed ‘Phase Driver’, which compares the In and Out of phase level of mono-summed signals from the Control-Room’s L/R signals.
- Last 4 Fader Packs (Ch 33-36) modified to operate ‘Stand Alone’ – (Only 2 Digitizer Automation Boards installed and wired in frame 32ch)
- ‘Solo Indicating Mod’ – BroadCast LED in Master Section indicates if ANY solo is activated.
- Extra ‘Floating Faders’ in frame, but not connected/missing-VCAs..
- Extra ‘Transport Control’ panels from decades old are installed in frame, but not connected.
- Box of misc parts. (Tuchel Parts, screws / Opamps / Transistors)
- Two extra ‘stripped-for-parts’ channel strips.
- One extra Preamp Card - *has a dead LM394 Matched Transistor, and missing 5534’s.
- Power Supply harness replaced with longer, customized harness made from multi-pair snake.
- Original Power Supply Harness probably still available. (I think, I need to find it first!)
- Extra Tie-Line Patchbay installed, and hard-wired to 20ft length of Cat-5e, QTP/AES72-4e Wiring.
- Misc collection of Bantam Patch Cables, and Bantam to TRS/XLR Adapters.
- 29 Tuchel connectors to build cables/snakes to connect the console to I/O interfaces.
(Not all have Hoods or strain clamps/boots… but connector portions are good and usable!)
This is enough to wire in:
32 Mic Inputs,
32ch of Multrack Line In and Out,
Control Room, Alternate, and Studio Speakers,
4 Echo-Chamber I/O (Patch points Normalled between Aux-Send Outputs + Effect Returns).
1 Mono Tape Machine + 4x 2-Track Tape monitor Inputs.
48 additional Tie-Lines (picture snakes to gear-racks and up-to 24x mono compressors or EQ’s!)
+ 36 I/O-pairs of Hard-Wired QTP Cabling on the extra Patchbay!
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Cons/Missing Components/Known-Issues:
- Console should get a fresh cleaning of all switches and pots, pointless to perform before the console is installed at the new home.
- Power Supply Lids are missing from previous life.
- Back Panels for the console are dented/bent/damaged from previous life.
-ArmRest should be rebuilt, as the material has dried out and is cracking apart.
- Still has the Red-Sockets installed… But with 10 years of operation - not a single maintenance issue was ever caused by any red socket in this particular console!
- A few coloured knob-caps are broken/missing, but all knobs are present.
- Several knobs rotate 360-degrees – from previous life of aggressive use. (Pans, Chan-Lvl, some Aux-Sends, etc.) (Under 10 total)
- Ch-7 Pan Knob has Center-Detent. Zero explanation. Mystery for the cosmos. Accept it.
-Faders have the ‘White Plastic’ end-walls - which are known to crack, and release the threaded-panel-mounting insert. (2-Part Epoxy holds them back together when they break!)
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Currently located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Easy 30-ft gravel incline/path to street-level.
Some additional services available for negotiation:
Training/orientation with the console and routing prior to move.
Preparation for moving can be handled ahead of time. (pulling and packing modules)
On-Site power supply reconnect, and module installation.
Snake and cabling integration, either planning or complete build of new harnesses.
On-Site service, maintenance, and repair.
Remote support and guidance.
Any piece of equipment of this size requires negotiation and heavy planning,
Therefore all prices and terms of sale are considered highly negotiable.
From 'Buy-It-Now' - to 'Ship around the world' - to 'Travel with and Install.'
This has been, and will continue to be - A great Stereo console.