fan control software

[ronaldroy]

Hi,
Does anyone know of any fan control software for os9? I would like to be able to turn down/off the fans on my quicksilver to record vocals without the noise.
Thanks,
Andrew

[leonAzul]

The fans are performing the important function of cooling your computer in order to protect the components from excessive heat. I recommend you "do it like the pros" and use some sort of baffle or isolation booth around the area where the microphone is being used, cabling extensions to relocate the case away from the listening area, and/or sound proofing around the computer case. Placing the computer in a large cabinet or closet with a sound absorbent interior and well-placed ducts for ventilation and cabling can be very effective and not very expensive, especially if you know someone with some carpentry skills. You can try looking for high-efficiency low-noise fans that will fit in that case, but I still think you will get the best results with isolation and microphone placement techniques.

[ronaldroy]

Yeh I wasn't intending to turn them off for long - just a few minutes here and there to lay down some vocals and sound effects etc.

[Turboladdade]

If you did this on basically any newer Mac, even a Mac Pro, the fans are typically silent enough to be consdiered essentially inaudible.

[leonAzul]

In order to do this in software under OS 9, resources in the System Suitcase would need to be patched and the computer rebooted for every adjustment. Such software is not generally available because it has been tried and found to be more trouble than it is worth. YMMV.

[Turboladdade]

I'm pretty sure on most classic systems, the fans either run continuously (towers) or are controlled by a power management board that is independent of the system software.

[davidchristmass]

Goodday,

Messing with the Apple hardware using software is definately a bad step. You will compromise the operating functionality of the computer full stop. Unlike the Pentium Windows system, Apple do not depend upon accessible microprocessor controls to control hardware functions upon its boards.

The fan in your computer should not be presenting you with a noise disturbance, they usually run quietly.

I suggest that you acquire an ipod or mp3 device that has an external microphone input, and record the rushes of your sessions first, before moving on to performing the mixing and electronic processing tasks.

You obviously know if you are in the music business, there are such things as NC noise cancelling and directional and omnidirectional microphones. Cancelling is acheived by mechanical constructions of diferential air pressures, so atmospherics are reduced. Examples of these are the microphones used by commentators in football stadiums.
I have at present what exists in the beginnings of a band select filter, which I want to interface to my radio, so as to cut out commercials on the radio. At present this design concept, which has been constructed fully, in practice, is placed on hold, pending future access to a scope. I basically need to see the waveform shapes before and after the filter circuit to make the necessary prototype development changes so the switch muting threshold is set to respond to music and not respond to vocals alone.

It seems to me, the noise of a fan, has very narrow lf spectral component bandwith, even if it clacks in or out temporally.

It should be possible to present your music through an AF band stop filter, set at specifically the resonent peaks of the fan in motion.

Check out, adjustable L/C band stop filter circuit, I seem to remember a grumble / rumble filtler circuit way back in record days that got rid of the rumble from direct motor turntable drives on record decks, and this could be fed to a filter that got rid of the scratching too, so the story had a happy ending for the cats chorus!

Thats your answer mate!

Good luck with the session.

David