The Muffin Truck - Phase I

[Remoteness]

John,

Thanks for posting about your “Muffin Truck” project.
Can you tell us more about the size, weight and engine capacity of the vehicle?
That information is important when factoring in the features you want.

I checked out the link… I wish the photos were not so large and so close up. In any event let’s talk about your build project. Can you put up a photo or two of the complete interior? Wider shots would help us understand what you did and what you may want to do.

How much isolation are you looking for? Flake-board and 1/4 inch plywood will not be enough separation. You need mass to isolate yourself from the outside world and visa versa. With that said you will need to address the weight, suspension and engine size to handle the heavier materials.

I would remove that sliding door and put in a studio door or at least a solid (thick) wooden door with rubber isolation within a seriously sturdy wall.

You should consider undercoating your aluminum ribs and panels. This rubber spray undercoat substance is your first step in dampening your rattling frame. There are threads about this topic with additional options provided by our GS members for you to contemplate. We have said it all… Search this forum and you shall find a boat load of information for your review.

Once you deaden the Stepvan walls figuring out your sidewall treatment will be a no-brainer.

[Jim vanBergen]

Hey John!

Nice to see some progress shots as you work on the Muffin Truck. Do you have any exterior shots, and a shot viewing the interior fromo the entry door?

What kind of HVAC do you plan to use?

best regards,

Jim

[jabney]

I redid the pictures page. Is this http://66.116.255.61/gpage.html better?

The truck is a standard size large stepvan of the genus <i>breadus truckus</i>, sub-genus <i>muffinium</i>.

The width between the faces of the ribs is 7 feet and 1/2 inches. The distance from the bulkhead to the back of the rear wheel-wells is 10 feet 9 inches. From that point to back of the deck is 5 feet 4 1/2 inches. Height is currently 6 feet 9 inches.

The vehicle is powered by a Cummins four. It has hauled a full load of sound gear, and has plenty of torque. It doesn't like to go very fast, even when empty. I'd like to make it look good, sound OK, and still keep as much open space as possible. My gear is in portable racks, so I'd like to be able to carry my live sound and recording gear, and set-up (for record monitoring) in the Muffin Truck or use the vehicle for support if I can record in the venue.

The bulkhead serves mainly to divide the cab from the back of the truck. And my intended use probably tolerates more sound leakage in recording than is currently fashionable. And the budget is tight. So I may not be able to beef-up that door for awhile.

Thanks for the reply.

best,

john

[Jim vanBergen]

Nice truck, looks like a Grumman Step Van. Steve and I know that frame only TOO WELL!

Do you have a sideswing door in addition to the sliding door between cab and payload? The side door I had was great for loading racks in and out, since we put the console between the wheelwells.

On a spring, summer, or fall day, it's gonna get warm in there, bro....

Jim

[jabney]

edit: Down to one Crest XRM
........................................................

hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. It's not easy to describe the vehicle. Not a Grumman, instead the body is by Utilimaster (from what I can gather, this is a good thing) built on a Ford 'Strip Chassis' with an engine by Cummins. No side doors for the cargo area. But my 'big' console is two Crest XRMs linked together, so I'm pretty much one rack space wide for almost everything.

AC will be an issue. Depending on the budget, I may have to start with a 'window' unit exhausting into the rear 'garage' area. Ideally, I'd like a split unit with the compressor on a separate 'noise trailer' (along with the genny, guitar amps, etc), but I haven't been able to determine how 'permanently' a split AC unit is actually attached.

Of course I could do only winter gigs :-)

best,

john

[Remoteness]

Dude, don't even think about installing a generator in the truck. Even with proper isolation and the right rubber mounts you will still have plenty of vibration.

Believe you me you will not dig the 60 cycle hum that gene will produce. Plus the amount of material you'll need to surround and isolate that thing will blow your weight budget.

[jabney]

hello Steve,

No generator on board (especially my one-cyl diesel). What I thought might work would be a separate trailer (enclosed) with the noisy parts that could be parked some distance from the truck. What I can't determine is how finicky attaching the hose carrying the refrigerant from the compressor to the cold-air register would be. If it's a five minute task and I wouldn't lose too much refrigerant, then the separate 'noise' trailer might work. I'm willing to be convinced one way or another. But if I see any great deals on an ultra-quiet 'window' AC in the meantime, I'll probably get one.

best,

john

[Remoteness]

Hey John,

How's The Muffin Truck coming along? Anymore progress shots for us to review?

Check out what we did with The Bread Mobile below.

Our modular design allowed us to change out our analog (Midas / P8) rig to a completely digital set-up via two DiGiCo D5s...

I took a couple of pictures of our bulkhead CRM/CAB wall and entrance door after we cleared the analog set-up.

Any questions?

[Remoteness]

Here's a shot of The Bread Mobile during the (CBS) PGA Championship we just did in Medinah, IL.

Notice the bottom right corner of the (second) DiGiCo D5 sidecar. We had two D5s in an "L" shaped configuration.

[Remoteness]

Here's what the other side of the CRM looked like...

We set-up the D5s to handle 72 inputs and 120 outputs in a combination of analog and (AES) digital I/Os.


The wall behind the monitors and the shelving are adjustable and completely removable. We can set up The Bread Mobile any which way we want.

[rmx16]

Ha Steve
Any issues with the D5's? Coming from the live end of the biz I heard about some Madi card problems going on.

Rob

[Remoteness]

Man, the DiGiCo D5 rawks. No problems what so ever. Everything (on every level) was solid as a rock.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a D5 or DS00. Even the D1 looks like a killer situation for the bread.

Furthermore, I was very happy with the support I got from the company. IMO, they are second to none in that department.

[Remoteness]

How the heck is the muffin truck doing?

[jabney]

Thanks for asking, Steve. Your step-van looks to have turned out well.

I apologize for not responding earlier. I was waiting until I could host pictures of The Muffin Truck again, although I essentially managed to complete the bulkhead (looks nice after a lot of hand-rubbing) and some more rattle reduction, then stopped work long enough to need a new battery.

I'm now being pressured to move/sell The Muffin Truck, so I could post a picture with an ad if anybody is interested. Is leasing the truck to a recordist in the northeast something I should consider? It's a good truck.

best,

john

[Remoteness]

Damn, why are you pressured into selling it?

[jabney]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

Damn, why are you pressured into selling it?

Short answer: the tires left an impression in the asphalt.

Long answer: I am convinced I have made a few of the world's great shelf-tapes. Problem is, I have no rights to release said tapes, mostly from multi-event festivals, and so building a portfolio I can link to has been tough. I have recordings where I could release something, but performance issues mean that my skills as a recordist won't be noticed or worse - that I get the blame. I'm at the age where I am able to file for ('early') social security. And without a publicly available recording to show what I can do, there has not been the business to justify keeping The Muffin Truck.

I am hoping to record and mix one great song that's good enough to be mastered and legal for me to release. This weekend may be the answer to help me get a good 'calling card.' But in the meantime, probably too late to let me keep The Muffin Truck.

Here's a picture - so you can see what an angelic truck she is :-)

best,

john

[jabney]

Here are some pictures of the Muffin Truck. I have ground the dirt and grime off the interior aluminum and I've put up plywood (maple) paneling on the bulkhead and door, so it's pretty much a blank slate in the area that I had planned to use as a control and monitoring area for remote recording. I'll be posting these pictures in the Classified section along with some more pictures to give a good idea of what else a buyer may want to take care of. I took the truck on as a project. I put quite a bit of time and money into it on the most important areas such as handling and rattle reduction, and then ran out of money just when I was getting to the fun part.

best,

john

[Indrestudios]

can I ask where the truck is currently located? I did see the Jersey plates. I might have a couple ideas for you.

[jabney]

Originally Posted by Indrestudios

can I ask where the truck is currently located? I did see the Jersey plates. I might have a couple ideas for you.

Thanks for the response. The truck is in northwest New Jersey. I'd appreciate any ideas you may have.

It's going to make a good vehicle for somebody to do something with. It would be neat for that something to be audio related.

best,

john