A dark, low-key photograph of a vintage workbench with scattered electronic components, coiled wire, and an old soldering iron, lit by a single warm lamp against deep shadow.
A dark, moody still-life composition with antique books and technical instruments on a wooden surface, warm sepia tones against near-black shadow.

Allen's Site

A personal corner of the web — electronics, DIY projects, vinyl transfer, and stories from a retired French engineer.

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Stories

JeetCity Casino Review For Australian Players

A no deposit bonus online casino offer can look appealing because it gives new players a way to try selected games without making an initial payment. In…

Video slots leaderboard challenge: play with a smarter strategy

A video slots leaderboard challenge turns a familiar casino game into a time-limited competition. Instead of measuring success only by a single win, the format…

Using ReplayGain To Balance Volume On A CD Compilation

A carefully assembled CD compilation can still sound awkward when one track is quiet, the next is aggressively loud, and an older recording suddenly jumps in…

How to Record from a Hi-Fi VCR to Capture Better Audio

A Hi-Fi VCR can be an unexpectedly capable audio source. Its stereo audio heads record a wide-frequency signal separately from the ordinary linear soundtrack,…

Magnetic Tape Shedding: Is Your Cassette Album Ready to Rip?

A cassette album can look perfectly healthy while its magnetic coating is quietly weakening. The tape may have spent decades in a hot cupboard, a damp garage…

When to replace your stylus before recording vinyl

A clean vinyl transfer begins at the point where the groove meets the stylus. If the diamond is worn, dirty or damaged, your turntable may still play records,…

How To Label CD Inserts For An Organised Music Archive

A carefully labelled CD insert turns a homemade disc into a useful record of your listening history. When LPs, singles and cassette tapes are transferred to…

Digitizing A 45 RPM Single With The Right Software And Settings

A 45 RPM single can preserve a remarkably vivid snapshot of a song, radio hit or local memory, yet its small playing time makes every recording decision…

RIAA Equalization and Better LP Ripping

When a vinyl record is cut, the audio stored in its grooves is not a simple, full-range copy of the music. Low frequencies are reduced and high frequencies are…

short guide to analog-to-digital converters for music lovers

If you have spent the last few years digging through op shops in Fitzroy, hunting through Saturday markets in Fremantle, or queuing outside record fairs in…

A dark, atmospheric portrait-style still-life suggesting a thoughtful older gentleman's study — worn leather, handwritten notes, and soft amber light against deep shadow.

About Allen

Allen is a retired French national who spent his career at the Laboratoire Régional des Ponts et Chaussées de Bordeaux, where he performed measurements on concrete and metal structures — building transducers, electronics interfaces, and the software to run them.

Now retired, he fills his days with fishing, listening to music, tinkering with HI-FI equipment, archery, computing, and — when possible — a well-earned siesta. He also enjoys transferring his vinyl record collection to CD.

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