[Heathkit] question from a non-Ham

Duane Fischer, W8DBF dfischer at usol.com
Sun Jul 2 11:37:01 EDT 2006


Bob (the Wolf)

I just discovered a "still sealed" copy of Dave Brubeck's "Two Generations 
Of Brubeck" done by Atlantic in 1974. Would you be interested in having a 
copy on CD remastered by me "my way"? As i recall I owe you a favor, so if 
interested, please let me know.

Several on this list have copies of my work and I think they will affirm 
that for a guy who can't see what the heck he is doing, I get the spindell 
in the hole when it comes to vinyl salvation.

Duane W8DBF

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "wolfbob" <wolfbob at csnsys.com>
To: "Robert & Linda McGraw K4TAX" <RMcGraw at Blomand.Net>; 
<heathkit at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 1:55 AM
Subject: Re: [Heathkit] question from a non-Ham


>I fully agree with Bob. Today things are a mess. There are some small 
>indies trying to do it right, but they are very hard to find and if and 
>when they do find some talent it is snatched away by the big bucks and back 
>to lousy audio.
>
> I have found some good sounding CDs however. Not too many.. My current 
> favorite is "The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall". The remastering 
> is exemplatory so Sony does occasionally make a mistake and do it right. 
> Of course Columbia did the original in 1963, but at least Sony didn't 
> destroy it. Great talent and great audio.
>
> WBob
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robert & Linda McGraw K4TAX" <RMcGraw at Blomand.Net>
> To: <heathkit at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 8:47 PM
> Subject: Re: [Heathkit] question from a non-Ham
>
>
>> Duane mentions RCA Studio B in Nashville.  They were on 17th Ave So. 
>> That brings back memories as I spent 15 years across the block at CBS 
>> studios on 16th Ave So. Specifically, the Quonset hut built by Owen 
>> Bradley in Nashville.  Some years after being recorded and after the 
>> fact, we pulled a 1/2" master 3 track 15 IPS analog tape out of the vault 
>> and was playing it. Several "current" musicians had gathered in the 
>> studio prior to an upcoming session.  Comments like, "man how did you get 
>> such fantastic sound?" were heard around the room.  I just smiled and 
>> went on about my work.
>>
>> Well the formula is quite simple, all the musicians were in the room 
>> playing at the same time, listening to each other without benefit of 
>> headphones, and it was recorded in true stereo, Left, Center, and Right, 
>> typical of 3 track fashion.  Recording groups like Flatt and Scruggs 
>> required a total of 3 or maybe 4 microphones.  One for the vocals, one 
>> for the instruments, and one for the upright bass and one for the "room". 
>> As each instrument took a lead, the player simply stepped into the mike 
>> and picked and then stepped back.  Same for the vocals.  The recording 
>> engineer would make only minor adjustments to levels and EQ settings. 
>> The "band" made the real adjustments acoustically.  As to a drum kit, 3 
>> mikes was the norm in those days.
>>
>> Well in later years, on one session I did have a good chuckle with one 
>> group, one producer, and one drummer. After it was over, I smiled all the 
>> way to the bank.  But in the mean time, I finally got them happy with 18 
>> mikes on the drum kit alone, being top toms (3), bottom toms (3) , top 
>> snare (2), bottom snare (1), left kick (1), right kick(1), top hat (2), 
>> crash left (2), crash right (2) and finally 1 overhead.  There were 4 
>> mikes on Edgar Winters Fender pre CBS tube type Twin Reverb guitar amp 
>> that was cranked to the max, and 3 mikes on brother Johnny's vocals. 
>> Each was in a isolation booth.  Interestingly, the Koss headphones on the 
>> drummers head finally quit working when they literally produced smoke 
>> while on his head!  How loud were the phones?  I never bothered to 
>> measure.  In one case after a session, I did stick a B & K sound level 
>> meter between the earpieces and measured 140 dB SPL, average A weighted. 
>> Deaf?  You bet.  Pain, you bet.
>>
>> Today, we listen to music composed of 9 billion tracks of overdubs, 
>> digitally recorded and compressed, processed, EQ'd, edited, pitch shifted 
>> because no one can actually play or sing on pitch, de-S'ed, de- popped, 
>> gated and it is all recorded mostly in boring mono.  It is then remixed 
>> multiple times to fake stereo with more effects added and we call it 
>> great. They actually give Grammy's for this crap.  Until you've stood in 
>> a studio and listened to a 21 piece band actually blow, you don't have a 
>> clue. I've been there and done that.  It's great.  The largest session I 
>> ever worked had 31 musicians in the studio at one time. That was a Kris 
>> Kristofferson written song, recorded by Ray Price on analog 4 track.  Don 
>> Law was the producer, Cam Mullins was the arranger.  Grady Martin played 
>> lead guitar. Listen to it, it is real music.
>>
>> And yes, due to age my hearing is diminished, but not diminished due to 
>> loud.  I've always said that it is easy to be loud as it only takes 
>> money. To be good, well that's another chapter in the book that few will 
>> ever attain.
>>
>> 73
>> Bob, K4TAX
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Duane Fischer W8DBF" <dfischer at usol.com>
>> To: "wolfbob" <wolfbob at csnsys.com>; <k4oah at mindspring.com>
>> Cc: <heathkit at mailman.qth.net>
>> Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 9:54 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Heathkit] question from a non-Ham
>>
>>
>>> You tell them Bob! (This man knows his audio!). Put up a pair of James 
>>> B. Lansing Century L-100 and feed them 35 watts pure continuous RMS and 
>>> something recorded in the RCA Nashville studio B and you will have all 
>>> the highs your neighbor's dogs can stand and enough clean bass to 
>>> vibrate the dirt out of your carpeting! "Good" speakers and amplifiers 
>>> do not need a lot of power to be efficient.
>>>
>>> Bob I can still hear a Flea break wind at a thousand yards, a cat fight 
>>> ten houses down the street and hear down to 32 Hz. I also spent thirty 
>>> years on stage, but earplugs can do great things for performers, if they 
>>> bother to use them!
>>>
>>> Duane w8DBF
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "wolfbob" <wolfbob at csnsys.com>
>>> To: <k4oah at mindspring.com>
>>> Cc: <heathkit at mailman.qth.net>
>>> Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 5:22 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Heathkit] question from a non-Ham
>>>
>>>
>>>> I'm not too sure that there are any that can hear anything anymore. The 
>>>> youth seem to run everything at 115dB and distorted wiping out any 
>>>> hearing they were born with and we old farts cant hear much over 10K 
>>>> anymore. I am now specializing in trying to get clean bass...another 
>>>> end of the spectrum that is being ruined...but once you find a 
>>>> reproducer that can deliver and a source that has not already been 
>>>> clobbered, it sure sounds neat...
>>>>
>>>> WBob
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>> From: "Garey Barrell" <k4oah at mindspring.com>
>>>> Cc: <heathkit at mailman.qth.net>
>>>> Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 12:39 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Heathkit] question from a non-Ham
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Unfortunately, the ones who CAN hear the difference, have nothing to 
>>>>> compare it against, since the "music" they listen to is _performed_ 
>>>>> with intentional distortion, including voices.  That is, at least 
>>>>> those who haven't already killed the high frequency response of their 
>>>>> ears with jet engine level sounds at concerts!
>>>>>
>>>>> Those of us who remember what "real" instruments sound like can't hear 
>>>>> the overtones that make them "real" anymore, due to advancing age.
>>>>>
>>>>> All in all, a win-win situation for all concerned!
>>>>>
>>>>> 73, Garey - K4OAH
>>>>> Atlanta
>>>>>
>>>>> Drake 2-B, 4-B & C-Line Service Data
>>>>> <http://www.k4oah.com>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Jim Brannigan wrote:
>>>>>> For many yearsI have had a better than average Hi-FI set up and have 
>>>>>> a pretty good ear for music.
>>>>>> I've listened to songs on the kids iPod Nano and am amazed at the 
>>>>>> sound quality.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Jim
>>>>>> PS get your license and join the fun!!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>   But it's not an isolated sign in traditional hobbies. Example:  I 
>>>>>>> have been interested in High Fidelity audio for as long as that of 
>>>>>>> radio. Building kits of amplifiers, tuners, equalizers, both tube & 
>>>>>>> solid state were (are) a long-time passion. But kit-companies like 
>>>>>>> Heath and Dynaco have long since disappeared.
>>>>>>>    And 20-somethings I am friendly with have NO conception of hi-fi 
>>>>>>> reproduction. None! They think their iPod and/or MP-3s played on 
>>>>>>> that Best Buy abomination are the best that can be achieved in 
>>>>>>> musical reproduction!
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF        ** For Assistance: 
>>>>> dfischer at usol.com **         $$ See the vintage area on the HCI web 
>>>>> site - http://www.w9wze.org $$ Heathkit mailing list
>>>>> Heathkit at mailman.qth.net
>>>>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/heathkit
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF        ** For Assistance: 
>>>> dfischer at usol.com **         $$ See the vintage area on the HCI web 
>>>> site - http://www.w9wze.org $$ Heathkit mailing list
>>>> Heathkit at mailman.qth.net
>>>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/heathkit
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF        ** For Assistance: 
>>> dfischer at usol.com **         $$ See the vintage area on the HCI web 
>>> site - http://www.w9wze.org $$ Heathkit mailing list
>>> Heathkit at mailman.qth.net
>>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/heathkit
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF        ** For Assistance: 
>> dfischer at usol.com **         $$ See the vintage area on the HCI web 
>> site - http://www.w9wze.org $$ Heathkit mailing list
>> Heathkit at mailman.qth.net
>> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/heathkit
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF        ** For Assistance: 
> dfischer at usol.com **         $$ See the vintage area on the HCI web site - 
> http://www.w9wze.org $$ Heathkit mailing list
> Heathkit at mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/heathkit
>
>
>
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> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.6/378 - Release Date: 6/28/2006
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