From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V7 #135 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Monday, May 14 2001 Volume 07 : Number 135 Today's Subjects: ----------------- violinsarebetterthanboysbutnotcellos [Joseph Zitt ] of microphones and parrots [Eek the Cat ] Douglas Adams ["Adam K." ] Emm and others in DC [Jessweiser24@aol.com] Re: Cowboy Junkies tour [/dev/woj ] Re: violinsarebetterthanboysbutnotcellos [/dev/woj ] Re: of microphones and parrots [/dev/woj ] Fwd: Electronic Musical Instrument 1870 - 1990 [Neb Rodgers ] Douglas Adams tribute [Amanda ] New Music to Me [Dracovixen@aol.com] Re: of microphones and parrots [Greg Dunn ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 00:37:38 -0500 From: Joseph Zitt Subject: violinsarebetterthanboysbutnotcellos OK, so I have this MP3, credited only to "kate" and named "violinsarebetterthanboysbutnotcellos", which is this simply beautiful brief layering of female voices and strings. Any idea what/who this is? - -- |> ~The only thing that is not art is inattention~ --- Marcel Duchamp <| | jzitt@metatronpress.com http://www.metatronpress.com/jzitt | | Latest CD: Jerusaklyn http://www.mp3.com/josephzitt | | Comma: Voices of New Music Silence: the John Cage Discussion List | ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 03:00:03 -0400 (EDT) From: Mike Matthews Subject: Today's your birthday, friends... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ******************* Steve Fagg (nightwol@dircon.co.uk) ******************** ******************* Karel Zuiderveld (karel@cv.ruu.nl) ******************** *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Steve Fagg Tue May 13 1958 Nightwol Karel Zuiderveld Fri May 13 1960 Stier Michael Colford Wed May 16 1962 Taurus Christopher Boek Tue May 19 1970 Taurus Yngve Hauge Fri May 21 1971 Gemini Lisa Laane Tue May 22 1973 Gemini Jewel Kilcher Thu May 23 1974 The Gem Chandra Sriram Thu May 27 1971 Gemini Urs Stafford Thu May 31 1973 Give Way Perttu Yli-Krekola Thu June 02 1966 Kaksoset Alex Gibbs Thu June 08 1967 Betelgeuse Gleb Zverev Tue June 09 1964 Gemini Sonja Juchniewich Mon June 10 1963 Pegasus Joerg Plate Mon June 12 1967 Gemini Chris Montville Tue June 13 1978 Gemini Ectoplasm (original name) Mailing List Thu June 13 1991 Fuzzier blue - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 00:03:22 +1200 From: Eek the Cat Subject: of microphones and parrots Meth confuzzled: >Okay. I've been a fan of a Kiwi actress (yes, Lucy Lawless, stop >sniggering in the corner over there woj ;) long enough to have picked up >quite a bit of Kiwi-speak (she seems to go out of her way to stick in >vernacular terms in her interviews with the American press), but I must >admit to not having a clue what a "bollard" is. Please explain! :) Not kiwi-speak at all, actually :) I think the following link will explain everything sufficiently... http://humorlinks.com/python/sketches/TheNewsforParrots.htm I simply wrote the subject line, and then had the sudden urge to look up the words for that paragraph :) As for the bollard, well I didn't actually know myself to be honest, but happily that's what dictionaries are for... http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=bollard I'm sure I'd be amused to discover what passes for kiwi vernacular terms, btw :) I've never travelled farther than Australia, so I've not had much opportunity to discover what's going to confuse people! (And yes, stop sniggering woj :) >Also, thanks to all who answered Philip's questions about microphones. As >ectosynchronicity would have it, just last night someone at the latest NHFA >event asked me about good mics to attach to the Sony minidisc recorder he's >thinking of buying, and while I wasn't able to help him then, today I was >able to cut & paste from some of the the postings here and e-mail him a >bunch of info! Yay! And Yes, thank you everyone! (Even if I was slightly taken aback by what passed for a reasonable price for a microphone. Still, those minidisc recorders aren't all that cheap either last I looked, so it's a bit of an investment regardless, I suppose.) Another question, then... assuming the intention is to record things on minidisc and then burn CD audio tracks from that, are there any minidisc models that have substantial benefits over others? (Always assuming minidisc _is_ the best way to go for an easily portable recorder...) >"things are more beautiful when they're obscure" -- veda hille "there is joy in sorrow, there is love in tents" :) - -fil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 13:56:04 +0100 From: "Adam K." Subject: Douglas Adams I, too, was gobsmacked this morning when I read about his death, stopping in the middle of the newsagents to exclaim "Oh myGod!" and point, unbelieving at the headline. There's a little less fun in the world, today.Oddly enough, despite being English, I was introduced to Douglas Adams by the people I was working for in NYC around 1980, and they were utterly amazed that I hadn't heard of him --- a radio station had been broadcasting the series (which I've still never heard) and my boss wanted to know about this Adams guy. I wasn't much help, but I did get whole chunks of dialogue repeated to me verbatim. Someone mentioned "Last Chance to See" - I got it for my daughter when it came out in paperback over here and, although I never read it myself, I remember reading a snatch of it and laughing myself silly. He was writing about a tropical bird that was so stupid "it has not only forgotten how to fly, but it has forgotten that it's forgotten how to fly", and went on to describe the noises of the birds in the night, plummeting through the foliage towards the ground. Well, it made me laugh. adamk np -Veda Hille/Field Study nr - Julian Jaynes/The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (which I will never EVER finish, especially as I end up having to read every single paragraph about THREE TIMES before it makes the remotest sense. And what the hell does "aptic" mean?) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 10:44:13 EDT From: Jessweiser24@aol.com Subject: Emm and others in DC Emm Gryner will be playing the Metro Cafe several times in May and June. This Sunday (5.13) opening for her is Brenda Weiler, an AMAZING talent from Minnesota. She's extremely good... www.brendaweiler.com or www.peppermintcds.com. I have all 3 of her albums and it's hard to even begin to choose a favorite. They're all full of powerful/intelligent/witty songs and I love her voice... Not unlike Ani Difranco/Patty Griffin in many ways, for those who need comparisons :) Cameron Dezen, a fellow NYC singer/songwriter is opening for Emm the last Sunday in May. She's got a new album out that is quite good...different, but really good. www.camerondezen.com In June Rebecca Lord of MTV fame will share the stage w/ Emm. Last seen on the Real World/Road Rules Challenge which wraps this week, she has a new album out and a new website (www.aboutrebecca.com) which is rarely updated... What I've heard of her album is just okay... Emm's got some great new songs so check her out! She's also playing the Kendall Cafe in Boston every Monday in May (just did a gig w/ her there last week which was fun!). Info about Emm's tour and other cool things (listening party for her new album) are up here: www.publicawareness.net Jess www.jessicaweiser.com - new album BECOMING available now! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 10:55:50 -0400 From: /dev/woj Subject: Re: Cowboy Junkies tour when we last left our heroes, meredith (meth@smoe.org) exclaimed: >Also, they'll be at Central Park SummerStage (with Sarah Harmer >opening!!) on Sunday, July 1. Mark *that* date on the calendar! hopefully that'll be an early-afternoon show so we can hightail it back to new haven to see kristin hersh at the tune inn.... woj "sniggering" the wojster ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 11:04:34 -0400 From: /dev/woj Subject: Re: violinsarebetterthanboysbutnotcellos >OK, so I have this MP3, credited only to "kate" and named >"violinsarebetterthanboysbutnotcellos", which is this simply beautiful >brief layering of female voices and strings. >Any idea what/who this is? no ideas, though it certainly sounds like something sarah slean might say. woj ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 11:28:03 -0400 From: /dev/woj Subject: Re: of microphones and parrots when we last left our heroes, Eek the Cat (ectophil@netlink.co.nz) exclaimed: >Another question, then... assuming the intention is to record >things on minidisc and then burn CD audio tracks from that, are >there any minidisc models that have substantial benefits over >others? a couple things spring to mind: 1) record levels: the sony models do not allow for changing the record levels while recording; you have to pause to adjust. i believe the sharps and aiwas do allow for this. this isn't a terribly bad thing though since you can record low and adjust the volume of the track after digitizing it. however, the most range you can get on the original recording (without distorting, of course), the better -- gives you more room to play with. 1a) the early sony models (through the mz-r55) have a microphone level switch (high/low) which controls the base level of the pre-amp circuitry. the latter sony models got rid of this switch and only have the high setting. for recording loud shows, this becomes a real issue, so if you decide to get a recent sony, you'll have to get mics that step down the levels so you don't distort. 1b) that said, it's usually better to record with your microphone jacked into the line in jack instead of the mic jack because the microphone circuit can add additional distortion. 2) digital out: for the *best* results, you'd ideally want a minidisc that has a digital output. far as i know, none of the consumer portable recorders have this. personally, i don't think this is a crucial consideration though since there already is a lossy step during the decompression of the audio off the minidisc, but if you are a stickler for these sorts of things, you might want to consider getting a component minidisc deck with a digital output so you can transfer minidisc digitally to cd. >(Always assuming minidisc _is_ the best way to go for >an easily portable recorder...) it's certainly the cheapest digital option and, in my opinion, with decent microphones, competitive with dat for audio quality when recording live shows (though a lot of dat-heads frown upon minidisc's lossy compression which, in their opinion, "throws away data"). the biggest downside to minidisc, as neal mentioned, is the 75 minute duration -- that's a fine length for a typical new york city club show, but not long enough for a regular concert. but, for entry level recording, i'd say minidisc is the way to go. and depending on what your personal needs are, it'll probably be more than sufficient. >"there is joy in sorrow, there is love in tents" that's what i always say! woj ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 09:41:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Neb Rodgers Subject: Fwd: Electronic Musical Instrument 1870 - 1990 Here's an interesting link about the history of electronic music instruments. I didn't realise there were so many of them! - -Neb - --- Neb Rodgers wrote: > Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 00:37:49 -0400 (EDT) > To: clam_nebula@yahoo.com > Subject: Electronic Musical Instrument 1870 - 1990 > > > http://www.obsolete.com/120_years/ Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 12:48:02 -0700 From: Shirley Ye Subject: Madonna Tour Madonna is my very first favorite musician. As an icon of feminism and femininity, Madonna has an incredible amount of meaning for me. I've written papers about her, my bedroom walls growing up were plastered with Madonna images. The last time she held concerts was in her Blonde Ambition days, and I was about 12 years old, in my pre-concert days. Now she is doing the Drowned World Tour and alas, her concerts have completely SOLD OUT. I checked on Ebay and there are not even tickets available for the dates I am looking for!! I am looking for tickets for the London shows between July 4th and July 12th (The later, the better). I will be in Berlin from July 16th through the very end of August/beginning of September, thus I will not even be in North American for the U.S. leg of the tour. And by July, the European leg will have finished. Does anyone have tickets for the London show? Does anyone have any leads about where I can get tickets for the London shows? Please do a kind deed, e-mail me with any info/leads... I would be forever grateful... Yours, Shirley kashkaria@hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 14:14:22 +1000 (EST) From: Amanda Subject: Douglas Adams tribute userfriendly tribute to Douglas Adams http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20010513&mode=classic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ooooooooooooooooooo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ".......my neck is very slender" - Anne Boleyn _________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 00:14:00 EDT From: Dracovixen@aol.com Subject: New Music to Me I've been looking further into some music that is new to me, and I have to say that two particularly talented musicians tha caught my eye and made me want to listen ot them again and again, are Holly McNarland and Sarah Slean. Holly McNarland is sort of dark and moody, yet fairly calm and cool, with both acoustic and electric guitar to back up her strong, and icy vocals that are sometimes impassioned with a rage and frustration. Her cover of Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" is amazing! Quite possibly one of the best covers I have ever heard. It sounds like the original song, yet is distinctly her version. Other songs that hooked me were "Numb" and "Stormy". "Numb" is so nicely done, with electric guitars played behind acoustic, and her arrangement of the song shows her talent. "Stormy" is a quieter, softer song, yet rings with a desperate need for something...perhaps control, or revenge... Sarah Slean is definitely not nearly as moody as Holly, and her instrument is the piano. She's a talented pianist, with a sweet and soft voice. The song that really got to me and that I plan on printing onto my bedroom walls (I call it the hall of lyrics that should be famous), is "Universe". "Once I took the universe to dinner, when she failed to yield to earth's demands "oh" she said "you mean that little ant farm? I'm alright dear, I've got other plans" And we're sad because we think we don't belong here, we're guilty 'cause we think we should be stars, floating in a navy soup we're sailing, there you are, there you are. She's so bright and then she's gone Don't mind me, I'm just sailing on a sunrise, it's my favourite thing, and when are you going to realize I don't blame you, I never have And when she talks she fills the room with sunlight, she can name her babies every one, I've returned the place of my beginning, I can see her turning off the sun And we're sad because we think we don't belong here, we're guilty 'cause we think we should be stars, floating in a navy soup we're sailing, there you are, there you are. She's so bright and then she's gone Don't mind me, I'm just sailing on a sunrise, it's my favourite thing, and when are you going to realize I don't blame you, I never have I don't blame you, I never have..." And to hear her sing this song....I think it is just beautiful. Other good songs are "Playing Cards With Judas" and "Weight". Just had to share that with everyone! :) Black Dove ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 23:55:52 -0500 From: Greg Dunn Subject: Re: of microphones and parrots woj spake: >1b) that said, it's usually better to record with your microphone >jacked into the line in jack instead of the mic jack because the >microphone circuit can add additional distortion. Do test first to make sure that the mic can drive the line input to satisfactory levels; due to impedance mismatch, you might get a very very quiet (inaudible?) signal and/or lots of noise. Not usually a problem with condenser mics, but... >it's certainly the cheapest digital option and, in my opinion, with >decent microphones, competitive with dat for audio quality when >recording live shows (though a lot of dat-heads frown upon minidisc's >lossy compression which, in their opinion, "throws away data"). Weeelll... :-) ATRAC (the minidisc recording compression algorithm) only uses 12 bits, and its lossy compression really does remove a fair amount of the signal. It's a predictive linear coding, though, so with fairly complex data (music) the loss isn't usually audible. With really simple signals, though, such as solo instruments or voice, there is a noticeable degradation of quality. YMMV. Borrow and test one first if you have any doubts; your ears are the final judge. - -- | Greg Dunn | I shut out acceptance so I won't | | gregdunn@indy.net | get hurt; and move on to the next| | The Sultan of Slack(tm) | one who will treat me like dirt. | | http://www.indy.net/~gregdunn/ | Patti Rothberg | ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V7 #135 **************************