From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V7 #321 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Monday, January 28 2008 Volume 07 : Number 321 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] Recording from vinyl ["Michael W. Zwirn" ] Re: [loud-fans] Recording from vinyl [Scout82667@aol.com] [loud-fans] Let's Active Question [AWeiss4338@aol.com] Re: [loud-fans] Let's Active Question ["\[The Arch-Villain\] West" Subject: [loud-fans] Recording from vinyl For Chanukah my mom got me a Numark USB turntable, in part with the hopes that I'll be recording digital copies of the old children's records she had for benefit of my impending progeny. I'm sure that will happen, but for now I'm mostly recording old indie rock 45s. Sample playlist thus far: Mary Lou Lord, Some Jingle Jangle Morning (When I'm Straight) (Kill Rock Stars) Bats, Live at WFMU (Merge) Syd Straw, 2000 Miles/I Go To Sleep medley (Singles Only Label) Ida, Poor Dumb Bird EP with Richard and Linda Thompson and Prince covers (Simple Machines) I'm the farthest thing from an audiophile but might benefit from some guidance on how to do this somewhat more effectively. I've got the Numark TTUSB, Audacity software (came with the turntable), a USB connection, and a Mac running OSX 10.4 with iTunes. What I'm doing thus far is recording the songs track-by-track as Audacity projects, trimming vinyl hiss where possible, and using the software to eliminate pops and clicks, which is mildly effective. Then I export as AIFF, since Audacity has no built-in capacity to export direct to MP3 (you're supposed to use a third-party app, rather suspiciously called LAME, but it hasn't installed for me successfully). I find it odd, by the way, that Audacity's "Save As" options keep getting greyed out in the middle of doing the projects, but that's probably user error. When I have the AIFF files, I import the AIFF files to iTunes by converting to AAC (you hold down the "option" key and under "Advanced," select "Convert to AAC".) Then I add the ID3 tags, find the artwork somewhere online, add the appropriate iTunes playlists, and sync with the iPod for active listening. Could also burn to CD as needed from iTunes, etc. I imagine there are more timely / efficient ways to undertake this process and would welcome suggestions. Michael ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:57:20 EST From: Scout82667@aol.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Recording from vinyl In a message dated 1/27/2008 12:55:37 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, michael@zwirn.com writes: For Chanukah my mom got me a Numark USB turntable I bought a Numark turntable last year with my tax refund, and I'm very pleased with the quality of it (I just wanted to play my old records--didn't go for the pricey USB model--got the PT01). It's quite nice. The 4th and 5th grade kids I worked with got a thrill last year when I brought a Victrola record (I brought one with the logo pressed into one side's playing surface) to school and played it in class on the Numark. We were reading a story set in the early 30s, and the kids had no concept of what a Victrola or record was that they were talking of in the story. They thought it was very cool. - --Mark **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:49:52 EST From: AWeiss4338@aol.com Subject: [loud-fans] Let's Active Question Is "40 Years" about the holocaust? I seem to remember hearing that it was somewhere, but can't remember for sure. Andrea **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:58:12 -0800 (PST) From: "\[The Arch-Villain\] West" Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Let's Active Question - --- AWeiss4338@aol.com wrote: > Is "40 Years" about the holocaust? I seem to remember hearing that it was > somewhere, but can't remember for sure. That's a fascinating question; I've never interpreted it thataway, but that certainly doesn't mean it isn't valid. I've always put it in a World War II context, but that's probably because it was the third song in three consecutive years released with that title, and the latter two were probably influenced by my perception of the first one: Joe Jackson's "Forty Years", from the "Big World" album in 1986, was explicitly about this (it's subtitled "on the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II" in the liner notes). Another "Forty Years" came from House OF Freaks' 1987 debut album "Monkey On A Chain Gang", and was not so explicit, but dig this: "So this is what you've left us A cowboy with a smoking gun A horse and its companion Riding alone into the setting sun A million hearts, a million minds Have lived and died in forty years Pray for yourself and for your memories And be thankful we've had forty years" I always interpreted the cowboy as Reagan -- "Death Valley Days" and all that. (There really was a lot of worrying about the US and the USSR making everything go kablooey in the 80's, wasn't there? I can no longer listen to Sting's song "Russians" without laughing, though -- boy, he can get pretentious.) This brings us to Let's Active's "Forty Years", from 1988's "Every Dog Has His Day", which I interpreted as being about a couple of American soldiers who had been shipped to Europe to help get rid of the Nazis, liberate France, and, of course, open the concentration camps, and were now reuniting on the 40th anniversary of, say, D-Day, and sort of reminiscing about experiences that they might rather not think about: "So tell me sir Has life been good to you It's kicked me around I told it a thing or two... We crossed over They were crossed out, torn apart But we won our hearts, know that..." Of course, I've been wrong before. But I can't be wrong about everything. Can I? Born forty years ago, West. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:56:02 EST From: AWeiss4338@aol.com Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Let's Active Question In a message dated 1/27/2008 11:10:54 PM Eastern Standard Time, glarbleflarb@yahoo.com writes: Another "Forty Years" came from House OF Freaks' 1987 debut album "Monkey On A Chain Gang", and was not so explicit, but dig this: "So this is what you've left us A cowboy with a smoking gun A horse and its companion Riding alone into the setting sun A million hearts, a million minds Have lived and died in forty years Pray for yourself and for your memories And be thankful we've had forty years" I always interpreted the cowboy as Reagan -- "Death Valley Days" and all that. I would agree with that. (There really was a lot of worrying about the US and the USSR making everything go kablooey in the 80's, wasn't there? I can no longer listen to Sting's song "Russians" without laughing, though -- boy, he can get pretentious.) Good song about that subject, the Go-Gos "Beneath the Blue Sky." This brings us to Let's Active's "Forty Years", from 1988's "Every Dog Has His Day", which I interpreted as being about a couple of American soldiers who had been shipped to Europe to help get rid of the Nazis, liberate France, and, of course, open the concentration camps, and were now reuniting on the 40th anniversary of, say, D-Day, and sort of reminiscing about experiences that they might rather not think about: "So tell me sir Has life been good to you It's kicked me around I told it a thing or two... We crossed over They were crossed out, torn apart But we won our hearts, know that..." That could be the meaning too. Andrea **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V7 #321 *******************************