1237c34b75c5
tech



Hello Phil - 

>> Unfortunately the hardware available not long ago wasn't
>> always up to the task at hand and methods weren't as well
>> developed as they are now. Professional level sound
>> recording is very much a science now that I would put into
>> the category of engineering and not just a technician. 

PM> Yah, I got just an inkling of the complexity by looking at
PM> some more recent articles on the subject. Before I gave up
PM> reading -- the terminology alone is murderous [g] 

I lurked in many usenet 'audio' groups for a time and finally
had to start asking for definitions of terminology. It's
embarassing at times to have to ask but everyone was very
polite and did their best to help me understand even though I
admitted I was just a hobbyist and may never be able to return
the favors. 

My 'return' of the favors has been my free music recordings for
those who like to listen to music while at their computers. :-) 

PM> But I have to say that the results, whatever is done before
PM> the CDs are re-issued, are outstanding. 

I was very pleased that our 'boomer' technology had managed to
accomplish the salvation of this art form. We've misused so
much of what we have created I want very much to believe it
wasn't all for nothing. 

--8<--cut 

>> The recent use of psycho-accoustics to use harmonic
>> distortion to generate additional sound is really quite
>> amazing. The THX sounds of "Two Towers" in a good movie
>> theater is just beyond description. 

>> You believe that you are really _there_ within the movie
>> itself. Very nice. 

PM> I believe, I believe! But I don't know about nice. One
PM> experience with that was taking a couple of my godkids to a
PM> movie rigged up with some such system, then falling asleep,
PM> and then coming awake real fast and I think rising more
PM> than a few feet in the air with what must have been a very
PM> startled look on my face when the sound level of the film
PM> shot up for some exciting bit. Pretty close to a heart
PM> attack, I thought at the time. And was I ever pissed off
PM> about the theater not warning patrons about the
PM> loudspeakers they put under the seats. [g] 

Wasn't that 'Thriller' with Vincent Price? VP was a character
in his own right. Not sure if I can explain this properly but
when doing sound files you try to balance as many frequencies
to a good volume as possible without distorting the sound. This
displays on an animated 'graph'. While fiddling with a
recording of VP I noticed that his voice includes _many_
frequencies and they balance! I was shocked! He must've taken
voice lessons and then practiced, this is not normal. It would
be great for onstage performances since no one sound could
over-ride your voice and the audience would hear you loud and
clear. Jack Nicholson's voice is similar. I suspect many actors
attempt to achieve this multi-frequency voice which explains,
in part, why their voices are so recognizeable. 

>> I had a MIDI online at my music page that is a very accurate
>> reproduction of Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing". I listened
>> to the original recording and it's amazing how close the two
>> are (even the Gene Krupa drum solos in it). The MIDI
>> recording is much cleaner, the original real recording was
>> made when microphones weren't very responsive. 

PM> How or where do you get a MIDI reproduction of Benny
PM> Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing". Are MIDI reproductions
PM> available commercially or do you yourself somehow transform
PM> the original into MIDI? 

Basically I fix 'broken' MIDI files or files that were never
done properly at the start. There is a demo of a MIDI that is
two pianos for four hands (a duet of pianos) that I used to
demonstrate just what I do. I transform the pianos into a small
group of other instruments (no pianos at that point) then back
to two pianos again at the end and you can listen as it
'transforms'. The music is "Maple Leaf Rag" near the end of my
music page at the bottom. 

http://www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/dos/samples.asp 

I do these and some I just 'fix'. Wrong instruments being used,
percussion too loud, baseline too soft, simple fixes and
occasionally I mix parts from a half dozen MIDIs into one file
like "Dueling Banjos" that really IS two banjos, not the
"Deliverance" one banjo and one guitar. "Dueling Banjos" is a
total recreation of how I thought it should sound from memory
when I was a child and heard it played. It's also the most
popular music on the page. :-) 

Not unlike a musician who purchases sheet music then changes
the arrangement to reflect his/her personal 'style' of playing
that music. The MIDI is the sheet music I build on. I can type
in sheet music if I want to using NoteWorthy but I seldom need
to do that unless the MIDI is really really bad and most are
quite good once the proper instruments are in place. 

PM> I've listened to some MIDI music, tapped some out on
PM> Windows and someone's professinal Casio piano, but I'm
PM> completely unfamilair with the technical aspects of the
PM> subject. 

The better MIDI are probably professionally done with full MIDI
hardware and keyboard. I've seen full MIDI setups that look
like the engineering room of a small radio station. :-) 

>> Many professional musicians are using MIDI synth in place of
>> real musicians now and musicians aren't happy about it at
>> all. 

PM>  I guess not, it putting them out of a job. 

Somewhat, yes. It's still a bit spooky to see a singer on stage
singing with a non existent band go over and push a button and
the sound of an orchestra appears with no other persons on
stage. I prefer real musicians just can't always find them or
afford to see them when I do find them. 

Real musicians watch the lead singer or even lead instrument
and will increase their volume to 'hide' sour notes or known
weaknesses in the performance that recorded backup can't do to
help them. I think pros prefer a live band. :-) 

>
>        ,                          ,
>      o/      Charles.Angelich      \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >          USA, MI           < \   __\__
 

___ * ATP/16bit 2.31 * 
... DOS the Ghost in the Machine! http://www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/

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