Audio
All things Sound
National Jukebox at the Library of Congress
The soundtrack of our grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ generation is now on the web in a large (and growing) collection called The National Jukebox, located at www.loc.gov/jukebox. The first phase of the historic audio recordings range from turn of the 20th century to 1929, and range from music (Jazz, opera, vaudville, ) and spoken word of all kinds.
The collection was digitized from 78 rpm recordings of the Victor label of records. Sony owns the license to the collection, but made an arrangement with the Library of Congress for people to listen to them. (You can hear, you can share, you can make playlists, but you cannot download the music)
It’s the iTunes of Retro Music.
Crossword Puzzle Blues: Duncan Sisters (1924)
Darn these words that crossword puzzle me
I’ll be basking [?] till they muzzle me
Some demented nut invented
this way to stay discontented.
(The Duncan Sisters also performed Um-um-da-da. Can’t play the embedded song? Permalink on National Jukebox site)
Back in the day between 1900-1929, how were recordings made? That wondrous item called a microphone did not yet exist, so recordings were made by a strictly acoustic process. It was all mechanical, and as the image below shows, a musical performance captured by a huge funnel... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on May 12, 2011 in
• Audio
• Cool Website
• History
• Memorabilia
• Restoration
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Shocking Truth about Thin-skinned CDs (or why you should never write on a CD with a Sharpie)
I’d heard the adage that the top surface of a CD or DVD is thinner and more fragile than the bottom surface, but until I went on a cleaning bender, I didn’t get it. I reallly didn’t get it. It’s true, it’s true— the top layer of CDs and DVDs are thin. Shockingly thin. Here is a photo gallery of the CD that taught me just how fragile a writeable CD is.
After the holidays, I went on a desk and home office cleaning frenzy. Under a pile of papers, I discovered a disk that failed when I’d burned it. (also known as a “coaster!”)
“Oh bummer,” I said. “A Bad CD. What’s it doing here? I should toss it out.” Then I remembered that I’ve wanted to destroy a disk just to see how it was put together. “Allrightie, then! I’m going to break this lil’ puppy!” I began to bend the CD. I figured that it would soon snap, but it bent and kept bending. At the crease, I noticed that a ripple appeared. It looked like a buckle or oblong bubble in the rainbow foil.
Strange! What is that? I bent the CD some more, then dug at the bubbly area with my fingernail. The top surface peeled away, exposing the clear plastic disk beneath.
No. No! Is that... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on February 22, 2011 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
• Digitality
• Longevity
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My Christmas: A Shrine to Obsolete Technology
The centerpiece of my Christmas was inspired by a two-month old news story: Sony Walkman Cassette Player Dies In Japan, Lives On in U.S.
Launched in 1979, the 31-year-old portable media player will no longer be sold in Japan. (It will continue to be available in the U.S., but not indefinitely)
How did that news story turn into a work of art celebrating obsolete magnetic media technology?
Background
I saw the story. “Hey, Doc M, Sony has stopped making the Walkman tape player.”
(No, I don’t call him Doc M; I call him by his real name. But Doc M is the ablogymous name I use for him when I write about him on the internets.)
Doc M: “I have a Walkman. I wanted to sell it on eBay, but it’s busted. So now it’s just a piece of junk. Typical.”
Susan: “Oooh. Can I see it? Can I photograph it?”
Doc M emerges from the other room with the player.
Susan: “When did you get this?”
Doc M: “I’m not sure exactly. It was top of the line in, like, the early 90s.”
We pause, looking at the black and silver case. It feels heavy and solid. Green surrounds the play button.
Susan: “Wow…. too bad it doesn’t work.”
(pause)
Susan: “Hey! I know! How about if... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on January 03, 2011 in
• Audio
• Digitality
• Obsolecence
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Unboxing My Zoom Handy H1 Portable Recorder
When my Zoom Handy H1 arrived, we took photos of the unboxing and first use. Now (finally — this unboxing took place before I left for the 10-10-10 family reunion), I’m annotating the process, so you get a sense of what the Zoom Handy H1 is like. I’m very excited about this recorder, because it meets the essential requirements — a digital recorder with built-in stereo microphones and removable memory that’s capable of recording audio CD (and broadcast)-quality uncompressed WAV files. All for $99!
So, here we go with the unboxing of the Zoom Handy H1…
The front and back of the product box. No shrink wrap, just a little plastic seal sticker on it.
By the way, we ordered the Zoom H1 Handy Portable Digital Recorder
Aaaand, now that the box is open, the first glimpse of the goodies inside.
The Zoom Handy H1 comes with the essentials, so you’re not lacking for a memory card or battery, and you can get started right away.
Here is the Zoom Handy H1 portable recorder, the included AA battery and the case with micro-SD card (and adapter), along with a shiny quarter, for size comparison.
One thing that is not included is a pair of earbud headphones... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on October 24, 2010 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
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Preparing Mama to be an Interviewer
What happens the person who’s usually the interviewee borrows your fancy digital recorder and becomes the interviewer? What happens when your Mom goes across the country and will see someone you’ve been wanting to interview for, like forever? Do you say, Okay Mom, please ask these questions. Oh, and would you record it? How do you make using the recorder as simple as possible? Will it work out?
The other week, my Mom went from West Coast to East Coast to attend her 60th high school reunion. I loaned her my easiest-to-use recorder with some very basic instruction. And hoped for the best.
Background: The stories I want to hear
My gradmother worked for the General Electric Company twice—in the 1920s before her children were born, and again from 1941 until she retired in 1966. The person I’ve wanted to interview—a woman whose initials are NF—was mentored by my grandmother. They both worked in an industry where women professionals were A Rare Thing.
Here’s something else that’s important: Grandma lived on the other side of the country.
I only have a few memory snapshots of her, from a visit East when I was a pre-schooler, and from a visit Grandma took west when my younger brother was born (I was 5?).
Grandma died a few months before I turned 8. Other than those few mental snapshots, everything I know about her is second-hand.
I want to hear stories of that time. I want to know a bit more what my grandmother... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on September 29, 2010 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
• How-To
• Personal
(3) Comments •
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Zoom’s latest recorder the Zoom H1 Handy costs $99; it’s now shipping!
Samson said they were going to ship the Zoom Handy H1 July 30, but they’re shipping the product as of today. the Zoom H1 Handy is available at Amazon
I got off the fone a little while ago with a spokesperson for Samson’s Zoom line of products, confirming very important items about this recorder. The news is good, people. True one touch recording (press the button and the recording begins). And a zippier start-up time to power the unit on.
Why is this good news? A little background…..
That was then, this is now
Last month, when people would ask me, “What recorder should I buy?” I’d tell them about the Samson Zoom H2 Handy—Samson’s previous lowest-cost portable digital audio recorder.
But I’d also tell them about two of the most significant downsides to the Zoom H2—it takes 30 seconds for the unit to power on, and it has press-twice-to-start-recording. 30 seconds is an eternity, if you’re trying to quickly grab a recording of a conversation in progress. What’s so bad about press twice to start the recording? You press... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on July 20, 2010 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
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From Digital Audio Recording to Audio CD: Part 3 - iTunes and CD burning
In the previous two how-to tutorials, we worked in Audacity with a digital audio file. Now we’ll export it from Audacity, import it into iTunes, and burn an audio CD with it.
Part 1: Getting your audio into Audacity, whether by opening a digital audio recording made elsewhere, or using Audacity to record directly to your computer.
Part 2: Making minor edits to increase sound level.
Part 3:(You are here!) Exporting your recording to a file format that iTunes can use and creating an Audio CD.
Part 4: Dividing the audio into sections based on topics of discussion using Audacity’s Label Tracks.
(note: I may expand sections if any one of them gets to be too long. This section will be updated as I go.)
First, we work in Audacity to export the audio file to a WAV file (reminder from the little extra section in Part 1: WAV is an uncompressed file format. We likes that, we does!)
- In Audacity, go to the File menu and choose Export…
A Save dialog box appears. - Choose WAV from the file format pop-up menu at
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on May 01, 2010 in
• Audio
• Audio: Software
• How-To
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From Digital Audio Recording to Audio CD: Part 2 - Basic Audio Edits
The Audacity how-to continues!! This second part of the series involves working in Audacity to edit your audio file.
A major sound edit technique: Changing Amplification (making a quiet recording louder).
This multi-part how-to series focuses on using Audacity and iTunes — two freely available pieces of software — to work with your recording and then create an audio CD.
Part 1: Getting your audio into Audacity, whether by opening a digital audio recording made elsewhere, or using Audacity to record directly to your computer.
Part 2: (You are here!)Making minor edits to increase sound level.
Part 3: Exporting your recording to a file format that iTunes can use and creating an Audio CD.
Part 4: Dividing the audio into sections based on topics of discussion using Audacity’s Label Tracks.
(note: I may expand sections if any one of them gets to be too long. This section will be updated as I go.)
Amplifying audio
Here is a stereo file recorded using my portable-studio-in-an-Otter Box (described here).
(click to enlarge)
Notice that the waveforms are small and don’t take up to the entire vertical space there. The recording quality is clean enough where I can amplify the audio.
(The goal in recording is to create a recording with all those sound... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on April 30, 2010 in
• Audio
• Audio: Software
• How-To
(1) Comments •
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From Digital Audio Recording to Audio CD: Part 1 - Audio into Audacity
It starts with the audio recording you made after you said, “Hi Mom, I want to interview you about your memories about Grandma and Grandpa.” It ends with your burned Audio CD.
This multi-part how-to series focuses on using Audacity and iTunes — two freely available pieces of software — to work with your recording and then create an audio CD.
Part 1: (You are here!) Getting your audio into Audacity, whether by opening a digital audio recording made elsewhere, or using Audacity to record directly to your computer.
Part 2: Making minor edits to increase sound level.
Part 3: Exporting your recording to a file format that iTunes can use and creating an Audio CD.
Part 4: Dividing the audio into sections based on topics of discussion using Audacity’s Label Tracks.
(note: I may expand sections if any one of them gets to be too long. This section will be updated as I go.)
Part 1: Audio in Audacity
I love Audacity. It’s open source software (freely available, or volunteer a payment to support the effort). It’s cross-platform; it works on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Screenshots shown here will be Mac based, but the instructions work for Windows and Linux, too.
Do you need Audacity? Download Audacity from audacity.sourceforge.net. The page... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on April 29, 2010 in
• Audio
• Audio: Software
• How-To
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Not your father’s iPod… well, actually it is (a Walkman)
For Sony Walkman’s 30th anniversary, 13-year old Scott Campbell tries it for a week. Hilarious for us oldsters to see our old fave equipment through a young-person’s eyes.
My dad had told me it was the iPod of its day.
He had told me it was big, but I hadn’t realised he meant THAT big. It was the size of a small book.
Size? cumbersome. Handy belt-clip, but with that weight? (you hafta read the article to find out its effect for current 13 year olds).
When I wore it walking down the street or going into shops, I got strange looks, a mixture of surprise and curiosity, that made me a little embarrassed.
Though one teacher got nostalgic. Two tantalizing questions:
How long did it take for Campbell to figure out that there was a side B to this tape?
And how did he create his own impromptu “Shuffle” effect?
You hafta read the article to find out the answers.
A couple of pluses: two output jacks for sharing music with friends, and a power port to plug... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on June 29, 2009 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
• Digitality
• Longevity
• Memorabilia
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Countown to my Digital Audio Workshop
Am currently working hard to prepare for Friday’s “Birthing Digital” workshop at USC for the Southwest Oral History Association conference. What equipment am I bringing? Here’s a list.
YES, you can still sign up! (late fee waived!)
- Two Mac Laptops to demo and test all the direct-to-computer tools
- USB mic
- 2 USB Audio Interfaces: Edirol’s and M-Audio’s
- No wait, make that three. Creative Lab’s EEMU USB Audio Interface
- iPod Nano and Belkin TuneTalk, plus Belkin GoStudio. Or, everything you wanted to know about turning your iPod into an audio studio (or quick, stealthy recorder)
- M-Audio Microtrack II Portable Digital Recorder
- Samson’s Zoom Handy H2 Portable Digital Recorder*
- Marantz PMD 620 Portable Digital Recorder*
- LiveScribe Pulse Pen
- Possibly a Tascam portable recorder
- My own portable recording kit, as written about here
*A couple of these will be for sale, (very) gently used, in about 3 weeks’ time, once I’m finished with all my equipment tests
I expect to post lots of good info on audio recorders to this site in the weeks following this presentation.
Kevin Roderick at LA Observed mentioned the conference in this morning’s link roundup.
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on March 24, 2009 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
• Audio: Software
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Workshop in March on Portable Audio Recorders
In L.A. Friday, March 27, I’ll be presenting a workshop called for “Birthing Digital: Portable Digital Audio Recorders” for the Southwest Oral History Association’s Conference that afternoon. Location: USC. Register: Cost: SOHA members $35, Non-Members $50, Students $20. (+online registration fees). Short description: When an audio recording is initially stored as bits, bytes, ones and zeroes, it’s called “born digital.” The birthing begins with two people having a conversation. It ends with a digital audio file. This 3-hour workshop focuses on what happens in between. It’s part theory, part show and tell, and part practice using a glorious array of portable audio recorders.
Long Description:
The Theory:
An overview of the most common routes to go from spoken word to audio file. It will provide a framework to understand the myriad portable audio recorders available on the market. There will also be an introduction to some basics of audio, digital sampling, file formats, and concepts that underlie best recording practices.
The Show and Tell:
A look at many of the common portable audio recorders. Recorder types will include portable flash memory, portable internal micro-drives, direct-to-CD, recording pens, components that connect microphone directly to computer, and add-on components that extend functionality of common audio devices such as certain iPods. Attendees will be able to handle the recorders and compare them by size, weight, and inspect their controls.
Attendees who have worked with a given recorder will be encouraged to describe their experience using that recorder, including their learning curve, workflow, and any technical “gotchas.”
The... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on March 02, 2009 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
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Restored Reel-to-Reel Tape Decks as Art.
A Gallery of Custom Tape Decks, wherein Jeff Jacobs restores old audio technology as art, via BoingBoing Gadgets. I love the meta-line here. Jacobs restores tape decks, which I think of as tools for restoring (and digitizing) audio. If tape decks are art, then there’s a ton of art at Richard Hess’s audio tape restoration studio! In decades to come, when those machines grow ever scarcer, the BoingBoing post points to another source to find those long-obsolete tape decks of the world: the personal collections of geeks.
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on February 12, 2009 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
• Longevity
• Memorabilia
• Restoration
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Who invented the electret (condenser) microphone?
Dr West, I presume. How do I know it? Kareem told me. That Kareem. The Basketball Kareem. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In his blog. No kidding. Quoth Kareem: “In 1962, Dr. [James] West and his partner Gerhard Sessler invented the electret microphone used in almost 90% of all microphones built today — over 1 billion a year.”
Electret (also called “condenser”) microphones are the type generally used in lavalier (or lapel) microphones. (Hello every TV anchor and guest in recent history. How do we hear you? It’s electret!) Electret mics are used in all mini-sized microphones.
I love how I came to learn of Dr. West, electret mic’s co-inventor. Though I have passing awareness (heh. pun unintended) of Pro Basketball, and have heard the name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and I read a local (L.A.) blog by Tony Pierce, who became the blog editor at the L.A. Times, and though I saw an announcement that he got Kareem to start blogging, I had no idea. I yawned, oh, it’s a sports blog. Whatever. Didn’t even click through. I had no idea that Mr. Abdul-Jabbar loves history, and has written history books. His blog bio states that he has authored “four bestselling history books intended to popularize the contributions of... Read More
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on February 25, 2008 in
• Audio
• Audio: Hardware
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Grammy goes to math-expert audio restorer
The recording was a bootlegged Woodie Guthrie live concert. 1949. Original format is something called a wire recording — which predates widespread use of the magnetic tape recorder. Getting a 50+ year old format to playback while making a recording off it was quite an effort. The Woody Guthrie Live Wire album won a Grammy was for “Best Historical Album” — the mathematics involved was to use ambient noise in the recording to re-set the tempo after portions were stretched and broken.
Shortly after September 11, 2001, a small, heavy package wrapped in brown paper arrived in the mail at the Woody Guthrie Archives in New York City. Inside was a mess of wires.
Guthrie’s daughter Nora eventually figured out that the suspicious package wasn’t a bomb, but rather a recording of her father on a device that predated magnetic tape. After a year of searching, she managed to track down someone with the equipment to play it.
What she finally heard was a bootleg recording of her father singing a live performance in 1949. It was the first time she had ever heard him perform in front of a live audience. He had developed Huntington’s chorea and stopped performing when she was a child, and she thought he had never been recorded live. [Read More]
The Woodie Guthrie Foundation gives more background on the finding and restoration of the album.
Posted by Susan A. Kitchens on February 13, 2008 in
• Audio
• Restoration
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