I made this sometime in 1989 using several synthesizers. I can’t remember for sure, but I think there is an Oberheim OB-X (four voice), Casio CZ – 101 Digital, a Roland System 100 Model 101, and at least one audio signal generator, probably an Eico 377 with vacuum tubes.  At least one outboard effects processor was used, most like my DeltaLab Super Time Line Model 2048. For some reason I chose to record only on cassette tape even though I owned a DAT recorder. Luckily the cassette machine was a fairly decent Denon three head unit and the tape is Maxell UDS-II and Dolby “B” was used. I played the tape on my Sony TC-D5M with Dolby “B” switched on, and the line level signal ran through a Mackie 1402-VLZ mixer. The lows and highs were boosted in the mixer about 3db. The output of the mixer runs to the computer sound card (unfortunately unbalanced line level) though my new high end Mogami cable with Neutrik connectors. I recently upgraded my sound card to the Asus Xonar Essence STX which has quarter inch tip and ring line input and RCA jacks for line out. The sound was captured using VSTHost with one plugin only, LoudMax set to hard limit at -.4 db. The audio during capturing never reached -.4db, so any dynamics in the sound were unaffected and a 16 bit 48 Khz .wav file was made. I then put the .wav file into Adobe Audition and adjusted the amplification (calculated normalization and left/right not locked) to -.34db. I put fades at the beginning and ending (before and after any audible sound) and no other processing. After saving this new file, an MP3 at 320 kilobits per second was made using the LAME encoder with RazorLame. In spite of all this technical jargon, the quality is only fair, with the noise floor being around-45db (more technical jargon) which is considered poor.

As with anything I’ve created that may be more, dare I say, more musical, I’ve become more protective and shy due to my lack of music theory. I will say I created this “piece” originally entitled “Synthesizerdrone Dec. 1989,” (according to the label on the cassette tape) when my mother was suffering from complications  of breast cancer and the strongest earthquake(Loma Prieta) that I had ever witnessed happened earlier in October. It is possible those events played a role in the creation of this recording. In addition, there was no thought as to what key or scale in musical terms this should be, and I never actually thought about it until yesterday. There seems to be a lot of G sharp major going on throughout this piece. To prove it, I have provided this link which should open a separate player which has the G Sharp Major Tone at 415.305 Hertz. The tone will not be exactly in tune due to inaccuracies in tape speed and tuning.

Oberheim OB-X

Casio CZ – 101

Roland System 100 Model 101

Eico Model 377 Audio Generator

DeltaLab Super Time Line Model ADM 2048

]]> http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?feed=rss2&p=4528 7 http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?p=4506 http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?p=4506#comments Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:39:22 +0000 The Weatherman http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?p=4506 Download audio file (nationalpreventionmonthKABL.mp3)

Here is another item from some old commercials I found at a radio station in the 1970s. The original box for the tape was lost and for some time I thought the tape was gone as well. Recently I located what I think is the original tape spliced onto a large reel of other material. I always liked this one, thinking it was whimsical and sort of snooty.

]]> http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?feed=rss2&p=4506 1 http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?p=4498 http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?p=4498#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:48:28 +0000 The Weatherman http://www.negativland.com/dumb/blog/?p=4498 Download audio file (easter1984complete.mp3)

At the last moment, I noticed there was a recording mislabeled “Mothers Day 1984,” which actually turned out to be  Easter of 1984. So for your enjoyment, here is my family celebrating Easter at my home in Martinez, California on April 22nd, 1984.

I apparently created this sometime when I was a young child, most likely sometime between 1958 and 1965. The only problem is that I have no memory of actually constructing this item.

I can’t think of anything else to say.

These glasses may be as old as the early 1960s.

Here is my fifth grade class picture from Thousand Oaks School in Berkeley, California in 1965. The glasses may be the ones in the first picture, but these appear to be slightly more rectangular.

My old glasses, probably from the 1970s.

My old glasses from 2012 after I became extremely angry. I was angry because one of the very thick and heavy lenses fell out onto the stone flooring around the front door of my house and shattered.

Images from an early 1970s sales brochure.

Suppose you’re moving along, singing a song, watching tv, doing what “certain men” want you to do, when all of a sudden, THIS happens! What do you think will happen next???

Here is something I thought of probably in the 1990s and I just had to write it down, misspellings and all. If you don’t believe this be sure to check out “At Home With The Weatherman.” Go here  to open or download a smaller quicktime (.mov) if you prefer.

Finally, a couple of additional laundry detergent bottles that screw together!

Here is what I think is a good way to insure that you do not waste liquid laundry detergent. To make this work, check the threads on the cap and note if they are on the inside or the outside of the cap. If the cap is threaded on the inside, then your next purchase of detergent should have a cap that is threaded on the outside. If your first bottle of detergent has a cap threaded on the outside make sure your next bottle of detergent has a cap threaded on the inside. So far, I’ve discovered that every time I have two bottles of laundry detergent with threaded caps inside and outside, I can screw the two bottles together exactly as if the bottles have their own caps in place.

When a bottle of detergent is low, I simply connect the almost-empty bottle to the new bottle and let it sit on top overnight, but sometimes the bottle on top won’t drain all of the detergent out as it sits this way.  After the detergent bottles have been sitting this way for at least eight hours, tip the bottles left and right, forward and back, up to about forty-five degrees while they are still connected, to allow any remaining liquid in the top bottle to flow to the bottom bottle. Once this is done and you are sure all the detergent is out of the top bottle, it can be unscrewed and placed in your recycling container. Of course, if you are fussy about laundry detergent and always want the same brand for example, all of this cannot apply.