DAT-heads Digest #834, Volume #6 Sun, 17 Aug 03 00:50:01 EDT Contents: Fw: FLAC Help (Brian Dowling) No Dolby plug-in ("Gary Davis") ISO: Taper for Andy Summers upcoming shows ("Kenneth Dudzik") recent jeff beck (mike hooker) security at The Edge (Palo Alto) (GaoBest@aol.com) FS: Stock SBM-1 (Dano) for sale Radiohead tickets Cleveland, need Red Rocks ticket ("Jeff Parkin") Re: Analog Tape Transfer & Dolby Removal (Tom McCreadie) Re: DAT-heads Digest #833 (Mikkel Breiler) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Brian Dowling Subject: Fw: FLAC Help Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 01:21:29 -0400 How does one make a MD5 Signature from a FLAC16 or FLAC 24 file? ------------------------------ From: "Gary Davis" Subject: No Dolby plug-in Reply-to: g@hoxnet.com Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 04:16:09 -0700 One reason you won't find Dolby software decoding is that the process is very level-dependent. In fact, precise matching of the record level to the playback level is essential to proper decoding, but unfortunately, few (or no) cassette decks have a facility to record a Dolby test tone and callibrate the level on playback (My Revox A77s all have this feature, as do all professional Dolby A,SR, etc systems, and most 1980's stand-alone home Dolby processors). One offbeat note: I often found that stealth tapes recorded with Dolby C sounded quite good when played back with no Dolby; the treble increase especially in the higher frequencies was just the thing to bring out a muddy recording. In comparison, Dolby B boosts the mid-highs more, which can leave the tape sounding harsh. Also, It is all but impossible to tell if a tape has no Dolby, B, or C simply by listening. (DBX, on the other hand, is notable for the extreme compression and likely pumping of hiss, if played back with no decoder). So, a little late to mention this now, but all analog tapes should have been labeled with the type of noise reduction used in recording. --Gary ------------------------------ From: "Kenneth Dudzik" Subject: ISO: Taper for Andy Summers upcoming shows Reply-To: Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 09:19:05 -0500 Any tapers who can catch these shows? Andy Summers LIVE! 09/13/03 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY, Murphy Recital Hall, Los Angeles, CA - 8PM 09/27/03 ADAMS AVENUE STREET FAIR, Adams Avenue, Normal Heights, San Diego - 8pm 10/8 Through 10/11 Birdland, New York, N.Y. Check out http://www.andysummers.com/tour.html Please contact me @ Samegawa@hotmail.com if you can. I can pay for tickets if you can tape him. Many thanks, Ken http://thekenster7600.tripod.com/audios.html ------------------------------ From: mike hooker Subject: recent jeff beck Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 11:15:54 -0400 hi, i saw jeff back at joes beach in NY last nite, but didnt tape it. i hadnt been there in over 10 yrs, and my friend said security is so tight i would never get any type of recorder in. well guess what, there was zero security. no wands, no pats, no opening of bags, no nothing. i couldnt believe it. jeff was amazing. did any one tape it , or have a recent tape of this tour? i 'd love to re hear it. one good thing about jones beach was the big screens on the stage, i could watch jeff's hands in detail. WOW! have fun, Mike Hooker please see my music trading list at: http://hometown.aol.com/mhooker216/myhomepage/index.html being AOL, its doesnt always work. try later, or ask for a list ------------------------------ From: GaoBest@aol.com Subject: security at The Edge (Palo Alto) Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 14:28:40 EDT Hey everyone, Human League are playing The Edge on Tuesday. How is security at that venue? I was last there in 1998, where they did not search/etc. Any idea what it would be like now? I know they've rebirthed themselves, so I don't know what it means as a venue. I still can't decide if I'm going to see them even though I just should go. Thanks! Mike ------------------------------ From: Dano Subject: FS: Stock SBM-1 Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 12:14:50 -0700 (PDT) I have a stock sbm-1 for sale in excellent condition. It comes with the original box, manuals, wall wart and the leather case that holds the sbm and a d8/m1. I'm asking $400 OBO. I would also work out a trade for a pair of AKG 393's. Peace Dan ------------------------------ From: "Jeff Parkin" Subject: for sale Radiohead tickets Cleveland, need Red Rocks ticket Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 15:38:27 -0700 I now am the proud owner of 4 tickets for the radiohead show in Cleveland this coming Thursday August 21, 2003. I have two Lawn tickets for $98.40 (with service charge) and I will pay the shipping. I have two Pavilion seats for $112.00 (with service charge I paid) I won't pay the shipping on this, so it would be an extra $5.00 to ship the tickets. They are Section 37, Row L, Seats 7 and 8. Or I can give you my cell phone and we can meet before the show (best option). I will be around Cleveland all day since I am going to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame to check out the U2 exhibit. Email me privately and we can work something out if you are interested. Later, Jeff jhparkin@go-concepts.com Also does anyone have an extra ticket for the Radiohead show at Red Rocks, the following Tuesday. I will be out in Denver and really want to see a show there. How is security at the venue? ------------------------------ From: Tom McCreadie Subject: Re: Analog Tape Transfer & Dolby Removal Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 21:35:47 +0200 Adding my 0.0185 Euro to remarks by Mikkel, Dennis and Rich in #833: Mikkel: >...Dolby does have a characteristic curve but Dolby C is the one not to mess > with, you will want to engange a proper Dolby C (or Dolby B and turn the >high down slightly like above) to have a good recording...... By 'characteristic curve' are you talking about transfer function or just a frequency response playback equalization curve? There is no single, magic bullet, playback curve, but rather a whole family of equalization curves whose frequency response depends on how far the music signal departs from the absolute reference Dolby level. For this reason, the above equalization advice for playback of Dolby C recordings on Dolby B decks is too simplistic. As illustration of the complexity, nearer the mark is: - For Tape signal level in the range 0 to -10dB (relative to Dolby level at 0dB = 200 nWb/m), Dolby B playback will give a fall-off of ca 0 -> 4dB from 2kHz -> 15kHz. Thus a high boost, not a cut, is needed here! - For signal levels of -20 to -30dB, Dolby B playback actually shows a bump of ca. +5 to +8dB between 0.15kHz and 2.5kHz, followed by a droop of ca. 2dB from 2.5 -> 15kHz. Dennis: >>I've looked around the web and found no >>plugin based software available to remove it > >You're not alone. I asked around for this and the response was pretty much >the same: 'have your tape recorder brought up to spec before transferring >the tapes with the Dolby on'. Same for dbx (I and II). > >That's what I've done, but I'm still bothered by the idea that I couldn't >find plug-ins. It would seem much more reliable than having both sides of >the process tape-dependent.... As Rick emphasized, the Dolby process is a complementary, level- and frequency-dependent compansion system which has to take its bearings from a fixed Dolby reference level. Even if, say, a Cool Edit plugin did exist with Dolby decode algorithms, it is not a mind reader and it can't do a thing until it knows what the actual Dolby level was for that tape - by now a wav file on the HD. Suppose your plugin encounters a low-level wav file...is that due to an under-recorded cassette or from gain loss in transferring a well-recorded cassette from deck to HD? And suppose you try to help this plugin out of its quandary by transferring - after the event, but under identical conditions - a sine test tone of say OdB on the meters of your cassette deck (which has now been brought back up to spec), you'll still require to know the relationship between that tone and the Dolby level pertaining to your tapes. And - shudder - some tapes may have been made on other decks. The best chance of a satisfactory outcome was to always have included a Dolby level calibration tone on every recording. There seemed to be 3 or 4 slightly different interpretations of Dolby OdB level in the recording industry. In my Nakamichi decks, a 400 Hz test tone is used to set a Dolby level of 200 nWb/m tape magnetization to correspond to OdB on the meters. Before each recording, the machine is adjusted that all tape types played the recorded test tone back at exactly 0dB. [Incidentally, having a snatch of reference level tone on each tape had other advantages: For example, cassette-cassette copying - now there's making silk purses out of sows' ears - was cleaner when you bypass the Dolby on both decks and just align the tones. Avoiding a decode-encode cycle is akin to our DAT practice of cloning via s/pdif rather than going DA-AD] Perhaps the original poster shouldn't sweat it if he has high level rock stuff, since the Dolby's are hardly doing anything under those conditions, but classical music might need more rigour. To my mind, working accurately without using Dolby reference tones is like the apocryphal story of how the south sea islanders used to weigh their captured wild pigs: strap the pig to a see-saw...select a large boulder to counterbalance the pig...then guess the weight of the boulder Tom Live at The London Palindrome...ABBA ------------------------------ From: Mikkel Breiler Subject: Re: DAT-heads Digest #833 Reply-To: mibm@tiscali.dk Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 23:15:39 +0200 >From: Dennis Bathory-Kitsz >Subject: Re: Analog Tape Transfer & Dolby Removal Question >Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2003 07:50:57 -0400 > >You're not alone. I asked around for this and the response was pretty = much >the same: 'have your tape recorder brought up to spec before = transferring >the tapes with the Dolby on'. Same for dbx (I and II). It is said often because it makes sense. If the deck is not available or = doesn't work beyond many $$ in repair, lend a good working one from a pal. >That's what I've done, but I'm still bothered by the idea that I = couldn't >find plug-ins. It would seem much more reliable than having both sides = of >the process tape-dependent. Even if there was a charge for the plug-in = (if >it weren't as much as those $900 surround encoders!), I would buy one. Plug-ins have to be sellable, and the intended buyer is scarse when the = price is high, and believe me it will be. A Dolby A, Dolby B, Dolby C, HX Pro, = DNL, DBX I, DBX II and probably many other techonologies are expensive patentprotected = schemes for doubleended noise reduction. One could take an older tape deck, and stip it, take the input and = outputs of the Dolby circuits and lead them to connectors on the back of a box. Make = permanent power supply, and a switch on the front for encoding and decoding, and you are = all set to tinker.=20 Or you can pick up an old external unit on eBay, like a Teac AN-180. Be = sure to get the cassette (and open reel) alignment tapes with it, and the manual!) -breiler ------------------------------ ** FOR YOUR REFERENCE ** To unsubscribe from this digest, please send email to dat-heads-unsubscribe@datheads.phish.net If your email address has changed, you may (optionally) send the message to dat-heads-unsubscribe-oldaddress=olddomain@datheads.phish.net and the old address will be removed. 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