Geek with Family

I've begun a Acoustic Test CD project that will contain various test tones, solo drum tracks, bass lines for testing your subwoofer and other musical tracks to test the rest of the frequency range and stereo imaging. Apple's Garageband will handle all the music compositions while Amadeus II will output test tones. This collection of tracks will follow industry experts' and my own philosophies and techniques for getting the most music out of your stereo through proper acoustic set up.

Continue reading My DIY Acoustic Test CD Project Will Help You Get the Most Out of Your Hi-Fi Components

Popularity: 66% [?]

The other day I wanted to re-watch this video of Steve Albini giving a lecture about audio engineering and thought I'd find it on YouTube. I did find a trailer for a very promising audio engineering documentary, Engine Ears, by Violet Biggs.

Documentary film about audio engineers and producers. Interviewees include, Steve Albini, Calvin Johnson, Solex,John Parish, Jon Spencer and many more notables. Studio sessions are covered with such bands as The Little Rabbits and Old Time Relijun…plus many more!

I can't wait to see the whole thing and watch some of my longtime heros, like Calvin Johnson, Steve Albini and Ian MacKaye at work.

Popularity: 7% [?]

I’ve never found any affinity with audiophile journalism’s idea of a great album. The artists they pick to feature in their review of the latest used 2002 Toyota Highlander priced monoblock amplifier are always so boring. The reviewers’ sacred Diana Krall, Miles Davis and Aimee Mann albums will never infect my hi-fi system with their delicately whispered vocals, caressed snare drums and lightly plucked upright bass.

It’s hard to find audiophile opinions on any of the indie rock albums I love. Most current and former indie rock kids have either the same system they owned in college, factory installed car stereo, a Home Theater in a Box, or at worst an iPod and some computer speakers and stock ear buds. The audiophile community prefers great equipment but only to play their jazz, classical, vocal and, at best, classic arena rock albums. I feel very alone in my combination hi-fi equipment and musical taste.

To help out any other aging indie kids whose hi-fi system has grown up but their musical maturity never made it past age 22, I’ve compiled my top five indie rock albums that can show off your hi-fi system. I hope you’ll share more albums with me in the comments. I want this list to grow. To get an idea of all the music I listen to check out my Last.fm page.

Continue reading Indie Rock Albums for the Audiophile - Top 5

Popularity: 21% [?]

I stayed up until 3 a.m. Friday night running between my computer and listening rooms. I was trying to push a high bit, expanded frequency WAV music file from my Mac Mini’s iTunes to my Airport Express’s connected to my hi-fi set up. This experiment failed but I learned something that will make me pursue a new experiment that I always thought silly before.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party - Update - 24-88.2 Upsampling

Popularity: 9% [?]

Curious to find any electronic mods for the Airport Express, I ran across this tip for improved iTunes fidelity on a Mac: switch your MIDI controls to 24 bits.

On a Mac, launch the Audio MIDI Setup.app from your Utilities folder. Change the Audio Output controls on the Audio Devices tab to 88200.0 Hz/2ch-24bit for all sources as in the screen shot. You can actually switch the settings while iTunes is playing for A/B comparisons.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party - 24-88.2 Upsampling

Popularity: 6% [?]

I never realized Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and the ABC’s had the same tune until my daughter remixed them at bedtime while we rocked her to sleep.

Since she was born I’ve sung Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star whenever I put her to bed. She usually sings along. We sing it in low, high or staccato voices. A few months ago she started requesting "Eh-Bee-Thee’s?". After running through the alphabet at least twice we’d switch back to the Star song.

This month she’s really liked to mix the two songs up. I’ll start, "A-B-C-D…" and she’ll cut in "…little star…" then we’ll both "…H-I-J-K…" She thinks it’s hilarious. I imagine a smile in her mind at the improved creativity.

If my wife can hear us, she’ll tell you the song hops are never as smooth as described above. I really have to pause and think about fitting the right phrase with the coming melody. Luckily, my daughter has lots of musical and cognitive talent to spare, so she helps me out.

I wish this was a talent we could nurture and encourage in our daughter. Mash-up remixing is a dangerous talent path to pursue. By the time she wants to share her songs with the world I’m sure we’ll have the lullaby copyright police at our door.

With the collapse of the public domain do we owe performance licensing fees for singing these songs in the first place? Will her pending release of the "Alpha-Star Album" spell doom for the record industry?

Popularity: 4% [?]

My CD audio set up never satisfied me. It was plagued by sibilance, congested midrange, flat imaging and boomy bass. How could I turn around this fatiguing listening experience?

Buying a new boutique CD player (an affordable Marantz CD-5001 or a not so affordable Arcam Full Metal Jacket CD36 upsampling CD player) was too obvious of an irresponsible use of my daughter’s meager college fund. The frugal audiophile (that’s me, by necessity) chisels away small chips of family savings through cheap tweaks (less than $100 flew below my wife’s radar).

How many tweaks could I try before I hit the ceiling of a price of Marantz most affordable CD Player? How many digital audio accessories would turn out to be snake oil? Would the subtle differences and gains be worth the tweaks’ cost and effort?

Continue reading 7 CD-Digital Audio Tweaks for the Newbie Audiophile

Popularity: 15% [?]

Inspired by the "Creating an Audiophile Music Server" blog, I set up a user-friendly music server that I can control from my main listening room. Using my Sony PSP as a remote, I can play, pause, skip any song on any album in my iTunes library.

Overjoyed with this new freedom of musical whim and access mixed with hi-fi, the family broke into two spontaneous dance parties over the weekend. Toddler_o_Geek loves the Jaxx.

Continue reading PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Hi-Fi Music Server Dance Party - Introduction

Popularity: 18% [?]

We bought a 2000 Lexus RX 300 SUV on Saturday. The Lexus has a factory upgraded sound system with a six CD changer in the glove compartment. On Sunday we remembered to take a CD, Decemberists’ Picaresque, with us on the short drive to the local horse farm.

In our old car (a 2004 Honda Pilot, so really newer than the Lexus) we never had too many CDs in the car because I had this great idea that we would remember my iPod (we never do because it’s always connected to me, my Mac Mini or on the night stand with drained batteries).

Continue reading The Decemberists’ Picaresque - Toddler_o_Geek Doesn’t Hate My Music Yet

Popularity: 7% [?]

If you thought playing a normal vinyl LP was a hassle, you may need a restraining order from this new Led Zeppelin set:

The Classic Records Led Zeppelin 45 rpm Box Set consists of 44 single sided 12" records housed in a special Classic Records Road Case. The titles include Led Zeppelin I, II , III, IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, Presence, In Through the Out Door, and Coda with each spread out over either four or eight sides depending on whether the original LP was a single or double. These 45 rpm sides were cut at the same time as the 33 rpm discs and as such DO NOT represent a remastering that is different from the 33 rpm LP’s approved by the Band. Further, there is no additional artwork or extra recorded material of any kind. Each title has an art jacket that is the same as used on the 33 rpm releases with the additional 45’s in white jackets. Original label art by title is the same as used on the 33 rpm releases as well. All records are pressed on Classic’s proprietary 200g Super Vinyl Profile for maximum playback fidelity.

Continue reading The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Vinyl Box Set

Popularity: 15% [?]