BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

Yikes! iPod sales down and music follows

As reported in theAge, iPod sales have been on the decline. This is known.

But did you know that sales if (compressed) music downloads parallel that trend?

It turns out that this is no small matter:

The music industry had looked to the iPod to drive people to buy music in download form, whether from Apple’s iTunes music store or from newer competitors such as Amazon. The problem for them is that digital music sales are only growing as fast as those of Apple’s devices.

”At a time where we’re asking if digital is a replacement for the CD, as the CD was for vinyl, we should be starting to see a hockey-stick growth in download sales,” says Mark Mulligan, an analyst at Forrester Research who specialises in music and digital media.

”Instead, we’re seeing a curve resembling that of a niche technology.”

Can Apple’s announcement this week reverse the trend?

Is high-end affected? How?

More on the Beethoven Sonata Series

A Touch of (Audiophile) Class

I received an interesting email today from the founder of CDbaby. It’s worth sharing.

Enjoy:

———————-

Hi Bob -

Way back in 2006-2008, you bought some CDs from my store, CD Baby. (SERENITY OF LIFE: Absolution, E.S. POSTHUMUS: Unearthed, and 13 others.  Remember?)

So you might be interested in my new free projects to help musicians:

MusicThoughts: inspiring quotes about music
http://musicthoughts.com/c/QiPaA

MuckWork: assistants to do your dirty work
http://muckwork.com/c/QiPaA

Derek Sivers: my personal site, with articles
http://sivers.org/c/QiPaA

SongTest: a free, open song contest
http://songtest.com/c/QiPaA

They're all free, open-source, and non-commercial (except MuckWork), so I'm not emailing you for any business reason.

But since we've emailed in the past, I thought I should let you know what's new.

I sold CD Baby two years ago, so this is the last time you'll hear from me, unless you reply back or click those links.

Though if you do reply, please let me know what's going on with you (really!), in case I can help in any way, and to keep this from being a one-sided conversation.    

Thanks!

--
Derek Sivers  derek@sivers.org  http://sivers.org/c/QiPaA

P.S.  Why I sold CD Baby and where the money went: http://sivers.org/trust

Colors of Noise: Visualizing Electronica

Beautiful, evocative, and trippy, this vid takes you on an entertaining journey rendered by two German artists.

If you can’t take electronica, try this one instead. Far more sedate.

Or this one for something in between.

Cool stuff.

Downloads available here.

(Lehmann’s other videos are also notable, for reasons other than music.)

Lang Lang Plays iPad at SF Davies Hall

Virtuoso pianist Lang Lang stunned SF’s Davies by whipping out an iPad and playing “Flight of the Bumblebees.” Video here.

The software powering the performance was Magic Piano from Smule.

I wish I had been there…makes me want an iPad too!

Bob

Keith Richard’s Exile

An engaging Guardian article provides the backstory on the Stones masterpiece – “Exile on Main Street.”

The self-imposed exile to France, conducted to evade Britain’s putative 93% income tax, provided the backdrop for drunken debauchery, in-fighting, and raw rock & roll.

The article presages an upcoming re-release of “Exile.”

{Thanks, Aaron}

Nature’s Well-tempered Joke on Music

Ever wondered what “well-tempered” – as in claviers and turntables, not steel – really means?

This lengthy but well-written Slate article takes you through it.

In the process, you’ll learn about Bach’s motives and methods for WTC, instrument tuners’ dilemmas, and a special musical construct named “the wolf.” Music excerpts help motivate the text.

A little geeky, but fun nonetheless.

Brian Eno on Music and Whale Blubber

Today’s Guardian has a very interesting interview with Brian Eno.

The far-ranging discussion presents some novel views on music and its relation to our commercial and cultural worlds.

Thanks, Aaron, for pointing this one out!

The Beatles Get “BlueBeaten”

The intrepid entrepreneur behind the BlueBeat web site just lost his court case.

[The web site is down at the time of writing.]

You see, he had been using what he called “psycho-acoustic simulation” to create recordings that sound identical to those of the Fab Four. The tale is told in excruciating detail by the good folks at ARS Technica.

Read about it and decide for yourself!

Bob

Yet Another Stunning ‘Blue Coast Session’

Check out the recordings from this great session here. More on Jenna here, and Matt here.

text by Ori

pics by Bob Bergner

What’s always puzzling in a recording session is whether it will produce decent music or truly great music. Ordinary does not count.It takes two to tango and in this case what a great dance it was. Matt and Jenna have known each other in the past, but busy schedules and geographical barriers kept them away for five years or so.

There comes the third person to this party. Cookie Marenco needs no introduction in the BAAS circles and probably by now in the greater audiophile community as well. As it turned out, Cookie knows Matt and Jenna and convinced them to collaborate on this project. Cookie is to the artists what Matt is to Lyle and Ricky Lee-Jones. She plays the subtle role of an enabler, with her musical insight and magical artistry on the mixing console. These are not “filler words” to liven up the review and we will touch on her studio wizardry later.

› Continue reading

On Lyle Lovett and Matt Rollings…

I didn’t even imagine I’m a Lyle Lovett fan until I visited another audiophile friend and he played a few tracks from “Joshua Judges Ruth”. The one track that stood out was “North Dakota”. I was so much taken by it that Curt insisted I have the CD. I thank him for that ever since…

What grabs your attention in this track is the superb orchestration, which creates a somewhat “misty” atmosphere, in a striking contrast to the pristine clarity of this exemplary  track. I loved the vocal harmony of the male-female duet and the melancholic mood throughout the piece. I never really paid much attention to the piano, but now that I think of it… I should have…

When I heard that Matt Rollings played with Lyle Lovett, I had to go back and check. After all, I was about to attend a live session featuring Matt!

Sure enough, he’s the guy on “the track.” I knew the piano plays a big role in setting the overall tempo and pace. The piano probably contributes more to the overall lasting impression of the song than any other instrument, including the fabulous vocals, yet after many years I play this song I clearly focus on the vocals and less on the piano. Which brings me to the moral of this prologue/story…

Some things are great not because they stand out in the front row and declare themselves “I’m here!!!” Some things are great because they hold back and just play the team role by letting the other instruments or vocalist do their share in complete harmony. For a musician, that’s the greatest sign of maturity as an artist.

by Ori

Hot news – Remastered Beatles CD’s Coming!

The news is out – the Fab Four discography has been remastered for CD release in September.

Changes are aplenty, supposedly all for the good of the audiophile cause.

And what better release date than “number nine” times three – 9/9/09?

by Bob Walters

[Special thanks to Aaron.]

More Free Music Downloads – 100 Years Old!

This archive site by Syracuse University hosts some of the most unusual recordings for download on the internet. You see, the original recordings are almost 100 years old!

A wide variety of music genres is represented. Indeed, there’s something for everybody here.

The site streams MP3, but also offers WAV downloads. Most of the originals are on wax cylinders, with digital transfers typically made via a Benchmark ADC.

I really enjoy the stuff – you might too!

(A similar site is run by UCSB.)

by Bob Walters

Tags: Audiophile, baas, computer audio, digital audio, Music

Free High Resolution Recordings for Download

We all know that there are many great places to download hi-res music. If you don’t know them, Dan Weiss has published a nice list here (bottom of page).

But did you know that there is also tons of FREE music, including hi-res, just waiting to be downloaded?

And legitimately – not through Pirate’s Bay/Torrents.

Let’s use this thread to start a list. Anyone knowing of a good free downloads site, please post it as a comment. Hi-res (at least 24/88) sites preferred, but CD-quality (16/44) is OK too.

I’ll start. The Internet Archive is a splendid source. Try the Ryan Adams “das Haus” concert (24/96) – it’s very nice!

Enjoy the music – and post some sites!

Bob Walters

Audiophile Jazz Prologue Vol 3

Many of you enjoyed a 24/192 cut – “Lush Life” – that I used to demonstrate ultra-high-resolution at yesterday’s event.

The CD/DVD containing that track is now available in limited quantity from Kent Poon’s web site (click here).

Recommended. Even in CD (also available) this material sounds great!

Bob Walters

“Desert Island” Discs

We all have our favorite disks – the ones that we pull out to elevate our mood or to test a new system. What are yours? Please share your top 5-10 disks or LP’s. Specify enough information so that our members can find them! Either reply to this post (you must register if you haven’t already) or email me. This should be fun. Thanks in advance!   – Bob

Belated Thanks to Cookie and Jason McGuire

A couple of weeks ago, we had a very successful event at the studio of Blue Coast Records in Belmont.

I think that each of us came away with a deeper understanding of the challenges and tradeoffs that recording engineers face in bringing the live event into our lives.

Our Chief Instructor was Cookie Marenco, a primo engineer and “emerging audiophile.” Assisting her was Jason McGuire, flemenco guitarist par excellence.

If you think that the goal of your playback system is “to reproduce the live event,” I guarantee that the “Blue Coast Sessions” would have give you perspective on the impossibility of that goal. Reproducing “what’s on the media” is a more reasonable standard.

So again our thanks to Cookie and Jason M – bravo!

As “Friends of BAAS,” I have added a link to each of their sites to our home page.

Note: Both sites have numerous music tracks and/or videos.

Person Jason McGuire

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Should Software Fix Performance Mistakes?

In (almost) all areas, software continues its relentless pursuit of “fixing” things.

Some would say that these “repairs” are taking some of the zest out of life. Is F-1 auto racing better because of traction control, antilock brakes, and stability augmentation?

How about music? Are perfect performances requisite for enjoyment? Is that what we want?

Some think so, and this New York Times article discusses some of the latest advances in the art and science of “fixing” recordings….

Vinyl Acendant?

CNN reports that even as CD sales fade, sales of LP’s are on the rise:

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, manufacturers’ shipments of LPs jumped more than 36 percent from 2006 to 2007 to more than 1.3 million. Shipments of CDs dropped more than 17 percent during the same period to 511 million, as they lost some ground to digital formats.

So while LP’s make up only 0.5% of non-download sales, they are actually increasing in popularity.

The #1 LP seller these day? “Abbey Road” of course.

The comments of one LP buyer were interesting:

“Once I got my first iPod … I’m looking at my wall of CDs and trying to justify it,” Millar said. “The things I like — the artwork, the liner notes, the sound quality — it dawns on me, those are things I like better on vinyl.” He welcomed back the pops and clicks, even some of the scratches.

“I like that fact that it’s imperfect in a lot of ways, live music is imperfect too,” Millar said.

Indeed.

[Many thanks to AaronK for pointing this out.]

Robot Conducts Detroit Symphony

Here’s something you don’t see every day – a Honda robot conducting a live symphony (click here for the story and here for the video).

The details:

• ASIMO is a 4-foot 3-inch tall robot designed by Honda Motor Co.
• The robot perfectly mimicked the actions of a conductor to the Detroit Symphony
• Honda spokeswoman: this may be the first time a robot has conducted a live show
• Honda brought ASIMO to Detroit to highlight its recent $1 million gift to the orchestra