Friday, April 28, 2006

How to double your visits in the space of hours

Wow--234,000+ visits recorded on my counter. Far out. And the Bell file has been downloaded 1723 times. I just wrote Box.net to see if I can upgrade (in order to expand bandwidth).

And if "Jeremiah Johnson" could e- me in regard to putting my files up on a torrent--what that means, how to do it, etc., I'd be much obliged.

Back to the real (non-cyber) world, I need to cut grass after taking care of some, shall we say, cat products inside the house. Products that were deposited where we'd prefer they not be. You've seen those "color outside the lines" car ads. Well, apparently, they have a "poop outside the box" equivalent for cats. No more TV for the cats....

In other news, I'm experimenting with a new EQ (well, several of them), and the results please me. Let me know what you think. The Whiteman file has some bursts of sound in the tom-tom as a result of too much input, but overall I think it sounds great. The Kelly Harrell (great 1926 country) is pretty worn, but I think I triumphed over the surface noise. More to come, but Box.net is a little sluggish at the moment:

New River Train, Kelly Harrell, 1926. From Victor 78.

Shanghai Dream Man (Davis/Akst, Arr. by Ferde Grofe), Paul Whiteman and His Orch., 1927. From Victor 78.

The flip of New River Train is Rovin' Gambler, and the lyrics include a familiar line: "I hear the train a'comin'...." I'll have it up later today, but for now I hear the grass a-growin'. Better get (achoo!) out there.


Lee

7 comments:

Terry Smith said...

Do you know where UnPlayed by Human Hands can be found?

It was recorded by JPL scientistss who wired a mini computer to a rack of solinoids on a pipe organ.

I've been looking for this record for 30 years.

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Terry,

No, and I wish I did--that sounds awesome! Afraid I can't help you.

If you ever find it, let me know!!


Lee

ivanpope said...

If you want to upgrade on box.net, get their referral button and put it on your site. When five people open accounts from you, you get an auto upgrade. I did that on blog.snipperoo.com as an experiment and quickly got upgraded!
Keep up the great work, I love your site.

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Ivan,

Thanks for the nice words and the info. I already upgraded, but there's always the next level. I'll try that--thanks.


Lee

Anonymous said...

Just out of curiosity, Lee, what are you using for EQ? I seem to remember that you use MAGIX for some of your audio restoration. Same software I use....

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Perdido,

I'll never tell--buwa-ha-haaa!

Sorry--sinus meds are affecting my behavior. Yes, MAGIX, plus a 31-band equalizer (Soundstage) that I got on "sale" from Sam Ash. "Sale" because Sam Ash seems to have the same low, low prices everyone else does....

I pre-EQ with the Soundstage, then I touch up with the MAGIX 10-band, as the signal is always compressed by the time it gets onto my hard drive. In these latest files, I've finally gotten around to balancing the middle to lower-middle freq. range. Which, to my amazement, "frees up" the bass. I should have expected as much, though. It's like removing a dirty film from something and seeing (er, hearing) "new" detail.

Lee

hrrundivbakshi said...

I've got a nice copy of "Unplayed By Human Hands," as well as an album of computer-controlled keyboard music that *predates* it by a year! This other album is called "Two Loves Have I: Jean and the GENII Computer," and I have to admit I've never listened to it. Why? Well, I'm incredibly curious, but it's the earliest example of recorded, computer-controlled keyboard music I know of -- and I found it sealed. I'm afraid to open it! In this case, the card-punch computer is driving a 13-rank Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, as it plays through show tunes -- less dramatic, perhaps, than the classical material found on "Unplayed By Human Hands," but certainly no less revolutionary. Anyhow, the GENII album was recorded in 1974, and "Unplayed..." was issued in 1975, so GENII seems to be the first. A piece of history!