[audio philestine]

Baldr: Nice to have you back with an update, and in mostly good health (still on the right side of the dirt!). We're all excited to hear your tales of DAC development.

Actual Place Name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

I'll throw my entry in with:
Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chaubunagungamaug

It's a local lake with an Native American name that the myth says translates to "You fish on your side, I'll fish on my side, and no one shall fish in the middle", and claims to be the longest place-name in the U.S.A., although that Welsh name looks slightly longer to me.

And some coffee questions for the group:

My glass Hario dripper of many years of service decided to take it's final swan dive from the cabinet to the counter top during this morning's coffee ritual, so I am now in the market for a new one.

What do I want to look for in a replacement? Aren't they basically all the same? Any recommendations?

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

My glass Hario dripper of many years of service decided to take it's final swan dive from the cabinet to the counter top during this morning's coffee ritual, so I am now in the market for a new one.

What do I want to look for in a replacement? Aren't they basically all the same? Any recommendations?

Buy the exact same one again.
You where happy with it yes?

 

[SpeakerBox]

My glass Hario dripper of many years of service decided to take it's final swan dive from the cabinet to the counter top during this morning's coffee ritual, so I am now in the market for a new one.

What do I want to look for in a replacement? Aren't they basically all the same? Any recommendations?

Have you considered moving to a coffee siphon? Super smooth! Also, any one here tried INTELLIGENTSIA coffee. Very good. There is a cafe in Chicago land called Wildberry Cafe that serves it exclusively. That is where I first tried it. They also have some of the best breakfast food I have ever had.

 

[audio philestine]

Buy the exact same one again.
You where happy with it yes?

It is hard to argue with the years of service it gave me, and the value for the cost. My coffee-philia nervosa didn't know if the state of the art for fancy glass funnels had moved while I was sleeping. I didn't want to dive right back to the same familiar model if some new whiz-bang feature was out there.

Have you considered moving to a coffee siphon?

I will look into those. The engineer in me is intrigued by all the gear, but the gorilla trapped in my body that destroyed coffee glasswear this morning is a little hesitant about finding safe (and wife-approved) counter space for one of those beasts.

 

[Ableza]

For single cup of coffee or tea I like using a Clever Dripper. It lets me steep the drink as long as I like rather than assuming the pour-through Melita style funnels will get it "right." Made of plastic so it's difficult to break.

 

[audio philestine]

I'm playing out a fantasy about recording music for people and I'm reading and studying everything I can before I start filling out my microphone closet. The Tiny Desk series has been a great education on how to record a live show. One of the venues (think "house concerts." You have to start somewhere) who are interested in working with me is a lot like the library in the NPR headquarters in DC where Tiny Desk is recorded. The engineer posts regularly on his blog about the equipment he uses and his microphone setups. What I've seen is that he never does it the same way twice. Other than electronic instruments, there are no loudspeakers in the room. Whatever the instruments are playing, the singers have to sing over with no electronic help at all. That means that the singers have to balance with each other and that is where, for me anyway, the magic happens!

...

I want my music alive and I plan to work hard to make my recordings sound as lifelike as possible.

I used to pretend to be an amateur recording engineer 20 years ago, taping in the taper's section at Phish concerts, and various bands in small local clubs, so I may or may not have any idea what I'm talking about. It was mostly stereo-pair ambient recordings, although later on I experimented some with AUD/SBD matrices. [portable mutli-track recorders didn't affordably exist back then, so this involved a delay unit to delay/synchronise the soundboard with the ambient mics, and a small mixing board].

At the time all the rage was "soundboard feeds", and while they were more crisp sounding, I hated them. They were sterile. I wanted the ambience of room mics. Even in a concert hall with all the crowd noise. I felt it was the most like "being there".

The real holy grail, for me, was a something like a small jazz ensemble playing (mostly) acoustic, in a nice sounding room, with a quiet and appreciative audience. [quiet and appreciative were usually the same thing, but sometimes opposites]. To get a "golden" recording with ambient mics in a performance like that, that made you feel like you were there, that was the goal. I probably never fully achieved that, but it was fun trying, and I think I came close a couple times anyway, at least to my ear, even if by blind luck rather than technical expertise.

Experiment, try different things, and *enjoy the music*. Don't let the tech stuff get in the way. These days, there are some (almost) affordable portable multi-channel recorders, so you can try different mic setups, and then pick the one (or ones) that worked best later on. Maybe try a "safe" arrangement alongside something more experimental. At least one (or hopefully more) will work out.

Also, good call on reading and studying everything you can before you start "filling out the microphone closet". I'm reminded of something I heard quoted by an old high-school buddy who studied recording engineering in college - "The best way to make a small fortune in the recording industry is to start off with a large one"

Microphones are a lot like headphones, there is always a nicer model out there, but often you'll pay twice as much for *maybe* a 1% improvement. Don't be afraid to start off with something that's 90% as good for 10% of the price. When you get to know what equipment you like and how to get the sound you're looking for, you'll find the next greater model you just need to buy right now without any difficulty just don't blow the whole budget before you get there.

Good luck, enjoy the music, and make good recordings.

 

[scottbrown5271]

I used to pretend to be an amateur recording engineer 20 years ago, taping in the taper's section at Phish concerts, and various bands in small local clubs, so I may or may not have any idea what I'm talking about. It was mostly stereo-pair ambient recordings, although later on I experimented some with AUD/SBD matrices. [portable mutli-track recorders didn't affordably exist back then, so this involved a delay unit to delay/synchronise the soundboard with the ambient mics, and a small mixing board].

At the time all the rage was "soundboard feeds", and while they were more crisp sounding, I hated them. They were sterile. I wanted the ambience of room mics. Even in a concert hall with all the crowd noise. I felt it was the most like "being there".

The real holy grail, for me, was a something like a small jazz ensemble playing (mostly) acoustic, in a nice sounding room, with a quiet and appreciative audience. [quiet and appreciative were usually the same thing, but sometimes opposites]. To get a "golden" recording with ambient mics in a performance like that, that made you feel like you were there, that was the goal. I probably never fully achieved that, but it was fun trying, and I think I came close a couple times anyway, at least to my ear, even if by blind luck rather than technical expertise.

Experiment, try different things, and *enjoy the music*. Don't let the tech stuff get in the way. These days, there are some (almost) affordable portable multi-channel recorders, so you can try different mic setups, and then pick the one (or ones) that worked best later on. Maybe try a "safe" arrangement alongside something more experimental. At least one (or hopefully more) will work out.

Also, good call on reading and studying everything you can before you start "filling out the microphone closet". I'm reminded of something I heard quoted by an old high-school buddy who studied recording engineering in college - "The best way to make a small fortune in the recording industry is to start off with a large one"

Microphones are a lot like headphones, there is always a nicer model out there, but often you'll pay twice as much for *maybe* a 1% improvement. Don't be afraid to start off with something that's 90% as good for 10% of the price. When you get to know what equipment you like and how to get the sound you're looking for, you'll find the next greater model you just need to buy right now without any difficulty just don't blow the whole budget before you get there.

Good luck, enjoy the music, and make good recordings.

Thanks for the encouragement. I've picked out microphones I'd like to try, now to find the magical compromise mikes that don't cost four figures and still give 95% of the performance. I plan to try soundboard feeds, but more as an enhancement than the main mix. The rooms I might get a chance to work in actually kind of suck, so that adds to the difficulties. Oh well, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

 

[US Blues]

I used to pretend to be an amateur recording engineer 20 years ago, taping in the taper's section at Phish concerts, and various bands in small local clubs, so I may or may not have any idea what I'm talking about. It was mostly stereo-pair ambient recordings, although later on I experimented some with AUD/SBD matrices. [portable mutli-track recorders didn't affordably exist back then, so this involved a delay unit to delay/synchronise the soundboard with the ambient mics, and a small mixing board].

At the time all the rage was "soundboard feeds", and while they were more crisp sounding, I hated them. They were sterile. I wanted the ambience of room mics. Even in a concert hall with all the crowd noise. I felt it was the most like "being there".

The real holy grail, for me, was a something like a small jazz ensemble playing (mostly) acoustic, in a nice sounding room, with a quiet and appreciative audience. [quiet and appreciative were usually the same thing, but sometimes opposites]. To get a "golden" recording with ambient mics in a performance like that, that made you feel like you were there, that was the goal. I probably never fully achieved that, but it was fun trying, and I think I came close a couple times anyway, at least to my ear, even if by blind luck rather than technical expertise.

Experiment, try different things, and *enjoy the music*. Don't let the tech stuff get in the way. These days, there are some (almost) affordable portable multi-channel recorders, so you can try different mic setups, and then pick the one (or ones) that worked best later on. Maybe try a "safe" arrangement alongside something more experimental. At least one (or hopefully more) will work out.

Also, good call on reading and studying everything you can before you start "filling out the microphone closet". I'm reminded of something I heard quoted by an old high-school buddy who studied recording engineering in college - "The best way to make a small fortune in the recording industry is to start off with a large one"

Microphones are a lot like headphones, there is always a nicer model out there, but often you'll pay twice as much for *maybe* a 1% improvement. Don't be afraid to start off with something that's 90% as good for 10% of the price. When you get to know what equipment you like and how to get the sound you're looking for, you'll find the next greater model you just need to buy right now without any difficulty just don't blow the whole budget before you get there.

Good luck, enjoy the music, and make good recordings.

Taping Phish shows? Phish shows?!

Hope you got some good pulls.

 

[audio philestine]

I plan to try soundboard feeds, but more as an enhancement than the main mix. The rooms I might get a chance to work in actually kind of suck, so that adds to the difficulties.

I'd definitely look into some of the available multi-track recorders. Using the same device prevents any issues of clock drift between devices. Recording as separate tracks allows you to adjust the delay and levels after the fact (and re-adjust if needed) as opposed to being locked to whatever you had it set to at recording time. You'll need two tracks for each stereo mic pair, and 1-2 tracks for the board feed. If you can afford it, go for more than 4 tracks, as that gives you the freedom to add fill-in channels (alternate room/crowd mics, or if you know the band and have access to the stage you can add mics to fill in things that might be weak in board mix, like the loud drum kit/lead guitar, or the kick drum. This is where you can use your creativity for more options).

I've had my eye on the zoom f8 for a while now as a nice price/performance ratio, but I can't justify the cost for meyself as I don't do that much recording anymore. There's a newer version out in the past year or so, but it hasn't caused the price on the older model to drop enough yet for me to be tempted. I'm sure there are many more suitable recorders out there, use whatever works and makes you happy.

 

[audio philestine]

Taping Phish shows? Phish shows?!

Hope you got some good pulls.

I was lucky enough to have friends that got me into it back in 1995-1996, IMHO the peak of the Phish jams, even though I missed most of those awesome '95 Tweezers.

I've been slowly trying to transfer my surviving master DATs and uploading them to the cloud. Here's a link to some of them on etree:

http://bt.etree.org/?searchzzzz=phisham&cat=0

 

[slefty]

For single cup of coffee or tea I like using a Clever Dripper. It lets me steep the drink as long as I like rather than assuming the pour-through Melita style funnels will get it "right." Made of plastic so it's difficult to break.

Agreed on the Clever Dripper, it is an excellent device. I use one almost every day. My other favorite single cup brewer is the Aeropress. I use the Clever on weekday mornings (I use a larger mug on workdays) and the Aeropress on the weekends.

For the Clever I use 25 grams of coffee with 418 grams of water (adjust your grinder to make sure it drips in about 30 seconds). For the Aeropress (using the inverted method) I use 15 grams of coffee and then fill the thing with water. I let it sit inverted for 60 seconds, then put it right side up on top of the cup for another 60 seconds. Nothing drips out but it makes for an easier push to force the coffee out, as most of the grounds float to the top.

Other than a Cafflano Kompact that I use for my wife's coffee on weekends (she prefers hers without a paper filter), all my other coffee makers are now up on a shelf and remain unused. No need for them.

 

[US Blues]

I was lucky enough to have friends that got me into it back in 1995-1996, IMHO the peak of the Phish jams, even though I missed most of those awesome '95 Tweezers.

I've been slowly trying to transfer my surviving master DATs and uploading them to the cloud. Here's a link to some of them on etree:

http://bt.etree.org/?searchzzzz=phisham&cat=0

I'll give one a try (today's anniversary show). Not a Phish-head, but I'm curious about the sound.

 

[Smithington]

Agreed on the Clever Dripper, it is an excellent device. I use one almost every day. My other favorite single cup brewer is the Aeropress. I use the Clever on weekday mornings (I use a larger mug on workdays) and the Aeropress on the weekends.

For the Clever I use 25 grams of coffee with 418 grams of water (adjust your grinder to make sure it drips in about 30 seconds). For the Aeropress (using the inverted method) I use 15 grams of coffee and then fill the thing with water. I let it sit inverted for 60 seconds, then put it right side up on top of the cup for another 60 seconds. Nothing drips out but it makes for an easier push to force the coffee out, as most of the grounds float to the top.

Other than a Cafflano Kompact that I use for my wife's coffee on weekends (she prefers hers without a paper filter), all my other coffee makers are now up on a shelf and remain unused. No need for them.

Both plastic drippers and aeropresses have the benefit of being tolerant to all sorts of drops and knocks, as well as the undeniable appeal to me of being easy to clean.

You do let your coffee brew for a whole minute longer than me. I don't weigh the beans though - roughly one of the (overly large) aeropress scoopful for me.

Preferring filter to other methods, I'm glad to have cleared counter space too

 

[Robert Padgett]

I was lucky enough to have friends that got me into it back in 1995-1996, IMHO the peak of the Phish jams, even though I missed most of those awesome '95 Tweezers.

I've been slowly trying to transfer my surviving master DATs and uploading them to the cloud. Here's a link to some of them on etree:

http://bt.etree.org/?searchzzzz=phisham&cat=0

Thanks. In the period after St. Jerome joined other angels, I didn't listen to much widespread or Phish. I have downloaded those 11 shoes, for a listen. I rather like a couple of the Phish albums, so live ought to be good.
Another Bob Weir appearance here in Charlotte that I avoided. I have neither the time nor money to attend a tribute band concert

 

[hearditontheX]

For single cup of coffee or tea I like using a Clever Dripper. It lets me steep the drink as long as I like rather than assuming the pour-through Melita style funnels will get it "right." Made of plastic so it's difficult to break.

Whats a single cup of coffee?