Wed, 28 Feb 2024
Got a brand new Blackberry Key2 BBF100-6 from eBay. This is to replace my beloved Blackberry Key2 LE BBE100-5 that has suffered a cracked screen. I view this as a blessing in disguise, because I was living with a debilitated situation with battery life and RAM. I am really hoping that the extra 2GB of RAM will make the Blackberry experience sing again! 4GB was always too little. I hope the dual SIMs come in handy when traveling internationally (which will be rare, but treasured!).
I backed up my BBE100-5 onto local storage in Windows at the Administrator Command Prompt using the following commands:
adb exec-out "tar -c storage/emulated/0 2> /dev/null" > sdcard.tar adb exec-out "tar -c storage/0000-0000/ 2> /dev/null" > external.tar
I learned how to do this using this StackExchange entry: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/226573/adb-pull-stops-after-first-error/233784#233784
I was unable to use gzip on Windows.
The first command is to backup the "internal" storage. The second command is to backup the "external" storage.
First thing I did with the new phone was disable the Productivity Center.
Then I learned the hardware space bar was functioning intermittently, so cried tears of despair and ordered another model on eBay. So then another model came, this time a BBF100-9. The space bar was also functioning intermittently. I read on Reddit about users fixing the issue with WD-40, so I tried it, and amazingly, it worked!
Wed, 18 Oct 2023
Here is a proposed design for a MIDI signal chain.
Each synth will be sequenced or interfaced with a number of devices:
- MOTU Midi Timepiece AV (PC)
- Atari ST | Steinberg Midex+ | Steinberg PC-MIDI 3 (Atari)
- Alyseum AL-88 (Ethernet/Mac)
- Midiman Midisport 8x8/s (Linux)
- Alesis DataDisk (Alesis)
- Expert Sleepers USAMO (PC/Mac)
As many Signex CPM22M MIDI patchbays as required will be deployed.
- MOTU Midi Timepiece AV (PC) [7]
- Atari ST | Steinberg Midex+ | Steinberg PC-MIDI 3 (Atari) [7]
- Alyseum AL-88 (Ethernet/Mac)
- Midiman Midisport 8x8/s (Linux)
- Alesis DataDisk (Alesis)
- Expert Sleepers USAMO (PC/Mac)
-= Sequencing Bus ==- Front 10 Power (x4) <<< BRC? 09 Alesis DataDisk 08 MOTU Midi Timepiece AV [SMPTE] [Parallel Port] 07 Steinberg MIDEX 8 [USB] 06 05 04 Signex CPM22M 03 Redco Patchbay [Parallel Port | SMPTE IN | SMPTE OUT | USB] 02 Atari Mega ST 01 " 04 MIDI Solutions T8 (BRC) (MIDI Clock goes to Atari, PC | so don't need racked T8, just external T4) Thru = Outbound Merge = Inbound Rear 10 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 1) 09 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 1) Synth Outputs are: DUMP | Editor 08 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 2) 07 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 2) 06 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 3) 05 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 3) 04 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 4) 03 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 4) 02 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 5) 01 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 5) Rear (alt) 10 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 1) 09 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 2) 08 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 3) 07 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 4) 06 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 5) 05 MIDI Solutions M8 (Datadisk) 04 MIDI Solutions T8 (Datadisk) 03 MIDI Solutions Quadra Thru x5 (Synth 1-5) 02 MOTU Digital Timepiece [Video Out or WC Out or Both to BNC?] 01 Aardvark Aardsync II UVG [Video Out to Motu Digital Timepiece Video In]
Mon, 02 Oct 2023
I wanted to have desktop PC for all of my family members rackmounted in the garage far away from where they would be using it. After trying some Tripp Lite (one of my favorite companies) solutions for KVM over CAT5 cable and finding the latency sub-optimal, I stumbled upon a Linus Tech Tips video demoing the Icron EL5363 HDMI + USB 2.0 Extender, which works optimally over CAT6A, which I previously cabled all throughout the house in preparation. tldr; These devices work GREAT! The only complaint I have is that their rackmount kit is more for mounting under a desk than in a rack and I needed to do both.
I also explored 2U server cases for this build but was unable to mitigate heat issues, even when using powerful case fans. In the end, I found that a 4U case allowed for the most airflow and a worry free system, even when mounted in a non-air conditioned garage in the middle of the summer.
My build choice was mostly informed by wanted to build something that would keep me from having to build another computer, at least for a very long time. I explored a single, powerful server running VMWare but it seemed too much, so I went for multiple identical discrete systems.
Parts List
PCPartPicker Part ListParts List Notes
CPU
- 10 Cores is almost certainly overkill, but I wanted a high clock speed and this chip fit the bill.
- Here is the ARK listing: Intel Core i9-10900K
- I'll come back in 10 years and let you know if this chip is still cutting the mustard. I might need to deploy watercooling and overclock it to make this happen.
CPU Cooler
- Because Noctua makes the NH-D12L for multiple Intel and AMD sockets, there's a lot of leftover parts that you never feel quite right about throwing away. Nevertheless...
Motherboard
- The ASRock Z590 Pro4 is clean, sleek and straight ahead.
Memory
- PCPartPicker does not know that the ASRock Z590 Pro4 is indeed compatible with ECC RAM.
- Thanks to Micro Center for having the KSM26ED8/32HC locally in stock!
Storage
- This helpful video will be of use when building RAID0.
- You will also need a flash drive with SATA Floppy Image ver:18.6.1.1016.1_21H2 for the Windows 10 installation.
Video Card
- No complaints from my kids about their video games with an RTX 3060 Ti. Don't overthink it!
Case
- The ASRock Z590 Pro4 motherboard is a great partner for a Silverstone RM42-502 case. There were no issues with the installation at all due to the case.
- I removed the expansion card retainer and storage bays altogther.
- I removed the front door and handles, as well as moving the rack ears back to fit in my rack. I will need to come up with a way to filter the intake fans before too long!
- The slide rails require a full-sized 4 post rack.
Power Supply
- Fully modular and perfect!
Case Fans
- There are enough case fan headers on the ASRock Z590 Pro4 and the fan cables are long enough such that no extenders are needed.
Fri, 03 Feb 2023
Here are the proposed recording chains I am designing:
-= Master Bus =- Front 10 Drawmer 1974 09 Drawmer 1968 ME 08 Crane Song STC-8 07 " 06 Warm Audio EQP-WA 05 " 04 " 03 " 02 Dangerous BAX 01 Emperical Labs EL-DS Derresser Rear 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 Power
-= Recording Bus ==- Front 08 Redco R196-D25PG DB25 96pt TT Patchbay 07 Z-Sys Optipatch (Squeezebox and CD-500 in) 06 TC Electronic Finalizer 96K 05 Mytek Brooklyn ADDA 03 Tascam DA-3000 03 Alesis HD24 02 " 01 " Presonus Digimax 8 Rear 08 Lucid GENx6-96 Word Clock | Keystone Patchbay 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
-= Sequencing Bus ==- Front 10 Power (x4) <<< BRC? 09 Alesis DataDisk 08 MOTU Midi Timepiece AV [SMPTE] [Parallel Port] 07 Steinberg MIDEX 8 [USB] 06 05 04 Signex CPM22M 03 Redco Patchbay [Parallel Port | SMPTE IN | SMPTE OUT | USB] 02 Atari Mega ST 01 " 04 MIDI Solutions T8 (BRC) (MIDI Clock goes to Atari, PC | so don't need racked T8, just external T4) Thru = Outbound Merge = Inbound Rear 10 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 1) 09 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 1) Synth Outputs are: DUMP | Editor 08 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 2) 07 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 2) 06 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 3) 05 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 3) 04 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 4) 03 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 4) 02 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 5) 01 MIDI Solutions T8 (Synth 5) Rear (alt) 10 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 1) 09 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 2) 08 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 3) 07 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 4) 06 MIDI Solutions M8 (Synth 5) 05 MIDI Solutions M8 (Datadisk) 04 MIDI Solutions T8 (Datadisk) 03 MIDI Solutions Quadra Thru x5 (Synth 1-5) 02 MOTU Digital Timepiece [Video Out or WC Out or Both to BNC?] 01 Aardvark Aardsync II UVG [Video Out to Motu Digital Timepiece Video In]
-= Syncronization Bus ==- 03 Alesis BRC/LRC
-= Effects Bus ==- Front 04 Alesis Quadraverb 03 Eventide Reverb 2016 02 TC Electronic D-Two 01 Rear 03 MIDI Solutions T8 (Effects 1-3 + BRC) [DUMP] 02 MIDI Solutions T8 (Effects 1-3 + BRC) [DUMP] 01 Redco Patchbay [BRC Clock In | ADD T8 In | ADD T8 Out]
Fri, 27 Jan 2023
Here is a proposed mastering chain:
Alesis HD24 >> Alesis DEQ830 >> RADAR DA >> Mackie 1604 >> Drawmer 1974 >> Drawmer 1968 ME >> Crane Song STC-8 >> Warm Audio EQP-WA >> Dangerous BAX >> Emperical Labs EL-DS Derresser >> TC Electronic Finalizer 96K >> Mytek Brooklyn AD >> Tascam DA-3000
Alesis DEQ830 for issues with individual (stereo) stems
Initself audio will be entirely in the digital domain unless RADAR D-to-A. The EQ will be connected to the digital chain via ADAT.
Drawmer 1974 EQ Sound on Sound
Drawmer 1968 ME Compressor Sound on Sound
Crane Song STC-8 Barry Cleveland Review
Warm Audio EQP-WA Sound on Sound
USING THE EQP-WA IN BYPASS MODE When in bypass mode, the audio signal is still routed through the Cinemag input transformer, dual vacuum tube stage line amplifier, and Cinemag output transformer; and the EQP-WA will output at approximately unity gain relative to the input level (or within close margin, due to small variations in output gain from individual vacuum tubes). This design allows the user to take advantage of an old 'engineering trick' known to many successful producers and recordists, whereby one uses a piece of gear with large transformers and high voltage tube stages as a 'pass-through' device or 'tube buffer' following a mic preamp, console send, or other piece of hardware, adding subtle sheen, richness, thickness, and harmonic content to an audio signal. This technique can also be used on program material (complete mixes or subgroups).
Dangerous BAX TapeOp Dangerous
On the high end, you can dial out ultra-sonics like 70 kHz that can carry out-of-band noise that translates as harshness in many A/D converters.
Emperical Labs EL-DS Derresser Empirical Labs
Can I emulate analog tape with the Lil FrEQ? Absolutely! Emulate analog tape by using the DS section set to HF LIM, frequency at 6KHz. Adjust so that when the frequencies harshly pile up, the DS section kicks in, integrating and smoothing out the high end.
TC Electronic Finalizer 96K Sound on Sound
Mytek Brooklyn AD
Tascam DA-3000
Tue, 19 Jul 2022
Best version I've had yet...
Get the UUID of the USB Drive. `-ovalue` outputs the pure UUID to use in /etc/fstab.
blkid -t TYPE=vfat -sUUID -ovalue
Add the following line to /etc/fstab:
UUID=$UUID /media audo nosuid,nodev,nofail,umask=000 0 0
Mount the drive.
mount -a
FreeDB is no more! Long live GNUDB.
Vortexbox will now work with these settings to grab audio metadata:
mb=0 CDDBHOST=gnudb.org mirror=gnudb transfer=http proxy=proxy.gnudb.org:3128
Mon, 26 Oct 2020
I breadboarded a Gigabtye GA-8I955X, jumping the power to kick start the process. Boy was that a mistake! Turns out the motherboard will startup and shutdown without all of its connections made to its pins: PW, RES, MSG, HD. Well, maybe it was just the missing reset jumper. Point being, only plugging in the power cable isn't going to get you very far. With a speaker connected, you will not hear any warning beeps to help you identify the issue.
This motherboard would accept a USB-HDD with Debian 6 (squeeze) running Linux 2.6, which recognized the Sil3132 straightaway. However, the Windows XP installation would not accept anything less than a slipstreamed CD. All attempts to use USB-HDD or floppies to load drivers failed.
USB support for peripherals seems lagging. Best to use a PS2 keyboard and mouse for Windows XP installation.
Sun, 25 Oct 2020
Getting a SCSI2SD to work with an Akai S1100 is quite a challenge!
There appear to be subtle but important differences between an S1100 and an S1000. I cannot say for sure if any of these tips apply to the S1000.
External SCSI
I bought a SCSI2SD v5.1 with an adapter that would interface with the external SCSI connection on the back of the S1100. From my previous project getting the S1100 to work with a complex Compact Flash (CF) solution, I learned that the internal SCSI cable needed to be reversed on the end that connects to the SCSI card in the S1100. Reversing almost certainly means filing off the plastic slot guide from the female end of one part of the cable. After many attempts to get the external SCSI connection to work, I have concluded that Akai S1100 external SCSI and the SCSI2SD v5.1 are incompatible.
- SCSI2SD v5.1 is incompatible with external SCSI on the Akai S1100.
Internal SCSI Cable
The type of internal SCSI cable used seems very important. I have a long internal cable for 3 total devices. Even after cutting the nub off one end and reversing the cable, I can't the S1100 to recognize the SCSI2SD plugged in at the other end.
I am still using the internal cable that was in my unit when I bought it off eBay. I have no idea what is special about it, but it is short!
SCSI2SD Configuration
When are you working with these old units, there can be a lot of uncertainty around getting the settings for the hard disk to work correctly.
I was able to work leaving the General Settings completely alone. One should enable SCSI terminator (if applicable to your infrastructure) and leave all the other settings at default values or unchecked.
- There is no way to change the default SCSI channel for an S1100 hard disk to anything but 5.
- It is not necessary to set any of the SCSI2SD devices to channel 5, but if you don't, the S1100 will poll for a working disk until it gives up trying. To move past this and get to work, you'll need to press SKIP.
For each device, select a SCSI ID. The maximum number of disks one can create with SCSI2SD v5.1 is 4. I set my SCSI ID on each of the 4 devices to 0-3 respectively.
Sector size (bytes) is very important. The S1100 needs sectors sizes of 512 bytes.
Sector count will change depending on how you size your disks. The S1100 is only going to
FORMAT vs ARRANGE
There is some confusion in some of the posts out there about whether to use FORMAT or ARRANGE to correctly setup the disks in the S1100.
I personally have found it is better to use FORMAT. Kee
Fri, 11 Oct 2019
Blackberry KEY2 LE (BBE 100-5) Review
The Blackberry KEYOne was a fine phone, with an untenable problem: not enough RAM. I had to perform some kind of RAM management every day just so it stayed functional.
Fast forward to the Blackberry KEY2 LE - one more GB of RAM, actually usable.
A bonus is that they managed to improved an already fine keyboard.
They appear to have cheaped out on the speakers and microphone on the LE. Not sure if the non-LE model has better audio specs.
Pros:
- Excellent keyboard. The only one in the world that I know of on a modern cell phone.
Cons:
- LE limits RAM to 4 GB. Seem like some kind of tactic to sell more phones that no LTE carrier wanted to carry the non-LE model with 6 GB, which would be more future proof.
- Special characters are not QWERTY compatible.
- Sound quality of microphone and speakers a step down from KEYOne.
Mon, 20 May 2019
I just sat down to recall my first studio and as I did so, I remember my first studio wasn't at all my first.
My very first was a portable tape casette recorder.
After that, the record mechanisms on toy synthesizers.
At some point, a Tascam 424 Portastudio MkII showed up, which produced some pretty fun recordings for sure. One for the difficulties for me was timing, especially triggering drum samples and patches from keys. As good as I was at it, a perfect take with perfect timing was out of the question. But I remember how hard it was to learn MIDI! That was probably because my first attempt at using a sequencer was Voyetra Sequencer Plus GOLD software that came with the original Sound Blaster. Totally unintelligble to a 13 year old kid!
So my first real studio came along once Cubase appeared for me, because that was when I figured out MIDI and I could start creating sensible, listenable music.
I didn't even know Atari existed. My first Cubase was on Windows 98, Cubase Score 3.05. It had a printer port dongle. The MIDI interface was a MOTU Pocket Express parallel port. I think I needed some kind of parallel port hub to use both at the same time. I had no idea about MIDI timing or anything, and I think with the parallel port, I hadn't yet come across the ill-fated timing issues that were to come with USB, although I know that soon after realizing I needed more MIDI ports, I dove in head first to the horror that is USB MIDI devices.
I know my first sequences were stored on floppy disks. I doubt I have them anymore. I know I did a few things in 1998, more notibly the music and sound effects for a college skit. There were tracks made in the summer of 1998 in Berkeley, with MIDI mostly recorded live (and sometimes unquantized, go figure) into Cubase and recorded into the 4 track. I don't think I had figured out multitimbral mode yet. One track, Sanskrit, is extant from that time. The tape version sounds much better than the edited, quantized version I worked out later.
After I graduated college in 1999, I remember buying a top of the line Micron computer that cost about $5,000. With this big purchase came my first "real" studio running Steinberg Cubase VST/32 running on Windows 98, with the aforementioned MOTU Pocket Express handling the MIDI and outputing to an Alesis QS8 and a Roland JV-80, eventually recording audio into a Mackie 1402 VLZ Pro with the direct outs half-patched into a MOTU 2408 Mk II PCI. I soon figured out how to plug the ADAT outputs of the QS8 into the 2408, which then started my obsession with digital audio. The difference between that and the poor, noisy analog output of the mixer was undeniable.
Yet, stability on this system was far from achievabl with Windows 98. Getting thorugh a 5 minute recording without the system crashing was a miracle sometimes.
The last version of Steinberg Cubase VST/32 appears to be Steinberg Cubase VST/32 5.2 PB1.
Note to self: there is an Initself archive housed in Z:\Documents\Cubase\Techno (Pitch 07) that contains Rhodes Bitch Golfer, which you thought was lost. Check it out!
Mon, 15 Apr 2019
In case anyone was wondering....
Left: 1.25
Top: 1
Right: 3.5
Bottom: 5
Fri, 22 Feb 2019
mst is my favorite Perl programmer. He has a wonderful series outlining his "opinionated version of Task::Kensho" called mstpan. Here are all the articles collated:
- mstpan 1 - Web Frameworks
- mstpan 2 - Web Deployment
- mstpan 3 - XML
- mstpan 4 - HTML
- mstpan 5 - Files
- mstpan 6 - Databases
- mstpan 7 - JSON
- mstpan 8 - Async
- mstpan 9 - Library deployment
- mstpan 10 - Perl VM deployment
- mstpan 11 - Distribution Building
- mstpan 12 - Object Orientation
- mstpan 13 - SOAP
- mstpan 14 - Exporting
- mstpan 15 - Email
- mstpan 16 - Logging
- mstpan 17 - Interactive shells
Fri, 11 Jan 2019
Setting a Default Version of Excel
If you have two version of Excel running concurrently on a single PC, you may wish Windows defaulted automatically to the older version. However, if you try to associate a file type like .xls with a particularly version of Excel, namely the older one, Office will correct your mistake and re-establish your file type association with the newer verion.
To overwrite this "functionality", the procedure is as follows.
- Install Office 2003.
- Install Office 2007.
- Re-Install Office 2003. Select "Reinstall or Repair". Check "Detect and Repair errors in my Office installation."
- Voila!
No more having to open Office 2003 first before opening a file!
Tue, 19 Jun 2018
Growing up, I spent much of my time behind the screen typing commands into IBM PCs - to solve the puzzles that were the great games made by Sierra Online.
I collected what I could in order to make sure my kids could have the same experience I did, but could not have predicted that the games would all be freely available as Abandonware that could be played via DOSBox.
In any case, I wanted to write down the titles that I remember being enamored with, for posterity. Almost all the games I loved were designed for the SCI game engine. Here is the complete list of SCI titles.
- Police Quest 1-3
- Hero's Quest/Quest for Glory 1-2
- Space Quest 1-4 (4 had amazing graphics for its time!)
- King's Quest 1-4
- Leisure Suit Larry 1
- Colonel's Bequest
- Codename: ICEMAN
- Hoyle's Book of Games
- Manhunter: New York
- Helicopter Simulator
Some other non-Sierra games I liked were:
- Test Drive 1-2 by Accolade
- Hardball 2 by Accolade
- Grand Prix Circuit by Accolade
- Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
- Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
- California Games by Epyx
- Street Sports Basketball by Epyx
- World Class Leaderboard Golf
- Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
Some games I had but didn't like a lot, but want to write down:
- Might and Magic, Book One by New World Computing
Wed, 07 Feb 2018
Routing Apache through Perl Catalyst PSGI Server
Here's how you do it:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName server.example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/server
<Proxy *>
Order deny,allow
Allow from all
</Proxy>
ProxyRequests Off
ProxyPreserveHost On
ProxyPass /icons !
ProxyPass / http://localhost:5000/ keepalive=On
ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:5000/
#RequestHeader set X-Forwarded-HTTPS "0"
</VirtualHost>
Run psgi app with Starman:
#!/bin/sh sudo starman --l :5000 /var/www/dhamma/Dhamma-Maintenance/app.psgi --daemonize --pid /var/run/dhamma_maintenance.pid --error-log /var/log/starman/error.log
Fri, 04 Nov 2016
A Brief Review: LG Enact VS890
I think as of November 2016, with the disappointing release of the Blackberry Priv (you call that a Blackberry keyboard?), the LG Enact VS890 is still the best Android phone with a physical keyboard, at least on Verizon (CDMA / EVDO / LTE).
This phone was released to little fanfare in August of 2013. It appears to have been marketed as an extry level phone. I find its features to be quite professional.
There isn't much RAM, only 1 GB, and that's where you're gonna get into trouble if you use this phone as a full-fledged Android device. It also has a very poor camera. What this device is great at is as a phone with email and text messaging capabilities with that wonderful physical keyboard featuring a full number row and arrow keys!
A lot of people don't want to carry a phone filled with all kinds of wizbang apps. They basically want a regular phone to answer calls and to write texts (in lieu of annoying voicemail), and maybe compose emails for more thought out conversations. What many people don't know is that they really want a physical keyboard to do all these things. And they also are going to want cloud-based contact integration, which Android thankfully offers. After that, maybe they'll use Instagram and Hangouts, hopefully not Facebook. If you can draw the line there, this phone is for you!
At Android version 4.4.2 and firmware VS89023A, I found the VS890 to be unrootable with either Stump, towelroot or KingRoot. However, the latest version of KingRoot comes with software called Purify that took my phone from a laggy, nearly unusable state into a really efficient phone again.
Make sure not to run the brightness at full tilt if you want to keep the battery intact for more than 2 hours. :)
Now if I could only figure out how to disable the "Write and Share" button. Ugh.
Sun, 20 Dec 2015
Enabling WiFi on a Thinkpad X61 running VortexBox 2.4
First things first! If you are planning on configuring a Thinkpad X61 for wireless networking, make sure the wireless hardware switch on the front of the unit is set to on!
The root password for a default VortexBox install is: vortexbox
Create a USB key installer using the instructions here:
http://wiki.vortexbox.org/installing_i386_images_using_a_usb_key
'yum' has been deprecated in favor of 'dnf'.
dnf -y update
To setup a static IP address on eth0, configure the network using system-config-network:
dnf -y install system-config-network system-config-network
The X61 uses the 4965GN wireless controller. This driver needs to be enabled:
dnf -y install iwl4965-firmware
Some necessary tools are missing right out of the gate, so install them:
dnf -y install wireless-tools dnf -y install NetworkManager-wifi
'cnetworkmanager' has been deprecated and orphaned, so don't try to install and configure it, as suggested in other HOWTOs. NetworkManager will be used instead.
After installation, reboot the system.
After reboot, configure the interface. My interface was configured with a static ip different from the one used for eth0 and a WPA2 key.
nmcli connection add type wifi con-name my-wifi-static ifname wlan0 ssid ssid_name ip4 static_ip/24 gw4 gateway_ip nmcli connection modify my-wifi-static ipv4.dns "dns_ips_separated_by_space" nmcli connection modify my-wifi-static wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk nmcli connection modify my-wifi-static wifi-sec.psk password nmcli connection up my-wifi-static
Aside from the wireless driver not installing automatically and some of the applications not being available out of the box, I find these network configuration tools to be quite elegant.
From here, you should be able to access the VortexBox server directly by IP via a browser. After connecting, under 'Network Configuration', set VortexBox to use a static ip.
Note: Something in the configuration might reset eth0 to the same IP as wlan0. If that happens, re-run 'system-config-network'.
Further Considerations
/storage mount
The default installation mounts /storage directly into the root file system, which the installer configures efficiently, leaving a large storage partition free for use. Create a new partition using 'fdisk /dev/sda'. Press 'n' to add a new partition and accept all defaults. Press 'w' to save.
Reboot!
Create an ext4 filesystem on the new partition:
mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sda5
'lsblk -f' will show the UUID assigned to the new parition. Add an entry to /etc/fstab to mount the new partition at boot:
echo "UUID=uuid /storage ext4 defaults 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
Reboot!
'df -h' wii confirm success!
Multiple CD-ROM Configuration
'/etc/ripit/config' contains autorip configuration settings.
coverart=1 dirtemplate="$suffix/$artist/$album" tracktemplate="$artist - $album - $tracknum - $trackname" underscore=1 mb=0
Multiple CD-ROM Setup
Follow this HOWTO to configure multiple CD-ROM drives: http://info.vortexbox.org/tiki-index.php?page=MultiDriveCDRip
Backup!
cp /opt/vortexbox/docd.sh /opt/vortexbox/docd-old.sh
Get the edited script here:
http://mikebaas.org/programs/vortexbox/docd.sh
Or edit '/opt/vortexbox/docd.sh' yourself. Replace the line which reads:
CDDEVICE=`/opt/vortexbox/get-cddevice`
with
CDDEVICES[0]="/dev/sr0" CDDEVICES[1]="/dev/sr1" CDDEVICES[2]="/dev/sr2" CDDEVICES[3]="/dev/sr3"
Add an extra loop to work through each drive in the CDDEVICES array in sequence:
while true
do
for CDDEVICE in "${CDDEVICES[@]}";
do
CDSTATUS=`/opt/vortexbox/checkcd $CDDEVICE`
sleep 2
done
done
'wodim' is a handy utility to check the status of CD-ROM drives:
dnf -y install wodim wodim --devices
Miscellaneous
lltag
'lltag' doesn't exist on Fedora, must be compiled from source.
dnf -y install cpan cd /usr/local/src wget http://download.gna.org/lltag/lltag-0.14.4.tar.bz2 bunzip2 lltag-0.14.4.tar.bz2 tar -xvf lltag-0.14.4.tar cd lltag-0.14.4 make make install cpan install MP3::Tag
Disable Logitech Media Server
To disable the Logitech Media Server:
systemctl disable squeezeboxserver.service
Scripts/TODO
- add user to 'users' group
- create a symlink 'flac' to storage/music/flac
- create a script 'change_permissions' that will set all permissions in 'flac' to chgrp = users and chmod = 775
#!/bin/sh chgrp -R users flac/ chmod -R 775 flac/
Then, create a script that will take you to NAS.
#!/bin/sh ssh -t 10.10.10.16 'cd /share/data/Audio && bash --login -i'
Then, create a script 'monitor_rip' to monitor rips.
#!/bin/sh tail -f /var/log/ripit.log
Done!
Thu, 17 Dec 2015
Like my previous installation of Debian on a QNAP device, this one wasn't easy.
Like others, I followed Martin Michlmayr's HOWTO guide, but had enough problems to conclude that something is off in the way 'jessie' handles a flash bootloader and that it'd be better to install 'wheezy'. This would required a slight modification to his wget commands to get the older version of flash-debian.
cd /tmp busybox wget http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/main/installer-armel/current/images/kirkwood/network-console/qnap/ts-219/initrd.gz busybox wget http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/main/installer-armel/current/images/kirkwood/network-console/qnap/ts-219/kernel busybox wget http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/main/installer-armel/current/images/kirkwood/network-console/qnap/ts-219/flash-debian busybox wget http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/wheezy/main/installer-armel/current/images/kirkwood/network-console/qnap/ts-219/model sh flash-debian reboot exit
I had to follow the QNAP Firmware Recovery many times. When something went wrong with the Debian install, this was the only choice as I did not save any of my previous flashes anywhere to reload. After a while, I felt confident there wasn't a risk of bricking this unit as it could always be reset back to its initial configuration saved in flash memory. I would always manually load the latest firmware rather than use the automated firmware update which would download it each time and often not work.
Running the manual setup, I set a static IP address. When prompted to configure disks, I opted to configure disks later. SSH access is possible without first configuring disks.
It really help see what was going on during install by monitoring syslog on a secondary SSH connection.
tail -f /var/log/syslog
To begin setting up partitions, I selected 'Guided - Use entire disk', selecting the second partition (/dev/sdb) and choosing to put all files in one partition. When prompted to remove existing RAID partitions, I selected 'yes'. I then setup the first partition (/dev/sda) in exactly the same way. After that, configure software RAID1 with /boot as md0, / as md1, and swap as md2.
When selecting the kernel for the base system, I selected 'linux-image-3.2.0-4-kirkwood'. When prompted to include drivers, I selected 'generic'.
I also found that my old version of PuTTY was unable to connect to the default QNAP SSH server. Upgrading PuTTY to beta 0.66 fixed the issue. It also was necessary to start and stop the SSH daemon inside the QTS Control Panel under Network Services >> Telnet/SSH by unchecking 'Allow SSH connection', clicking 'Apply', and then checking the box and 'Apply' again.
Wireless Networking with D-Link DWA-131
'lsusb' reports the D-Link DWA-131 I bought from Amazon as USB ID 2001:3319.
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 2001:3319 D-Link Corp
which is the REV_E model based on the Realtek RTL8192eu chipset. This driver must be downloaded from D-Link.
cd /usr/local/src mkdir DWA-131 cd DWA-131 wget ftp://files.dlink.com.au/products/DWA-131/REV_E/Drivers/DWA-131_Linux_driver_v4.3.1.1.zip unzip DWA-131_Linux_driver_v4.3.1.1.zip tar zxvf 20140812_rtl8192EU_linux_v4.3.1.1_11320.tar.gz cd 20140812_rtl8192EU_linux_v4.3.1.1_11320/ make make install echo "8192eu" >> /etc/modules update-initramfs -u
My networking requirements for this NAS require that I set up a static IP address on wlan0 that will stay connected to my main subnet and an eth0 that will be configured for a local network. This was a little tricky to configure, since the only way to access the NAS is over ethernet of some kind. If for whatever reason both links were unavailable, I would not be able to access the OS in the NAS. This is how I set it up.
'wpasupplicant' was essential for WPA2 configuration. 'resolvconf' was necessary for getting DNS to work on the wlan0 interface, for some reason.
ip a iwconfig ip addr flush dev wlan0 apt-get -y install wpasupplicant apt-get install resolvconf
My /etc/network/interfaces looks like this:
# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).
# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
# The primary network interface
#allow-hotplug eth0
#iface eth0 inet static
# address 192.168.13.21
# netmask 255.255.255.0
# network 192.168.13.0
# broadcast 192.168.13.255
# gateway 192.168.13.1
# # dns-* options are implemented by the resolvconf package, if installed
# dns-nameservers 8.8.8.8 4.2.2.2
# my-wifi-static
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet static
address 192.168.13.24
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.13.0
broadcast 192.168.13.255
gateway 192.168.13.1
# dns-* options are implemented by the resolvconf package, if installed
dns-nameservers 8.8.8.8 4.2.2.2
wpa-ssid ssid
wpa-psk password
# my-ethernet-local
allow-hotplug eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 10.10.10.2
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 10.10.10.0
broadcast 10.10.10.255
gateway 0.0.0.0
Mon, 27 Jul 2015
Creating a Sound Recording Copyright Symbol using Windows Character Map
When providing a notice of copyright for a sound recording, the graphical symbol ℗ is to be employed in lieu of the copyright symbol ©. A sound recording has a copyright distinct from the copyright for the underlying work itself, which might be reproduced within another form of sound recording. For a more thorough explanation, see the Wikipedia entry for sound recording copyright symbol.
System fonts on a given Windows machine may not contain this character, so one might need to resort to creating a custom "Private Use Character" that could be used in conjunction with the Windows Character Map. The following is a procedure to create this character:
- Open the Private Character Editor: Start >> Run >> type 'eudcedit'
- Select the first available slot in the Select Code dialog box and click Ok.
- Edit >> Copy Character... >> Font... >> Select 'Arial' and scroll down until you can select ® at location E00A0.
- With the eraser tool, remove the right "leg" of the letter R to form the letter P.
- Edit >> Save Character (Cntl+S)
- Open the Character Map: Start >> Run >> type 'charmap'
- Select a Font of 'All Fonts (Private Characters)'. Select the newly created ℗ character and press 'Select' and 'Copy' to copy the character to the clipboard for use elsewhere.
Sat, 25 Jul 2015
Releasing a Sound Recording in 2015
Some notes on releasing an album in 2015...
The Internet is primarily visual
The Internet is a more visual medium than an auditory one. An image for the artist and the album matter when releasing an album online using digital services.
Outsourcing
Many elements of a release can now be outsourced: CD replication, digital distribution.
CD Replication
Manufacturing and warehousing a batch of CDs to ship oneself to buyers is probably unwise, when one can leverage just-in-time replication services like Kunaki is a better decision.
Kunaki offers software (Windows only) that helps properly format album artwork for CD and jewel case replication. Audio is submitted to Kunaki by inserting a Red Book standard CD which is then copied during the design process. The help page states that "the software will copy the exact image (bit copy) without modifications", but there are known issues with copying CD-Text and ISRC data from the master. Kunaki states that they do not support CD-Text. Others have claimed to have worked around the issue. Kunaki's software creates an .exe which becomes the "master copy" which is then uploaded to Kunaki's facility to complete the design process.
I used the UPC generated from DistroKid. Using a free online barcode generator, I created a UPC-A image. Using GIMP, I scaled the image down to 1.375" across per a recommended spec and added it to my tray card design.
Online Album Databases
Gracenote (CDDB)
To submit my album to Gracenote (CDDB), I downloaded QMP (Quintessential Media Player + Media Library 5.0) [qmp_5.0.121.exe]. When starting for the first time with a CD in the disk drive, the software prompts for Gracenote submission.
FreeDB
To submit my album to FreeDB, I downloaded Exact Audio Copy (EAC) [eac-1.1.exe]. After configuration, I edited the CD information, selected the metadata provider as "Built-in freedb engine" and submitted the metadata by clicking the mailbox icon.
AMG (All Music Guide)
TBD
Copyright
Under the 1976 Copyright Act, a work is automatically protected by copyright when it is created. A work is created when it is "fixed" in a copy for the first time. The creation date is not necessarily the same as the publication date; publication is the distribution of copies of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or by rental, lease, or lending.
The copyrights between a musical composition and a sound recording are different, but a copyright can be obtain concurrently for both using the same filing process. The U.S. Copyright Office offers electronic copyright filing through their Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) system. It is better to submit the copyright for the unpublished work, as then only 1 complete phonorecord needs to be submitted.
To enter my sole proprietorship DBA as a claimant, I followed the instructions during the application and entered a "Note to Copyright Office" on the Certification screen as required.
The fee for submitting a sound recording copyright application is $55 as of July 28th, 2015.
Because a musical composition and a sound recording are a different copyright altogether, there are different symbols to denote which kind of copyright: ℗ for a sound recording, © for a musical composition. I copyrighted the sound recording in the inside insert of the CD artwork using the following format:
© 2015 <psuedonym>
℗ 2015 <sole proprietorship DBA name>
On Windows XP, there is no system font that contains the sound recording copyright symbol, so I had to make my own using this procedure:
Creating a Sound Recording Copyright Symbol using Windows Character MapHelpful Documents
Circular 1 - Copyright BasicsCircular 3 - Copyright Notice
Circular 50 - Copyright Registration for Musical Compositions
Circular 56 - Copyright Registration for Sound Recordings
Circular 56A - Copyright Registration of Musical Compositions and Sound Recordings
Sound Recordings as Works Made for Hire
Copyright - Help: Author - Doing Business As
Copyright - Help: Author - Pseudonymous Work
Copyright Search
Digital Distribution
If Derek Sievers recommends DistroKid for digital distribution into online stores, it's probably the way to go. Will be nice when they get an API to prevent having to type all the album metadata into their upload form.
DistroKid provides a free UPC.
I opted not to add my music to Spotify for the time being.
DistroKid does not submit to Pandora, that is done via a submission page. You must have an online presence first before applying.
Bandcamp is a very artist friendly distribution site, with pay-what-you-want models if desired. I use it!
Publishing
I chose to sign up with BMI, for free.
YouTube
I thought there was a way to upload a playlist of songs whose "video" is the album cover?
Music artists and album promotionDomains
Purchase a cool .audio domain or find another cool TLD.
TODO
Pandora
YouTube
BMI (registered)
All Music Guide
Soundscan
Soundexchange
Tue, 19 Aug 2014
Installing DD-WRT on an ASUS RT-N66U
Installing DD-WRT on an ASUS RT-N66U is an exercise in patience. The installation process requires a lot of waiting, presumably for the firmware to flash onto the unit. The unit itself does not give many indications that anything is happening during the process, leading one to conclude that the device is bricked. Here are installation instructions that take into account the wait times for firmware installations.
Disclaimer: Because I was not patient at the outset of the installation, it could be the case that no intermediary firmware was required except for the final version of DD-WRT. I was not able to test this before finishing the installation.
Note: It is possible that this procedure will work best if the router is plugged into a switch and the computer that is used to configure the router is plugged into that same switch, rather than directly into the router Ethernet port.
Installation
- Verify the hardware version of the unit: ASUS RT-N66U H/W Ver: .B1
- Download and install ASUS RT-N66U B1 Utility version 4.2.7.6.
- Download and extract Asuswrt-Merlin RT-N66U version 3.0.0.4_376.45_0 custom firmware.
- Download dd-wrt.v24-22208_NEWD_2_K2.6_mega-RT-N66_64K.trx special 64k CFE compatible firmware. Standard DD-WRT builds will not work.
- Directly connect a PC to port 1 on the router with an Ethernet cable. Disable any wireless cards on the PC. Configure the NIC as follows:
IP Address: 192.168.1.12 Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0 Gateway: 192.168.1.1
- Power off the router. Power on the router holding the reset button until the power light starts to flash. The unit will enter "rescue mode".
- Setup a ping test using the command line:
ping 192.168.1.1 -t
- Verify that the ping reply shows a TTL=100, which indicates the router is in "rescue mode".
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=100
- Start >> Programs >> ASUS Utility >> RT-N66U Wireless Router >> Firmware Restoration
- Browse for RT-N66U_3.0.0.4_376.45_0.trx and click "Upload" to start the firmware installation. The browser will indicate installation progress. Once the browser indicates that the upload has finished, continue to wait until the ping test indicates the operating system on the router is up and running. This could take in excess of 30 minutes. A ping test showing TTL=64 is the indication that the flash has completed:
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
- Clear the NVRAM by powering off the router, holding down the WPS button and powering the unit back on, continuing to hold the WPS button for 30 seconds.
- Verify the installation of the custom firmware worked by connecting to 192.168.1.1 with a browser.
- Repeat the firmware upload steps 10-12 above for dd-wrt.v24-22208_NEWD_2_K2.6_mega-RT-N66_64K.trx. The flash process might take well in excess of 30 minutes. Be patient!
Helpful links:
DD-WRT on the Asus RT-N66U with 64K CFEAsus RT-N66U - dd-wrt.com
Wed, 22 May 2013
Steinberg Cubase VST/32 5 eLicenser Woes
After destroying my previous printer port dongle for Cubase VST/32, replacing it with a new USB eLicenser, I decided to install the newly provided activation code provided to me by Steinberg Support.
It did not go very well. I documented the process with screenshot here:
UPDATE: Turns out Steinberg sent me the wrong license code! With the right one, it works great!
Sat, 11 May 2013
Akai S1000/S1100 Compact Flash (CF) Reader
It has truly been humbling finding a CF Reader for my Akai S1100. After messing around with countless Compact Flash card models and All-In-One SCSI readers, the following equipment is guaranteed to work with an S1100.
- ACARD AEC-7720U - IDE to Ultra SCSI Bridge
- StarTech.com 35BAYCF2IDE - 3.5-Inch Drive Bay IDE to Single CF SSD Adapter Card Reader
- Pretec 16 GB 233x Series Compact Flash drive
- custom Female Large 4-pin Molex to Female Small 4-pin Molex
The internals of the StarTech.com unit is an Addonics AD44MIDECF. StarTech.com adds a slot for the card and a metal housing.
The only CF drive that have been able to get to work is a Pretec 16 GB 233x Series Compact Flash drive. I was able to find someone selling one on eBay. Other than eBay, they seem to be sold out everywhere.
Per Muser on GearSlutz, the reason why this CF card works is the following:
233x is 233 times 150KB per second. the 150 was the designation for CD ROM Audio at 44.1 16bit .. per second KB.
The Akai will likely want to see this kind of speed, as its hard disk formatting specification mirrors that of a sample CD.
I also had to cobble together a custom Female Large 4-pin Molex to Female Small 4-pin Molex, soldering together parts from two other Molex cables I had.
Here is my HOWTO video:
Note to self: Akai Tools
Fri, 05 Oct 2012
I have Debian working on a QNAP TS-259 Pro+. I should have made this document as I was setting up the NAS the first time, but I had so many headaches and reinstallations that I couldn't concentrate on it at the time. I can't actually remember the details of all the steps I followed. The basic overview is:
- Backup DOM from within the QNAP firmware.
- Install Debian netinst.iso from a boot disk.
- Setup /dev/md0 during installation as ext3.
- Setup /boot to the DOM as ext2.
- Install GRUB2 manually on the DOM. /boot will not be RAIDed.
You should be able to piece it together from the help files here:
https://pinboard.in/u:initself/t:qnap/
In recent months, MySpace has viciously cracked down on any form of 'automated use of their systems'. This would include automated messaging and commenting, but it also unfortunately includes trolling through one's own "Friends" and adding calendar entries. Nothing is more annoying than having to enter identical data into two separate databases. If MySpace lightened their hardline stance and let the user community decide was is spam rather than outright banning automation, the tasks that do need to be automated could be automated.
Loading Sysex Files in Logic Pro 9
Coming from Cubase VST/32, I expected to be able to add sysex data to the start of a MIDI track using the event editor. After trolling around, I found that logic doesn't provide enough space for one line hexidecimal sysex dump entry. However, it turns out that there's a much more elegant way to load sysex data.
First of all, you can easily dump patches into a little utility made by snoize called Sysex Librarian. You set the utility to record mode and trigger a dump from the synth. Then, you can set the destination in the librarian to "Act as a source for other programs". This will create integration with Logic.
After dumping or loading a sysex patch and setting the proper destination, select a MIDI track in Logic and set the transport to "pause record mode" by pressing pause followed by the record button. This allows you to play in the sysex patch from the librarian. Press the 'Play' button and Logic will show an arrow in the MIDI channel, signifying that there is now sysex data in the channel. Press play in Logic and away you go!
A Brief Review: Motorola Droid 4
Update: Bugless Beast didn't work out so well for me over time. It eventually crawled to a halt. My real fix came with Sourcery v2.2, outlined here.
After trying to raise my OG Droid 1 Motorola Droid A855 from the dead using the Bugless Beast ROM, having initial success and then watching my Droid degrade yet again to an unusable state where I'd wait many seconds for any activity of a button press to transpire, I pulled the trigger on a Droid 4.
So far, it's been disappointing, from a purely UI point of view. The hardware is fast. Buttons work properly when you press them. But Motorola/Verizon bung it up yet again by releasing an Android version chock full of annoying bloatware and unnecessary modifications. Where they won me over with the release of the OG Droid 1 by keeping the Android OS clean and simple, they ruin it here with the Droid 4. The text messaging and email apps are very noisy - tons of font and emoticon options clutter the screen. There's tons of misused space. Text messages display 3 messages at a time when there's space for 9. The UI feels like a comic book. It feels like text and UI options are splayed all over the screen in seemingly random fashion.
But these aren't even the deal breakers for me; those come along with the keyboard and button layout. After spending years with the Droid 1, I came to expect a certain feel from the keyboard. I loved the tight, small buttons. This keyboard (and device) is bigger, and not for any gain, save for video. It's harder to type by feel. The buttons give a lot, making it harder to type fast. It's moderately nice to have a number key row and proper locations for !@#$%^&*(). However, by putting the Caps Lock button where the Shift button would normally be on a keyboard, I am constantly having to edit my messages to repair having pressed Caps Lock. The Shift button is a far reach from where it would normally be in a QWERTY layout. It's something I haven't yet been able to get over, since my automatic touch typing response kicks in whenever I am using it and it is very hard for me to correct. Moreover, some genius decided that they would move the Back botton from the bottom left corner so somewhere in the middle of the layout, forcing you to look down to find it's location. This phone forces you to look at it, while the Droid 1 could be driven blindly and feel like an extension of one's hand. The back button is an integral part of the Android experience and moving it to a spot where you can't feel for it completely ruins the UI.
I reinitialized Bugless Beast on my Droid 1 following a great tutorial on Reddit here:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/k9lbd/og_droid_owners_ive_dumped_dozens_hundreds_of/Last time I had trouble installing V6 SuperCharger and KickAssKernelizer and it seems these two scripts are essential to avoid Droid Degredation. So far, it's been running smooth. I think I am going to get my cell service reinstalled and send the Droid 4 back to Verizon. LTE is faster, but it's not that much better of an experience.
I broke down and purchased a Lenovo Thinkpad W701ds. I had two goals:
- Replace my constantly overheating Thinkpad T61p, my main machine upon which I engage in both business and pleasure.
- Finally overcome my demons and create a portable system I can actually make electronic music on without crying.
I am a technology curmugeon in that I really don't care very much about operating systems anymore and when I have to think about upgrading to the latest version of Office, it really makes me ill and I'll resist doing so until it becomes necessary. So it was with trepedation that I upgraded to Windows 7 64-bit, which you gratefully can configure to work exactly like Windows XP. Here's how you do that...
- Control Panel >> System and Security >> Change User Account Control settings >> the lowest setting
- Control Panel >> Hardware and Sound >> Mouse >> Pointer Options >> Take pointer speed down a couple of notches
- Personalize Desktop >> Windows Classic Theme
- Screen Resolution >> Make text and other items larger or smaller >> Smaller - 100% (I love how the default of Windows 7 is not the native resolution of the screen?)
- Uninstall 'Bing Bar' (for God's sake)
- Download and install Firefox
- Set homepage to https://encrypted.google.com/
- Unlock Taskbar >> Toolbars >> New toolbar... >> %appdata%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch >> Select Folder >> Drag Quick Launch all the way to the left >> Uncheck 'Show Text' and 'Show Title'
- Taskbar >> Properties >> Check 'Use small icons' and 'Lock the taskbar'
- Control Panel >> Easy of Access > Change how your mouse works >> Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved to the edge of the screen
- Control Panel >> Administrative Tools >> Local Security Policy >> Local Policies >> Security Options >> Network Security: LAN Manager Authentication Level >> Send LM & NTLM, use NTLMv2 session security is negotiated
Ok, anyone reading this interested in this laptop needs to know a few things:
- This sucker is about 2 inches thick and weights enough that you are concerned about it when you are carrying it around.
- The main screen is the prettiest screen I have ever seen in my life. The secondary screen is nowhere near the quality and is by no means essential.
- The speakers are loud! (HOORAY!)
For low latency audio applications, so far the only thing I've had to do is disable my wireless network adapter in order to avoid any large spikes. That makes me happy.
Sat, 26 Jan 2008
Live at Alexandra Palace in 1995
What I can recognize:
Left Rack: - Top Row: Roland Jupiter 6 - Middle Row: Alesis MMT8 (x3), Novation Bass Station - Bottom Row: Roland R8, Roland TR-909, Roland TR-808 Front Rack: - Mackie Mixer? Right Rack: - Top Row: Oberheim Xpander, Roland TB-303 - Middle Row: Roland SH-101, Ensoniq DP/4, Ensoniq DP/2, Alesis Quadraverb - Bottom Row: Korg Prophecy, ?, ?
Update: Gearslutz helped out here: Orbital Gear Identification
Here's the unofficial Orbital Gear List.
Fri, 25 Jan 2008
I've tried for a while now to get an appropriate soundcard for working on music at home on a laptop. The first thing I tried was an M-Audio Firewire 410. Latency issues, clicking and poping, poor mic preamp quality all led me to the conclusion that I'd never be buying from M-Audio again. A quick foray into the M-Audio Ozone 2 reminded me of why - the gear just feels cheap and uninspiring, and then when you plug it in you realize that your initial impulse was correct.
After some time, I thought I'd give Creative/E-mu a try with their new 0404 USB 2.0 Audio/MIDI interface. Although a step in the right directly, this time I was very unsatisfied with the sound quality on the output stage (which doesn't really make much sense considering the specs), as the outputs seemed to render the sound dynamically flat and loud, without depth. I recall being bothered by timing on something, the details are fuzzy. Suffice it to say, I gave up on this one as well.
Recently I dove into the tried-and-true PCMCIA territory with the Digigram VXPocket V2. I had read decent reviews and they had been very accommodating with Linux driver developers, a good sign. Turns out the Windows XP drivers still needed some work. I experience intermitant digital popping from within Cubase. When I tried to use the standalone Emulator X2, I was only able to record digitally for one pass until the driver decided to wig out and set itself back to analog recording, leaving me with a very irritated ear canal after numerous digital yelps. What a pity.
So now I realize after all the returns and all the time wasted trying to make crap work that I should have just gone with RME all along. They should be coming out with their new PCI-e PCMCIA cards for the Digiface and I will gladly buy one in order to move on with my life. RME, I can almost guarantee it, will not let me down.
Thu, 26 Apr 2007
Why Do I Need Always On Broadband?
Lately I'm starting to see that I've lost sight about why people use computers, particularly networked computers. As much as the Internet is supposed to be an active medium, one by which we pull content to us instead of getting pushed upon as passive observers, I find that half the time I'm reacting to websites or emails rather than thinking about what it is I am even doing on the computer. Sites like reddit.com used to provide both an active and passive Internet experience whereby I could connect with highly intelligent people and what they value and comb between all their recommendations. Over time, as the site became more popular, the quality of the content diminished substantially. Yet I still found myself checking for new information to consume day after day, regardless of quality. So now I want to step back and start asking myself what it is that I want out of a relationship with computer technology.
When I switched from Cingular to Verizon, I lost the ability to use GSM phones. Therefore I almost lost the ability to use the fine Nokia 2630, the personification of candybar perfection. My only other legitimate Nokia option on Verizon was the 6256i.
Pros
- Infrared for syncing with Palm
- Surf the web using minutes over USB
- Decent battery life
Cons
- Flip Phone
- No QWERTY keyboard
What does the ultimate cell phone need to have?
- QWERTY Keyboard
- Always On Broadband
- Linux
- Keyboard Backlight
- Flash Drive Capability
- Plug it into a computer and use it as a hard disc.
- Pocket Sized
- FLAC playback
I like the 2007 RAV4. Inside, it is a very clean design with no frills. Minor objections:
- Power for MP3 player connected to car battery, which introduces high pitches whirling noises into the audio. Not sure if that is a function of the MP3 player's electronics or the car. Wherever the solution lies it would probably be an excellent business. Update: This is perfectly solved by a PAC SNI-1/3.5 Noise Filter sold by Crutchfield.
- The seat belt alarms are facist, especially the passenger side alarm. If I put a heavy backpack on that seat, after about 20 seconds it is bound to continuously alert me to the fact that my backpack is ostentatiously refusing to buckle itself up. Feh.
