Direct mp3 download or play:  DUMB Tea For Two – first attempt

DUMB Tea For Two (first attempt)

Directmp3 download or play:  DUMB Tea For Two – second attempt

DUMB Tea For Two (second attempt)

This could quite possibly be the dumbest thing I’ve made so far. For starters, I’ve been learning how to use free VST (Virtual Studio Technology) software. Just recently, I started to learn how MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) operates. Here I have two recordings of a MIDI song (Tea For Two), which I downloaded free from the internet. The first version is quite simple, and features the MIDI file playing a free VST instrument called “Tapeotronic,” which emulates (kind of) the sound of a Mellotron. I set this instrument to produce flute sounds. In addition I set up a free VST sample player to play my voice saying the single word “dumb.” The sample player attempted to play my voice as musical notes as the data from the MIDI song was fed to it. Then I thought I could do better and made a second recording.
I downloaded another free VST sample player and I decided to try to play the “Tea For Two” MIDI file using two sample players with my “dumb” sample and the “Tapeotronic.” One of the sample players has a feature called “auto tune” and applying that to the sample made my voice sound even more musical. I’m not quite sure if this could be referred to as a “techno masterpiece” or not.

This post was first put up early in August of 2010 and as with several of my recent posts any comments were lost due to a problem with the site. I know this post had comments simply by its sheer dumbness and I would like you to once again tell me what you think.

Don’t forget check out the single word “dumb” below.

Direct mp3 download or play:  DUMB

The single word “DUMB”

Direct mp3 download or play:  Tea For Two

I think I mentioned over a year ago that I enjoy listening to organ music. Well I have finally decided it’s time to do so again. This record was played on my Newcomb TR-1625M, fitted with a General Electric variable reluctance magnetic cartridge. In this recording, I used the built-in vacuum tube preamp and connected the line out of the Newcomb to a Mackie 1402VLZ mixer. Then I connected the unbalanced line output of the mixer to the sound card input on my computer, and the recording was done on Adobe Audition 1.5. I used several effects in Adobe Audition to try to make the sound clearer and louder. After that, I saved the recording as a monaural .wav file, and lastly I converted the .wav file to mp3 using Razorlame and the LAME encoder set to 128kbps monaural. I know that was a mouthful, but I think the sound quality is quite good.
This was originally put up early August of 2010 and due some trouble with the site any comments were lost. I apologize for that and I am sorry. By all means feel free to leave more comments!

TEMPO TT 2010-A

Direct mp3 download or play:  Mimi

Mimi

Direct mp3 download or play:  Lili Marlene

Lili Marlene

Direct mp3 download or play:  Tiger Rag

Tiger Rag

Direct mp3 download or play:  Stumbling

Stumbling

Direct mp3 download or play:  Waiting For The Robert E. Lee

Waiting For The Robert E. Lee

———————————–

TEMPO TT 2010-B

Direct mp3 download or play:  The Old Soft Shoe

The Old Soft Shoe

Direct mp3 download or play:  Frere Jacques

Frere Jacques

Direct mp3 download or play:  To Each His Own

To Each His Own

Direct mp3 download or play:  The Whiffenpoof  Song

The Whiffenpoof Song

Direct mp3 download or play:  Lullaby Medley

Lullaby Medley

I found this 12-inch LP record at a thrift store in Seattle several years ago. It looks and plays quite well, except it has a lot of surface noise. I noticed the mention of an instrument I didn’t recognize on the label. I put the record away, and all but forgot about it. During the last year or so I started learning about a keyboard instrument called a Novachord. I discovered it came out in 1938 and is considered to be the first real electronic music synthesizer made by Hammond many years before Moog. I understand the Novachord has well over 100 vacuum tubes, and only a few working units exist today. I like these web sites (here and here) for starters to learn more about the Novachord. You’ll find some interesting YouTube videos, too.
I noticed that some of you responded favorably to my last post of organ music, so I thought you might enjoy that record from the thrift store with that strange instrument. I had forgotten it was actually a Novachord until I recently looked at the record again. A few years ago, I recorded this record onto my computer as two .wav files, one for each side of the LP and stored them on a separate drive.  I transferred the files to my computer where I made separate files for each song. Then I did pop and click reduction for each song using Adobe Audition. Amazingly there were over 20,000 clicks or pops removed from each individual song! Despite all of that, the record sounds less scratchy, but I wish it could play somewhat better.
I do apologize for lost comments due to problems with the site after August 23, 2010 and now.  Please comment again!

I like saving money by not buying new clothes or cutting my hair. As you can see, I like electronic equipment. Behind me, from the left are JBL bullet tweeters a 2402H and 075, an H. H. Scott A 426 integrated amplifier, and a Marantz Model 23 AM/FM Stereo tuner. On top of the Marantz is a modified Radio Shack communications speaker and a home built sub woofer volume control and high pass filter. Next to the amplifier and tuner is a Pentium 4 computer, and sitting on top of the computer case is a wi-fi antenna, an external hard drive, and an off-air digital TV antenna. On the right side is a Samsung Syncmaster T260HD LCD monitor with built-in analog and digital TV tuner. On the far right is an Iiyama Vision Master Pro 502 21 inch CRT monitor which I got free on Craigslist. I know this sounds like a lot, but all of this stuff is either second hand or obsolete.
I think I may be back, pot belly and all. Be patient, “DUMB /How Dare You?” will gradually be getting back to normal.

I guess if you disagree with this, I’ll be asking, “How do you like your darts?” For more cleaning product containers balanced on top of each other or connected together click here and here.
This post was originally put up in July of 2010 and any comments were unfortunately lost. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.