Rice, this is somewhat O.T., but a comment on your demo tunes. Well recorded. Great vocals, a clarity and honesty that's easy to hear and believe. I'm an old jazzer but like to think that I'm open to 'good stuff', whatever the genre'.

My main comment is this; the unconventional intervals between (chord) changes make the songs less intuitive to follow (IMO) which could hurt their commercial appeal. Somewhat like some of the old (and authentic) Mississippi Delta blues tunes where the artist seemed to change chords whenever the mood hit him. Not saying this is bad, just not as familiar to the popular listening public. This is not a critisizm of the changes themselves, which, in general are very good, just where they occur. Again, this is just a matter of personal taste and could be completely off base. In all fairness, I only listened to the first three (and enjoyed them all).

chas

Charles:

I sincerely appreciate your input. Your points are well taken and I will pay more attention to that aspect in the future.

Thanks, ever so much, for listening.

Dave

Rice wrote a song and recorded it just for me. Na-na-na-na-nana!
Oh and I did the same for him. Don't get the wrong idea though, we like girls.
DonM

I based my comments on listening to his work more then anything. I made the assumptive he did not want to be a tweaker but wanted as transparent a keyboard as possible to the result.

24 bit vs 16. The increased file size is not worth it. Not even you really quantify how much better a song is going to sound recorded at 24/96. Yeah a 24/96 file has 200 Plus times the audio resolution. But dude that does not mean it will sound 2oo times better; it won't even sound twice the quality. Non-musically inclined friends most likely will not even notice the difference. You probably do, I did but it wasn;t all that dramatic. The theory is much more impressive then the result.


The you HAVE to make a decision. Dither or truncate. You have to chose one depending on the material. I would rather not deal with that decision. One does not ALWAYS use dithering for good reason. I have never been a fan of adding noise to a signal to smooth out the negative but subtle result of truncation. Either way you have to convert the signal from 24 to 16 bits. You have to listed to the quietest passages in making that choice with a critical ear. The question is not so much truncation vs. dither, but rather, doing nothing vs. adding dither. I have experimented with 24 bit and have found the increase in dynamic range is more a function of the digital noise floor and only comes into play on extremely quiet passages such as the end of reverb tails or fades. I don't believe the average Joe could tell the difference between a 16 bit recording or whether 24 bit recording was truncated or dithered without a little coaxing and teaching what to listen for.

A 16 bit bit recording that requires neither. You get what you hear and for the most part that is plenty good enough for most ears.

AS for a computer over cassette its all about the editing capabilities. That should be obvious, even to you. I actually prefer analog and use Magneto a lot. IF I could edit tape as easily as digital I would still be using it. Albeit 30ips.

ITs not all black and white. The wholw 24/96 argument reminds me of those twin blades. People still shave over the same spot a few tims like they did with one blade. Now they have FIVE blade razors...the same result you cannot cut a hair 5x lower.

Sometimes technology sold on paper. No where is this more prevalent then in the Audio world. Monster Cable has made Millions on a piece if wire on paper......

Hey Don:

Glad you clarified the exchanged songs deal... LOL! (No hugs from me!)

Has the location for the Shreveport Jam been cleared up? I've been involved in a "project" of sorts and missed a few days on the boards. I'm sure looking forward to the Jam. It was so disappointing to miss the previous ones. Good to hear from you.

Dave

I will know the location this week for sure and will post the information as soon as possible.
Don

Don,
Is this Louisiana Jam open to anyone or is it invitation only? What is the itinerary at one of these events? BTW where & when?
Sounds like a good time.

Thank You

John, of course it's open to all! Even DNJ is coming. If Ian comes we'll put them on separate sides of the room.
This is the third one we've had. It is in Shreveport, Louisiana. I'll have full details later this week.
You can see photos of the last one here: www.donmasonmusic.com
Link at the bottom.
DonM

Hey, I like my buddy Donny, even though I bug him mercilessly sometimes.

I really do wish I could meet with all the gang and have a laugh and share some music.

I envy you guys.

Ian

Maybe Russ will come pick you up in his plane and bring you down, Ian! In fact he could make a circuit around the continent and . . probably not, eh?
DonM