Recent Posts

576

Living Room / Decibels, loudness, amplifiers, formulas...complete confusion!

« Last post by superboyac on December 09, 2014, 04:05 PM »

OK, I just admitted something really embarrassing in another forum, thought I'd share it here.
As a music nut, musician, engineer (electrical at that), all around nerdo geek...I don't understand decibels as it relates to loudness.  More so than that, I don't get it in relation to amplifier circuitry and the formulas used.

This all started when I began researching types of headphone amps to get for my home studio.  This is really embarrassing to admit...I've written books on electrical engineering.

All the circuitry (obviously) uses volts, amps, currents.  Fine, I am comfy with that.  But then, somehow these numbers are magically turned into decibels!  How the f?  Now, decibels is not a unit I enjoy using.  First of all, for loudness, the unit it uses is called SPL, which is a measure of sound pressure.  But decibel in itself is dimensionless; it's a ratio of one unit over another number of the same unit (i.e. they cancel out).  So a inputted values for decibels can be volts, ohms, watts, spl, mattresses, bicycles, whatevers.

On top of all that, I have to sort through all the audiophile pseudo-science, snake oil nonsense.

Am I crazy?

Here's a fun chart:

from here:
http://www.sengpiela...culator-loudness.htm

I don't know what is going on there, but it looks helpful if I did!

577

Living Room / Re: Spoilers Are Fun !!

« Last post by superboyac on December 09, 2014, 12:18 PM »

Reload that machine with Windows 7 64-bit home premium or professional, and use either Chrome or Firefox.

Without even changing the hardware, you'll experience computing like never before.

Though it probably would be worth considering a new build. Something in the Haswell family from Intel with 8-16GB of ram and 64-bit Windows 7. Windows 8 is not recommended for desktops unless you are building for a kid who is used to smarphones, and Windows (9) 10 is probably going to be a disaster.

-SeraphimLabs (December 09, 2014, 12:03 PM)

Other than strange interface differences (tiles, settings in weird places), what are the advantages of Windows 7 vs 8?

578

Living Room / Re: Raspberry Pi project: wireless file server

« Last post by superboyac on December 05, 2014, 03:55 PM »

It can also be made to directly transfer files or sync with any other Transporter drive anywhere in the world.

-40hz (December 05, 2014, 02:39 PM)

That certainly is the key feature for me.  I just bought this one, I should have it by tomorrow:
http://www.ravpower....0mah-power-bank.html
[ Invalid Attachment ]

I got it specifically because someone has a blog who is a nutz as I am about this sort of thing, and he praised this company in particular for having the ability of Samba built in (something like that) which allows a windows machine to access it directly, without any stupid software or apps.
http://reviewlagoon....kpower-bank-rp-wd01/

Access Layer 3: Samba

Look, this is all fine and well.  You aren’t hampered by some goofy app that won’t stream MKVs or WMA files; the native app works fantastic with whatever you’re rocking for media playback.  But what about REAL file access?  Like REAL file sharing?  Samba technology allows you to access network shares with your mobile device.  MOST wireless drives do NOT support Samba – which is why you’re trapped in their crappy app.
Samba allows you to use any Samba-compatible application to access the files as if the folder was on your device.  For power users like me?  This is REQUIRED.
Thanks to Samba, you can use almost any file manager on Android.  Most good music and video players support Samba streaming.  This means the sky is the limit.
If you have a compatible device, you can use CIFS to mount the WiDrive to the local file system – making it just as good as OTG.

579

Living Room / Re: The Old City

« Last post by superboyac on December 05, 2014, 03:15 PM »

@SB -  wouldn't something like Old City be great with something like an Oculus Rift headset? Too bad OC's probably well beyond the budget and/or capabilities of most indy game shops. Some of the best work seems to be coming from that quarter.

-40hz (December 05, 2014, 02:53 PM)

hmmm...well, yea!!  Damn, I still have to try the oculus.  I've been avoiding due to fear of the amount of ideas/projects it will inspire in my brain.

580

Living Room / Re: The Old City

« Last post by superboyac on December 05, 2014, 12:54 PM »

Whoa...I gotta say, I'm intrigued!

581

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by superboyac on December 04, 2014, 04:44 PM »

Love that picture, 40.  Linda, Bonnie, and this girl Maria...3 great vocalists in one pic.  I had a whole phase of Linda, then Bonnie, so i guess I'm up for the third!

582

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by superboyac on December 04, 2014, 02:44 PM »

Not sure if I'm making sense...

-wraith808 (December 03, 2014, 10:27 PM)

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sometimes feels that way when it comes to discussing something related to music.

Funny how what's so clear in the head falls apart when you try to put it into words when it comes to music. A hundred things really need to be said simultaneously. And there's very little that doesn't need to be qualified and re-qualified. And half the time, the exact opposite is equally true.

That's what you get for "dancing about architecture" I guess.

FWIW my guitarist GF tends to start quietly singing this song any time I start getting too analytical or esoteric. (Think she's trying to tell me something?  )

-40hz (December 04, 2014, 11:28 AM)

Great version!  Who is Maria Muldaur??

583

Living Room / Re: Raspberry Pi project: wireless file server

« Last post by superboyac on December 04, 2014, 12:10 PM »

Hmm...check out this thing from Sony...looks just right, a wireless portable storage device!
http://www.sony-asia.com/product/wg-c20

584

Living Room / Re: Raspberry Pi project: wireless file server

« Last post by superboyac on December 03, 2014, 05:17 PM »

How much file space are we talking about?

Simple solution if you don't mind an open WiFi:

• A rooted Android Smartphone with OTG capability, (@superboyac: considering the number of posts you've made in the last couple of years, you must have a box full of spare phones )
• OTG cable, (powered if you want to run a portable HDD instead of flash drive).
• A flash drive for file storage.
• This app.

Flash drive and OTG cable not even required if you use a 32GB microSD card and it's enough.

If you went and got a TP-LINK MR3020 for what you wanted here, install PirateBox on it.

Self-contained, self-powered web-based file sharing.

-4wd (December 02, 2014, 07:15 PM)

well, not quite...I do my research on the cheap.  If I see someone with a phone I haven't played with, I might take it for a while and not return it until I'm satisfied with my study.  Most people are not terribly thrilled with it...I get a lot of "Don't break it" comments, which is funny, because I can't even remember the last time I've ever broken something.  Ah, people.

The ultimate goal in all these efforts is to replace my portable thumbdrive with something that can do the same without needing to plug it into stuff.  So let's say I'm out and about, transferring files here and there from the thumbdrive, well...now when I get home, i need to stick that thing in my home computer to copy everything over.  It would be easier if I could have a wifi direct enabled server that runs on batteries, and I just keep it in my bag.  Whenever it's in range of any device, it just syncs using standard syncing software, and I never have to remove it from my bag or whatever.  Except to charge occasionally. That's my goal.

585

General Software Discussion / Re: Mischief 2.0: very promising drawing software ($25 !!)

« Last post by superboyac on December 03, 2014, 04:13 PM »

Looks interesting. Now if I can just remember what I did with my Wacom pad, I might give it a spin - assuming it works with a 5-year old drawing tablet

Oops! Scratch that. I just remembered, I already gave it away.

-40hz (December 03, 2014, 01:12 PM)

you gave it away?!  You are a very generous individual! 

I'm going to try using this program as my general notepad...i.e. replace onenote.  I've already been doing so with photoshop canvases, but that's a little overkill.

586

Living Room / Re: A stoned guy renamed some of his favorite items while high...

« Last post by superboyac on December 03, 2014, 03:36 PM »

do that when I'm being sober and over-analytical!!

-superboyac (December 02, 2014, 05:51 PM)

I'm glad you play better than you over analyze.  I enjoyed the Stride clip you posted.   

-MilesAhead (December 02, 2014, 06:42 PM)

Thanks!

587

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by superboyac on December 03, 2014, 12:19 PM »

During their stay I got to talk with them a bit. I complimented them on their music. Ray Sawyer immediately jumped in and said a big factor in their success was that the band had never been afraid to work with and perform music written by outside songwriters like Shel Silverstein. He said a lot of groups make the mistake of insisting on doing everything by themselves. I found that really interesting, and surprisingly humble.

-40hz (December 03, 2014, 11:58 AM)

There's a lesson here somewhere...

Fun group!

588

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by superboyac on December 03, 2014, 10:24 AM »

^It does seem weird he'd do that considering music is such an interactive and improvisational art form. The give and take between the various band elements (bass/percussion/instrumental/vocal) is what it's all about. Or at least it is to me.

I'm guessing it may have been for reasons of economy. Or possibly to provide a framework for him to perform in. Lifestyle choices are starting to catch up to a lot of the Old Guard. And short-term memory is one of the first things to go. Maybe he's in that camp?

Saw the same thing happen with Van Morrison some years back. We went to see him in a club. About 50 people showed up. He did two songs, took a 20 minute break, and came back on stage drunk off his ass. We all left about 40 minutes later when he stopped the show and started in on a long drunkard's expletive-peppered rant about the music industry.

A few of of us felt so bad for him that we went back the next night. Turned out we were the only three in the entire place. (Word gets around fast.) This time Morrison came out a half hour late - and was already completely smashed when he did. The club owner comp'ed our drinks, gave us our ticket charge back, and we left.

Very sad.

-40hz (December 03, 2014, 10:13 AM)

Why do you care if Van is drunk, wouldn't he sing the same regardless??  (I kid, I kid)

Very interesting stories about Van and Winter.  Wasn't Edgar always in the technology stuff (I'm thinking Frankenstein, love that song)?

I've been listening to the old guard complain about the music industry recently, the latest one from Vince Gill.  But I just can't seem to understand what exactly their complaint is about?  I'm not trying to argue with them, I just can't see what it is exactly that is bothering them.  I feel it has to do with the fact that you can ONLY make money if you play what they consider "sell out" type music.  Is that what it is?  Then there's guys like Neil Young who seem to be hocking audiophile snake oil, I don't get it.

589

ProcessTamer / Re: New (3/31/05) preview pictures of new ProcessTamer GUI

« Last post by superboyac on December 03, 2014, 10:05 AM »

Maybe this thread should be flagged as "CLOSED"? Or is it not yet in fact a closed issue?

-IainB (December 03, 2014, 09:56 AM)

ah...no big deal.  It was a fun resurrection.

590

General Software Discussion / Mischief 2.0: very promising drawing software ($25 !!)

« Last post by superboyac on December 03, 2014, 09:51 AM »

https://www.madewith...ischief.com/mischief

There's this new player in the art software category.  I just installed it, it is really amazing.  It's fast, as in drawing the strokes on a tablet with a stylus is much more responsive with this program vs. photoshop, clip studio (which is what I currently use).  And it has this "infinite zoom" feature, which is essentially vector graphics for a program like photoshop.  So it combines features of Illustrator, photoshop into one program, which is what the clip studio tries to do a little also.  What makes mischief stand out is the touch-friendly interface...very simple layout (you don't have to hide/unhide the sidebars all the time, or get those artdocks), and it supports multi-touch gestures.

I really like the idea of zooming in and out and not getting any pixelation.  Also, a unique feature...the brush size doesn't get smaller/larger as you zoom out or in.  it stays the same size.  Why is that cool?  Let's say I drew a tiny tiny circle...now I can zoom way into the circle and draw yet another tiny circle inside it without changing the brush size and the thicknesses are relative to the zoom.

591

ProcessTamer / Re: New (3/31/05) preview pictures of new ProcessTamer GUI

« Last post by superboyac on December 02, 2014, 06:11 PM »

These last two post might constitute the hardest bump in Doco history.

592

Living Room / Re: A stoned guy renamed some of his favorite items while high...

« Last post by superboyac on December 02, 2014, 05:51 PM »

You may be too stoned if...

-crabby3 (December 02, 2014, 09:13 AM)

You know someone is tripping if...

They encounter a table and chair.  There's about a one foot gap between them.  They stop to decide should they:

a) try to walk through the gap without moving either
b) move the chair to make more space and walk through the larger gap
c) walk around the chair
d) ask a friend what to do

-MilesAhead (December 02, 2014, 11:59 AM)

I do that when I'm being sober and over-analytical!!

593

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by superboyac on December 02, 2014, 05:32 PM »

i wish I had more videos of my performances, but I was just watching this and it's basically exactly what I wish i could play like.  Dave Mckenna is a new discovery for me and has blown me away.  I have always wanted such a balance of virtuosity, accessibility, and rhythm.

594

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by superboyac on December 02, 2014, 03:04 PM »

Looping has come so far it's almost it's own musical idiom and discipline these days. I have a huge amount of admiration for people who have mastered samples and looping for live performance. Tom Dolby does it brilliantly. I have zero interest in doing it myself. But I love seeing other people who do it well. A lot of one-person street performers are into it big time.

I've even seen a few one man shows where the performer was also controlling an entire multimedia environment along with the music in a manner far beyond that of the average DJ. Cool stuff. Again, not something I personally want to do. But I respect people who are trying to push the envelope and technology as far as possible.

 

-40hz (December 02, 2014, 01:55 PM)

https://www.youtube..../watch?v=cNIQrIXlrNw
Wow!  That is very impressive, (Dolby). 

The other reason why I like this tech is because it's like a shortcut for writing music.  Writing notes on ledger is great practice, but extremely time consuming.  Entering it midi into something like finale is also time consuming.  Now, I can basically record all the parts and that's my "written" music.  I can take that to a studio and say "play this" to the musicians instead of giving them paper.

595

Living Room / Re: Do we have any musical people on DC?

« Last post by superboyac on December 02, 2014, 11:08 AM »

Anyone seen or been a part of any nifty one-man musical shows involving good use of portable technology?  It's always something on my mind as I get busier and forming/practicing with groups becomes more difficult.  The solid state drives have really improved the ability to play sampled instruments, which is very handy, and they have made live music much easier in general.

I remember the 80s and the roland drum machine one man shows.  Now, we can have better sounding loops and stuff, but also better abilities to improvise the loops on the fly.  Some useful software for this I've been meaning to toy with:
Ableton live (apparently, this is good for looped stuff or live playback)
Cantabile (I really have my eye on this one, since I use a lot of VSTs and samples.  You can create set lists and the interface is built for what I'm describing).  I've personally never seen it used myself, or anything like it, but there are many people using this out there.

[edit]
oh! you know what would probably work?  Using a wireless playstation controller (DS4) and being able to control a live situation with it.  I've already used it for emulators, and it works very well.  I once was looking for a midi controller to do this sort of thing, but what i really need is a bunch of buttons and mouse stuff that can be assigned keyboard shortcuts, I don't need midi things.  Using midi and configuring it to do non-musical things on the computer is a huge pain.

596

Living Room / Re: Raspberry Pi project: wireless file server

« Last post by superboyac on December 02, 2014, 09:45 AM »

holy hell, check this thing out!  $140
http://www.solid-run...product/cubox-i4pro/

If that thing can run on a battery, that would be very interesting!
wifi built in!
sdcard
2GB RAM

Give me a distro to load on this baby!  A battery pack...tie it together with a live strong band.  oh yea.
as stu lantz says...."Noiiiice!"

597

Living Room / Raspberry Pi project: wireless file server

« Last post by superboyac on December 02, 2014, 09:33 AM »

I would drool at the idea of a raspberry pi sized wireless file server.  Something portable (battery capable) that you can maybe toss into your backpack and grab and send files from.  It doesn't have to stream, but simply browse through the folders and read/write stuff back and forth, maybe with a syncing program even.  I wonder what it would take.  My list so far:
raspberry pi
some kind of distro with a gui, but still lightweight enough for rpi
a wifi usb adapter (there's a popular model rpi users use i believe)
a batter of some sort, i'm guessing one of those smartphone sized usb battery packs

bam!  let's get this show on the road!

598

Living Room / Re: Do any wifi-DIRECT adapters actually exist?

« Last post by superboyac on December 01, 2014, 05:19 PM »

OK, good info here.  but I have a couple of fundamental questions:
--Is wifi direct dead? Is development accelerating/decelerating? (I feel accelerating only because it's supposedly being used in the xbox one.  But since miracast has turned out to be so lame, that could indicate it's decelerating.)
--Is there anything similar to wifi direct, but called something else?
--basically, I want to buy a diy chip and do stuff with it.

599

Living Room / Re: My 1-year Facebook Death-a-versary!!!

« Last post by superboyac on December 01, 2014, 05:10 PM »

I admire those who are not on facebook. 

-superboyac (December 01, 2014, 10:53 AM)

Don't. I'm not. 

-40hz (December 01, 2014, 04:58 PM)

ha!  very funny. 

A few years ago, I almost pulled the plug when their privacy/security options got so bizarrely weird.  I got so pissed at how hard it was to hide or display specific things.  It felt like when you ask a politician a question and he starts filibustering. 

600

General Software Discussion / Re: help needed: owncloud contacts on vmware with IIS

« Last post by superboyac on December 01, 2014, 04:41 PM »

Just out of curiosity, are you using only a few test contacts? Or did you toss the entire phone book at it out of the gate? It's possible a corrupt entry - or the massive size of you legendary contacts list - may be causing the issue.

-Stoic Joker (December 01, 2014, 07:25 AM)

Good question.  I definitely have had issues with corrupt cards, but I have and am able to fix them with various tools now.  But that's not the problem, I'm almost sure of it.  It's the mysql, or apache issue (or something along those lines).

4wd!  Thanks for that advice.  I will try this tonight.  It looks very similar to AMPSS, which initially worked, but then had apache/mysql issues that couldn't be fixed.

I am also going to try the apple contacts server implementation, which may work.  The apple route has worked previously when I was struggling with not losing the contact photos of my addressbooks.