Michael's System

Hi Tim

Yep, Garp has it made. Talk about referencing "live".

good to see you

I've thrown a little twist into my listening, but not all that far off. The importance of this next band and person to the music scene is beyond words but I will attempt to do my best over maybe the next couple of posts. I want to start off with their "Brothers in Arms" recording because it is perhaps the most mainstream of the list.



Sometimes in music when you hear the word mainstream you think, great all the selections are the popular ones and the real goodies are left on the cutting room floor somewhere. Kinda the feeling you get when you are listening to a greatest hits in most cases. But when you are talking about Dire Straits you need to raise the bar of mainstream to include how lucky we are to have them in our music collections. All of us would hate to be put on an island and have to choose one band and associated artists but I'm not so sure I would be all that sad if it was Mark Knopfler's music along with Dire Straits.

So let me start with "Brothers".

If your system is in-tune with this recording you are going sit there start to finish and say what happened to that hour. Every song on this recording is at the front of the class and almost makes other songs by other people paled. These songs are so good that you actually after listening to a Dire Straits song have to hit the real world reset button, and to have this recording come at you with song after song of this is like entering the room with the no disturbance sign hung on the door for all to see.

Mark is amazing   Recording history.

Just a quick note before I jump into this. These are some of my favorite main mics that I used in most of my recordings.
_____________________________
Brothers in Arms was recorded from November 1984 to March 1985 at AIR Studios on the island of Montserrat, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean. The album was produced by Mark Knopfler and Neil Dorfsman. Knopfler became aware of Dorfsman through his 1981 recording of the Wanderlust album by jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. In 1982, Knopfler asked Dorfsman to work with him on the 1982 Dire Straits album, Love over Gold, and his 1983 soundtrack album Local Hero. Brothers in Arms was one of the first albums to be recorded on a Sony 24-track digital tape machine. The decision to move to digital recording came from Knopfler's constant striving for better sound quality. "One of the things that I totally respected about him," Dorfsman observed, "was his interest in technology as a means of improving his music. He was always willing to spend on high-quality equipment."

Before arriving at Montserrat, Knopfler had written all the songs and rehearsed them with the band. The studio lineup included Knopfler (guitar), John Illsley (bass), Terry Williams (drums), Alan Clark (piano and Hammond B3), and Guy Fletcher, who was new to the band, playing a synth rig that consisted of a huge new Yamaha DX1, a couple of Roland keyboards, and a Synclavier. The studio itself was small, with a 20 x 25-foot recording space that offered virtually no isolation. "It was a good-sounding studio," Dorfsman later recalled, "but the main room itself was nothing to write home about. The sound of that studio was the desk," referring to the Neve 8078 board.

Knopfler and Dorfsman utilised the limited space to best effect, placing the drum kit in the far left corner, facing the control room, miked with Sennheiser MD421s on the toms, an Electro-Voice RE20 and AKG D12 on the kick drum, a Shure SM57 and AKG C451 with a 20dB pad on the snare, 451s for overheads and the hi-hat, and Neumann U87s set back a little to capture "some kind of ambience". They placed the piano in a tight booth in the far right corner of the studio, miked with AKG C414s. The Hammond B3 was placed nearby, with its Leslie speaker crammed into an airlock next to the control room. Illsley's bass amplifier was recorded inside a small vocal booth with a Neumann FET 47 and a DI unit. Knopfler's amplifiers were miked with 57s, 451s, and Neumann U67s. Fletcher's synths were placed in the control room.

During the recording of "Money for Nothing", the signature sound of Knopfler's guitar may have been enhanced by a "happy accident" of microphone placement. Knopfler was using his Gibson Les Paul going through a Laney amplifier. While setting up the guitar amplifier microphones in an effort to get the "ZZ Top sound" that Knopfler was after, guitar tech Ron Eve, who was in the control room, heard the "amazing" sound before Dorfsman was finished arranging the mics. "One mic was pointing down at the floor," Dorfsman remembered, "another was not quite on the speaker, another was somewhere else, and it wasn't how I would want to set things up—it was probably just left from the night before, when I'd been preparing things for the next day and had not really finished the setup." What they heard was exactly what ended up on the record; no additional processing or effects were used during the mix.
________________________________________

I've got to be straight with you here. The 8078 is not my personal cup of tea. Again it's a mass issue. but that's life



It's what gives the recording it's dark sound, and all recordings that use it. This era of Neve is kinda like the same sound you got from Krell. If you are into slightly dark and plastic it's maybe a value you like, but for me I like a little more leaning toward open and airy. Hear the drums just a little on the plastic side? That's from the Neve. Some cable choices can get you away from this in the recording and some mods but straight stock, it is a common sound.

Don't misunderstand, I love this musical piece just sometimes as I sit here listening as an engineer I wish I would have been able to say, lets try this. But then again, who would listen  

Sometimes you can listen through a Neve and all is cool cause of the rest that surrounds the signal but when the 8078 is forcing itself on the signal you pretty much will hear the same sound as on this recording. But as I say this, some of the other parts to this recorded adventure are so mind blowing that who really cares. Just thought I would throw a little sound info at you so while your listening thinking this sound amazing but theirs that one thing (a slightly closed in dynamic to the percussion) you'll know why. And with that knowledge I tend to play this recording with a slightly different tuning. I open up the air just a little till I get the "wush" sound going and all is well again, cause the rest of the recording has so much bigness to it, that when you open it up even a hair and also make sure that bottom is at play, the other stuff doesn't bug you. It bugs me cause I hear sounds that certain components give but it souldn't bug the rest of the listening world if they know how to tune around it.

Here again though is the importance in knowing how to tune around things.

Couldn't agree more Michael.

On the topic of B.I.A., after a long hiatus for some unknown reason, I returned to this well recorded and engineered disc not to mention a great group about five or six years ago. I also found it on SACD which turned out to be one of the few hi-res discs that actually sounds better than it's red book counterpart. I'm reacquainting myself with it now thanks to you. I can't comment on why Knopflers guitar sounds so grand on this album nor do I care but I can tell you how much I like it.  
When this disc is done spinning it's magic I'll likely buzz-up my second favorite Dire Straits album - On Every Street .  

Have a grand evening all, and keep it up, the tuning I mean.

Tim

You know I just realized I left out a chapter here, so let me take this side track. A couple of weeks ago I was listening to one of my favorite Dylan recordings.



When you read this bit on the recording you might see where my mind went and how it got there.
_________________________________

Dylan first heard Mark Knopfler when assistant and engineer Arthur Rosato played him the Dire Straits single, "Sultans of Swing". Later, on March 29, 1979, Dylan caught the final show of a Dire Straits' residency at the Roxy in Los Angeles, California. Dylan approached Knopfler after the show, asking the guitarist to participate on his next album. Knopfler agreed, unaware of the religious nature of the material that awaited him.

Dylan also approached Jerry Wexler to produce the upcoming sessions. Studio recording had become much more complex during the 1970s, and after his struggles recording the large ensemble performances of Street-Legal, Dylan was resolute in hiring an experienced producer he could trust. He was familiar with Wexler's celebrated work with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Percy Sledge, Dusty Springfield, and other soul artists. "Synonymous with a small studio in Sheffield, Alabama, the sixties Atlantic recordings of Wexler defined the Muscle Shoals Sound," writes Clinton Heylin. Like Knopfler, when Wexler agreed to produce, he was unaware of the nature of the material that awaited him.

"Naturally, I wanted to do the album in Muscle Shoals—as Bob did—but we decided to prep it in L.A., where Bob lived," recalls Wexler. "That's when I learned what the songs were about: born-again Christians in the old corral ... I liked the irony of Bob coming to me, the Wandering Jew, to get the Jesus feel ... But I had no idea he was on this born-again Christian trip until he started to evangelize me. I said, 'Bob, you're dealing with a sixty-two-year-old confirmed Jewish atheist. I'm hopeless. Let's just make an album.'"

Knopfler voiced his concerns to his manager, Ed Bicknell, remarking that "all these songs are about God," but he was also impressed with Dylan's professionalism. "Bob and I ran down a lot of those songs beforehand," recalls Knopfler. "And they might be in a very different form when he's just hittin' the piano, and maybe I'd make suggestions about the tempo or whatever. Or I'd say, 'What about a twelve-string?'"

When sessions were held in Alabama, Dylan retained only two members from his 1978 touring band: Helena Springs and Carolyn Dennis, both background singers. Veteran bassist Tim Drummond was hired, as was Dire Straits' drummer Pick Withers on Knopfler's recommendation. Keyboardist Barry Beckett and the Memphis Horns, all key elements of the celebrated Muscle Shoals Sound, were also brought in.

The first session was held on April 30; it proved to be very difficult. Much of the day was dedicated to recording "Trouble in Mind," a song that was ultimately left off Slow Train Coming. Wexler criticized Dylan for unnecessarily vocalizing while Dylan refused to wear headphones, adamant that they pursue a more 'live' sound even though overdubs on the 24-track recordings were virtually expected.

"Bob began playing and singing along with the musicians," recalls Wexler. "We were in the first stages of building rhythm arrangements; it was too soon for him to sing, but he sang on every take anyway. I finally persuaded him to hold off on the vocals until later, when the arrangements were in shape and the players could place their licks around—not against—Bob."

As the sessions wore on, Wexler's techniques seemed more accommodating. Once arrangements were set, Dylan could focus on recording a strong vocal track while subsequent overdubs would fill in the gaps. As Heylin describes it, the basic tracks with "lead vocals intact were laid down before Dylan's boredom threshold was reached. Adding and redoing bass parts, acoustic and electric guitars, background vocals, horns, organ, electric piano, and percussion would require their own set of sessions, but by then Dylan could be an interested observer." For "Precious Angel", bass, guitar, organ, and horns would all be overdubbed a week after recording the master take. "No Man Righteous (Not No One)" (ultimately left off Slow Train Coming) was also constructed in similar fashion.

As Heylin notes, Dylan also broke from his "usual practice of recording songs without running them down for the musicians." "Bob might run it down on piano or guitar, just singing and playing the background until we had a rough shape in our minds, then the Muscle Shoals band would start to play it," recalls Wexler. "As soon as it sounded right, Bob and the girls would start to sing." Unlike his previous album sessions, Slow Train Coming sessions would run smoothly and efficiently after a slow start. The basic tracks for the remaining ten songs were recorded in just six three-hour sessions over a period of three days. The first takes of "I Believe in You" and "Gonna Change My Way of Thinking" would become the basic tracks for the masters.

The final song recorded was "When He Returns". Its role as the album's closer was already decided, but Dylan planned on having Springs or Dennis sing the lead vocal. After recording a guide vocal, backed by Beckett on piano, he reconsidered. As Heylin suggested, Beckett's "strident accompaniment made him think again." Dylan practiced singing "When He Returns" overnight before laying down eight vocal takes over Beckett's original piano track. The final take, described by Heylin as "perhaps Dylan's strongest studio vocal since 'Visions of Johanna'," was selected as the master.

Wexler convinced Dylan to overdub new vocals for "Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking" and "When You Gonna Wake Up?", but otherwise the overdubbing sessions held the following week focused on instrumental overdubbing.
________________________________________

A little history to put you in the studio, but the thing I wanted you to pick up is listen to slow train then listen to my next Dire Straits pick on this ride.

If you know Dire Straits and have "Slow Train" you probably guessed my next stop.


________________________________________

Dire Straits began a tour as opening band for the Talking Heads after the re-released "Sultans of Swing" finally started to climb the UK charts. This led to a United States recording contract with Warner Bros. Records; before the end of 1978, Dire Straits had released their self-titled debut worldwide. They received more attention in the United States, but also arrived at the top of the charts in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Dire Straits eventually went top 10 in every European country.

The following year, Dire Straits embarked on their first North American tour. They played 51 sold-out concerts over a 38-day period. "Sultans of Swing" scaled the charts to number four in the United States and number eight in the United Kingdom. The song was one of Dire Straits' biggest hits and became a fixture in the band's live performances. Bob Dylan, who had seen the band play in Los Angeles, was so impressed that he invited Mark Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on his next album, Slow Train Coming.

Recording sessions for the group's second album, Communiqué, took place in December 1978 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. Released in June 1979, Communiqué was produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett and went to No. 1 on the German album charts, with the debut album Dire Straits simultaneously at No. 3. In the United Kingdom the album peaked at No. 5 in the album charts. Featuring the single "Lady Writer", the second album continued in a similar vein as the first and displayed the expanding scope of Knopfler's lyricism on the opening track, "Once Upon a Time in the West". In the coming year, however, this approach began to change, along with the group's line-up.
_________________________________

Communique' is an important recording for the band and shows a part of Mark that was starting to bud. Both Sultans and Communique are incredible and look at when they were made, right in the heart of the best time in recording. Communique is another one to add to my "bass" list. You want to listen to smooth and warm. This recording may be the smoothest (fatest) of all the Dire Straits recordings. I love the way "Love Over" paints the picture, maybe one of my favorite painting recordings, but Communique has a natural boomy-ness to it that is hits me right in the bass glands. His guitar harmonics are out of this world and that together with that snare and toms do something for me. I love the feeling of being in the room with the drums and this for sure does it for me. Simple top hats and drums, full and rich, then you lay on that guitar. A slice of heaven "where do you think your going", are you kidding me. This is nuts raw, and raw done in the smoothest sense of the word.

Well, I did it again   I see the sun is rising and I'm still listening.

Something about every one of Dire Straits recordings that pulls me deep into their space. With us talking about bass lately this recording is especially entertaining for me. Through the night I listened to how the tones kept forming and how the pitch kept dropping and dropping, till the notes became these perfectly round expressions tied to the detail. The wave rolling in made me almost have to move my seat so I wouldn't get wet.

I'm writting this thinking can I handle any more straits right now? Listening this intently to two in a row is almost overload   . However I say that and yet hear another piece calling me. Ever do that? You want to listen through the whole thing but then there are these parts that you make mental notes of that you want to go back to.

   a mighty fine recording   

Now I don't know where you were when you heard the hit off of this next recording, but I almost couldn't drive. "what and who was that". Moments later I walked into the studio and "water of love" was playing and I said "that sounds like the band I was listening to in the car" . It was and I made my buddy stop what he was doing so we could listen to it. Must have played "Sultans" 20 times in a row.



If this recording didn't change the way you viewed music, you need to stop what your doing and go put it on right now. This recording and band in so many ways completed the rock & roll experience.

A band that pulled rock, folk, jazz, rockabilly, country and hints of funk together with one swing, and we didn't even blink an eye that these lines were erased. Now that's a debut recording  

I've been listening to "modern times" by Bob Dylan for folks on Stereophile and wanted to share some things here on our own place of listening.

the "phile" link http://www.stereophile.com/content/lets-do-some-referencing?page=1



First a review I saw that I thought was pretty good.

"by Thom Jurek


When Bob Dylan dropped Time Out of Mind in 1997, it was a rollicking rockabilly and blues record, full of sad songs about mortality, disappointment, and dissolution. 2001 brought Love and Theft, which was also steeped in stomping blues and other folk forms. It was funny, celebratory in places and biting in others. Dylan has been busy since then: he did a Victoria's Secret commercial, toured almost nonstop, was in a couple films -- Larry Charles' Masked and Anonymous and Martin Scorsese's documentary No Direction Home -- and published the first of a purported three volumes of his cagey, rambling autobiography, Chronicles. Lately, he's been thinking about Alicia Keys. This last comment comes from the man himself in "Thunder on the Mountain," the opening track on Modern Times, a barn-burning, raucous, and unruly blues tune that finds the old man sounding mighty feisty and gleefully agitated: "I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys/Couldn't keep from cryin'/She was born in Hell's Kitchen and I was livin' down the line/I've been lookin' for her even clear through Tennessee." The drums shuffle with brushes, the piano is pumping like Jerry Lee Lewis, the bass is popping, and a slide guitar that feels like it's calling the late Michael Bloomfield back from 1966 -- à la Highway 61 Revisited -- slips in and out of the ether like a ghost wanting to emerge in the flesh. Dylan's own choppy leads snarl in the break and he's letting his blues fall down like rain: "Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches/I'll recruit my army from the orphanages/ I've been to St. Herman's church and said my religious vows/I sucked the milk out of a thousand cows/I got the pork chop, she got the pie/She ain't no angel and neither am I...I did all I could/I did it right there and then/I've already confessed I don't need to confess again."

Thus begins the third part of Dylan's renaissance trilogy (thus far, y'all). Modern Times is raw; it feels live, immediate, and in places even shambolic. Rhythms slip, time stretches and turns back on itself, and lyrics are rushed to fit into verses that just won't stop coming. Dylan produced the set himself under his Jack Frost moniker. Its songs are humorous and cryptic, tender and snarling. What's he saying? We don't need to concern ourselves with that any more than we had to Willie Dixon talking about backdoor men or Elmore James dusting his broom. Dylan's blues are primitive and impure. Though performed by a crackerjack band, they're played with fury; the singer wrestles down musical history as he spits in the eye of the modern world. But blues isn't the only music here. There are parlor songs such as "Spirit on the Water," where love is as heavenly and earthly a thing as exists in this life. The band swings gently and carefree, with Denny Freeman and Stu Kimball playing slippery -- and sometimes sloppy -- jazz chords as Tony Garnier's bass and George Receli's sputtering snare walk the beat. Another, "When the Deal Goes Down," tempts the listener into thinking that Dylan is aping Bing Crosby in his gravelly, snake-rattle voice. True, he's an unabashed fan of the old arch mean-hearted crooner. But it just ain't Bing, because it's got that true old-time swing.

Dylan's singing style in these songs comes from the great blues and jazzman Lonnie Johnson (whose version of the Grosz and Coslow standard "Tomorrow Night" he's been playing for years in his live set). If you need further proof, look to Johnson's last recordings done in the late '50s and early '60s ("I Found a Dream" and "I'll Get Along Somehow"), or go all the way back to the early years for "Secret Emotions," and "In Love Again," cut in 1940. It is in these songs where you will find the heart of Dylan's sweet song ambition and also that unique phrasing that makes him one of the greatest blues singers and interpreters ever. Dylan evokes Muddy Waters in "Rollin' and Tumblin." He swipes the riff, the title, the tune itself, and uses some of the words and adds a whole bunch of his own. Same with his use of Sleepy John Estes in "Someday Baby".. Those who think Dylan merely plagiarizes miss the point. Dylan is a folk musician; he uses American folk forms such as blues, rock, gospel, and R&B as well as lyrics, licks, and/or whatever else he can to get a song across. This tradition of borrowing and retelling goes back to the beginning of song and story. Even the title of Modern Times is a wink-eye reference to a film by Charlie Chaplin. It doesn't make Dylan less; it makes him more, because he contains all of these songs within himself. By his use of them, he adds to their secret histories and labyrinthine legends. Besides, he's been around long enough to do anything he damn well pleases and has been doing so since the beginning.

Modern Times expresses emotions and comments upon everything from love ("When the Deal Goes Down," "Beyond the Horizon") to mortality ("The Levee's Gonna Break," "Ain't Talkin") to the state of the world -- check "Workingman's Blues #2," where Dylan sings gently about the "buyin' power of the proletariat's gone down/Money's getting shallow and weak...they say low wages are reality if we want to compete abroad." But in the next breath he's put his "cruel weapons on the shelf" and invites his beloved to sit on his knee. It's a poignant midtempo ballad that walks the line between the topical songs of Cisco Houston and Woody Guthrie to the love songs of Stephen Foster and Leadbelly. One can feel both darkness and light struggling inside the singer for dominance. But in his carnal and spiritual imagery and rakish honesty, he doesn't give in to either side and walks the hardest path -- the "long road down" to his own destiny. This is a storyteller, a pilgrim who's seen it all; he's found it all wanting; he's found some infinitesimal take on the truth that he's holding on to with a vengeance. In the midst of changes that are foreboding, Modern Times is the sound of an ambivalent Psalter coming in from the storm, dirty, bloodied, but laughing at himself -- because he knows nobody will believe him anyway.

Dylan digs deep into the pocket of American song past in "Nettie Moore," a 19th century tune from which he borrowed the title, the partial melody, and first line of its chorus. He also uses words by W.C. Handy and Robert Johnson as he extends the meaning of the tome by adding his own metaphorical images and wry observations. However, even as the song is from antiquity, it's full of the rest of Modern Times bemusement. "The Levee's Gonna Break" shakes and shimmies as it warns about the coming catastrophe. Coming as it does on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, it's a particularly poignant number that reveals apocalypse and redemption and rails on the greedy and powerful as it parties in the gutter. There are no sacred cows -- when Dylan evokes Carl Perkins' exhortation to put "your cat clothes on," it's hard not to stomp around maniacally even as you feel his righteousness come through. The great irony is in the final track, "Ain't Talkin'," where a lonesome fiddle, piano, and hand percussion spill out a gypsy ballad that states a yearning, that amounts to an unsatisfied spiritual hunger. The pilgrim wanders, walks, and aspires to do good unto others, though he falters often -- he sometimes even wants to commit homicide. It's all part of the "trawl" of living in the world today. Dylan's simmering growl adds a sense of apprehension, of whistling through the graveyard, with determination to get to he knows not where -- supposedly it's the other side of the world. The guitar interplay with the fiddle comes through loud and clear in the bittersweet tune. It's like how "Beyond the Horizon" uses gypsy melodies and swing to tenderly underscore the seriousness in the words. It sends the album off with a wry sense of foreboding. This pilgrim is sticking to the only thing he knows is solid -- the motion of his feet.

Modern Times portrays a new weird America, even stranger than the old one, because it's merely part of a world consumed by insanity. In these ten songs, bawdy joy, restless heartache, a wild sense of humor, and bottomless sadness all coexist and inform one another as a warning and celebration of this precious human life while wondering openly about what comes after. This world view is expressed through musical and lyrical forms that are threatened with extinction: old rickety blues that still pack an electrically charged wallop, porch and parlor tunes, and pop ballads that could easily have come straight from the 1930s via the 1890s, but it also wails and roars the blues. Modern Times is the work of a professional mythmaker, a back-alley magician, and a prophetic creator of mischief. He knows his characters because he's been them all and can turn them all inside out in song: the road-worn holy man who's also a thief; the tender-hearted lover who loves to brawl; the poetic sage who's also a pickpocket; and the Everyman who embodies them all and just wants to get on with it. On Modern Times, all bets are off as to who finishes the race dead last, because that's the most interesting place to be: "Meet me at the bottom, don't lag behind/Bring me my boots and shoes/You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline/Sing a little bit of these workingman blues." There is nothing so intriguing as contradiction and Dylan offers it with knowing laughter and tears, because in his songs he displays that they are both sides of the same coin and he never waffles, because he's on the other side of the looking glass. Modern Times is the work of an untamed artist who, as he grows older, sees mortality as something to accept but not bow down to, the sound that refuses to surrender to corruption of the soul and spirit. It's more than a compelling listen; it's a convincing one."
___________________________________________

Thought I was on my way to amused to death, but then that thing happened and I found myself putting on some Led. I had to make a mental adjustment going from "Modern Times" to "houses of the holy", two completely different signatures, and I just came out of the shower so I wasn't going to even think about what was going on   . I put it on and walked away after a very dissappointing 30 second listen.

later

Foolish me, I could hear it starting to recreate the acoustical space in the room. It was like magic how the system realigned itself to the new recording. Part of it had to be my ears drying and the other part was all system. I came back in and was blown away. Honestly I have to admit, it made Modern Times sound like dog meat. I liked Dylan's CD but when you put on a classic 70's sound it all over . This is sounding so spacious and "clean".

Hello

Houses of the holy is sounding very dynamic after 2 days of settling. The rim shots are on the attack. I am such a big fan of his druming  

Led has this fantastic ability to present dynamic rock with mood and attitude. From soft to loud and then from loud to louder then back to soft. Having a band that can do that all in one song thrills me. I like a mix of soft, and fast but when they can do this together with effortlessly I'm in to it big. Sing to me master!

Put on "houses" and pay attention to this after settling. It's like driving on a road in the hills with perfect weather and no one else on the road for a hundred miles, with the bonus of you knowing no one else is on the road so your free to experiment. Zeppelin lets it loose without fear, an incredible blend. So much more than a rock band.

Do you love this hobby or what   

Listening to Amused to death.



One of the things that I've eperienced more than once now with this recording is that at least for me Amused to death is easier to setup in mid field maybe even far field, over extreme nearfield. I usually have to make adjustments to my room when I put this on. I get almost the same "q" effect in my systems with stereo cause of the way I setup, and when I do put on "Q" it's not always automatic. This is probably because of how "Q sound" is done. I should say Q1 sound is done cause the company moved to headphones Q2 and Q3 for gaming I believe.

That was fun  

How can someone call this a sport without floorstanders? It's like baseball without a batt, golfing without the clubs. Amused gave me the info but my room gave me everything and anything I wanted.

I have a feeling I'm going to be moving back toward acoustical setups for each recording   . This was way too much fun for The Madman. I had jets flying in from behind me and then I would see how far behind me I could make them start. I had bass go so low that my closet doors rattled without changing the volume. I had that block sound (not the axe and wood but earlier) ping from all over the place including way behind me. I moved myself into the middle of the tribe while they were doing their dance. OMGosh, what can't we do?

Is it even fair to call us apart of high end, or are we the high end? I mean no one without floorstanders could have just done what I did the last hour. It's only been an hour  that's pretty amazing. How many systems would I have had to change out to do all that  And would any of them have gotten one of these settings, plus with even the tiniest move I could guide the image like I was twisting a knob or fader. Ok, I've been lazy, doing most of my stuff with little changes and tuning on the components, and I got some great results but shaping the room and doing this together, Hello Biff, someone knock on my head   . I think I've been in the mode of most of the people are not going to take the time to move things, play with one setting for all their music. So because of this maybe I've backed off of the fine tune and honestly have enjoyed listening to this, but the real me was just in that room, and this audiophile fixed thing is for the birds. Holy Batman of Music that was fun  

So to answer questions of which way is right   Baby when you tune you got the music world in the palm of your hand  

The stereophile crowd has made my listening fun  

I haven't thought about Santana in a while "what's wrong with me right". I mean he has used my feet and guitar amp tuning board from what I have heard, and liked it   

Supernatural has up until now been passed by because when you think of Santana your mind goes back to a time he electrified the world with his favors. But it was more than fun to take in the full experence of his more recent works.



Not really recent, but not old school or is it?

Supernatural does something pretty special in that it mixes the old school Santana in with the modern artist. How do these guys do this? I think it goes back to being a true artist, one that never grows old in spirit and deed, and indeed this does sound great. The loudness wars they are talking about over on the phile didn't keep this listener from taking in this thrilling ride. My stage was full of fun movement and plenty of dynamics.

Next on my list was Tom Petty, but I can't find my copy of Damn the Torpedoes, so I grabbed my Greatest hits and hit the repeat button.



First song "america girl" was weak and I finally thought I found a recording that I could identify with the "phile" guys on. Then as I was ready to get up and come in to write "everythings cool guys my system can sound bad too", "breakdown" starts and I realize this was not going to happen. Greatest Hits dumbing, as I slap myself in the forhead. I left the room for a couple of passes and then played "america girl". "mg you goofy kid, don't buy into this audiophile crapped"    America girl is just fine and so are all the others. I'm now doing some serious rocking to this CD.

Visit me on loudness wars here cause I think I'm getting warmer to some truth.

Here's my latest setup.



I'm getting use to my ports and have found an interesting placement for a Floorstander to the left of my seat, which works with the door to the right of me. As you can tell it's all about supporting the pressure zones in here and when I look at it, it's almost like I'm ignoring the speakers, but this is what the room is saying so I'm going with it for now.

As soon as I get caught up with a few things I'm looking forward to diving in a little deeper. The wood coming in and out kinda cuts into my space but I'm working around it and am starting on my other systems.

The new RTD2's are already starting to move and so I'm looking forward to seeing the things people are going to be doing.

System Two

It's time to be working on system 2.



I've had music playing in here but it's getting to that time where I take a look at what this room can bring us.

If Christopher would have Arthur's Theme on this recording it would be a perfect CD. That said it's still one of my all time favorites in this type of pop.



this review says it for me

"Christopher Cross' self titled debut album "Christopher Cross" marked a return to simplicity as the decade would change from the 1970s to the 1980s. The 1970s had introduced the hard rock sound as well as the disco sound. Christopher Cross' album would be filled with what would today be classified as adult contemporary songs. In some ways, this album was also a sign of things to come for the 1980s - an album that is infused with a keyboards and synthesizers. This album would go on to be the big hit of the 1980 Grammy Awards. Some may be critical of the efforts (my Grandfather attended the 1980 Grammys and was not happy that Cross would win all the awards), but most applaud the efforts (including myself - despite my Grandfathers opinion).

Cross and producer Michael Omartian did a lot of right things when putting together this colleciton. No doubt Omartian knew he had a gem of a songwriter and a gem of a voice in Christopher Cross. This was something that could lead to big things, but what Omartian did is take out an insurance policy - he surrounded Cross with some outstanding talent to contribute background vocals to the songs on the album. The names are Michael McDonald ("I Really Don't Know Anymore" and "Ride With the Wind"), Don Henley ("The Light is On") and the late Nicolette Larson ("Say You'll Be Mine"). There also is a lesser known vocalist named Valerie Carter who does an outstanding job on contibuting vocals to "Spinning". There also is a solid studio band - Tommy Taylor and Andy Salmon play drums and bass respectively on all of the tracks. Rob Meurer contributes keyboards, piano, etc on 8 of the 9 tracks.

Michael McDonald does a tremendous job on his two tracks. His soulful voice is perfect as he echoes Cross on the chorus of "I Really Don't Know Anymore". Meurer's synthesizers will also give this song a very catchy beat. McDonald is much better known for his background vocals "Ride Like the Wind". "Ride Like the Wind" is an awesome song. McDonald is used in a similar role as "I Really Don't Know Anymore" provided the "echo" to Cross. In 1982, I remember watching "The Great American Bike Race" (a transcontiential bicycle race) on ABC Sports. The person who won that race was kind of a "loner" character named Lon Haldeman. They used this song to describe him and I remember how perfect this music was. Even today I have visions of the "loner" cyclist when this song is played.

On "The Light is On", this isn't a song I would expect to hear Don Henley on. Henley contributes vocals and not any percussion or drums. Henley's vocals are combined with Cross himself and someone named J.D. Souther. You won't hear Henley stand out on this song, but I'm sure having someone like him in the studio contributed to great quality this song delivers. As for Nicolette Larson (the late singer who passed away in 1997 - famous for her hit "Lotta Love"), she is the perfect vocalist on "Say You'll Be Mine". On this track, Larson basically performs a duet with Cross. She blends beautifully in this song. Larson doesn't come on to the song til about 1:35 into the song - and she "folds" into the song beautifully as her role gets more prevalent as the song goes on. On "Spinning", Valerie Carter also plays a duet role - but her role starts much earlier in the song. "Spinning" is a hidden gem on this album - it is a very soulful and romantic song featuring some terrific flugelhorn by someone named Chuck Findley.

There are two other songs that are hidden gems on this album. Both of these songs feature terrific lyrics and terrific music. The first is "Poor Shirley" is a song that deals with someone named 'Shirley' that Cross describes as someone who has went through the heartbreak of a breakup. "Minstrel Gigolo" is the six minute finale to the album and is the perfect wrap-up song. In this song Cross takes us the journey of being a star in the music industry. Since this was a debut album, Cross probably wasn't writing from experience but rather taking a peek into the future. "Minstrel Gigolo" is probably the second best track on the collection.

Besides "Ride Like the Wind", there are two other popular songs on this album. "Sailing" won a Grammy for song of the year and is one of those songs in which the songwriter is able to create a "visual" from the music. No doubt, Cross paints the perfect picture of a relaxing day at sea. I think Cross knew he was painting a picture as he references "the canvas can do miracles". The other well known song is "Never Be the Same" - this song has a catchy pop beat to it."
________________________________

I did find the notes about Grandpa, the biker and "who is JD" a little funny but that's what makes reviews personal.

The music industry is fascinating. How did they ever get McDonald and Henley to participate as backup? These guys were headliners. Wasn't McDonald still with the Doobie Brothers in 1980?

I still remember those days when Sailing was basically on repeat on FM radio. Good tunes and good times (first year in college )

I'm doing my listening while waiting for the freezer to hand me another version of Tom Petty. This will be the second freeze for the CD and I'm looking forward to seeing how much more it will change but also kinda interested to see after that if it returns to a state of normal.

Boy did the Stereophile gang ever get up in arms, but I thought I was being kind to the treatment by saying it's another choice. Reality though is that this freezing thing will probably not even come close to what settling does, and what Hiend did with "hell freezes over" is how I like to listen. And loosing part of the music is for me for sure going the wrong way, but maybe I didn't give it a fair chance at that is something I would like to do.

back to settling

I do like going through CD's some times but when something has played a while like Greatest Hits is right now there is this "I am in the room waiting for you" feeling no matter where I am in the house. I feel like a little kid running in to catch a quick listen then on about my business. Tom Petty is at the place where the drums are really full and big, very nice and I'm super glad now I picked this recording to be the one tested cause I'm not bored with any of the songs. I catch myself in the writing room singing as the songs play through, a very good sign for me.

While listening to this I started thinking, you know after doing this test I'm going to throw on some "Cars".

Why was mg quite today?






   I wonder  

The whole Buddha Bar series is something I like to put my ears around at least once a year.

And if you get a chance while in the same mood, mellow more with,

After Sonic stopped toeing in the Magnaplanar MG1.5QRs which I described yesterday, some settling has been done -- and Sonic been listening too to a whole variety of musick that Tunees might not associate with Sonic.

But these are some good pickings Sonic found in the stores: Marianne Faithfull, Loggins & Messina (Full Sail), Buffalo Springfield (the rare double album retrospective), Burt Bacharach...all great LPs.

Now listening to Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli -- Oxford Camerata (Naxos CD).

I got a curtain of sound across my room.....Sakuma-san once said "I lost my being".

Look at you go   



good for you, keep it comin   

What's on the menu today?



I would say that "night & day" and "body & soul" are my favs of Joe's music.

When I put this CD on I was like "oh no greatest hits sound". But I haven't visited Joe in a little while so I let it go as background (lots of songs). After a couple of hours of enjoying the music from a far I went in to change out my background music and sat for a second....ah....whole CD. My Lord did this CD ever warm up and become serious after a little settling. Totally different ballgame now. Joe, your doing your magic, thank you   I mean   

Now I'm not saying you have to trust me, but trust me   if you get this recording right in your room your in for a trip.

Why do I torture components   . Learning needs it's boundries   

My poor FUNAI had enough and gave up the ghost. Sand in the gears is probably not a good thing, oh well. Off to Walmart and purchased 2 more. In taking apart though I was greeted with a scare. This is not my Maggie, well part of it is.

Ya know, these designers making mass produced products are either very smart, or very good economist. Is someone listening to these while making them, or is this dumb luck and their really just trying to use as few parts as possible? I suspect (hope) both.

The old unit has a L-shaped board that runs beside the transport and in back. The new 100 has only the part that runs beside the transport. The secondary (green) board that sits on top is bigger with the new one and this board is upside down and holds the RCAs which are also upside down   "yes first time I plugged mine in backward". I have one burning in on the main system and the other is under the knife. The screws are out of the one I'm playing with but I'm going to wait till tomorrow to cut away at the back panel. I believe the extra parts that are on the old one will be found on the board once it is flipped.

How does it sound michael?

Well I got to wait on that one cause 3 days new is not a good time to make judgements, but let me say this. The fuse by the power cord has been taken out of this model and there is one less ribbon cable running signal.

Hmmm will I be trying to find old ones or will this be my new baby? That is up in the air. Trying to compare a new baby against an old very nicely burnt in unit is next to impossible, but I do believe I hear something interesting here. I'm not sure how this is possible but I'm hearing more detail. Of course it's not sitting on the blocks the same, but still I could swear my right and left are bigger, meaning the crickets to my left are fading way further out to the left, and I might be getting more overall resolution. But I might be speaking too soon and should shutup and go listen  

I do want to say one thing that concerns me though. I like the sound of the tan circuit boards better than the green, always have, and if I flip this over and find those parts on on the green board that in the long run could mean a tilt up. So, what I have is some good things that have been done and a possible nagative but I have a plan if that is the case. I always have a plan