How to play Delta Boogie Radio (or any playlist at a URL) from an icon on the windows desktop using Winamp (or any media player that plays .m3u files).

Thanks to Sandi Sallings who gave me the idea for this project.

Winamp does do an excellent job playing Delta Boogie Radio over dialup. I recommend it.

If you did a standard install of winamp you will find in C:\Program Files\Winamp a file called winamp.m3u. Double clicking on that file should start Winamp with your most recently played playlist.

If it opens another media player you need to make Winamp the default player for .m3u files. To do this instead of clicking on the winamp.m3u file right click on it and then choose Open With. From the list of programs you see choose Winamp and click the box so it always opens .m3u files with Winamp. Save. Then try it again. Double click on winamp.m3u and see if it starts Winamp.

Good.

Now download this file and save it in C:\Program Files|Winamp.

http://deltaboogie.com/radio/dbradio.m3u

To download right click the link and then choose Save Target As or Save Link As.

You should be able to see it in the same listing as the winamp.m3u file. Right there under D. Ok, double click that. It should start Delta Boogie Radio in Winamp.

Now download this file to your desktop.

http://deltaboogie.com/radio/DBRadio.lnk

Btw this file was made in XP. Other OS users should probably make their own shortcut.

You should now see an icon on your desktop with a big green arrow and it says DBRadio. Double click the icon to start Delta Boogie Radio.

Now how does that work. There's a tricky bit of redirection there in the dbradio.m3u file. If you look at it in a text editor you'll find one link like this.

http://deltaboogie.com/radio/delta_boogie_radio.m3u

See. If I find an m3u file on my hard drive and double click it it will load and play. But how can I do that when the playlist is out on the internet? I can't. So I put a playlist on my hard drive and all it does is load the playlist that's out on the internet. Clever Eh? These innertubes. What will they think of next?

And then the icon is just a desktop shortcut to dbradio.m3u. With the image changed to a big green arrow provided by microsoft.

Of course this works with other players and other playlists (including our hifi playlist).

And there is a limitation. It does not auto shuffle the playlist. It just plays the last shuffle. If you want another show go out on the net and give it a shuffle.

http://deltaboogie.com/radio

Click the radio to play.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Hidden Treasure Mics

http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=41674 - Hidden Treasure Mics

I read this thread on the Tape Op Message Board and enjoyed it quite a bit. Since I'm always broke my mics are all budget mics. Here's some of my favorites. I used these recording the new Flying Hungarians CD.

Realistic 1070b (1070c 1070d) Omni Dynamic

My secret weapon for field recording. Manufactured for Radio Shack by Shure. It looks exactly like an EV RE50. It has an extended frequency range which makes it better for recording some things than the 635 and RE50 interview mics. More like a PL9 or an RE55.

These are extremely versatile mics. Great for recording the whole band in stereo. Great on acoustic guitar. I even sang a vocal through mine on the new CD.

The c and d versions are the same mic painted black. The d version has the magic word Shure printed on it so it goes the highest. The 1070b mics are on ebay all the time for $20-$30. You can sometimes get a pair for $30-$40.

Audio Technica ATM25 Cardiod Dynamic

This is a pro kick mic for under $100 used. Very versatile. Good for anything bassy and loud.

Audio Technica Pro 37 (37r) Cardiod Condenser

Cardiod SDC. Famous for drum overheads. Good for acoustic guitar. Kind of like an MXL 603 with more detail in the high end. The 37r is the same mic as the 37, just older.

Peavey 520i Cardiod Dynamic

Called a poor mans SM7. Good for horns, bass instruments, loud vocals. It stayed on the bass cab during recording and I also sang several vocals through it.

Beyer M400 Soundstar II Cardiod Dynamic

Harvey Gerst recommends this mic if you can't afford an SM7. So I got one. They usually run $150 but I lucked out and paid under $100. Sounds great on vocals. I haven't done any recording with mine yet.

Audio Technica AT4054 Cardiod Condenser

This is a fantastic high end vocal mic. Designed for stage use but perfectly at home in a studio. The 4054 has bass rolloff. The 4055 no bass rolloff. The AE5400 replaces these mics with switched bass rolloff. The AE5400 is high. You can't find the 4055. The 4054 is the bargain.

Usually runs around $150 but I worked ebay hard for about 6 months and got one from the Grammy Awards for $110.

EV RE10, RE11 Cardiod Dynamic

These are the least expensive in the RE10-18 family. The RE10 is for instruments. The RE11 is for vocals. Either is good on guitar cabs. More treble and cut than an SM57. The RE10 kills on blues harp. Versatile, general purpose, indestructible.

M-Audio DMP2 DMP3 Preamp/Direct Box

This preamp will make all your mics sound better. This is the best bargain in quality preamps. Compared to low end mix boards we are talking about a big noticeable difference especially in high end detail so important to acoustic instruments. Two channels for about $150. DMP2s are rare but much cheaper.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

CD Session Log - December 29, 2007 HairyLarryLand

Randy, Carl, Larry

-0079 - Blue Nines
-0080 - Surprise Blues - Lead tails and song drags at end
-0081 - Surprise Blues - Outside lead
-0082 - Fish Story - Good
-0083 - The Way - Ok
-0084 - With All The Love - Ok
-0085 - Won't Be Down Always - Good
-0086 - Blues For Peace - Good
-0087 - blues nines

On this session

I played my Fender Lead guitar through my Silvertone twin miked with an SM56 and an EV RE11.
Carl played bass on his Peavey bass through a Peavey bass head and a Kustom column with 2 15s miked with the Peavey 520i.
Randy played my orange drums (Kent with Ludwig snare) with an ATM25 on kick and 2 AT Pro37s on overheads.

82, 85, and 86 are used on the CD. I overdubbed vocals and harp in January. Here's some overdub details on those songs.

-0082 - Fish Story
Vocals Peavey 520i
Harp EV RE11

-0085 - Won't Be Down Always
Vocals Peavey 520i
Harp SM56

-0086 - Blues For Peace
Larry vocals and harp Shure 545D
Randy vocals AKGD690
Megan vocals EV 357B

CD Session Log - Nov. 25, 2007 Home

Backed Up 60-71

CD Session Log December 29, 2007 Home

Backed Up 75-87.

CD Session Log - December 22, 2007 HairyLarryLand

Kier and Larry

Rehearsed and recorded test tracks on The Way and Blue Nines

The MCA SP-1 microphone review - funky and soon to be uncommon

Did you ever see a condenser microphone in a blister pack. I know we're used to wood boxes, metal boxes, at least plastic boxes but a blister pack? Yep, that's the way you get the MCA SP-1. Now that's funky.

I bought two after I read the favorable tape-op review. The one that said that you just knew that out of all the cheap chinese condensers there just had to be a good one. Well it is in fact a good one.

I've used mine twice so far.

I used them as a stereo pair recording acoustic music at Bunky's Breakfast in Helena, Arkansas. I had them up close to the stage at the right and left corners. In the center I had my Superlux CM-H8C set to cardiod.

They did not do as good as the Superlux at noise rejection from the rear. When there was a crowded noisy restaurant the Superlux gave a superior focus on the music. However I also recorded a set with a near empty restaurant. This set came out in beautiful stereo and the MCA mics sounded as good as the Superlux. I ended up blending all three mics. The SP-1s gave me stereo and the Superlux allowed me to crisp up the center stage activity.

Then I tried the SP-1 as a vocal mic overdubbing a part. I used the Audio Technica AT4054 like a stage mic and the SP-1 was about 8 inches above it pointed at my forehead or the bridge of my nose. I sang about a foot back from the mics. Later I played back just the vocal parts for soundwoman. Neither she nor I could reliably distinguish the tracks. The $40 SP-1 competed head to head with the superb AT 4054. Now that was a surprise.

I noticed that PSSL still had these listed in their catalog. Here's the link.

http://www.pssl.com/Search?q=sp1&x=0&y=0&by=s

This is a discontinued item and when they're gone I expect them to be higher on the used market than they are new. That's why I list them as soon to be uncommon.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

crossposted at the mojopie Funky and Uncommon Recording Gear forum

http://mojopie.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=1763

How to do an a/b comparison of audio sources.

Often I want to do an a/b comparison of two sources, maybe different mics, preamps, placements, etc. Say I've recorded two different mics onto 7 and 8 on my Fostex and I want to a/b compare them. Say it's an EV PL6 in 7 and and EV 660 in 8.

I'm just saying that because in fact that's what I do have plugged into my Fostex.

Make your recording with your levels from each source matching pretty well. Check that each track sounds clear and clean.

Here's how I set up for a/b compare.

Adjust the volume so each track has the same output.

Pan 7 hard left. Pan 8 hard right. Play both tracks. Adjust the sliders until the left and right outputs match. Depending on what you're comparing they may not match perfectly. When they match each track is outputting the same volume.

Do not compare the tracks in stereo. You want to hear each track, mono, through both speakers.

So go back to mono. Pan 7 and 8 back to center. Mute 7 and play only 8. Don't change the levels you just set. Mute 8 and play 7. This way you listen to each channel at the same output level through the same speakers. On my deck you can do a two finger punch and barely hear the transition.

When I was using the sliders to adjust the levels while comparing the tracks I thought I could hear a difference. With the outputs leveled and using the mute to switch tracks I couldn't hear any difference at all. Just a slight volume difference can have a significant impact on the perceived sound.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Mono Monster

I've got totally narcissistic listening to Mono Monster. I just can't put it up. Here's how I describe it on my archive.org page.

Mono Monster is a guitar instrumental that cooks all the way to the last two choruses where it double times on home.

Please head over and give it a listen. If you like it post a review. You can even post a review if you don't like it. It won't make me mad.

I'd just love for you to hear it.

http://www.archive.org/details/mono_monster

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Always Share

I was reading a thread at the homerecording bbs about whether you share your recordings or not and if you do how do you share them. Here's a link.

http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=257909

And here's my reply.

Congrats on the nice thread. Lots to think about here.

I always share. I even post with a Creative Commons attribution license so people can post or p2p my songs and use them in their own projects.

http://creativecommons.org

I post my original music to archive.org Open Source Audio and Video. I post the live shows at the Live Music Archive also hosted by archive.org.

http://archive.org

I promote my music on my websites and on Delta Boogie Radio - All Originals!

http://deltaboogie.com
http://mixremix.com
http://deltaboogie.com/radio

I make CDs and DVDs which I give away to friends, radio stations, and fans. I used to sell CDs at shows but when they hit under fifty cents to make I realized I would have a lot more people listening to my songs if I just gave it away.

I promote on YouTube, MySpace and other video and audio sharing sites. I am looking into TubeMogul which posts to multiple sites for you.

http://youtube.com
http://myspace.com
http://tubemogul.com

I think a broad distribution of your product will garner a wider audience. Bittorrent is a good way to distribute large files like videos and hifi albums. By using the Creative Commons license I make it legal for p2p sites to include my files.

I am very interested in the part of this topic about those who do share. What is your strategy to promote your songs on the internet?

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Nov. 23, 2007 HairyLarryLand

Carl Heyl, Randy Gambill, Larry Heyl

Recording rhythm section to the Fostex VF160

Audio Technica Pro37 pair - overheads
Audio Technica ATM25 - kick
Peavey 520i on bass cab (also Peavey head and Peavey bass but it's a Kustom cabinet with two OEM 15s)
Shure SM56 on Silvertone twin guitar cab

-0067 Blues * - Road Song *

-0068 Surprise Blues

-0069 With All The Love - slows down

-0070 Guitar Blues - 2 takes - ended up doing this on acoustic

-0071 Won't Be Down Always

* good

Right now from this session I think Road Song is going on the CD. After this session we added a snare mic and a second mic on the guitar cabinet. Still I think these five mics did a great job capturing our sound.

EV 660, RE10, RE11 and shockmount with pics

I've been enjoying the Funky and Uncommon Recording Gear section of the Mojo Pie Forum and I posted this article there as part of a thread about older dynamic microphones.

http://mojopie.ipbhost.com/index.php?showforum=10

EV 660, RE10, RE11 and shockmount with pics

Here's my EV 660 on the bottom, then the RE10 and on top the RE11. You can see that the 660 and the RE10 (and presumably the PL6 and RE15) look exactly the same except the 660 has a tapered shaft. You can also notice the bass rolloff switch on the RE series mics. I really think that the 660, PL6, RE10, and RE15 are the same mics with slight changes made to improve them or remove unneeded features like the high impedance option on the 660. The RE11 has the integrated pop filter but it and the RE16 and RE18 are also the same mic.

My RE10 looks like it's been run over by a truck. All busted up and caved in. Still works great.

I got these on ebay used. 25.99 for the 660. A little less for the RE10. (I mean look at it!) The RE11 was under $40. So all three mics above under $100 and I've used all three on my current project.

Here's the 660 in my DIY shock mount. This is 4 inch rigid wall drain and number 64 rubber bands. Also note the good use for broken mic clips. I'm going to do a howto on this but really everything you need to know to build one you can see in the pictures.

Here's my Realistic 1070b omni dynamic. One of my favorite mics in the world. These are RE50 clones with an extended frequency response made by Shure in Mexico for Radio Shack. You can find them on ebay all the time under $20.

And here's the 660 and the 1070b ready to record hand claps. My daughter and I clapped through five songs. This weird mic arrangement actually comes out in stereo. I mean it's a hypercardiod and an omni. The 660 records sharper sounding hand claps but both channels sound really natural and even better together. I have no trouble hearing the claps in the mix and have to be pretty careful not to let them be too loud.

Hand claps, like tambourines, are naturally loud instruments and it's easy to get too much in the mix.

I hope to do some a/b/c comparisons on these EV mics in the future on guitar cabs and harmonica.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Nov. 17, 2007 HairyLarryLand Session

Flying Hungarians CD

Recording on the Fostex VF160

Sound check on drums

-0060 - ATM25 6 inches from beater straight in

-0061 - closer to beater and angled

-0062 - Still close but less angle

-0063 - Won't Be Down Always - guitar and drums sound check

-0064 - Guitar Blues - soundcheck

-0065 - Won't Be Down Always - 3 pc

-0066 - Guitar Blues - 3pc

Hairy Larry - guitar
Randy Gambill - drums
Carl Heyl - bass

First session setting things up for the new Hungarians CD. First multitrack session at the remodeled HairyLarryLand studio. Auspicious beginnings.

New Software For Delta Boogie Radio

I got an email from a live365 listener who enjoys Delta Boogie Radio. Since I went over to the new station live365 is listing me as VIP only. I guess they're still playing my list if you're willing to pay to hear it.

Here's my reply.

Thanks for the kind words about Delta Boogie Radio. I have moved off of the live365 platform and am now running my own software. The new station is called Delta Boogie Radio - All Originals!

http://deltaboogie.com/radio

This is the dialup version. I will add a hifi version soon.

The new station has many advantages over the live365 station. No commercials. Skip, Pause, Replay and Save shows in progress. On Demand listening and Download.

I intend to continue adding to the playlist so that eventually we will have more music and more variety than we could on live365.

Please enjoy the new station and stay in touch. I am working now on adding more Jazz to the playlist. Let me know if there are genres you would like to hear.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Recording Hairy Larry and George with my VF-160

All right, the technique discussed here will work with many bands besides Hairy Larry and George. I think it will work best with small acoustic acts but feel free to try it with your loud electric band and prove me wrong.

This technique will also work with most digital multitrackers that accept 6 or 8 simultaneous inputs. 4 inputs multitrackers will only work with very small ensembles but if that's you, great. There are a lot of great 4 track recorders too.

George and I both use vocal mics and I have an acoustic guitar into the PA as well. I set up a stereo pair to get the room. So you can see even with this minimalist duo I'm using 5 inputs.

George does a set between our sets. He plays electric guitar and uses a vocal mic. I put a mic on his guitar amp. If I sing or play harp with him I do it with no mic at all. Just belt it out into the room. This setup uses only 4 inputs.

It would also be possible to use a mono room mic and 3 other mics with 4 simultaneous in.

Ok, now when you're taping concerts the question always is do you mic or do you get it off the board. With my VF160 I get both and I only carry it, no mixer.

Instead of patching the record deck off the mixer board my record deck is my mixer board. Here's how I do it.

Two Realistic 1070b omni dynamics give me a spaced pair near the stage. I put them into 1 and 2 so I can pan the output for stereo. My sliders on 1 and 2 remain all the way down. I do not put the room mics through the PA.

My guitar goes into 6, my vocals into 7, George into 8. I use the gain for record level and the slider for PA level. So, for example, when we play my guitar gets recorded on channel 6 and also gets fed into the PA through the monitor out.

With the other setup when George plays electric I mic his cabinet into 6 but leave the slider all the way down. The guitar amp output does not go to the PA but it does get recorded. George's mic does go through the PA exactly like the other setup.

George's bass is never mic'd or recorded. I just get it with the room mics. If there were a need the bass could be mic'd or hit a record channel with a direct box.

So when we play I use the sliders to control volume for the vocals and the acoustic guitar. I'll record both vocal mics, my guitar, and both room mics each on their own tracks.

In post I will usually bring up the stereo mics and pan them all the way left and right. I will listen for the stereo image and place bass, guitar, and vocals. I may have to adjust the volume of one of these channels to center things up.

I can use eq on the stereo channels to add or diminish bass or adjust the bass sound.

When I get a nice stereo sound I start listening to the guitar and vocal tracks using them to sweeten the mix. Using eq on the clean vocal track and then mixing it in with the room gives a surprising amount of control over the vocal sound allowing me to fill a voice out. Sometimes a little bit of reverb is good on the vocal mic too.

If the bass seems to be to the right in the stereo image I will pan George's voice slightly right to reinforce the image.

Adding the direct guitar track into the mix can really clean up the guitar sound. I use my low cut on my preamp and sometimes in post too. Like with the vocals the eq can really add sparkle. +3db at 6K is a nice starting point. If the guitar sound has thick mids where the mids are dominating the sound dropping 3 db or more at 1K or 3K can also add brilliance. I guess you kind of move the mids out of the way so you can hear the higher detail.

And surprisingly often the stereo pair sounds great without sweetening. But if you've recorded much stereo, like I have, you will appreciate clean vocal and guitar tracks in post production.

I use a Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 active monitor for PA. So I carry that, my VF160, a couple of preamps, mics, atands, cords, instruments. It really couldn't be less except for true acoustic.

And that's how I use my digital multitracker for PA mixer and record deck all in one.

Here's a couple of links.

Hairy Larry and George live at Caffe Buono
http://www.archive.org/details/hl2007-10-26

Hairy Larry and George live at The Edge Coffeehouse
http://www.archive.org/details/hl2007-11-16

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Stereo Purity

The important thing about a stereo recording is the stereo image. When you are a comfortable distance from your speakers listening in their sweet area the stereo image lends space and reality to the audio experience. It sounds much more like live music in the room then a mono recording can.

There are many ways to record a stereo image with two or more mics. Two standard ways are X/Y where two cardiod mics are set in front of the music with the mics close together but at an angle, often 110 degrees, and Spaced Pair where two omnis are set in front and to either side of the performers.

If you use omni mics in a close X/Y configuration you usually end up pretty close to mono. Cardiod mics in a spaced pair can result in very uneven coverage of the performance area. Neither of these is recommended.

So if you got cardiods try X/Y. If you got omnis try a spaced pair.

Either of these techniques will get you a wonderful spacious stereo image.

Naturally if you are buying a pair of mics for stereo recording you will want a matched pair. Some mics, like the EV RE15 and the EV RE55 are speced tight enough that any two are supposed to be a matched pair.

But say you don't have a matched pair. Maybe you've got two EV 635a omni mics or two MXL 603 cardiod mics. Use them anyway. You'll still get a great stereo image. Most people most of the time on most hifi systems won't notice the difference.

Using different mics entirely works too. Sometimes. That is sometimes you get a real nice stereo image from mismatched mics and sometimes you don't.

It has happened that I've had an open vocal mic recording during a live performance that ended up being my right channel in a stereo image. Kind of a spaced pair with one omni and one cardiod. Sure this isn't recommended but if it's what you've got and you end up with stereo you don't say I won't use it because I didn't have a matched pair.

That said I want to address an issue I call purity. The example of mismatched mics above would be what I consider to be impure. And the problem with losing purity is that you only know what your audio sounds like on your monitors. It is very likely that in different listening scenarios, car stereos, theaters, boombox, the stereo image wouldn't be as good as it sounded on your monitors. It could be that it doesn't sound as good on a lot better monitors than the ones you used to mix it.

As an example of a pure recording I take two msh-1 omnis on a Jecklin Disc and I record acoustic guitar and then I take those signals and they become my left channel and my right channel I just balance and do some light post to make it sound great.

With a pure recording whatever system you play it on it's going to sound as good as it can. You will find some crappy systems where it doesn't sound good but you are not going to take it to a really good system and have it sound crappy. For the most part it will sound as good as the system it's being played on.

Stereo purity equals using matched mics set up carefully to capture a stereo image and then being very careful not to step on that image in post. The advantages to stereo purity are simplicity of production and post production and, more importantly, the audio will sound as good as the systems it's played on in most listening environments.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Internet Radio fo Creative Commons licensed songs

Mike Linksvayer sent me a facebook invite. He is involved with the Creative Commons and I thought he might be a good contact for an idea about Creative Commons Radio. Here's the message I sent him. Please let me know if you are interested in this too.

-----

Mike,

Thanks for finding me. Looks like you have a lot of contacts with people using Creative Commons. I've been using Creative Commons licenses for years.

I have recently written some internet radio software. It runs on .m3u playlists and also has On Demand and Download features.

Here is my test version running on Delta Boogie.

http://deltaboogie.com/radio

This is the dialup version of Delta Boogie Radio. In the future I will add a HiFi version as well. The software doesn't care.

It's amazing how easy it is to write a radio station like this if you don't have to try to limit access to the files. It seems that all the technical problems with internet radio are really problems trying to keep your listeners from doing what they want.

All songs are posted with the permission of the songwriter so there are no royalties to pay.

I was thinking a station like this would be great for Creative Commons material where the songwriters have given blanket permission to distribute with their Creative Commons license.

Please check out Delta Boogie Radio, imagine it populated with Creative Commons licensed material and let me know what you think.

If you know anyone else who might be interested in this please forward this email to them.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Free The Music!

I sent an email to Mike Dollins of Blues Guitar News and The Blues Guitar Gang. Here's part of it.

http://www.bluesguitarnews.com/

-----

I have really been concerned with the problems with internet radio and the way the big boys are trying to kill it. It really seems to me royalty free original material is the way to go. Just ignore those top forty assholes and their money machine. Play the indies who are trying to get their stuff out there.

So I am writing this software not just for Delta Boogie. I am putting it out there so anyone can use it. It's in PHP. It's really easy to install. Doesn't require a database or programming. Just configure a few paths and off you go.

It runs from any webserver that supports PHP. No special streaming server required.

You could have Blues Gang Radio or Blues Guitar Radio if you wanted to.

If you get my drift.

I may be old but I'm still trying to change the world. Each of us in our own small way. Free the music!

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

How To Put a Radio Station On Your Website

I have had a station, Delta Boogie Radio, on Live365 for years. I think there service is excellent and with a basic services price of $10 a month reasonably priced. Besides the streaming radio they have a large library of songs to supplement the material you upload. They pay the royalties so you don't have to worry about it.

http://live365.com

Over the last year I have seen more and more DJs go royalty free. The FCC has been messing with the royalty rates for internet radio. I think someone's trying to kill it.

At the same time I have gone to all originals in my releases. I guess I'm taking my lead from Junior Kimbrough. You'll never get anywhere promoting other peoples material. You have to bring your own stuff to the table.

This doesn't mean that Delta Boogie Radio won't be promoting other songwriters. We are moving to a no royalty all originals format. If you have original songs you would like considered for the station email me, hairylarry@deltaboogie.com.

And I am writing my own radio software. Which is the subject of this post.

First I looked at a bunch of options. Shoutcast, Icecast, peering, swarming, streaming. There are more buzzwords out there than you can keep up with.

But the buzzword that I settled on is playlists. The m3u playlists couldn't be simpler and they are the leading standard. They play in every media player I tried. They are just a list of links to music files, one file per line.

So, KISS. Keep all the songs in one directory. When someone launches the station they link to shuffle.php. The program reads the directory into an array, shuffles the array. And writes a playlist.

Then it redirects to the playlist. Every time the user clicks they get a different playlist.

So this is not the kind of internet radio station where everyone is getting the same content at the same time. I am also working on that using timed playlists. When the station is launched the program searches through the timed playlist to see what's playing and then delivers the playlist from that point on. This is still in my head but when implemented will allow programming and broadcast in the traditional sense.

Since I am delivering audio with an m3u playlist I get these wonderful features not usually associated with radio.

1. Skip to next song
2. Pause
3. Save playlist

Other enhancements I am working on: Random playlists of a given length. Demand play and download, The ability to use songs hosted on other servers, And online playlist generation.

Your comments and ideas are appreciated. Email hairylarry@deltaboogie.com

The link to the test station is here.

http://deltaboogie.com/radio/radio.htm

And here's the code.

http://deltaboogie.com/radio/shuffle.php.txt

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

Nice Mics

A friend of mine on the tape-op forum and I have been discussing the Realistic 1070 and Naiant omni microphones. He asked me about vintage mics and other microphone bargains.

Here's my reply.

Hi,

Some of those older mics without XLR are hi impedance and cannot be wired to XLR.

Some are hi or lo impedance. These will work with XLR.

Pretty much anymore if it's not XLR I don't buy it. The cable length is always an issue. Everything I use is XLR so I have a stack of 1/4" to XLR cables I never use.

http://coutant.org is good info on vintage mics.

The EV PL80 is a great vintage vocal mic that goes cheap on eBay. My son, Uldis, loves this mic. I gave him mine and had to buy another one. That was painless. $22.53. And this is for one of Frank Sinatra's favorite mics.

I also have a Superlux LDC that I really like. They're usually under $100. Superlux CM-H8a, b, or c. I bought the c but so far I have only used it in cardiod. The a is plain cardiod. The b adds bass rolloff and a 10db pad. The c is the multi pattern mic (omni, cardiod, figure eight). It also has bass rolloff and pad.

I assume you read the review in tape-op about the MCA-SP1 mics. I bought a pair of those for about $80. I tested them and I definitely like them but I haven't used them as extensively as the other mics listed. They are discontinued so you might want to get one if you can.

And then at the high end of my mic collection is the AT4054 which I got for $110. They often go for about $140 and are a good buy at that. This mic is a high end stage version of a studio mic. It's a phantom powered cardiod condenser. Sold as a vocals mic but very versatile.

One of my favorite vocals mics is the AKG D770. This mic, like the AT4054, does really well on acoustic instruments showing great clarity and detail. Not all vocals mics can be used this way.

I am glad you will be recording in stereo. I think this is where the 1070 and MSH omnis really excel.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry