The times I am thinking of you are the happiest times of my life
Friday, June 30, 2017
Οι στιγμές που σε σκέφτομαι ειναι οι πιο ευτυχισμένες στιγμές
The times I am thinking of you are the happiest times of my life
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
Possibly the best book on the planet to stop sorrow:
How to stop worrying and start living - Dale Carnegie:
http://images.kw.com/docs/2/1/2/212345/1285134779158_htwfaip.pdf
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Monday, June 26, 2017
Understanding most there is to music making in a few pages by composer Bach
http://normanschmidt.net/scores/bachjs-general_bass_rules.pdf
The Best Music Book on the Planet
By J. S. Bach.
It explains most there is to music or composing in the fewest words possible.
http://normanschmidt.net/scores/bachjs-general_bass_rules.pdf
The Principle of Least Change in Music
The principle of laziness in music composing.
An obvious example:
While moving from C major chord to F major chord. Instead of C E G to F A C, playing C E G to C F A on the right hand. It sounds great.
Another example:
An ordinary chord progression with many note changes is from C (1,3,5) to G (1,3,5) to C(1,3,5) ie from:
Bass C with harmony E G C to bass G harmony D G B to bass C harmony E G C.
Using the principle of least change it can be C (1,3,5) to G (4,5) to G (1,3,5) to C (1,3,5) ie from:
Bass C with harmony E G C to bass G harmony D G C to bass G harmony D G B to bass C harmony E G C. This is used a lot by Vivaldi. It is not that one has to remember for example 4,5. Using the principle of least change we play E G C and then change just one note to get to D G C ie 4,5.
The principle of least change is a principle used possibly by most of the greatest composers of all time. And they are not too many. The interest is that this principle can creates sounds which are unusual, inordinary and exquisitely beautiful.
Another obvious example is Bolero - Ravel having the bass playing only C throughout the piece save for the last few seconds.
Also Chariots of Fire - Vangelis having a synthesizer playing the rhythmically repeating note C sharp.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSav51fVlKU
Before giving more examples an explanation follows on how music works in as few words as possible.
Every piece of music is usually made of a set of notes called a scale or key.
The number of notes of a scale is usually seven.
C D E F G A B corresponding to Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si.
These are all the notes. But some of them may be flat or sharp ie usually the back notes of the keyboard depending on the particular scale used.
The seven notes of a scale are everywhere around the keyboard and look the same. For example there are many F notes on the piano and in music in general. These sound the same but higher or lower in pitch. An octave of a given note is the note giving similar sensation to the left or right of a given note.
Since any piece is usually made by just the seven particular notes of a scale it follows that the chords are usually just seven. They Re derived by the simple rule 1,3,5. This called the harmonic triad. This taking any note of the 7 notes of the scale and adding the 3rd and the fifth.
For example on the D major scale. Bass E defines the chord E G B. Bass A defines the chord A C# e if. MAGOR. The C is C sharp as the ad MAGOR scale has C sharp and Zv sharp by definition,
With the 1,3,5 we do not need to remember anything. The chords automatically become MAGOR or minor depending on the particular notes the scale allows. by its definition.
Most pieces of music are made by just these seven chords or less.
The fun begins when one starts using other than 1,3,5 patterns.
For example (still using D major as example scale) and using the nation of figured bass:
A9 is bass A with harmony C E B.
C6 is bass C with harmony E A.
This chord for example sounds nice after D major ie:
D F# A to C E A.
Why?
It seems in music the more lazy the approach the better the sound. Less is more.
In the above example D F# A going to C E A involved only the change of 2 notes in the progression.
Other examples with just 1 change or a few as possible.ing from a propert of our brain is used by composers to make masterpieces.
It cannot be overemphasized that this principle possibly deriving from a property of our brain is used by great composers in composing masterpieces.
Example:
Vocalise Rachmaninov
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4rkcuhEV9q0
On Vocalise chords do change but one note at the time, like gradually one chord changing shale and morphing to the other. Most notes of a chord are kept the same on the next chord and change gradually as if playing a game of gradual chord progression change.
Another example:
Hello - Lionel Richie
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7hRPaIQMWbI
1st chord is A bass with A B C E. 2nd chord is G bass with G B C E and so on. it sounds fantastic even without the bass.
Another example is Chi Mai - Morricone written in F# minor.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DbHP9NtSnB0
This principle takes place thoughtout the piece. Notes from a chord to the next chord are lazily changed (or better saying not changed) creating prepared sevenths etc.
For example at the 51st second (0:51) the B bass with harmony B E G# changes at (0:45.5) to A bass harmony A C# G# ie prepared A major 7th, by the prepared G# note. And the bass of the previous chord although the it could have been E it is not. It is a lazy B which is nearer to where it was (it was already at B!) and where it is going which is to A.
At the end of the piece a lazy F# high note keeps playing through all the chords in a pedal bass way in melody. It is there all the time played in an interesting unexpected rhythm by the violins.
The sense of change is created by the lazy too bass going down step by step instead of jumping around the scale. Relativity at its best, the interval from bass to melody keeps increasing as it is the bass that gets more and more away from the constant F#. And the constant F# preparing our brain for Beaty and joy. The composer Morricone takes us by the hand and guide us to most of the miracles of the intervals of music in just a few seconds.
References:
Instructions for playing figured bass made for his scholars in music by Johann Sebastian Bach
http://normanschmidt.net/scores/bachjs-general_bass_rules.pdf
Musical Acoustics - Donald Hall
Vocalise - Rachmaninov - Piano Voice score
Prelude in C from the well tempered clavier score - J.S. Bach
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Πως θα Ηταν, part 2, trying getting it into shape
Assuming the key of this song to be the C minor scale. This means by definition that any E is E flat any A is A flat, any B is B flat.
Tempo is aproximately 58 beats per minute.
Every bar is 4 beats ie 4/4.
Figured bass is the notation of harmony.
Intro
Bar 1
E (ie Eb chord)
Bar 2
B7 (ie Bb minor 7th chord)
Bar 3
F (ie F minor chord)
Bar 4
E
Bar 5
E
Bar 6
B7
Bar 7
F
Bar 8
G
Verse
Bar 9
C (ie C minor chord)
(man at left channel)
Πως θα ή ταν στην αγ γα-
G - - - - - C A - G - - - G G G
Bar 10
G7 ie G minor 7th chord
λια σου σαν παι δι Να τραγου-
F - E D - - E F - - - - - F F F
Bar 11
A7 ie A major 7th chord
δα με στη βρο χή του'ο
E D - - C - D E - - - - - - C -
Bar 12
G ie G major
νει ρου
B - - G - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bar 13
G
Bar 14
C
(Woman at right channel)
Πως θα ή ταν σαν πε τα
G - - - - - C A - - G - - G G G
Bar 15
G7
λού δα να πε τώ Σαν τη δρο-
F - E D - - E F - - - - - F F F
Bar 16
A7
σιά του ου ρανού να
E - D C - - D E - - - - - - C -
Bar 17
G
Νοιώ θω
B - - G - - - - - -
Bar 19
G
- - - - - - - - - - - - Σε
G
Chorus
Bar 20
E (ie E flat Major)
Κη πο
B - - - - - - - - - - - - - B -
Bar 21
B7(ie B flat seventh)
Κη πο μα γι κο
A - - G F - G A - - - - - - - -
Bar 22
F(ie F minor)
Άν θη σου προσ φέ ρω Πρω τη' ε-
A - - A A - A A - - A - A - A -
Bar 23
E(ie E flat major)
-γώ Σε
A - - - G - - - - - - - - - G -
Bar 24
E (ie E flat Major)
Κη πο
B - - - - - - - - - - - - - B -
Bar 25
B7(ie B flat seventh)
Κη πο μα γι κο
A - - G F - G A - - - - - - - -
Bar 26
F(ie F minor)
Άν θη σου προσ φέ ρω Πρω τη' ε-
A - - A A - A A - - A - A - G -
Bar 27
G
-γώ
D - - - - - - G - - - -
Piano solo starting from Cm chord
melody (above C4) begins with D making a 9th interval
D4 - - - - - C G4 - - - - - - - - Cminor
- - F E F - E F - - E D - C D cminor
- - - - - - B G - - - - - - - Gm7
as line 2 Gm7
as line 1 with Amaj7
as line 2 with G major... Etc
Then clarino...
Then strings at chorus
Etc
Additional lyrics:
Πως θα ήταν, σαν πεταλούδα να πεταλούδα να πετω, απ την αλήθεια πιο γυμνή να είμαι. Πανω απο τα πλήθη να πετώ με την καρδιά μου να γελώ μαζι σου. Πως θα ήταν πρωτη φορά να σε κρατώ μες τη χαρά σου να ξυπνώ μαζι σου. Σαν πεταλούδα να πετώ ναι τη δροσιά του ουρανού να Νοιώθω. Πως θα ήταν το καθε χάδι σου πηγη να ξεφυλλίζει μεςα στην ψυχή μου. Πως θα ήταν να με κρατάς στην αμμουδιά και να γελάνε πανω νας τ αστέρια. When on piano solo playing kids and tope running backwards
Public Domain
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Δεν υπάρχει ταλέντο; Is there no talent?
Μάλλον δεν υπάρχει.
Η λέξη βγαίνει απο το τάλαντο. Τι είταν αυτο, αρχαίο νόμισμα; Πάρε ενα τάλαντο είσαι καλός;
Yπάρχει μ'αρεσει, δεν μ'αρεσει. Θελω, δεν θελω.
Οταν μας αρέσει κατι το κανουμε με χαρά και άγαπη και με τις πολλές ώρες πτήσεις γινόμαστε ολοένα καλύτεροι.
There may be not.
There is I like or I do not. I want or I do not want.
When we do what we like, we are happy, and the many hours of happiness or flight hours make us continuously better at anything we like.
Text Music Notation
Not standardized yet for worse or better.
It came out of the nessasity of writing down music while on the go on the iPhone text editor (the standard yellow icon notes app that comes with any iPhone).
Notes are symbolized with just letters as usual.
A for LA, B C D E F G for the rest of the notes.
When a note keeps being played the symbol - is used
For example A played for a whole beat
A---
A played for a whole bar
A---------------
The symbol o may be used for rest.
Harmony is notated as Bach's figured bass. A letter for the note and numbers for the code.
For example is the key is C minor. A7 means bass A, harmony C Eb G ie A flat major seventh.
More on melody notation.
The idea is of having for example a resolution of 16ths.
A melody can thus be written a plain text.
If a melody comes to mind it can be relatively quickly written down so that it is not forgotten.
Adding dummy lyrics or lyrics helps not only to composing the melody but to remember it as well in even better time resolution.
An example of the use is the following euroelectron post on an attempt to write down as much of the song Πως Θα Είταν, How would it be? while on the go.
Πως θα Ηταν
Can this be made into a song?
Μπορεί αυτο να γίνει τραγούδι;
Key is C minor.
Bach's notation is used so for example figured bass G7 means G bass, harmony Bb, D, F ie G minor seventh.
At chorus it modulates to E flat major.
Introduction shares the chords of chorus, possibly with some pedal bass of E flat.
Elements of lyrics.
Στίχοι δοκιμαστικοί.
Τραγουδάει Άντρας η Γυναίκα δηλαδή Α στο αριστερό κανάλι Γ στο δεξί κσι σε κάποια σημεία μαζι. Α for male singer Γ for female , Left channel, R channel,respectively.
Θα υπάρχουν φωνητικά με ολη τη συγχορδία οπως στο Baby don't go - Close II you
Οι στίχοι κάπως ετςι·
Α Πως θα είταν
Α Στην ομορφιά σου να ξυπνώ
Γ καθε στιγμή να σου γελώ
(Instrument C-B---G---------------)
Γ Πως θα είταν
Α Στην αγκαλιά σου σαν παιδι
Γ Να τραγουδάμε στη βροχή
(Instrument reply C-B---G----------------)
Πως θα είταν
Γ σαν πεταλούδα να πετώ
Α μες τη δροσιά σου να μεθώ
....
Chorus
Σ' έναν κήπο
Κήπο μαγικο
Λουλούδια σου μαζεύω
Γ πρωτη εγώ ( C-B---G---)
Το κοματι ειναι 4/4
Bass
GB
Ccc c cccccgb. C
Ccc c cccccgc C
Bibb bbbbbbbeb. G7
Aaaaacaaaaaa. A7
Gggggdgdggggg. G
Αφου ο οπλισμός ειναι με Μι ύφεση, Λα ύφεση, Σι ύφεση εννοείται οτι G7 ειναι Σολ μινόρε έβδομης, Λα ειναι λα ύφεση μεγάλη έβδομη κτλ
Το μπαςο δεν παιζει απο την αρχή στο κοματι.
Μελωδία
Πως θα είταν G----(πως)F(θα)Α--(ει)G----(ταν). Cm
--------------GGG. Cm
F--ED--Ef----- (Στην αγκαλιά σου σαν παιδι). FFf. Gmin7
EeedC-CDE------(Να σε χαϊδεύω στη βροχή). Amaj7
C-B---G------- G
Chorus
G-
B-------------B- Eb major
A--GF- -GA-----A- Bb minor
A--GAGA-- A F minoA--
--G----- G dim to G
Άλλες ιδέες στοιχων:
.....
Recap.
Ας το αφήσουμε αυτο να μας δίνει:
Ειναι αυτοί οι δυο άνθρωποι σαν κύκνοι. Γνωρίζουν οτι κάποτε θα ειναι μαζι. Περιμένουν ποτε και η και προετοιμάζονται. Οςο πλησιάζει ο καιρός η ανυπομονησία τους αυξάνει και ειναι καλη άσκηση για την ψυχή.
Σαν σε όνειρο ειναι σε ενα ολάνθιστο κήπο. Ο άντρας μαζεύει οτι κατώτερο εχει να της το προσφερει. Άνθη πανέμορφα απο καθε είδος και χρωμα. Το κανει και η γυναίκα. Μόλις ο άντρας την πλησιάσει για της τα δώσει με τα δυο το χέρια απλωμένα ανοιχτά η γυναίκα εχει ήδη προλάβει και του δίνει Με τα δυο της χέρια απλωμένα ανοιχτά οτι καλυτερο μάζεψε.
Ετςι το κοματι εχει περίπου 58 beats per minute (BPM) χτυπάει κοντα στο δευτερόλεπτο.
Η αγωνία αυξάνει καθώς εξελίσσεται το κοματι με την συνδετική συγχορδία απο Verse σε chorus να παρατείνεται όλο και πιο πολλά μέτρα. Η Mi ύφεση ματζορε.
(Καποα στιγμή προς το τέλος στα σόλο τα παντα σταματάνε απότομα απο Μι ύφεση ματζορε. Απόλυτη ησυχία για ενα ολόκληρο μετρο. Αναδιοργάνωση για τον εγκέφαλο,του ακροατή. Μπαίνει tutti, ολα τα δώρα μαζι. Συμφωνική, απλωμένα έγχορδα, Hamond Organ με Leslie, και οι φωνές ξαναπαίζουν μαλακά με φωνητικά. Ολα λάμπουν και μοιάζει και ο Ηλιος, το μεταλοφωνο. Πολλές απο τις συγχορδίες έχουν γίνει πια ένατες με παιχνίδι στα έγχορδα και τα vocals. Πχ Σολ ψηλά προετοιμασμένο καθιστα την Φα μινόρε ένατη, Φα διεση προετοιμασμένο καθιστά την Μι ύφεση ματζορε 9η. To κοματι τελειώνει στο απειρο με γαλήνιο fade out.)
To κοματακιξεκινάει μόνο με Harmony, οχι μελωδία οπως το Breathe - Pink Floyd.
Μπαίνει κατευθείαν στο ψητό. Πρωτη συγχορδία με τσαμπουκά Μι ύφεση ματζορε.
Επόμενη Σι ύφεση μινόρε έβδομης.
Επόμενη Φα μινόρε.
Ο ήχος γδύνεται και μένει μόνο κιθάρες η πιάνο ώστε οταν θα μπει ο άντρας να εχει όλο σχεδόν τι frequency domain δικό του, (τρυπα για τη φωνή).
Άντρας στο αριστερό κανάλι ...
Γυναίκα στο δεξί.
Ολα ήρεμα και ωραια. Φωνές αβιαςτεδ, ήρεμες, πεντακάθαρες με οτιδήποτε χρειαστεί, Pleiades filters, Pultec κτλ. Οι τραγουδιστές ακούνε ιςως live και ακούνε παρα πολυ σιγα για να ακούνε σωστά τονικα.
Ολα όργανα Roland Juno, Solina String Ensemble, EKO mono synth για bass, effects, Oberheim DMX drum machine με electric bass drum και snare drum.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Example of the hit song ingredient Key
Different scales produce different feel.
For example a piece of music written in a scale that has all the white notes and therefore chords with white notes feels very different to one written mainly on black keyboard notes.
An example is the beautiful Chariots of Fire - Vangelis. It is written on the C sharp major scale. Most notes of this scale are black.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSav51fVlKU
Playing this piece on the piano to a 4 year old kid at the original key and then to the nearest one ie the C major key which has all the white notes makes a tremendous difference. It is almost impossible to listen to this piece of music on C major. When the piece was replayed at the original C sharp major everyone including the kid who possibly had just heard the piece for the first time in its life was relieved with joy.
Why such a difference?
Does the piano sound better on black keys? (The piano used must have been tuned to roughly A4
447Hz).
Is the inner ear basilar membrane a body in itself?
Transposing a piece of music means change in the frequency domain and so different adjacent parts of the basilar membrane are caressed by the hair cells.
Who caresses who? The basilar membrane caresses or is it being caressed?
Is it like a cat rubbing itself around our leg? Is the leg caressing the cat or the cat caressing the leg? Or does the cat want to get rid of some hair because it is summertime?
Another example of a beautiful scale is B minor. It feels in a certain way. An example is The Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cVBCE3gaNxc
In fact B minor does not stay for long as the piece is modulating to G Dorian, which has only the black note of B flat.
It seems impossible to listen to this piece at a different scale or Key. Why? Perhaps it is because the composer Rick Wright made this piece by improvisation, he was guided by what he heard. It is the music that drive us, not we driving the music.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AuaBXUDQvB8
Is there a theory that explains why different scales produce different sensations to our soul?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CwzjlmBLfrQ
References:
Musical Acoustics - Donald Hall
The Making of the Dark Side of the Moon - DVD - (also on YouTube)
Sound and Hearing - Stevens, Warshofsky - Time Life
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
An amazing example of counterpoint just the way it is
From the film Pitch Perfect, a capella, Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYccBQH-Lg
Examples of hit song ingredient 4 Chords Only
Ordinary Day - Dolores O'Riordan
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2m_CSxL-9E8
The bass loops (repeats) every 4 notes.
There may also me the hit song ingredient, Varispeed, on voice. A way to do Varispeed is running the tape a bit slower. The backing track is therefore lowered say a semitone. The vocal is sung and tracked at that pitch. Then at playback the tape speed is brought back to normal. So everything is in correct pitch but the voice sounds more fresh. It can also be done on software Samplitude by changing the sampling rate at recording and then setting it back to normal at playback.
This shift in frequency domain makes the voice sound younger.
Another great example of 4 Chords Only:
The sequence in bass (as heared by one of the a capella singers is:
G flat (lasting for 4 slow beats)
E flat (lasting for 4 slow beats)
C flat ditto
G flat
G flat
E flat
C flat
G flat
Etc
Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars, Pitch Perfect film version
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYccBQH-Lg
Another hit song ingredient here is the very rare scale used, G flat major or F sharp major. It consists of mosty black keys on the piano.
Drawing with Light
It is frustrating when combining many ink colors that black is produced.
Whereas when combining light of may colors white light is produced, as white light contains all visible light frequencies.
This is because paint works by absorbing the light frequencies that it does not reflect.
Is it possible to have markers that emit light colors? Then every color could be produced by adjusting how much of red, how much of green, how much of blue.
Has this been made in software for example an app for painting on iPad in a light additive rather than subtractive way?
Monday, June 19, 2017
Example of the hit song ingredients Code and Pedal Bass
The brilliant Cenerentola - Martinelli
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dS968ofxm3E
Full of Code. There are 4ths above the bass 6ths etc, very like what for example Vivaldi was doing.
Pedal Bass is at the introduction and begging of chorus.
The song is written in D minor ie Re minore. So any B is B flat.
The introduction or chorus start with F major ie Fa magore.
Below are the lyrics of the chorus and we see the point in time where the harmony changes.
This (bass F, harmony A C F) must be the night
Cindere- (bass F, harmony B D G) -la is in the light
Oh now can't (bass E, harmony G C E) you see her eyes
In Bach's figured bass notation the progression should be F then F 2 4 6 then E 6
Are the brilliant synthesizers used based on the M112 SGS Thompson sound generator chip developed by Italy and France? Is a Solton Kentron programmer synth used?
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Saturday, June 17, 2017
Learning most there is to music in a few pages by Johann Sebastian Bach
It is found in the appendix of Spitta's biography of Bach.
The text is based on what Niedt gave to Bach when Bach was young.
Rules and Instructions for Playing Thorough-bass or Accompaniment in Four Parts, made for his Scholars in music by Herr Johann Sebastian Bach, of Leipzig, Royal Court Composer and Capellmeister, also Director of ...
https://books.google.gr/books?id=sc-JCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA315&lpg=PA315&dq=instruction+for+playing+thorough+bass+made+by+herr+johann+sebastian+bach&source=bl&ots=-mdXIv8seS&sig=72Nsn7bA0omhDi6M9aqFQAMzti4&hl=el&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwih8_TUl8XUAhVJCMAKHWgIAX4Q6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=instruction%20for%20playing%20thorough%20bass%20made%20by%20herr%20johann%20sebastian%20bach&f=fa
How Johann Sebastian Bach prepared 7ths or 9ths and added to them the 3rds
A great example is this:
Air - J.S. Bach
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E2j-frfK-y
Reference:
Instructions for playing thorough bass and 4 part harmony made by Herr Johann Sebastian Bach to his scholars in music - Bach's biography - Spitta - appendix
https://books.google.gr/books?id=sc-JCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA315&lpg=PA315&dq=instruction+for+playing+thorough+bass+made+by+herr+johann+sebastian+bach&source=bl&ots=-mdXIv8seS&sig=72Nsn7bA0omhDi6M9aqFQAMzti4&hl=el&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwih8_TUl8XUAhVJCMAKHWgIAX4Q6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=instruction%20for%20playing%20thorough%20bass%20made%20by%20herr%20johann%20sebastian%20bach&f=false
How to make a Karaoke L-R headphone or a Pleiades song reverse engineering adaptor
Your own risk.
We need a male stereo 1/8in headphone jack and a female 1/8in headphone cable socket.
The ground of the female is connected to the left pin of the male.
The 2 signal pins of the female are short circuited and connected to the right pin of the male.
Some 4 pin iPhone headphone-mic male to 2 female splitters do this when they are wrongly connected to a normal 3 pin headphone output.
Very useful for hearing the subtle detail of pop music such as delays used, reverbs, vocal harmonies.
In short the signal is taken from the male L and R output pins.
It can also be made with RCA connectors. A signal transformer is the best way. The primary is connected to L and R. The secondary is the output.
Reference:
Ear training part III - Euroelectron
Ear training part III
Listening to a favorite song with headphones but not the left ear to the left signal and the right ear to the right signal ie not in stereo but in the following way:
A special headphone socket plug adapter must be made so that both ears listen to the difference signal that is R-L or L-R. Next euroelectron post describes how the adaptor is made.
This is also called the karaoke signal.
When listening to the L-R signal the bass and the voice which are normally equal at both channels disappear.
At the same time all the subtle vocals and choirs are magnified as they usually are spread to full left and full right.
This is a nice way to study how those beautiful harmony vocals are done on pop music.
For example on the following beautiful song when the chord is A major all the girls sing A, all again multitracked C# and all again multitracked E. Then they keep singing those notes while the bass changes from A to F# and automatically an F# minor 7th chord (F A C# E) is created.
Babe don't go - Close II You
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt6-Wf_ryTM
A guess is that apart from the great ability of the singers they must have been listening to the backing track at very low levels to aid them in the extraordinary intonation. Pitch perception depends on intensity level as well as frequency.
Reference: Sound and Hearing - Stevens Warshofsky - Time Life science library
Ear training part II
It is extremely helpful listening to "classical" music while reading the full score.
Music libraries are great for doing this.
Some YouTube vids have the score too.
Example:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=E2j-frfK-yg
It is amazing what you can do with 4 voices.
Mike Oldfield on how he made the Tubular Bells demo
"Doctoring the Bang and Olufsen tape machine with wire snippers and sticky tape and sticky tape to block off the erase head, I was able to bounce from one track to the other..."
Reference:
http://www.soundonsound.com/people/classic-tracks-mike-oldfield-tubular-bells
Phil Ramone on John Barry
"John Barry's scores were always rhythmic, and he often went against the grain. For example a John Barry cue written to accompany a high-speed car chase was unlike anything you'd expect. Instead of a pulsating theme to underscore the scene, John would go on the opposite direction. Brilliant!"
Reference:
Making Records - Phil Ramone - page 227
Friday, June 16, 2017
Reducing leakage of backing track to vocal microphone must had helped singers to sing in tune
This must have been a very helpful for exact intonation byproduct.
If there is low acoustic intensity level of the backing track or live orchestra to the mic this means there is a low acoustic level to the singer's ear too.
This means the singer can hear a true pitch as pitch does not only depend on frequency but on intensity too. This is how our ear-brain perception works.
Every measure taken to reduce leakage, for example:
Singer without headphones in a semi open vocal booth near the orchestra.
Singer listening through a small speaker near to them (the Bee Gees).
Orchestra playing at soft levels,
etc,
must have helped for the spot on tuning performances we hear on some recordings.
It is easy to verify this by having for example a radio playing in the room and singing along and then reducing the volume of the radio to a very low level. Or having the radio in a room and singing in another room and then closing the door between the rooms.
A similar experiment can be made with listening to headphones at very low levels.
Reference:
Sound and Hearing - Stevens, Warshofsky - Time-Life Books
2 Beautiful examples of the hit song ingredient Pedal Bass
Beginning of :
Kayleigh - Marillion
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ4oaLUilBc
The song is written on Si minor, ie Do and Fa are sharp. The first few bars are Si on Bass with Si minor chord (Si Re Fa) and Si staying on Bass with La major (La Do Mi) chord (the next step on the left of the keyboard using the notes of Si minor scale).
Life goes on always towards the best.
Symphony No. 40 - Mozart
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qzBwa2jI1Oc
The symphony is written is Sol minor, ie Si is Si flat. The first 4 bars are Sol bass and Sol minor chord (Sol Si Re), the 5th and 6th bars are Sol again on Bass and (La Do), one step on the right of the keyboard using the notes of the Sol minor scale).
Πως συνδέουμε πολλά η ενα μικρόφωνο στο iPhone χωρις κονσόλα;
Περιγραφή στα διπλανά posts του euroelectron οπως και σε άλλα euroelectron posts.
Is it possible to make a top sound quality song with just an iPhone?
Your own risk.
Without even Gargeband.
What is needed:
Just a great, not necessarily very expensive, mic. For an obvious example, moving coil microphones including of course vintage ones are great.
Then an input signal transformer as is done on great studio preamps. A great input transformer can be made by winding a primary and a secondary winding on a Nanoperm Nanocrystalinne Magnetec core. For example a Pleiades transformer. The microphone is connecte to the the few turns primary winding and the stepped up signal from the more turns secondary is the output.
Then a K117 JFET with just a 200 ohms resistor from its source and ground. For example the Pleiades K117 one transistor (JFET) preamp. The secondary of the input trasformer is connected to the gate of the JFET and ground.
Then the iPhone, connection to the headphones mic socket, which supplies power for the JFET too. The mic pin is connected directly to the drain pin of the JFET.
All the above can be made modular using Neutrik modules for example the Pleiades microphone modules. One module is the Pleiades stepup or proximity compensating input transformer, another module is the Pleiades K117. All these are plugin types with XLR female and male Neutrik module adaptors.
Signal Path:
Microphone - Pleiades input step up transformer - Pleiades K117 - iPhone, iPad etc
Pleiades schematics and concepts are open source.
References:
Other posts on euroelectron with schematics etc.
How can many mics be connected to iPhone without a (mixer) adder.
Your own risk.
Many microphones can be connected in electrically series - parallel combinations.
Example signal path:
Many mics in series parallel combinations - Pleiades input transformer - Pleiades K117 (one JFET transistor low noise preamp - iPhone or iPad etc
Pleiades concepts and schematics are open source
Reducing very low frequency rubble with Pleiades filters
Best to cut it at source.
For example isolating to the structure of low frequency vibrating equipment, motors, air conditioning etc or stopping them.
If it is not possible and the isolated microphone is pickup up all this coupled vibration to air waves, a Pleiades filter may be very useful.
It consists of just a coil inductor connected in parallel with the output of the microphone. That is at pins 2 and 3. It is a gentle 6dB per octave filter.
Any cutof frequency and be made by adjusting the number of wound turns on a tape wound core such as the Nanocrystalinne Nanoperm cores by Magnetec.
The lower the turnover cutoff frequency, say 20Hz, the more turns are needed.
For male voice 100Hz may be excellent if an omnidirectional mic is used. Or 200Hz or more may be even better as this compensates for the Fletcher Munson and voice effort curves that increase bass
perception to our brain.
If directional microphones are used then a Pleiadss filter of even more than 500Hz may be needed for
flat frequency response from vocal chords of singer-actor to listener's brain as the proximity effect needs to compensated too. The right cutoff frequency will depend on the distance of the mic to the source.
So far the Beyer M55 and the Philips N8 207 are two mics tested not to need any of the above. They can make a soft singing voice sound as natural as possible even at loud reproducing intensity.
Of course how voices sound in the room itself is very important. Panel bass absorbers are very useful as they convert bass reverberating sound to heat. An example are the panels by Bill Putnam on the studio later named Ocean Way. Such panels can be seen on the back CD cover of Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys. Or on a photo of the Mamas and Papas singing. Were they singing California Dreaming?
Pleiades schematics and concepts are open source.
Reference:
Acoustics of Radio and Television Studios - Gilford - BBC
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
What did president Kennedy say to producer Phil Ramone
Extract from Phil Ramone's book on chapter 17. On page 205 a White House evening on Broadway favorites featuring music and dance is described.
...The show began, and the first three numbers were well received. During the de Mille piece, however, the room was suddenly plunged into darkness.
The tape machine stopped, and the dancers froze in position.
The Secret Service swept into action.
Before long the White House electrician discovered that the fuses in White House were only fifteen amps, which wasn't adequate for the demands of our equipment.
The poor electrician got the fuse replaced, and the tape picked up where it left off. The dancers unfroze and finished the number to a rousing ovation.
I felt my White House career was over before it got started. I felt as though I had embarrassed both the president and myself. It was one of the few times in my life I felt mortified.
Mingling in the reception hall afterwards, I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard the reassuring voice of the president. He'd seen how distraught I was. "This is not something you could have controlled. It was still a sensational evening."
I was stunned.
I was a visitor in the president's house, and here he was trying to console me. "Think about how many people will talk about this, and never forget being in the White House when the lights went out." Kennedy said. "It's still a damned shame." I replied. "We have to do something about the electrical system in the East Room."
A week later I received a lovely thank you letter from President Kennedy. Soon after, the White House social secretary called and asked if I'd be available to do the next state dinner...
Another book that describes moments of great men is the 2nd reference.
References:
Making Records, The Scenes Behind the Music - Phil Ramone - First Edition
How to Make Friends and Influence your Environment - Dale Cargenie - free PDF
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Pleiades inline Equalizers
They may also be inside beautiful modular Neutrik XLR female to male adapters.
Usually just an inductor in parallel with the mic signal (connected at pins 2 and 3) is enough. This is the Pleiades filter.
Other L C R (inductor, capacitor, resistor) combinations may prove useful as presence EQs etc.
If a particular combination may be found useful for a particular singer or instrumentalist and their microphone the right values of L C R may fit inside the adaptor for instant recall of the sound just by connecting the Pleiades XLR adaptor directly to the microphone.
Pleiades schematics and concepts are open source.
Reference:
Engineering Circuit Analysis - Hayt, Kemmerly - McGRAW-HILL
Foundations of Wireless - Scroggie
Additional filters for the Pleiades no loss passive (mixer) adder
To cut high frequencies at the gentle slope of 6dB per octave, for example.
Inductors inside male XLR connectors that will be in series may be used.
Capacitors in parallel.
Resistors or variable resistors in series, to adjust slope.
Also if a male XLR with a C (capacitor) inside is connected for example in parallel with a (male XLR) with an L (inductor) inside, then a reasonant filter is made.
R II side anothe male XLR in series change the Q or slope around the peak.
Any combination is possible.
And it reminds a bit the most low level (near machine) of all languages, machine code, done on analog circuits.
In fact it is an analog computer computing the waveform at the speed of light. Electrons doing the job directly.
And our brain judging and making decisions on how to program it to get the desired balance sound end result.
This is done using the minimum of passive components and simplest signal path without op amps and without power supply.
The vibrating electrons from the microphones are adjusted directly.
Any filter can be programmed at any gentle slope by just inserting the right male XLRs.
Another way is using a patch bay matrix such as the one found on EMS VCS3 synthesizer.
Or if very useful and interesting values of L are found they can be hardwired with selector switches.
Then of course at the output of this console adder (mixer) a preamplifier can be connected. Or a low noise pre preamplifier such as the Pleiades V series before driving an analog magnetic recorder and then a very high quality minimal signal path analog to digital converter.
It may be found by experimenting whether a D to A converter can be driven directly without using an analog recorder.
Another option is to use the instatenious magnetic Pleiades analog processor which consists of a receding amplifier driving a recording head, the playback head touching the recording head at the air gap and then a playback amplifier.
Or instead of heads a magnetic ring core such as mumetal or Nanoperm can be wound as a transformer with 2 windings. The constant recording current at all frequencies characteristic arranged by the high output impedance of the recording amplifier will make the ring core saturate in a similar way to magnetic tape analog recording.
Or a magnetic tape may be used for making a tape wound ring core. By winding the tape itself as when using tape spools, and making a toroidal shape. And then winding the two wire windings around this core, in an attempt to make an analog model of tape saturating by using the tape itself. And the billions billions of electrons inside it with their spins accordingly dynamically alligned performing instantaneous peak limiting processing at the speed of light of the music signal that lights our hearts.
Monday, June 12, 2017
Κι αν σε πουν μηδενικό δεν πειράζει ελεύθερη-ος να είσαι
And if they call you a loser it does not matter, freedom does matter.
Pleiades programable passive console with no loss
At your own risk. When 2 or more microphones are connecte together the vibration of the membrane of one makes the vibration of the membrane of the others too unless hybrid transformers are used. Experiments have been done with moving coil microphones so far.
It consists of many XLR female input connectors joined electrically in series parallel combinations. Everything including each mic level adjustment, filtering etc is done with inductors, resistors in parsllel etc before feeding the resultant output to a microphone preamplifier. More on how this is done towards to end of this post.
On BBC or EMI consoles processing of the level of the microphone signal was done before the tube preamplifiers. For example each mic on the simplified block schematic of the REDD.37 or .51used for Beatles etc., the attenuators and LF boost circuits are before the V72 preamplifiers.
And clearly on BBC or EMI productions we can listen to the low hiss or noise or dynamic sounding miracles. And these consoles were low hiss dynamic sounding miracles too.
A similar process happens by our ears. The tympani (outer ear) is mechanically coupled to the middle ear containing the 3 tiny leverage bones. They perform automatic gain control and impedance matching. The inner ear then takes on electronically. Electrons are involved of course and current theories may involve both analog and digital transmission by nerves to brain.
Of course electron forces (electrons repel each other) do the job in the middle and outer ear too. Bones do not touch, it is electrons that repel. Molecules of air striking the tympani do not touch. It is again electrons that repel. More on this on the nearby euroelectron post.
Back to the console.
It is a generalization of the concept described on connecting many Beyer M55 microphones together, on a previous euroelectron post.
The female XLRs or 3 pin DIN or Tuchel may be cable connectors of chassis connectors.
Assuming use of Neutrik XLR chassis connectors.
Many female connectors are connected in parallel series combinations.
Many male XLR cable connectors are made such a way that some are:
0Ω links ie pin 2 internaly connected to 3.
Resistance or variable resistance links between 2 and 3.
An inductor connected between pins 2 and 3 ie a Pleiades filter.
The console uses the following properties, given in these examples:
A mic of 500Ω connected in parallel to a mic of 500Ω make a combined signal output impedance of 250Ω. Ie a new mic with 2 feeds whose output impedance is 250Ω.
A mic of say 200Ω connected in series to a mic of 250Ω make a mic with combined output of 550Ω.
Higher impedance does not mean higher noise as the signal is higher too since signals, varying voltages, or instatenious voltages are added.
In general series connections may be preferable as modern preamplifiers may be noisy and higher voltages at the input help riding above their noise floor. The good thing about modern preamps is that they may have an input impedance of even 5KΩ making a joy to connect microphones in series ,Christmas tree bulb way.
If the impedance gets too high, it may be easily reduced by connections 2 or more high Z groups together in parallel.
A mic connected to to a Pleiades filter ie inductor is compensated for the proximity or other Fletcher Munson or voice effort effects.
A Pleiades filter of cutoff frequency f1 connected in parallel with another Pleiades filter of f2 cutoff frequency creates a resultant filter of f=f1+f2 cutoff frequency. The slope is still gentle 6dB per octave and this addition property is proved at an earlier euroelectron post.
Microphones can be attenuated by a resistor in parallel with them and omnidirectional microphones are not affected in frequency responce. Cardioid ones are affected in bass responce due to their impedance being larger at low frequencies and this may be used to advantage compensating the proximity effect.
So the:
0 Ω XLR male links are used to complete the circuit in the absence of a microphone.
The Pleiadss Male XLRs (inductor inside them) are used to compensate for the proximity effect. In fact they increase mid or highs by decreasing unwanted lows. So they are substantive filters that can be used as EQs without reducing the wanted frequency component of the signal. Pleiadss filters can be connected to create any desired cutoff frequency or microphone focus distance. A combination just 3 filters of 100Hz, 200Hz, 400Hz can create all the binary combinations of 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800 Hz.
There is not way to overload this system as mic balancing is done before any active device. And this was done on those legendary EMI consoles, the first gain adjustment was a mic attenuator for each mic.
Of course microphone output quality was top and hot at these days by using Neumann U47 microphones that have one stage of electron tube amplification inside them.
If more sensitivity from a mic is needed a Pleiades electron tube amplifier can be connected between a mic's voice coil output. They are one stage too with minimum number of components too and 3V battery operated including heaters and anode. This is made possible by a 4Mohm resistor from anode to control grid to neutralize it and free electrons to travel to the anode of low potential.
Pleiades schematics and concepts are open source.
References:
Online simplified block diagram for EMI REDD.37 or .51
High Quality Sound Production and Reproduction - Haden - BBC Sound recording and reproduction - VVC
Microphones - Lou Burroughs
On preserving transconductance of electron tubes at anode potential as low as 3 volts - euroelectron blogspot
Other Euroelectron posts on Pleiades filters or amplifiers including the post on connecting many M55 microphones together
Acknowledgement to Sean Davies for letting known his admiration of the BBC techniques of combining signals before the amplification taking place as his making of condencer capsule amplifiers with electrometer tubes. This played its importance while experimenting with them in coming up with the Pleiades preamplifier.
Phenomena around us made possible by electrons
Almost anything really.
Here are a few examples:
Floating in water.
Electrons on our body repelling electrons of water.
Airplanes dynamically floating on air.
Electron on the plane repelling air electrons.
Friction. Electrons ripped off. This is why we may see sparks.
Seeing.
Electrons vibrating at the sun make electrons on earth vibrate too and then the electrons in our eyes vibrate too when we watch those objects.
Seeing our self in the mirror.
Same, the mirror is metal coated behind the glass. Jealous electron mimic exactly what the electrons on our body do.
Music information traveling from the transmitter antenna to the radio antenna.
Jealous electrons in the radio antenna imitate the dance of electrons of the transmitting antenna to music.
Electrons remembering their orbit creating magnetised domains on analog audio tape or digital data hard disks.
Touching someone. Atoms cannot touch each other. It is the repealing action of electrons that get close and repel each other when we are touching. Like the same poles of magnets being approached. Knowing this does not reduce the mystery. Hugging also involves heat transfer from one body to the other by convection, conduction and radiation (jealous electrons again).
Energy transmition from our sun to us. Electrons on the sun move in all sorts of very quick ways and vibrations. When the electromagnetic wave traveling at the speed of light arriving makes jealous electrons on earth imitate. And flowers look all kinds of colors. Everything is heated up as molecules and electrons increase their average speed... We may also say that packets of energy called photons travel from the sun to earth at the speed of light.
When we rub for example amber it then attracts small pieces of paper. It becomes charged by electrons being ripped out from one of the materials. Amber in Hellenic is called Ηλεκρον. And this is form where the name electron and electricity comes from.
Electric current is the flow of electrons.
Microphones convert the vibration of molecules carrying the music information signal to vibrations of electrons carrying the music signal.
Then we can do all sorts of things utilizing the property of electrons repealing each other or the fact that they are jealous.
For example:
Sending the music signal at the speed of light through the mic cable full of free electrons to the amplifier. Amplify the signal by electron tubes or transistors. Store the music signal in magnetic tape or disks or flash memory etc. using electrons. It is not the electrons that move at the speed of light. It is the wave (one electron repealing the other) ie the transfer of energy that moves at the speed of light.
Don't they ever get tired?
Stationary electrons create electric fields.
Moving rake tries magnetic field.
Vibrating electrons create electromagnetic fields. When another electron in the universe is met by this electromagnetic field it vibrates too (the jealous part).
Reference:
Feynman Lectures in Physics - Feynmann, Leighton, Sands, Addison Wesley publishers
Conceptual Physics - Hewitt
Richard Feynman on YouTube
Aknowkedments to Teachers Mpampis Pantazatos, Alekos Soupianos, Dr. Robert Pettifer
Sunday, June 11, 2017
How to lucid dream, Πως γινεται το διαυγές ονειρεμα
The key is becoming conscious while dreaming that we are dreaming.
They we can do as we like.
Why leaving for mastering such important issues such as the Fletcher Munson curves?
Briefly stated the higher the intensity of a sound the more bass heavy it sounds to our mind.
Since we usually amplify voices or for example the sound of vibrating strings in an electric bass much more than reality the brain ends up perceiving a bathtub like frequency responce curve with exagerated low and usually high frequencies.
Is this why the Pultec production EQ was made for? With its nice ring core inductors an example is that it can artfully low cut or high pass so that the sound of an instrument is correct at the level we want it to be reproduced.
The Pleiades filter is an attmpt to do this at a gentle 6dB per octave low cut right at the output of the mic or for example the pickup of an electric bass.
It pays to get the sound close to being right, right at the beginning of the signal path.
Excessive low frequencies that will end up to be low cut later may intermodulate with higher frequencies inside active amplification devices, creating unmusical overtones that may compromise sound.
The Pleiades filter is just a wound coil or inductor connected directly in parallel with the mic voice coil or say an electric bass pickup coil.
It can be would on Magnetec Nanoperm nanocrystsline ring cores. These cores have an extremely high inductance index so given needed inductance can be achieved by relatively few turns.
One can decide on the bass cut (turnover frequency) needed by adjusting the number of turns wound on this toroidal core.
Such Pleiades filters ie inductors can be seen inside RCA ribbon microphones, Electro-Voice RE15, RE16 microphones etc at various needed turnover frequencies to compensate for the proximity bass effect.
They are very useful for compensating.
The proximity effect.
Fletcher Munson Equal loudness curves
Voice effort curves (the softer we sing the more bass and treble our voice produces, or conversely the louder we sing the more midrange we produce)
Pleiades schematics or concepts are open source.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Pleiades bass guitar DI transformer Φτιάχνοντας απιστευτο ήχο ηλεκτρικού μπάσου
It would be nice to make a Pleiades DI transformer for electric bass with reduced inductance of the transformer winding at the guitar side.
5 Henries may be suitable.
It will operate as a Pleiades high pass filter in synergy with the pickup output impedance.
This would compensate for Fletcher Munson curves giving:
A beautiful bass sound that is not muddy or low end emphasized to our mind perception.
Amazing middle and high end detail reminding of the beautiful 60's electric bass recordings for example.
Other ways to get this sound is to just connect a Pleiades filter of say 5 Henries across the output of the bass guitar.
Or bypassing everything in the bass guitar and connecting the Pleiades filter (5 Henry inductor) in series with the tone control potentiometer and the combination in parallel with the pickup.
This would give a variable low cut or high pass as on an Sennheiser MD421 or MD441 moving coil microphone.
Or winding another winding to the Pleiades filter connected to the pickup. And using the secondary for giving a nice balanced output.
Suitable amazing magnetic cores can be Magnetec Nanocrystalinne Nanoperm ring tape wound cores.
The Pleiades filter is a gentle 6dB per octave filter. The turnover frequency is adjusted by the number of turns wound on the ring (toroidal) core. The filter is an LR filter. L is the inductor and R is the output impedance of the bass pickup or for example the voice coil of a moving coil microphone. Together they form a potential decider. The output at the pickup or voice coil becomes frequency dependent as the reactance of an inductor is frequency dependent. In few words, the highter the frequency the less the inductor short circuits the output of the pickup or microphone moving coil.
These techniques are used in world class microphones such as Electro-Voice RE16, Sennheiser MD421, MD441, RCA ribbon microphones,..., to compensate for the proximity effect, Fletcher Munson equal loudness curves, voice effort curves etc.
Πως βρίσκουμε σε πια κλίμακα ειναι γραμμένο ενα κοματι How to find in which key a musical piece is written
Usually it is the first bass note or chord of the piece or the last.
Συνήθως ειναι η πρωτη η τελευταία νότα μπάσου (βαςης) η συγχορδία του κομματιού.
For example Yesterday - Mc Cartney begins with bass F and chord F major.
Για παραδειγμα το Yesterday - Mc Cartney ξεκινάει με μπαςο (βαςη) Φα και συγχορδία Φα ματζορε.
How to play any piece of music by ear
It is done by trial and error.
The bass is the key and it comes from the Hellenic word Βασις which means foundation or base.
We let a piece of music play in the room.
If using the piano we try by the left hand to find the suitable bass note by trial and error.
We then find the corresponding chord by the rule 1 3 5.
For example Breathe- Pink Floyd.
The bass changes alternately from E to A.
The chords are E G B and A C E where C is C sharp because the scale happens to be E Dorian which has the C sharp.
Many artful pieces deviate from 1 3 5 at various points.
For example the beautiful point when the Pink Floyd piece changes to C bass. The right hand plays E G B. The B natural is an interval of major seventh distant from the bass so the chord is called C major 7th.
If we are stuck we can always read a score book.
This can be how we learn something we did not know and then we can recognize it by ear next time.
Music is fun.
A fairytale describing how music works
This is a fairytale with Canelina the cat the 2 wise seagulls and her boyfriend, the cat with the green ribbon.
It is explains figured bass which is the basis of music and composition according to Johan Sebastian Bach.
The fairytale is written in Hellenic at the following euroelectron post.
It is public domain like everything else Pleiades on euroelectron.
Η Κανελινα και η Βάση με Αριθμούς
Η Κανελινα κλαίει απαρηγόρητη,
Παντού γύρω της ακούει την έκφραση εναριθμο βάσιμο και δεν καταλαβαίνει καθόλου τι σημαίνει.
Αποφασίζει βραδιάτικα να παει στην παραλια να βρει τους σοφούς γλάρους.
Αφου σκευτηκαν αποφαςιςαν καλύτερα να το λέμε βάση με αριθμούς.
Της ειπαν λοιπόν:
Η λέξη μπαςο σύμφωνα με τον συνθέτη Γιόχαν Σεμπαστιαν Μπαχ προέρχεται απο την Ελληνική λέξη βάση. Και αυτο ειναι. Το μπαςο η η Βάση ειναι οι χαμηλές νότες. Οι νότες που έχουν χαμηλή συχνοτητα παλμικων δονήσεων. Οι νότες δηλαδή με μικρη συχνοτητα. Δηλαδή οι νότες με τις οποίες τα μόρια του αέρα πηγαινοέρχονται γύρω απο τη θέση ισορροπίας τους λίγες φορες το δευτερόλεπτο.
Για παραδειγμα σε ενα ηλεκτρικό μπαςο (electric bass guitar) η ενα ακουστικό μπαςο η πιο μπάσα χορδή Μι συμπληρωνει περίπου 33 κύκλους παλινδομικής κινηςης μεςα σε ενα δευτερόλεπτο. Η αλλιώς παλεται με 33 κύκλους το δευτερόλεπτο. Η αλλιώς 33 Χερτζ η 33Hz. Η λέξη προέρχεται απο τον φυσικό Hertz.
Η Κανελινα είχε ήδη αρχίσει να σκουπίζει τα δάκρυα της. Και οι αριθμοί;
Στο μπαςο η στη βάση ειναι σαν να κάθονται πανω της οι άλλες νότες. Οι νότες της μελωδίας και της αρμονίας. Αυτες συνήθως εκπεμπουν πολυ μεγαλύτερη συχνότητα. Για άκου αυτόν το γρύλο μεςα στη νυχτα...
Η Κανελινα έσκασε στα γέλια, της άρεσε παντα η φωνή του γρύλλου με τις υψηλές συχνότητες που περιεχει.
Οι αριθμοί λοιπόν;
Οι αριθμοί συμβολίζουν ποσο πιο ψηλά ειναι οι άλλες νότες που συνηπαρχουν δεδομενη στιγμή με το μπαςο, η πανω στη βάση.
Για παραδειγμα:
Το Just Hold Me - Maria Mena, ξεκινάει με Λα 9. Δηλαδή βάση Λα και κάποιο άλλο όργανο ψηλά να παιζει Σι. Αν μετρήσουμε 9 σκαλοπάτια απο την κλίμακα ξεκινώντας απο τη βαςη Λα φτάνουμε στο Σι. Δηλαδή Λα, Σι, Ντο, Ρε, Μι, Φα, Σολ, Λα, Σι. Το Σι φυσικά μπορεί να ειναι ενα Σι οςο ψηλά σε οκταβες μας αρέσει και ταιριαζει στο κοματι.
Η Κανελινα ειναι αρχίσει να ειναι πολυ χαρούμενη. Πείτε μου σας παρακαλώ και αλλα παραδείγματα.
Το Frοzen - Madonna στο δεύτερο μετρο ειναι Φα 9. Η βαςη παραμένει Φα απο το πρώτο μετρο αλλα ενα απο τα έγχορδα με το που μπαίνει το δεύτερο μετρο παιζει Σολ διεση. Το Σολ ειναι Σολ διεση γιατι η κλίμακα ειναι Φα Ελασονα, F minor. Αλλα αυτο δεν αλλάζει τίποτα. Παλι μετράμε 9 νότες απο τη βαςη που ειναι το Φα.
To Close to You - Carpenters εκει που λέει το τραγούδι πρωτη φορά you εχει κάποια βαςη με αριθμό 9 πανω της.
Το Qui Tollis - Mass in B minor - Bach, εχει στο πρώτο μετρο Ρε 6 αφου η βαςη ειναι Ρε και κάποιο άλλο όργανο η φωνή παιζει Σι. Μετά γινεται Μι 7 αφου η βάση γινεται Μι και κάποια άλλη φωνή εχει Ρε. Και μετά γινεται στην συγκεκριμένη σύνθεση Λα 9 αφου η Βαςη στο τρίτο μετρο ειναι Λα και κάποια άλλη φωνή παιζει Σι.
Ειναι η ίδια συγχορδία με την αρχή του Just Hold Me παρατήρησε η Κανελινα.
Μπράβο.
Η μουσική ειναι γεμάτη απο τέτοια διαστήματα σε καθε είδος της. Η μουσική ειναι έξ' ορισμού γεμάτη απο σύμφωνα και διαφωνα διαστήματα (consonant, dissonant intervals) που συνηπαρχουν σε καθε κοματι. Και πολλές φορες τα διαφωνα μπορούν να ακούγονται και καλύτερα αν για παραδειγμα ειναι προετοιμασμένα οπως διδάσκει ο Bach η ο Bert Bacharach, και τόσοι άλλοι και άλλες οπως η Anne Dudley που έπαιξε και συνθεσάϊζερ στο Careless Wisper.
Το Careless Wisper - Michael αποτελείται απο τέσσερις συγχορδίες που επαναλαμβάνονται συνεχώς με την ίδια σειρά οπως σε ενα κανόνα. Ειναι Ρε (χωρις αριθμό), Σολ 7, Σι 7, Λα 7. Μετά επαναλαμβάνονται σαν λούπα. Χωρις αριθμό σημάνει 1,3,5 δηλαδή την αρμονική τριάδα. Στην περιπτωςη μας ειναι Ρε Φα Λα δηλαδή Ρε μινόρε. Το αριστουργηματικό κοματι ειναι γραμμένο σε Ρε μινόρε. Με βαςη τον παραπάνω κώδικα βάσης με αριθμούς μπορούμε να βρούμε τα παντα χωρις να χρειάζεται να θυμόμαστε τίποτα. Μόνο το οτι στην κλίμακα ρε μινόρε η αλλιώς οπως λέγεται Ελασονα καθε Σι ειναι Σι ύφεση δηλαδή το πρώτο αριστερό μαύρο πλήκτρο απο το Σι. Ολα τα αλλα πλήκτρα ειναι φυσικά η λευκά. Ετςι με βαςη τον κώδικα: Η πρωτη συγχορδία Ρε (1 3 5) ειναι Ρε βαςη με αρμονία Ρε Φα Λα. Η δεύτερη, Σολ 7, ειναι Σολ βαςη και μαζι Σι ύφεση και Φα δηλαδή Σολ μινόρε έβδομης. Η τριτη συγχορδία, Σι 7 ειναι Σι ύφεση βαςη (η μπαςο) με Ρε Φα Λα στο δεξί χέρι η σε κάποια αλλα όργανα. Η τεταρτη και τελευταία συγχορδία του κομματιού Λα 7 είναι λοιπόν Λα βαςη με αρμονία Ντο Μι Σολ. Το τι ειναι διεση η ύφεση προκύπτει αυτόματα οπως και το τι ειναι μινόρε η ματζορε αναλογα με την κλίμακα στην οποία ειναι παιγμενο το κοματι.
Το A Time for Us - Rota, Corniff εχει διάστημα 6ης συγκεκριμένα εκει που τραγουδάει η χορωδία πχ πρωτη φορά Us. Ειναι Φα 6. Δηλαδή βαςη Φα, και άρα Ρε τραγουδάνε οι άντρες και οι γυναίκες και κάποιο άλλο όργανο παιζει διάστημα 3ης δηλαδή Λα για να δέσει η μαγιονέζα.
Το This Girl's in Love - Bacharach, Davis, Warwick εχει στο δεύτερο μετρο Ρε 7, δηλαδή Ρε βαςη με μελωδία Ντο διεση πχ εκεί που η Dionne Warwick τραγουδάει για πρωτη φορά τη λέξη Love. (Η κλίμακα του κομματιού ειναι Ρε μείζονα). Κάποιο άλλο όργανο την ίδια ώρα παίζει διάστημα 3ης απο τη βαςη άρα Φα διεση. Αυτο γινεται για να ακούγεται η έβδομη πιο εύηχα. Οπως επιςεις η έβδομη ειναι προετοιμασμένη απο το προηγουμενο μετρο. Ακριβως οπως διδάσκει ο Μπαχ στους μαθητές του. Οτι έμαθε και αξιοποίησε στο βιβλίο του μηχανικού Niedt που του δωθηκε οταν είταν μικρός.
Την Κανελινα την είχε πάρει ήρεμος και ευτυχισμένος ύπνος.
Αντιχούσε στα αυτάκια της η τραγουδιςμενη λέξη Love με την απαλή φωνή της Dionne. Που δεν φορουςε ακουστικά αφου η ορχήστρα έπαιζε ζωντανά απαλά κοντα της. Το οτι οι ακουστικές στάθμες είταν απαλές την βοήθησε να τραγουδισει αφαλτσα. Άκουγε ευτυχιςμενη Η Κανελινα στο όνειρο της το τραγούδι αυτο, αριστούργημα της ανθρώπινης διανόησης. Οπως γράφτηκε σε αναλογική μαγνητοταινία με ηλεκτρόνια ευτυχιςμανα Να αποθηκεύουν τον ήχο σε μαγνητική μορφή με το spin τους. Το μαγευτικό μουςικο σημα να ρέει με τη μορφή ηλεκτρομαγνητικού κύματος απο ενιςχυτες με σωλήνες ηλεκτρονίων που ενίσχυαν την μουσική δόνηση των ηλεκτρονίων απο τα μικρόφωνα σε καθε όργανο. Με τη ενθαρρυντική βοήθεια του παραγωγού Phil Ramone συνεχώς ενθαρρύνοντας με αγάπη την Dionne και τους μουσικούς.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd2Q8VCk9co
Η Κανελινα ήδη τρισευτυχισμένη ονειρευόταν το ξημέρωμα. Που θα έρθει και ο γάτος με την πραςινη κορδελα στην παραλια. Και όλοι μαζι θα χορέψουν χαρούμενοι περιμένοντας τις πρώτες ευεργετικές ακτίνες του Ηλιου.
Του Ηλιου που δεν αφηνει καμια σκια στην αλήθεια.
Του Ηλιου της χαράς και της Αφοβιας.
Πηγές:
Instructions for playing figured bass by her Johann Sebastian Bach to his scholars in music - Appendix of Spita's Bach biography
Making Records - Phil Ramone
Άλλες σελίδες του euroelectron
B minor Mass full score - J.S. Bach - Dover Publications
Εγχειρίδιο - Επίκτητος - τόμος 5 - Εκδόσεις Κάκτος
An important book, Un livre important, Ενα σημαντικο βιβλίο
Fringe knowledge for Beginers - Montalk - free PDF
http://montalk.net/files/fringeknowledgeWEB.pdf
Friday, June 9, 2017
Το πιο Ωραίο...
σε μια ημέρα ειναι να μ' εχει κατι απορροφήσει τοςο που να σ' εχω ξεχάσει.
Και ξαφνηκα θυμάμαι οτι υπάρχεις.
Απίστευτη χαρά.
Pleiades Bass Amplifier
It would be nice to have for an electric bass guitar or bass synthesizer:
A Pleiades battery powered portable electron tube amplifier with speaker cabinet.
The preamplifier can be a Pleiades V5. (Note: V5 is a two stage battery powered EF183 tube amplifier. The second tube is driven hotter because of the first stage and it should be doing instatenious peak limiting. This is a reason it sounds so good and not clipped. This output with a resistive potential divider can DI drive normal op amp inputs such as Tascam porta 2 and then the sound is great as the op amp is not clipped by the processed waveform).
The power amplifier can be a Pleiades Elektra II.
The speaker can be an full range open back.
This setup is all electron tube and battery powered:
Signal path:
Electric bass - Pleiades V5 - Pleiades Electra II - Full range speaker
An output transformer may be needed to match 600Ω to 8Ω. Or a few higher than 8Ω speakers connected in series.
Alternatively the power amp can be a Pleiades one transistor power amplifier operating too in class A (electrons flowing all the time). This does not need an output transformer as the collector current passes through the voice coil. In a similar way to Pleiades Electra designs, the anode or cathode electron current passes directly through the headphones voice coil.
A darlignton transistor can also be used. Careful biasing again by a higher resistor from collector to base. A Pleiades filter (indicator in parallel with pickup coil) to compensate for the Fletcher Munson curves so as to make the bass sound correct to the listener's mind.
The structure may be just a baffle supporting the speaker and amp.
Open back speakers and baffles are very nice as the bass drop is only 6dB per octave. they sound amazing.
Pleiades concepts and schematics are open source.
Reference:
Audio Amplifiers - edited by J. R. Davies - Data Punlications LTD, London - chapter 7 - 2-Transistor miniature A.F. amplifier - page 41-42
Other posts on euroelectron on Pleiades amplifiers, speakers etc
Tubes vs Transistors - Russel O' Hamm (this amazing paper explains why 60's recordings sound so loud, so dynamic and subjectively uncompressed)
Connecting bass to Pleiades V5 and then to the radio
The Yamaha electron bass was to start with connected to the JVC radio at AUX in.
It sounded nice but when the E string was played it sounded as the radio woofer was operating unessaerily and unnaturally hard as expected.
One would abandon all other effort but when the aux connector was unplugged the radio started automatically go play again and it happened to be tunes at Kiss FM which happened to be playing Getaway with it all - James
It sounded fantastic.
So immediately afterwards it seemed fit to try between the two the Pleiades V5 electron tube battery preamplifier normally designed for moving coil microphones.
The provision for a 1/4in input for instruments is connected directly to the secondary of the Pleiades input transformer. This inductance creates a Pleiades filter low cutting the bass and happens to be what is needed for an electric bass to sound correct to brain (due to Fletcher Munson curves). This is described on other euroelectron posts by listening to the reference HD580 headphones.
It indeed sounded amazing directly connected to the radio too. The sound was there. The bass sound sounded produced. The bass guitar was easy to play the sound smooth and very natural as expected from the very minimal electron tube signal path. The volume and tone control on the Yamaha bass
used was bypassed. So connection is direct to the coil pickup.
Setup, signal path:
Modified Yamaha Bass - Pleiades V5 - JVC Nivico radio 9425W at aux in
The Pleiades V5 is a 2 stage preamp using 2 EF183 triode connected tubes. Power supply is by just 2 3.7V li-ion batteries powering both heaters and anode resistors. This is made possibly by an a few Megohm resistor from each anode to each grid to free electrons. This gives extreme portability, amazing sound, and unheard of low noise. Originally the V5 wa designed to connect microphones such as Electro-Voice RE16 or Sennheiser MD441. It sounds amazing with them too and the primary of the input transformer was made with a few turns to compensate for the proximity effect. Primary inductance is 47 millHenries and secondary inductance 5 Henries. So the stepup ratio is 10. The bass being connected to the secondary sees 5Henries and it is this inductance that low cuts so that the bass sound correct at low frequencies while having amazing mid an treble detail.
Connecting Pleiades V4 directly to the radio
This is on an attempt to see how the sound of the amplified voice sounds live in the room. It may be useful as an echo chamber effect when recording the sound output of the same mic as described on a previous euroelectron post.
It is nice as one hears his her real voice directly from mouth to ears. And at the same time the amplified voice in the room.
So it is an artificial double tracking effect.
In fact singing to a long tube of say half inch, one end near to mouth and the other near to ear gives an amazing ADT sound. Why should it not , it is a pure analog acoustic delay and no electronics involved.
Reproduction from the radio leaved something to be desired. There was some boxiness to the sound as might have been expected. Then a small speaker was connected to the radio amplifier and the speaker was on its own without even a baffle. The sound was better, boxiness out.
Setup, signal path:
Room - Male voice at 1in - Beyer M55 - Canforrd stepup transformer - Pleiades V4 - 70's JVC Nivico radio 9425W at AUX in - Room
Next step may be to connect a Pleiades V4 directly to a power amp operating in class A (electrons flowing all the time) such as the Pleiades power amplifier.
Restoring a Pleyel model 9 upright piano made in 1921
At your own risk.
Pleyel pianos, made in France, are some on the finest pianos on the planet.
Pleyel pianos sound fantastic, and the sound, so beautiful and sweet can inspire composing by just playing.
It may sound funny and it is but usually we do not show to the musical instruments. They show to us.
Chopin was a brilliant user of Pleyel pianos or the other way round!
The particular upright Pleyel model 9 sounds fantastic and sweet. The tuning pins bad to be changed and the down bearing force to the "table d' harmonie" restored by retightening the screws that hold the metal frame.
The original strings at that time were made by the Ferminy factory in France, no longer existing. They seem to have different properties from modern strings so it was not a good idea to just change with a modern string of the same diameter. It might have changed all the scaling that gives correct to ear harmonic production. Our ear needs slightly more than x2 in frequency harmonics to perceive a satisfactory octave. This is how our brain works.
It was so confusing to find out what to do. After long time of reflection and contrary to the suggestion of all it was decided to keep the same fantastic sounding strings, cleaning them and polishing them, so that they can be again as new.
It proved an exercise of patience and it took about 3 years.
Ten years have passed and the piano still sounds fantastic and better than it was before the operation started. The piano proved stable enough to be able to be tuned at A4 much higher than 440Hz. This is another reason why it sounds so nice with a sound close to Steinway with the sweetness and sustain of a Pleyel piano. Increasing the tension to the strings up to a point increases progressively slightly the frequency of each overtone (what is usually called harmonic) compared to the fundamental as explained above so that they sound correct to ear brain. This slight increase is not to be taken lightly. Exact x2 in frequency sounds a very boring, unnatural and out of tune octave. Bach said that God is in the details.
After many tunings a value close to A 447Hz? may be found optimum. Increasing too much, the (double octaves + 3rds) get too beaty.
Is this what was used in 1921?
Each string was cleaned with Wenol metal polish.
Then after a phone call to the excellent German Roslau factory the lubricant for polishing to use was Fuchs Renolin D10. It cannot be overemphasized how this information given by them is appreciated. So every string was processed 3 times by Wenol and then say 3 times by Fuchs. Rubbing was with soft tissue toilet paper and wearing gloves of course. It pays to pay attention to every safety detail including glasses and earplugs when hammering tuning pins etc. The production output was 1 string per day?!
After a phone call to the Pleyel factory in France it was asked whether a piano maker still exists who had been at the factory around 1921. After some effort Monsieur Jean Lovy was contacted. And he was the most kind soul, sending over by mail all kind of relevant information and guiding the project.
Everything has to be done slowly at all stages to minimise mistakes. Such as life. It proved very difficult having a piano in parts for 3 years. Adding the fact that one cannot play except by imagination. Everything had to covered to avoid dust etc.
The joy is in playing.
Much knowledge had been gained in the past by watching the piano technician and tuner Albert Ketenzian at work.
And a book extremely helpful helped everything falling back to place.
Reference:
Piano Servicing Tuning and Rebuilding - Reblitz
Other euroelectron posts and references on the perception of correct octaves on our mind
Musical Acoustics - Donald Hall
How to superbly clean steel piano, guitar strings etc.
At your own risk:
Cleaning rust etc with Wenol metal polish.
Further polishing and removing residues using Fuchs Renolin D10 oil.
Gloves should be worn etc.
Soft paper tissues can be used to rub the strings as explained above.
The strings shine.
More information on the next euroelectron post on restoring a Pleyel piano.
Η προφορά στα αγγλικά. Pronouncing English, Ship or Sheep
Pronouncing English is not at all an easy task.
Examples:
Ship, the i sound is short.
Sheep the i sound is long, i:
A great book to teach yourself with audio examples is call Ship or Sheep. In the past it was coming with 3 audio cassettes.
Once we know the phonetics assigned to symbols we can read the pronunciation of any word in a dictionary. Usually the way a word is pronounced is next to the word in phonetic symbols that are explained in this book. The key to the symbols should also be at the beginning of a dictionary with examples.
Στην αγγλική γλώσσα υπάρχει τεράστια διαφορα απο το πως γράφεται μια λέξη μέχρι το πως διαβάζεται.
Παραδειγμα το Restaurant δεν προφέρεται ρεστοραντ αλλα ρεστροντ.
To ship εχει σύντομο ι στην προφορά αλλα το sheep ειναι σαν να εχει δυο ι, ι-ι.
Ενα φανταστικό βιβλίο με ήχητικα παραδείγματα, παλαιότερα σε κασέτες, ειναι το Ship or Sheep.
Ειναι απίστευτο ποσά λάθη στην προφορά γίνονται απο πχ ευρωπαίους που δεν ειναι Άγγλοι η δεν έχουν ζήσει στην Αγγλία η δεν το έχουν διδαχθεί.
Το βιβλίο αυτο μπορεί να σε κανει παρα πολυ fluent.
Ευτυχώς τα φροντιστήρια στην Ελλάδα έχουν ξεκινήσει να διδάσκουν phonetics και ετςι ξαφνικά μπορεί να δούμε τους Έλληνες να μιλάνε τα καλύτερα αγγλικά στην Ευρώπη η αντίστοιχα ξένους να μαθαίνουν καλα ελληνικά.
Διπλα σε καθε λέξη σε Άγγλο-αγγλικό λεξικό υπάρχει ο κώδικας με τα σύμβολα phonetics για το πως προφέρεται η λέξη κσι στην αρχή του λεξικού το κλειδί με παραδείγματα.
Reference:
Ship or Sheep - Baker - Cambridge
Thursday, June 8, 2017
How to do artificial double tracking (ADT) on iPad
It is one the splendid effects used by Sir George Martin on Beatles. For example A Day in the Life - John Lennon.
Other example Time - Allan Parsons
Ordinary double tracking is singing again the same twice. Example, Its my party - Leslie Gore
Artificial double tracking is adding a delayed version of the original waveform (vocal). Like slap back echo.
We create a copy on GarageBand on a track below.
Then shift it in time by dragging by hand.
Resolution of steps can be adjusted in the way described in the following euroelectron post.
Another brilliant example of ADT is Falling from Grace - The Gentle Waves. It may have Varispeed too, the famous ABBA effect to make the voice sound so fresh.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZWC3Zc7TEM
Sometimes it is difficult to discriminate which is double tracking and which is ADT. This post may have errors.
Another so beautiful example is Frozen - Madonna
An echo chamber automatically creates this feel as there is an acoustic delay from the speaker to the microphone, the sound wave is traveling at the relative slow speed of sound in air. Similarly with EMT plates the sound traveling at the speed the waves travels at the uniformly tensioned steel plate fby producer Phil Ramone as a fine example:
This Girl's in Love (Dionne Warwick) - Bacharach, Davis
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd2Q8VCk9co
ADT invented at Abbey Road Studios by Pete Townsand is more involved. It is actually 2 delays from 2 different tape recorders combined together. The delay of the https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd2Q8VCk9co.
Another example of brilliant use of the above effects is
Society's Child - Janis Ian
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ABUmZvzGHVc
ADT invented at Abbey Road Studios by Pete Townshend is more involved. It is 2 delays from 2 different tape recorders combined or added together. The delay of the second machine is varied. So the 2nd signal can take all values from past to future.
It may be possible to do this using two iPads with GarageBand. In this way many more delay values can be obtained including very short delay.
Adding real echo chamber effect using iPad GarageBand
A vocal is recorded the normal dry way.
Then the same vocal line is sung again but this time the microphone and iPad etc are all inside the echo room.
The reverb wet waveform is delayed in time by shifting the waveform by dragging it by hand.
Time resolution can be increased as follows.
We may not need to sing twice. One could use the dry waveform and reproduce it using and external speaker connecte to the headphones out and record the wet sound with the mic.
The waveform is elongated by hand. Both fingers enlarge it in the same way we do for photos. Then the time step increment resolution is higher and can be adjusted according to how much the waveform was enlarged.
Omnidirectional moving coil microphones may be better.
On how to connect a moving coil microphone to iPad there is information on another euroelectron blogspot. In a few words the iPad gives a voltage for electret mics which might damage the voice coil of the dynamic mic. A very nice sounding way is to connect between them an input transformer and a JFET. Possible implementations are the Pleiades K117 or Pleiades V5 etc.
A way to quickly create a real echo chamber sound
The microphone is connected to a recorder.
The microphone dry signal is also conected to a high quality amplifier connected to a speaker in the same room.
Omnidirectional microphones should work best.
Volume is adjusted well before positive feedback
It should work great for vocals, harmonicas etc.
The distance between loudspeaker and mic adjusts the pre delay as in a real echo chamber.
The acoustics and quietness of the room play important role.
And the room which is the echo chamber could be adjusted to taste with reflecting absorbing diffusing surfaces.
A full range speaker without cabinet should work best as was possibly done at the Columbia EMI studios in Athens.
Single ended low power amplifiers operating in class A (electrons flowing all the time), tube or transistor should shine. An example amplifier is the Pleiades amplifier operating with just a power transistor and a base bias resistor form collector to base. It is battery powered. Open source schematics at euroelectron blogspot.
How would it sound like recording a full band- orchestra in the room each sound source playing softly very closely to its mic and deciding by listening to the sound in the room? Deciding how much of each instrument to live amplify sending to the echo chamber which is the studio itself.
Possible mics may be Beyer M55 moving coil omnidirectionals all electrically connected in series- parallel combinations.
Recording vocals on iPad GarageBand without headphones
Frequency in an objective quantity. Measured in Hz. 1 Hz is by definition one cycle of vibration per second.
Pitch is a subjective quantity. What out brain perceives as "height" of sound. It is measured in mels possibly from the word melody.
While frequency and pitch are obviously related they are not the same.
Pitch for example depends not only on frequency but also on intensity.
In general the louder a sound the more flat its is perceived ie pitch decreases.
The consequence of this appears to be very important to singing. Obviously hearing flat due to larger intensity will make us sing flat and out of tune.
Possibly relevant examples of how important this is:
The Bee Gees asking at the staying alive sessions that the 3 sing together around a mic and a little speaker close to them.
Phil Ramone also describes in his book the first thing he suspected when a singer was out of tune were the levels being inapropiate in the headphone mix.
And we have more than 50 years ago S.S. Stevens the man who established the Psycho-physics laboratories at Harvard to be fascinated by these phycho acoustics phenomena and describing them in his marvelous books.
Having a small speaker close to us when we record or a live orchestra as when Dionne Warwick singing (This Girl's in Love with You - Bucharach, Davis), her soft voice means that the acoustic levels must be low. So the singer can hear "true" pitch and nail it as it happened.
A very easy way to verify all this is to sing along while this song is being played on YouTube by holding an iPad with its little speakers on our hands. It is surprising how in tune we can sing and the less the volume of the speaker the better. In tune means our brain correctly perceives the number of vibrations per second and appropriately adjusts the vocals chords. Hence there are no beats by adding two signals with different almost close frequencies.
So why not doing this while recording on a mobile device such as iPad by just holding it close to us while it plays softly. (So no headphones or headphones at very low level?). There is a mistake in this post. When connecting a mic through the headphone socket of the iPad its internal speaker is disabled. A way around this may be to connect an external small speaker connects to the mic headphone cable. Or holding the headphones away from the ears. Or playing the headphones at the correct low volume when recording vocals.
The microphone can be very close to the singer's mouth so that it captures a very strong and clean vocal.
Omnidirectional microphones may be very suitable as they do not have a proximity effect.
If a cardioid mic is used then a Pleiades filter may be needed to compensate for the proximity effect.
A proposed setup is using the MD21 which sounds a bit bass heavy to brain perception when used for soft vocals but the responce is equalized by the iPad's low cut filter. For almost complete absence of hiss a Pleiades K117 JFET front end amplifier can be used. Pleiades schematics and concepts are open source and can be found at other Eureoelectron posts.
Setup, signal path:
Soft voice at 0-1in - Sennheiser MD21 HL at H or high Z setting - Pleiades K117 inside the mini Tuchel mic connector - iPad - (small speaker or headphones?)
This setup allows the connection of the world class Sennheiser MD21 moving coil microphone directly to iPad through a very simple one stage class A operation (electrons flowing all the time) amplification stage. As for example inside a Neumann U47 which uses just one electron tube amplifying stage with the minimum of surrounding resistors, capacitors. The Pleiades K117 contains just a K117 low noise JFET and one resistor so it can be made easily and fit inside the mini Tuchel connector. The minimum of components design preserves in the most revealing way the magical qualities of the voice. The Pleiades K117 is powered directly from the iPad's or other device's mic-headphone socket in the way electret condencer mics are. The above configuration insures unheard of low noise, naturalness and sensitivity.
A further advantage of using no headphones is increased mobility.
All needed is an MD21, the cable which contains the JFET amplifier incide the mic connector and an iPad or other mobile recording device.
The setup may even be suitable for tracking superb studio quality vocals on quite outdoor locations.
References:
http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-bee-gees-stayin-alive
Making Records - Phil Ramone - 1st edition - The Session - page 143
Sound and Hearing - S.S. Stevens, Fred Warshofsky - Life Science Library - Time Life Books - New York - Chapter 4 The Mind's Influence - page 77
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