Lionel Richie on Songwriting

 

Increasing the pitch after the first milliseconds so that it sounds correct to the human brain

At your risk.

I have not heard anyone teaching this expect Sean Davies (the disc cutting lathe restauration expert) when he commented that I am singing pitch low the endings of words.

I think all good musicians seem to increase the pitch just after the attack of the note. 

An example is here at 1:30, the hand of the cello player's sliding slightly down while doing vibrato at the same time, meaning, the average frequency is subtly increased till it sounds correct to the listener's brain.

Or listening to Maria Callas:

Some songs suitable of sax solo?

 

The last two I heard my friend Lazaro Anardo play on Sax.

George Michael

 

Single electron tube vs single transistor audio power amplifier in class A operation with no negative feedback

At your risk. Potentially lethal voltage. 

Take all safety precautions. Additionally a suitable fuse should be used in series with any battery in order to protect from  a potential fire hazard or skin injury.

An additional precaution in the heft hand inside the back pocket. To the best of my knowledge this is a military rule of thumb in order to avoid an accidental electric current flowing through the heart.

It looks like the triode (or pentode triode connected) starts to win.

So far attempts to increase power output using bipolar transistors give a loud sound but there is some kind of grit, not a very clean sound.

For example the Darlington MJ1000, operated at Vb=12V, Ic=400mA with 21mH to 22mH output transformer with air gap.

Or 2N3055 operated at Vb=12V, Ic=140mA (must softer better sound, sweeter)

So far perhaps the best sound from transistors on these experiments is the Pleiades 2N3053 amplifier, one 2N3053 transistor for each channel with bias resistor from collector to bass (the examples above are biased from Vb to base). Operating conditions Vb=24V, Ic=12mA, output transformer 2.5Kohms to 8 Ohms. It is low power and it sounds fantastic on loudspeakers and perhaps this explains why the Neve 1073 using the 2N3055 at low power is reputed to sound so good.

Higher Vb experiments on the above amplifier gave louder sound at the expense of quality. What is left to do is to repeat the experiment with bias from Vb to base rather than from collector to base.

What about the electron tube?

Well the DL94 triode connected at Vb=90V, Ia=10mA, output transformer 2.5 KOhms to 8 Ohms and the EF183 triode connected at Vb=120V, Ia=20mA, output transformer 5 KOhms to 4 Ohms, both sing with depth, deep bass, clean smooth sound, hard to describe in words. On these amplifiers a step up input transformer of 1:7 is used to drive the control grid instead of a voltage amplifying triode! Bias is normally from cathode resitor bypassed by a good quality Elna magenta color Starget electrolytic. The DL94 was also operated with no resistors or capacitors and a Vc battery instead for bias through the input transformer.

Signal path of above experiments:

CD, for example Flashdance Soundtrack - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades one electronic device power amplifier in class A with no negative feedback - Marantz 5-C for some of the latest transistor experiments and Celestion Ditton 150 for all the rest

When we like what we do all the doors open

The iMusical Interval of 6th major

The first chord immedately after the singer beggings:

At the capital letters of the lyrics the bass is A flat while melody is F is an interval of major 6th.

Beginning of lyrics: "to ka-lo-KE-e-ri"

Don't Know ANy Better - Purescence

A Nice Interesting, Funny Perspective on the Analog vs Digital Debate

 At your risk.

Trying to increase the power of the single transistor power amplifier in class A

At your risk. Please take all safety precautions. A suitable safety fuse should always be connected in series with a battery in order to avoid burn injury or possibility of fire.

The resent schematic has the bias resistor from Vb to base rather than from collector to base.

Signal path: CD - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades single 2N3055 - Marantz 5-C loudspeaker

When the air gapped output transformer has an impedance ratio of 64 ohms to 8 ohms the sound is good even with Vb=10V, Ic=100mA or even less.

While staying with just one 12V battery and trying to increase power output by using a transformer or lower primary inductance (less turns ratio) and increasing Ic, did not work very well. Possible cause exhausted battery or inability of the CD Walkman to drive the lowered input impedance of the single power transistor.

Changing to the MJ1000 Darlington gave a much louder sound with some distortion with a transformer of 84mH:22mH or 22mH:22mH.

Music played on CD: Sodad - Cesaria Evora, Flashdance Soundtrack

Carol of the Bells (Ukrainian Bell Carol) - Mycola Leontovytch, Arr. Peter F. Wilhousky

At last I found from a girl who was playing this on the outdoors piano of SNFCC the name of this very nice composition:

A compilation LP or CD titled My Best Song of Each Year

For example:

2008 We are the People - Empire of the Sun

2015 Castle in the Snow - Kadebostany

One Dress Many Costumes - Anastasia Vlachaki

At your risk.

https://anastasiavlachaki.wordpress.com/2017/10/18/one-dress-many-costumes/

Αν το καταλαβαίνω σωστά και μόνο για αυτό το έργο η Αναστασία Βλαχάκη είναι ήδη σημαντική τολμώντας να τα βάλει με ίσως το πιό επικίνδυνο νυμφίδιο, την κοκκινοσκουφίτσα. Το δάσος είναι το ομορφότερο μέρος για καθαρή σκέψη, ομορφιά, η αφοβία. Τα ζώα στο βουνό πιθανότατα θα πλησιάσουν για να μοιραστούν την χαρά της δημιουργιας, την ομορφιά ή α-φοβία ή να σου κάνουν παρέα.Σε περίληψη. το γνωστό παραμύθι προσπαθεί να δημιουργήσει φόβο ενώ ο φόβος σαν ;eννοια ούτε καν υπάρχει.

If I get it, Anastasia Vlachaki, creator of this photographic work is already an important photographer, trying to expose the nastiness of the Little Red Riding Hood. A forest is possibly the best place for clean air, bringing out original thoughts, beauty or a-phobia. Animals will most likely approach to share beauty, kindness or love. In summary the well known fairytale tries to create fear whereas fear as a concept (notion) does not even exist.

Further reading on lack of fear:

Enchiridion (The Art of Living) - Epictetus  

Περισσότερα για την α-φοβία:

Ενχειρίδιον - Επίκτητος

It is the Product that Makes the Name and not Vice Versa

(At your risk).

But the product must be visible or audible, etc.

Konstantina Touni

 

Lazaro Anardo

I had the pleasure of meeting recently (before attending a concert at Odeon of Herodes Atticus) while he was playing, saxophonist Lazaro Anardo.

An interesting blog of photographer Anastasia Vlachaki

Almost an hour ago I had the pleasure meeting Anastasia at the library.

Here is her blog:

https://anastasiavlachaki.wordpress.com/

Sodade - Secaria Evora is a great example of avoiding consecutive 5ths

It is: 

C bE

C bE

D  F

D  F

bE  G

bE  G

D    F

D    F

and not

C  bE  G

C  bE  G

D   F   A

...

And if notes are sustained:

It sounds:

C  bE

C   bE

C    D    F

C     D    F

C     D     bE   G

C      D     bE    G

B      D      F     G

B     D     F     G

It is ingenious.

Here is what Bach says about consecutive fifths:

Please find General Bass Rules Bach PDF

Ο Κύριος Κάππος

Τραγούδι Ζειμπέκικο

C# major

9/8

Melody:

- C C C C C B C D D - - - - - - - - 

- D D D D E F D C C - - - - - - - - 

Chords:

C 

D

G

C

Best to play C E, D F, DF, C E and not C E G, D F A, ... in order to avoid consecutive fifths. Just like Sodad - Secaria Evora.

Όταν ξυπνάει ο κύριος Κάππος

Μην του μιλάτε είναι κάπως

Όταν πεινάει ο κύριος Κάππος

Ωσπου να φάει είναι κάπως

Και όταν τρώει ο ΄κθριος Κάππος

Ώσπου να χωνέψει είναι κάπως

'Οταν διαβάζει ο κύριος Κάππος

Αν τον διακόψεις είναι κάπως

Όταν ακούει ο κύριος Κάππος

Ώσπου να μιλήσει είναι κάπως

Κι όταν μιλάει ο κύριος Κάππος

Αν τον διακόψεις είναι κάπως

Όταν βραδυάζει ο κύριος Κάππος

Αν είναι μόνος είναι κάπως

(Μ' αν είσαι εκεί ο)

Μ' αν κάτσεις ώρα ο κύριος Κάππος

Ωσπου να φύγεις είναι κάπως

Looking at the 2N3055 datasheet on how promising it can be as a single transistor low voltage single ended power amplifier

 At your risk.

So far one nice combination is Vb=10V, Ic=100mA, using a 64ohm to 8ohm output transformer. Nice sound, a test using the Flashdance soundtrack CD.

How would high power sound with an 8ohm to 8ohm output transformer while increasing Ic? Or for example 24ohm to 8ohm.

Or even higher Ic for example 2A, a Darlington transistor and a step up output transformer, for example 1ohm to 8 ohm. If this works it can be a joy to make such transformers as there are few turns of wire to wind involved.

 

BJT or IGBJT (insulated gate bipolar junction transistor or MOSFET for single device audio power amplifier?

 At your risk.

Having the pleasure today discussing with George Gialousis.

I was telling him of a desire to make single device (electron tube or transistor or MOSFET) class A power amplifiers and compare the sound quality. For example the already tested Pleiades EF183, or Pleiades 2N3053 low power amplifiers in class A operation (electrons flowing all the time).. 

Asking him which might be better, a single device power amplifier at high voltage low current or low voltage high current operating point, he recommended the BUX37 high voltage Darlington which should operate either way.

After asking him for a MOSFET recommendation he also suggested the use of a IGBJT which seems a very nice idea.

On a discussion of general marketing ideas he said even a prince cannot expect people to buy because he is a prince. Hard work is needed to earn your value to a target market. 

Also it is not the name that makes a product. The good quality product makes the name.

A favorite quote is the 3 or 4 Ps in marketing.

You need to have a suitable Product.

A suitable price.

Suitable timing, place in time. For example you cannot expect to sell as retail swimming suits in winter.

Promotion. 

We were discussing whether promotion is included in the suitable product requirement.

Vasilis

At your risk.

I had the pleasure to discuss a few days ago with Vasilis about his making of a virtual 3D responding gallery in 2 dimensions at least.

Next morning 3 images came to my mind. 

Some airplanes paused in the sky, each airplane having inside it the works of art of each artist.

A virtual art exhibition at SNFCC park.

Refugee tents, where each tent can be visited having inside the works of art of each artist.

In this way the virtual galley can become surreal.

But the virtual world consumes electrical energy.

  

Back to Pleiades single ended 2N3055 audio power amplifier with single transistor 2N3055

At your risk.

Bias resistor has been disconnected from collector and connected to power supply Vb.

Now as Vb was increased from 12V to 24V to 36V to 48V with corresponding increase in Ia, increase in loudness could be heard.

With the Pleiades 64Ohms to 8 Ohms output transformer used, typical good sounding condition is:

Vb=12V, Ic=70mA.

Vb=24V, Ic=113mA

Vb=36V, Ic=150mA

Vb=48B, Ic=200mA

But there is some kind of graininess to the sound.

Is this coming from the Walkman CD source or from the power amplifier?

Pleiades MJ1000 single Darlington audio power amplifier in class A

 At your risk.

It worked with much better sound when bias resistor was connected from Vb to base rather than from collector to base. But there was thermal runaway.

Pleiades single Darlington audio power amplifier part 2

 At your risk.

By biasing with a resistor from Vb to base, Ic increased with time as the transistor was increasingly becoming warmer. That is, there is thermal runaway.

Hopefully it can be solved by a descent heatsink or an emitter resistor.

Pleiades single Darlington audio power amplifier in class A operation

 At your risk.

It seems bias resistor must be connected from Vb to base and not from collector to base.

Now things are getting better and bass is back. It sounds louder too.

So far test at Vb about 14V, Ic about 100mA. Output transformer 64 ohms to 8 ohms.

Rich Beato YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/@RickBeato

In the room with Reitzas

 

The Pleiades single electron tube EF183 power amplifier in class A (electrons flowing all the time) sounds amazing

 At your risk. Potential lethal voltage. Take all safety precautions.

Operation conditions: Va=120V, Ia=20mA, 1:12 input transformer, 5KOhms to 4Ohms output transformer, Celestion Ditton 150 speaker used is 8Ohms.

Signal path:

Constant Craving - K. D. Lang on CD - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades EF183 single ended power amplifier - Celestion Ditton 150 

Huge bass, smooth mid and treble, dynamic.

It is funny how loud and big just.an electron tube the size of ECC83 can sound.

Limit to how powerful a single transistor power amplifier can be?

 At your risk.

Signal path:

Constant craving - K. D. Lang on CD - Sony CD Walkman line out or Philips CDR 870 line out - Pleiades 2N3055 power amplifier  with various output transformer ratios, Vb= 9V or 12V or 24V - Marantz Imperial 5C

Trying to increase power output by increasing Collector power dissipation (by changing Vb or base bias current), increased loudness but not as much as expected while transistor with a heatsink was getting warm.

It seems there is a limit as transistor amplifiers need signal power input due to their low input impedance which depend on how much the collector circuit is loaded. There is hfe (ratio of collector current to base current), and if the collector current is increased the base current must be increased to and the same applies to a changing base collector or base current i.e. a signal current. 

A CD player at line out for example can give a certain amount of small power output.

Connecting the sigle electron tube Pleiades EF183 power amplifier at 2.4W plate dissipation to the CD Walkman line out gave by comparison a huge sound, surprisingly loud and big. The reason seems to be that an electron tube does not take power from the signal source as it has a very high input impedance.

So it seems the winner will be the electron tube.

A Darlington can be tried. But it is 2 transistors although the configuration or connection between them is a simple as possible.

   . 

Can output transformers be made with ordinary power transformer laminations?

 At your risk. Take all safety precautions. Potentially lethal voltages may be present. 

Surprisingly enough the sound can be very good. See previous post.

Yesterday by the way on the larger transformer the I laminations were separated from the E laminations while music was playing. Bass reproduction decreased as expected. Then E laminations were removed, mid reproduction was decreased as expected by high frequency reproduction was still there. Meaning that the high frequencies can pass through air without needing the metal.

In fact this seems to be more correct. The primary is now a coil without core. Its inductance is low. But since reactance is ohms is proportional to frequency too, impedance is high at high frequencies. So the output impedance of the transistor is not loaded so there is no voltage drop. Therefore high frequencies appear at the primary and since the coils are hugged together energy passes through electromagnetic  induction to the secondary. Or is it electromagnetic radiation?

Mid and high frequencies need the iron so that there would be no voltage drop at the primary of the output transformer. And possibly the circulation of magnetic flux?

Pleiades single ended class A 2N3055 continued

 At your risk.

The use of the somewhat big (size75mm) transformer with air gap and low ratio described on previous post makes possible a good quality sound with only a 12V battery.

But today a smaller size transformer made years ago rediscovered by chance produced a sweeter and better quality sound, more natural, easier and even smoother to the ear.

The size of this transformer is 60mm. Es are stacked together and there are 2 long screws keeping them together. While Is are stacked together and placed over the Es with no 3M Scotch invisible tape separating them. There is still of course a true air gap as metals do not fit exactly together.

Also thin wire is used by "mistake" on both primary and secondary.

Also and this is the most interesting point perhaps, the laminations are ordinary "thicker" laminations used on power transformers.

I thought there would be no extended high frequency response. By surprise there was amazing bass, mid and treble.

The experiment with this transformer sounds less loud but it sounds much better or listenable with musicality.

Signal path:

Constant Craving - K. D. Lang on CD - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades 2N3055 resistor biased from collector to base, Vb=12V, Ic typically 60mA - Marantz Imperial 5-C with Tweeter setting at Low

Later addition:

Perhaps this comparison of the 2 transformers is not as relevant as it seems as the 2nd one has an inductance ratio of about 1.5H to 47mH i.e. is has a larger turns ratio. 

It is likely that popular music of recent years will be the classical music of tomorrow

 For example Constant Craving - K. D. Lang advances the art.

Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven is very characteristic of beginning with a minor chord and then the 2nd chord harmony is created by the bass going down one step of the scale while the upper parts played by the right hand remain exactly the same. It is the principle of least change in music creating a fantastic effect by this passing bass note.

In Constant Craving exactly the same thing happens with a great difference. This 2nd chord takes place as the 3rd chord while the 2nd chord is an ordinary one with a remote bass. So the 3rd chord takes place unexpectedly. But the brain of the listener somehow still relates to what was the 1st chord. 

I have not heard yet another music classical or pop that uses this harmony structure as on Constant Craving. If you know one please kindly post it at the comments below. 

Beginning harmony of Moonlight Sonnata.

Bass bD       harmony bA bC E

Bass bC        harmony bA bC E

Beginning harmony of Constant Craving:

Bass F         harmony  C F bA

Bass C         harmony C bE G

Bass bE       harmony  C F bA (equivalent to what tales place as 2nd chord on M.S.)

Bass bD       harmony C F bA

it can also be played:

(right hand notes played together higher than middle C notes);

C      F bA

C bE G

C bE F bA

C bD F bA 

All this intelligent harmony carries on from introduction to verse.

A low power class A amplifier sounds loud enough as it sounds beautiful

 At your risk.

There are at least 2 other reasons.

Steven's law. How ear brain perceives sound intensity (ie power). 10 times less power sounds only 2 times less loud. So for example 100mW should sound only 4 times less than 10W. See Sound and Hearing - Stevens, Warshofsky - Life Science Library.

Nice distortion at peaks simulating real life instruments getting gradually non linear at high playing levels. See the paper Tubes vs Transistors - Russell O. Hamm.

How to create or fine tune an air gap output transformer?

 At your risk. Take all safety precautions. Potentially lethal voltage present.

See previous post on Pleiades 2N3055 single ended class A power amplifier.

How would a bifilar wound 1 to1 air gaped output transformer sound with a single 2N3055?

 At your risk.

Or even a Darlington transistor with an inverse ratio output transformer, for example 1ohm to 8 ohms in order to get very high power even with 12V power supply?

Pleiades 2N3055 single ended power amplifier revisited

 At your risk.

This is on one transistor only single ended audio power amplifiers with no negative feedback.

Using Italian Transeria Ligure E,I laminations a new lower ratio output transformer was made that the used for the Pleiades 2N3053 operated at 24V, 10mA.

This transformer was made by winding 64 turns of 0.55mm wire, then 270 turns of 0.25mm wire, then 64 turns of 0.55mm, then again 270 turns of 0.25mm,  then 60 turns of 0.55mm.

Inductance ratio with no air gap is 340mH to 47mH.

This sounded very nice with Pleiades BD139 at Vb=6V, Ic=25mA.

Signal path: Flashdance soundtrack on CD - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades power amplifier - Marantz Imperial speakers

Then air gap was introduced by attaching a layer of 3M scotch invisible tape across the open end of stacked Es. Inductance ratio became 227mH to 33mH.

Sound is still very nice with amazing bass, mid, treble.

.

Then Vb was changed to 12V and Ic to 60mA for louder sound but 2N3055 sounded better at 12V and Ic=80mA.

Then transformer was opened up again and airgap was increased by putting all Is in a small transparent plastic bag and placing them by hand on top of the Es while music is playing.

Now inductance ratio is 173mH to 26mH.

Sound is very nice and loud .

 

A quote of Elia Kazan for talent or genius

 

Yesterday at 3rd (classical) Hellenic radio were noticed 2 quotes of film director Elia Kazan from his autobiography book. Here they are roughly translated back to english.

Talent: maniac of working

Ταλέντα, μανιακοί της εργασίας

Genius: shines happiness (they do what they like)

Ιδιοφυίες, ακτινοβολούν ευτυχία (κάνουν αυτό που τους αρέσει)

It's a concert in Vienna and is this microphone an AKG C12?

Juan Diego Florez

 

Creating a boundary microphone out of a mobile phone

At your risk.

First time I saw it was when Zhanna placed the mobile phone on top of the right side of the piano keyboard.

Apparently by placing the mobile phone this way, the mic capsule comes so close to the boundary (the wood of the piano) that it picks up mainly the main reflection of sound from wood (boundary mic principle), plus the vibration of wood itself.

Here are 2 recording of the same piano same day, different solo pianist (the person at the right side), different mobile phones, but one phone is held by hand, the other recording is by placing the phone (Galaxy A13) as described above.

 

Some more information on boundary microphones:

The Wikipedia article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_microphone

Pietro Mascagni

 

I am lucky to having received this nice link of so beautiful music by Luda.

Silence

 

Κλεις τα ρολα σου ισαμε κ'οτι προλαβαμ' να ειδούμε τo 'δαμε

Recording outdoors percussion

 At your risk.

It sounds fantastic.

Priority list on music production

 At your risk.

The closer to the source the more important the quality is.

For example the song is more important than the recording. No matter how good a recording an unimaginative composition is an unimaginative composition.

So what could be a priority list?

What the producer has in mind.

What the composer has in mind.

The song.

The arrangment.

The quality of music instrument or instruments used.

The quality of voice or intonation of the singer.

The acoustics or lack of acoustics, for example recording outdoors, or not recording near wall reflections etc.

The mic positions.

The microphone or microphones.

The mic preamp.

The recording equipment.

The recording medium.

The reproducing system.

The monitoring loudspeakers.

The brain of the listener.

Music I Like

Big In Japan - Alphaville

Bones - Telenova

Chi Mai - Morricone

Julia - Pavlov's Dog

Largo - Concerto in F minor - Bach - Glenn Gould

Maria Magdalena - Sandra

Suzanne - Leonard Cohen

A signal path for Madonna

 At your risk.

Neumann U47 - NTI PreQ3 - NTI EQ3 - Tube Tech CL1B, Dave Reitzas

https://gearspace.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/106967-madonnas-vocal-chain-past-present.html