[LUTE] Re: Portable Recorders
heiman.dan...@juno.com wrote: I stand by my recommendation for Roland/Edirol. The entry level model is labeled R-05, As well as user reviews it's also helpful to look at the specification, and even the manual. .but best of all, there's a site here which has sound samples:- http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable-recorder-sound-samples.html For anyone interested, here's my reservations about the Roland gear. The R-05 has an unspecified angle between the mics, and the recording methods in the manual hint that this angle may even be 180 degrees. (and indeed, the appearance of the unit tends to confirm this, as does reference to the R-09HR) A 90 degree angle is what we're looking for to get a decent stereo recording of a solo instrument. Indeed the R-09 HR has a very wide polar pattern for the mics, the result being an unfocused stereo image of the instrument and more room sound for a given mic placement. ( and as the instrument is way off axis for both the mic capsules, you don't get the best frequency response). andy To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Portable Recorders
Indeed the R-09 HR has a very wide polar pattern for the mics, the result being an unfocused stereo image of the instrument and more room sound for a given mic placement. Yes, those are my experiences with the Roland too. Several friends have one (my music school had a scheme where you could buy one at a discount). It's a convenient tool, but the mic placments limits the use somewhat. David -- *** David van Ooijen davidvanooi...@gmail.com www.davidvanooijen.nl *** To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders
I have an H2, too. Thank you for the tip about 24-bit recording. It's probably worth pointing out that the volume control on the left is for playback through speakers/headphones. The recording level can be set with the double arrow buttons either side of the red 'record' button, on a scale of 0 to 127. I'm still learning . . . Bill Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media -Original Message- From: andy butler akbut...@tiscali.co.uk Sender: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:40:32 To: WALSH STUARTs.wa...@ntlworld.com Cc: Lute Listlute@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders WALSH STUART wrote: Andy, I have an 'old' Zoom H2. Is your workaround (below) intended to get a recording with less noise? hi Stuart, In order to be sure of avoiding distortion when just using just the L/M/H control for volume I often end up with a quiet recording. In digital recording that's equivalent to using less bits, which means lower quality. Say you use 16 bits, but recording is so quiet that you don't use the 4 bits that cover the louder ranges. You could end up with what is effectively a 12 bit recording (as an example). Boosting volume up to the full range of 16 bits won't get back the lost resolution. With a 24 bit recording you can afford to lose those 4 bits without any worry. The quantisation noise that you get with a low bit rate recording is thus avoided. Luckily the H2 circuitry has very little hiss when using the internal mics, so this all works just fine. The gain settings are L/M/H. I have it set to M (mid). I've put up the volume control (on the left hand side) to 100. Exactly. The H setting has just a little bit too much gain when recording a Lute, so the M setting is the only good choice. I use an old version of Audacity for editing on the computer. I usually just bring in a wav file and 'normalise' it to 95%. You say 'in editing, boost the levels'. Is that the same as 'normalise'? Yes, that's it. Normalising is just a level boost that is calculated for you. hope that helps andy To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] lute for sale
I have decided to sell my 6c lute in A which I made in 1983, a lovely instrument which I am not using so much these days. I will take some more photos soon, but in the meantime you can see and hear it as it features as the first lute in the 6c section of my catalogue at www.luteshop.co.uk/6c/6c.htm £3000 including Kingham case. Martin To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders
Dear electronic wisdom, Does anyone use the recording device Boss Micro BR and feel able and ready to help me with some elementary stuff which I don't understand from the instruction manual? Lease contact me via my email. Your help would be extremely appreciated! Best regards Franz __ From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu on behalf of willsam...@yahoo.co.uk Sent: Mon 18.06.2012 11:53 To: andy butler; lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu; WALSH STUART Cc: Lute List Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders I have an H2, too. Thank you for the tip about 24-bit recording. It's probably worth pointing out that the volume control on the left is for playback through speakers/headphones. The recording level can be set with the double arrow buttons either side of the red 'record' button, on a scale of 0 to 127. I'm still learning . . . Bill Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media -Original Message- From: andy butler akbut...@tiscali.co.uk Sender: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:40:32 To: WALSH STUARTs.wa...@ntlworld.com Cc: Lute Listlute@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders WALSH STUART wrote: Andy, I have an 'old' Zoom H2. Is your workaround (below) intended to get a recording with less noise? hi Stuart, In order to be sure of avoiding distortion when just using just the L/M/H control for volume I often end up with a quiet recording. In digital recording that's equivalent to using less bits, which means lower quality. Say you use 16 bits, but recording is so quiet that you don't use the 4 bits that cover the louder ranges. You could end up with what is effectively a 12 bit recording (as an example). Boosting volume up to the full range of 16 bits won't get back the lost resolution. With a 24 bit recording you can afford to lose those 4 bits without any worry. The quantisation noise that you get with a low bit rate recording is thus avoided. Luckily the H2 circuitry has very little hiss when using the internal mics, so this all works just fine. The gain settings are L/M/H. I have it set to M (mid). I've put up the volume control (on the left hand side) to 100. Exactly. The H setting has just a little bit too much gain when recording a Lute, so the M setting is the only good choice. I use an old version of Audacity for editing on the computer. I usually just bring in a wav file and 'normalise' it to 95%. You say 'in editing, boost the levels'. Is that the same as 'normalise'? Yes, that's it. Normalising is just a level boost that is calculated for you. hope that helps andy To get on or off this list see list information at [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders
Dear electronic wisdom, Does anyone use the recording device Boss Micro BR and feel able and ready to help me with some elementary stuff which I don't understand from the instruction manual? Lease contact me via my email. Your help would be extremely appreciated! Best regards Franz __ From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu on behalf of willsam...@yahoo.co.uk Sent: Mon 18.06.2012 11:53 To: andy butler; lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu; WALSH STUART Cc: Lute List Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders I have an H2, too. Thank you for the tip about 24-bit recording. It's probably worth pointing out that the volume control on the left is for playback through speakers/headphones. The recording level can be set with the double arrow buttons either side of the red 'record' button, on a scale of 0 to 127. I'm still learning . . . Bill Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media -Original Message- From: andy butler akbut...@tiscali.co.uk Sender: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:40:32 To: WALSH STUARTs.wa...@ntlworld.com Cc: Lute Listlute@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re Portable Recorders WALSH STUART wrote: Andy, I have an 'old' Zoom H2. Is your workaround (below) intended to get a recording with less noise? hi Stuart, In order to be sure of avoiding distortion when just using just the L/M/H control for volume I often end up with a quiet recording. In digital recording that's equivalent to using less bits, which means lower quality. Say you use 16 bits, but recording is so quiet that you don't use the 4 bits that cover the louder ranges. You could end up with what is effectively a 12 bit recording (as an example). Boosting volume up to the full range of 16 bits won't get back the lost resolution. With a 24 bit recording you can afford to lose those 4 bits without any worry. The quantisation noise that you get with a low bit rate recording is thus avoided. Luckily the H2 circuitry has very little hiss when using the internal mics, so this all works just fine. The gain settings are L/M/H. I have it set to M (mid). I've put up the volume control (on the left hand side) to 100. Exactly. The H setting has just a little bit too much gain when recording a Lute, so the M setting is the only good choice. I use an old version of Audacity for editing on the computer. I usually just bring in a wav file and 'normalise' it to 95%. You say 'in editing, boost the levels'. Is that the same as 'normalise'? Yes, that's it. Normalising is just a level boost that is calculated for you. hope that helps andy To get on or off this list see list information at [1]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: wheels for theorbo
Dear Richard, Last year I put a small hook on Lynda Sayce's theorbo case to take these wheels and it has been a great success. http://www.kcstrings.com/bass-buggie It is much better than using skateboard wheels and deals with rough ground easily. Can be taken on and off as needed and is light but well made. I would recommend them. Best wishes, David At 12:12 -0400 17/6/12, richard brook wrote: Hi netters I wonder if anyone has used clamp on wheels for dragging theorboes around campuses etc. LIke with luggage, though you could remove them. I looked briefly at a site that sold something called E-Z wheels; Any experience with those? Thanks, Dick Brook richa...@ptd.net To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: http://www.vanedwards.co.uk
[LUTE] Re: wheels for theorbo
I saw those wheels in action on double basses. Love them and indeed they are better than my skate board wheels. A hook on the theorbo case would be enough? Great idea! David On 18 June 2012 17:55, David Van Edwards da...@vanedwards.co.uk wrote: Dear Richard, Last year I put a small hook on Lynda Sayce's theorbo case to take these wheels and it has been a great success. http://www.kcstrings.com/bass-buggie It is much better than using skateboard wheels and deals with rough ground easily. Can be taken on and off as needed and is light but well made. I would recommend them. Best wishes, David At 12:12 -0400 17/6/12, richard brook wrote: Hi netters I wonder if anyone has used clamp on wheels for dragging theorboes around campuses etc. LIke with luggage, though you could remove them. I looked briefly at a site that sold something called E-Z wheels; Any experience with those? Thanks, Dick Brook richa...@ptd.net To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: http://www.vanedwards.co.uk -- *** David van Ooijen davidvanooi...@gmail.com www.davidvanooijen.nl ***
[LUTE] Re: wheels for theorbo
Dear David, Yes, the design is predicated on putting the hole in a solid plastic plate over the endpin of the bass, so you only need a secure hook to double that function. You also need slightly longer elastic cord to attach the straps up to the handle. All fairly straightforward. Best wishes, David At 23:07 +0200 18/6/12, David van Ooijen wrote: I saw those wheels in action on double basses. Love them and indeed they are better than my skate board wheels. A hook on the theorbo case would be enough? Great idea! David On 18 June 2012 17:55, David Van Edwards da...@vanedwards.co.uk wrote: Dear Richard, Last year I put a small hook on Lynda Sayce's theorbo case to take these wheels and it has been a great success. http://www.kcstrings.com/bass-buggie It is much better than using skateboard wheels and deals with rough ground easily. Can be taken on and off as needed and is light but well made. I would recommend them. Best wishes, David At 12:12 -0400 17/6/12, richard brook wrote: Hi netters I wonder if anyone has used clamp on wheels for dragging theorboes around campuses etc. LIke with luggage, though you could remove them. I looked briefly at a site that sold something called E-Z wheels; Any experience with those? Thanks, Dick Brook richa...@ptd.net To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: http://www.vanedwards.co.uk -- *** David van Ooijen davidvanooi...@gmail.com www.davidvanooijen.nl *** -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: http://www.vanedwards.co.uk
[LUTE] extreme theorbo case
Dear all, Has anybody got one of these? http://www.casextreme.com/prod_details.php?pid' If so, is it any good? Certainly cheaper than the next few options I can think of, like my IKA case which has begun to show some significant wear including some rather worrying stress fractures (just dropped off at the surfboard shop for repair), and my Kingham cases, which have been reduced to little theorbo-case molecules. All best, John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: extreme theorbo case
I had one made for my 13 course lute. The Kingham case goes inside the extreme case. I used it for checked luggage when I flew to Vancouver and back and the lute was fine. Danny On Jun 18, 2012, at 8:23 PM, John Lenti wrote: Dear all, Has anybody got one of these? http://www.casextreme.com/prod_details.php?pid' If so, is it any good? Certainly cheaper than the next few options I can think of, like my IKA case which has begun to show some significant wear including some rather worrying stress fractures (just dropped off at the surfboard shop for repair), and my Kingham cases, which have been reduced to little theorbo-case molecules. All best, John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE] Re: extreme theorbo case
I like the idea of the case-case, and I may get one for my baroque lute, but I'm thinking more particularly of the ones you just stick a theorbo in and go. Also, when do I get to meet you, Danny? We know way too many of the same people, like I ran into this lawyer on the train from DC to Baltimore whose husband is a musicologist/lutenist and she's on the board of Les Delices, and there you were, being brought up in conversation, and we play too many of the same instruments and I'm subscribed to your Youtube channel and feel like we're related. Please pardon my excessive familiarity in advance. I may just rush up and hug you. John Subject: Re: [LUTE] extreme theorbo case From: kidneykut...@gmail.com Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:26:39 -0400 CC: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu To: johnle...@hotmail.com I had one made for my 13 course lute. The Kingham case goes inside the extreme case. I used it for checked luggage when I flew to Vancouver and back and the lute was fine. Danny On Jun 18, 2012, at 8:23 PM, John Lenti wrote: Dear all, Has anybody got one of these? http://www.casextreme.com/prod_details.php?pid' If so, is it any good? Certainly cheaper than the next few options I can think of, like my IKA case which has begun to show some significant wear including some rather worrying stress fractures (just dropped off at the surfboard shop for repair), and my Kingham cases, which have been reduced to little theorbo-case molecules. All best, John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
[LUTE] Re: extreme theorbo case
Hi ho John, Iirc, he was at the same LSA event as when I met you wa-a-ay back when, earlier this century. (It's impossible to keep DS away from Cleveland.) You probably didn't notice him running and hiding behind doors and furniture whenever you walked by like we did. Fun times those seminars. Sean ;^) On Jun 18, 2012, at 5:33 PM, John Lenti wrote: I like the idea of the case-case, and I may get one for my baroque lute, but I'm thinking more particularly of the ones you just stick a theorbo in and go. Also, when do I get to meet you, Danny? We know way too many of the same people, like I ran into this lawyer on the train from DC to Baltimore whose husband is a musicologist/lutenist and she's on the board of Les Delices, and there you were, being brought up in conversation, and we play too many of the same instruments and I'm subscribed to your Youtube channel and feel like we're related. Please pardon my excessive familiarity in advance. I may just rush up and hug you. John Subject: Re: [LUTE] extreme theorbo case From: kidneykut...@gmail.com Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:26:39 -0400 CC: lute@cs.dartmouth.edu To: johnle...@hotmail.com I had one made for my 13 course lute. The Kingham case goes inside the extreme case. I used it for checked luggage when I flew to Vancouver and back and the lute was fine. Danny On Jun 18, 2012, at 8:23 PM, John Lenti wrote: Dear all, Has anybody got one of these? http://www.casextreme.com/prod_details.php?pid' If so, is it any good? Certainly cheaper than the next few options I can think of, like my IKA case which has begun to show some significant wear including some rather worrying stress fractures (just dropped off at the surfboard shop for repair), and my Kingham cases, which have been reduced to little theorbo-case molecules. All best, John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
[LUTE-BUILDER] Re: Archlute Bridge
As usual, Dana Emery strikes again ! Excellent post ... excellent post... Sonically too, Ebony is not the most musical of woods and while I have retopped a beautiful archlute for a player out here which had ebony staves, one could lightly sense the enharmonic character of ebony in its sound... now for bridges, Dana is right with respect to correct build procedures ..But if our mystery bridge turns out to actually be ebony ( and I have seen some pretty strange stuff done in our modern era with lutes) now would be the best time to replace it I especially like Dana's suggestion to check all joints ! In the retopping of the archlute I mentioned above MANY braces (well over half!) had crystalized glue joints and so I had to re-brace the entire instrument. This instrument which was made by a pretty well known luthier was built in the late 70s. AND if the top is pushing 20 plus years , Dana's additional suggestion of simply putting on a new top is indeed called for... A last note to Dana's post some years ago i posted a quick observation on cracks, and its worth mentioning it again. And Dana is yet again right on target The Spanish masters of lutherie during the mid 60s many of whom I had the great honor to know , were absolutely firm on this issue.. We are to brace perhaps 5 or 6 percent LOW with respect to the expected humidity the instrument is going typically see This is to insure the health of the top and to make sure the top sounds well too. BUT there is another monster lurking here.. If the players don't also agressively monitor EXCESSIVE HUMIDITY as when when the relative humidity is in excess of say 20 percent of the build target, then the wood will expand accordingly ... Now since the plantilla or shape of the instrument is fixed by the braces and bowl , the softer top, as it expands, has no where to go... What happens then is that the wood first bellies upwards and then starts to crush itself, under these high humidity conditions and then, when the humidity drops , the top can REALLY crack, and whats worse, at a higher level of humidity even than the target build point! This occurs because by virtue of have been laterally crushed, the top is fundamentally NARROWER than before. When the humidity drops and the top shrinks even further, these catastrophic failures can occur. I restored several German harp guitars like this... The back of one of them, a Haberman instrument, had shrunk so badly that it lost over1/4 of an inch in width relative to plantilla so that when I removed the back you could hear the instrument groan as the stresses were relieved and the sides started to reconform . If this is what has happened to Sterling's lute, then i am afraid a new top is indeed in order.. Richard Lees On 6/18/2012 3:32 PM, Dana Emery wrote: First point, much of that which is black on musical instruments is dyed maple and not ebony proper. The wood used for a lute bridge does need to stand up to the strings, but need not be as stiff as ebony, fruitwood (pear, plum, apple) are recomended from what I recall. As has been pointed out your enemy is thermal mass. A replacement strategy allows destructive removal. Working on the naked top will allow the other repair you want to do, and in general you can rejuvinate all the joints as you wish. cracks in the top of a lute are troublesome, and likely when an instrument travels to a drier climate than that it was built in (er, designed for). A piano top is designed to have a slight but crucial arch that keeps all the joints in compression as it dries out. lute tops are flatter than can allow that, and actually cave in in places (especially between bridge and rose); rising in others (below bridge). An entirely new top might not be a bad idea at this point, but you seem inexperienced for that, still should you have the resources, it might be an opportunity to consider exploring. You will want to make thickness measuring calipers as well as a go-bar deck and perhaps some other specialist tools. The scrape of the present instrument can be used for a model. You might look for a violin maker in your area to share a brew or two with and get some informal counseling. Good luck To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[LUTE-BUILDER] Re: Archlute Bridge
Hi--I am sure that the bridge is ebony because I have drilled/enlarged several holes on it and its black dust all the way though. I am worried about the braces and the soundboard. Here in Utah the humidity often gets as low as 5-10%(like today). I am still looking for someone to do the work on this lute. Any ideas? --Sterling From: Richard Lees rel...@sbcglobal.net To: Dana Emery orphar...@gmail.com; lute-buil...@cs.dartmouth.edu lute-buil...@cs.dartmouth.edu Sent: Monday, June 18, 2012 8:12 PM Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] Re: Archlute Bridge As usual, Dana Emery strikes again ! Excellent post ... excellent post... Sonically too, Ebony is not the most musical of woods and while I have retopped a beautiful archlute for a player out here which had ebony staves, one could lightly sense the enharmonic character of ebony in its sound... now for bridges, Dana is right with respect to correct build procedures ..But if our mystery bridge turns out to actually be ebony ( and I have seen some pretty strange stuff done in our modern era with lutes) now would be the best time to replace it I especially like Dana's suggestion to check all joints ! In the retopping of the archlute I mentioned above MANY braces (well over half!) had crystalized glue joints and so I had to re-brace the entire instrument. This instrument which was made by a pretty well known luthier was built in the late 70s. AND if the top is pushing 20 plus years , Dana's additional suggestion of simply putting on a new top is indeed called for... A last note to Dana's post some years ago i posted a quick observation on cracks, and its worth mentioning it again. And Dana is yet again right on target The Spanish masters of lutherie during the mid 60s many of whom I had the great honor to know , were absolutely firm on this issue.. We are to brace perhaps 5 or 6 percent LOW with respect to the expected humidity the instrument is going typically see This is to insure the health of the top and to make sure the top sounds well too. BUT there is another monster lurking here.. If the players don't also agressively monitor EXCESSIVE HUMIDITY as when when the relative humidity is in excess of say 20 percent of the build target, then the wood will expand accordingly ... Now since the plantilla or shape of the instrument is fixed by the braces and bowl , the softer top, as it expands, has no where to go... What happens then is that the wood first bellies upwards and then starts to crush itself, under these high humidity conditions and then, when the humidity drops , the top can REALLY crack, and whats worse, at a higher level of humidity even than the target build point! This occurs because by virtue of have been laterally crushed, the top is fundamentally NARROWER than before. When the humidity drops and the top shrinks even further, these catastrophic failures can occur. I restored several German harp guitars like this... The back of one of them, a Haberman instrument, had shrunk so badly that it lost over1/4 of an inch in width relative to plantilla so that when I removed the back you could hear the instrument groan as the stresses were relieved and the sides started to reconform . If this is what has happened to Sterling's lute, then i am afraid a new top is indeed in order.. Richard Lees On 6/18/2012 3:32 PM, Dana Emery wrote: First point, much of that which is black on musical instruments is dyed maple and not ebony proper. The wood used for a lute bridge does need to stand up to the strings, but need not be as stiff as ebony, fruitwood (pear, plum, apple) are recomended from what I recall. As has been pointed out your enemy is thermal mass. A replacement strategy allows destructive removal. Working on the naked top will allow the other repair you want to do, and in general you can rejuvinate all the joints as you wish. cracks in the top of a lute are troublesome, and likely when an instrument travels to a drier climate than that it was built in (er, designed for). A piano top is designed to have a slight but crucial arch that keeps all the joints in compression as it dries out. lute tops are flatter than can allow that, and actually cave in in places (especially between bridge and rose); rising in others (below bridge). An entirely new top might not be a bad idea at this point, but you seem inexperienced for that, still should you have the resources, it might be an opportunity to consider exploring. You will want to make thickness measuring calipers as well as a go-bar deck and perhaps some other specialist tools. The scrape of the present instrument can be used for a model. You might look for a violin maker in your area to share a brew or two with and
