Sonne Statt Reagan - Joseph Beuys

We were rummaging through some storage boxes the other day when we found the 45 record "Sonne Statt Reagan" by Joseph Beuys. Joseph Beuys was a German performance artist who was born in 1921 in Krefeld in Nordrhein-Westfalen. He died in 1986

He served in the German army during World War 2 and after leaving the army he went to study at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts. He was interested in painting, sculpture, poetry, performance art and social commentary. He was not a lover of the cold war and was highly critical of Ronald Reagan.
His 45 record "Sonne Statt Reagan" is a play on words. Regen means rain in German, so "Sonne Statt Reagan" means "Sun instead of Reagan or Rain".

This record is an icon of German performance art and I bought the record when it first came out in Germany for 5 Deutsche Marks. I thought I had lost it and was about to pay a princely sum to Discogs for a replacement copy. My wife saved me a lot of money.

You can hear the record on You Tube but it is not the same. Digital copies are unavailable and it is not published on Spotify. Luckily, I have an original 1982 version of the record.

You can see and hear a performance here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ1_ALxGbGk

This was New Wave performance art at its best.

The words were by Alain Thomé and the music was by Klaus Heuser. The flip side has another Heuser compostion an instrumental called Kraefte Sammeln (collect one's strength or fortify yourself) which sounds a bit like Focus - not bad.

The words of "Sonne Statt Reagan" are translated very well here:


http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/90726/sound-sonne-statt-reagan-sun-instead-of-rain

So how did it sound? Even though the record had been in the garage and the cover smells a little bit damp and mouldy it remained in excellent condition.It was lying on its side which is not the best way to store a record. I wiped it with a carbon brush and the record sounded as fresh as when I bought with just a little bit of crackle and pop on the fade out. I have digitised it but I did not apply any noise reduction.

The digitised version sounds almost exactly the same as the record so this is a tribute to modern digital sound engineering and this is why competent digital re-mastering of old master tapes produces better sounding playback than LPs or 45s. The cutting lathes for LP and 45 records cannot fully reproduce the original sound waves.  Vinyl records  and their playback equipment cannot replicate the original sound waves fully either. But,of course, brand new LPs and 45s can still sound wonderful; as does my original of "Sonne Statt Reagan".

We also found a near pristine copy of a 1982 recording by Altered Images you may have heard it - "Happy Birthday". This is not the best of music but the sound reproduction was almost perfect for an old 45. It must of been my girlfriend at the time who bought it as I cannot remember playing it. This was New Wave triviality.

Super-tweeters

Super-tweeters which are capable of reproducing ultrasonic frequencies above the 20 kHz, which is generally  considered to be the cut-off frequency for human hearing, are becoming fashionable again. This is possibly because of the increased interest in so called High Resolution files which are capable of reproducing sounds in the ultra-sonic range.

Many users of super-tweeters claim that they improve the sound of the bass frequencies and make the sound more "airy" whatever that means. Some users claim an extraordinary improvement in sound quality. Let's see the proof anyone can make a claim which has no real foundation in fact.

Many supporters quote some research conducted by Tsutomu Oohashi in the year 2000 which is supposed to prove that subjects can perceive the so called "hypersonic" sounds above 20 kHz. No-one has been able to repeat these results yet.

Oohashi research also indicated that ultrasonics did affect the brainwaves of experimental subjects but it did not prove that the subjects were able to perceive this effect.

There have been many double-blind tests performed which have not been able to confirm that test subjects can perceive the difference between music reproduction which contains ultrasonic content and music which does not.

Anyone who claims to be able to hear a difference is obliged to submit themselves to double-blind testing.

Super-tweeter manufacturers should also publish any independent and peer reviewed double-blind tests which they have conducted which prove that human beings can perceive ultrasonic frequencies or that super-tweeters do in fact improve sound quality.

The proponents of super-tweeters and ultra high frequency sound files should be open-minded enough to accept that their claims should be tested by the scientific method to ascertain whether there is any substance or not. If proof is delivered then I shall shut up about this and accept that some people can in fact hear music or harmonics with ultra-sonic frequency.

Until such a day occurs I shall remain sceptical and suspect that such claims are in fact confirmation bias combined a little element of the emperor's new "sonic" clothes.

The users of super-tweeters should also be open minded enough to consider the possibility that they could be damaging their hearing if they play  high frequency sounds above 17 kHz at too loud a volume (over 110 db at your ears). You could be damaging your ears and those of your family members without realising it .

http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf/2001/crr01343.pdf

Ultrasonics are used to break down kidney stones and there are even forms of ultrasonic scalpels which are used in surgery. Ultrasonics can do damage.

Why not play safe and just listen to ordinary speakers and save yourself some money into the bargain?  And just wait until there is proof that such super-tweeters work and that they are safe to use.

Is High Resolution Audio really the way to go for music reproduction?

I recently tuned in to the “You and Yours “article on HIRES music on BBC Radio 4 iPlayer which was first broadcast in March 2014. Their piece can be heard in HIRES from a download which can be found here:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/youyours/high_res_you_and_yours.wav.

Your ears may be able to hear a difference just as mine did but this is not down to whether the music was from a CD quality file or a 24/96 HIRES file as the guest experts explained below. I really recommend that you listen to the broadcast.

My ears could not distinguish between CD and 24/96 resolution even when listening to the high definition broadcast through a good quality DAC, amplifier and headphones.

The host, Winifred, and her two guests listened to jazz, pop and classical music in both CD and 24/96 HIRES format. One of the comparisons was blind and both of the sound engineering experts, Stephen Rinker and Steve Levine, had the courage to say that they would be embarrassed if they could not tell the difference. They failed to identify the HIRES music but I hope they were not ashamed of themselves as they were in good company.

As far as I can tell, no-one has been proven to hear the difference between CD quality and HIRES, with all other parameters being equal and even when using high quality equipment. Proof can only be obtained by using double-blind tests in a peer reviewed study using the scientific method. Such peer reviewed studies are conducted by the medical profession to prove whether a treatment works or not or is safe to use. Surely, what is good for medical science is also good for sound engineering?

The sound engineers behind the radio programme did not use the same volume level for the single blind test and the two experts were easily misled by this. One of the experts explained the Fletcher –Munson curve which demonstrates that human beings perceive the frequencies of music differently according to volume level.

The scientific tests, which have been conducted, up until now, have used small samples of people so it is possible that individuals can be found who are able to hear the difference. Sound engineers, HI-FI journalists and audiophiles have a duty to step forward to prove that they are better able to distinguish between CD quality music and HIRES than the likes of  you and me.

Who is going to have the courage of Rinker and Levine and allow themselves to be double-blind tested at their leisure with the equipment of their choice? Let’s have some real evidence, rather than assertions, to prove the sceptics wrong.

Such tests will be costly and time consuming and would have to use the highest quality sound reproduction equipment and sound engineering techniques. The tests would also have to be conducted ethically to ensure that participants are not exposed to volumes which would damage their hearing.  Perhaps, the BBC could divert some funds from “Top Gear” or “Strictly Come Dancing” to conduct such a study for they have the nous and expertise to do it.

There are good reasons for proving whether HIRES music sounds better at our ears or not:

HIRES music is now being scrutinised by consumer programmes and the mainstream newspapers so let’s prove the benefits once and for all, if they really exist, and end any controversy or sonic opinion turf wars.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/05/pono-neil-young-24bit-192khz-review

and  here is your chance to spot the hidden errors! Try the graphics for a start.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-m-kaye/hires-audio-hear-what-you_b_4789827.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology

The anecdotal and hearsay evidence is not strong enough; we need the proof to confirm the theory.

We must confirm that the resolution of our ears is good enough to appreciate the technical and mathematical superiority of HIRES reproduced music.

If there are people who can genuinely tell the difference then shouldn't we want to know why? Then, shouldn't we want to know if sound engineering can improve the situation for those of us who have reduced hearing acuity?

 If no-one can truly perceive a difference then there would be little point proceeding with 24/96 sound delivery just to go up a costly blind alley.

 Many other improvements could be made to recording and sound reproduction techniques without the use of HIRES files at the point of delivery but only the scientific method can verify any improvement and help us to move forward.

Stephen Rinker and Steve Levine made the perfectly valid point that 24/96 resolution is extremely useful in the studio and at the sound mixing desk; so 24/96 does have a proven case for the recording of music if not its delivery.

As far as the individual enthusiast is concerned, you should be open-minded to the fact that your perception can be misled by a simple change of volume levels when you listen to a sales demonstration or make comparisons at home. Beware of the pitfalls before you part with substantial amounts of cash unless your purse or wallet is bulging.

As far as I am concerned, I shall still buy 24/96 recordings if that is the only way to obtain music which has been mastered to the highest quality; otherwise its CD quality to save money and hard disk space.  This might be a hard nosed approach but really it is only the music that matters to me.

  

Record Store Day in Bromley 19th April 2014

I have always loved browsing the shelves of independent record stores and talking to the staff. Record shops have almost met their demise, on the high street, as a result of competition from the internet. Record Store Day, which originated in the USA in 2008, is part of the fight back to help keep record shops as part of modern cultural life.

Even though I was given an advance list of the music on sale, I went with the intention of just browsing and listening to the live music. The main feature of the day was row upon row of old style LP and 45 records.  I was disappointed not to see more people taking part.

Not many were combing through the records or even glancing at the covers. LP sales are on the up and in the UK last year 800,000 shiny new vinyl records were sold. Young people are meant to be leading a revival of music sold on solid and tangible media. But I did not see much evidence of it.

What I did see was a fair number of enthusiasts who were interested in buying collectors’ items and I spoke to a number of people looking for records from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple and Bob Dylan.

The live Band, “The Get-Go”, was drawing crowds of people to the store front, but the audience stood on the outside instead of joining in. What were they afraid of? The Band was hitting some great blue notes and what better backdrop was there for browsing the shelves?

Perhaps, latter day music buyers are reluctant to get involved with an unfamiliar and old fashioned way of finding out about music and buying it.  Has internet surfing replaced social interaction by a form of shy individuality? Have headphones and MP3 players detached so many of us from the sociability of listening to music?

I could not resist buying a couple of LP records even though they were very expensive. It was £25 for “The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live at Monterey “.  And, it was another £25 for a numbered and purple coloured edition of Don Van Vliet and the Magic Bands ‘, “Son of Dust Sucker – The Roger Eagle tapes from 1977.

Don Van Vliet was also known as Captain Beefheart and he had a very powerful blues voice with a 4 ½ octave range. He regularly broke microphones with his voice in the recording studio. I remember seeing him live at the Drury Theatre London in 1974. It was music and performance art at its best.

The live Band was doing so well that it drew complaints from the adjoining shops about the noise. My ears weren’t ringing so I suspect that it was just sour grapes that all the shoppers had drifted away to hear music rather than open their wallets.

There was time to buy a 45 rpm or two before the music stopped. At £10 each, these were even more expensive pro rata and by the minute. I chose a 1969 Marianne Faithful single - “Sister Morphine” with “Something Better” on the flip side. I also bought a Norah Jones 45 rpm - “She’s 22”.

Ry Cooder, one of America’s finest guitarists, played some great slide guitar rifts on the Marianne Faithful record and he also featured on the Captain Beefheart “Safe as Milk “Album”. The rock music family is very small.

The live Band was forced to stop playing. This was a little churlish, I thought, as Record Store Day only happens once a year. I commiserated with Stuart Farnham, the lead guitarist, and congratulated him on his use of the blue note.  “Yes” he said, “you don’t get that with classical music”.

Before my wife arrived to stop me spending more, it was time to buy a copy of the Band’s music on vinyl but no such luck; it was only available on CD.

As we left the shop someone, who had worked in record retailing, asked me what I had bought and how much I had paid. “Too much; it’s all a big rip off” he said.  But, for me, it was worth every penny and the Captain Beefheart record is not going up for sale on EBay.

Behringer U-Control UCA202

It was never my intention to make comments about individual HIFI products, but for this little device I felt that I had to.

I bought the Behringer U-Control UCA202 to convert some old LPs and 45s to digital music files.

It performs brilliantly. It has plug and play operation and when used with the Audacity software it makes the process of converting your analogue sound media to digital very easy.

It has two RCA analogue "line inputs" which you connect to the "line outputs" out of an amplifier, phono -stage or cassette player. The device does not come equipped with the cables so you will need to buy the cables if you do not already have them. But, you probably do if you connect a turntable to a HIFI system.

For cassette players which sometimes only have a 3.55mm stereo line output you will need a "one to two RCA" cable.

The device, however, is fitted with a USB cable.

All you have to do is connect it to the amplifier at one end and a laptop at the other after you have downloaded the free software from Audacity. Audacity is reasonably easy to use after a little experimentation and by using the ample help text on Wikipedia.

It took me less than 10 minutes to digitise my first 45 record.

The sound quality was simply amazing. I digitised my records to 16 bit/44.1KHz WAV files. The U-Control cannot make 24/96 "HIRES" files but for a one off recording 24/96 is unnecessary.

I made a copy of an Errol Garner LP - "One World Concert" recorded in Seattle in 1961. Garner was a jazz genius and his piano playing is immaculate. The record itself was in good condition and I did not need to remove any crackles, pops or hiss using Audacity functionality.

My wife and I could not hear any difference between the LP and the Digital conversion when played back through the same amplifier and speakers. Other members of my family could not tell the difference either; the digital conversion sounded exactly like the LP with the odd crackle between the tracks. To all intents and purposes the U-Control and Audacity had made a perfect facsimile. I could see no reason why making a 24/96 "HIRES" copy could improve things.

The U-Control is small and very portable so you can place your laptop near your turntable or cassette player to make recording easy. If you only have a PC then plugging a USB cable into the front of the box is easier than directly trying to connect a Cassette player  or Turntable to line inputs on the back of the computer.

The device is not just an analogue to digital converter (ADC) it can also perform the other way round. It can playback music from a laptop or PC  and act as a Digital to Analogue  (DAC) converter connected to your HIFI.

The U-Control has analogue RCA outputs and an Optical output which could be connected to another external DAC or the optical inputs of an AV receiver. I tested these and they work perfectly to give really good sound reproduction.

The U-Control also has a headphone amplifier to monitor your recordings or just to playback music form the laptop when you are out and about.

The U-Control sound card will probably be better than the one in your laptop or PC unless you have bought computer equipment specifically designed for music.

For about £40 including VAT this device represents excellent value for money. It is well designed and economies of scale allow for a cheap price but the performance is  very competitive.

You could also use this device to record audio from a TV set top box if it has line outputs but I have not tried it. It could also be used as part of a portable recording studio.

I recommend this highly, if you just want to archive old analogue recordings or to save new LPs from wear and tear by digitising them for playback over a digital system. An ADC and DAC and headphone amplifier - all in one - this is fantastic sound engineering from Behringer.

This review explains it all.

http://nwavguy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/behringer-uca202-review.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdBFLqK76w8

King Crimson - In the Court of The Crimson King - 200 gm Vinyl Edition

I was thumbing through the new LPs in the record shop the other day and this record caught my eye. I simply had to buy it because of the album art. I rarely buy new LPs these days as I prefer to listen to CD quality music. This record is an icon of progressive rock and of course I bought a copy when it first came out in 1969. Like many of my LP records someone borrowed it and did not return it.

I have always loved the early King Crimson records and I have ITCOTCK on CD. The record is regarded as the first genuine progressive rock album by many commentators and it is a seminal work. King Crimson's music is not based on blues but on jazz, folk and classical music and is symphonic in style. But of course it uses guitar, bass and drums.

The band featured the following superb musicians.

Greg Lake on bass guitar and vocals. Lake joined Emmerson, Lake and Palmer after leaving King Crimsom.

Robert Fripp on Guitar.

Michael Giles on percussion  and backing vocals.

Ian McDonald on woodwind instruments and keyboards including the mellotron and vibes.

Peter Sinfield wrote the lyrics.

The first track 21st Schizoid Century Man leads the way: it is a frenetic fast paced jazz based song using the full panoply of King Crimson instrumentation and Lake's  deliberately distorted voice.

The album progresses through folk, classical and jazz styled songs to the finale: In The Court OF The Crimson King.  This imaginative track is almost surreal and the lyrics take you to a different kingdom.

What singles King Crimson out is the superb musicianship and flawless playing. They are truly great musicians  and up there with John Renbourne, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond and dare I say it Jimmy Hendrix.

The music is more avant-garde than far out - like the Pink Floyd. It sounded truly wonderful and strange at the same time to naive progressive rock fans way back in 1969 and all of my male friends loved it. Funnily, enough it did not appeal to women so much. My wife will not let me play it in her presence even though she is a big fan of the Moody Blues.

If you have not heard this album then I strongly recommend that you buy it; you will not be disappointed by the music or the sound quality if you like progressive rock. It is probably one of the best popular music records of all time and ranks up there with Sgt Pepper.

On a technical note this album is one of the best produced LPs I have got my hands on. In my time thousands of LPs have passed through my hands and all of them have had production flaws such as minor scratches and scuffs. This record has none of them as far as I can see or hear. The LP sounded better than any other version of the record that I heard in the sixties and seventies despite my modest turntable.

This did not mean that I could not hear any snap crackle or pop in the quiet bits. The record was difficult to remove from its sleeve which meant there was a build  up of static. This combined with the high atmospheric and dry pressure  combined to create enough static electricity to make every piece of dust in my living room air to stick to the record.

I earthed myself whilst cleaning the record with a carbon fibre brush but to no avail. The record started playing  so quietly that I thought that the volume was turned completely down or that I had miscued the needle. However, the static built up as I played the record and by the end of the album the needle was full of dust and I could hear the dreaded noise on the quiet bits of the music run off at the end of the record. Of course this spoilt what should have been a great musical experience. You just cannot win with an LP.

Even at low volumes I could hear some noises which sounded like the sound from a tape machine or from the mellotron but this was only in the quiet bits. I could also hear some hiss which I thought was noise from the record. But when I downloaded the 320 kbps MP3 I could hear the same. The hissing noise was from the master tapes. The LP and MP3 were of sufficient high resolution to expose flaws picked up by the master tapes- but so what? The music was not spoilt by any of this.

The LP record and the MP3 version sounded remarkably similar but the mellotron sounded more shrill in the digital version. The inherent harmonic distortion involved in LP replay was probably "softening and thickening the sound" to make the shrill notes sound sweeter to my ears. However, 320 kbps MP3 and CD are to my ears of higher fidelity than LP; the mellotron probably would have sounded shrill if you had monitored it directly through good speakers or headphones.

Both the LP and MP3 have been remastered with the approval of Robert Fripp and they sound great and better than ever before. This LP and MP3 download are well worth the money - £20 - as far as I am concerned.

I shall only play the record on special occasions and stick to listening to the MP3 and CD versions. I am thinking of "digitising" the LP itself using Audacity so that I can retain LP quality sound without wearing out the record. It will then  be a trip back to the 1969 every time I play the album digitally but minus the dust.

CD perfection

If you are not convinced that a CD is  capable of perfectly reproducing a sound wave then watch the video on the page below.  The performance of a CD is measured on an oscilloscope and compared to the performance of an LP.  The CD reproduces the 1KHz and  15KHz sine waves perfectly. The LP cannot match this accuracy and that is why you are able to hear noticeable harmonic distortion no matter what quality of sound reproduction equipment you are using.

http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/showthread.php?2046-An-honest-appraisal-of-vinyl-v-digital-romance-v-reality/page10