Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle

Subject: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Max D. Spiegel
Date: 26 Jun 97 - 03:32 PM

I noticed another thread that had a fantasy folk cicle going, and someone mentioned to send a tape around to create it. Good Idea, but I got a better one.

We made the investment to get a Real Audio Server, and can put up real music with no download time. The quality is not perfect, but it is stereo, and has come a long way. Check out http://www.deltablues.com/radio.html to get an idea of the quality. I recorded those for 28.8 connections and can adjust to fit the demographics.

Do you think enough of us have sound cards and 28.8 for it to be worth it?

Anyway, those who know how to record or encode their music on their computers can encode and label them themselves and email or ftp them to me and I'll put them in a "Mudcat Folk Juke Box" on the net. How many songs in the database do you think we could get? We cannot (yet) put published music up (copyright), but we can do covers and our own songs.

If you have a pc with a soundcard, you can download the Real Audio Encoder for free and encode anything live, through your soundcards input or you microphone. I just send my amp's output into the soundcard and it sounds great. You could patch your cassette deck into the audio card just the same. Radio Shack has every wire you could ever need. You may need a converter or two.

Those without sound cards, pc's or anything else neat can send tapes to others who do get set up and they can encode them and email or ftp them to me. I'll try to do my share of encoding if there is interest in this, but I would like some volunteers to help me out.

I figure if we stay to the old stuff or songs that we know we wouldn't get sued for, we should be alright. All tapes and Real Audio Files must be accompanied with any copyright info. If you can't find it, keep looking. Stay away from modern and popular stuff (major label) because that will likely kill the project.

Any other thoughts? What do you think?

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Frank in the swamps
Date: 27 Jun 97 - 06:50 AM

Max,

It sounds like a natural extension of what you're already doing. I've been wondering what would happen to this "Fantasy folk circle" when it became too large and unwieldy.

Alright,if I haven't made enough technical blunders to clue people off, I'm a 'Newbie' to this whole dadblame 'net thang, but I'm game. I was about to throw this frikkin' computer out the window when I discovered D.T. A forum like this will keep me trying. Just don't forget the "simple " instructions.

Yours, Frank.

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From:
Date: 27 Jun 97 - 07:21 AM

"Simple" instructions are definitely a plus.. I've been using this computer for a couple years now, mainly for browsing, talking to people, and doing English papers.. but anything involving fiddling with it to transfer sound bits and the like still gives me headaches.. *wry smile*

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Frank in the swamps
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 06:26 AM

I thought I'd bring this thread back up because of the success of the fantasy folk circle. Clearly we want to gather together and share the music. While I don't have the technical know-how to transmit sound,I'd like to see this idea go a step further. We had a thread a while back about using Sol Fa notation, nobody ( to my knowledge ) followed up, myself included. Probably because typing out our sentences is hard enough for most of us. But if there's a way the average technodummy can transmit a tune, without spending half of his/her free time at a keypad,we could figure a way to do this. Perhaps a bit of fundamental technical advice, like the equipment needed (and available),along with an outline on how it works. Not step by step instructions, just a rough clue, so we technodummies can sort of know where to start.

Frank.

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Frank
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 06:58 AM

Allright, I know Max aleady told us that if we had soundcards, radio shack could sell us the cables to plug into our amps,but just a little more advice please. If you've seen the semi-illiterate high school graduates working cash register here in Fla. You'd be in no hurry to accept the advice of sales personnel, and I don't fancy plugging an amplifier into my computer without "sound" advice.

Again.

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Jon W.
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 02:17 PM

My sound card has a Line In and Line Out jack. These are 1/8" phone jacks. I bought a cable at radio shack that plugs into either of them (line out if I am recording from computer to cassette, which I have done, and presumably Line In if going the other way, which I haven't tried). The other end has a split to two RCA type plugs which should go to the output or input plugs of a cassette deck. (I think, I'm typing this at work and the cable's at home). So probably the easiest would be to record a cassette, plug from cassette deck Line Out to sound card Line In with the appropriate cable, and transfer the music from the cassette to computer memory with the sound card software. For those of you who can play your stuff well enough live, substitute "amplifier" for "cassette deck." As for me, I would probably lay down an instrumental track on my wife's Karaoake machine, and use it to dub in the vocals (as if you wanted to hear me sing), and do it a few times til I got it almost right, then transfer it. Only problem is, I've only got a 14.4 baud modem at home, and no sound card at work. Is 28.8 really necessary? For listening to real audio only, right? How expensive are the 28.8 modems these days?

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Jack
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 02:38 PM

I just started noticing the 56.6 K modems for about 100 bucks. This means that 28.8 K will be available dirt cheap soon, at least until they are so obsolete that you won't be able to find them for sale anywhere.

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Jon W.
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 03:54 PM

One more question on modems - if I don't get a dirt cheap 28.8, and still want to listen, can I use my 14.4 to download the tune and listen to it offline? How long would it take to download?

ps I've been dealing with computers long enough (and longer) to remember when 9600 baud was lightning fast and very expensive ($500).

Subject: RE: Tune up: Virtual Folk Circle
From: Max
Date: 23 Jul 97 - 04:19 PM

With Real Audio technology, no download time is necessary. It is called streaming audio. It takes a few seconds to download a buffer, then the rest downloads as you listen to it. Very fast, no download, and 14.4 would be fine. The faster your modem, the better the quality can get, but speed is the same across the board.