Kevin Bresnahan

I just finished clearing the driveway. It looks like we got around 20 inches. I even had to clear a path out the back door for the pooch. Here's a (rather dark) picture out the back door. Later, Kevin

I have anywhere from 18-22 inches outside my door this morning and it's still coming down pretty hard. My poor dog had a tough time "takin care of her business" out there! I'm just glad that this stuff is of the "fluffy" variety. If this was heavy, we'd have roofs collapsing. Later, Kevin

Michael Cuscuna sends me titles and he'll either say, "These are OK to post," or he'll say, "Don't post these yet." These RVGs titles came into my E-mail box with a "hold off on posting" note. The weird thing is that the list included catalog numbers, usually a sign that it's pretty firmed up. In looking at the list, I have to wonder if Michael isn't trying to get a couple of changes. When I asked why one title was on the list because I thought it was a poor seller, he responded something like, "These titles were already done for the Japanese series." Maybe US BN doesn't want to spend the dough to get RVG to do new titles? I don't know. I hope to get the OK early next week. BTW, in the last E-mail I got from him, he said, "Starting to plan the next Connoisseur series. Get your dibs in now." Later, Kevin

Lately, a lot of the places I like to chat have switched over to canned software. I believe 3 of them, Jazz Corner, All About Jazz and Steve Hoffman's forum use vBulletin. It has a nice feature that changes the icon for a thread if it's a thread you replied to. Does the Power Board software have options for stuff like this or is that a vBulletin "special"? Kevin

They upped the forecast for my area to 18-24 inches. I'm just glad it's supposed to stop around noon tomorrow. I have quite a few people coming over to watch the Pats (in HD - yeah!) and I gotta get the driveway cleared. I'm lucky I got this Honda snowblower. This thing just eats it up. Highly recommended if you're in the market for one. The variable speed is a must. I used to snap shear bolts all time before I had this machine and variable is key, especially when you get to the pile at the end where the plows leave you a nice "present" every storm. Later, Kevin

I did get a preliminary list of June RVGs but I haven't been told that it's OK to post it yet. None of the titles mentioned here are in that RVG list. I did ask why he hasn't done "Where Is Brooklyn" and he replied that he was planning to make that a Connoisseur release. Later, Kevin

I have a lot of these "Deluxe Editions". My favorite is Lynyrd Skynyrd's "One More For the Road" which has the concert without the studio overdubs. The only drawback is that they don't include those songs with the original LP mixes. Space maybe? Another good one is Marley's "Catch a Fire". The bonus material is the LP as originally made by Marley before it was remixed. I still like the material remixed better but it is very interesting to hear it as it was originally intended by the Wailers. Kevin

Oh... I completely forgot about "Black Dahlia"! That is a great multi-channel recording. Thanks for reminding me of that one. I guess what I get out of well-made multi-channel disc is more "involvement". It's not just in front of you, it's all around you. It gets your mind listening for the sounds regardless of the location and to me, that's fun... just as you've described. So far, I'm digging it but I will admit that there have been a few discs that I've switched over to the stereo playback... and that's another beauty of SACDs... there's always a stereo mix. Now, believe me, I only recently converted my audio system to multi-channel because originally, I felt it was just a gimmic. But I have really enjoyed a number of these multi-channel discs. The Eagles "Hotel California", Yes' "Roundabout", Neil Young's "Harvest" (although I think that's one that sounds better in stereo), Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic" and others. Now, looking at this list, you'll see there aren't a lot of Jazz dates there. This is true. Most Jazz dates don't really lend themselves well to surround. Who needs the piano player's left hand in one speaker and his right hand in another? Well, truth be told, most Jazz SACDs are stereo, not multi-channel. Even the "multi-channel" "Kind of Blue" is only 3 track. They simply put each of the original 3 tracks off the master tapes into the left/right/center speakers with some echo in the back that's hardly even audible. In the end, this just gives me a great playback of the 3 track master and that's all I want. Later, Kevin

Berigan's story is one I've read time & time again. Confusing to use. Slow. Poor video quality. Incompatability. Problems with certain media. I don't think this technology is ready for prime time yet. I still think S-VHS is the way to go. BTW, for reference, store-bought DVDs are dual layer. They only put about 60 minutes onto each layer. Therefore, it only makes sense that unless you record only one hour on the blank, the video quality will go down from store-bought DVD video quality. In 6 hour mode, to my eyes, it looks no better than standard VHS in EP mode. S-VHS in SP mode will get you 2 hours on a T-120 tape in better quality than most DVD recorders. Later, Kevin

All I know is that I have recorded off the air onto "standard" VHS tapes with "S video" on and off and the difference is very noticeable. I will have to look into these S-VHS blanks. I will check out the links you gave for longevity but it's off to volleyball for now... gotta get some exercise. Later, Kevin

Please say you've heard surround sound on a good system and that you're not just riffing on a topic here, Jim. Truly, surround sound in a good system with good source material is simply phenomenal. If you've heard and disagree, I don't understand why. It's more "live" than stereo. As you say here, the world is not in stereo. Therefore, it makes sense that hearing a movie or music in surround would be more lifelike. I was skeptical, to say the least, when I first heard surround sound. The early movie soundtracks with surround used it purely for effects and many were simply gimmics. It's much more integrated with the movie today. As for "surround" music, it's really just the engineer working with the multi-track masters trying to plunk the listener down inside the recording session. In some cases, particualrly rock sessions, it works. In others, it might not. In either case, it's a lot more like being in the studio than two-track stereo. Even a "bad" multi-channel SACD of DVD-Audio disc sounds more like "you're there" than any stereo mix of the same session. Later, Kevin

I record in "S video" mode on my Mitsubishi S-VHS deck using standard VHS tapes and they look great. I never even knew they made "S-VHS" blanks. Good, high-quality VHS tapes are usually less than $1. DVD-RW blanks are usually more than that. As for the longevity of VHS tapes being "sucky", where do you find that information? I have VHS tapes that are 20 years old and they still play fine. I don't even see bleed through. I've never read of any problems with VHS tapes. If there are problems, I have some old wedding tapes that I'll have to back up quickly! Later, Kevin

Wanna know the funniest thing B3-er... these overly compressed CDs make the absolute crappiest mp3s you ever want to hear! If you think the CD sounds bad, rip it to mp3. I tried ripping my Hendrix remasters onto my PC at work. I can't listen to more than 1 tune and my head is pulsing, and not in a good way. Maybe this is why the record labels are doing this? Later, Kevin

Ted, there was a key-logger type of trojan virus a while ago that did something like this i.e. allow credit cards to be entered but nothing else. Have you run a virus scan and a spyware scan on your machine lately? I hope you don't have a key-logger app running on your PC... that would be a nightmare. Once again, I have to recommend Firefox. It's a better browser than Internet Explorer and it may solve all these problems. Kevin

Go out and buy a nice S-VHS machine. You should be able ot get a good one for around $80-120. In my opinion, the DVD recorders aren't worth the extra dough. The blank media is more expensive and the video quality isn't much better than S-VHS. DVD video is compressed video and if you use the recorder to maximize the amount of video you want to store, the quality goes way down. There's also a big question about longevity of the RW discs. A lot of people are having problems with compatability with older DVD players too. I've read a few comments on video boards of people who made the switch who wish they hadn't. FWIW, my sister insisted on going this route in December and asked me for advice. I did some research at the video forums ( www.avsforum.com and www.hometheaterspot.com ) and I recommended the Lite-on machine as the best bang-for-the-buck. It gets good reviews and is very inexpensive. If you want to give one a try, you should be able to find one for under $200. Later, Kevin

This coupon doesn't look right on my screen. Is this legit? I know there have been fake ones before. Kevin

I keep reading here and elsewhere on 'net about how today's CDs sound just as good as SACDs. Then I go over to Steve Hoffman's forum and see all these waveforms from modern remastered CDs and it looks like they're all getting clipped. Most of the threads over there talk about which version of a recording to get, and almost 100% of time, it's an old CD version because most of the new remasters suck. Jazz seems to be a bit more immune to this phenonema, but rock, forget about it. Almost every new release is "maxed out". U2's latest CD is so compressed it's almost painful to listen to. The latest Paul Simon remasters? All compressed. The same for the Jimi Hendrix remasters. Don't even look at the latest pop artist releases. My daughter's Simple Plan CD is painful to listen to even at low volumes. One look at the waveform and it's obvious as to why this is. Clipped to death. "But ours go to 11". While I agree that CD plaback can be stunning, I've gotten a lot more "dogs" on CD than I get with SACD or DVD-Audio. If the studios and remastering engineers continue to make CDs "at 11" on the dial, we will get more & more of these crappy-sounding CDs. It's going to get worse before it gets better. I feel that SACD and DVD-Audio as currently being issued, are better. Now, there's nothing saying that some clown can't remaster his next SACD all maxed out either. Later, Kevin

I find it funny that you're having problems with your browser application and it's somehow become yourmusic.com's fault. Many, many people have no problems at all with their website and the website's cookies. Most likely, you have either installed an internet security program that changed your browser's security settings or you have accidentally changed them yourself. Blaming yourmusic.com is wrong. BTW, a lot of people have successfully e-mailed them and many others have successfully "quit" their service using the links on the website. Try playing around with your browser settings or, better yet, if you haven't do so, download Mozilla Firefox and try that browser. You should be able to get out easy enough. Later, Kevin

I had accidentally started another thread on this topic but after doing a bit more research into this, specifically by looking at some of the lawsuits on file at the the US Patent and Trademark Office, I've decided to boycott their stuff. The thing that bugs me is that just before this came out, I had wired an entire home theater system for my in-laws with Monster Cable stuff. Splitters, interconnects, speaker wire... the whole thing. They appeared to be the "best" at BestBuy so I went with it. No more. If these guys want to sue the Chicago Bears for calling themselves "The Monsters of the Midway", or the Red Sox for calling the left field wall "The Green Monster" then I want nothing to do with their stuff. Go ahead, Monster Cable, sue Sesame Street for calling one of the characters "the Cookie Monster". Keep suing away. If enough people like me get sick of it, you'll be begging for the business. Later, Kevin

I love my home theater set-up. The sounds affects add to the realism of most scenes. When something on the screen goes around and the sound goes around, it makes feel like I'm there rather than watching as an observer. As for multi-channel audio, I have some great sounding SACDs and DVD-Audio discs. One of the most incredible I have is Aerosmith's "Toys in the Attic". The intro to "Sweet Emotion" is amazing. To my ears, I can't believe how good this disc sounds. I feel like I'm in the studio with the band. Sounds are audible that disappear in the stereo mix. A triangle here, a rumble there... all kinds of sounds that I'd miss in stereo. Of course, to hear multi-channel audio the right way, you have to have very good speakers all around. You can't use flimsy little "surround speakers" in back or you will not get good audio. Done right, multi-channel audio is a aural treat. Yeah SACD and DVD-Audio seem to be dying out. That's too bad. I blame the buying public. They voted with their wallets and our audio will suffer for it. IMHO, as of right now, there is no better way to play back recorded music than these high resolution formats. If mp3 becomes the way we get music in the future, people will never know what good audio sounds like. Later, Kevin

I have listened to "Round About Roma" many times. In fact, I spun it over the Christmas holidays at my in-laws house. They're the smooth jazz fans that I gave it to. To my ears, and theirs, it sounds like a smooth jazz date. It does not sound like any "with strings" jazz date that I have. My favorite strings date is Stan Getz "Focus" but Art Pepper's "Winter Moon" is also up there. Cannonball's is a good one too... and no, I have to admit, I do not have Charlie Parker with strings. I should rectify that some day. EDIT - BTW, this does not mean that "Round About Roma" is "bad", it's just not my style. I like DiBattista's other US release and I will try to get his latest. Later, Kevin

I liked his first US release. Elvin Jones was a big reason why I liked it. I think "Round About Roma" sounds like "Kenny G with strings". I gave it away to a friend who likes smooth jazz. I'll have to be on the lookout for this one. Later, Kevin

What the heck happened Weizen? I thought you were saving this sealed set for posterity? Kevin

It appears that the $4.99 link has been altered by yourmusic.com to say $5.99. I guess you could still try E-mailing them to get you switched over as someone on the Steve Hoffman forum claims they did today. They are doing this switch so it's worth a try. Later, Kevin

I agree that the Black Lion stuff is great. I have all of it on CD. I wonder if this SACD could improve the sound? Well, I think I'm going to pass. The disc goes for almost $40 on ebay. I can buy a lot of other discs with that $40. Thanks everyone. Later, Kevin