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Claude

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Posts posted by Claude

  1. Unfortunately most labels only indicate their sources when this info is positive ("transfered from the original master tapes").

    It's odd that many 1980's CD reissues contain an disclaimer, where the label apologizes for the tape hiss of the analogue recording (although the sound is fine), while today they don't find it necessary to mention that the CD was dubbed from vinyl.

  2. I still regret though that the CDs have never done justice to the Blue Note LP sound or to the original masters. The RVG series, in particular, was a huge missed opportunity to do it properly, or at least as well as could be done for CD.

    Of course I don't know how Blue Note master tapes sound. But after having heard many LP and SACD reissues of Blue Note albums mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, which supposedly come closest to the sound of the original tapes (I'm personally not interested in hearing sonic recreations of the original LPs), I must say that Ron McMaster did quite a good job on the first CD reissues and the Connoisseur series. He did not try to compensate the "dullness" of many RVG recordings by boosting treble as RVG did with his remasterings.

    I think Rudy Van Gelder's Blue Note recordings are somewhat overrated as far as the technical quality goes. After 1963, the recording quality degraded quite a lot, with a muddy bass, indistinct piano and reduced dynamics. Other labels - Verve or Columbia - did a better job. Albums such as "Juju" are sonically disappointing even with the best mastering.

  3. I highly recommend this new DVD featuring a german TV studio performance from 1971 (a 48 minute set without an audience)

    Weather Report - Live In Germany 1971

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003GE69QG/

    Here's a review: http://sidsmith.blogspot.com/2010/05/weather-report-live-in-germany-1971.html

    I might add that the quality of the picture (color, 4:3) and the sound (mono) on this legit region-free DVD (not recorded from TV like many other jazz DVDs sold in Europe) is very good.

  4. Seems like a logical thing to do. Downloads don't need to be inferior to CDs, in terms of quality and documentation.

    They should make the tracks available as lossless downloads as well, and adapt the pricing. Given the economies for the label, downloads should cost half the price of the CD.

    Another problem is the regional limitation. Most download shops can only sell to customers from the same country, because of copyright restrictions. If one can order a CD anywhere in the world, one should also be able to buy a download anywhere.

  5. Hans,

    If the reason is personal attack, you should delete tens (if not more) of posts from the political forum.

    The politics forum can't be moderated in the same way as the rest of the board, that would be too much of a task. People visit it at their own risk.

  6. It doesn't even have to be confrontational. What's wrong with asking in good faith, "Hey, can you elaborate on the value you offer to buyers beyond your prices? I saw X at J&R for $8.99, so I'm trying to make an informed decision about whether I should buy it from you at $18.99 instead." That's the kind of request for information that is not only well-intentioned, but is genuinely useful to all potential buyers (which is why it's better than doing everything via PM). It isn't all about price to me; in some cases I'm fine with paying higher prices if a seller can demonstrate to me other reasons I should buy from them instead of a major retailer.

    But it's kind of like walking into a store and shouting (so all customers can hear it) "Seems kind of expensive here. Most of your stuff is cheaper elsewhere. Can you make me a deal?"

  7. Not commenting negatively on other offerings is really part of the netiquette today.

    The only exception I personally would accept would be if the seller misrepresented his offer to get a higher price.

    For example by stating that a disc is very rare, when it is in fact easily available at a much lower price, or saying that the CD is the only reissue ever released when this is not true.

  8. Sinkholes

    In February 2007, a large sinkhole opened in a poor neighborhood in northeast Guatemala city 14°39′1.40″N 90°29′25″W, killing three people. The sinkhole was 100 m (330 ft) deep, and apparently was created by fluid from a sewer dissolving the rock underneath. As a result, one thousand people were evacuated from the area.[20] The sinkhole has since been mitigated and plans to develop on the site have been proposed.

    In May 2010, another sinkhole, which was larger than a street intersection, developed after Tropical Storm Agatha. It engulfed a three story building and a house. 14°39′7.50″N 90°30′21.5″W [21] This 2010 sinkhole is at least 18 m (60 ft) wide and 60 m (200 ft) deep.[22][23] The distance between the recent (2010) sinkhole and the similar sinkhole three years ago is only about two kilometers (according to their coordinates).

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala_City

  9. The pop-up is from "usagc.org". If you google on that domain, you can find many opinions on the service, which is part of the Greencard lottery business.

    USAGC.org claims to be one of the biggest international sites in the Diversity Visa (Green Card) category in the world, with five offices worldwide and more on the way. USAGC.org invests in customer service by "... operating an international call center in 10+ languages, using a live chat service; a U.S. toll free number and local number in every office". They also offer additional products to potential immigrants including English language teaching software, international dictionary, an immigration booklet, and more. USAGC.org uses their own servers to better support its clients from all over the world, which enables them to save money. USAGC.org uses a secure payment system licensed by Thawte and have a top score from Trustgauge.com and McAfee. USAGC appears for the very first time this year as a top site with a rating of '6' out of 10 points.

    http://www.mygreencard.com/review.php

    Frauds and scams

    There is no charge to enter the diversity visa lottery, and the only way to do so is by completing and sending the electronic form available at the U.S. Department of State's website during the registration period. However, there are numerous companies and websites that charge a fee in order to complete the form for the applicant. The Department of State and the Federal Trade Commission have warned that some of these businesses falsely claim to increase someone's chances of winning the lottery, or that they are affiliated with the U.S. government.[10][11]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Card_Lottery

  10. Concerning Impulse! "audiophile" reissues, the first Analogue Productions hybrid SACDs have now been released. I'm waiting until they become available by other stores than Acoustic Sounds (which has excessive shipping costs)

    John Coltrane: Coltrane http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6524

    Gil Evans: Out Of The Cool http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6523

    Charles Mingus: Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6522

    Ben Webster: See You at the Fair http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6521

  11. A CD-R copy can sound better than the original CD, if the original CD is defective/scratched and puts stress on the CD player's error correction.

    With such a CD, it may still be possible to extract the data without errors using EAC and a suitable CD drive with very good audio extraction capapilities, and then burn an error-free CD-R, which will sound better than the original defective CD.

    With an error-free original CD, the copy will of course not sound better. Maybe the Cds that Barry Diament used had some kind of manufacturing error, or his CD player doesn't cope well with pressing errors.

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