Development of Film, TV, Videotape

• How his video tape recorder saved the ABC network • Who coined the term “glitch” • Why the first video field shoots involved 1 ton “portable” video decks on pickups • Why it was so hard to invent the video tape recorder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwt26VPO9tw   The development of film, television, and videotape represents significant milestones … Read more

Weaponization of Sound

TED talk with an inventor of silent sound spread spectrum type technology. Sound that doesn’t emanate from the speaker surface but materializes from high-frequency beat patterns in the air along along a LASER-straight, focused beam that does not fade with the inverse square law or suffer air-related distortions. Pinpoint sound destinations. True binaural playback at … Read more

The high-bandwidth requirement of guitar amps

Malcolm Moore has done extensive research into guitar pickups. SOURCE   The high-bandwidth requirement of guitar amplifiers is a crucial aspect that impacts their performance and the overall sound quality they deliver. In the context of guitar amplification, “bandwidth” refers to the range of frequencies the amplifier can accurately reproduce. For electric guitars, this encompasses … Read more

12AX7 tube equivalents

Technical information.  Substitutions, notes. http://milbert.com/articles#12ax7   The 12AX7 is a miniature dual triode vacuum tube, also known as an electron valve, that has played a significant role in the development of electronic equipment, particularly in audio applications. Introduced in the late 1940s by RCA (Radio Corporation of America), the 12AX7 was designed for use in … Read more

“The most expensive mess I’ve ever seen” — Brooklyn’s only headphone tree

Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac Steve tours his three systems, and shows off the newly expanded listening space. And talks about bluesman Cecil Barfield. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haNCst3p0p4   Steve Guttenberg, also known as the Audiophiliac, is a well-known figure in the audiophile community, recognized for his contributions to the world of high-fidelity audio through reviews, analyses, and discussions about … Read more

Monitoring the Spectrum: Building Your Own Distributed RF Scanner Array

Monitoring the Spectrum: Building Your Own Distributed RF Scanner Array Software-Defined Radio (SDR) has increased in popularity in recent years due to the decrease in hardware costs and increase in processing power. One example of such a class of devices is the RTL-SDR USB dongles based on the Realtek RTL2832U demodulator. This talk will discuss … Read more

Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music

Mark Katz, a professor at the Peabody Conservatory of Music at The Johns Hopkins University, discussed his book, “Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music.” The event was sponsored by the Library’s John W. Kluge Center, the Music Division and the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. According to Katz, who teaches in the … Read more

Nonlinear Distortions in Capacitors

A major cause of audible, non-linear distortions in capacitors By Menno ven der Veen: “We have discovered a major cause of nonlinear distortion in capacitors and we have shown that this effect can create significant -and thus audible- distortions in sound signals…this effect can introduce high levels of intermodulation distortion and thus lead to audible … Read more

What is a decibel?

Extensive information presented by University of South Wales. SOURCE     A decibel (dB) is a unit of measurement used to quantify the intensity or level of sound, as well as other quantities such as power, voltage, and pressure. The decibel scale is logarithmic, which means that each increase of 10 dB represents a tenfold … Read more

Reunderstanding Electromag Energy

Fantastic interview with Maurice Cotterell regarding a re-understanding of electromagnetic energy. http://youtube.com/watch?v=eRa8yAjdyUo     The reunderstanding of electromagnetic energy involves revisiting and potentially reinterpreting the fundamental principles and properties of electromagnetism, which is one of the fundamental forces of nature governing the behavior of electrically charged particles. Here are some aspects that might be considered … Read more

Mains hum and Ground Loops

Information on ground loops and mains hum. SOURCE   Mains hum and ground loops are two common issues in electrical systems, particularly audio and video setups, that can cause unwanted noise and interference. 1. **Mains Hum**: Mains hum, also known as AC hum or power line hum, is a low-frequency noise typically heard in audio … Read more

Universal Audio Output Transformer

Over 90 tube amp topologies examined, further evidence of how audio output transformers inescapably present limitations and compromises. Menno Van der Veen presented at 118th AES a paper detailing a universal audio output transformer system that “includes all possible variations in topologies. The system contains 90 variations (at least) and some of them have never … Read more

A Nonlinear History of Radio

This highly nonlinear history of radio touches briefly on just some of the main stories, and provides pointers to the literature for those who want to probe further. Integrated circuit engineers have the luxury of taking for granted that the incremental cost of a transistor is essentially zero, and this has led to the high-device-count … Read more

Reactive loading and amplifier distortion

section 10 of article — Referring to the complex impedance of a loudspeaker, Vance Dickason states [2] that, “Phase angles in excess of 40° at low frequencies, and the same at frequencies about 1-2 kHz, can be considered as a somewhat difficult load for an amplifier to drive.” Also on p.129 of the same book … Read more

Advantages of Tantalum Capacitors

A tantalum capacitor is made of a tantalum powder core surrounded by tantalum pentoxide shell that is coated with with manganese dioxide, graphite, silver coating, solder resin. A tantalum wire extends axially into the core. Since 1960, tantalum caps have been shrinking due to higher-charge tantalum powders. Advantages: 1. SMALLER – tantalum caps have a … Read more

Economy of the Ether: Early Radio History and the Commodification of Music

The early history of radio is an absorbing and complex saga. Often told from the narrative perspective of its inventors, technical milestones, or regulatory developments, little has been written about the commercial history of early radio and its influence on the commodification of music. Using a theoretical framework of commodification based upon the concepts of … Read more

Saved by Scott Nixon’s Tube DAC

$500 tube DAC with optical input to the rescue. We were recently forced (by purchasing a microwave-poisonous TV without analog RCA outputs!) to find a decent, plain DAC to convert the TV’s S/PDIF TOSLINK optical uncompressed stereo interleaved digital PCM into plain-jane, unbalanced RCA analog outputs – in a device preferably having a simple, analog volume control … Read more

Tubes vs Transformers – What good tube “tone” looks like

Metal and wire is just metal and wire. The real sonic magic comes from the tubes. GAGA gets all that metal out of their way. An examination into the esoterica shrouding audio output transformers, tubes and “tone”, or the various unpleasant effects of bulky metal on faithful, musical amplification. Whereas traditional output transformers – homogenizing … Read more