[Dixielandjazz] iPods

Sat Nov 11 10:24:02 PST 2006

As most of you know I use a computer to do gigs and I have always wanted a back up system.  The problem has been finding tunes.  The very small MP3 players leave a lot to be desired.   The biggest problem is finding things.  I have about 15 different "shows" that I do.  They are usually an hour in length with about 15-20 tunes.  It's easy to arrange things in an order and then print out a fake book for them.  Sometimes it would be good for me to not have to bring a computer and one of those times is coming.  I do some Christmas programs as a single.  I could put all the Christmas stuff on an Ipod, plug it into an amp and away I go.  I'm always looking for a way to lighten up.  I would like to be able to walk in with the amp,  soprano over my shoulder and go with it.  Now I have to have a stand, Amp, horn and computer and masc. junk to plug it all together.  This would lighten my load a lot.

What I  want to be able to do is toggle through a list of tunes rather than have them play continuously, also be able to field a request from my main library and then easily find my way back to what I was doing.  I can do that with a computer and I would like to be able to do that with some sort of MP3 player and I don't care what brand it is.  That would require a directory system of some sort.  Most of this kind of player have very small read outs and menus.  Unfortunately my eyes aren't getting better with age so I need something that is reasonable.  I had one that I gave to my grandson that it's readout was sort of gray against a blue background in about eight point type.  I could read it with close up glasses.  It would toggle tunes but you didn't know where you were going.  Not too handy on a gig especially one that might have poor lighting.  It sounded great though.

Going to a store and asking for a demo is almost impossible.  Just finding a sales person who just might know anything is problematical.  They also have no idea what I'm talking about.  Maybe I only think I'm speaking English.  It reminds me of when I was looking for a TV that had some sort of automatic volume control built in.  Technically it's called an AVC.  They used to put them into cassette recorders to level out excessive volume.  Absolutely no one that I talked to had any idea what I was asking about and a couple of them couldn't figure out why I would even want such a thing.  One saleslady had never noticed the volume differences. (DUH!!!)  I don't know about you but when the commercials come on they crank up the volume and many DVD's have excessive volume levels built in.  You turn up the volume to hear the dialogue then they slam you with some really loud music or sound effect.  Maybe the kids like that but my wife and I find it to be extremely annoying.  There is always a race to see who can get their finger on the volume button of the clicker first.
Larry
St. Louis

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Gunter 
  To: larrys.bands at charter.net ; jim at kashprod.com ; dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com 
  Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006 11:41 PM
  Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Are iPods just a passing fancy? (was mp3s and allthat stuff)

  Hi Larry,

  Oddly enough, I don't have an iPod. I've only heard one once (and I was impressed) but I've never personally felt the need to go get one.

  I probably will in the near future but I'll be downloading symphonies, dixieland and such . . . not so much rap and hip hop.

  I don't know exactly what the menu looks like on an iPod for accessing a tune, but it shouldn't be a challenge for anyone who has the skill to get on line, link to the DJML and carry on internet discussions with others around the world!

  And that doesn't mean that I'm not aware of what's happening in the world of digital information and it's implications for the future of OKOM!

  We ignore this technology at the risk of our music disappearing when we're gone.

  Cheers,

  Bill 

  Jazzboard at hotmail.com

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    From:  "Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
    To:  "Bill Gunter" <jazzboard at hotmail.com>,<jim at kashprod.com>,<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
    Subject:  Re: [Dixielandjazz] Are iPods just a passing fancy? (was mp3s and allthat stuff)
    Date:  Fri, 10 Nov 2006 23:25:40 -0600
    >Is the Ipod layout similar to a computer that is can you have 
    >directories and sub directories and more importantly to me can you 
    >play one tune at a time and then it would stop until I told it to 
    >play the next tune in the queue.  Also the new Nano and the  Ipod 
    >with the hard drive seem to cost about the same with the hard drive 
    >holding a whole bunch (30-80gig) vs the Nano which holds 8.  Which 
    >is easier on batteries?
    >
    >Do they beep or do anything obnoxious when you change tunes.  I have 
    >a Sony mini disk player that beeps when you change anything or 
    >advance to the next tune.
    >
    >Is the readout easy to read?  Is there any difference between the 
    >regular Ipod and the Nano in this respect.  Also how is navigating 
    >around the menu? Are tunes easy to locate?
    >Larry
    >St. Louis
    >----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Gunter" 
    ><jazzboard at hotmail.com>
    >To: <jim at kashprod.com>; <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
    >Sent: Friday, November 10, 2006 1:04 PM
    >Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Are iPods just a passing fancy? (was mp3s 
    >and allthat stuff)
    >
    >
    >>Hello listmates,
    >>
    >>I'm not sure how many of you are following this discussion about 
    >>the merits
    >>of mp3 files and wav files and the emergence of iPods which are 
    >>making CDs
    >>obsolete. The resolution of this constant conflict between analog 
    >>vs.
    >>digital recordings, between CD players and Ipod players, between 
    >>DAT
    >>recordings and hard disc recordings has enormous impact on those of 
    >>us who
    >>listen to music.
    >>
    >>We listen to music - that's the thing that unites us in our little 
    >>mailing
    >>list here. As listeners we have concerns about getting the best 
    >>media to
    >>convey our music not only to us but to our children and 
    >>grandchildren.
    >>
    >>Some of us may be stuck in the 78 rpm phonograph record system and 
    >>may be
    >>going bonkers trying to find needles to play our old 78s (which 
    >>decrease in
    >>fidelity with every playing).
    >>
    >>About three or four years ago I bought a small Sony mini-disc 
    >>recorder. It
    >>was about the size of one of those cigarette cases which 
    >>sophisticated film
    >>stars used to carry around. It recorded music very nicely and was 
    >>more
    >>compact than my older Walkman Professional compact audio cassette 
    >>tape
    >>recorder. But it seems to be obsolete now and I haven't used it for 
    >>a long
    >>time.
    >>
    >>Jim Kashishian wrote:
    >>
    >>--> clip
    >>
    >>" . . . [we've discussed] the escence of the argument between hard 
    >>disc &
    >>tape.  The fact that
    >>tape is disappearing from the market will require everyone to end 
    >>up on hard
    >>discs
    >>only, obviously.  Doesn't mean that tape wasn't good, and didn't 
    >>have a
    >>place in the recording industry, though.
    >>
    >>P.s. I just bought a memory stick the size of a thumb nail for my 
    >>Sony
    >>digital camera that has 1 GB of memory.....which is really weird 
    >>when I
    >>think about my two original recording "bricks"!  What a world we 
    >>are living
    >>in, the speed of the innovation!"
    >>
    >>--> end clip
    >>
    >>I have a Sony digital camera which I bought maybe six years ago. 
    >>Cost me
    >>about $400 and had a resolution of 3 mega pixels. I could store 
    >>around 25
    >>pictures on the memory stick.
    >>
    >>I just bought a new HP digital camera for under $100 and it has a 
    >>resolution
    >>of 5 mega-pixels! My daughter gave me a memory stick for it (like 
    >>Jim's)
    >>that has 1 GB of memory. She paid nineteen bucks for it at WalMart 
    >>and It'll
    >>hold about a thousand pictures!!!
    >>
    >>I just saw an ad for Fry's Electronics in this morning's paper 
    >>showing a 2
    >>GB memory stick for thirty nine bucks!  You can't take that many 
    >>pictures on
    >>your next trip to Disneyworld!
    >>
    >>I'm amazed that they still sell film!
    >>
    >>Folks -- we are witnessing an enormous explosion of technological
    >>advancement in the gathering, storing, processing and distribution 
    >>of
    >>information (in our case, music) and the speed at which these 
    >>developments
    >>transpire is getting faster and faster. At the same time, the 
    >>quality of
    >>this digital information is increasing just as rapidly.
    >>
    >>Consider this . . . A friend of mine (recently deceased) was a 
    >>radio guy who
    >>had a regular program on the air where he played, basically, 
    >>dixieland and
    >>tradition jazz. He had a record collection (mainly LPs) which was 
    >>enormous.
    >>It occupied a lot of space on shelves that reached across one whole 
    >>wall of
    >>his studio. Hundreds of LPs all vertically stacked on those shelves 
    >>pretty
    >>much like your own LP collections . . . only larger.  Remember how 
    >>you had
    >>to really squint to read all those titles along the narrow spine of 
    >>the LP
    >>sleeve?
    >>
    >>Well . . .
    >>
    >>That entire collection (every song therein) could be put on one 
    >>Ipod no
    >>larger than a cigarette case and which you could carry around in 
    >>your shirt
    >>pocket and listen to whatever song you chose anyplace, anytime, 
    >>over small,
    >>high quality headphones.
    >>
    >>This morning's Sacramento Bee (my daily newspaper) carried this 
    >>information.
    >>In a story headed "Really, I'm Listening" and sub-headed "Digital 
    >>savvy
    >>teens say parents shouldn't stress about all their electronic 
    >>multitasking."
    >>The story goes on to point out:
    >>
    >>"Parents have never had an easy time relating to their teens, and 
    >>now
    >>there's more to compete with than ever. According to the Pew 
    >>Inteernet and
    >>American Life Project, 87 percent of 12 to 17 year olds are 
    >>regularly
    >>online, 75 percent use instant messaging, AND 84 PERCENT OWN CELL 
    >>PHONES AND
    >>IPODS (emphasis mine)."
    >>
    >>Now tell me -
    >>
    >>What is it exactly we are doing today to get youngsters to at least
    >>appreciate our music and, hopefully, learn to play it? Do any of 
    >>these
    >>efforts involve iPods?
    >>
    >>Respectfully submitted,
    >>
    >>Bill Gunter
    >>jazzboard at hotmail.com
    >>
    >>
    >>
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