Tuesday, July 6, 2004

D'Addario is so cool I have been endorsing D'Addario strings since 1990. After using a different brand for NF, and at one point having to change strings 3 times before I found a set that sounded good, I switched to D'Addario. These are the strings I use on my DeVoe Flamenco guitars. D'Addario strings are always consistent and not once in 14 years have I found a set to be below par. These are the strings I use on my electric guitar. Jon uses these strings on his new bass guitars and these on his acoustic bass. D'Addario has a great web site and when we need strings we just log on and place an order. What is really cool is that a few years back when I had problems with D strings breaking, in fact two strings broke in succession while Jon and I were performing live on Canadian TV, D'Addario quickly re-designed that particular string and it never broke again. Yes, I ordered a bunch of strings for Jon and myself this afternoon.   5:41:41 PM     How loud is Manhattan? Last month, New York mayor Michael Bloomberg declared war on noise -- drafting new laws that would make it easier to impose fines for the city's many acoustic offendors. But how loud, precisely, is the city? New York magazine has just published a special issue devoted to noise, and they asked me to drive around the city with a couple of acoustics engineers to measure decibel levels. The engineers were incredibly funny and smart guys, and taught me quite a bit about the psychology of sound: Schiff and Lally are engineers who make buildings quieter, but they also do detective work, answering calls from enraged tenants who want data on just how loud that new punk club downstairs is. Schiff and Lally’s job, in essence, is to listen to buildings. Their sound meter is a thick wand with a supersensitive microphone head, protected by a grapefruit-size foam sphere; when they... [collision detection] Here is the article in the New York Magazine. When you read the piece, realize that a Rock concert can be upwards of 120db...   1:53:15 PM     Etherwave Bob Moog has designed the next step in the evolution of the original electronic instrument, the Theremin. The Etherwave Pro features professional quality response and sound in a package designed both for beauty and portability. Whether you're a seasoned thereminist or someone drawn to it's unusual sound and looks, you'll appreciate the quality of response and control this product offers. This actually looks very tempting... Just the kind of thing Robby should excel at, since he has near perfect pitch - and he is a drummer! Yes, indeed, hold your drummer jokes, because Robby does not fit the mold. Together with his brother he recorded a CD recently on which they play (almost) all of the instruments and sing beautifully. I should ask him to let me place one of their songs in our Listening Lounge. Robby might add a couple of instruments to his setup for the fall tour. Moog theremins are real attention getters on stage - whether it's a Nine Inch Nails concert or Simon and Garfunkel (Etherwaves have been seen and heard on both tours) - the audience will be captivated by the instrument that allows the musician to "pull music out of air". There you go! If it works for NIN, it should work for our show. Now we need some Pyro! Here is a link to a Theramin blog... via Wired   12:09:01 PM     Music Image Sofa System If you have 20G for a nice sofa with built-in speakers and a subwoofer, a console with a retractable compartment that houses a projector placed behind the sofa, and a cabinet which houses the screen, and a flat wire that links the whole enchilada - to be placed underneath rug, sold seperately... then look no further, because Philippe Starck has designed just such an item for Cassina. While I am a fan of Starck's designs, I would have to throw in a caution: the man does not seem to like detail and judging from the items I have owned in the past, you might struggle making it all work together properly. But alas, you can be assured that it looks stunning! via Wired PS: I received one of Starck's tea kettles as a gift a few years ago... it spit out aluminum flakes every time I poured hot water from its beautiful spout. Needless to say I could not use it for its intended purpose and at last threw it away, because I don't see a reason for owning a tea kettle that does not work, beautiful or not...   11:49:14 AM

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