The DiY Report was published via email 2-3 times monthly between 1994-1999. 128 issues of the eZine were published to thousands of subscribers. They are published here on GAJOOB.org for preservation and information. It should go wtihout saying that the contact information is likely not valid so don’t send things to physical addresses.
Issue #4 — October 19, 1994
A weekly listing of DiY recording information, distributed freely over the internet every Tuesday (give or take) evening. We welcome your input. Please send any relevent info of interest to DiY recording artists. There is no list server for this list, so there is no need to follow any specific guidelines when subscribing or unsubscribing — just send e-mail to either effect.
GAJOOB reviews DiY submissions. Send cassettes, vinyl, CDs, VHS and 8mm video to: GAJOOB Magazine, PO Box 3201, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110.
This list serves as a supplement to GAJOOB Magazine (paper edition). The new issue #10 has just been published. Sample issue: $3.50 ppd. Subscriptions: $15/6 issues. GAJOOB Magazine’s DiY Recording List is not copyrighted and may be freely distributed in any format — in fact, such distribution is hereby encouraged! Just let us know about it, please.
FROM THE EDITOR
Another week come and gone so soon? Time for another DiY Recording List!
This issue is more sizable than others have been and includes several articles and lengthy feedback from some of you readers. I appreciate the response this list has gotten so far. We now have 97 subscribers and I would like to hear from every one of you. Let this list know about any general questions you might have about DiY recording. There’s a lot of on-hands experience here already that might be able to help you out.
On that note, if any of you would like to write short, tech articles about different aspects of DiY/home recording, I’d love to hear from you.
LETTERS
“Thanks for all the info…it helps. I let musicians know in my circle of influence about the projects and hope that it motivates them to get off their butts and do something………more. P.S. how bout some listings of zine distributors in a future DiY List????” –Joshua GoSevered@aol.com
While this list is not for zines per se, I will be happy to list info on zines that have some (even slight) relevance to DiY recording. But like with everything else, I list it as it comes in — if it doesn’t come, it won’t get listed. Perhaps I’ll put a notice in the alt.zines newsgroup asking for zine editors whose zines are friendly to DiY music.
DiY SERENDIPPITY
Last week I requested readers to write about their recording experiences based on happenstance or things that happened during the recording process that where strictly chance and then used in their recordings somehow. The small but really cool — and I’d like to be able to continue this discussion, so please write about your experiences and send ’em in.
DINO DiMURO….
The most extensive use of “unexpected” sound (this is actually more like “found” sound) for me has been the Carvel Garage Sale Tapes. My sister and her husband once rented a house and were able to keep all the belongings – the former owner, Carvel, was an avid taper, cameraman, painter, and nudist. I came home with a big box of 1/4″ tapes that contained incredible treasures: news reports on the Watts riots (’65), old radio broadcasts, stereo test tapes, voice recordings of various girlfriends on the phone, prostitutes engaged in 3-way sex… and Carvel himself, singing in an eerily “authentic” and beautiful voice. These tapes cover roughly the years 1955-68.
On my newest tape, I have a recording of Carvel singing OLD MAN RIVER a capella, to which I am overdubbing acoustic guitar, banjo, and Kurzweil strings. Carvel’s tempo isn’t perfect but his pitch is flawless: I just tune up the guitars, learn the chords from a recording of SHOWBOAT, and off “we” go… it’s a truly moving performance, and the sound quality is actually passable!
I’ve also grafted two takes of Carvel’s nephew singing a particularly grating version of ROCKABYE YOUR BABY WITH A DIXIE MELODY with a separate one of Carvel, and then went hog-wild overdubbing onto it – the result was too horrible for a “major” release, so I put it on my STOPGAP SAM outtakes collection.
Some of the cool stereo demo stuff, a priceless radio show on LSD, and a phone call fragment from a girlfriend of Carvel’s appear on SUNDAY AT THE AIRPORT. The 3-way sex act is the basis of the song TWO GOOD WHORES from the tape FURGLEFISH.
As you can see, this well has yet to run dry.
One other “unexpected” trick for me is to run something backward just to lay in a weird solo or sound, and then deciding I like the entire song backwards… so I make a cassette copy, which I then insert or blend-in at certain points within the song… or I’ll release the entire cut backwards, as I did with MYSTERY THEME (again, from STOPGAP SAM).
SCOTT BROOKMAN
My greatest serendipitous recording happened many years ago. Somewhere in between our two great undiscovered high school and college bands, The Poisonous Sewer Fish and The Dave Taylor Incident, my friend and long time musical ally, Ashley Bell and I were hard at work recording a terrible song of mine called, “Roamin’ The Docks.” To fully utilize a track on my old Dolby-less Fostex 4-track, I was set to play some cheap percussion while he recorded his piano part. In order to be close to the microphone covering the piano, I laid out the various percussive junk (one lousy maraca, drum sticks, assorted rattling stuff) on top of the piano–the lid was closed. Somehow, with the tape rolling, when it came time to do my bit, I upset the collection of junk, and while I played a maraca, a battery (!) rolled off the top of the piano, struck a key, and plummeted to the floor–all exactly on beat, and in the case of the stricken note, in the song’s key! We looked at each other in amazement, and spent the next hour listening to the playback, doubled over in laughter. It sounds planned and it was a total accident. Too bad the song is terrible. Accidental comedy. You gotta love that!
SINGLE COPY CD QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Last week I posed the following question: “Have you seen notes about people offering to make one CD from a DAT master for $40 (more or less); and, if so, has anyone out there had this done? What do you think?”
And here’s the response:
“I have not had one of these $40 CDs pressed for myself, but we use one of those CD recorders at Soundlux where I work. It is not a lot bigger than a regular CD player. We use it mostly to make specialized collections of sound fx, but there are also times when a good DAT or Cassette music bootleg is used as a dubbing master for a CD copy (for our own listening pleasure ONLY, natch!). These are simply the long-promised Recordable CDs. Though technically the quality is not the same as a lab-cut CD, to my ears it is quite excellent. I notice that Disc Makers now offers these CDs instead of DATS as test pressings for CD projects. Unfortunately the “blank” CDs cost about $30, and once you start rolling in “record” there’s no going back… so, if anything, I’d suggest this medium for anyone who wants the thrill of having their music on CD, if only on one or two copies.” –Dino DiMuro recordings@aol.com
Skip Duckwall duckskip@cs.utexas.edu, who happens to offer this service himself, wrote his response as answers to a series of FAQ’s he has been asked:
Can the cd be played on a normal CD player?
YES! They are normal CD’s. The only difference is they are made of gold and cost about $11 for blanks.
How much music can you fit on a CD? They make 63 minute and 74 minute blank CD’s. I believe the 63 minute to be more standard than the 74 minute ones, but you can see them both.
Exactly what is a gold master Cd used for?
They are used to press the normal aluminum CD’s. You can send a gold CD off and have multiple copies pressed. This usually costs something like 2-5 bucks/CD and are usually in quantity. (lots of 100+)
Is there any loss of sound quality from DAT to CD?
This is a loaded questions for a couple of reasons.
First off, there are basically only 2 places where sound quality could be comprimised. The first of which being the tape heads on the DAT. The easiest way to avoid unnecessary noise is to make sure the heads are cleaned on a regular basis. The second place for a loss of sound quality is via the connection from the DAT to the CD-R drive (or in my case, transferring the sound from the DAT to my harddrive). This can be taken care of with relative ease(unfortunately this usually isn’t cheap) and is not usally a problem if the audio is kept in digital format. However if there is an analog generation introduced, there could be some loss of sound quality.
Second off, there is tradtionally a difference in sampling rate between DAT and CD. Most DAT’s record and store the digital audio data in a 16-bit stereo 48 KHZ sampling rate format. CD quality is defined to be 16-bit 44.1 KHZ stereo and this is different than DAT. (Keep in mind that most DAT’s can be configured to run at 44.1 KHZ) Thus some downsampling is needed. (For those of you who don’t know, this means throwing out samples. If you feel confused, check the next section for a brief explanation of sampling and sampling rates.)
For those who are familiar with sampling rates, I must beg forgiveness for taking a brief tangent to explain the concept of the sampling rate.
The basis for digital audio is the sample. The sample is nothing more than a point in a complicated sound wave. The more samples, the more spaces you can fill in the waveform and the closer to the origional waveform you get. For example, suppose you are sitting in front of the TV and home with the remote in hand. Mute the current station that you are watching. Now, unmute it and mute it again. You hear a little snippit of what is actually playing on the TV. Imagine hitting the mute on and off 48000 or 44100 times per second. You’d get a pretty good idea of what it is you are listening to on the TV. This is the concept of sampling. With enough samples, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between live and recorded.
The difference between normal DAT sampling rate (48000 samples per second) and CD sampling rate (44100 samples per second) is really not noticable. The missing 3900 samples per second are either dropped entirely or averaged with the other samples in the waveform.
Basically there is a loss of quality going from DAT to CD but there is nothing wrong with it and it is acceptable to even the most picky of listeners.
How do YOU do DAT to CD transfers? (What equipment do you have?)
I have basically 2 ways of doing the DAT to CD transfer. I can either use an analog generation or use a digital generation. Using the analog generation, I basically record onto my harddrive sound played through the DAT through My Soundblaster-16 card. Using the digital generation, I use a Digital Labs CardD to record digitally off of the DAT onto My harddrive. I then adjust the data to make sure that the sampling rates match up. (If the sound was recorded at 48KHZ I downsample it to 44.1KHZ) I then burn the CD’s using the CDRECORD software by Dataware technologies. (it’s the stuff that came with my drive). About 1 hour later, the CD is ready.
If you can think of any other questions, feel free to ask me.
— Skip Duckwall
FCC SEEKS INJUNCTION TO GAG MICRO POWER BROADCASTER
On Tuesday, October 10 attorneys for Stephen Dunifer and Free Radio Berkeley received notice, 80 pages worth, of the FCC’s intention to seek an injunction which would bar further broadcasts by Free Radio Berkeley. Stephen Dunifer is named as the responsible party. Free Radio Berkeley is part of a rapidly growing movement which uses inexpensive and low power radio transmitters (1/2 watt to 30 watts) to reach local communities. Called micro power broadcasting, this movement sees simple, easy to use transmitters as the leaflet of the 90’s. In an era of multinational controlled mass media, micro power broadcasting is the voice of the community; the voice of the people. For four years the government has been trying to squelch this movement with escalating (but uncollected) fines. Clearly, it sees broadcasting which anyone can do as a threat to centralized control of information, ideas and culture. Intimidation having failed, the FCC is abandoning its own procedures and turning to the weight of the Federal Courts to squelch this new and democratic media. It won’t happen.
Last July the FCC served a notice of apparent liability on Stephen Dunifer in the amount of $20,000 for alleged illegal broadcasts. This case has been pending before an FCC administrative panel for over a year. In July 1994, a Federal Appeals Court in the District of Columbia ruled that the FCC’s current fine structure was invalid. This action, at the very least, places the FCC fine process into a state of limbo until new hearings are held. Perhaps this explains why the FCC has taken this mode of attack.
Luke Hiken, attorney for Stephen Dunifer, stated, “This is a totally unprecedented move on the part of the FCC. It appears they have side-stepped their own authority regarding micro radio broadcasting. Instead, they have chosen to bring down the full weight of the Federal Court System on an ever expanding community of broadcasters who are challenging the FCC’s ban on micro power broadcasting.”. (continued)
“They can kiss my Bill of Rights” was Stephen Dunifer’s response, who went on further to say, “Neither myself nor the movement to liberate and reclaim the airwaves from corporate control will be deterred one bit by the FCC’s latest action. It is a matter of free speech and human rights. No where in their prodigious legal tome does any aggrieved party come forth, other than the FCC, to assert damage or harm. FCC, in my opinion, stands for fostering corporate control. Free Radio Berkeley has been on vacation for the last few months in order to allow time to put together new equipment. Broadcasts will resume shortly at a new frequency, 104.1 FM, and continue until the date of the first court hearing. If an injunction is granted, there are many others taking up the banner of Free Radio Berkeley. We shall not be moved nor stymied by a justice system which means, in reality, just us corporations.”
Another member of the legal defense team, Allen Hopper, put it this way, “It is utterly amazing that the FCC would seek a TRO, which is only sought for emergency situations where the threat of immediate and irreparable harm requires the intervention of the Court. The fact that the FCC has had this case pending before its own administrative panel for over a year contradicts any notion of emergency or injury. Further, their actions clearly demonstrate the fear they hold for the kind of publicdialogue which takes place over micro power radio.”
Luke Hiken and the National Lawyers Guild Committee on DemocraticCommunications are committed to defending the rights of micro broadcastersunder the US Constitution and principles of international law.
At this moment, a hearing on this matter is scheduled to takeplace on December 2 in Federal District Court in Oakland starting at 10:30 AM. A Free Speech Solidarity Support Rally will be held outside the Oakland Federal Building prior to the hearing. On the following evening (Saturday, December 3) a public forum flying the banner of – Seizing the Space, Media and Communications Free Speech Activism – will be held in Berkeley at the Unitarian Fellowship (Cedar & Bonita). Starting time will be 8 PM. Simultaneous forums on this topic will be taking place in a number of other cities around the US, and perhaps internationally as well, on this date.
Complete media packets will be sent out upon request. Please contact Free Radio Berkeley, (510) 644-3779, (510) 464-3041.
GAJOOB RADIO’s RESIGNATION LETTER
The following is a letter I wrote over a year ago (it doesn’t seem that long ago, sometimes I still wake up thinking I have to get up and do the radio show on Monday mornings). I have yet to hear anything concerning this; not even an acknowledgement of this letter. My reasons for publishing this here in this forum are to let those of you who did appear on the show know what happened to end it, and also, I would like to ask all of you to take a few minutes to write to Ken Pavia at KRCL and let him know that having outlets like radio programs that support DiY recording is important on many levels (please be pointed and specific when writing, but also be respectful, as KRCL is, nevertheless, a great resource for my community — they just need to be informed about DiY music. If you forward a copy of your letter to me, I will compile them into a format that other potential DiY show DJ’s can use as proof of widespread support to begin shows of their own at their community or college radio stations. If you don’t have the time to do the snail mail thing, I will be happy to collect your letters via e-mail and do it myself (although, I think having letters arrive from all parts of the globe would have much more of an impact, than if I were to forward them). Incidentally, I would like to also hear from any of you current/former DJ’s out there on your experiences with DiY music on your shows.
September 9, 1993
Ken Pavia
Music Director
KRCL 91 FM
208 W. 800 S.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
Dear Ken,
After many months of hopeful anticipation that my show, Cassette Culture Shock (or some format that would feature unknown, independent and local music artists), might be placed in a more reasonable time slot than its current 3 a.m. Monday morning position, I have come to the regrettable conclusion that this must not be your or KRCLﾕs intention in the foreseeable future.
I believe a show such as this would be well suited to KRCLﾕs mission. I also believe there is a considerable audience for such a show and that it would be in KRCLﾕs interest to feature a show with this format. I would think that this would be obvious to you and the KRCL staff and whoever is on the board that makes programming decisions. My position as editor of GAJOOB Magazine gives me access to artists all over the world that your listeners will never have a chance to hear otherwise. I believe these artists should be heard and I believe that people want to hear them, and want to have access to this amazing resource. You should also know that KRCL is the envy of many to have such a resource.
I have never made it a secret that I would like Cassette Culture Shock to have a reasonable time slot. Cassette Culture Shock has never been the kind of show to have at 3 a.m. in the morning. Its format demands a certain amount of listener participation that will never happen at that hour of the morning. It needs to be in a time slot from which its audience can benefit. I can offer KRCLﾕs listeners a vast amount of information about the do-it-yourself, independent recording network. I can provide local musicians with contacts and many, many outlets for their work. I can also provide them with a window to whatﾕs going on in the real world of independent music. But I simply cannot expect them to tune in at 3 a.m. on Monday morning.
It is with this in mind that I must regretfully inform you that I can no longer host a show during the 3 a.m. Monday morning time period, effectively immediately. I would try to stay on until you could find a replacement (and I still would if you wish), but, Iﾕm afraid I have grown somewhat resentful over the period of time spent awaiting a decision, I always believed was shortly forthcoming, concerning Cassette Culture Shock and my show has suffered as a result of it, not to mention the fact that I cannot afford to continue to put my work at risk.
I continue to be interested in any new developments in scheduling. Please feel free to call me at at any time concerning this matter.
Sincerely,
Bryan Baker
Cassette Culture Shock
DiY MISCELLANY
GAJOOB is currently compiling a tape of kids songs from DiY land. Songs can be original or covers of kids songs. We’re looking to make a comp tape that kids can really enjoy, so you can be strange and odd if you like, just don’t be boring. No deadline as of yet. Everyone on the comp gets a copy. Send you stuff (on high quality cassette) to the address indicated towards the top part of this zine.
Send audio-tapes of dream-talk (people talking about their dreams…you, your friends, hapless victims, etc) in trade for other tapes of dream-talk (collected from dozens like yourself who donate their confessions). Regular 60 and 90 minute cassettes preferred, micro-cassettes accepted. This will come out as something like an “audio dream zine”…. something to listen to in your car or while you’re drifting off to sleep. These tapes will NOT be for sale…trades only. Creativity inspired. Send tapes to: DreamSounds (Ed Stastny), PO BX 241113, Omaha, NE 68124-5113 USA; ed@sunsite.unc.edu If you have any WWW access check out the home page/Electrazine HYPE Electrazine. The URL iz: http://www.phantom.com/‾giant/hype.html “…. it is better with graphical viewer but can be used with lynx.” — giant@panix.com
OTIS is a place to display original artwork via the Internet…perhaps the largest and most widely recognised gallery on the Net. OTIS is all-volunteer and non-profit. OTIS began in January 1993 as an image-gallery for the Internet, a publicly accessible place for artists to store and exhibit digital copies of their images along with information about themselves and their projects. This continues to be OTIS’ primary mission. OTIS is a gallery, an exhibition space, a database, a browseable sketchbook of the world’s artists, artists of all disciplines and cultures. OTIS is non-profit, no money is involved in viewing or exhibiting images on the gallery. Beyond mere storage/exhibition of images, OTIS seeks to involve artists with one-another via collaboration projects (called SYNERGY), email- based discussion lists and hardcopy corporeal exhibits. OTIS invites artists of all types to exhibit their work on-line. All work must be original, though media-collage and other forms of creative appropriation are accepted and/or the artist must have full knowledge that their work will be displayed on OTIS and available to the world via high-quality computer image-files. All styles and media are accepted: photography, illustration, painting, sculpture, fashion, digital, video, anything else that can be somehow digitized into a binary file and displayed on a computer screen. There is no charge for exhibition, there is no charge to view or copy images. To subscribe to the OTIS Mailing List, send a message to otis-request@art.net with the subject “Por Favor” and the body “Mandibula!”. To send a message to the list proper, the address is otis@art.net.
NEW DiY (and select independent label) RELEASES
Zzaj Productions announces the release of “Zzaj’d -Wolf”, a NEW collaborative effort between ALLMUSIC netpersons Rotcod Zzaj & John McIntyre. Spawned by a Collaborative Challenge notice on the ALLMUSIC list, posted by John, “….this collab was SO hot, it was put together in only THREE weeks!” said the Zzajnam himself. Contact R. Zzaj, dmetcalf@freenet.scri.fsu.edu OR Dick Metcalf, HQ 19TH TAACOM, UNIT 15015, POB 2879, APO AP 96218-0171. Also can be made available to SERIOUS reviewers or DJ’s!
CLOSING
See you next week.
