[Bards] Recording project (is still Re: hello, Bards!)

Mon Oct 29 15:48:33 PDT 2007

Zub... and the rest of the Bards List (hallo...) Wylfred here...

  There has been some stuff mentioned in a number of different threads (subject lines) on Bards and I believe some of the other Baronial and Canton lists around Kingdom... pertaining to some attempt at doing some recordings... of songs and stories, etc. Nothing cohesive (some posts, like mine, nearly incoherent, LOL!)

  There have been some inquiries, and answers to previous posts (I posted)... and a couple of people (who shall remain nameless for now) have already contacted me to become involved in some recording projects thus far... They know who they are.

  Suffice it to say...

  The technology available today at: www.musiciansfriend, www.guitarcenters, www.samash online stores as well as local shops and on EBAY is not only affordable, but does allow for pretty good recording quality. Depending on the number of "tracks" that a digital recorder has... and the sophistication... the cost on a piece of equipment of this nature can run between 99 bux and about 600 bux. A 4 track recorder with a drive of some sort in it will run about 99 to 250... 8 track units run between 250 and 600. Most have instrument inputs 1/4 inch jacks and also microphone Low-Z inputs. Many have MIDI interface jacks as well. and all of them have headphone jacks so you can work in near silence and not bother your kids... LOL!

  Most all of these are basically portable, and can be set up just about anywhere that there is 110v power... most use some sort of a "power supply" voltage reduction transformer. Very few work strictly off of battery power.

  I suspect, if one was armed with one of these devices and took it, and your cords and mics, headphones and stuff to an event (where 110 power was accessable) well... POOF! Live recording session is possible... being inconspicuous is probably NOT likely... but what the heck... disguise your mics with Punch and Judy sock puppets... and hang some fabric barding on your mic stands with DUCT TAPE... and VOILA, your equipment, has not only complied with SCA guidelines... by making an attempt at wearing period garb! But it is probably Lyst Legal as well LOL!

  I digress... ahem...

  I have Samson and Shure mics (50 to 150 bux) Stands run from 19 to 65 bux... but, a cheap Karaoke mic from Radio Shack with 1/4 jack and a 15 foot cord (10-15 bux) can work. 

  Most of these recording machines use .wav files in the internal bundles and work in progress situations. These files are "mixed down" into a final master track, usually a wav.... and then you can convert to mp3 or WMA . WAV files are huge compared to MP3... or WMA. In my own dealings, I convert most files to MP3 in order to transfer them across the net.... however, www.mailbigfile.com/free is available for .wav file transfers.

  If you are going to burn CDs, MP3 is a compressed version... leaves more space on the disc for more files... but wav files play in most every Media Player and CD player.

  For Mac users... ya got the m4a format as well (I-tunes)... but these do not interact well with Windows based PCs... MP3 does.

  www.piano-soft.com has a free wav to mp3 converter 

  there are several audio engines that are free shareware available on the net as well. Krystal Audio Engine and also Audacity. Free down loads and the programs are fairly simple to use.
  No need to spend hundreds of dollars on ProTools or some other really sophisticated Audio Engine Program... 

  SO all that being said...

  If there were interested parties... and these peeps wanted to actually begin to all work together to put together some SCA Bardic Songs and Stories Cds and so forth... then everyone would need to get on the same page so to speak and all be using the same software. Create a central repository... for mp3s... perhaps www.garageband or some other place, which allows downloads so that people could have access to the music/stories and the raw tracks, rough mixes. word.docs, etc... while they are being worked on, in a group effort via cyberspace.

  And I suspect a Yahoo group should or could be formed, so that the people involved could readily communicate... committees within that, for the various projects, and data bases could be put together for resources... ie: guitar players, or whatever instrument someone plays... singers, the writers and poets (for lyrics)... technical types and geeks, production engineer types etc.... 

  Copyrighted material IS a problem... if it ain't original intelectual property owner by YOU ... So there is some legal stuff to deal with IF other people's material is going to TRY to be used... AL orignal is better. AND IF someone was to record the voices of people in live situations, Court, Bardic Cicles etc... permission documents would be required for any and all parties involved... otherwise down the line TRouBLe can rear its ugly head...

  Not for Profit "resales" have less BS to go thru to get published... This is the route Trimaris took for it two current VIVAT series CDs... 

  For profit situations are a different animal... and have different legal stuff to deal with.

  Fact is... this is a huge undertaking (sounds simple on the surface, but at depth it ain't, I assure you)... It CAN, I say can be accomplished if organized properly... and if people play nice in the sandbox together... If ya know what I mean.

  I NOW live in Gainesville Texas. Which is North of Denton, TX, and South of Ardmore OK on the Red River, just off I-35. The hinterlands of the Kingom... bunches of leagues from somewhere, in the middle of nowhere. HOWEVER,  I have stuff to record with... and a studio, and crash space (for a few), and TENTNG space (for MANY) with fire wood available, for the REQUIRED inspirational and obligatory evening bonfire. LoL!  So I can help those who are relatively local (100-150 miles or so radius). I do not mind hosting a weekend campout/recording session, with multiple peeps in attendance. 

  ANywayz... Samples of some of my own results can be heard at www.myspace.com/thecelticeuromutts (RAWK and ROLL babies, LOL!) Where you are also invited to join the friends list, by the way.  All of those samples were recorded on an obsolete 400 dollar GNX-3 recording system (which now sells for about 250 on Ebay), were then plugged into a PC,  edited and mixed on Shareware (Krystal) and converted to MP3 with the Free Shareware... for upload. It is not Super high quality... but it is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick...  do your own EQ adjustments on your media player... wear head phones and TURN IT UP! for best results... ie: headache, deafness, blindness and sterility... LOL!

  I now have at my disposal (via P-Mutt) a MRS-802B ZOOM machine... more sophisticated and higher quality recording device than my Digitech GNX-3 (only a 73 page manual)... The Zoom has a 172 page owners manual... I am wading thru now... JeeSH, maybe  will learn to use it... eh? In the mean time, the GNX-3 works JUST FINE...LOL! I also have a ZOOM vocal mix rack mount unit which makes the worst singers sound like they can actually sing.... Go figure!
  UNT! Vee have a drum track rhythm machine... for click tracks... or whatever. Atleast until we get the SCA drummers all excited about this proposed project....

  I can help with composition of new original tunes and play on said tunes for the singers...  I have played guitar and bass for about 40 plus years... so I know a few notes and a  chord or two... ( ::: wry smile :: )

  Any instrument can be micked up... so you can be recorded... from a Hurdy Gurdy to a Hammer Dulcimer to a Fiddle to a Doodlesacken... (german bag pipe)... no worries, if it makes noise, we can capture the sound.

  OK... so there y have it... my two cents, in one, hopefully coherent and comprehensive post.

  'sup ta y'all where this goes from here... if anywhere...

  Please feel free to pass this post on to any other list which may benefit or that it would be pertainent to... as I dangle my participles and end a sentance with prepository gramatical stuff... no Iambic Pentameter for me... No Sir... just street talk, to confirm me being the rude, crude unlanded pointy hat Court Trash that I am, by the Grace of some really nice Trimarian Sovereign and Consort who in hindsight, rued the day that they made this bad decision OH so many years ago...

  Best regards

  Baron Wylfred of MorganVayle 
  (Order of Bards Laureate, Trimaris)
  Since March 2006, a subject of the Ansteorran Crown. 
  Note: * I drink better than I sing... so thank the GHADS that other people tend to drink WHILE I sing...

zubeydah at northkeep.org wrote:
  Howdy, Bards!

At the suggestion of Duchess Willow at Samhain yesterday, I've joined the list, 
to ask about a project near and dear to my heart...

I've been collecting stories at the last couple events I've attended, utilizing 
a little digital recorder. I've also been recording courts and songs and 
musicians. 

Duchess Willow mentioned that this was a project that a variety of folks in the 
Bardic community were also thinking about / already undertaking. I skimmed the 
last few months worth of posts, but didn't see anything with a thread title 
directly related to this idea.

So my questions are these:

- What file format are folks using?
- Is there a central repository organized for such files?
- I'm planning on also transcribing the stories, so that those who are deaf can 
still enjoy them, and to also help out those with small bandwidth (reading 
a .txt file being easier to handle than downloading a .wav) Are others doing 
this as well?
- is this a Bardic Group Project, or is this an 'individual' project? If a 
Group project, who is the lead person?

Thank you,

Zubeydah Jamilla al-Badawiyyah
archivish HBI nerd

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