Help Me Out by quickly listening to a song

jonahpwlljonahpwll
edited May 2011 in General
My AAJ free mp3 of the day is acting hinky on me right now, and I just want to confirm that it's my computer and not the file itself.

Here's the link...

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=6552. It's Brett Sandler/Espionage Major. Don't download it, just stream it by hitting the song title. I want to know that it's streaming okay. Around the thirty second mark, it started hanging up on me.

Thanks.
«1

Comments

  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Working for me. Streaming as I write. Sounds nice.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Thanks.

    It worked for me, too, on the second pass. I was pretty sure I was in the clear, because I always listen to the track after uploading it to the AAJ platform, but I'm still new enough at this that I can never be to sure.

    Thanks again. And, yes, I also like the tune. Nice straight-ahead piano trio.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Okay, this next one isn't a quick listen. Depending on your patience, track duration is 13:42.

    Berger Rond...

    http://www.freakywaves.com/vb/Vincent/douxReveur/MP3/03-pyramidal.MP3

    I would value your input.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Input as in is it working or do we like it?
    Seems to be playing correctly, right to the bitter end.
    As for the music...hmm. Wouldn't want to play this on a dark night. Was quite enjoying it until the vocal came in....can't say I would add the track to my playlist, but that's just one vote amid millions. It certainly appears to be music and quite likely jazz :-).
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Yes, I should've specified. I would like music opinions. The song plays just fine for me, too.

    I was considering featuring this on Saturday The Fringes, but not sure I can even remotely walk this back to jazz. Not that that is an automatic disqualifier, but, well, just not quite sure what to make of it.

    I sort of want to run it just just because of its experimentalsm, but still, I have other considerations as well. Thought it might be interesting to hear some thoughts from the emusers residents. If ever there were a group of open-minded ears, youse is them.
  • Dr. MutexDr. Mutex
    It has Vibes and Sax so it must be some kind of Jazz. I found it interesting and never got an itchy finger to click Stop. The vocal didn't bother me but I do like experimental stuff with voice. I will caution you that our ears may be a bit too open-minded. Has your wife heard it? I'm curious what imagery she would get from it.
  • ScissorManScissorMan
    I listened to it, and now I have strange blisters growing in my armpits! Omigod, one of the bigger blisters... it looks like... what is that, a human face? It's trying to say something... it's...
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    And now I have another one. You don't have to listen all the way through if you want, but do you hear that crackling sound at the beginning and/or end that sounds like it's an LP?

    http://www.1888media.com/sound/Full/KimBurrellIsThisTheWayLoveGoes.mp3

    Before I ask the rep what's up with that, I want to be sure it's not just my crappy laptop speakers.

    Cheers.
  • ScissorManScissorMan
    edited July 2011
    It's not just your crappy laptop speakers!

    That's a very common thing to do these days, and you'd think people would would have moved on from it by now... in this case, they're not even doing it very well. The song is perfectly fine for what it is, but if you want to actually convince people it's transferred from vinyl, you have to mix the track itself as if it were vinyl (instead of making it as crystal-clear as any modern digital recording would be) and above all, if you're going to mix in a digital loop of vinyl groove-crackle, you've got to make that loop as long as possible - at least 10 seconds, minimum. In this case, I don't think it's even 1 second.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    So they're doing that on purpose? I really don't get that trend. That crackle is one of the reasons I love cds over lps.

    Thanks, SM.
  • Dr. MutexDr. Mutex
    edited July 2011
    It sounds like a lead-out groove. The right way to get this effect (in addition to the retro-mastering ScissorMan mentioned) is to cut an Acetate Disc and abuse it a little. Then play it back into your recording console and presto! It sounds like a scratchy record because it is a scratchy record.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    This song...

    http://robertruckerproject.com/media/jazz/inner-urge.mp3

    Before I email this guy and tell him that a free mp3 will be more successful if there's actual sound playing from it, I want to be sure that it's not just my laptop speakers starting to crap out.

    That's all I need to know. Does music come through loud and clear.

    Thanks.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Yeah, even in a cheap motel on I57 music comes through fine.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Unbelievable. I can't hear a thing on it. I have a Mac laptop. I can barely make out a sound.

    And I'm testing it currently with this very cool avant-garde album on bandcamp...

    http://zpoluras.bandcamp.com/album/boomerang

    ...and it comes through just fine. Huh. Now I don't know what I'm going to do.

    Thanks, GP.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    I'm listening on an iPod touch over hotel wifi...strange that my experience should be more successful than yours.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    That Boomerang thing does sound kind of fun.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    edited August 2011
    On that first one try cranking up the volume. I realized I still had my Touch volume on max from using it with the car radio, which should have blasted me now on earbuds. Listening again at proper volume it is very quiet.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    I'm featuring the first track from Boomerang as this Saturday's Fringes dotd on AAJ.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    I was pretty sure I had the volume up all the way, but I may as well try again.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    I imported it into my itunes and then adjusted the volume preset. Still nothing. I can barely hear the crash of the cymbal, and that's it.

    Weird.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    edited August 2011
    Well, is it any good? LOL
    Think maybe I should feature it on AAJ?
    My editor's comments are gonna be pretty damn vague for this one, that's fer sure.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Sounds OK to me, but I am no jazz knower.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Slightly more considered opinion after a bit more listening: I like the music, would describe it as lively, energetic, tuneful - but I am no guide to whether it would stand out to jazz ears. Sound quality I would describe as murky. With volume at max and high quality earbuds in (for which 50% vol is loud enough and max should physically hurt) it is just loud enough to listen to (given that I doubt that max volume on your laptop makes ears bleed, I actually think we are hearing the same thing) and lacks some definition. It sound a little muddy, like a non-sound board live recording from the back of the venue. On those grounds I am not so sure it measures up to the usual high quality of your DLs.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Cool, thanks. That's enough for me to go back to the artist and ask for a better audio track.

    Cheers.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    edited September 2011
    Actually, nothing to listen to, but related to the dotd...

    Does anybody here use Vista? And if yes, could you detail the steps which you use/would use to download a free track from AAJ?

    I'm trying to help someone through the process, but my instructions don't seem to be of use to them. I just want to be sure that there isn't some menu option on Vista that is radically different from the Windows NT (and the Mac) that I've used previously.

    Cheers.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Here's the next song...

    http://www.allaboutjazz.com/downloads/michaelkaeshammer_loveme_dss.mp3

    What I'm concerned about is whether it was a clean burn or not. Specifically, does anyone hear static on the track? I have crappy laptop speakers and occasionally they get overwhelmed and I hear static when, in fact, there is none on the track.

    Right now, I'm hearing a strong burst of static in the first ten seconds, then intermittently throughout the rest of it.

    Is it just me or do I need to burn the song again?

    Cheers.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Yeah, I hear a small but noticeable amount of static at 4-5 seconds, then a little again a minute or so in.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Okay, lemme burn that song again.

    Cheers.
  • jonahpwlljonahpwll
    Okay, let's try that again. Same song, same thing. I don't hear the static anymore.

    http://www.allaboutjazz.com/downloads/michaelkaeshammer_loveme_dss.mp3

    Cheers.
  • GermanprofGermanprof
    Sounds OK
Sign In or Register to comment.