sound track

Just wanted to let you know my way to pc audio.
After I tried everything to get bit-perfect output from my Dell notebook, I’ve deceided to buy an Apple Macbook white.
This had all the required output options, Firewire 400, USB, optical mini-toslink, and with 2.1 Ghz /2 GB ram and 160GB HD all you need.
At this time, I had a Weiss DAC2 as demo unit at home. Unfortunately I deceided too late to go the MAC way and had only little time to test the Weiss DAC 2 with the Macbook as source.
However, after some days with the “Macbook white” I changed it for an “old new” Macbook pro”, 2,5Ghz/2GB ram, 250GB HD.
There were some reasons beyond the issue as music server, mainly bigger screen for photo and movie work.

But as a pure music server I can only recommand for everybody who is interessted to go for the “white Macbook”.

SQ is the same, and it is notable quiter than the “pro” and runs cooler and most important, it has all the output options (FW, USB, Toslink) .

I was always not sure if to choose a Mac mini or the Macbook white.
But now, after some days of use, I really do not want to miss the convienence of the portable pc; and I run it always from the battery - which for sure is not making things worse.

After testing Dell notebook with foobar, media-monkey, songbird and comparing SQ from “Macbook pro” with itunes and songbird, I have deceided for myself, that the easy and save/foolproove approach with MAC/itunes is the way to enjoy computer audio.
There are differences between Sonbird and itunes, yes, but these are too little to give up the plug and play apple route.

Just my 2 cents………

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“Let’s try this show out,” Baltimore’s electro mastermind Dan Deacon gamely announced as his 15-piece band took the stage last night at the cavernous Brooklyn Masonic Temple in New York City. The show marked not only Deacon’s first public performance with the new ensemble, but also the premiere of songs off his forthcoming record, Bromst, the proper follow-up to 2007’s spastic Spiderman of the Rings.

Before the music began, Deacon had reason to worry about his band’s debut. An hour-long set-up time, sheet music mishaps, faulty lighting rigs, and awkward false starts caused Deacon to exclaim, “This, so far, is a nightmare. Let’s see if we can take over and have sex with the nightmare.”

And while it can’t be said for certain if copulation ever took place, there was no doubt that when the 15-piece group finally began in earnest and revved up the material from Bromst, the results were awe-inspiring.

After a loop of female vocals filled the room, the band — two drummers, percussionist, glockenspiel, a mess of keyboards, and numerous members on computers and effects — began their set with a drum-heavy song, featuring screeching, drawn-out tones that worked the crowd into a frenzy. The next new tune was punctuated by clanging metal sounds, a thumping low end, and Deacon’s siren-like wails — all while his signature green skull flashed in front of the stage.

Bromst doesn’t seem to be as immediately party-ready as Spiderman’s supercharged jams, as evident with the dark, stuttering acid-house samples and chanting near the set’s end. But despite the decidedly less spastic sonic tones, the crowd still swayed, danced, and bounced the night away.

Look! Check out photos from last night below.

Dan Deacon (red flannel) and friends / Photo by Matt Kiser

Stage set-up and crowd / Photo by Matt Kiser

Dan Deacon (red flannel) and friends / Photo by Matt Kiser

Dan Deacon (red flannel) and friends / Photo by Matt Kiser

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In a unique show of solidarity, ALL radio stations in Mumbai played the song “Maa Tujhe Salam”, sung by AR Rahman, at 8 p.m. today on their respective wavelengths! Now ain’t that something? Good to see that they let go of their constant endeavor to hog the limelight and take such a step — I hope our news channels too take note of this and do something similar.

In another more widely covered act, thousands of citizens took to the street across the metros in India to demand action against the terrorists and to express solidarity with the victims of this attack. Read more on this here.

I just can’t help being skeptical of such ACTS - taking out demonstrations has the means to catch attention but I believe to elicit some sort of action from our thick-skinned politicians, it’s going to take something more than this! By now, our netas have tackled the aftermath of so many terrorist attacks that such “peaceful” demonstrations will not more than scratch the surface! History shows that we are pretty tolerant and lack muscle — from the Bombay bomb blasts in 1993 to the bomb blasts in the Mumbai local trains and the attack on the Parliament (not to mention several other instances of similar horrendous terrorist strikes, quite a few in 2008) we have been happy enough simply to put a bold, tough stance early on only to soften our “tough” stance as time goes by. We have been waving our “List of 20 most wanted terrorists” in front of Pakistan for several years — yet have we done anything beyond mere demonstration to show that we are serious about what we want. I think not.

What will it take to wake up the Government and get them to swing into action — actions that will not let terrorism rear its ugly head again and again? How many more lives need to be sacrificed for us to see some justice being done, our security being enhanced, our lives being secured? For how long do we carry on like this? It’s good that Mumbai and along with it, the rest of India, has an indignant streak, a get-on-with-life spirit — else how will we survive and continue our struggle in the city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, with a sword hanging perpetually over our heads?

Preaching about what is wrong with our system is a thing taken for granted these days — heck, I do it, you do it, the news channels do it all the time, with or without any due reasons. Now what can we do to show that this time, yes THIS TIME, we mean action! Action that is not only immediate but also long-term — while we are used to live under the lengthening shadow of fear and insecurity, let us make an effort to ensure that the next generation does not need to put up with the atrocities like we did.

Thinking of what the radio stations did made me think of what more could we do. A possible idea doing the rounds in my head is this: Could our newspapers join hands and launch a major campaign directed against terrorism? Times of India has in the past taken the lead and launched campaigns like “Lead India” (2007) and “Teach India” (2008) initiatives. Now can the newspapers come together, join hands and announce a war on terrorism? They say that a pen is mightier than a sword — time to put the old proverb to test, what say India??

Even as I’m writing this piece, I’ve received a mail from Network 18 announcing the launch of a platform “to express our frustration and helplessness”. Check the site here. I’m withholding my comments on this new endeavor for the time being.

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Mark Ronson won Best British Male and the Foo Fighters won Best International Band and Best International album at the BRIT Awards, held last night at Earls Court and broadcast live on ITV 1, and hosted by the Osbournes.

Sony BMG artists at the show were led by Leona Lewis who gave a stellar performance of Bleeding Love. Perez Hilton today described her performance thus: “… it’s no wonder she has become a global superstar. Blistering”. Mark Ronson also performed, with guest spots from Adele, Daniel Merriweather and Amy Winehouse, who guested on Valerie in a performance that have drawn the bulk of BRITS headlines the day after. Kelly Rowland and Will Young were among the guest presenters also at the awards.

The BRITS 2008 have already been hailed as the best in years, with ratings massively up on last year, showing that viewers tuned in and stayed until the end, with an average viewership of 6.1 million, almost a million up from a year ago.

For a report on the Sony BMG Post-Brits party, and the chance to win a VIP Goody Bag: Click here to enter the competition.

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What? For nearly 20 years, former Red House Painters frontman and current Sun Kil Moon maestro Mark Kozelek has been building his own musical brand with sleepy vocals, wounded lyrics, and intimate acoustics. And his new release, a compilation of covers and rarities collected over the years entitled The Finally LP (out December 8), is packed with Kozelek’s characteristic sound. But here, Kozelek — known for his extreme and unique reinterpretations of other songwriters’ work (he’s covered John Denver, the Cars, and Simon & Garfunkel, among others) — plays it straight. His versions of AC/DC’s “If You Want Blood” and Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” for example, mirror the songs’ original structures and emotions.

Who? Kozelek formed Red House Painters in 1989 in Atlanta, GA, with friend and drummer Anthony Koutsos. After relocating to San Francisco, CA, the pair added guitarist Gorden Mack and bassist Jerry Vessel to the lineup. The four-piece signed with 4AD Records in 1992 and soon released their debut album, Down Colorful Hill, a collection of demos. Red House Painters were considered pioneers of the emo genre; Kozelek’s songwriting was praised for its expansive sound and dark lyrics. Four years after the release of the band’s 1996 album Songs for a Blue Guitar (its follow up was held in record label limbo until 2001 due to a strained relationship with 4AD), Kozelek dropped his debut solo album, Rock’n'Roll Singer EP, a collection of covers. In 2001 Kozelek disbanded Red House Painters and in 2003 reemerged with a new album, Ghosts of the Great Highway, and a new band, Sun Kil Moon (featuring Koutsos). Sun Kil Moon released their critically acclaimed third album, April, in 2008.

Fun Fact: Kozelek’s work may not be the most light-hearted and child-friendly, but The Finally LP’s “Bedtime Lullaby” first appeared on the Nick Jr. program Yo Gabba Gabba!

Listen: Mark Kozelek, “Celebrated Summer”

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What? America’s political sentiment may be optimistic following Barack Obama’s historic presidential win, but leave it to electronic genre-hoppers Thievery Corporation to remind folks that all is not perfect. Using lyrical diatribes, bossa nova grooves, jazz fusion, and world music, the duo speak out about the war in Iraq, social unrest in the era of George W., and more on their impassioned fifth record, Radio Retaliation. And with a North American tour planned for this coming winter (tour dates below), the Corporation will be moving minds and shaking asses way into 2009.

Who? Rob Garza and Eric Hilton formed Thievery Corporation in the summer of 1995 over drinks and jazz records in their hometown, Washington, DC. After releasing a series of singles and records, the Corporation achieved widespread recognition for their third outing, 2003’s The Richest Man in Babylon. Radio Retaliation is Garza and Hilton’s first official release since 2006’s Versions. Over the course of their career, they’ve run the Eighteenth Street Lounge, a D.C. club and recording studio, where they’ve collaborated with a wide range of artists, including David Byrne, Norah Jones, and the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne.

Fun Fact:Thievery Corporation take a high-minded political approach to their art, but that doesn’t mean they shun capitalism; their music has been licensed for commercial use in various advertisements, movies, and video games, including The Garden State, The Sopranos, and strangely, Cricket 2005, a video game based on that wacky English spot called cricket.

Thievery Corporation Tour Dates:
1/27, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
1/28, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
1/29, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
2/20, Chicago, IL (Riviera Theater)
2/21, Toronto, Ontario (Kool Haus)
2/22, Montreal, Quebec (Metropolis)
2/24, Boston, MA (House of Blues)
2/25, New York, NY (Terminal 5)
2/27, Baltimore, Maryland (Ramshead Live)
2/28, Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)
3/7, Miami, FL (Langerado Festival)

Listen: Thievery Corporation, “Vampires (Louie Vega Remix)” (DOWNLOAD)

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