Rites of Spring #15 - Gadgets - playing with the TASCAM US-100 interface · Saturday May 15, 2010 by colin newell
This is the first in a series of features focusing on the geek aspects of my life under the category of digital audio.
I have a home based studio powered by a 3.2 Ghz PC running Windows XP. One of my main audio interfaces in the M-Audio Delta 44 4 channel audio interface tied into a 12-in / 2-out Behringer analog mixing board. I use APEX floating plate microphones and Adobe audition software for multi-track audio recording and mastering.
An old friend of mine needed a portable USB interface device that would handle phono inputs from his turntable into his slightly older PC. After a bit a research and phone calls to the good folks at Long & McQuade, I had my hands on the very affordable TASCAM US-100 multi-mode USB audio interface.
The TASCAM’s US-100 bridges a wide variety of analog devices like cassette decks and turntables as well as guitars, basses, keyboards and non-phantom powered microphones into your PC or MAC. The microphone input handles any dynamic microphone (like the SHURE SM-58), or you can plug in your guitar or bass directly into the instrument-level input. Stereo line inputs can be switched to RIAA phono level for digitizing your LP’s from any turntable. A USB 2.0 connection guarantees hassle free playback on any Mac or Windows box, and solid aluminum construction looks like it could survive anything I could throw at it.
The online specs read: The US-100 records in stereo at CD-quality 48kHz/16-bit resolution and includes a free copy of Audacity software to get you started.
Oddly my sample did not come with any software but the fabulous AUDACITY software is readily downloaded along with a veritable forest of plug-ins.
I was up and running in minutes and playing my guitar directly into my PC (and then my MAC Powerbook for good measure) – I then patched one of my favorite semi-pro cassette decks from the 80’s – the JVC DD-5 into the RCA inputs on the TASCAM US-100 for some whisper quiet recording on the PC. Some of my song demos from the 80’s, however banal nowadays, sure sounded sweet through this set-up. And NO, no one is ever hearing those demos!
The TASCAM US-100 has a single balanced XLR and 1/4” unbalanced microphone input, as well as unbalanced stereo RCA line ins and outs. I have been using TASCAM products since the 1980’s (with the venerable TASCAM 144 and 244 cassette multi-track units.) As usual, TASCAM and Long & McQuade have never let me down. Their staff are awesome and no matter where you go in Canada, you are going to be singing the praises of Long & McQuade and Tascam products.
Rites of Spring #14 - Facebook suicide run. Good bye. · Friday May 14, 2010 by colin newell
Signed on to Facebook for about 10 days. More out of curiosity than anything else. Twitter has been working out quite well – and not surprisingly.
I mean, Twitter is a very simple thing. You post thoughts and hopefully link to some richer media somewhere.
It works… like you would expect.
But I digress.
I signed up for Facebook knowing full well how dodgy and sketchy Facebook is with peoples personal information. We have always known that Facebook is a data mining center for the folks who pay the execs at Facebook top dollar for every bit of minutia you put on your profile. It’s for sale. You’re for sale. And you can never really delete that information… ever. Never.
I knew that.
I also know that everything you put on Facebook (pictures, content, multimedia) belongs to Facebook forever. Your pictures? Theirs. Your life? Theirs. It is in the user agreement. You have no excuse if you are offended and do not understand this.
I get this.
What I was not ready for was the amount of spam mail that I got that seemed to fit in, puzzle like, and locked fit to every little detail of my personal profile.
What I discovered was: In my “interests” are on Facebook, I have; hiking, skiing, race car driving, helicopter piloting, ballet, etc etc…
And I was soon being buried on my e-mail with shills for hiking, skiing, race car driving and so on. You get the picture.
And I had my “privacy” settings locked down as hard as they could go.
So I should not be surprised that Facebook sells everything on you… and me.
But I was… a little.
But I left. After 10 days. And it’s OK.
Because tens of thousands of people are leaving Facebook daily. Some of these departures are affectionately referred to as suicide pacts – group departure from an online social network that is, oh so obviously… so… yesterday.
The online user base (and the folks at Facebook should pay attention to this) are pretty savvy.
And like old friends who turn out to be con artist scum balls… we eventually clue in.
I did.
And you can too.
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Rites of Spring #13 - Food safe shout out and bones to pick · Friday May 7, 2010 by colin newell
Although I am by no means a germ junkie or bug fanatic, I do appreciate restaurants that, at least, pay some lip service to sound food safe practices.
And a big shout out to Eugene’s Greek Deli that so takes this issue seriously that they have a wash basin right by the POS (Point of Sale) cash register.
They have a star rating on the CRD-VIHA Health Inspection agency web-site – check it out for yourself.
So. I not only get to enjoy some great Greek grub, but also, I do not need to worry about paying some mysterious price later on the next day with tummy troubles.
And as much as I would love to rat out my favorite ice cream parlor in downtown Victoria that is only open in the Summer time… and their virtually non-existent food safe policy…
“Go on Colin”, you ask?
Well. OK. There is an ice cream parlor downtown… and the owner handles fists full of cash and never washes his hands as he shuttles between ice cream cones and money. It is so disgusting that I am almost tempted to go have a fake ice cream at the Beacon Drive In… ain’t there yet.
Anyway. If you know who I am talking about, go check it out for yourself.
Any place that handles money and food… there has to be a splash interval between those 2 activities. Check out the diagram above.
Happy Friday everyone!
Rites of Spring #12b - Espresso, you wicked mistress-2 · Tuesday May 4, 2010 by colin newell
Espresso machines. Why do they trouble me so? Why? WHY?!?
It all started one dark day a few years ago when a friend (Jak) of mine showed up at my door – something of a John Locke doppelganger from the hit TV show Lost – waving 500 dollars in small bills in my face.
“Colin, I understand your frustration with espresso… and you have taken your Silvia as far as any mortal man can. Trust me, Colin… I know about mortality. Seriously…”
As Jak slipped his hunting knife back into his man-bag after slicing off a healthy serving of pineapple… and scratching his tell-tale scar above his left eye he continued…
“Just think what you could do with 500 extra smackers this weekend Colin? Just think…”
Before I knew it, my Silvia was gone and my wallet was unfoldable in that George Costanza kind of way.
Money. But no espresso machine.
And I knew.
I had just cursed myself… to a life time of espresso misery.
Sure I try and break out of it… a Giotto here, an Oscar there, a Rocket Cellini here…
Oh, who am I fooling?
So. After getting the Red Dragon back from a long term loan… and firing it up… and burning through lord knows how much coffee trying to squeeze out that elusive shot…
I knew I was done for. Time for that machine to go.
Think you are worthy? Send me an e-mail telling me why this espresso machine must be yours. Espresso machine will include a tamper and some instructions on its use.
UPDATE – We gave away this machine several weeks ago – thanks for all your entries!
And may the lord of the bean have mercy on your soul.
Disclaimer – All espresso machines are evil. This one in particular? Look at the color!
The Red Dragon Espresso machine was hand re-built by Colin Newell of Coffeecrew.com and powder-coated fire engine red under the watchful eye of tamper-meister Reg Barber. It is the only espresso machine on the Planet Earth with creation input from Reg Barber. And it could be yours.
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