Analog vs. Digital (Part MCM)

The other night, <a href=”http://www.quadrantcrossing.org/blog/” target=”_blank”>Tobias</a> treated me to a demonstration of <a href=”http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=traktorscratch” target=”_blank”>Traktor Scratch</a>, a digital DJ setup.  Basically, it involves the usual two turntables and a mixer, plus a digital interface and a laptop.  The DJ uses special records striped with timecode, special needles and a digital interface reads the timecode off …

The Phonautograph Gets Its 15 Minutes. . .

. . .and I ride its coattails, or help it, or something. The story is now making it’s way around AP. I talked to an LA Times reporter yesterday and have a few quotes in their story, which also has a picture of the device. The quotes are of mixed quality and the guy appears …

1860 Audio Recording

Researchers Play Tune Recorded Before Edison UPDATE (Saturday): It’s now making it’s way around AP. I talked to an LA Times reporter yesterday and have a few quotes in their story, though they are of mixed quality and the guy appears to think that McGill is in West Montreal (a loaded error if there ever …

Can “owl of Minerva” be used as a verb?

Today, I put something approximating finishing touches on an essay that’s been on the backburner for too long, since I had never promised it to anyone and never set a deadline for myself. It about the circulation of recordings of Osama bin Laden’s voice in the western (mostly U.S.) media and I’ve been working on …