The Linear Canvas

After I finished working on my digitally reconstructed analog recording, Sorry It Came To This, I wanted to write down some of the steps I took to get to the finished project, or at least my thinking on a few of the variables. Unfortunately I was a little brain dead from all of the ‘cypherin’, so I put it off. After I processed my next analog restoration, Mean and Cruel, in a similar manner, I finally decided to write a few thoughts about the whole process, before I forget it all, again.

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The process of reconstructing these tracks is heavily software based and not that much to do with any one of my technical abilities. It isn’t like the old days when you needed better hand-eye coordination for cutting the tape and splicing it back together. Though the process is not completely dissimilar in it’s application.

I think many people could acquire the skills to reprocess analog recordings, with the automatic processing built into my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), Cakewalk Sonar v8.5, under most circumstances. When I reprocessed Sorry It Came to This, I did use some of the automatic synchronizing capabilities of the software. When I began working on the song, using a MIDI drum controller, I recorded several drum tracks based on the rhythm of each progressive mix down during the original analog process.

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After determining the original tempo of the recording, I linked the internal drum synchronization to these original tracks via MIDI processing. I was able to reestablish a common beat between all of the tracks using automated audio stretching through quantization, beat grooves, and also I manually stretched or compressed portions of the audio signal when the software could not properly recognize whether it was a component of the beat or not. Doing this allowed me to replace the original MIDI created analog drum track with a MIDI drum set included with Sonar. Drum samples have improved greatly since these original recordings were made and are nearly identical to a real drum kit. The improvement in beat timing was evident as well.

The amount of synchronization that I had to do on these tracks is directly related to the recording method that I used in the beginning. I would record the initial four tracks on my Yamaha MT-100-II multi-track cassette recorder. It was designed to record on chromium dioxide cassettes (CrO2) and I always recorded at the higher speed of 3 3/4 inches per second that it also featured. The reasoning behind using the higher speed is that it enhances the audio quality and reduces the tape noise in the recordings. In addition the Yamaha recorded with dbx noise reduction.

The aural quality allowed using the dbx process was similar in many respects to the quality achieved in a digital compact disc (CD) recording. An advantage would have been the constant stream of audio as opposed to the digital sampling inherent in the CD recording process. Some have commented to me over the years that dbx, because of its use of compression in its methodology, called linear decibel companding, had an effect on the aural envelope, that you could hear. Compression/decompression technologies can be audible if it is used improperly, but I believe that like the opponents of the compact disc originally who thought they could hear sounds going on and off 44,100 times per second, they were a bit delusional as well. It’s probably the same people that complained about the inferiority of the minidisc that are now completely satisfied with the sound of the much,much inferior MP3 player.

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Recently I started having problems with the Adobe Flash animation plug-in in my Firefox web browser. This is at least the second time since I started using Firefox that the Flash plug-in has gone AWOL.

Just like last time I tried uninstalling the plug-in using the Windows Add/Remove programs applet in the Control Panel, and then reinstalling Flash with no luck.

That’s when I remembered that I had found an Adobe Flash uninstallation program on the Adobe web site last time, that could get rid of the program completely, so that I could reinstall it.

I found the program and ran it. It got rid of all traces of the Flash application. I then reinstalled Flash and everything is fine again. For how long, I don’t know.

This problem seems to be tied to plug-in updates not “taking”, but I’m not certain of that. The download link for the uninstaller is below.

Adobe Uninstaller
http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe

You can then download the Adobe Flash Player at the web page below.
http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

One of the problems I have always had with video sites like YouTube has been that the videos occasionally stop and start over and over again in Windows. If I am watching an interesting video, that can be especially annoying.

The issue is that, usually, the video’s speed is being throttled by Windows itself. I am not sure how that is supposed to help anything, except on a business network, but it is fairly easy to fix by editing the Windows registry.

(I have never ruined my Windows registry by editing it. Especially if done correctly, nothing will go wrong. I don’t back it up before I do any editing either. I run a separate backup program and there’s always Windows System Restore. Still if you are afraid that you will screw something up. find someone more capable to make this change for you)

Here’s how to do it:

Press <Windows key> R

In the Open: text box, type regedit then press <enter>

In the left pane navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Multimedia \ SystemProfile

In the right pane double-click NetworkThrottlingIndex, which causes a dialog box to appear. In the box, you can raise or lower the value data to change the throttling effect. Change the base to decimal and you will see the default is 10. Change the decimal value to 70. Press the OK button and then close RegEdit.

Hexadecimal default is a and the recommended value is 46. I think decimal just gives you a clearer understanding of the percentage of data throttling by Windows.

My assumption is this value could be from 0 to 100. Zero would obviously be complete throttling and 100 is no throttling at all. Microsoft recommends that this not be set over 70, but experimenting shouldn’t cause any real harm. Just change it back if it doesn’t work for you. I changed my throttling to 70 and am satisfied with the performance, so far.

For a number of years I have had a program called End It All 2. What this utility does is identify processes running in the background on your computer that may be unnecessary and stops them. The reason you would want to stop them is in many cases they are just running for no reason and using up system resources that could be devoted to the application that you are using. In my case I use a multitrack recording and editing program called Sonar 7. Recording and processing audio on a computer uses a lot of system resources and having a little extra power certainly doesn’t hurt any.

Another application for End It All 2 is computer gaming. While there can be many moving objects on the screen at once while gaming, there is even more happening in computer memory and processing. The more spare RAM and CPU cycles you have can make a difference in the quality of the gaming experience. Even video playback and creation can benefit from the additional resources gained by stopping unneeded processes.

As I recall, End It All 2 was originally written around the time that Windows XP was created. I have used it on Windows 2000 and XP. It will work on Windows 98 and Windows ME as well. I recently tested End It All 2 on Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate and it seems to work OK on it too.

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When referring to a computer virus, there are many types that are easily confused. I tend to refer to all as Malware (malicious software). The bottom line is that they all do about the same things, in different ways, for different reasons. Some take control of your computer for nefarious purposes. Others were created just to make your life a little more difficult.

I have been asked several times recently about Personal Anti-Virus, a "rogue" program that had been infecting computers in the last few months with a Trojan Horse. I looked it up on search and anti-virus web sites. The response from Symantec (Norton) went something like, "Had you had our product installed, this wouldn’t have happened to you." Not very diplomatic or helpful, but probably true. Some of the other responses I found were to use other "rogue" sounding programs that probably would make it worse.

Malware Removal

There were some helpful posts around the web in my search for a remedy for the Personal Anti-Virus, which if one had enough computer knowledge, they could eliminate pretty much the whole threat. Unfortunately some directions I found were more complete than others, leading to immediate re-infections by the rogue program. I don’t think most casual computer users would have the patience to continue past that point.

In many cases, the Malware is spread to so many places on the computer hard drive that removing it manually is not worth the effort. Some times the existing Anti-Virus program has been uninstalled or crippled by the Malware as well. Often the most obvious way of ridding the system is using specifically created software for Malware removal or by doing a system restore of one kind or another. After removal, Anti-Virus program re-installation may be necessary too.

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During my recent adventures with ADAT digital audio transfers from my Fostex VF-16 digital multi-track recorder to my PC computer, I discovered ASIO (Audio Streaming Input Output). ASIO was developed by a musical company called Steinberg. It is a mostly open standard that has had a big impact on computer recording. I really didn’t know that much about ASIO before I started experimenting with my ADAT card. The only thing I knew was that my soundcard on my main computer was capable of ASIO audio production. I also knew that when I tried to use the computer in my studio area to record, I was terribly disappointed with the results.

Basically what ASIO does is take all audio information to and from a digital audio program, like Sonar 7, and routes it directly to the soundcard. The benefit of this direct connection is a reduction in the latency in the audio. Latency in this case, refers to the amount of time it takes to get from the input of the sound card, through all the sub-systems, and then on to the output. ASIO allows whatever is on the input of the sound card to arrive at the output in a more efficient manner. For ASIO drivers, Steinberg claims a latency of equal to or less than an imperceptible 2 milliseconds. Previously when I had tried to use a computer as a multi-track recorder in place of my Fostex, I noticed very discombobulating delays in monitoring what I was recording. It was so bad that I could not record anything at all. The latency (echo) was way too extreme.

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A reader on my blog contacted me recently. He asked for my help getting his music files from a Fostex VF-16 to a computer, and specifically to the digital audio workstation (DAW) software, Cakewalk Sonar. I have a VF-16 and I use Sonar as well, so I have lots of experience with that configuration. I have owned a VF-16 since about 2000 or so. I bought it at Peeler Music in Toledo, Ohio. I tried several digital multi track recorders before I found this one. I made the right choice, no doubt.

This made me curious about the optical transfer options as well. I’ve never had any need for them, having always used the SCSI port on my recorder. As a result, I had only limited knowledge of the S/PDIF and ADAT features. I started learning about, and experimenting with, the SAVE PGM option using both the ADAT and S/PDIF outputs. I also found a used ADAT interface for my computer. I have very seldom used the LOAD PGM option.

There are two connections for copying the files from the VF-16 using the three protocols, SCSI, ADAT, and S/PDIF. ADAT and S/PDIF share the optical connections on the VF-16. ADAT and SCSI are somewhat antique methods. So if you don’t have one of these devices, your only option might be eBay or a used parts store.

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An associate brought to my attention that there is an already exploited flaw in all versions of Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Reader (formerly known as Adobe Acrobat Reader). Not neccessaily dismissing his concerns, but wanting to verify for myself, I did a little investigating of my own.

I found that there is a problem with rigged Adobe Acrobat PDF’s files, but not PDF’s in general. The file has to be created by a person that knows the file is compromised. Just opening the e-mail will not activate the rigged PDF. You have to open the attached file to do that. There is always a danger opening files from people you don’t know and/or with messages that make no sense to you. If you are prone to do that for some reason, then that’s a dangerous practice, in any case.

The flaw allows the creator of the file to remotely access affected computers. Obviously that would allow the individual to steal personal information and/or create a Zombie computer that could spread the file by hijacking e-mail addresses and resending the infected file to others, usually without the computer owner’s knowledge.

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(This also can affect other programs in Windows including Apple’s iTunes)

When you start multiple downloads at once, the default behavior in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5, 6, and 7 is to only allow two downloads to proceed at one time. I would suspect this is more about the chance that you have a low bandwidth connection by default, which nowadays is rare. I personally like to download as many files as I can when there are multiple files that I want. Usually it is my podcast of The Stephanie Miller Show, which comes in three parts that have a file size of over thirteen megabit each.

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I bought a Pinnacle PCTV HD Card (800i)PCI TV card several months ago. I liked it so much, I took it back and got my money back.

I looked around for another card or a USB tuner. The price kept me away from the USB tuners although some of them had features like internal memory that made them somewhat attractive. All HD tuners had the S-video inputs, plus NTSC and ATSC tuners. Still, there was the main deal breaker for me, a lack of clear-QAM support for unencrypted digital cable reception.

Pinnacle is the only manufacturer that currently has a clear-QAM High Definition TV tuner, in my price range. The USB tuners in the Pinnacle line were basically the same product as the PCTV HD Card because of the software, except they were external. Against my better judgement, I bought another PCTV HD Card. It was cheaper.

I didn’t have any problems at first. I immediately updated to the beta version of the software that allowed clear-QAM reception. Besides the fact that I never watch TV, everything was fine. Then came an upgrade from Pinnacle that promised to add features that would have been very helpful. I tried to upgrade but it failed. That time I was able to revert to the previous version.

I had some trouble along the way and had re-scanned all the digital channels on my cable. It left me with several hundred blank channels and the software was acting up when I would edit it. So I decided to update to the latest version of TVCenter Pro. What happened next was a lot of work and never a reward, until yesterday.

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