President's Message
June 2008

0.  Volume 30 Nr.1 of the BASS Speaker has been published. It has 3 meeting summaries: Johnathan Wyner and the Ryles club Recordings by Alvin Foster, Relocating WGBH by John S. Allen, and 2008 CES and T.H.E. Show by David Hadaway. Also CES2008 - Is Anything Truly New? by David Weinberg. 28 pp.

1.  Recently I watched a High Definition Televison production "Sleeping Beauty: A Ballet on Ice." It is quite entertaining, almost a cross between a circus act and regular ballet, with flawless performances by the Russian troupe. The sound is fair--clear but compressed and the musical performance is first rate. But I noticed something very odd--print-through in the form of pre-echo. I.e. in a quiet part before a loud part I heard a low level preview, something that is impossible in a digital recording. The conductor was listed as Evgeney Svetlanov. I thought "Isn't he dead?" Indeed he died in 2002 and further research showed he recorded the complete Sleeping Beauty in 1977! There is applause following each number, which could have been in the original or faked later. Close scrutiny of the credits revealed only one audio item "Location Playback." So they hired someone to bring speakers to a hall and danced to tape, possibly a well worn dance tape that had been used for performances, and were too cheap to pay for a copy of the master tape. Pretty sleazy, but not untypical of video productions.

2.  An increasing number of magazines are making their archives available for free. For two years the New York Times allowed only print subscribers and people who paid an online fee to read its editorials and columnists or to delve into the archive. Last September, it ended the pay requirement and made most articles accessible back to the mid-19th century. A few years ago, Time magzaine put every issue cover and every article it had published back to its founding in 1923, online free, though that feature is not prominent on the Web site. Like most publications' online archives, Time's has few pictures, which can be more difficult to scan and store than articles and often have thorny copyright issues. For magazines and newspapers with long histories, especially, old material can be reborn on the Web as an inexpensive way to attract readers, advertisers and money. NYT 17Mr08

3.  I am spreading the word that I am selling a pair of Lipinski 505 monitors with a pair of accompanying L-150 subs and sub amps. The asking price for the set is $6100. All in excellent condition. If you see fit to pass that message to the BAS members I would appreciate it. Best, Jonathan Wyner, M-Works Mastering, 432 Columbia St. suite 17B, Cambridge, MA 02141, 617-577-0089, www.m-works.com

4.  For BAS members out of town we have a special offer for Jazz lovers. A package of 30 Jazz CDs, randomly picked from Ira Leonard's collection, for $22 including shipping in the USA. To order, send a check, made out to "Boston Audio Society", to David Hadaway, POB 460, Rindge NH 03461. These were donated to the Society by Ira's brother, Joe Leonard.

President, Boston Audio Society

email me HERE


 

The Boston Audio Society
PO BOX 260211
Boston MA 02126

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updated 7/5/08