What Are You Listening to RIGHT NOW? Version 13

Post reply Log in to post comments

January 16, 2017 - 8:58am

2,879 replies

marye

Joined:
May 26, 2007

New year, new update. Tell us of your musical adventures in real time!

Comments

sort by

Recent

Recent Oldest A to Z Z to A

Reset

October 17, 2024 - 7:34pm

#181

JimInMD

Joined:
June 27, 2011

Noise Reduction and...

I used Dolby for a brief blink of an eye when I first started copying tapes. Being young and naive, I thought who wants tape noise to come through on the recording, duh.. no brainer, I flipped the Dolby switch on my Nak and hit record. I just want to hear the music, no hiss.

Very quickly reality set in. Was it Dolby A or Dolby B? Was the source tape recording using Dolby, if so, if you hit Dolby wouldn't it further compress the recording and further alter the sound, you can't play back using Dolby Squared, right? And what do you do in the car, in the boom box (yes.. we were just a few years out of 8 tracks when I started getting tapes). And who really flips or unflips the Dolby switch anyway based on how you think the recording was made. After all, were all these tapes properly notated every step of the way.

So I quickly gave up on noise reduction, I had a good enough tape deck that I shouldn't be so worried about tape noise. I quit Dolby and never looked back (and never worried about pressing the Dolby button again).

Just spit balling here, but my prejudices sometimes come to the surface when I hear a Dicks or Daves or Road Trips that sounds a bit muffled and I wonder if the particular Reel or Cassette or Betamax or whatever might have had a Dolby snafu baked in. To be clear, I have no proof this has ever occurred, I just wonder sometimes.

I should emphasize Jeffrey Norman / David Glasser, etc. have gotten better at their jobs. So if there is any compression or noise reduction used anywhere along the way, they better at making this music sound as good as it possibly can, regardless of the sordid history of the source tapes. Thank you GD, Mockingbird Studios, the good folks and Plangent Processing and all the others that get this music to my front porch. Oh, and thank you tapers too!
October 17, 2024 - 3:54pm

#182

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

Ooops, forgot

I can’t say for sure off hand about everyone who recorded Dead and NR, but Betty was known for not using it, and if things are done right, no need.
Nothing comes for free, so every time you do something, it will effect other things, sometimes negatively…a cost benefit trade off…perhaps just like BITD with high gen cassettes? To Dolby or not to Dolby, that is the question lol
I always have tried not to do any permanent adjustments/fixes, preferring to try and fix some other way, eq etc, but nothing permanent that you can’t fix yer fix!

Imho NR etc becomes more of a band aid for when things weren’t able to be right, or to help mask issues beyond repair, i.e., the ravages of time.
Don’t think I’ve ever used any on a master recording?

Onto rest of GDM soundtrack this afternoon…
October 17, 2024 - 1:16pm

#183

1stshow70878

Joined:
September 11, 2014

Thx Oro

So 15 ips or 30 ips would have been impractical for shows I imagine. Expense, changing reels too often, and as these were for listening by the band not studio use, etc. But what about them using noise reduction? I'm guessing no Dolby.
As an aside, I seldom have my Dolby on when listening to cassettes even though most were recorded with it. Even factory tapes with Dolby seem less muffled without it and I'm not listening at thunderous levels (most of the time) where hiss is an issue.
Skylabs, a top notch mid-western audio repairer, no longer works on certain categories of equipment: Consoles, quad receivers, linear tracking turntables, automatic turntables, and reel to reels. Just not worth it from a cost perspective for what those machines sell for vs. repair costs. There are still plenty of specialists who will and R-to-Rs are available restored at very reasonable prices but good luck finding pre-recorded tapes (old or new). Nobody makes them anymore. I was never tempted but my cassette guy sells tons of R-to-Rs for like $200-$300 fully restored, but they are more run of the mill Sony and not high end. And they sell fast!
Thanks again and cheers bro
October 17, 2024 - 12:37pm

#184

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

First half of GDM soundtrack

Ist show. The more surface area (wider the tape), and/or the faster the recording speed, the higher the resolution. And yes R2R can most certainly sound best. (Like anything though, if done well)
The problem is a good one is very expensive, they’re as hard to keep maintained etc as a TT, and good linage quality tapes are rare and expensive, oh, and more a pain to “flip” than even a record…but they can sound amazing!

Remember, many CDs AND most vinyl are sourced from (hopefully) master R2R tapes! A purist with the gear and ears might argue that direct to (vinyl) disc recording is the ultimate…but good luck lol
One of the main reasons digital still gets such a bad rap is twofold
1- the conversion used originally, and lack of attention to disparity’s between different DACs in the chain. Conversion has come a loonnggg way baby! AND…
2- a significant number of the CDs first produced to meet the huge demand were not sourced from the master tapes, and lineage and source quality were often a joke! Caveat emptor: not all CDs are created alike!…or Blu-ray’s, or DVDs, or Vinyl etc Like drugs boys and girls, know your sources!
October 17, 2024 - 12:06pm

#185

1stshow70878

Joined:
September 11, 2014

4-11-78

5th show in the box.
OK, now were getting there.
Great 1st set.
2nd set list looks good too.
Moving right along...
Cheers

Random ?s for the tapers and the knowledgeable. Were these original tapes running at 7.5 ips on reel to reels and were they done with any Dolby or whatever? And do you audience tapers use any noise reduction? Been talking to an analog guy who says with reel to reel running fast you get superior saturation and the best analog sound of all, which to his ear beats CDs and even vinyl, and Dolby is unnecessary for good reel to reel recordings.
October 16, 2024 - 5:04am

#186

uncle_tripel

Joined:
October 2, 2023

"Don't...

climb on the fence, you idiot"

august 6th 1974

now that's much better, the sound is less polished or over-dubbed...or whatever...

support your local library,
my better half's employer also

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

PS - Hey Bobby, party like it's 1984, Happy B-day!
October 15, 2024 - 2:08pm

#187

Colin Gould

Joined:
September 15, 2009

Right now

This is a little niche for this forum since I’m streaming it on BBC iplayer so it’s probably only accessible in the UK,
John Martyn - Live at Reading University 1978
This is an episode of ‘Rock Goes to College’. We saw him several times 78 -79 and his solo concerts were always excellent. It’s available for the next 27 days and is highly recommended. For those who can’t access it I recommend his album ‘One World’ which was his current album when this concert was recorded.
Edit: To be honest I’d recommend any of his albums really
October 15, 2024 - 12:35pm

#188

Oroborous

Joined:
June 19, 2007

Slumming it ; )

With Dave’s 17, since the rude abrupt halt to my research via the archive being down : (
Ah well, I’ll just have to suffer lol

Hope their highly trained crack equipment crew gets it just exactly perfect sooner than later 🤞Was gonna do the big five O anniversary treatment of Rocktober 74, complete in order as I don’t think I’ve done so? Sigh…bastards!

Kudos to Uncle T supporting the local Library! (TOO is a librarian ; )
If you don’t use em, ya lose em!
And remember, they killed Marion ; )
October 15, 2024 - 7:46am

#189

uncle_tripel

Joined:
October 2, 2023

yeah, so ...

...this weekend I visited our local library, been awhile...
took home the 5 CD GOGD Movie Soundtrack box...
today's listening party:

oct 20 1974 set 2

maybe, I'll need to listen to this box abit more, or maybe not...?
finding the mix is almost like, well, you know, too studioish...

... DL announcement later this week, hey now, how about it?

make LOVE, not WAR!!!

uncle_tripel
October 14, 2024 - 9:20am

#190

proudfoot

Joined:
August 2, 2020

Soon

10 9 89

John Perry Barlow

John Perry Barlow

Forums

Currently Listening To...

New year, new update. Tell us of your musical adventures in real time!

Jiminmd - yes, thanks for pointing that out - 10/19/73 is of course Dicks 19 - I played 9/21/72 - number 36 immediately before it. I'm lucky enough to have both on vinyl - a surplus of great records. I haven't got to the Dark Star-MLB-Morning Dew from the 73 show yet. It's split over two sides which might not suit everyone, but I'm okay with it. More than okay!

gaelic park...

...on 1971-08-26 the Bronx of NYC;
as I found 2 old cassettes of this one over the weekend,
and to stay active on my GOGD history, revisiting this show on the archive (#32351) for today's history lesson...

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

...y'all know what I mean, right?...I know Doc does!

Rainbow Theatre, 6-3-77 - Bob Marley

(thanks Dennis!) ... wouldn't it have been great if Jerry & the boys slipped in some of Marley's "jammin" whilst doing so?! Would be just like them, actually. Along these lines, anyone heard the Raggae compilation of GD tunes called "Fire on the Mountain....."? It's alot of fun for a little changeup.......tcc

Brothers Dane

10.25.73 Dane County Coliseum show, interesting twists second set. Very pleased to find full video on the archive of The Brothers concert at MSG from March of 2020 after which the pandemic shut down everything immediately. Great guitar from Warren and Derek, no surprise, the ABB catalog played superbly.

Number One in Where?

I've often wondered about that Turlock thing, too. Weir made that remark numerous times, so it doesn't seem like just an offhand reference in which he could've inserted the name of any old no name town. (ie, "number one in Cucamonga" or El Centro or whatever).

I imagined maybe there was a radio station there that played lots of Bakersfield country (Turlock is down that way), and I even went so far as to look that up. But if there was a station, it's long gone.

So I guess Turlock just stuck in Bobby's mind, for some reason. I've driven through half a million times, because it's on I-5, and you pretty much have to go through there if you're traveling from SF to LA, as one does many times if lives in Cali. But I don't think I've ever stopped, and I can't remember a damn thing about the place. Other than that they love Truckin'. Which means they're probably pretty darn A-OK.

3-19-73 is a killer, for sure. Just like practically everything I've ever heard from '73. What an epic year.

What am I listening to right this second? Aaron Copland's piano concerto. (It's morning at La Casa del Crow, still drinkin me coffee.) Very jazzy and dissonant.

Dead Reggae Covers - Fire

@topchinacat: I have both CD volumes of the Fire on the Mountain Dead reggae covers. The songs are done by the absolute legends of roots reggae. I read a story about the sessions where the artists came in never having heard the songs once before and rocked them in one take. I bought these in the mid-90s when I was new to reggae and since have accumulated a ton. That said, these covers hold up really well and still sound great today on their own or in any roots reggae mix.

Currently

4/19/78 disc 3

A lot of shows in April 78

Obviously...

Earlier

4/29/77

Unusual set list

10/19/72

The Other One

9/11/82 :)

Today should be holiday, but December 7th isn't either so...
:(

West Whately Sun

Heading down this afternoon for Watermelon Wednesday at the West Whately Chapel, evening show with Mr. Sun. Darol and Grant both played with Grisman, with Joe K Walsh on mando and Aidan on bass equals acoustic ecstasy in a 90 seat venue.

3/9/81 MSG

Been thinking I need to spend some time with the In and Out of the Garden box.

3/9 & 3/10/81

These shows have grown on me with each additional listen.

How's that saying go? The best version is always the last one played or something like that?

Anniversary show 9/11/81 Greek Theatre

43 years ago ( along with a lot of other folks who post here on this forum) I was at the Greek Theatre for an absolute knockout of a show. Definitely my favorite show at the Greek, and my favorite run at the Greek. Hopefully one day we will get a Greek Box set.. Great audience tape on the Archive

okay, here we go...

...ladies & gentlemen, the finest band in the land...
Sept 3rd 1977 Englishtown :)
luv that intro!

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

3/10/81 MSG

np - Space > The Wheel

(Wheel > China Doll??!! Wat is happening?!)

Edit - had to break out the tattered cover DeadBase for some research. Wheel > China Doll played three other shows and 2 of these have also been released: 1) 5/19/77 Fox Theatre (Atlanta), released as DiP 29 - first China Doll post-hiatus; 2) 11/30/80 Fox Theatre (Atlanta) released as DaP 8; 3) 5/10/86 Frost.

Anniversary show 9/12/81 Greek Theatre

43 years ago today you know where I was at, that's right the Greek Theatre. What a cool show. Starting with a rocking Shake Down Street, what a blast!

changin' it up today...

...kicking off the weekend with some SAX...
Sept 10 1991 @ Madison Square Garden, NYC

...love to shake it on shakedown street!

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

...you just gotta poke around!

6/8/77 :) I frickin love…

6/8/77 :)

I frickin love that Garden Box.

2/16/77 Herbie Hancock / Jaco Pastorius Ivanhoe Theatre Chicago

Originally broadcast on WXRT (my go to hometown station bitd) as part of their Unconcert series (sponsored by 7-Up the Uncola.) utoob by nognuisagoodgnu.

Currently

4 30 77 in the car
9 2 80 around the house
4 18 78 on archive taking stuff to transfer station in Mrs. Grumpkins' car

Mr Clairvoyant

I sat down after a day of chores and lifting/moving stuff

Before i click tv to notre dame v purdue

I guess "52 to 6"

Game comes on
ND 66 Purdue 7

Pretty, pretty good, PF

9 2 80

Good stuff

Also

Surreal film
"Hundreds of Beavers"
A trip
Worth a watch
Saw it last night

Dead Ahead DVD

Spinning now.

Downhill From Here before that.

Currently

8 17 89

Daves 4

9/24/76 for this puppy. Maybe not the best Fall 76 show out there, but still good stuff. The highlight here is the run of songs from Blues For Allah, leading up to Stella Blue in the second set. They sang pretty in 1976, and Slipknot features an nice jam - albeit cut up by drums.

2-23-74

And a cup (2nd of the day) of super dark roast Columbian Supremo.

5/19/77 Fox Theatre Atlanta

One of 2 shows in DiP 29 - a bounty of riches!!
First of four Wheel > China Doll and marks the return of China Doll post hiatus
oh yeah Disc 3 - Terrapin > Playing > Uncle John's > Drums > Wheel > China Doll > Playing

Bumpersticker I saw on a parked car today

PITB>UJB>PITB

love it

9-16-90

It’s the anniversary.

DP 9, released in 1997.
Sounded great in 1997, but can’t compare to the sound quality we’re getting now.
And then Plangent makes it even better.
Looking forward to the April ‘78 Box.

Finished 4 30 77

Good stuff

Blues

‘I Kept These Old Blues’ - Muireann Bradley. Saw this mentioned in an article in the latest Mojo magazine. As she says in the article you can hear her guitar playing improve as the album progresses. The album was released in late 2023 and had been recorded over the past three years, the tracks are in chronological order.

DiP 29

On BC's recommendation doing disc 3 of the 5-19-77 Fox Theater to get going on this rainy morning. Wife is out shopping and no one will complain if I turn it up a bit. Checkers the cat does twitch his ears sometimes when Donna does her Playin' thing.
Cheers

Another vote for 5/19/77

Glad Bluecrow's post got others to play 5/19/77. To this day it remains a "desert island" tape for me. If I'm having a bad day I can just pop in Set I, and that Promised Land + Sugaree one-two will set me straight. And there is just something about the flow of Set II that really works for me.

There aren't that many shows from 1977 that I am always in the mood to hear *from start to end.* 2/26, 3/20, and 10/2 all come to mind. And of course 5/19... that 2nd night at the Fox just seems to have a special vibe. For me, anyway.

9-17-72

Anniversary listen.

trouble ahead...

...trouble behind...
November 20 1973 denver coliseum

it should be stated that this show overall, upside out or inside down, and just all around... it's da sheet
long live the GOGD's MUSIC!

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

Just keep taking chances and having fun......

Hey rockers!

Boston Music Hall 12/1/71. Because it's fun stuff...............

I guess I started too early because I just thought it was something fun to do......

Rock on!

Doc
It's fun wandering around other people's minds......

Pure Jerry Vol 5

Merriweather Post Pavilion Sept 1989
35 years now... it doesn't seem that long ago

2/11/69 on 180gm vinyl

Not literally what I am listening to right now - that music you can hear in the background is volume 28 Complete Motown Singles Vol 6- 1966. If you have never heard "One More Heartache" by Marvin Gaye - well, I don't know what to think. Brilliant record.

30 minutes ago I finished the brand new vinyl copy of 2/11/69, which is really good. A great sound - the double drum and bass sounds really powerful - as does Jerry's guitar playing. The acoustic guitars sound crisp and clear too. Highly recommended. As for the actual show - shows to be more accurate as these are basically 2 support slots in anticipation of Janis Joplin coming on. The first show sounds a bit like The Dead with a safety catch on - great stuff, but a bit clipped - certainly compared to 2/27/69 - 3/2/69 shows. During St Stephen, the safety catch seems to have fallen off and it explodes. So much so that, despite winding down with the "We Bid You Good night" encore they come back and do another one. The intro to Cosmic Charlie could slice the top of your head off. Pity it cuts after a minute or two..but no matter. A great snapshot of The Dead playing two concise sets, in superb sound during a ground breaking year. I'm really glad I got this one.

el Paso...

...at the County Coliseum for a bit of texas style GD (is there such a thing?)
November 23 1973

china > with some big smiles > rider

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

5-5-77

New Haven, CT

kicking-off...

...the weekend with AM Dew from
November 30th 1973
Dick's #14
and then will move 180 degrees
onto the other side
with MSG 9/20/93 set 2 (friend of the devils space)
great memories of that evening

y'all enjoy your Oktoberfest (begins Saturday) weekend,
and looking forward to your Devil's box updates next week

Peace for All!
uncle_tripel

Everything that happens to me is very cosmic.....

Hey rockers!!!

Well, today IS September 20, so you can imagine what I'm listening to. Simply put, one of the greatest Dead shows ever!!!

Is time our invention, or is time a real thing... I realize we're measuring it, but in the cosmic scheme of things, is there really time?

Rock on!

Doc
Wheels of fire, cosmic, rich, full-bodied honest victories over desperation.......

Last coupla

8 16 91
First two discs ok with some treats, but no real wood inducement
Third disc some great stuff while i made chocolate chip cookie bars

Now disc 3 of 8 17 89
First two discs ok
Third disc has an interesting Space > Wheel intro > Space > Wheel

What a band

9 20 70

It and 9 19 70

A nice pair THAT SHOULD GET RELEASED!!!

I truly feel that if those are in the vault they would have been released by now

C'est la vie

September 1970 - or: Proudfoot and Doc, hear them!

If I had a time machine I'd go back to July 1970 and offer to substitute for Bear. What a time for him to have his bail revoked! So much amazing music was about to break over the scene.

God bless all the tapers who captured what they did... not to mention the house crew at the Fillmore East, who got those board/PA feed recordings from the 18th and 19th. I mean, maybe they got they other two nights taped as well, but if so those recordings don't seem to have survived. As it is, what circulates isn't complete, and those in the know suspect the masters are long gone, too. What remains would be 1st gen reels at best. If those reels ever get into Norman's hands for release, the product will have to have one of those disclaimers like we used to get with the early "from the Vault" and Dick's Picks releases.

To which I say: fine by me! Please make it happen Dave and Rhino. We ain't getting any younger out here... and it's been 54 years. You could make this next year's box set, double the run to 20,000 copies, and it would still sell out FAST. (Side note: I'd love to see what Jeffrey Norman could do to fix the flanging on Caution, which I am listening to as I type this ramble.)

September 1970

I agree with Obeah - I think it would be great if these shows were officially released, even if they are incomplete and in less than optimum sound quality. It would be a pity if great music from the past was overlooked simply because it doesn't meet modern recording standards. I have some great live recordings by other bands and artists that are audience recordings. Not great for first time buyers - but that isn't the market here anyway.