Sunday 29 June 2008

Sun Ra Arkestra - It's After The End of The World





Well, HERE's my first post (also HERE). Big thanks to all those who came before and will come after. Enjoy!

256-320 LAME VBR mp3
Vinyl Rip & scans from MPS/BASF 20748

Here's a review from All About Jazz by Laurence Donohue-Greene:
Recorded live at the Donaueschingen Music and Berlin Festivals in 1970, this gem ideally captures Sun Ra and His Intergalactic (Research) Arkestra at its most otherworldly self. Individual and collective sounds reach for ears at times beyond human comprehension. The 21-member Arkestra is anchored by its leader captaining keyboards of various frequencies of inter-planetary communication and fresh audible sensations—from his Farfisa organ, “roc-si-chord,” “spacemaster,” Mini- Moog synthesizer, Hohner clavinet and electra, to acoustic piano. Soundscapes vary from Twilight Zone-ish scores (the Moog-heavy “Out in Space”) to African ritualistic percussive escapades (“Watusi”).

Ceremoniously opening with June Tyson’s heavily breathed words spoken as if serenaded from a tropical bird—“dream,” “blackness,” and lastly “a world” swirl into the rumbling and gathering of percussion, brass, and reeds. Flutes, oboe, and a modified bassoon (with a French horn mouthpiece!) performed by Leroy Taylor (aka Elo Omoe) create a modern classical orchestral atmosphere before the swinging beats of drums and trumpet-like scorching alto sax lines carry the momentum elsewhere.

A bass-driven piano introduces dozens of different meters performed on drums and percussion instruments of all shapes and sizes over the Egyptian march of “Watusi.” A near twenty-minute suite culminates in the closing “Duos,” featuring the avant alto sax vocabulary of Marshall Allen and Danny Davis followed by the burly baritone dialogue of Pat Patrick and Danny Thompson. One of the singular and unfortunate drawbacks are several abridged versions either subtly fading into segments or, as with “Duos,” more abruptly. Nonetheless, such a recording as this offers the next best thing to but a sampling of what it must have been like to experience the path that Ra offered his listeners in a live concert, perhaps the most uninhibited platform for his musical message.


You can find out more about MPS records on the new Magic Purple Sunshine blog begun by the intrepid ish from Ile Oxumare.

for the gearheads

Chain as follows for vinyl ripping (effective July 18, 2008):

Technics SL-D20

Speed = 33 & 45 RPM
Speed Adjustment = +/- 10%
P-Mount Cartidge
Wow and Flutter, 33rpm, DIN 45-507 = 0.025%
Rumble, DIN 45-530B = -78 dB
Semi-Automatic
Servo Control System
Pivot-Stylus Distance = 9.125"
Anti-Skating
Mfg date = 1981


Audio Technica AT92E

The AT92E is a basic stereo phono cartridge that is both headshell mountable and P-mountable. It features a full range of frequency response (15 - 27,000hz) and a special elliptical diamond stylus tip for lower distortion and a cleaner, more lifelike sound.

- elliptical tip for lower distortion and cleaner sound reproduction
- frequency response: 15-27,000hz
- output: 3.5 (mV at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec) - channel separation: 29/18 (dB at 1 kHz/10 kHz)
- channel balance: 1.5db
- vertical tracking force: 1.0-1.5g
- stylus shape - 0.7 mil elliptical diamond


JVC AX-R350


Tape (line) out to--->

Soundblaster Audigy 2 Platinum

Audio Performance

Signal-to-Noise Ratio with AES17 filter (A-Weighted)<>
----------------- 2V Rated Output 1V Rated Output
Stereo Output 108dB 102dB
Front and
Rear Channels 108dB 102dB
Center, Subwoofer
and Rear Center 108dB 102dB


Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise at 1kHz (A-Weighted) = 0.004 % (1V, 2V Rated Output)
Frequency Response at -3 dBr = <10>

Technical Specifications


High Definition Audio Quality for Playback and Recording
24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion during playback with sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz in 7.1 mode and up to 192kHz in stereo mode
24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion during recording in 8, 16 or 24-bit at sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz
SPDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) input at up to 24-bit/96kHz quality
SPDIF output up to 24-bit resolution at 48 or 96kHz
ASIO 2.0 drivers for low latency (as low as 2ms) multi-track playback and recording at 24-bit/96kHz*

*(Latency performance may vary based on system configuration)

Wave-Table Synthesis and Midi Features
Creative Hardware synthesizer (2x16 channels) with 64-voice polyphony featuring E-MU®'s patented 8-point interpolation technology for accurate sample reproduction
Creative Software synthesizer - multi timbral wave-table (16 channels)
2 MIDI I/O ports (2x16 channels) (gameport adapter required for MIDI I/O 2)

FireWire® (IEEE® 1394) Connectivity
FireWire® (IEEE® 1394) / i-Link® compatible interface with up to 400Mbps transfer rate

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro On-Board Connectors
Line level out (Front / Side / Rear / Center / Subwoofer)
Digital CD Audio in
Aux Audio in
AD_LINK 1 and AD_LINK 2 connectors
Power connector
15-pin MIDI / Joystick port extension header

Audigy 2 ZS External I/O Hub Front and Rear Panel Connectors
Headphone Out (1/4” Stereo Jack)
Line In 1 (1/4” Stereo Jack , shared with Microphone In with Gain Control)
Line In 2 (1/4” Stereo Jack)
Line In 3 (2x RCA Jack)
Optical SPDIF In/Out
Coaxial SPDIF In/Out
Digital Out for 5.1 support (6-channel SPDIF Output to Creative digital speakers)
2x FireWire® (IEEE® 1394) ports
MIDI In / Out
Infra-red Receiver
AD_LINK 1 and AD_LINK 2 connectors

Works with the Following Standards
Windows® 98SE, 2000, ME and XP
Supports Windows XP SP2
Sound Blaster MIDI and General MIDI
Plug and Play Sound Blaster PCI
EAX, EAX ADVANCED HD*
THX®
Microsoft® DirectSound®, DirectSound 3D & derivatives
OpenAL™
PCI 2.2 compliant
AC97 compliant
Dolby Digital® and Dolby Digital EX
DTS Digital Surround® and DTS-ES Extended Surround™
Meridian Lossless Packing
ASIO™ (24-bit/96kHz)
Dolby Digital® and Dolby Digital EX
SoundFont 2.1
DVD-Audio and Advanced Resolution™ DVD-Audio
Windows Media® Audio 9


For cassette rips, replace the turntable, cart and amp in the chain with the
JVC TD-R611

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