The Shape Of Things That Hum (TV Series)

[emdot_ambient]

Okay, I just finished listening to them all.

The shows are flawed, but admirable overall.

Except for the Akai Sampler episode they did at least show some positives and negatives about all of them. No one in that show that I can remember mentioned that they were still relatively high priced when new. I was never able to afford one back-in-the-day. I bought an Ensoniq EPS instead and with its performance features believe it was a better choice.

The DX7 show had about equal "love it", "hate it" representation. The Minimoog I expected to be universally gushed over, but it wasn't. And TBH, I'm more on the negative side than the positive side with that instrument. I own one and have rarely found use for it--especially because it has not been retrofit with MIDI. Basically the MM is a keyboard soloist's instrument. What made it brilliant was its ergonomic playability: no patch cords, simple design, all controls easily accessible, foot pedal controls over expressive functions. Basically as controlable as a guitar. And Wakeman says its biggest advantage . . . it was loud enough to be heard over loud guitars. Um . . . okay. But really, its sonic capabilities were very limited. Way easier to make it fart than to make interesting sounds on it (though I've certainly found interesting sounds on it).

The Fairlight show was a bit harsh, yeah, but there was plenty of "this is why it was important" even with all its negatives. Let's face it, it was a big first step (a big, expensive, unreliable, bad-by -modern-standards first step). Yeah, it was like $30,000 or something when it first came out, so only really rich artists/studios could afford one. The E-mu Emulator came out 3 years after the Fairlight and was cheaper ($9,995.00!) but I think their might be more of a case for the Emulator being more important.

Nice to see 'em, though.

[shamann]

The Fairlight show was a bit harsh, yeah, but there was plenty of "this is why it was important" even with all its negatives. Let's face it, it was a big first step (a big, expensive, unreliable, bad-by -modern-standards first step). Yeah, it was like $30,000 or something when it first came out, so only really rich artists/studios could afford one. The E-mu Emulator came out 3 years after the Fairlight and was cheaper ($9,995.00!) but I think their might be more of a case for the Emulator being more important.

I'm okay with folk drubbing the Fairlight, it certainly had flaws (or any gear for that matter). I just can't stand idiots blathering on about things of which they clearly know or understand very little (the brainless music journalists "ehm, wasn't Frankie Goes to Hollywood done with that one? o, what a larf!").

Even the Rhythmes digitales guy didn't bother me (well his bleachy hair maybe a little, but that's just petty) since he clearly had a clue at least about something (man, does he ever love that DX7. Like in unholy sort of way).

[rockstar_not]

...Your cable TV company...

Don't have cable. Never will. I'm no Luddite, but I know overpriced crap when I see it.

And my antenna is about 30 years old and getting smaller and smaller with every wind storm. So even if I could get over the air digital (and if my TV would play it, which it doesn't) I doubt my antenna would be picking it up.

Emdot,

Oldschool UHF antennas are the best, believe it or not. If you have a rooftop antenna with the short arms angling up and down from the main horizontal mast -bingo that's the one you need. Just need an ATSC tuner. Cheapest way to get one is by buying a used Hughes HIRD E-8 or E-86 off of eBay.

Also, it's digital video. That means all the tuner has to do with the signal is determine if a 1 or 0 is there. Don't need the Analog signal to carry all the bandwidth. So, you don't need as strong of a signal as you do with the analog broadcast.

-Scott

The Ramsey Lewis show and Austin City Limits in widescreen HD with pristine digital audio is killer.