Violin sound.

[Retired]

Hi,

I've still not made it into the studio; TV problem should be sorted by midday Monday; we've run out of movies on stick so as I used to tell my teams at work don't bring me a problem bring me a solution. I had a good look at the computer & monitor to see if I could somehow get these into the front room but it's too much hassle so more thinking brought up my little used laptop in the studio; it's now set up in the front room powered from the mains on WiFi because I doubt VM will sort out the TV problem on Monday; I've no faith in them.

It's pointless keep complaining about VM I'm sure they're doing their absolute best to sort the TV issue out and in fairness we've had few problems with them over almost 35 years; I wonder how many have already switched suppliers because of this TV signal loss. Our contract with VM expires in November and as we agreed to the 18 month contract we don't break our word; we'll look at other suppliers near November in the meantime I'm happier to have a working TV for my wife who is unwell; I don't feel as bad now leaving her alone whilst I get on with violin playing; stumps digging or rotavator restoration; we can even watch YouTube movies tonight hopefully without signal loss or buffering.

I'm too frazzled at the moment to concentrate on anything so if the rain holds off I'll wander up the mountain and have another go at the stumps; I've been running to stand still now I want to sort out at least one of the jobs before Christmas is upon us once again.

Thanks everyone for your patience; it sure is a punishment learning to play a violin living here in retirement.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

I gave up watching broadcast TV 14 years ago, and stopped paying the license fee.
For the next 11 years, I acquired a box full of threatening letters from TV licencing, but also a collection of 2000+ films on DVD, from charity shops.
A couple of years ago, I changed my mind, and bought a big 4K TV, and started watching again.
A lot had changed. For the first time I have Freeview, with loads of channels, and discovered they now broadcast the main 5 channels in HD.
I only watch TV programs, but could not now suffer watching a film stuffed full of adverts.
So, if I feel like a film, I turn to my DVD collection.
If the world ended, I could knock up a power supply from solar, and still have something to watch.

 

[TalismanRich]

Does the UK still support over the air broadcasts? My brother cut the cord for local channels, put up a good antenna and can get about a dozen channels. Then he has Amazon Prime or Netflix for watching various movies. If I had to do it, I could put up an antenna that's in the basement and at least get the 5 major networks for the US.

I have lots of DVDs that I've collected over the years of movies and series that I didn't watch when they were on prime time. I go to the local second hand store and grab 3 seasons of NCIS or CSI for $25, or sometimes I find them on Ebay for cheap. I just watched the 200th episode of CSI, currently on season 9. I have 4 more seasons to watch. I've got seasons of Stargate SG1 that I still need to watch. The best part of DVD sets is that you don't have to worry about commercials. I've gotten so that I can't watch normal TV! Now I DVR everything and fast forward through all the commercials!

 

[Slouching Raymond]

Does the UK still support over the air broadcasts?

It is the main way, and viewers have to pay around £160 a year to watch.
Cable subscriptions are very popular too.
You can watch catch-up on-demand programs that were broadcast, but that requires the £160 licence fee too.

 

[rob aylestone]

Our system is completely impractical now we have broadcast via terrestrial RF, satellite and internet sources. We have the licence fee Raymond mentions - but it ONLY goes to the BBC, commercial station generate income via ads. So if you never ever watcha BBC programme, you still pay the BBC. As a result, many people refuse to buy a licence and state they do not watch live TV, hence it's free - however the BBC send investigation agents to spy on people they suspect do, and they try to even trick people into revealing they watch. They will even send in Bailliffs to serve papers on transgressors. It's a real mess. I pay it, yet do not actually like the BBC (woke teenagers seem to run the corporation nowadays and if you are over 50, they hate you). The BBC get the minet because they were considered a public service, but independent organisation free of Government oversight. Now - it seems that they are compromised sadly.

 

[TalismanRich]

Interesting. So that is a BBC thing. We would have a problem with having to pay for OTA TV, since it would cover 5 main networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS. Plus you have some small independents that broadcast stuff like religious TV, shopping channels, old movies or old TV series. For example, you can watch Highway Patrol and Dragnet at 6am on MeTV, classic 1950s-60s cop shows! That's not going to require a license fee!

 

[rob aylestone]

One of the BBC's best bits is their back catalogue they still show Dad's Army from the 70s regularly and at decent times, not really early or late. Their wokey standards messed up a few stalwarts - like Dr Who. It had a dedicated following but then they tinkered with the format and messed it up. We had a female Dr Who, and I really wanted it to work, but they diluted the character and made the Dr trivial and frankly, weaker - I felt sorry for the actress, she was actually pretty good - but the scripts were really awful.

The joke with the BBC is that they now have quotas for everything so you can almost guess what comes next. I'm all for reflecting real life in soaps and quiz shows with guests, but they've lost reaslism. People actually do things real people wouldn't. Instead of entertainment, programmes get given social themes - so every soap MUST have every type of person you can imagine - not just the obvious ones but murderers, sex fiends, drug dealing criminals, police who are criminals, officials who are corrupt, bigamists, wife beaters, prison escapees, explosions, floods, train crashes - it makes the programmes a mockery. Not real life but a distorted mirror.

We've just had a highly paid BBC football (real football, not the American throwing version) TV pundit working for the BBC get suspended for making a political comment - and the solution? They did the football programme with just the football - no commentary or pundits - because his co-hosts walked out. The solution? reinstate him and dump the BBC top management who suspended him.

This maybe sounds silly to those in the US, but the BBC used to be held in respect, but no longer. The BBC have been woke since before the word was invented, but it's getting really silly now.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

I've already done the shopping this morning and now want to catch up on the posts before going out again in a short while.

Thanks Raymond; when I get the chance I'll visit some charity shops looking for DVD's which I can convert to memory stick; I already have quite a few movies but many are in wrong file format for our smart TV; I converted a few but then the free conversion site corrupted my computer and now these free sites draw you in and convert one or two free then demand payment; you're charity shop idea is a good one though and without risk of computer problems.

We mostly watch YouTube and are Premium YouTube members paying around £12 monthly which is well worth it to get rid of the adverts. We don't have freeview and I was going to look into this when I have time but don't think it includes YouTube so we wouldn't be any better off. We have catch up but seldom use it; we despise paying the £160 it being a rip off just to pay huge salaries for people full of their own importance and ever since I remember BBC 1 is sport all day every Saturday YUUUUUUK.

I couldn't agree with you more rob; my wife used to watch Coronation Street & Emmerdale but packed these in years ago because of political correctness making them sick to watch; Eastenders we watched a few times when first aired but it made us feel suicidal; TV now is mostly waving guns around and lots of violence or sport which we detest; with YouTube we have a free choice of many old movies before people started being thin skinned; if someone calls me names so what it doesn't hurt me it just shows what type of idiot they are but now one person gets called a name and it's a court case broadcast around the world; murder is treated more lightly; the UK is still a wonderful place but been taken over without a shot being fired we now have to adapt to other people not they to us. I won't go on because I might offend someone.

BBC = BRITISH BRAINWASHING CORPORATION. I could cure all the problems very easily; get rid of the BBC.

Thanks TalismanRich; we can get many old films and TV series very easily indeed; TV series we watch Robin Hood; Highway Patrol; Dragnet; Gideon's Way; Whirlybirds; Blake's 7 etc there are lots of them on YouTube.

VM technician is due this evening but as yet still no TV; we're reduced to watching TV on the small laptop with very little sound. Although we're very annoyed at VM appalling service over the last few months we agreed to an 18 month contract and we don't go back on an agreement; NTL/VM have generally been excellent for the last 35 years so we won't give up on them easily; we believe the problem is down to old equipment now starting to fail and unless it's upgraded it can only get worse; other suppliers are online with up to date modern equipment; BT is offering 450M against the recently increased 135M from VM at less price; if problems persist then in November we'll leave VM but we'll give VM the chance to make good,

Yesterday morning I got out of bed determined to get on top of jobs hanging over me; I was up our mountain of a garden very early indeed it being a cold 5C with a chilling breeze;

Here's the first big stump almost out only five more to go in the middle section of the garden. No messing around I just ripped the lot out of the ground I'm not taking prisoners; I deserve a medal the size of a dustbin lid for stupidity; 75 years old still grafting flat out; I'm determined to get all these heavy jobs out of the way quickly this year then when our short summer arrives I can get on with violin playing; I'm sick of struggling to get into the studio surely I'll get on top of all the work after all I've been doing it for the 36 years since moving here.

Back to the plot; I was giving some thought rob regarding your suggestion about a backing track to play to and as I like to self help as much as possible I wondered if I could use a mic to record my computer speakers copying Amazing Grace but then take it a step further and use "Audacity" or some other editing program to isolate just the sounds I want to hear whether solo violinists removing the piano or Andy Williams singing "Somewhere my love" without backing music; please bear with me because all this is new to me but I'm inquisitive and imaginative.

Got to go I'm visiting a friend shortly who is back home for a short visit; he's sold his business and now has a lovely new home and farm with his lady partner in Thailand enjoying well earned retirement but he's like me always ultra busy; he's a trusted friend and there are few of these around nowadays.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

I couldn't agree with you more rob; my wife used to watch Coronation Street & Emmerdale but packed these in years ago because of political correctness making them sick to watch;

The last time I wathced Coronation Street was when Annie Walker fell down a workmen's hole in the street.

 

[rob aylestone]

I think the answer is probably 'maybe'. It is possible to remove the 'featured' sound, if it is voice or instrument if it recorded as a mono source in the middle of a stereo recording - but often the removal process is less successful because they've put stereo reverb on the voice - so you remove Andy Williams but leave a sort of reverby image of him. Audacity can do this kind of thing, but it depends on the individual recording for it's success. There are now cleverer bits of software that might be able to do it better. All that happens is you make a copy of the track, flip the polarity(phase) of one of them, and then blend them, together. Anything that is the same in both channels cancels - to a degree, leaving anything different in both channels intact. There are now things like 'spectral layers' that can take a recording and split it into the voice, piano, drums and other instruments. again, success depends on the recording.

I just lost a big chunk!
I've looked at the Andy Williams song - the ones on youtube are in Ab, not G major like your music? This song also rattles along pretty fast and in the G Major version with one Sharp, there are lots of accidentals - notes that are not in the normal key - so In G, this song has the expected F sharp, but an A sharp (B flat) and a C sharp! Andy Williams version is in Ab Major - so this song is hardly simple and slow!

I wonder if you would be better to buy the sheet music and CD versions - plenty on amazon and all sorts - even rock songs! The music looks pretty playable too.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thank you rob; it all sounds as though I'd waste a great deal of time getting used to more studio technology rather than concentrating on the core issue of learning to play a violin; I really do appreciate your kind guidance it's always informative and constructive keeping me pointing the right way. I've printed off both attachments but not had chance to have a good look at them as yet but I will. Your explanation of Andy Williams song makes the song far more complicated than I thought but in time I will come to understand it as I will with sight reading which is progressing slowly but in the right direction. Last night I did get into the studio for half an hour and was delighted to run straight through my usual practice pieces which pleased me no end; I'm well aware I need lots of practice yet but parts of Ode to joy sound more like they should I just need to build on these small successes.

Thanks also for your suggestion regarding buying sheet music which I've already done for my three practice pieces; I'll buy more as needed in fact I'm planning to visit local charity shops tomorrow morning; my wife has sorted out three big bags of items to dispose of and whilst there I'll have a look at any DVD's.

Whilst at my friends this morning his uncle was there; a relation of his drives for our local council and gets literately hundreds of all kinds of discarded DVD's; he says even charity shops can't cope with the DVD's there are so many of them going on to say they can be bought for as little as 20p each;; I'll make room for a few more.

Seven days without TV; the last VM technician reset the box to factory default but before he departed the fault was back again now he told us it was intermittent signal loss from Virgin he'd done everything he could all the gear in our bungalow was fine?

A third VM technician has just left us; he went straight to the problem; we've had four notices from VM stating they are working on it thanks for your patience the TV should be back on tomorrow midday; our TV is now working perfectly; absolutely no signal loss at all in fact because the main box is only a few feet away from our driveway it wasn't signal loss just the opposite TOO MUCH SIGNAL STRENGTH was the problem so why didn't the previous two technicians sort it out; on top of this we've now had a number of components replaced also the VM router; VM has taken over our lives for months just because the signal was too strong; DOOOOOOOOH I feel sick,

All being well I can shortly kiss and make up with VM and once again renew our contract in November; we didn't want to leave VM but it was getting us down.

Today has flown by; now perhaps VM is sorted I can crack on in peace the the stump removal job; 18 months so far of nothing but problems every time I wanted to play my violins.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[rob aylestone]

I've looked at that Ode to Joy piece - I've knocked up a couple of versions - same thing but two different tempos. I've tinkered a bit with the arrangement so it just repeats the same basic section over and over again. It starts with the melody and some accompaniment - then second time through, you take over the melody, as per your music. different instruments playing similar but different harmonies pop in and out, but you can just repeat your section over and over again until you get bored. Give it a go and have a play along.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Thank you so much you're a gem rob; absolutely brilliant; I'll convert these two tracks to stick and try to wear them out in the studio; you're an excellent ambassador for this forum rob and I feel rather lost because it all being new to me I can add little back other than my slow progress. First thing to stand out was I'm playing too slow so speeding up to the tempo of these will immediately show an improvement.

What a morning though; I've just returned from the charity shops; with three big bin bags of top quality cushions and jackets I set off to Holmfirth where there are about three charity shops; two lots of temporary traffic lights and queues of traffic; the car now looks like it's been off roading; in Holmfirth I found it impossible to park anywhere near the charity shops; after three tours going round and round I called it a day and of course it was raining; car parks were a good walk away from the stores; no change in my pocket and I didn't want to struggle in the rain on narrow pavements carrying these three bags; double yellow lines everywhere.

Returning home I suddenly remembered a local two miles away charity shop in Almondbury the other side of the valley from us; I've passed this thousands of times to and from work; with the car parked I walked the short distance and at last my morning brightened up; I handed over the bags receiving lots of thanks then I asked if they had any DVD's, I selected 9 DVD's and asked how much; 25p each; I handed over £10 saying I don't want any change; the lady was amazed but even at just over £1 each these were excellent value compared to paying new full price and after all the charity is in support of our local hospice. I receive so much generous help from the forum it's a way of passing help on.

At last I was back home and even better still as soon as I logged on I found your sound tracks rob; my day brightened even further and as a bonus we've got VM behaving like it used to so far without the slightest problem; the only thing I haven't done is to fuel our car because I couldn't be bothered in the rain and the car still has three quarters of a tank; I never run the tank right down.

I've some work to do in the workshop in relation to stump digging but once the stumps are out I'll finally relax; I had another go at one of the stumps yesterday afternoon until I was too tired to carry on; last night was wonderful to have the TV back on again after a week of it being down.

Many thanks again rob; you've really made my day.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[rob aylestone]

Well, it's connection day. I got a nice emails saying your service in Giganet will be today, then at 10.15, another email saying the service is connected. Trouble is, it's not, and the giganet portal has a red spot against it, so I just will have to wait before moaning! Maybe it will work soon? Maybe not!

 

[Slouching Raymond]

I asked if they had any DVD's, I selected 9 DVD's and asked how much; 25p each;

One thing you have to watch out for is 'region'. In England, we are region 2, so look for a little picture of the globe on the back of the DVD jacket, with a 2 in the middle of it.
The number '1' is for USA, and they don't play on our players. The number '0' means it shoud play anywhere in the world.
I have been caught out a few times by people donating foreign DVDs.

Well, it's connection day. I got a nice emails saying your service in Giganet will be today, then at 10.15, another email saying the service is connected. Trouble is, it's not, and the giganet portal has a red spot against it, so I just will have to wait before moaning! Maybe it will work soon? Maybe not!

The first time it fires up, it takes quite a while to sort itself out, with the other end. Once it is established, turning on the termination box gives you 4 green leds fairly quick.
Or maybe 3 1/2, until you turn the router on. I'm getting used to it now, and just bought some cat6 cable, for LAN connections.

 

[rob aylestone]

Service light still out. 45 mins on phone said "er, we'll get technical to get back to you" - the online dashboard shows the passwords and IP details, but three red circles - these should be green. Not looking good. She said "hopefully today". A shame they send a nice email saying congratulations - you now have broadband, when you don't!

 

[Retired]

Hi,

Sounds like Giganet are clones of Virgin Media rob; you've got my sympathies; our VM at the moment is perfect not missing a beat or tormenting us with stupid messages; we too have received a similar message stating all is now sorted when in fact far from it; my fingers are crossed for you; good look.

Thanks Raymond for the information; one day my luck will change for the better but I'm not holding my breath; having bought the DVDs this morning the first three are encrypted; the Star Wars pair though are copying to stick as I type; I've been looking at connecting my desktop computer to the TV because my computer has the DVD player and so far it does play the DVDs bought.

I'm grateful to you rob for supplying the two Ode To Joy tracks but my bad luck so far won't let me transfer them to stick; I've tried all sorts but I'll not give up; if I have to I'll bring into the office a mic and my Tascam pocket studio then record from my computer; if only one thing would go right without a problem I'd think it a miracle; the weather is dire so I'm catching up on mail.

Kind regards, Colin

 

[Retired]

Hi,

I hope you've now got your Giganet fully sorted rob.

With 7 hours heavy rain forecast for later today I thought I'd better make an early start; I've just succeeded getting a second stump out but I'm wet with sweat and don't know where to put myself; the new 4 ton winch has just arrived so I'm now fully geared up to tackle the even bigger stumps.

I truly appreciate you taking so much time rob to post the two Ode To Joy tracks; so far I've been unable to copy to stick but last night I spent over an hour trying to stop them playing; I have virtually a black screen with just the above showing all the time and as I type I still don't know how to stop it playing; I'm now grounded the rest of the day so I'll sort this out and try once again to transfer them to stick; I might be able to use "Audacity". Whatever I try to do something always gets in the way.

Short post for a change; I'm just tired but I'll be fine after a meal and a rest for five minutes.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

[rob aylestone]

I just right click on the files? I'm sure it will work. Don't mention the internet. ANOTHER day wasted. A tech fella phoned who actually understood what I was saying. They thought I was unable to set up the router. I patiently explained to him that there is a no service indicator on the ONT fibre device - ah he said, you don't have any internet! Exactly I said. Right - he fiddled and told me that City Fibre had told them I did have service, so he now has to log a fault with city fibre as it's their bit. He said maybe (like Vodafone) they would need to visit. I pointed out that pulling out the fibre input makes the broadband LED go out, which indicates a successful link to the exchange via the fibre distribution, the no service means that while I have a working path, I don't have data connection. He thought for a moment and said yes - you're right. I will tell them. That's it. Still no internet. I'm past caring now. To add insult, they invoiced me for the service starting Tuesday that I don't have!

 

[Slouching Raymond]

I played both of the files ok. I am using the Firefox browser.

Are you getting 3 months free Rob? They sent me an invoice for £0, for the month running up to installation day. I hope that doesn't count as a free month.