Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with recordings

Need good binaural recordings to chill out with!

archagon — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:48:33 -0800

Need good binaural recordings to chill out with! I'm looking for high quality ambient binaural recordings to relax to, in particular of thunderstorms. I really want to feel like I'm there, as I do when listening to this "Matchbox" demo. Any suggestions?

Best sounding CD of Robert Johnson recordings ?

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:59:08 -0800

What's the best sounding CD that contains music by the delta blues singer/guitarist Robert Johnson? Currently I have a CD of his recordings titled "King of the Delta Blues Singers". It sounds like shit. I'm not talking the fuzz and pop of an old recording, but on the some of the higher notes, say in Terraplane Blues, the sound gets distorted and it sounds like the speaker is about to blow. This has happen on different audio equipment, be it at home, work or in the car. Also the actual volume of the recording sounds quite low.

Now, I'm sure I've heard better versions of these recordings, but of course don't have anything to back that up other than "I could have sworn this sounded better on another CD!"

Is there a comprehensive list of the CDs have been put out with Johnson's music and (This the key part) is there one that sounds particularly good despite the obvious archival qualities of the recordings?

This Duck Walks Into a Bar...

netbros — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 07:28:59 -0800

What are your recommended stand-up comedy albums or DVDs? I'm not concerned about explicit language or topic... just funny. Back in the 70s and 80s I used to watch a lot of comedy, particularly on HBO specials, but I've kinda fallen out of touch recently, especially regarding contemporary comedians. But yucks are yucks, whether 60 or 6 years ago. What are your favorite recorded stand-up routines, and who is doing the best comedy these days? Thanks for the laughs.

Where are the digital, musical notes?

HopStopDon'tShop — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:36:24 -0800

Where can I find clear, accurate, small sound files of different musical notes. I don't mind if they're on a piano or a guitar or anything else. But I need a separate recording of each note through one octave, around about middle-C would be ideal but not necessary. (i.e. 12 files, each with a different note on them: A natural, A sharp, B natural etc.) Just for completeness sake: I don't mind paying a fee for these files if necessary.

How to measure a person's average pitch?

eisenkr — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:38:16 -0800

I have some recordings of people saying a short phrase. How can I use these recordings to measure the average pitch of each speaker's voice? For a research project, I want to identify how high-pitched or low-pitched different people's voices are based on some short recordings. Unfortunately, I know very little about anything audio/video related and am clumsily trying to make sense of the "export spectrum" graphs that Audacity produces. Is there an accepted technique people use to measure the average pitch of audio recordings?

Also: if anybody with more knowledge about audio thinks that average pitch is a terrible measure to consider, I'd love to learn why. I'm pretty far from my research comfort zone with these recordings.

Breaker! Breaker!

Drexen — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:50:19 -0800

I want recordings of people communicating over the radio, especially in a military or astronautical context. Gimme. I'm not looking for radio-show broadcasts. Recordings of police dispatchers, military transmissions (especially in the field), transmissions to and from spaceships, or ocean-going ships, airplanes... things like that, are all good. Heavy noise/distortion, jargon, and a sense of urgency (or emergency) are a bonus.

Ideally these would be available for free over the net, but I'd be interested in other options too. LiveATC is quite well-suited, but I need more! I'm looking for them partly out of curiosity/fascination, and partly to sample for music.

And her name was Polly Ann

Pants! — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:05:55 -0800

I'm looking for as many different recordings or versions of John Henry as possible (ie Johnny Cash at Folsom). I'd like to get dozens of copies of this song sung in different ways or by different people. The more obscure the better, but don't assume that I know about a common recording.

1919 Music

Miko — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:00:17 -0800

Seeking recordings of American popular music from 1919 and therabouts. For a museum exhibit, I need to find some recordings on CD of songs that were popular in the late nineteen-teens. OUr needs are kind of specific: the music needs to be available on a CD (or burnable to CD), but sound believably 1919-ish. It will look as though it's playing on a phonograph - so modern interpretations of older songs won't work. A recording with some historical performance practice, or a CD version of a recording from history, would work well.

Extra points: The home was lived in by a family of immigrants from the Ukraine. Their daughter, like a lot of American kids, learned to play contemporary songs on the piano and they also owned a lot of records, though we don't have any of them today. So we are going to emphasize American pop music, but if you know of any other kinds of songs that might have been heard in a Ukrainian Jewish household around 1919, that would be great, too.

Sonically complex, well recorded 2ch music please.

|n$eCur3 — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 17:22:32 -0800

Sonically complex well recorded music in 2 channels to test my new hi-fi stereo system. So far, I've listened to... I spent a too much money on a really good pair of speakers, and most everything I listen to sounds imperfect because the speakers are quite good at exposing recording flaws. Of course I am listening to lossless music, but I need some albums that are complex, dynamic, and pristine. I am finding that most recordings before 1970 do not sound that great, with some exceptions, so I'm thinking the more recent, the better. But feel free to chip in whatever you feel fits the bill. I'm not terribly picky about genre.

So far:
Radiohead, Ok Computer - Pretty complex, but a little bright in places
Radiohead, The Bends - Not as complex as OK computer
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon - Not really impressed
The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers - Well recorded, some complexity
Coldplay, A Rush of blood - Surprisingly well recorded, dynamic
Arcade Fire, The Funeral - Not as well recorded as I thought it might be.
Wilco, YHF - Pretty complex and well recorded.
Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie - Complex and well recorded but causes listening fatigue. Very bright.
Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy - Pretty good considering its age, but a bit lacking.
Broken Social Scene, Self Titled - Probably the best, most complex and most well recorded album I've heard so far.

What else?

Classical music recommendation site with just the right touch

Gyan — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:38:20 -0800

Name some good online sources for recommendations and also reviews of recorded performances of classical music. I know of the following sources:

On Usenet, rec.music.classical.recordings and occasionally its parent group.
Classical.Net
Gramophone
BBC Radio 3
MusicWeb
Classical Notes
Fanfare

There are problems with all the above sources, as far as I can tell.

Ideally, I should be able to search for a work, say, the 'Kreutzer' sonata, and be provided with a selection of popular recommendations, alongwith some brief yet incisive observations on each.

Among the sites listed above, there's either just a singular non-annotated listing or it's just a personal review rather than a consensus or the more popular recommendation. Finally, some sites just don't have flexible search engines, meaning you have to manually browse through the archives.

Mark CF...again, shoo

divabat — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:27:46 -0800

Where can I get recordings and soundtracks of the Australian version of Swap Shop? My boyfriend is a big fan of the 90s Australian children's TV show Swap Shop. He's been after the soundtrack in particular, but none of us have managed to track it down.

I've checked eBay and all they have is the book, no recordings. I've emailed ABC but haven't received a reply (should I call them?), and their ABC Shops don't carry them. I've scoured the ABC website too with no luck. Google gets me nothing much; we did find a tracklisting, but nowhere to buy the CD.

I'm really hoping to get the soundtrack or at least the recordings as a surprise for my boyfriend. Where can I find them? Where else can I look?

Oral tradition stories

London Irregular — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:50:06 -0800

Hello dudes. Do you know where I can find recordings of good oral tradition storytellers on/offline? (in English)

Country fiddle? Anyone? Anyone?

eleyna — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 19:26:29 -0800

I need to find great country fiddle recordings. Help me, Metafilter! I've played violin and viola for years. Mostly, I've done classical things, symphony, etc. I've recently become horribly bored with this, and after putting up an ad on craigslist searching for new kinds of music, new people to play with, I find myself with a gig next Friday.

The gig is with a country band. I'm excited about it, but I've never played country fiddle-style before, and I feel lost.

Problem: I have chord charts, but no melodies - no music written down that says: "Play this." Whatever I play, I'll have to make up in my head.

I need recordings that include examples of great country fiddle, so I'll have a fighting chance at succeeding. Help.

Public Domain Nutcracker Recordings

TheGoldenOne — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:32:10 -0800

Where can I find public domain recordings from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker? I know the music itself is public domain, but I'm worried about using a copyrighted recording. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies would be particularly nice since it's for a slideshow featuring pictures of little girls trying out for the ballet.

How do I get a digital recording to sound like the original?

scazza — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 08:11:01 -0800

How do I get a digital recording to sound like the original? I am converting cassette tapes of my voice lessons to mp3 for storage and use. This means a recording of spoken word, piano, and opera singing. Because the tapes are instructional, I am listening for nuance, it is important that they are as close to identical to the original as possible.

On my first try I recorded with Audio Recorder and edited on Audacity. That turned out impossibly quiet and crappy. I recently tried recording directly into Audacity and that resulted in a totally flat sound quality. I am not an audiophile in the least, and even I can see that the digital file lacks any resonance at all. Since there is such an obvious difference to such an amateur, I assume there is something wrong in my methods.

What could I be neglecting to adjust in my equipment? What is causing the sound difference?
Is this just what the difference between film and digital? Even if I recorded directly to mp3 wouldn't I get the same result?
I am poor so I couldn't really pay someone to convert it for me; do people do that?
What are my options for getting digital files that are identical to the original tape recordings?

Please don't tell me I am condemned to accumulate drawers full of tapes for the rest of my life. Please help!

Best Recordings of Bach?

ori — Sun, 24 Apr 2005 20:46:25 -0800

What recordings of Bach are considered essential? Which ones do you think are the best?

figarofigarofigarofigaro!

jonmc — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 19:38:51 -0800

I have very little interest in classical music, but lately I've found myself intrigued by opera, of all things. It seems very rock and roll in it's inherent drama and showmanship and...humanity for lack of a better word. Or perhaps it's merely my Italian heritage calling me home. Any good ideas on where to start? I'd prefer older recordings because I'm big on starting at the source. I kinda like that "La donna mobile..." thing that you hear on sports shows sometimes. Thanks.

MusicianFilter: What should I do with my recordings?

ludwig_van — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 08:42:32 -0800

MusicianFilter: What should I do with my recordings? [MI]

Is there a secret place on the internet like alibris.com for books where one can go find relatively obscure classical recordings?

judith — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 15:41:21 -0800

Jacob ter Veldhuis' String Quartets, as far as I can tell, have been recorded only once. That label doesn't seem to have any current contact information. I'd like to get my hands on this, and tried a bunch of the local options here in San Francisco, including Amoeba. Is there a secret place on the internet like alibris.com for books where one can go find relatively obscure Dutch string quartets?

Opera Newbie

PrinceValium — Mon, 20 Sep 2004 07:18:04 -0800

I want to start listening to opera. Where should I begin? Help me build a collection of recordings that consists of music composed in all eras, with the only requirements that it be sophisticated and uncommonly beautiful.

Website(s) with mandolin orchestra recordings?

tommasz — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:37:43 -0800

Does anyone know of a site that has sound recordings (either for sale or download) of early American mandolin orchestras (early 20th century)? I've been looking at the Smithsonian and Library of Congress but haven't found much. I'm assuming that given the time period they would mostly have been recorded on wax cylinders.

Is there a choral recording of Hindemith's "Frau Musica"?

languagehat — Sun, 05 Sep 2004 08:46:30 -0800

Does anybody know of a choral recording of Hindemith's "Frau Musica"? The sheet music is available, but I'm not finding any recordings.

What ever happened to Minoy?

davebush — Wed, 11 Aug 2004 17:13:01 -0800

He was heavily involved in the underground cassette/home taping movement of the mid to late eighties, releasing scores of solo and collaborative experimental recordings. Now he's apparently silent. Anyone know what became of Minoy? The Google cupboard is pretty bare.

Can anyone recommend some good Shakespeare recordings (Audiobooks)?

blueshammer — Wed, 04 Aug 2004 06:16:25 -0800

I have an abiding passion for audiobooks (concomitant with my hour or so of daily commuting), and it occurs to me that this would be an ideal way to get over my general Shakespearean illiteracy. Can anyone recommend some good Shakespeare recordings? The more compelling the recommendation, the better.

What's the best way to nuke noise from single coil pickups while recording my guitar?

arto — Wed, 21 Apr 2004 01:16:58 -0800

Guitar recording question: What's the best way to nuke 60hz hum and monitor noise from my single coil pickups? [more inside] I'm using Magix Studio 7 software, and my signal path looks like this:

Guitar -> Zoom 505-II pedal -> Computer

The single coils on my guitar only sound this noisy with either my PC monitor, a dimmer switch or flourescent light on, so I need a way to either cancel that noise or record with the monitor off.