Technologists Notes

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In my primary collection, I’ve accumulated roughly 800 LPs over the years. Some are junk, some are treasures, a few have never been unsealed, a few are in terrible condition, but mostly these are LPs that I want to hear and preserve. I’d been gradually digitizing them so I could listen to them in the car and on my phone, and so I’d have archival versions if the LPs were lost.

A few years ago, I got a new Audio-Technica turntable to displace my finicky decades-old Thorens (which is now configured for 78s). I did that, in part, to accelerate progress digitizing the LPs and now have maybe 20^[1] left before I’ve finished with the primary collection. Now seems the right time to summarize the tools I use and techniques I’ve developed. Both this post and the video are intended to be self-contained, but each probably offers details missing from the other.

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“It’s gettin’ dark, too dark for me to see”
“Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” – Bob Dylan (1973)

tl;dr an attempt at a tribute to Denny, my memories from 1969-73

Denny Freeman’s legacy is being thoroughly covered after we lost him Sunday:

• Denny Freeman, the Graceful Guitarist Who Made Everyone Sound Better, Has Died
• Austin guitar great Denny Freeman, who played with Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan, dies aged 76
• Beyond the Horizon with Denny Freeman
• “As soulful as humans get” Austin guitar great Denny Freeman remembered by music community PDF
• Guitarist Denny Freeman’s Musical Mastery Cut Across Austin’s Scene

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“Genghis Khan and his brother Don
Could not keep on keepin’ on”
(1971) “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” – Bob Dylan

For many years, starting in high school, one of my ambitions was to make good recordings of live music. Until I could afford and justify the cost of good machines, I progressed through a series of mediocre, but less expensive reel to reel recorders, starting with a Wollensak similar to the photo at left. (more…)