tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85080857164414529532024-02-07T12:21:08.092-05:00BitPerfectBitPerfect - A Simple High-Quality Audio Player for OS X.<br><br>Purchase BitPerfect from <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/bitperfect/id455545700">Apple's App Store</a>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comBlogger290125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-92231244228265408872019-10-10T18:14:00.001-04:002019-10-10T18:14:08.882-04:00Announcing BitPerfect v3.2.0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-LcBxF16XI-BFb0kEq0zq0Zd0I3QwwL3QAWy_ujZAuw57UGVCrcITYN4vY1cH3GzkXLyKLFYTmYuNzP9mhIwzTjXB2mlyPt2IpiaME8jQKMMlzrgdptwBma-PVuq0P_6g5O2kX5sdmc/s1600/V320+Announcement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4-LcBxF16XI-BFb0kEq0zq0Zd0I3QwwL3QAWy_ujZAuw57UGVCrcITYN4vY1cH3GzkXLyKLFYTmYuNzP9mhIwzTjXB2mlyPt2IpiaME8jQKMMlzrgdptwBma-PVuq0P_6g5O2kX5sdmc/s640/V320+Announcement.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today we announce the release of BitPerfect v3.2.0 which supports the
new Apple Music app that replaces iTunes in macOS Catalina. As always,
this is a free update for all existing BitPerfect users.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-12456706747733371952019-10-08T20:44:00.000-04:002019-10-08T20:45:12.827-04:00Privacy, macOS Catalina, and Apple Music<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With the new release of macOS <i><b>Catalina</b></i>, Apple has dropped iTunes and replaced it with an App called Music. This means that BitPerfect no longer functions correctly, as it tries to load iTunes and fails because it is no longer there. We have new version of BitPerfect that fixes this problem and works with Catalina, but it turns out we cannot release it yet because Apple now requires us to have a Privacy Policy on our web page.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, now we have a <b>Privacy Policy</b>, which you will find on our sidebar, just below the <b>support</b> link. I do hope you enjoy reading it! Now that the privacy policy is in place we have re-submitted our new BitPerfect build with Catalina support to the App Store, and will release it as soon as we get approval from Apple.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will also choose this opportunity to mention a serious issue I encountered with Apple's new Music App. It automatically inherited my iTunes library when I upgraded to Catalina, but all of my Album Art - yes, all 4,000+ albums' worth - has disappeared. It's not lost, but the new Music App isn't displaying it. This is the worst of a number of amateurishly careless errors Apple has made with this Music release, and I expect (hope) it will be corrected in a future update.</span></span></div>
Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-90617308255180918882018-10-04T15:09:00.003-04:002018-10-04T15:09:40.142-04:00macOS Mojave update<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="fo0ni-0-0"><span data-text="true">We can confirm that there is a minor problem with BitPerfect under macOS 10.14 (Mojave) which is preventing Integer Mode from being selectable. Interestingly enough, if you had previously been using Integer Mode on your selected DAC, BitPerfect was still playing using Integer Mode, even though the check box was unchecked and grayed out.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="baruk-0-0"><span data-text="true">In any case, we have developed a fix for this issue. It is currently undergoing test, and will soon be released for Approval to Apple. You should be seeing it in due course as an update.</span></span></div>
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Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-38009080903824180902018-09-29T15:52:00.000-04:002018-09-29T15:52:02.695-04:00macOS Mojave problem<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span data-offset-key="4i8l4-0-0"><span data-text="true">We are seeing evidence of unusual behavior of BitPerfect under macOS 10.14 (Mojave). It seems that the Integer Mode checkbox appears to be greyed out and unchecked, and yet playback is still happening in Integer Mode.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span data-offset-key="3jtkt-0-0"><span data-text="true">It looks like something that will need to be addressed with an update to BitPerfect. As soon as we have any further information to report we will post it here.</span></span></span></div>
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Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-70693721483002541422018-09-27T10:36:00.004-04:002018-09-27T10:36:55.980-04:00macOS 10.14 Mojave<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have just installed macOS 10.14 Mojave on one of my Macs and so far BitPerfect seems to be working just fine with it. This is not yet a comprehensive approval, but at least I have not encountered an out-of-the-box catastrophe. BitPerfect users who wish to upgrade to Mojave can do so if they need to for other reasons.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-23406095039875031442018-03-12T15:39:00.000-04:002018-03-12T15:39:17.048-04:00AirPlay with High Sierra<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After my slightly encouraging reports on <a href="http://bitperfectsound.blogspot.ca/2016/09/airplay-with-sierra.html">AirPlay under Sierra</a>, the newer High Sierra (macOS 10.13) has proven to be a catastrophic step backwards. AirPlay under BitPerfect failed completely. You would go through all the hoops to get BitPerfect to select your preferred AirPlay device as its designated audio output device, but as soon as music started to play - and BitPerfect hogged the AirPlay device - macOS would observe that the device had suddenly disappeared, and would delete its Standard Audio Interface. Since this is what BitPerfect was using for playback, it meant that playback instantly stopped, before it even got started.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, without any fanfare, it seems Apple have fixed this with the 10.13.3 update to High Sierra. I am now getting it to work. The approach is pretty much as described in the previous post (which I linked to above) except for one thing which has changed.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span><span data-offset-key="2559d-0-0"><span data-text="true">As before, you still need to go into iTunes and in its “<i>Choose which speaker…</i>”
selector (the button with a ‘transmission beacon’ icon to the right of
the iTunes volume slider). But now you need to be sure to choose </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span><span data-offset-key="2559d-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span><span data-offset-key="2559d-0-0"><span data-text="true"><i>the AirPlay device that you actually want BitPerfect to play to</i></span></span></span></span></span> and <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b><i>NOT</i></b></span> "Computer".</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span><span data-offset-key="2559d-0-0"><span data-text="true">I hope this is a sign that Apple are taking seriously the situation where third-party software (such as BitPerfect) "hogs" a device (in Apple-speak, puts it in "exclusive mode").</span></span></span></span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-91784595122609989082017-11-15T16:02:00.000-05:002017-11-15T16:02:31.439-05:00Announcing BitPerfect v3.1.2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5uRKQQBcDCJgJiYLnxXm0dYuigM85ic4w7wIXA8RbqM4WKieRnzdDA_k9iy1bosHzGVjuumW61Tn4cMveet74ufbxUaHGq2CFtrlaucpdDPbw33qGwzWqCv1ZAxFwPQm05cvmzV14vk/s1600/V312+Announcement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="1600" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5uRKQQBcDCJgJiYLnxXm0dYuigM85ic4w7wIXA8RbqM4WKieRnzdDA_k9iy1bosHzGVjuumW61Tn4cMveet74ufbxUaHGq2CFtrlaucpdDPbw33qGwzWqCv1ZAxFwPQm05cvmzV14vk/s640/V312+Announcement.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>Today we announce the release of v3.1.2 of BitPerfect.</span> <span>This is
primarily a maintenance release which addresses a specific problem where BitPerfect is unable to play to AirPlay devices under macOS High Sierra (<i>i.e.</i> OSX 10.13). </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>This is a workaround rather than a proper solution. The workaround means that BitPerfect plays without Hog Mode when playing through an AirPlay device. This means that other extraneous noises and sounds will be audible even when BitPerfect is in control of playback. However, this only happens if an AirPlay device is used, and if the Operating System is 10.13 (High Sierra) or higher. Hog Mode will continue to be engaged under all other conditions.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span>This release requires OSX 10.8 or higher, as will all future updates of BitPerfect until further notice.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span> </span><span></span> <span><br /> As usual, BitPerfect v3.1.2 is a free upgrade to all existing BitPerfect users.</span></span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-29164127484297818552017-10-30T12:05:00.002-04:002017-10-30T12:05:24.110-04:00Avoid High Sierra<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Too many problems are now emerging with macOS High Sierra, and I must strongly recommend that BitPerfect Users do not make this update. Sorry if this has come along to late .... my bad.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In order of importance:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">High Sierra has totally broken AirPlay under BitPerfect</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">High Sierra causes iTunes to crash unexpectedly </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">High Sierra can cause BitPerfect to skip on some computers</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I will post any updates in dues course </span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-68096938939809333682017-10-10T10:50:00.000-04:002017-10-10T10:50:00.516-04:00iTunes 12.7.0 crashing<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I am getting several reports of iTunes 12.7.0 crashing. This crash only seems to happen when BitPerfect is running, and also seems to be associated with the new macOS 10.13 (High Sierra). Although the crash seems to happen only when BitPerfect is running, the reports seems to be consistent that it only happens after a listening session is over, and not while music is actually playing. In my own case, when I see this problem it is usually when I look at the system first thing in the morning and find that it has crashed overnight. Also, it is both infrequent and intermittent - my own system has not crashed in nearly a week.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The iTunes crash reports do not provide any indication (at least not to us) of how the interaction with BitPerfect is causing this crash. BitPerfect's communications with iTunes has not changed across several generations of BitPerfect, and is performed consistently with Apple's meager documentation on the subject. However, one this that has changed with macOS High Sierra is that a new message is now flooding the console log, but that seems to be an irrelevant warning rather than an error <i>per se</i>, so it is hard to see how that can be the culprit. But is seems reasonably likely that it is probably a symptom of the same issue.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A related issue is that after a period of inactivity, BitPerfect seems to "lose its connection" with iTunes. It is as though somewhere inside macOS and/or iTunes a "handle" to the communication channel between BitPerfect and iTunes has been reset, and nobody has seen fit to advise BitPerfect and/or iTunes. When this happens, it is necessary to quit BitPerfect and then separately quit iTunes. Sometimes iTunes refuses to quit completely (the 'dot' remains below its task bar icon), and it has to be "force quit" via Activity Monitor.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Any information BitPerfect users can provide that helps to shed light on this issue would be most welcome. Please e-mail us at <a href="mailto:support@bitperfectsound.com">support@bitperfectsound.com.</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-3916564287138117412017-09-26T16:04:00.002-04:002017-09-26T16:04:34.488-04:00OS X 10.13 / iTunes 12.7.0<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have downloaded and installed the latest set of updates to macOS and iTunes and have been playing that combination with BitPerfect all day. I have not encountered any problems. BitPerfect Users should feel comfortable making this update.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-11913504379128042742017-06-13T10:19:00.000-04:002017-06-13T10:21:12.817-04:00FLAC Support for Mac?....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt4N2pNk1Mi-TFPOSLl6zMhyphenhyphenRvwmZCuASvNLo67M2vkXZtmchkA1_zRd-9G2yygfAN7Wk3EzG4nq5agIvlTVYXztYb0ueePbMB5ff46GLb4SGVx6iUYTZJnGT17NqDyKUndWmcJ_G-pY/s1600/Flac_logo_vector.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="1200" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt4N2pNk1Mi-TFPOSLl6zMhyphenhyphenRvwmZCuASvNLo67M2vkXZtmchkA1_zRd-9G2yygfAN7Wk3EzG4nq5agIvlTVYXztYb0ueePbMB5ff46GLb4SGVx6iUYTZJnGT17NqDyKUndWmcJ_G-pY/s640/Flac_logo_vector.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_3tq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In
a very interesting recent development at Apple, they have announced
that the forthcoming iOS 11 will include support for the FLAC file
format. This is a big climb-down for Apple who have hitherto stubbornly
refused to acknowledge the utter dominance of FLAC over ALAC in the
consumer audio marketplace.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> Since iTunes on iOS must synch with
iTunes on macOS (the new name for OSX) it then follows that there must
be a matching release of macOS and iTunes that will also support FLAC.
Since BitPerfect has natively supported FLAC since launch, then,
assuming that Apple's implementation includes no unpleasant 'poison
pills', we anticipate that BitPerfect will smoothly support FLAC
playback under this new regime without the need for any special updates.
However, only time will tell.</span></div>
Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-25234111820611545092017-03-13T14:23:00.001-04:002017-05-21T14:30:36.527-04:00Shostakovich Symphony No 4<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have just returned from a concert featuring l’Orchestre Metropolitain de Montréal led by their superstar conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. It was held in the new(-ish) Maison Symphonique, and my wife and I could only get seats in the choir, behind the orchestra. For me, that was a somewhat nostalgic location as I spent many years in my youth singing bass in various choirs from positions pretty much exactly like that one. The first half of the concert featured Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2, with soloist Joseph Moog, which was followed by Shostakovich’s monumental fourth symphony. With the reputations of the Orchestra Metropolitain and Nézet-Séguin pulling in different directions, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I certainly wasn’t anticipating writing a blog post about it. Funny how things turn out, though.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s star is definitely on the rise. Having only turned 42 last week, he was recently appointed music director of the New York Metropolitan Opera, succeeding the legendary James Levine in what is regarded as the most prestigious opera gig in the world. Already, he has been music director at the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012, with his contract being extended to 2026. He has been guest conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic, both traditional 'welcome-to-the-big-leagues' moments. He has also been principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic since 2005.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />By contrast, l’Orchestre Metropolitan (the OM) is definitely Montreal's second orchestra, and - by reputation at least - by quite a margin, in a city where the Orchestra Symphonique du Montréal (the OSM) still reigns supreme with its recently tarnished global reputation being admirably restored under Kent Nagano. Still, Nézet-Séguin, a native Montrealer, has been the OM’s music director since 2000 during which time he has steadily elevated their reputation to the point where he now tours with them internationally. So it was going to be interesting to observe the extent to which YNS would raise the OM to his level, or whether they would drag him down to theirs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />With the opening piece, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2, there were elements of both on display. Nézet-Séguin’s Rachmaninov is overtly Viennese in style, loaded with schmaltz, and always threatening to break out suddenly into some kind of polka. The OM, however, is not the Vienna Phil. They fall some way short in terms of intonation, rhythmic integrity, tonal richness, and precision. But YNS does definitely gird their loins to his style of play, and they do respond with commitment and endeavour. The pianist, Moog, from my back-of-stage vantage point at least, came across as a trifle plodding and wanting for a more effusive line of phrasing in order to match up with YNS’s orchestral palette of choice. [<i>Question: Who should be in artistic charge in a Concerto - the conductor or the soloist?</i> <i>Discuss ....</i>] Regardless of how I felt about it, though, the concertgoers were wildly enthusiastic, and brought him back for an encore, for which he played a solo piano piece I did not recognize, and played it quite beautifully.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />After the intermission it was on to the Shostakovich. The 4th is probably his toughest symphony, both to listen to and - for the conductor - to find an interpretive path which can bring a sense of cohesion. It was written at a dark time in Stalinist Russia where purges of every flavour were indiscriminately wiping the citizens out. Shostakovich had completed his opera “The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District”, which appeared to be rather successful. However, a couple of days after Stalin himself attended a performance, it was denounced in Pravda as being of dubious morality. Shortly thereafter, while Shostakovich was rehearsing his newly-completed 4th Symphony, word arrived that this new piece was deemed to be too “formalist” and was not at all compatible with the prevailing doctrine of “Socialist Realism”. A panicked Shostakovich eventually withdrew the piece, fearing that he would soon be arrested.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />A year later, Shostakovich announced his new 5th Symphony, famously prefaced as “<i>A Soviet Artist’s Response to Just Criticism</i>”. The new symphony, much to the composer’s relief, was deemed acceptable and his reputation rehabilitated. Many years later, it became clear that the 5th Symphony was in fact a robust and deeply cutting parody on Soviet Russia, and that from that point forward Shostakovich had found and perfected a style wherein he could express his loathing of the Soviet system from within, and without any apparent fear of detection.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />All that, of course, is Shostakovich 101. What is not discussed nearly as widely is this. The three-movement 4th Symphony is a wild and barely-controlled ride through the chaos of Stalin’s purges. It calls for an absolutely colossal 125-piece orchestra, the largest in the standard repertoire. Structurally, it is all over the place. Its two outer movements, both a good half hour in duration, seem to be possessed of very little to hold the music’s progress together. The shorter central movement meanders along in a manner that prompts you to wonder what the point is. Overall, you can hardly expect to walk out of a performance whistling its tunes. It is perhaps - paradoxically - this very absence of apparent form which led to its condemnation as “too formalist”, whatever that term is supposed to mean. The point is, it's not just Soviet doctrinary theoreticians who find the work tough to get on with.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The 5th Symphony, by contrast, is classically structured. And that is, to my view, a key point. In writing his 5th Symphony in response to the potentially lethal criticisms levied at his 4th, he created a fundamentally better-balanced work. It is a massive advancement in maturity. In responding to a politically-motivated criticism he actually learned a valuable musical lesson. You can hear its application to all of his major works for the remainder of his lifetime. And they are, realistically, the better for it. Shostakovich himself seems to have accepted that. He once said, late in life, that without “Party Guidance” he might have written more "pure" music. We can only wonder what that might have meant. As it was, under the oppressive influence of “Party Guidance”, tempered by his own genius and discipline with the use of parody, satire, and allegory, he became arguably the greatest symphonist - Russian or otherwise - of the entire 20th Century. But the 4th Symphony, meanwhile, remains a standout within his oeuvre for its ferocious indiscipline.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">From reading the above you would be reasonably confident in assuming that I am not a fan of the work. Nothing could be farther from the truth - it is by far and away my favourite Shostakovich symphony. But I have never yet heard a performance of it that I think comes close to nailing it good and proper. Even Kondrashin's seminal 1963 recording, held by many to be the pinnacle, doesn't quite do it for me.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />So here we come to Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Metropolitan. What can they make of this immense challenge? Well, from the first bars it is evident that they are up for it, and I am absolutely spellbound. There are two recordings that stand out in my classical music collection for the sheer level of commitment of the players - Leonard Bernstein’s 1959 recording of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (to which, after hearing it, Stravinsky’s legendary reaction was “Wow!!”), and Richard Cooke’s 1997 recording of Orff’s Carmina Burana, where the give-it-120% commitment extends to the solo vocalists. I can now add to that Nézet-Séguin’s Shostakovich 4th. The first movement in particular was absolutely stunning and I can honestly say I have never heard anything that comes remotely close. It was absolutely riveting from the first bar to the last. And if I might have wanted for the Vienna Philharmonic during the Rachmaninov, I felt during the moment that I would not have substituted the OM for any other orchestra in the world during the Shostakovich, even though the ragged edges were plain to hear from time to time.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />I know something of absolute commitment. I once blasted forth from the choir at full volume a bar too early during a performance of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast! Sir William himself was in the audience (and I have his autograph on my copy of the score to prove it). I hope he didn’t mind. The greatest musical performances all happen when the performers are standing with their toes over the precipice. Even so, it is very rare - particularly with orchestral ensembles - to encounter that level of commitment. An orchestra is by nature a disciplined environment, in which there is a preference for individuality to be </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">subsumed by conformity. [<i>This is where Jazz and Rock most obviously diverge from Classical.</i>] So when it does happen, and the execution matches the commitment, it is a thing to behold, most particularly if the performance is under such expert guidance as Nézet-Séguin delivered today.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I do have one issue with the performance, though. Following the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">shattering</span> onslaught of the first movement, the second movement has nowhere to go, and even </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nézet-Séguin finds himself short of somewhere complementary to take it. The first and third movements are all but devoid of form, and where the first movement is heavy on bombast and aggression, the third is more introspective and contemplative (it brings to mind the Ruhevoll of Mahler's 4th with its triumphant brassy chorale that tries to corral the forces towards the expected upbeat conclusion, but fails - instead giving way to an ambiguous <i>pianissimo</i> closing coda). There is no apparent role for the second movement to play as an intermediary between the two. It doesn't function as a scherzo as such, nor does it set the table for the finale in the manner of Beethoven. In fact, I am inclined to suggest cutting it entirely. I am intrigued by the notion that the symphony might work much better as a two movement piece. Such ideas, though, do not find favour in classical music circles, given that even Klemperer's suggestion of cutting the number of flutes from six to four was considered controversial. Not that it's a bad movement, though. In fact I plan to experiment with inserting it between the first and second movements of the 7th Symphony ... but that's for another day.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To my ears, as he held the silence into which the third movement's coda drifts </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">for what seemed like an eternity </span></span>while the last achingly beautiful notes of the celesta evaporated into nothingness, Nézet-Séguin had announced himself as potentially the greatest Shostakovich conductor of his generation. This from a man who has recently released a Bruckner cycle (which I haven’t heard) in which he apparently announces himself as the greatest Brucknerian of his generation, so the guy has some serious talent. Even if he’s maybe not quite there yet with his Rachmaninov…</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />I just want to conclude with some comments on the business of reviewing music. I have previously written the occasional review of recorded performances. These are easier to do, since you can play the piece over and over again, or listen to it on and off over a protracted period in order to get your thoughts in order, or just to give your opinions time to gel. You can’t do that with a live performance. It’s an ephemeral thing. I can’t go back and experience it again. Which is a pity. I can only write about what I thought I experienced in the moment. [<i>The late conductor Sergiu Celibidache famously thought along similar lines, and would never record in a studio - he only agreed to his live performances being recorded.</i>] But, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, there are options here! The whole concert is apparently going to be shown on TV, broadcast on radio, and streamed on-line. It will be really interesting to watch it again, and compare what I see and hear with what I have just written, even though the sound quality will be an anemic and heavily-compressed MP3 format. How well will it stand up?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="color: #fff2cc;"><i><b>UPDATE: </b></i></span>You can stream it here: <a href="http://www.icimusique.ca/articles/18132/yannick-nezet-seguin-concert-12-mars-webdiffusion">http://www.icimusique.ca/articles/18132/yannick-nezet-seguin-concert-12-mars-webdiffusion</a> - and yes, the sound quality sucks. I don't believe the video is available for streaming, nor am I aware of a commercial release.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-29988753334153790572017-01-26T10:54:00.003-05:002017-01-26T10:55:35.866-05:00OS X 10.12.3 / iTunes 12.5.5.5<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have been using the new combination of OS X 10.12.3 and iTunes
12.5.5.5 for a full day now, and have not noticed any particular
problems, although I should mention that I have not conducted an
in-depth evaluation. So far, everything seems to be working just fine, and BitPerfect users who which to apply this update should be able
to proceed with a degree of confidence.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-13916027354392365152016-11-04T10:58:00.000-04:002016-11-04T10:58:42.342-04:00Et tu Brute?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WDbCPx3kC09DTF8v7zxhTioShQD9kHHzP6yYbRFOM540it3wmoMJ0jHa6DHeKS456WDMWIWL-gg51ima-p2yJkC2bE01bdB_MWa-SlWpZV_vD1wrpQFEtDuphJnBG_984bdrqmLN6ns/s1600/macbookpronotouchbar-800x475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WDbCPx3kC09DTF8v7zxhTioShQD9kHHzP6yYbRFOM540it3wmoMJ0jHa6DHeKS456WDMWIWL-gg51ima-p2yJkC2bE01bdB_MWa-SlWpZV_vD1wrpQFEtDuphJnBG_984bdrqmLN6ns/s320/macbookpronotouchbar-800x475.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Will the new Macbook Pro Models drop the Optical/Audio output? </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/04/new-macbook-pro-models-lack-optical-audio-out/"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/04/new-macbook-pro-models-lack-optical-audio-out/</span></span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-38707856248650127312016-11-03T16:31:00.000-04:002016-11-04T11:54:56.776-04:00The Milk Snatcher<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With the US Presidential election unfolding in a way which has the rest of the world mostly recoiling somewhere between disbelief, horror, and pity, I thought it would be a choice time to write a political column. I don’t believe I have anything helpful to say about either Trump or Clinton, so I’ll focus my column on another political leader that inspired an almost comparable combination of adulation and loathing – Margaret Thatcher. And just to be clear here, I don’t think that the subject of this column has any practical parallels with the present American situation other than the emotions and divisions that were aroused, although the Thatcherism ‘debate’ mostly arose after her election rather than before it. On the other hand, a close look at the political situation of Great Britain in the 70’s and 80’s might form a useful point of contrast – maybe dramatically so – with the issues driving the political dialog in America today. So grab a cup of coffee and a cookie </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">–</span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">there's a lot to cover</span>!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will try to avoid applying a political slant to my piece, although it is a fair argument to suggest that any piece on a political subject can hardly avoid being slanted one way or the other. And there are always those who will always insist that a piece that is not slanted their way is by definition slanted the other way. Nonetheless I’ll try to straddle the middle ground as fairly as possible. I will say, though, that I lived in England throughout most of the years in question, leaving for Canada in 1988. During that time I never once voted for Margaret Thatcher, and if I had my time again I doubt that would change much – not that I had any great affection for the alternatives. But I mention this to give context to the fact that even though I was not politically aligned with her, I always had the greatest admiration for her as a politician, and still do to this day.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Margaret Thatcher was a politician driven by deeply held and carefully considered social principles, something we normally associate with radicals from the left driven by ideals, rather than conservatives from the right driven by self-interest. At a time and place in which Socialist and Tory governments alike had tended to address the problems of the day by employing varying degrees of pragmatism and consensus, Margaret Thatcher stood out as someone who wanted to tear down the walls and rebuild the edifice. But what really made Margaret Thatcher so unique, not only from the perspective of analyzing what brought her to power, but also (from hindsight) of how she wielded that power, was the fact that she made no effort to hide her agenda. She said exactly what she wanted to do, and then set about doing exactly that. And it is a surprise to many with only a passing view of the legend of the Iron Lady, that she accomplished most of what she did by bulldozing her agenda past a largely unconvinced – even obstructive – cabinet drawn mostly from the ranks of senior old-guard Tories. Thatcher did not see the Prime Ministership as an end in itself, a high office whose retention became job #1. For her it was more a necessary requirement to achieving her political goals. She was not a person whose political positions were carefully selected to best serve her personal ambitions. Unlike those who followed her.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">By the late 1960’s, the core of British industry operated as government-owned monopolies. Mining, Steel, Shipbuilding, Gas, Electricity, Telecommunications, Transportation, Aviation, and, from 1975, most of the automobile industry, were all nationalized. These industries, together with the National Health Service, the Civil Service and the Education system, together formed the labour-intensive core of the British economy. By 1968 a combination of stagnating productivity and increasing competition from overseas meant that inflation had started to take hold, and this resulted in accelerating wage demands. These in turn drove further price increases for the goods and services being produced, a runaway situation known as a wage/price spiral. With the greater part of the economy being nationalized, it meant that the government didn’t really have separate levers with which it could seek to control prices and wages. The two were inextricably linked. However, at that time, most governments took the view that inflation could be countered by a combination of price and wage controls. But with the high rate of inflation, the required wage controls proved to be incendiary, and the trade unions were strongly opposed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The trade union movement was highly organized on a national level and was extremely powerful. Most of the unions were deeply influenced by far left-leaning – even communist – ideologies, and were well aware that they had the power to bring down the government. And indeed, in 1975 a strike by the Coal Miners’ union did bring down Ted Heath’s Conservative government and ushered in a more union-friendly Labour administration. But all this accomplished was to put off today’s problems until tomorrow. While Labour would quell the unrest by meeting the unions’ wage demands, they had no mechanism available to prevent the resultant price rises which would feed further inflation and thereby erode the wage gains. With hindsight it was clear that something had to give, but at the time few saw it in such stark terms. When, in 1979, the unions rose again to exert their power, it was their own Labour government that they brought to its knees – and this time there was nobody to the political left of the government to step in and bail them out. What they got instead was Margaret Thatcher.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other major political issue of the day concerned Defense policy, and in particular the Cold War. At that time, the Western policy towards the Soviet Union was known as “Détente”. In broad-brush terms, this involved ongoing negotiations between East and West to scale back their respective nuclear threat capabilities. This ‘thawing’ of relationships was widely seen as being progressive and mutually beneficial. Even so, Margaret Thatcher was very concerned that while the West, with its more transparent political structures, would by and large follow through with its commitments, whereas the opaque and intransigent Soviets would lie and obfuscate to their great advantage. Furthermore, even if both parties did in fact scale back their nuclear arsenals to any substantial degree, this would only serve to expose the West to the Soviets’ considerable superiority in terms of conventional warfare. By contrast, within the Labour Party, not only was there enthusiastic support for détente-driven nuclear arms reduction, there was even a core movement in favour of unilateral nuclear disarmament, something which Thatcher felt was intolerably reckless.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mrs Thatcher assumed leadership of the Conservative Party in 1975, following Ted Heath’s humiliation at the hands of the Miners’ union. Between then and her election victory in 1979, she developed the doctrines which were loosely to become known as Thatcherism. These were broadly as follows.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First, the notion that the only levers available to a government to control inflation were prices and incomes policies was clearly wrong and wasn’t working. In its place would be a monetarist policy where inflation would be brought under control by strategically managing the money supply. This would require ruthless cuts in the amount of money fed by the government to any inefficient nationalized industries that proved unable to manage their own internal cost structures. In other words, most of them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Secondly, the entire portfolio of nationalized industry would be sold to the private sector, a process which, under Thatcher, would come to be known as Privatization. Those that were still in good enough shape would generate considerable interest in the marketplace. However, those that did not could no longer expect to be propped up by the government. Privatization had the additional advantage that the cashflow received from these sales could be used the plug the holes in the money supply strategy that was needed to bring down inflation. Another core aspect of the privatization process was that Thatcher felt strongly that these national assets should be sold not to institutional investors, but to the ordinary citizen. [<i>And indeed, mechanisms were put in place to ensure that private small investors could jump to the front of the queue when it came to the disposal of these assets. They would do so in droves.</i>] Related to this politically was a policy to allow Council House tenants (a widespread, indeed dominant, form of social housing) to buy their homes at favourable pricing from their local Councils. [<i>Again, they would do so in droves.</i>]</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Third, the unions had to be decisively beaten and their power severely curtailed, although this would only come to the fore during her second term beginning in 1983. There would be three major thrusts to her strategy to accomplish this. As a first step, she would introduce legislation to replace the status quo which was that union members who broke the law would be prosecuted only as individuals, which had the effect of insulating union leaders from the consequences of their policies and actions. Instead, unions whose members broke certain laws could have their funds sequestered by the government. These funds were in many cases quite lucrative, and this would prove to be a crucial policy tool. [<i>Interestingly, the Heath government of 1970-74 had provisionally introduced such a policy, but fell when the striking Miners called their bluff and the government backed down.</i>] Next, she would introduce legislation to require any vote on strike action to be carried out by secret ballot. This was massively resisted by the union leadership, who knew only too well that coercion and intimidation were powerful tools which only worked when voters could not avoid disclosing which way they voted. Finally, she would introduce legislation to outlaw secondary picketing. This was a practice where a union could arrange for members of one employer’s workforce to picket outside a different business’s premises. Furthermore, the unions were not averse to employing outsiders - and even thugs - to add to the numbers of picketing workers, and it often became impossible to tell who was and was not a legitimate striking worker. Violence was often employed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, a strong stance would be taken towards the Soviet Union. She felt firmly that the only way to ensure peace was to ensure that the Soviets genuinely respected the capabilities - both offensive and defensive - of the West. On the other hand, the best way to actively engage with and defeat the Soviets was economically. Thatcher was convinced that the socialist system was fundamentally weak, and would be ultimately unable to sustain the economic growth that capitalist policies would drive in the West. In this she found a resolute ally in Ronald Reagan, who held office throughout most of her premiership.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in 1979. She came to power largely because the country had lost faith in the ability of the previous Labour administration to manage serious conflicts with its own labour movement, and were willing to try something different. Thatcher never hid what she planned to do, and was quite determined that – come what may – she would deliver on her manifesto. But I don’t think the country as a whole fully appreciated what that would amount to. At least not in 1979. In fact, until the Falkland War appeared unannounced out of left field, most observers believe that she would not have survived her first election, such was the impact of the bitter medicine that her new monetarist economic policy prescribed straight off the bat. And if the opposition Labour Party had not been so thoroughly derailed by the radicals on their own left wing, most notably in the area of Defence, they would have been well placed to take immediate advantage. [<i>Indeed, the political self-immolation of the Labour Party during her entire premiership was arguably the most significant factor in her ability to hold onto power, and I don’t do justice to that in this already lengthy column.</i>] But Thatcher was indeed re-elected, and the full spectrum of Thatcherism was to follow.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thatcher did, by and large, accomplish everything she set out to do. She privatized the profitable nationalized industries and starved the irrecoverable ones to death by turning off the spigot that fed them with regular cash handouts. She conquered the problem of endemic inflation, and oversaw a significant economic recovery. She emphatically defeated the trade unions, and even outlasted the Soviet Union. In many ways her legacy is a magnificent one – Thatcherism totally reshaped the Great Britain that she left behind. But in many other ways it is not. Her economic policies put many millions of people out of work, with no prospects whatsoever of finding another job. Whole communities were effectively devastated, and there was little evidence of her much-vaunted economic recovery in large parts of the country – most notably those that suffered most from the loss of traditional industries. To a significant degree, the economic recovery was enjoyed mostly by the haves, and the have-nots didn’t get much of a look-in – a situation that some may see reflected in many aspects of today’s economy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is a fair question to ask whether and how such a cost ever can be justified, one to which there are widely diverging, but equally valid, viewpoints. Thatcherism undoubtedly caused terrible misery for a huge number of citizens who rightly looked to their government to protect them from such things. Many, many people still hate Thatcher with such a passion that when she died in 2013 they celebrated the occasion with unseemly joy. Ding-dong the Wicked Witch is dead. She was that divisive. But the virulently anti-Thatcher elements have a difficult argument to make when they imply that, given the depths to which the Country had sunk in 1979, and the increasingly radical policy positions of the Labour Party in response, they would have ended up any better off under a decade of Labour Administration.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don’t have enough space here to provide a thorough treatment of my chosen subject, and there are many significant elements of the Thatcher story that I don’t even begin to touch upon. I’m already at 2,621 words! A half-decent treatment would result in a multi-volume book that I could stand on to clean out my gutters. Whatever your (or my) personal stance towards Margaret Thatcher’s politics, she was an icon for a number of things that I wish were more in evidence in today’s political environment. First, she actually stood for something, and sought political leadership so that she could make those things happen, rather than cynically cherry-picking hot-button issues as vehicles to deliver her to high office. Second, she placed a high premium on communicating those things to the public. She genuinely felt that if only the public fully understood what she wanted to do, and why, they would be fully behind her. She hated the thought of misleading the electorate, or of failing to get her message across. Third, she had the incredible strength of character, intellect, and personal toughness required to drive those policies to an effective implementation. It really doesn’t matter if a political leader has a great vision if they don’t have the <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">leadership</span> ability to actually deliver it in government. Although she exhibited some significant holes with regard to all three of those attributes, it is hard these days to find a political leader who displays unambiguous strengths in more than one of them. Frankly, most of them seem to have none of those strengths at all.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, I’ll leave you with this thought. Don’t you think it is quite remarkable that I can write all of the above without having to frame it in the context of her gender?</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-76830400043788880172016-11-02T11:17:00.000-04:002016-11-02T11:17:46.145-04:00iTunes - “Up Next”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Those of you who have used the iTunes “Up Next” feature may find yourself frustrated by its limited behaviour.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />If I initiate playback of an album, playback starts at the first track and proceeds through the album. If you click on the “Up Next” drop-down button you will see the remaining tracks in the album listed. To add music to the “Up Next” playlist, you would right-click on it and select “Play Next”. This works regardless of whether the selection comprises a single track, a selection of multiple tracks, an album, or even a selection of multiple albums. The problem is, though, that this has the effect of inserting the added track(s) immediately after the currently playing track. This may not be what you want. It’s certainly not what I normally want. Often, what you really want is for the tracks to be added to the end of the “Up Next” playlist. Unfortunately, iTunes 12 does not seem to offer that option.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />Except that it does. It is just very well hidden, in the sense that I don’t find it to be intuitively obvious. What you have to do is drag the selection of tracks and/or albums that you want to add and drop them on the rectangular area at the top of the iTunes window that contains the track progress bar. When you mouse-over that area immediately before dropping, you will see that the whole rectangle acquires a blue border around its edge. When you drop the tracks, they will be added to the end of the “Up Next” playlist. I find this useful to know, although I’m pretty sure most people would have preferred having it as an option in the right-click menu.<br /></span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-65779292617568218772016-11-01T15:30:00.002-04:002016-11-01T15:30:40.921-04:00iTunes 12.5.3<div data-contents="true">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="7l0bm-0-0"><span data-text="true">I have been using the new iTunes 12.5.3 for most of the day and it has been working just fine for me. BitPerfect Users can install this update with confidence.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="a8u8c-0-0"><span data-text="true">It might be too early to proclaim this from the rooftops, but the early indications are that this update may have finally gone some way to addressing the <i><b>Gapless Playback</b></i> problem that has plagued BitPerfect since day one. Those of you that have read <a href="http://bitperfectsound.blogspot.ca/p/gapless-playback-problems.html" target="_blank">this post on Gapless Playback</a> will know that at the end of every track BitPerfect queues up the next track by pre-loading it into memory, but iTunes often provides the wrong information when it identifies what the next track is. The result is that BitPerfect queues up the wrong track, resulting in a glitch when BitPerfect discovers what has happened and switches to the right track. Well, the indications are that Apple has made some changes to iTunes in this area and as result is identifying the correct track most (if not all) of the time. Stay tuned, and as the picture gets clearer I will post a more detailed assessment.</span></span></span></span></div>
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Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-25062046241006819442016-10-28T15:46:00.001-04:002016-10-28T15:46:53.137-04:00iTunes 12.5.2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitODO-REUSFfAzcDYVwjh0tmonOWuM9wH9wGzpWZXwO5CcQxVtQOJvVzgvKPntySfIRG3DVAi6sjYc3x8LJv1yq-8T4zUFEMNlm0o-RW8IimHo7ixxPa66RY9DdQvlA6SWmPM5fz5NZvA/s1600/04942a_b16debe69f0940799d60726b51e8c69b%257Emv2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitODO-REUSFfAzcDYVwjh0tmonOWuM9wH9wGzpWZXwO5CcQxVtQOJvVzgvKPntySfIRG3DVAi6sjYc3x8LJv1yq-8T4zUFEMNlm0o-RW8IimHo7ixxPa66RY9DdQvlA6SWmPM5fz5NZvA/s320/04942a_b16debe69f0940799d60726b51e8c69b%257Emv2.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have been using the latest v12.5.2 update to iTunes and everything
seems to be working just fine. BitPerfect users can proceed with this
update with confidence.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-12387707298928172492016-10-05T11:21:00.000-04:002016-10-05T11:21:39.558-04:00XLD & Sierra<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Those of you who use XLD to convert FLAC (and other audio file formats) to Apple Lossless format for use with iTunes, may encounter unexpected difficulties when using it after upgrading OS X to macOS Sierra. The solution is to download the latest version from:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/xld/">https://sourceforge.net/projects/xld/</a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-65365277883044548042016-10-04T10:44:00.000-04:002016-10-04T10:44:17.357-04:00Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem.<div data-contents="true">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="fadr3-0-0"><span data-text="true">For your viewing pleasure on YouTube, a fine all-Italian quartet of soloists, although non of the other three can quite match the power of impressive soprano Erika Grimaldi. London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. The Mezzo was Daniela Barcellona, Tenor Francesco Meli, and Bass Michele Pertusi. Recorded live on 18 September 2016 in the Barbican Centre (where good orchestras go to die), London. Most enjoyable with the aid of a good pair of headphones (I used Audioquest Nighthawks).</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="67bgv-0-0"><span data-text="true">Look for this to be released on the LSO Live label at some point.</span></span></span></span></div>
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Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-27752552612823976642016-10-03T17:56:00.001-04:002016-10-03T18:22:21.832-04:00de Vriend’s Beethoven Cycle<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT5nZgspYWjTlEoTlBMj55cXWc_-xv1huxeM_Xia8U2JTSmdhamt0Ns7NFXglM9IAxlA_j7yLH4ybKmwAuUWjbjq8aSylxFSMQpfJRUsYqpOmYp3DN2u8r54-zadCzLAuP5SZmmcW9x8/s1600/folder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT5nZgspYWjTlEoTlBMj55cXWc_-xv1huxeM_Xia8U2JTSmdhamt0Ns7NFXglM9IAxlA_j7yLH4ybKmwAuUWjbjq8aSylxFSMQpfJRUsYqpOmYp3DN2u8r54-zadCzLAuP5SZmmcW9x8/s400/folder.jpg" width="400" /></a><span data-offset-key="3di2l-0-0"><span data-text="true">I wrote a while back about how the Mahler Symphony Cycle has more or less replaced the Beethoven Cycle as the reference standard against which modern conductors and orchestras seek to measure themselves. One of the problems is that there is almost a saturation in the Beethoven repertoire. It's been done so many times that there is less and less room for someone to make a new statement, or showcase a personal approach. Another issue may be that Beethoven’s canvas can be considered more limited and more limiting than Mahler’s, although that is an argument that tends to find more traction outside of professional music circles than within.</span></span></span></span><br />
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On the other hand, Beethoven’s relatively more rigid and formalized approach can be used to great advantage to emphasize subtle points of interpretation, particularly in the context of a complete cycle, in much the same way that a Black & White photograph often opens a window to a greater appreciation of composition and character than its colour counterpart. There is also the practical issue that it is possible, if one is of a mind to do so, to audition a 5-hour Beethoven cycle over the course of a leisurely afternoon, something that would be out of the question with a 13-hour Mahler cycle.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="bah4u-0-0"><span data-text="true">These days, for a conductor embarking upon a new recording of the Beethoven cycle, the vast legacy of Beethoven Symphony recordings that are already out there must surely loom dauntingly. I recall reading one reviewer’s assertion that there are over 400 complete symphony cycles alone, something I find astonishing. So, whatever your vision might be, there is a pretty good chance that somebody, somewhere, sometime, has already done something similar. Then there are the great reference cycles to be considered - what can possibly be constructively added to what the likes of Karajan, Toscanini, Klemperer, Bohm, and so forth, have already laid down?</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="4s6o2-0-0"><span data-text="true">Over the last three or four decades we have also been treated to the HIP (“Historically Informed Performance”) movement, which seeks to pay homage to the fact that musical instruments in Beethoven’s time were constructed differently, and hence sounded different, compared to contemporary practice. It, in effect, poses the question “<i>What would these pieces have sounded like at the time they were originally created?</i>”, the unspoken subtext being that whatever it was should most accurately reflect the composer’s intentions. It is a very valid question from an academic perspective, and makes for a fiery philosophical discussion.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="cpu8b-0-0"><span data-text="true">In any case, none of this seems to have put any sort of brake on the continuing output of recorded Beethoven cycles, which continue to emerge. And it should be noted that some of them have been very highly praised. Harnoncourt, Chailly, Jansons, and Krivine have all produced well-received cycles during the last decade although I haven’t actually heard them all (or, in the case of Krivine, even heard <i>of</i> him!). The cycle I am going to report on here is from another conductor who, until I happened upon this cycle, also occupied a place on my ‘<i>never-heard-of-him</i>’ list. Jan Willem de Vriend. Do we call him “de Vriend” or just “Vriend”? I don’t know, but either way I’m already getting pretty fed up with the way my spell-checker keeps changing him to “Friend”, so apologies in advance if any of those escape my final proof-reading. Here, Vriend conducts The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="h4j8-0-0"><span data-text="true">Carlos Kleiber’s 1975 recording of symphonies 5 and 7 with the Vienna Philharmonic stands out - and in my view stands head and shoulders above all others - as a landmark interpretation. In many ways, it established a new school of thought regarding Beethoven interpretation, but it would take more space than I have here to do that notion justice. Where, for example, Karajan’s superb 1962 cycle emphasizes phrasing, tonality, and an earnest sense of reverence, Kleiber’s 5th has a lighter, smiling face, and opens our eyes (ears?) to the importance of the tight rhythmic elements of the composition, something with which modern jazz musicians would feel an immediate kinship. Vriend’s new Beethoven cycle is very much of the Kleiber school, which, I suppose, is one reason I like it so much, since Kleiber, being possessed of a famously difficult personality, did not go on to record a complete cycle.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="c8vce-0-0"><span data-text="true">“<i>Precision</i>” is the first world that comes to mind when listening to the de Vriend cycle. It's what in Rock Music circles we refer to as <i><b>tight</b></i>. And Vriend would, surely, have been <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a</span> drummer. Every phrase and passage, every instrument, is carefully delineated, so that we get to hear deeply into the music. The phrasing is light and airy, but tightly controlled. Tempi give the impression of being on the brisk side, but a stopwatch shows this to be mostly illusory. Above all else, there is a cohesion of purpose across the entire cycle, accomplished to a degree I have never previously heard. Listening through the entire cycle in one sitting, as I have done several times, each symphony flows naturally into the next, like movements within a single vast work. What comes across is a combination of conductor and orchestra very much on the same page - the one is very clearly buying quite enthusiastically what the other is selling.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="cqvfa-0-0"><span data-text="true">Perhaps Vriend’s most remarkable accomplishment is the way he transforms Symphony No 1 from being a 'baby brother' symphony to fully formed mature work. Once the slightly plodding introduction gives way, it really makes you sit up and take notice. It is the closest thing you will ever come to hearing a previously undiscovered Beethoven symphony for the first time. Has de Vriend played fast and loose with the orchestration? There is a richness of tone and sureness of touch to the development that I haven’t previously associated with the Haydn-esque Symphonies 1 and 2. I certainly didn’t detect any evidence of such liberties being taken with any of the other symphonies that I know much better. Either way, as the closing bars of Symphony No 1 bray triumphantly out, your attention will surely have been captured, and you will probably find yourself staying in your listening chair as No 1 gives way to No 2, No 3, and so on. I've lost count of the number of occasions in this cycle where, as a particular movement closes, I just want to do a fist-pump and shout "Yes!".</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="fdr4u-0-0"><span data-text="true">The famous 9th symphony was the first of the cycle that I actually heard, and it prompted me to get the rest of the cycle. ‘Idiosyncratic’ was the word I wrote on my notepad. It too had me sitting up from note one, although first time through it was more ‘interesting’ than gripping. However, it served it purpose, and left me wanting to listen through again, having notched my expectations up accordingly. The 800lb gorilla in the 9th symphony is the choice of tempi with which to conclude the final 30 seconds of the last movement. It is quite possibly classical music’s finest and most satisfying climax. My problem is that, for me at any rate, Karajan’s 1962 performance rules the roost, and any departure from his inspiring rendition just sounds jarring to me. And de Vriend’s version <i>DOES</i> depart. Not in a good way. No fist-pump. Big let-down.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="fc00h-0-0"><span data-text="true">Like I said, more than anything else, what de Vriend has accomplished here is the most coherent Beethoven cycle I have yet heard. It is not perfect, though. While his performance of the 1st Symphony may conceivably be the finest on record, none of the other symphonies will likely make anybody’s personal ‘best of’ list. But this whole coherence thing is not to be under-rated. It has a magnetic personality of its own. More than with any other symphony cycle I own, listening to any one of these symphonies makes we want to listen to another, and another, and another. As a cycle, I have always had a soft spot for Karajan's 1962 go-round, but playing it now, I find myself hearing it as a curation of nine separate symphonies, rather than as a collective statement. What Jan Willem de Vriend has accomplished with this cycle deserves great credit. My feeling is that, as it continues to grow on me as a cycle - and it really does continue to grow on me - it will establish itself considerably in stature. I just wish the ninth didn’t wrap up so disappointingly!</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="9n9pu-0-0"><span data-text="true">One last thing to be said about this cycle. It was recorded by Northstar Recording in Holland. This group is making what are quite possibly the finest classical recordings in the world today. Given that the quality of classical music recording in general is today at an extraordinarily high level across the board, these could quite possibly be the finest classical recordings ever. Take advantage while you get the chance. Here I listened in DSD64. I also have some of their other recordings in their native DXD (24-bit 352.8kHz PCM) format. [<i>What with Channel Classics also being Dutch, there must be something in the dunes and dykes over there.</i>] It is <i>SUCH</i> a bonus when great music and great recordings come together.</span></span></span></span></div>
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Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-58959493039151392932016-10-01T13:17:00.001-04:002016-10-01T20:28:02.467-04:00Jenna Mammina - Close Your Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All too often, as audiophiles, we are torn between listening to the music that we like to listen to because of its musical qualities, and music that we appreciate for its sonic qualities. Some of our favourite albums are - lets face it - just not that well recorded. This is brought into even sharper focus when we listen to older recordings - I have examples going back to the 1950’s - that have been remastered recently under circumstances where sound quality is secondary to absolutely nothing. The recordings I am talking about are all - virtually without exception - major commercially successful recordings. In some cases (a good example here might be The Doors’ self-titled 1967 debut) they are even colossal musical landmarks. But today, if anything, contemporary recordings seem to be getting worse, even as recording technology supposedly improves.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it comes to new releases, the gulf between commercial and specialist recordings in terms of sound quality is widening by leaps and bounds. The best specialist recordings are getting progressively better, while mainstream commercial recordings are getting progressively worse. [<i>The one ray of hope is in Classical music, where the sound quality of commercial recordings is getting to be staggeringly good pretty much across the board.</i>] The trouble with the specialist recording industry is that there is a bit of a disconnect between the artists and music that they offer, and the tastes and desires of the wider buying public. Most of this is down to simple economics. There is no money in the music industry, which seems an odd thing to say with Kanye West and Taylor Swift flying overhead in their private jets. But it’s true. Just as there’s no crying in baseball, there’s no money in music.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />So as audiophiles we can cue up our audiophile prizes - here’s a stunning recording of Joe Blow with his guitar whispering his honestly-crafted and heart-felt folk songs; there’s a Jani Doe with her heart-on-her-sleeve piano arrangements of out-of-copyright classics (listen - you can hear the tears rolling down her cheeks); I have a copy of Burt Qwonk’s incredible virtuoso performance on the [<i>insert name of a bizarre instrument that looks like a guitar with four necks</i>]; then there’s all these other REALLY INTERESTING albums. No, wait, honestly… Once you put your cynicism to one side, some of them are REALLY GOOD.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Sorry, I was getting kind of excited there. No, they’re not. None of them can be mentioned in the same breath as Kind Of Blue, Ziggy Stardust, The Doors, OK Computer, Couldn’t Stand The Weather, Random Access Memories, etc, … the stuff you really want to play when the booze has run out and your audiophile buddies have all gone home.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Wait a minute. “Random Access Memories”?? I did NOT write that!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />No. What I’d want - what we ALL want - is an an album of really good music, showcasing first rate material, serious-shit musicians, and a producer who won’t settle for sound that falls short of demonstration quality. I’d want an album that I’d enjoy listening to even if it was only on my car stereo. I’d want an album I’d find myself humming all the time. I’d want an album I can play to friends without having their eyes roll. In fact, they would like it so much they would ask me what it was. And I’d tell them - it’s Jenna Mammina’s “Close Your Eyes”.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />I downloaded Close Your Eyes from Cookie Marenco’s Blue Coast Records store, <a href="http://bluecoastrecords.downloadsnow.net/close-your-eyes" target="_blank">“Downloads Now!”</a> (exclamation mark included). If you don’t know who Cookie Marenco is, you’re either no audiophile, or you’re living under a rock. She’s been in the music business since … a long time ago. I imagine she must have recorded “Nobody Does It Better”, because nobody does, although she would have been about 3 at the time. Now she has her fair share of “honestly-crafted and heart-felt folk singers”, and all kidding aside, some of them are seriously, seriously good, and her catalog, while limited, is as good as any in the no-compromises audiophile market. But I don’t think she has any four-necked guitar virtuosos (actually, if there are any, Todd Garfinkel is probably recording them).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Occasionally, when the budget is there, Cookie will show you what the extra dollars can bring, whether that is the cost of talented session musicians, or the cost of the extra studio time required to assemble a multi-tracked recording. And you should know that the caliber of session musicians Cookie can assemble includes folks who won’t even return your phone call ... in fact their <i>agents</i> won't even return your phone call. Jenna Mammina is a talented singer who inhabits the middle-of-the-road pop scene most readily identified with Norah Jones. Jones is a superstar whereas Mammina is not. Such are the vagaries of the music business. Listening to Close Your Eyes, you </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">might</span></span> wonder why.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Close Your Eyes is a sort of “Best Of” album, comprising tracks taken from different recordings Cookie has made for Jenna going back about ten years. Mostly these are recorded to 2” analog tape, although a couple were recorded directly to DSD. For “Close Your Eyes” the original tapes were remastered to DSD256 using the very latest Pyramix equipment. The results are quite astonishing. Most tracks comprise Jenna on vocals, backed by Bass, Drums, Keyboards, and assorted other instruments including Guitar, Soprano Sax, and Accordion. Most of the instruments are recorded and mixed with a light touch, the whole album having a seriously laid-back feel, but the bass - <i>OOH, THE BASS</i> - is just spectacular. I don’t mean Jaco Pastorius spectacular. I mean absolutely flawless technique, a musical approach that doesn’t intrude, an instrument of the highest caliber, and a recording technique that captures it all perfectly. You might argue that it is mixed about 6dB too high, but then maybe you just don’t appreciate tasty bass.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />From the very first track you are enveloped by the music. A laid-back take on Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work”, it immediately sets the tone for the album. The arrangement is slick, highlighted by a soprano sax solo, and suits Jenna’s breathy vocal to a tee. Immediately, you are aware that you are in the presence of serious musicians. Next comes “Lotus Blossom” an old track from the 40’s, brilliantly evoking a Parisian Boulevard with a dash of accordion. It all comes together so well. “You Can Close Your Eyes” is a James Taylor song, with Jenna accompanying herself on piano. As she invites you to close your eyes, there is little else that you want to do in that moment.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Next up, and quite possibly the best cover I have heard of it, is Elvis Costello’s “Watching The Detectives”. I’m sure Costello himself would approve. The vocal delivery manages to evoke a hint of hip-hop drawl which gives it a contemporary vibe. Chris Izaak’s “Wicked Game” is the only track on the album that at first seems out of place. Just Jenna with a simply plucked guitar accompaniment, but somehow I find myself thoroughly drawn into it. I think it is all down to how artfully the vocal is delivered, and the empty sound of the guitar just catches the emotion perfectly. “Running To Stand Still” from U2’s Joshua Tree album is probably the most ambitious track on the album. But arena rock does not translate so well to the intimate cafe-lounge setting, and you find yourself waiting for a slow-building climax that simply isn’t delivered.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />Dr. John’s “Pictures and Paintings” is offered as a straightforward jazz standard with piano trio, but segues into my favourite song on the album, Tom Waits’ “I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You”. Just Jenna accompanied by piano, a great song, sung with great feeling. It’s odd that, on an album notable for its instrumental mixes, I should pick out the simplest one, but such is life. “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” is another James Taylor offering presented as a soulful jazz number. Once again we have that delicious bass playing, the laid-back drum licks, and the keyboards doing their classic Hammond thing. What’s not to love. The album closes with “When I’m Called Home”, an Abbey Lincoln song, taken from an album Jenna did of Abbey Lincoln covers. Abbey Lincoln? You might well ask.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />So this is one seriously good album. The songs are of a uniformly high standard, and quite frankly, is easily as good as anything from the Norah Joneses of this world. I have played it hard and often. Even my wife nodded appreciatively, which doesn’t happen all that often. In fact she asked me to turn it up, which <i>NEVER</i> happens. And despite having all those strikes against it, it stands as an absolute reference when it comes to recording quality. I love it.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-63419423003161604402016-09-30T15:18:00.000-04:002018-03-12T15:42:00.619-04:00AirPlay with Sierra.<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="ctcg1" data-offset-key="4s6hb-0-0">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="55i30-0-0"><span data-text="true">If you read my previous post <a href="http://bitperfectsound.blogspot.ca/2016/02/airplay-with-el-capitan.html" target="_blank">“AirPlay with El Capitan”</a> you will know that Apple had introduced a significant change to the way the AirPlay subsystem was integrated with the rest of the audio subsystem. This in turn changed the way in which BitPerfect Users had to set up their systems in order to play through an AirPlay-connected audio device. Unfortunately, the way this was done, which was entirely laudable in terms of having been driven by the right ideas, was less successful in the execution. This has caused a lot of gnashing of BitPerfect Users’ teeth.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="4brc3-0-0"><span data-text="true">Well, with the next version of OS X (now re-branded ‘macOS’) called Sierra, we have what looks like a small but worthwhile update. The process of playing BitPerfect through AirPlay still starts by opening macOS’s ‘<i>System Sounds</i>’ (part of the ‘<i>System Preferences</i>’ suite of tools). Different audio devices which are accessible via AirPlay still appear as independent audio output devices of type ‘<i>AirPlay</i>’. Every available AirPlay device still appears as an independent device. But they still only appear when they are powered on and detected by the AirPlay subsystem. In other words, if macOS can’t detect them, then it won’t offer you the option of selecting them. If you want BitPerfect to play through a specific AirPlay device, you have to start by selecting it here.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="g0v1-0-0"><span data-text="true">As before, third party Apps such as BitPerfect are constrained to having to access the AirPlay Subsystem via its Standard Audio Interface. And you would think that if an AirPlay device such as “<i>Joe’s AppleTV</i>” was live on the system, and listed as an available device under ‘System Sounds’, then it would also be live and available under AirPlay’s Standard Audio Interface, which was the case prior to El Capitan. But no. If we wish to see which Standard Audio Interfaces are live and available we must open Audio Midi Setup (normally located within the Applications - Utilities folder). All of the available Standard Audio Interfaces are listed in the left-hand panel. You can select one, and then configure it in the right-hand panel (although no such configuration is required for BitPerfect). However, most of the time, you won’t see an AirPlay device listed there, even though we can clearly see one or more AirPlay devices listed as being available and accessible under ‘System Sounds’. If a device is not listed in Audio Midi Setup, then it will not be made available to BitPerfect, and it will not appear as a choice in BitPerfect’s list of Audio Output Devices, regardless of whether it appears in '<i>System Sounds</i>'. So far, all this is the same as with El Capitan.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="2u01v-0-0"><span data-text="true">The procedure to get around this is relatively simple, but for the love of God I cannot fathom out why it is required at all. You still have to go into System Sounds and select the specific AirPlay device that you want BitPerfect to play to. Once you have done that - and this may take a few moments - the selected AirPlay device will magically appear in Audio Midi Setup, and shortly after that will appear as one of BitPerfect’s available audio output devices. What has changed is that under El Capitan only “<i>AirPlay</i>” would appear as a Standard Audio Interface. Now, under Sierra, the specific AirPlay device you selected in System Sounds instead appears as its own personal Standard Audio Interface. This is - in my view at least - a good thing from the perspective of stability.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="d7ghp-0-0"><span data-text="true">Under El Capitan I had been using Audio Midi Setup as a regular part of the AirPlay setup process in order to confirm that the Standard Audio Interface had been created, because sometimes it just stubbornly refused to appear (for reasons that were never clear). Under Sierra, though, that aspect seems to be quite reliable now. So really, there is not much need any more to go into Audio Midi Setup at all, other than for information or diagnostic purposes.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="2559d-0-0"><span data-text="true">Finally, as before, you still need to go into iTunes and in its “<i>Choose which speaker…</i>” selector (the button with a ‘transmission beacon’ icon to the right of the iTunes volume slider) you need to be sure to choose “<i>Computer</i>” and <span style="color: #fff2cc;"><b><i>NOT</i></b></span> the AirPlay device that you actually want BitPerfect to play to.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="ffi0j-0-0"><span data-text="true">What this procedure tells us is that macOS is only creating a Standard Audio Interface for an individual AirPlay device when it is selected in System Sounds. What I would like to see is for the Interface to be created automatically as soon as a device is detected and becomes live and available. There would then be separate Standard Audio Interfaces for each available AirPlay device. This would be a far better paradigm and wouldn’t require BitPerfect users to hop in and out of System Sounds.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="7nahp-0-0"><span data-text="true">One limitation of the Sierra system is as follows, though. Suppose you have multiple AirPlay devices, such as an AirPort Express and an AppleTV. You want to play BitPerfect to the AirPort Express, while at the same time streaming something else to the AppleTV. So you go into System Sounds and select the AirPort Express. This creates a Standard Audio Interface for the AirPort Express which BitPerfect can use. So, with BitPerfect playing nicely through the AirPort Express, suppose you go back to your Mac and in System Sounds you now select the AppleTV device. Unfortunately, it seems Sierra either cannot or simply will not allow multiple Standard Audio Interfaces to exist at the same time, and so it immediately closes the one for the Airport Express, and opens a new one for the AppleTV. In effect, BitPerfect’s designated Audio Output Device suddenly disappears, and it simply stops playing.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="atova-0-0"><span data-text="true">Even though these shenanigans are a little irritating, I still feel that they are evidence that Apple’s AirPlay implementation is moving in the right direction. Quite clearly, the requirements of third party users such as BitPerfect are very much an afterthought, and we recognize that we are always going to have to feed off the scraps from the Master’s table. Nonetheless, my feeling is that this iteration of the BitPerfect/AirPlay experience is a step in the right direction. It may not quite knock the Yosemite implementation off its perch, but it is in all likelihood a solid #2. In fact if you prefer Sierra’s quirks to Yosemite’s, you might even rate it #1.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-offset-key="atova-0-0"><span data-text="true">For an update with macOS High Sierra (OSX 10.13), read <a href="https://bitperfectsound.blogspot.ca/2018/03/airplay-with-high-sierra.html">this post</a>. </span></span></span></span></div>
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Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-63429616398110071692016-09-30T11:31:00.000-04:002016-09-30T11:31:09.823-04:00macOS Sierra :) <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I now have a workaround in place for the Console Log issue I
mentioned last week, plus I have been using AirPlay on Sierra with
success, so I will post an update shortly on how to make that work.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> In short, BitPerfect users can now feel comfortable upgrading to macOS Sierra if they wish to do so.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8508085716441452953.post-84907098201684211232016-09-21T16:37:00.003-04:002016-09-21T16:37:36.767-04:00macOS Sierra<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have been using BitPerfect 3.1.1 with the latest version of OS X, “macOS Sierra”. It comes with iTunes 12.5.1.21 as part of the installation.<br /><br />The results are a bit of a mixed bag. Functionally, BitPerfect seems to be working fine. I haven’t come across any unusual behaviour yet. However, I notice that the Console App has changed significantly with Sierra, and it appears that it is not displaying most of BitPerfect’s diagnostic messages. This is going to make it very difficult for diagnostic purposes. For that reason, I recommend that BitPerfect users hold off from making this update for the time being, unless they have other, more pressing needs to do so. We will dig deeper into this issue and report our findings in due course.<br /><br />I also need to spend some time trying out the AirPlay subsystem under Sierra, and I haven’t been able to get around to that yet, so AirPlay users might want to avoid the update for the time being unless they are feeling particularly adventurous. AirPlay users who are still on Yosemite in particular should stay where they are. Yosemite is notably stable with AirPlay. El Capitan is not, and Sierra might not be any better.</span></span>Richard @ BitPerfecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06494815939640960187noreply@blogger.com