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From: Hugh Messenger
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 1996 22:10:39 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Re: Proving the Existence of Fish

On Sun, 6 Oct 1996 WVE~ol.com wrote:

> I have been ruminating about this for some time. Maybe SPAH 97 would offer
> us a forum for a debate and a series of double-blind listening tests. I
> think that it would be a better test to use a mechanical air supply and not
> subjective human players. I will volunteer to provide the air supply.

I'd much rather hear the harps played by a non-partisan player. I feel
that the instrument and the player combine to form the sound, and not just
a constant stream of air. If comb material alters the way a player feels
and plays the instrument, then that's a big factor.

> Furthermore, there are always going to be those who will complain that the
> telling nuances will be obscured by the digital recording process.

I'm not talking about using a cheap and crappy microphone through a sound
card. I'd like to see the recordings done in a studio, with a
professional sound engineer, under standard studion ocnditions. I'm sure
i'm not the only person on harp-l with access to good studio setups, $1000
microphones and DAT.

If people want to complain about digital recording techniques, then any
harp recorded since the advent of the CD is invalid as a source of
information!

> Also it
> would be difficult for judges to assess the test design for fairness. Not
> everyone's computer is up to the task. I think that a live test is necessary.

I'm sure that a sufficient number of people have half way decent
multimedia facilities. My $90 Sony self powered speakers do a damn good
job of reproducing sound. I play CD's constantly while I'm working.

> I think that Harp-l can best serve to help us get it set up and establish the
> ground rules.

Get digital, Vern!

I'm not saying don't arrange for a taste test at SPAH, I'm just saying
that SPAH is about a year away, and we pretty much have the technology we
need to do a preliminary test through the net.

> Vern

-- hugh