Adinol
Member
Hello all,
So far, I posted a question in the Tape forum and also read a few excellent posts. This seems like a good place to learn.
What am I doing here?
OK, here's my story.
I have a 6 y/old kid that really likes sounds and music. When he was still very little I realized that kids nowadays have information overload. Specifically speaking of music, a kid nowadays has access to millions of songs through random access features of iTunes and such.
I was never a fan of digital and while I'm also guilty of having made the switch from cassettes to CDs (I didn't grow up with a turn table) I realized that I stopped listening to music, for some odd reason. Now I think digital is to blame.
Whatever the case, when I realized that my kid really loved music I got him a record player and some old 45s on eBay. He picked Great Balls of Fire as his favorite song and for the next few month he would run to the record player, first thing in the morning, to spin that song. When people came to visit, he would drag everyone to his turn table and play records for them.
After about a year and a half I picked up a TEAC A-4010S for 50 bucks on Craigs List. The pinch roller arm was stiff, so I gave the while thing a cleaning and lube, got some reels on eBay and surprised my kid. He loves that machine.
My thinking is that kids have access to too much. So much that they can't even process the information. I love to watch my kid listen to the same songs over and over again and study the mechanics of mechanical audio players. And now we even pick tapes and records on eBay together, we built a collection of records and reels and now I also listen to music a lot more and really enjoy the process of taking the time to pick a record or reel, then putting the thing in its place, then play it.
Also, neuroscientists tell us that our senses don't exactly work the way we assume they do. We actually use our senses only to a certain degree and then our brain uses memory to recall familiar experiences from our past. When we listen to music we obviously hear it, but the brain is also using some stored memory. So, what does a kid, with an "empty" brain, really hear when listening to compressed digital files? What is stored into memory for later recall?
I think it's better for developing kids to listen to analog recordings. Even a record that plays pops and crackles is better than an mp3 file. People don't even listen to music, nowadays. They just consume quantities.
Naturally, since my kid is interested in music he also gravitated to playing instruments and goes to music school. He got fascinated with organs and a friend of mine who's an organist at a church gave us an old organ from the church.
We already recorded on the TEAC R2R and it was all just good fun. Now I'm taking it a step further.
When I was his age (I was born in 1967) I could not even dream of having my own multitrack recording machine. But now we live in an age when it is actually possible to get a good deal on old recording equipment. (I know most "good deals" are not what they seem, but I happen to be a person that always fixes everything, so usually I don't pay to get things fixed). So, I just picked up a TASCAM 34 for $80 on Craigs List and am staring to fix the machine. My kid will help a little bit, it will be fun and eventually the machine will work. Will it be as if an experienced tech worked on it? No. But it still beats recording on the iPhone.
So, that's my story. I already started a thread about fixing my TASCAM 34 and I'll be posting progress there.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Many thanks...
So far, I posted a question in the Tape forum and also read a few excellent posts. This seems like a good place to learn.
What am I doing here?
OK, here's my story.
I have a 6 y/old kid that really likes sounds and music. When he was still very little I realized that kids nowadays have information overload. Specifically speaking of music, a kid nowadays has access to millions of songs through random access features of iTunes and such.
I was never a fan of digital and while I'm also guilty of having made the switch from cassettes to CDs (I didn't grow up with a turn table) I realized that I stopped listening to music, for some odd reason. Now I think digital is to blame.
Whatever the case, when I realized that my kid really loved music I got him a record player and some old 45s on eBay. He picked Great Balls of Fire as his favorite song and for the next few month he would run to the record player, first thing in the morning, to spin that song. When people came to visit, he would drag everyone to his turn table and play records for them.
After about a year and a half I picked up a TEAC A-4010S for 50 bucks on Craigs List. The pinch roller arm was stiff, so I gave the while thing a cleaning and lube, got some reels on eBay and surprised my kid. He loves that machine.
My thinking is that kids have access to too much. So much that they can't even process the information. I love to watch my kid listen to the same songs over and over again and study the mechanics of mechanical audio players. And now we even pick tapes and records on eBay together, we built a collection of records and reels and now I also listen to music a lot more and really enjoy the process of taking the time to pick a record or reel, then putting the thing in its place, then play it.
Also, neuroscientists tell us that our senses don't exactly work the way we assume they do. We actually use our senses only to a certain degree and then our brain uses memory to recall familiar experiences from our past. When we listen to music we obviously hear it, but the brain is also using some stored memory. So, what does a kid, with an "empty" brain, really hear when listening to compressed digital files? What is stored into memory for later recall?
I think it's better for developing kids to listen to analog recordings. Even a record that plays pops and crackles is better than an mp3 file. People don't even listen to music, nowadays. They just consume quantities.
Naturally, since my kid is interested in music he also gravitated to playing instruments and goes to music school. He got fascinated with organs and a friend of mine who's an organist at a church gave us an old organ from the church.
We already recorded on the TEAC R2R and it was all just good fun. Now I'm taking it a step further.
When I was his age (I was born in 1967) I could not even dream of having my own multitrack recording machine. But now we live in an age when it is actually possible to get a good deal on old recording equipment. (I know most "good deals" are not what they seem, but I happen to be a person that always fixes everything, so usually I don't pay to get things fixed). So, I just picked up a TASCAM 34 for $80 on Craigs List and am staring to fix the machine. My kid will help a little bit, it will be fun and eventually the machine will work. Will it be as if an experienced tech worked on it? No. But it still beats recording on the iPhone.
So, that's my story. I already started a thread about fixing my TASCAM 34 and I'll be posting progress there.
Any advice will be appreciated.
Many thanks...
I think you are one the right track. Analogue is the sound we hear in its natural setting. You are creating footsteps for him to follow and he will thank you for it...later, if not now!
