Category: Music
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Library Management of Live Grateful Dead Matrix Recordings
For the past several months I’ve been using Roon audio server to handle my home hi-fi listening. It’s a slightly pricey subscription model for what I use it for and I’m actively looking for an alternative. Basically, I just want a box that holds a bunch of lossless audio files and serves them up to…
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Zoom volume and Music Volume control with Keyboard Maestro
My new favorite Keyboard Maestro shortcut allows me to toggle between audio outputs (Built In Output device and my USB output). The Built in volume controls my iMac speakers, the USB output controls my Amp. So, combined with the superb Rogue Amoeba’s SoundSource, I can easily bounce back and forth between controlling my music volume…
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Good Grateful Dead Matrix Recordings
On facebook the other day, a friend asked for some Grateful Dead live show recording suggestions the other day. I can’t imagine a show that I wouldn’t listen to but I list some recent favorites down below. There is always gold to be mined in every show, somewhere. That said, for the past year I’ve…
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Stereo HomePods for Difficult Rooms and Social Listening
I’ve seen couple of blogs (Kirkville, BirchTree) recently opining on stereo HomePod configurations and comparing them to a pair of Sonos speakers. I don’t have a pair of Sonos to compare my stereo HomePod configuration to but my experience with the HomePods stereo pair may be useful for some so I am sharing here. A few months…
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Mac radio nirvana
Setting up my new iMac, I’ve found a nice combination of apps to make listening to radio at my desk a real pleasure. [update Jan 8, 2020: this setup still works great but I have also purchased the subscription to Triode and also use the Mac desktop version of the app when at my desk]…
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HomePod Automation
Man, i spent way too long trying to get my HomePods to work with Apple’s HomeKit automations this AM. I noticed in my Home app that the latest (the really latest that doesn’t brick your HomePod) update had been installed on my stereo pair of HomePods so I was like, sweet, now I can have…
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Fingers crossed on this Spotify update for iOS
I’ve been seeing references to the latest beta of Spotify on reddit where users report that Siri support now works with Spotify. This will be great if it works well! I have been loving my stereo homepods but am itching for better automation/shortcuts and Siri integration and have been using my iTunes library to play…
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HomePod with iTunes Match
I’m running stereo HomePods in our living room. Boy what a difference a second HomePod makes! Doesn’t sound as good as my beloved Vandersteens which got relocated during a recent furniture rearrangement and frankly the Homepods don’t make for great “active listening” because the imaging is way to fuzzy and nebulous but for just hanging…
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Spotify or Apple Music?
I’ve been using Spotify since July, 2011 (when it first became available in the US). It is my go-to streaming service. We’ve had the family plan for years. I use it to work on collaborative playlists with the other musicians with whom I play. I use it when I am learning new songs–being able to…
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Paradigm PDR subwoofer repair
TL;DR, if your paradigm PDR-10 isn’t powering on automatically, check the fuse. It can be easily accessed by removing the back panel of the subwoofer. Sunday morning and I had the house to myself for a few hours so decided to listen to my favorite recording of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. Firing up the 3rd and…