Dr. AIX's POSTSNEWS

Road Trip: Summer 2018

I’m in Elko, Nevada as I write this post. My wife, Charlie (the family border collie), and I left California last Tuesday headed for the mountains of Colorado for a family reunion. I apologize for not being able to respond to comments and get books sent out as quickly as usual but it’s hard to do when you’re sitting on a boat cruising along the shore of Lake Tahoe or tossing a Frisbee for Charlie after 300 plus miles of driving. I will be heading to the post office this morning to get a couple of books out (Music and Audio: A User Guide to Better Audio).

I’m still checking email and reading some of comments related to my last post regarding the nonsense at the AudioCOn event. The post has popped up all over the web. If I had a lot of time this morning, I would write extensively about this episode. But the road calls and I’m technically on vacation.

Bob continues to vigorously deny that the vendor in question did anything to alter the measured results of the power cord presentation. In spite of the fact that another LAOCAS member used his cell phone and an app to get roughly the same results as I did, the vendor’s assurance was good enough for Bob. Therefore I must be making this up. I’m not. I recorded the entire presentation using an iRig microphone preamp connected to my iPhone. Yes, I did use my cellphone to capture the event but I used a high end, phantom powered, professional microphone, and preamp and not the on board iPhone mic. Bob would like everyone to believe that a cellphone couldn’t detect the subtle differences that an expensive power cord produces. They can.

The point of the article and the whole exchange was NOT to focus on “designer” power cords or digital interconnects. I posted Bob’s emails and my responses to illustrate the closed nature of the society and the one-sided nature of their presentations. If power cords are so important then why doesn’t the society allow other knowledgeable individuals or companies challenge them? A well run organization would include subjective and objective analysis of devices, software etc. That would benefit the members far more than pushing expensive accessories.

One member did write to me about his communication with Bob. He expressed his desire to leave the LAOCAS but the President refused to accept it! Since when are members of the group not allowed to cancel their membership? Curious.

Dr. AIX

Mark Waldrep, aka Dr. AIX, has been producing and engineering music for over 40 years. He learned electronics as a teenager from his HAM radio father while learning to play the guitar. Mark received the first doctorate in music composition from UCLA in 1986 for a "binaural" electronic music composition. Other advanced degrees include an MS in computer science, an MFA/MA in music, BM in music and a BA in art. As an engineer and producer, Mark has worked on projects for the Rolling Stones, 311, Tool, KISS, Blink 182, Blues Traveler, Britney Spears, the San Francisco Symphony, The Dover Quartet, Willie Nelson, Paul Williams, The Allman Brothers, Bad Company and many more. Dr. Waldrep has been an innovator when it comes to multimedia and music. He created the first enhanced CDs in the 90s, the first DVD-Videos released in the U.S., the first web-connected DVD, the first DVD-Audio title, the first music Blu-ray disc and the first 3D Music Album. Additionally, he launched the first High Definition Music Download site in 2007 called iTrax.com. A frequency speaker at audio events, author of numerous articles, Dr. Waldrep is currently writing a book on the production and reproduction of high-end music called, "High-End Audio: A Practical Guide to Production and Playback". The book should be completed in the fall of 2013.

4 thoughts on “Road Trip: Summer 2018

  • Thanks for all your work on this Mark!
    Have fun on your vacation, your friends on the web are handing the viral explosion over your expose’ well.
    Cheers, Sal

    Reply
    • Thanks Sal. I’ll be posting the details of the presentation when I return. But as you know, this is not really about fake cables. It’s about people in positions of authority abusing their power.

      Reply
  • Hi Mark,
    I just ordered your new book in Germany.
    Accidentaly I saw that the Michael E. Brieden Verlag GmbH was offering it online.
    Important to know for German/EU readers.

    And do have a nice time off – you deserve it 😉
    Greetings from Flensburg/Germany

    Reply

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