Conflow

Geoff, I just happen to be on Forum right now and saw your query: Quoted "...Volume control to place between the computer and speakers to enable the control of slideshow "... Thats a strange query:- Could you be more specific, are you running your Speakers from the PC ?? or from an Amplifier connected to your PC ?? Brian.Conflow.

Ken, They have thought about that also ~ You need to read and examine in detail the 2nd. "Link" I just Posted. SorrySoft are quite open about it (no apologies) and they tell you "bluntly" what they are doing to protect other Manufacturers Products ~ they mean the RIAA, who have put legal pressure on the CDDA Organisation and they expect you to convert to their WMA Format for their own protection ~ what a Fiasco !!!. At this stage I'm getting out of this 'thread' ~ I put enough into it ~ and quite honestly they can stuff Vista and the "protection racket" thats going on at our expense. I hope Congress moves on this faster than what its doing. Brian.

Ken, Those 'Utilities' won't work with Peters Vista Problem ~ although they work well elsewhere. You see, Peter is convinced that its a PTE.5xx 'bug' but I'm afraid that "SorrySoft" have made major modification to XP-Sp2 and Vista during the latter half of 2007 all in the pursuit of $$$$ ~ but as usual unknown to its paying Customers. They have sneaked in with DRM (aka Sony Rootkit) their version is not the Sony XCA System. Its a newly purchased 'Selective Digital Rights Management System' which is being pushed out on all new PC's but they have also modified existing XP's running WinMedia Player-10. Heres the proof below- Brian.Conflow. http://www.news.com/FAQ-Vistas-strong%2C-n...1.html?tag=nw.7 http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsme...er/faq/drm.mspx

Xaver, Yes,I understand what you say ~ also on my PCs, No Autorun ! Brian.

Mario We all get our wires crossed sometimes ~ me included ~ don't worry about it ! Best regards from Dublin. Brian.Conflow.

Mark, The 'Performing Rights Association' handle these matters in the UK. If I remember correctly one of our Forum Members: Maureen Allbright has the details on this and owns such a Licence (Cost approx:£20.pa.) You might send her an EMail about this... Brian.Conflow. P.S. You should be able to contact her here:- www.maureenalbright.com www.digital-av.co.uk resource information for digital AV

______________________________________________________________________ Xaver, Many thanks for that valuable piece of information, and if this is the correct translation:- ~The EAC Developer recommends that EAC should be used for XP and Vista~ thats good news, I will try the EAC Program with this new XP-Laptop. You probably know the 'Old-Trick' of stopping CD-Autorun by keeping the 'Shift Key' pressed when loading the CD into the PC Player. Most times this prevents Autorun from 'auto-loading' the DRM-Metafile and activating the Copy-Rip protection. That also might be of some use to Peter. There is another problem with Vista which Peter may not realise ~up to WinPlayer.10 the Player/Ripper converted the CD-PCM Audio into a genuine PC.Wav File but now it converts the PCM.Format into a WMA File (If its allowed). But neither Audacity nor Audion support the WMA Format so one has to use a WMA/WAV Converter which requires a 'Runtime Codec' and that seems to be hidden in XP & Vista.....Another days work ! Thanks again, Brian.Conflow.

Xaver, Good suggestion, I use them myself absolutely no problems, but I wonder will they work with Vista ~ I have never tried that, and I dont use WinPlayer.11 because of the DRM-Metatag problem. Brian.Conflow.

Peter, Here you are, I found it ~ and its quite explicit. There are various simple 'work-arounds' which involve changing the 'Windows-WAV' sampling rate unfortunately I expect that defeats your purpose. (See Attachment). Note.1 I have also learnt that if one had used WinPlayer.10 to burn CD's and now wishes to copy/or/extract and copy ~ now that also act's up (See below). Note.2 More news ~ Prior to mid '2007 it was up to the CD Manufacturer as to what Track/Track(s) he registered as DRM ~ Now since Win.Player.11 ships with Vista, all RIAA registered CD-Manufacturers are obliged to DRM all CD-Tracks. Brian.

Tom. Just make sure its 'Rubber-Foam' not Plastic Foam which has no worthwhile Acoustic properties. Its the type thats used in Cars for noise insulation and used by Carpet Fitters. You want the half-inch to one-inch variety.Its also great to affix to the sides of a PC with double-sided Tape. Note sides only ! Brian.

Peter, If memory serves me correctly "Win Media Player.11" has an Anti-Piracy feature built into it which permits the replay of WAV's but not the 'ripping' of Wav material with a CDDB signature within it. (CDDB= CD-Database Signature) All to do with the paranoia of the RIAA Organisation. Before you go mad over the technics better to check this out. They started to 'fiddle-aound' with this in WinMedia.10 (it works with CDDB Warning) but WinMedia.6~9 are completely free of it. (My advice, throw out Win.11 and install Win.10 ~ check for Vista compatibility first) This "messing-around" by the RIAA really iks me after one has paid top price for the CD and they want another cut of the cake when one wants a 'snippet' of sound from it. Congress has already ruled that 30.Secs of Program extraction is Legal ~ but not to these Moguls. Its like buying a New Car ~ and then the Manufacturer wants £20 for every time you use it !! Anyway check it up.... Brian.

Mario, Your interpretation of my 'Post and Camera Test' are completely out of context....I was not the least bit concerned with 'Artistic Merit' within that PTE.Slideshow Presentation .......You may not be aware that the PTE.Program is used for other Professional Purposes apart from beautiful Slideshows. I'm an Engineer,I have a difficult job to do which I had described within my Post, and the little 'Test-Show' was all about a Camera which could 'pull-out' those Photographs without Flash and no Tripod under extreme lighting conditions....A task most people would consider impossible given the place, time, lighting, and weather conditions prevailing. (Test was limited to 28mB for download brevity). No offence taken from your Post ~ I just wish you had read my Post in detail and had appreciated what I was doing and why within the context of my specific Work requirements ~ and need for such a Camera. (See its Reviews) Best Regards, Brian.Conflow.

Addendum to Toms' Post That heavy Microphone-Stand is just as important as the Mic, if not more so because it stops 'desk-top noise' from entering the Mic. Better still to place that Stand on a small sheet of Rubber Foam (not plastic foam) and this stops PC/Mechanical noise resonance from entering the Mic. Brian.Conflow.

Tom, I have just played back your Test Presentation:- "Butterflies"....Now what can I say ? A Wonderful Presentation for a 1st.time Public Viewing and I particularily noted your chosen theme where Butterflies represent those who had helped you - thats Artistic, and shows a sensitivity to your subject matter ~Golden Rule.1 ~ Interpretation,well done. Golden Rule.2 ~ Get to know your subject matter in detail, never chance your arm like Sky-News, who 'blurt-out' assumptions and contradictions every quarter Hour. If you don't know...say so ! Now with respects to Peter, I want to leave aside the 'Tech.Presentation Aspects' for a while. I shall come back to them later. Narrators For over 6 months I was put through a grueling course in 'Public Speaking' as a prelude to various lectures I had to present to the SEATO Organisation, some 128 delegates from South-East Asia. It was all about Renewable Energy, my subject was Micro-Hydro Turbines, that was in '85. I learnt to speak the hard way. There are those who have a 'natural gift' like yourself, and others who have to work really hard at it, and so there are different preparation methods for different Narrators. (Back to Peter) There are 2 methods of Preparation:- ** Pre-Prepared written Scripts on 'numbered' single sheet pages, 1.Header per Page. (Tony Blair method) ** Prompt-Page (suits your talent) 1.Page with sequenced Key-Phases. (Ghandi and Kennedy method) The latter delivers a more emotive Narration and who doesn't wonder at David Attenborough....No Script. Technics This is Peters' field more than mine ~ I am not familiar with PTE.5xxx, but Peter and Barry seem to have got the lid on it (thats no mean feat). Peters tech-comments are very valid, but do try and get one thing at a time under control and it will eventually all come together for you. Things take time to evolve... Brian.Conflow.

John. jfa The Mic used in 'Toms Recording' appears to be the Electret Mic built into the 'Griffin iMic' it is quite good, as is the Product itself. It also has Stereo Line-Inputs and as you know it plugs straight into any USB Port. It works with iMac PC's and solely with XP-Pcs. Brian.Conflow.

Tom, I just downloaded your 'Images & Voiceover File' ~ I will look at it tomorrow morning when I have some spare time. At the moment I'm wrestling with some calculations for our new 'VHF Radio Aerial' which will be going on the top of our new Mainline CAF-Trains. This is to distribute Stereo-Radio down the 'Club-Class' Carriages ~ so for now, its work ! Brian.Conflow.

Xaver, You are correct ~The Photos were deliberately shot in very extreme lighting conditions, NO Flash used. In my work with Irish Railways and with County Councils and in Marine environments, I work on very wet Machinery in damp,dark places. Most times its impossible to use Flash because of the 'bounce-back' from wet surfaces. I needed a Camera which would do that job every time without fail ~You get one 'site visit' and one 'chance' to take the Photos...the DMC-F8z does just that ! During my 'testing' I pushed this Camera to the limits of every 'bad-method' in the Book...all went O.K. I was very,very, surprised with its performance, where others Cameras let me down time and time again. By the way it does take RAW and other Formats....Hope you enjoyed the Leica Site. Best regards, Brian Kelly Conflow Services. Dublin.

Xahu, Hereunder is the 'Mediafire Link' which I promised you. Its a small 'Travelog around Bavaria' Title: "Hol-2007" I put it together to Test a new Camera which I bought from the Leica-Agents in Mainz. Its a Panasonic DMC-F8z. with 12x.Leica Lens. 33mm~435mm Effective Zoom. ++More. Whats special about this Camera is the new 'Venus II Processor' as used in the new Leica-M8 due for release later this year. Some History Leica ceased production in 1952 and was purchased by Matsushita Corp.the owners of Panasonic. Leica Lens Technology has since been used in various Industrial Products made by Matsushita and also incorporated into various Panasonic Cameras. Two years ago Leica went back into business with one hell of a 'bang' with their world-famous Lenses and the new Venus II Processor and the M7. Please excuse my slang....this is one hell of an animal of a Camera. The Panasonic DMC-FZ8z was released at 'Digi-World Exhibition in 2007' and its generally known in the Trade as the test forerunner for the Leica M8 ~so I went and bought one. To be honest I have not yet explored all what this Camera can do, and its a lot !! PhotoFlash was NOT used in any shot in the little demo "Hol-2007" ~ NOR a Tripod. Just their new 'Gyro-stablizer' and their New Processor and that Lens....it does exactly what I want. And they have a fabulous Website:- http://www.leica-camera.com/ (All images open with double-clk) I have my eye on their new 'V-Lux-1' Compact which is a near look-alike to the Panasonic DMC-F8z. Hope you enjoy the little Show, (Some shots were taken with my Pentax-Spotmatic for comparisons). http://www.mediafire.com/?5yuy07euhhu Brian.Conflow.

Xahu, I had not realised that he had 3 browser failures ~ thats serious, looks like a 'Browser HiJack' problem. By the way, how is 'Munchen' has the schnee come yet ? ~ I was in Town just before Christmas and I was surprised how big the Christkindlmart-Fest was this year, very crowded and very busy, but ohh so enjoyable. I travel around Bavaria and the Rhineland 5/6 times per year and I have made some good friends in Germany, but I usually end up down in 'Fussen' near the Neuschwanstein Castle. We certainly have had some very good nights in the Kurhaus in Swangau, great Beer ! I put together a small 'Travelogue Program' with Pte.4.49 called "Hol-2007" ~ I will post it to Mediafire and get back here with the 'Link' ~ I think you will like it, as many places will be familiar to you. Cheers, Brian.Conflow.

Xahu34, Sorry I don't agree with you ~ We have had this problem on the Forum many times before, and most times its due to the 'Interactive-Settings' between the XP-Firewall and Outlook-6. Its the reason I suggested, close down the Anti-Virus and then look at the Security/Privacy Tabs in 'general settings' of IE as a first remedial approach. In our Workshops we have found that dropping settings back to 'medium' allowed the Firewall to create a 'user-message' which could then be acted upon. We also found that if 'Scripts & Attachments' were disallowed in Outlook-6 similar problems occured. Tom ~ Yes point well noted about the 'Pop-Up' problems, it does happen. Brian.Conflow.

TOM, if you want any help with that ~ just 'shout'. Brian.

John (Jfa), 'Excellent Live Recordings' ~ better than some of the 'Studio-Presentations' that I have heard. May I also say thank you for the detailed 'Recording-Log'. The Notes have certainly vindicated what I have been saying here on the Forum for the past few days despite some of the negative feedback. John, job well done, and with your input and that of others we can look forward to opening up the 'Live Sound-Overs' within the PTE.Programs. Cheers... Brian.Conflow.

Griffin USB Sound Adaptor Module Tom, You're a Gentleman ~ many thanks for your 'Personal Voiceover' ~ it was most appreciated. The 'Sound-Quality' from the Griffin (first time usage) is perfect with just a hint of Computer background noise, this is to be expected. Thanks again for vindicating the Griffin Product ~ I'm sure your're very happy with it, as it has performed as I promised. Here below are a few 'Instructions' to help you on your way. Next Test try and record one of your old Vinyl Discs through the Griffin on to your PC or try out an old Cassette Player Tape. Bye the way that 'scouser accent' makes a good 'Voiceover Presentation' ~ so use it ! Brian.Conflow

JP, I am sorry I do not speak French ~ use "Google Translator" ~ "Attachment~1" Copy and Paste this 'Text' into the Translator. Select: English-->French. If you use 'Win-XP' leave the WinFirewall ON ~ turn OFF 'Avast Anti-Virus' Your 'Security-Settings' may be too high ~ "Attachment~2" If you see 'Star' above with Message, say 'Oui' ~ "Attachment-3" Hope this helps... Brain.Conflow.

Peter, You know, this Forum does not allow one to go into ~in-depth~ explainations as to the 'where-and-why' concerning a perfectly valid statements such as Ronnie's:- Quote: ...."just the background noises before you actually start recording the actual subject matter"... Yes in your case the 'subject matter' could be the Sea coming ashore and its background effects and ambience... But hold on now. What about the 'unheard' artifacts which could destroy your Recording, such as a distant Car, or a distant passing Train or overhead Aircraft and worst of all a small wind vortex which will smother the recording completely or indeed a contineous tree branch whistle or Camera clicks. Scenario.1 Such are the reasons to make a 'pre-take' so one can hear any 'Background-Noises' distinct from the needed ambience and then when one edits the Sound one can use the 'Noise-Remover' utility built into Programs such as Audacity and Nero Sound Editor.These programs need a few seconds sample of the 'artifact' so it can be suppressed or removed. The same goes for Tape-Hiss and Microphone-Hiss and so on and on. Scenario.2 Now assume you had made a long journey to a small Town to record a 'Bell Carillion' at 12:00 Noon and it plays at this time daily. So you ignore a 'pre-take' and go ahead and Record the Bells. You go Home and replay the Recording, and damn it: You hear the Telephone Wires whistling !!! Wow, that sure was an expensive waste of time...and when will you get the oppurtunity again. Now don't tell me this is in the arena of 'Studio Quality Field Recording' (as RonH has suggested) in fact it would be a very careless amateur indeed who would make such an expensive 'blunder'. Now to get something else into context ~ On this Forum we are talking about Amateur Equipment NOT 'Professional Portable Recorders'. To validate my point,open the "attachment". Brian.Conflow