Although that report was technically oriented, it provided so much food for thought regarding the BIGGER PICTURE (the bigger dream) of PAN MUSIC (Panorama Music) and GLOBAL IMPACT. From a psychological perspective, I love the way that PJJ completely left his EGO out of the report.

What fascinated me the most about his post was the teaming up of the EXPAT with the LOCAL. Even though the project did not quite work out as ideally as it could have this time around. It is my firm belief that progress for PAN and CALYPSO will come faster if LOCALS and EXPATS work together to achieve that end.

I am fully aware of the intrinsic conflicts in such a marriage but there must be a tolerant few on each side who could break down the barriers and get the music in GLOBAL MOTION.

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  • Hello again,

    I finally received a copy of the sets of DVD's today.  My comments follow:

    The audio is essentially as I recorded it.  The beginnings and endings of the announcer's credits (and the pause which followed) were edited,  I expected that, I recorded the entire announcement at the beginning and end of each number, and did no other editing, as that would have greatly complicated syncing my audio with Kenny's video.  It sounds like the audio on the DVD may be a little louder than the files I gave Kenny, which were very conservatively processed, but that may also be an artifact of the fact I was using different software to play the DVD and my source audio file.  It certainly did not sound as though any other audio processing (EQ, dynamics, etc) was applied, which is probably a good thing.  The files were sample rate converted to 48K as required for the DVD.  ( I had meant to change my recorder from 44.1K used for CD to 48K used for video, but forgot once I got to the venue.  The sample rate conversion appears to have been transparent.) 

    I should also comment that the audio was "compressed" (bit rate reduced) on the DVD, as is typical for most DVD's, but at a compressed rate of 190K, most people would not hear any degradation from the original.  I compress music to 128K or so for my smartphone to play through Bluetooth in my car (Bluetooth further compresses it), and rarely hear any artifacts while casually listening in my car..

    The video has problems, at least on my computer screen.  It is full of "judder", jerky, distorted motion when there is motion on the screen.  It also appears "soft" even for a standard definition DVD, but that may because I've become spoiled by watching HD, and forget how little resolution is in SD video.  Now, this is possibly an artifact of playing the DVD on my computer, I'll look at it on my TV using a DVD player when I get a moment.  If it is bad, I don't know where it may have happened, the video didn't get heavily compressed to fit on the DVD's.  One possibility is that it was shot at 24 frames per second, like a movie, and then got converted to 30 (actually 29.97) frames per second for NTSC SD television.  That conversion, particularly if done with "consumer" grade software or hardware, can cause serious motion artifacts.  Beyond that, I don't know what might have happened.  Perhaps Kenny knows, it was his hardware and he did the video editing.  If it is really bad on the DVD, that is too bad, the ICP was an historic event.

    I find it amusing that the labels printed on the discs say they are CD's.  They are, of course, DVD's  My software verified that the media is DVD media and the files are what one would expect on a DVD, not even a video CD (which wouldn't have held very much time anyway.)

    John

    • Thanks John very helpful information. I'm from the old school and audio sound is a big deal for me. Speakers are the KEY for my listening pleasure. I'm not a big fan of compressing but rely on software to retain the original sound quality, the same with videos converting to blu-ray technology.

      Understanding the MP3 Format

      Balancing quality and quantity

      By Ralph Graves

      The MP3 audio format has been the de facto standard for online digital music files since the early 1990's. Virtually every computer, smartphone, and tablet recognizes and plays MP3 files, even if its primary format is a proprietary one (such as AAC with iTunes®, or WMA with Windows® Media Player).

      In order to get the most out of this ubiquitous format, it's important to understand what an MP3 file is, and what it does to your music. With that knowledge, you'll be better able to set up and manage your digital music collection to suit your needs.

      How it works

      MP3 is a digital audio codec; that is, it's a method of compressing and decompressing digitized sound. The digital information on a standard audio CD requires about 10 megabytes per minute of music. When a song is ripped from a CD to a computer and converted to an MP3, that same minute of music typically is reduced to about 1 megabyte — a tenth of the original file size.

      The MP3 codec shrinks the source file by removing portions of the original signal considered to be essentially inaudible — a technique know as "perceptual coding." MP3 and other codecs are lossy formats of compression. That is, some frequencies are lost in the encoding process, and can't be restored by reconverting the file to its original format.

      The trade-off between sound quality and storage space

      Despite its lossy nature, MP3 can still deliver near-CD sound quality. Just as you can save your digital photos at higher or lower resolutions to save memory space (with a proportional loss in detail), so too can you adjust the "resolution" of an MP3.

      The bitrate, or average amount of data required per second of music, determines the audio resolution of an MP3. The higher the number of kilobytes per second (kbps), the closer in sound quality the MP3 is to the original source — and the larger the file size.

      Most Internet download sites are primarily concerned with facilitating faster downloads, which means keeping MP3 files as small as possible. 128 kbps MP3s are generally considered to by the lowest acceptable level of sound quality.

      Generally, most download services offer MP3s at 192 kbps or 256 kbps. These higher resolutions provide a balance between sound quality and convenience. For many, music at this resolution sounds "good enough," and the file sizes are small enough to fit hundeds of song onto a smartphone or tablet.

      You can also compromise by using a variable bit rate, or VBR. Rather than encoding audio at a constant rate, VBR encoding ups the bit rate for complex passages, and uses a lower rate for simple ones. A VBR-encoded sound file usually has more sonic detail than one encoded at the same constant bit rate, yet it's a smaller file than a constant bit rate file of comparable resolution.

      Hear more of the original detail with higher sound quality

      Although the overall character of the music is preserved, the greater the compression, the more sonic details are lost. Extremely high and low frequencies usually get discarded with even slight compression. Although considered inaudible, they reinforce harmonic frequencies that "shade" the sound, giving it much of its fullness and presence. Further compression can diminish the differences between loud and soft passages, decreasing dramatic impact. Extreme compression — down to 64 kbps and lower — can completely flatten the sound, making it harsh and muddy.

      By contrast, MP3 files of 192 kbps, 256 kbps or greater preserve most of the sonic information of the original WAV file. Acoustic instruments tend to keep their natural warmth at these resolutions, and electronic instruments sound fuller while retaining their punch.

      So how can you make sure the MP3s you're importing into your music library are at the best sound quality for you? Depending on the source, you can have some control over the process.

      1. Importing music from CDs — Change the default settings of your PC's media player. Almost all of these programs let you adjust the MP3 resolution from the standard 128 kbps up to at least 320 kbps. Many let you customize the setting by typing in your own number.
      2. Purchasing music online — While most sites only offer songs at 192 kbps, some offer tracks at a higher resolution. Many of these higher-resolution tracks also come without copy protection, giving you the added advantage of enjoying your purchased downloads in more ways and on more players. Many of these tracks are offered at 256 kbps resolution.
      3. Downloading from other sources — Band websites, podcast directories, and other sources of Internet music usually offer MP3s at 128 kbps. Try downloading other formats (discussed below) if your player supports them. You might find one that sounds better to you than the others.

      Other codecs, too

      As mentioned above, sometimes you aren't offered a choice of MP3s with different levels of compression. Instead, you might be offered a choice between different formats.

      Each codec has its own algorithms to determine what to discard, and so the same song saved in different formats can vary slightly in sound. Some people find they like the way a particular codec shapes the sound, and prefer that format over MP3.

      There are also formats that retain all the information of the original files, and just store them more efficiently in a slightly smaller space. Because all of the information is retained, these are known as lossless codecs. See our guide to high-fidelity computer audio for more information.

      In the end, it's up to you

      Keep in mind that you can always compress a large file into a smaller one, but you can't restore the resulting file back to its original form. The information lost in the compression process is permanent. So it's best to choose the highest resolution when you first import a track. A 128 kbps file can't be "bumped up" to 256 kbps any more than a low-resolution photo can be blown up to a poster-sized print.

      The most important thing to remember when you're changing settings to improve sound quality is this: your ears are the final judge. Some people can distinguish between a 256 kbps and a 192 kbps MP3. To others, there's no appreciable difference between a 128 kbps file and the original CD track.

      Only you can determine the ideal MP3 resolution for your music. But it's best to do so only after you've given the higher resolutions a fair audition. You might be surprised at what you've been missing.

      Last updated October 05, 2015

    • John: 99 more EXPATS like you and TRINIDAD IS A PARADISE!!!!

  • We can also check in with Salmon Cupid and ask his advice on this Expat vs Local working relationship...

    E-PAN ON LOAN GOES MISSING

    Hi all,

    I received an e-mail from the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism requesting an E-Pan on loan for a display that they were putting together for participation in an expo in Surinam. The presentation was a display of pan from its inception to present. They also indicated that the display was attending an expo in China subsequently. I indicated to the officials making the request that I would loan them an E-Pan for the Surinam display but I did not want the E-Pan to be included in the China expo. They obliged and indicated that several parts of the exhibition would be returning to Trinidad and not going to china, so the stage was set.

    https://whensteeltalks.ning.com/forum/topics/e-pan-on-loan-goes-miss...

  • One can only hope they’ll work together as a team, the reality is you are dealing with a mind-set where everyone is trying to out-smart each other. Did WACK pay him; he did say they broadcast his recordings on their station. You said it before PIMPING PAN, they did it with Calypso.

    I’m sure WACK made money off the Pay Per View. After 50 years of Panorama they still have no STANDARD for recording the music, stage management is another story

    • ODW,

      I've been out of town and off the net for a couple of days, sorry for the slow answer.

      I did not ask to be paid and was not.  I was happy to get a set of decent recordings for my personal enjoyment, that was pay enough.  In my opinion, there is nothing lost from a technical standpoint by having multiple recordings, if multiple recordings are available to listen to, the listener can choose whatever recording suits his/her particular taste. 

      As some of you who may know me are aware, I'm not looking to make money with my recordings (although my tax accountant wishes I would), I like to have them to listen to, and if the bands in the recordings want to sell them, and make a little income from the recordings, that's fine with me.  I do appreciate it if I am given credit as the recording engineer if they distribute the recordings.

      I have not previously recorded at the Savannah, as the promoters think there is big money to be made and ask for rights fees which are far higher than I can pay.  I have taken pictures at Panorama for some years which have been put up on my website for all to enjoy.  (I am about a year behind on putting up pictures, as I had to redesign the website because the software I was using was discontinued; be patient, the pictures will be put up.)

      However, I am doubtful as to whether I will be able to continue to photograph the Panorama, I am retired, on a fixed income, and every year the NCC raises the price of a press pass for photos; it has gotten to the point I can't really afford it any more.

      For the last several years Yoichi and Kats from UTT have made what in my opinion are high quality recordings of Panorama, which have ended up on CDs sold by Pan Trinbago.  They also put up some recordings on the Pan Trinbago website.  They were putting them up on a UTT/Pan Trinbago Reverb Nation page but were to told to stop by Pan Trinbago; as I understand it, there was an issue where links were made to the Reverb Nation files such that they looked like they belonged to others, with no credit to UTT/Pan Trinbago.

      One way to make more recordings available without the expense of making CD's or DVD's is to make them for sale as downloads on sites like Itunes, etc.  Using the aggregator CD Baby, the cost of putting them up is quite low, far less than making CD's, and they are immediately available world-wide.  Putting them up does require paying download copyright payments to the composers/publishers, I think 10 cents US or a little more per song per copy sold If done in Trinidad, that is done through COTT.  Obviously this has to be agreed to by the steelband(s) whose music is put out for sale; in the case of Panorama, the registration document signed by the bands gives Pan Trinbago the rights to record and sell the performances, with the proviso that Pan Trinbago will negotiate with the bands regarding any profits (if any) from sale of the music.

      In this case, Kenny and WACK had the rights to record, so I did not have to pay any recording rights, and Kenny gets the use of the recordings.

      • PJJ,

        Thanks for the clarification.

        Best regards

        ODW

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