copper

Mixing it up on the set of 'Copper'

"Copper," the new BBC America crime drama, is set in NYC in 1864, while the Civil War was still raging. I was intrigued because the 10-part series was created by Tom Fontana, who did "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Oz," and on a more personal level, my old friend Frank Morrone is a sound mixer for the show. We met in 1999 when I was writing a feature story on mixing sound for Ron Howard's film "Edtv," and more recently, Morrone shared some of his experiences about mixing sound for … Read more

Wear Repair: Anti-aging undies cover you with copper

The quest for the Fountain of Youth has never really gone away. On the more extreme end, we recently heard about FaceTime face-lifts. Those make CASS' Wear Repair line of anti-aging clothing sound somewhat reasonable.

Here's the premise. Wear Repair uses copper-infused fabric that claims to improve skin elasticity, reduce age spots, and give your skin a healthy glow. It is made from Cupron fabric that is 66 percent copper.

There are mentions on the CASS Web site of clinical trials of copper-enhanced fabrics. A little digging brought up a bibliography of studies on the biocidal effects of Cupron technology over at the Cupron site.… Read more

Thief urinates on transformer, gets burns, jail

Copper theft has become something of sport of late. Even Facebook's new HQ endured a little.

However, sometimes the thieves aren't too sophisticated, which can lead to certain unforeseen problems.

A tale emerges from Leicester in the U.K., in which two copper thieves last year went to an electricity sub-station in order to steal copper cable from the sub-station's transformer.

The way the Leicester Mercury wraps it, Michael Harper, 36 and Richard Boyce, 50, went to the sub-station in order to steal the copper and, while they were at it, take some heroin.

It is unclear … Read more

The Audiophillie Music Award winners write, perform, and record their tunes

Move over "American Idol," the Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound contest winners are way more talented. They don't just sing--they play instruments, write, and record their own tunes.

Zachary LeFeber's band Magnet South entered "Move On," and I'm glad they did. Zach's the drummer and a very talented audio engineer. A nice fella by the name of Matthew Winner handled vocals and guitar. Magnet South has a blog, where you can see how the music takes shape. The band has been together for two and a half years, but they have real jobs so they haven't played around all that much. Zach recorded "Move On" in his house, using a Sonar digital workstation. He considers himself something of an audiophile, so I wasn't surprised to hear he's getting into vinyl.

Alan Carter wasn't planning on entering the contest, but he had just bought a new Woodpecker ribbon microphone and wanted to record something to try it out. He used the new mic to record everything but the lead vocal and guitar on "Georgia," which was written and sung by Phil Palma. Alan's studio partner Jake played electric guitar; Phil was on acoustic guitar; and Alan played bass.

Alan works for Sweetwater Sound and sells equipment to recording studios,--no wonder "Georgia" sounds so fine. The song was recorded to half-inch analog tape, and, obviously, I didn't know that when I first picked it as a winner. Alan feels that even the best digital recordings never sound as sweet as analog. That's not to say he avoids digital completely--"Georgia" was digitally mixed in Pro Tools, before bouncing it back to analog tape. He concedes there's a lot that you can't do in analog, so he takes a hybrid approach.… Read more

Have a microphone? You could win Monster Turbine headphones

OK, maybe the name of the contest, "The Audiophillie Music Awards for Excellence in Recorded Sound" is a little intimidating. If that's what's holding you back, rest easy; record some tunes from an unsigned band, or your uncle playing Grateful Dead tunes on a banjo and you could win. A recording of a tuba playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" might be a contender.

Lo-fi entries are welcome, so if you sing or play any instrument, you have a shot at winning a set of either Monster Turbine Pro Gold ($299) or Pro Copper ($399) … Read more

Enter the Audiophillie music contest for a chance at winning big prizes

There have always been good- and bad-sounding recordings, and advances in technology haven't really tilted the balance all that much, but they've changed the playing field. Musicians and bands no longer have to go into a high-priced studio to make a decent recording. If you fancy yourself as any kind of recording engineer here's your chance to strut your stuff.

The Audiophillie Music Awards For Excellence In Recorded Sound contest is hosted by The Audiophiliac and my friends Jeff Bakalar, Wilson Tang, and Justin Yu over at The 404 podcast. Winners will receive either a Monster Turbine Pro Gold or Pro Copper in-ear headphone, a review on this blog, and we'll play the winning songs on The 404. There will be six winners in all.

This isn't "American Idol"; we're not looking for the next Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, it's all about the recordings' sound quality.

I like natural-sounding recordings, ones that sound as realistic as possible. Voices should sound like voices, guitars like guitars, etc. You could record your tunes in your bedroom or basement; low-tech, uncompressed, unprocessed sound quality is a plus. Or make yours in a great-sounding space like a church, concert hall, or club.

I wouldn't rule out recordings made on an analog cassette deck (but the entry must be on CD). Or use a portable digital recorder like the Zoom H2. Or your laptop.

Point is, you don't need a lot of expensive gear to make a credible entry, just skill and knowledge of what good sound sounds like.

But I also love recordings that don't bear any relationship to reality. The creative use of effects and processing that take the sound to another level are just as welcome. Go nuts and push the boundaries. Make a sound I've never heard before.

Music categories range from rock, blues, folk, soul, jazz, acoustic, and world music.

The Audiophillie Awards, selected solely by the Audiophiliac, will be reviewed in the Audiophilac blog, and winners will receive (1) set of Monster Turbine Pro Gold or Pro Copper in-ear headphones. Approximate retail value is $399 for the Turbine Pro Copper, and $299 for the Turbine Pro Gold in-ear headphones. I'll review the winners here, and we'll play the winning songs on The 404.

To enter this contest you need to (PDF link) download, print, and complete the contest entry form, which you can also get it from The 404 .

Read the full contest rules to enter after the jump.… Read more

Comparison test: Three Monster Turbine in-ear headphones

And now there are three Monster Turbine in-ear headphones: the original and still great Turbine ($180), Pro Gold ($300) and now Pro Copper ($400). Which one sounds the best?

From the outside the three Turbines' earpieces look the same, differing only in the plated color finish; the standard Turbine's look is, cosmetically at least, my favorite. Its black chrome is the most understated, the Pro Gold is finished in gold, and the new Pro Copper is, you guessed it, copper.

All three Turbine metal earpieces feel solid and sturdier than most in-ear headphones, and my fears that the metal construction would adversely affect comfort in the winter months turned out to be a false alarm.

The Turbines are also heavier than the other in-ear models I've tested, but overall comfort is average, and the generous assortment of eartips included with the Turbines go a long way to toward insuring the best possible eartip-to-ear-canal seal. Like every in-ear headphone I've ever used, if you don't get a proper seal sound quality suffers.

The Copper and Gold models come with two really nice travel pouches, and get this: a one-time, no-questions-asked replacement guarantee. So when you break them you automatically get a new one. Sweet!

But this report will focus on the sound differences between the three models. I still love the Turbine, it's a seriously powerful in-ear headphone, and in early 2009 it immediately became my reference, displacing my trusty old, and more expensive Etymotic ER-4 in-ear headphones. … Read more

Copper cookware: More than just pretty pots

Sure, copper cookware looks great hanging on a pot rack in your kitchen. Very classy. But have you ever used the stuff? Turns out, it's actually pretty useful.

Many of the world's best chefs swear by copper cookware for its superior heat-conducting ability. Quick, uniform heat diffusion across the bottom and sides of a pot or pan can mean the difference between a heavenly sauce and a lumpy paste. When you're making a delicate sauce that demands even heat distribution--think hollandaise--or whipping up some paper-thin crepes, copper is the way to go.

Copper cookware can also give … Read more

Copper Treo 680 back in stock

Palm is again offering the copper color of the Treo 680. For the past few weeks, forums and blog sites all noted that this color was no longer offered. So, get it now while supplies last!