Video Update - 29th September 2009
**All videos are available for download around 4:00pm AEST Tuesday September 29th 2009Video ClipsAll clips compatible with Quicktime and the iPod VideoMP4, 320x240, 192kbps vision, 128kbps audio
TVC: 0055 Sexlines - Version 1 Dur: 15 sec, 1.6 MB
TVC: 0055 Sexlines - Version 2 Dur: 16 sec, 2.0 MB
9 ID/National Nine News opener 22nd September 1989 Dur: 37 sec, 3.2 MB
10 promo: Eyewitness News (1984?) Dur: 21 sec, 1.9 MB
TVC: Electronic Sales 'n' Rentals - Joe Hashem and Billy J Smith Dur: 1 min 01 sec, 4.1 MB
TVC: Norman Ross Discounts Dur: 30 sec, 2.6 MB
TVC: Woolworths Variety with Ian Turpie Dur: 30 sec, 3.0 MB
TV: Joyce Mayne Shopping Complex - Auburn, Sydney Dur: 60 sec, 6.2 MB
TVC: Agarol Laxatives - V/O by Robbie McGregor Dur: 31 sec, 1.9 MB
TVC: Winfield Cup - unless you're there at the game Dur: 31 sec, 3.3 MB**We also have the beds for this TVC in the archive! Both were taken from a 1/4" Ampex 406 reel which was once Channel 10's and which had been...yes you guessed it...thrown out - considered lost until I picked it up and copied off whatever was on it in 1991! Not without a fight either - even though the splices were repaired and the tape baked and re-baked, it couldn't fix the two dropouts you'll hear in the first cut. The second cut is the full mix with vocals, but two of the lines after "Show 'em the courage, show 'em the skill" in the song have been mixed out - so it's possibly a pre-mix.Bed 1 - 1 min 16 sec, 1.1 MB, MonoBed 2 - 1 min 06 sec, 1.0 MB, MonoSo where are the audio clips this time around, Frankster?Folks, they are on the way, a bit of re-organising is going on right now with the 2UW and Top Spots material. When it's all complete, they'll be back up here. It's always been my intention to present the complete master tapes and you'll see them up here eventually. For now though, enjoy the videos!
iSnack? Um...eh?
G'day bloggers,
As reported on
here and by Matt at
Wireless Fodder, the new name for Vegemite is...
iSnack 2.0Um...what? This is as bad as woolies and coles squeezing the suburban bloke out of business. Does every damn thing HAVE to have a small i in front of it?? Come on. I've tried to load an iSnack into an iPod and iTunes and all I did was mess up the look of both...
AV Update - 21st September 2009
Video ClipsAll clips compatible with Quicktime and the iPod VideoMP4, 320x240, 192kbps vision, 128kbps audio
TVC: Kool Mints Dur: 31 sec, 4.0 MB
TVC: Dolly Parton - 16 Greatest Hits Dur: 31 sec, 3.8 MB**Yes I know, I've heard the "Dolly Parton's Greatest Tits" jokes...
TVC: Juicy Fruit Dur: 30 sec, 4.5 MB
TVC: Comalco Cans - Ask Your Father! Dur: 31 sec, 1.3 MB
Today: September 9th 1991 partial - Steve Liebmann and Liz Hayes Dur: 41 sec, 3.8 MB
Lotto Draw (1988?) - Grant Goldman and Karen Pini Dur: 2 min 18 sec, 13.5 MB
Channel 9 "Stereovision" long ID (1985?) Dur: 58 sec, 6.6 MB**Pity the tape this came off was mono!
CSA: RBT - How will you go when you sit for the test? Dur: 1 min 54 sec, 23.3 MB**NOTE: This tape was very badly damaged as you'll see. I've been unable to source a better copy of this CSA but despite the damage, it was too good to leave out of this update. 
TVC: Dick Smith Electronics - Computer Packages Dur: 31 sec, 2.8 MB**The computer featured in this TVC boasts an impressive 20 *MB* hard disk! How far we've come, eh?
CSA: RTA - Speeding "Yeah Yeah" Dur: 30 sec, 2.9 MBAudio ClipsCompatible with most if not all MP3 devices!2UW Jingles/Promos/OthersAll tracks are MP3 format @ 128kbps 44kHz Stereo unless notedJingle Medley 1: Mostly generic cutsDur: 2 min 55 sec, 2.8 MBJingle Medley 2: "The hits in stereo"Dur: 38 sec, 605 KBJingle Medley 3: "Magic 11" cuts and a couple of othersDur: 1 min 31 sec, 1.4 MBSupaloo promo 1982: "Monday Only" version with slateDur: 1 min 12 sec, 1.1 MBMagic 11 loop tape - Holgar BrockmanDur: 15 min 26 sec, 14.4 MBThis tape was used as a loop just before 2UW went into their "Magic 11" days. Only problem was it didn't quite catch on and was abandoned not long afterwards.More next time!
Ann Sanders clips for Francis!
G'day bloggers,
G'day to Francis who emailed me recently asking if I had any more clips of Ann Sanders. Francis, enjoy! A couple developed a few problems and I'm working on those, hopefully they'll be fixed before too long. In the meantime, enjoy the selection below!
Eyewitness News Dur: 1 min 16 sec, 13.2 MB
Eyewitness News Dur: 1 min 14 sec, 5.5 MB
Eyewitness News Dur: 1 min 21 sec, 5.5 MB
Seven Newsbreak Dur: 31 sec, 2.8 MB
When the on-air mike is on, you shut up!
So...who's the rogue female voice in the background just heard on Triple M Sydney saying "...you don't realise" before shutting up after realising the mike was switched on by the announcer waiting to dovetail over the music?
Studio guests...when the mike is on, characterized by large lit up signs stating either "on-air" or "mic on", you SHUT UP! Capish?
Livenews.com.au is gone
G'day bloggers,
Seems like there's changes afoot at the Macquarie Radio Network, or maybe they're just doing some cost-cutting like most of us right now. Livenews.com.au is now no longer! Their farewell reads:
"
The Macquarie Radio Network has decided to close down the livenews.com.au website. We thank you for your support and loyalty over the past couple of years."
Wonder what the real reason was behind this move.
Patrick Swayze dies
This probably wasn't too far off as he's been sick for quite some time, but Patrick Swayze has succumbed to cancer, aged 57.
I wonder who the hell is next considering these things come in threes..bloody hell..two in two days. Yesterday it was Mike Leyland. Today it's Patrick Swayze.
Random Stuffs
** Bugger! Mike Leyland of The Leyland Brothers is gone. That just plain sucks :( RIP Mike.
** Thanks to you all who've emailed or called in the last week regarding my babe - I'm happy to say she's on the mend and will be home shortly.
** Want to also say a huge thankyou to the crew of Concord Hospital in Sydney for looking after my dad who entered hospital today to get an angiogram done. Came through it just fine and he is now resting at home and able to get on with his usual dealings in a few days.
** G'day to Francis who emailed recently wondering about more Ann Sanders clips - watch this space Francis, will have some more up shortly for you.
Sydney Morning Herald suffers a glitch
This story on the Sydney Morning Herald online surfaced this morning:
Hmm...total story ban as well? Servers running too hot at Fairfax? ;-)
Random Ramblings
The Beatles RemasteredIt's the 9/9/09 today! For fans of The Beatles like me this is red letter day - their entire catalogue has been remastered at last, after 22 long years. The last set were from 1987 and of course, digital technology has evolved in leaps and bounds since then, and it's nice to see it's finally been brought into where it belongs. "Get back to where you once belonged" as it were!
I haven't heard any of these remasters yet but I'm sure I will be very soon. The Beatles worked on 2, 4 and 8 track throughout their career, the 2 track recordings done on 1/4" tape, while the 4 and 8 track recordings were done on 1-inch tape, all at 15 IPS, with some exceptions - those were done at 30 IPS. Generally the higher speed you record on open reel the more headroom you've got before you run into tape compression. 4 track 1 inch is a wonderful format (not 4 track as in 2 tracks going one way and 2 tracks going the other way like a cassette - the 4 tracks are one direction only, meaning it uses the entire width of the tape in one direction) as it provides for a VERY low noise floor, in fact hardly any if the machine is properly biased for the tape in use. That, combined with the fact EMI used their own tape (simply called EMITape), meant that there were no sticky-shed problems to contend with (such as what befell Ampex and Scotch with their mastering tapes), and properly stored in a temperature-controlled environment meant the people involved in this remastering had every success they could've ever hoped for.
You'll hear a lot of people saying oh, well the final destination is CD and we're stuck at 16-bit blah blah - and fair enough, with all the tools and all sorts of equipment to produce a brilliant sounding set of new masters, it seems like its all in vain as CD is only capable of 16-bit. Well, OK, fine. You'll also hear people saying oh, we should've got 24-bit versions etc. Is that a good thing though? Sure, bringing the material into the 24-bit audio domain ensures almost every little bit of sound from the master tapes is saved. But here's the clincher.
We all know that our hearing diminishes as we get older, right? And the fact at some point in our lives we'll be unable to hear the higher frequencies, true? So is there any point in doing anything at 24-bit? 96 kHz/24-bit was originally touted but then there was 192 kHz/24-bit. Again, great, fine - but these two audio ranges go way beyond the range of human hearing. So it's a bit of a waste. I'm certain also that unless you have superhuman ears, you also can't hear the 19 kHz stereo pilot signal that is broadcast by all FM radio stations when they have a slight break in their transmission. I certainly can't and I'm 36 years of age.
But I digress. Well done EMI for bringing us new masters of the Beatles music - after a 22 year wait, they're finally here.
HospitalI'd like to take a minute to wish my babe lots of good thoughts and prayers after she landed in hospital in the last couple of days. She is suffering extreme exhaustion and at time of writing, there's been no change to her condition. I'll keep you folks updated. It's a very worrying time.
Mike Carlton resigns from 2UE Sydney
G'day bloggers,
As reported at Samuel's Blog
here and at Radioinfo, 2UE's weekday breakfast host, Mike Carlton, has resigned. His last program goes to air next friday morning, September 18th, where he will then set sail for the Sydney Morning Herald. I agree with Samuel in the sense that there's more to this story. More info will unfold over the next few days I'm sure but that's the word at the moment.
AV Update - September 3rd 2009
OK, and another server reset is now complete, and as usual after a server reset we normally present a fresh AV update - so here it is! Please note all clips are available for download from 10.45pm AEST Thursday September 3rd 2009.Video ClipsAll clips compatible with Quicktime and the iPod VideoMP4, 320x240, 192kbps vision, 128kbps audio
TVC: Lovely Pancakes with Rodney Rude - 1986 Dur: 31 sec, 5.9 MB
10 Eyewitness News Update - Ann Sanders - 1986 Dur: 1 min 23 sec, 11.8 MB
10 Ident: Ten Out Of Ten Australia (yes, ANOTHER version!) Dur: 16 sec, 1.8 MB
10 Promo: Star Search with Greg Evans - 1986 Dur: 31 sec, 3.7 MB
TVC: TV Week Magazine - Alyce Platt Dur: 32 sec, 3.3 MB
TVC: Beanz Meanz Heinz Dur: 16 sec, 1.9 MB
TVC: Malibu Rum Dur: 31 sec, 3.9 MB
10 "X" Ident - another version (1988?) Dur: 15 sec, 1.5 MB
TVC: McDonalds - Chicken McNuggets Dur: 31 sec, 4.0 MB
TVC: 2DAY-FM - In Tune With Today (another version) Dur: 31 sec, 3.3 MBAudio ClipsCompatible with most if not all MP3 devices!Top Spots Master #65: Part 3All tracks are MP3 format @ 128kbps 44kHz Stereo unless notedState Rail: Melbourne3x 45 sec tracks and 1x 45 sec FX track - 3:26, 3.2 MB
State Rail: America's Cup Express3x 30 sec tracks - 2:05, 1.9 MB
Stockland Corporate5x 30 sec tracks - 3:25, 3.2 MB
Ocker Records: Thunder From Down Under - The Album3x 30 sec tracks and 1x 22 sec bed only track - 2:30, 2.3 MB
Triffets Canberra2x 60 sec TV audio tracks - 2:24, 2.2 MB
