IAJE Watch Out Column

A web site can be a great way to promote your school music program. Student performances posted on the web site add an extra dimension of creativity and impact. If a picture is worth a thousand words, an audio recording could be worth another thousand. Spotlighting recordings in this way can bolster a young musician's sense of accomplishment and offer greater access to parents and boosters. In this column, I'll discuss an exciting new portable audio recorder that records directly to CDs. I'll also explain how the right software applications can make it incredibly easy to post sound files on the web. 

Please feel free to check out some fine high school jazz combos at http://www.kuzmich.com/BYU2002/07_Track08.html. You will find two playback options accommodating telephone-modem dialup and high-speed Internet options. There is nearly no delay in hearing the recordings on the Internet regardless of how long the recordings are. And all of this is so very easy to do. 

To take advantage of this creative package of ideas, you will need three items, plus some specific software instructions contained in this article. You'll need a Superscope PSD300 CD Recording System, Pyro software by Cakewalk, and RealSystem Producer Basic or Plus by RealNetworks to convert the audio CD files to MP3 file format.

Superscope PSD300 CD Recording System Offers Easy, Great Results

It's possible to make digital audio recordings with a computer, but the process can be complicated and is fraught with risks. you would also need a minimum of a Pentium II 300 MHz CPU with the right sound card and a rather large hard drive just for starters. Professional digital recording devices, such as portable Digital Audio Tape (DAT) machines, professional MiniDisc recorders, and CD recorders, are alternatives, but still require a fairly sophisticated level of expertise to use them effectively. You'd still need to hook up several components such as a microphone preamp and mixer-- and the total cost of such a system can be more than $2,000.

I was delighted to discover the world's first portable CD recording system, the Superscope PSD300. It's essentially a miniature recording studio in a box the size of a small briefcase an lists for just $699. It's as easy to use as a portable tape recorder and is designed for recording live directly to blank CD-R or CD-RW discs. It boasts a second CD-payer drive with unprecedented real-time CD-playback controls. Without any reservation, I submit that the PSD300 is the "hottest" technology product this year in the computer music industry.

Just plug a pair of microphones directly into the unit to record CD-quality digital stereo. You won't need a mixer or any other equipment. Automatic level control provides "worry-free" recording. Best of all, this first-of-a-kind CD recording system can go anywhere inside and outside your school. You can record daily practice sessions in your music room. You can record concerts, musicals, competitions, and other "live" events. And, almost instantly, you can make and duplicate CDs that students can use at home for practice. 

Because these recorders also have a built-in microphone, speaker, and amplifier, they are great for recording meetings and lectures. And the unit can connect to external speakers for playback in a large rehearsal room.

Transcribing is especially common in jazz. It often requires playing a piece of music back at slower speeds. With the Superscope PSD300, you can slow the CD tempo down to 33% without affecting the original key or increase it up to 50%--all on the fly. you can also change the key of any recording in half-step increments without affecting the original tempo--or change the key and tempo simultaneously. This means you can take any song and play it back at a speed and in a key more suitable for student practice. For example, guitar solos can commonly be found in a guitarist's favorite key of E major (4 sharps). But this means a B flat instrument player will have to play the same solo in the key of F sharp major (6 sharps). Why not transpose the solo a half-step higher to the key of F major (1 flat) so the B flat players can play in an easier key?

The Superscope PSD300's built-in CD player offers instructional benefits as well. You can remove a lead vocal from a song at the touch of a button (depending on how the recording was m ade), making practice sessions for vocal pieces a snap.

You can also select a segment of music to continuously repeat using the A-B practice loop button. This feature works with key and tempo control and lead vocal reduction. Take a favorite recording, manipulate it in the CD player drive, and burn a practice CD using the CD recorder drive. You can also use special accompaniment recordings such as those by Jamey Aebersold (jazz play-along) or Music Minus One (classical repertory) recordings, create loops, and make CDs in which the student can practice particular measures in the tune over and over again without stopping to rewind the recording. 

For live recording, you won't find an easier-to-use stand-alone solution than the PSD300. It provides two XLR and two 1/4" microphone connectors for stereo recording without the need for a separate preamp or mixer. it also ahs a built-in microphone that delivers remarkably good results. The ¼" microphone connectors are particularly good for high-impedance microphones, while the XLR connectors are best for low-impedance microphones without any special adjustments. You literally connect the mikes and start recording. To see how simple the process is, visit www.kuzmich.com/PSD300.html I wrote some specific pre-sets settings for any recording and included tips for doing "live" recordings, mixing a "live recording with a previously made recording (such as a play-along recording), copying and burning a CD, and using the creative variable-speed options for unique instructional benefits tailor-made for both jazz and classical performance applications.

The Rest of the Story: Superscope PSD300 Saves the Moment

Recently, I traveled to my daughter's senior violin recital at the University of North Texas. In my laptop case, I carried the PSD300 and two Shure M58 microphones with microphone cables. I borrowed two microphone stands at the recital site, and in just five minutes I was ready to record the concert. My daughter also had a friend record the recital with a professional 8-track recorder/mixer console which required more set-up time. Unfortunately, the professional recorder/mixer console malfunctioned; so it recorded only the final piece. To see how well the PSD300 recorded, listen to the posted recordings at www.kuzmich.com/unt/unt.html. I think you'll agree that the quality is simply amazing, and words cannot describe how grateful my daughter is that I rescued the recording of her recital. Check out her encore number, "I got Rhythm," the perfect encore to a classical recital featuring exciting virtuosity of violin and piano improvisation. 

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From the September/October issue of the Jazz Education Journal. Reprinted with permission of International Association for Jazz Education IAJE. Copyright 2002. All rights reserved.