From ed20a7611ee0536a8d6fe03a4d34d5543ddd8b30 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Neale Pickett Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2011 17:51:00 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Add DJ page, do some cleanup --- journal/index.mdwn | 20 ++--- mdwntohtml | 2 +- papers/digimatrix.mdwn | 7 +- papers/dj.mdwn | 163 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ papers/index.mdwn | 8 +- src/pysieved.mdwn | 2 +- src/ubk/parts.sh | 8 +- 7 files changed, 180 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-) create mode 100644 papers/dj.mdwn diff --git a/journal/index.mdwn b/journal/index.mdwn index fb5c2c6..ab7d3db 100644 --- a/journal/index.mdwn +++ b/journal/index.mdwn @@ -1,17 +1,7 @@ -Title: Going Brown +Title: Journal +-------------------- -This is a journal--not a blog--initially about our effort to stop -generating so much trash. -In 2011 it's trendy to talk about "going green" for the benefit of the -earth, but anyone who's bothered to step outside has surely noticed that -earth is actually brown. Hopefully, as we compost more and throw away -less, we'll be making more earth and less landfill. We're going brown, -then, so that is the name of this journal. - -This journal has no comments, although you are free to [email -us](mailto:neale-aim-journal@woozle.org) or talk to us in person about -anything you've read here. Entries are in chronological order, just -like a book or a diary. - -* [January 2011](2011-01.html) +June 27: We've evacuated our house and are staying with my parents. +News we're getting doesn't make it sound promising for the town. I'll +keep this page updated for those who care. \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/mdwntohtml b/mdwntohtml index 2e65520..81a57cc 100755 --- a/mdwntohtml +++ b/mdwntohtml @@ -12,4 +12,4 @@ while IFS=: read field value; do esac done -m4 | markdown | m4 -DTITLE="$title" $1 - +markdown | m4 -DTITLE="$title" $1 - diff --git a/papers/digimatrix.mdwn b/papers/digimatrix.mdwn index bd271ac..abdcc26 100644 --- a/papers/digimatrix.mdwn +++ b/papers/digimatrix.mdwn @@ -1,8 +1,9 @@ Title: Debian on Digimatrix -Caution: this is what I was running in 2004. Nowadays we just use -MythTV. Some of this stuff (like the X configuration) still applies, -though, which is why I'm leaving the page up. +Caution: this is what I was running in 2004. We've since given up +altogether on broadcast television. Some of this stuff (like the X +configuration) still applies, though, which is why I'm leaving the +page up. Introduction ------------ diff --git a/papers/dj.mdwn b/papers/dj.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e25622f --- /dev/null +++ b/papers/dj.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,163 @@ +Title: Dirtbags DJ Setup + +I DJ sound for [Dirtbags Capture The Flag](http://dirtbags.net/ctf/), +Roller Derby bouts for the [Los Alamos Derby +Dames](http://www.laderbydames.com/), and occasional parties. All of +these have pretty similar requirements: music from a PC, maybe some DJ +mixing, and at least one microphone for announcing. Derby is slightly +different because spaces can be larger and the announcer will want a +wireless mic. + + +My Recommendation +----------------- + +This would cost about $650 in October 2011. + +If I had it to do all over, and was unable to find a deeply-discounted +package deal again, here's what I'd buy: + +* 2× Harbinger APS15 -- 15" powered speakers +* 2× speaker stands +* 1× Alesis MultiMix 4 USB -- USB + 4-channel audio mixer +* 1× Nady DKW-DUO -- wireless cardioid microphone pair +* Cables: + * 2× 30' ¼ balanced -- mixer to speakers + * 1× 6' ¼" unbalanced -- mic base to mixer + * 1× 3' ⅛" stereo to ¼" unbalanced -- laptop/MP3 player to mixer + +This will give you a nice clean USB audio out from your laptop, with two mic inputs and +a spare (analog) stereo in for an MP3 player like an iPod or Android +device: you wouldn't even need anyone to stand by the rig if you're +okay with a straight up playlist. This mixer will also allow you to do some +basic digital recording, if you want (I do). It's rumored to have +noise problems with the headphone out: my guess is ground loop +problems in some people's setups. Use a laptop with a two-pronged AC +adapter and you should be fine. In any case, if you use Mixxx, you're +not going to want to use the mixer's headphone out anyway. + +You don't get any digital effects in the mixer with this setup. I'm not +convinced you really need them. + +If you want do to some live DJ control, you can use the laptop's +built-in headphone jack and a USB mouse for about $40 (I think the +Sennheiser HD202 headphones are an excellent value). You could add +something like a Hercules DJ Control MP3 e2 if you'd rather have +hardware than a mouse. The Hercules RMX looks nice, with more buttons, +a metal body, and a mic in, but at about $250 I can't recommend it +over $160 for both the MP3 e2 *and* the more-versatile 4-channel USB +mixer. + + +What I actually have +-------------------- + +This cost about $600 in July 2011. + +When I bought my setup, Musician's Friend had a package deal of +speakers, stands, mics, mixer, and cables, at $40 less than the two +speakers alone. So I bought it. + +* 2× Harbinger APS15 -- 15" powered speakers +* 2× Speaker Stands +* 1× Soundcraft Notepad 124FX -- 12-channel mixer with effects +* 2× Audio-Technica M4000S -- Wired cardiod microphone +* 1× Nady DKW-DUO -- Wireless cardiod microphone pair +* 1× SYBA SD-CM-UAUD -- El Cheapo USB Audio adapter +* 1× Sennheiser HD202 -- headphones +* Cables etc.: + * 2× 30' XLR -- mics to mixer + * 1× 3' ¼" unbalanced -- wireless mic base to mixer + * 2× 6' ⅛" stereo to unbalanced ¼" -- laptop/MP3 player to mixer + * 2× 30' ¼" balanced -- mixer to speakers + * 1× Laptop backpack from college + * 1× Roll of gaffer tape + + +APS15 Review +------------ + +The reviews I read on the APS15 speakers were mixed, with half saying +"they're just fine" and the other half complaining about hum, uneven +frequency response, etc. I'm in the "just fine" camp, and will go on +the record stating that for a beginning club DJ, which is what I do +with Derby and CTF, the TH-15A is not twice as good as the APS15. + +The speakers do hum, but it doesn't get louder as I increase volume, +and I can't hear it once I start playing music. They're a little +muddy, and the EQ doesn't do much. They don't stack, even though they +look like they were designed to. Carrying them is difficult, with +only one handle on the side. + +On the plus side, each speaker has two ¼" inputs (probably +unbalanced), three XLR inputs, stereo RCA inputs (presumably to hook +up an MP3 or CD player directly), and a moderately effective 5-channel +graphic equalizer. This versatility makes it easy to use these +speakers without a mixer: something, it turns out, I want to do from +time to time for practices, parades, etc. + +These speakers can't be beat for the DJ on a budget. + + +Soundcraft Notepad 124FX Review +------------------------------- + +I'm very happy with this mixer. + +This 12-channel (4 mono, 4 stereo) Mixer is nice and compact, smaller +than the 8-channel Mackie ProFX8 I use at work. It does *not* have +USB audio, but it's very quiet and I can't see this making any +difference for CTFs, clubs, or Derby's big echo-y gymnasiums. It has +more effects than the Mackie: I plan to use number 31 (delay) for the +announcer's mic. + +I've used this mixer to bring in two DJs, two mics, my 2-channel +wireless mic system, and an MP3 player, and I still had ports left to +bring in another mic/guitar and another MP3 player *and* a recording +device, as well as an unused recording output and monitor outs. + +Behringer is now making a "Xenyx 1202" which appears to be the exact +same mixer as the Notepad series in every way but color. I had read +that Behringer's business model is based on copying the successful +designs of other manufacturers, and this appears to be the case. +Having never used a Behringer mixer and having owned many "clone PCs" +in the 1980s and 1990s, I don't feel qualified to comment on the Xenyx +series. + + +Other equipment +--------------- + +For $60 more I bought a Nady 2-channel wireless mic system. Then, $14 +for four 9v low self-discharge NiMH batteries for them. They work just +fine, but the plastic body will probably crack if anybody drops one. + +I'm driving the entire thing with [Mixxx](http://www.mixxx.com/) through +a $10 USB Audio device, with a ⅛-inch stereo to two ¼-inch unbalanced +cable. This is definitely the most sneer-inducing piece of the entire +setup, but after working with analog audio equipment in the 90s I feel +confident that this device is generating much less noise than the mics. + +Aside from the speakers, all this gear fits into a medium-sized book +backpack. + + +Software +-------- + +I run Arch Linux on a Samsung NC10, my only computer. My DJ software +is Mixxx. My system is very stripped down: aside from xdm (asleep), +X, dwm, mixxx, udev, runit, a couple of gettys, and +[xss](http://woozle.org/~neale/src/xss.html), (which sleeps until X +tells it to engage), nothing is going on. I do not run any of the +things that come with a stock Ubuntu or Gnome2 setup, such as gvfsd, +cups, dbus, or pulseaudio. + +I'm able to run Mixxx with a netbook (1024×600) theme and scrolling +waveform display. Audio is smooth. I suspect, but don't care enough +to verify, that a netbook with a full Gnome2 setup would struggle to +keep up. In particular, I would look first at gvfsd and pulseaudio as +a source of latency. Even though pulseaudio is a tremendous +improvement over esd, it's still an additional layer between mixxx and +the sound driver; and I have seen gvfs lose its mind and busy loop, +chewing 100% CPU, many times. diff --git a/papers/index.mdwn b/papers/index.mdwn index 96af9fb..cf645a7 100644 --- a/papers/index.mdwn +++ b/papers/index.mdwn @@ -4,16 +4,10 @@ These are papers I have written. Most of them were written to explain a concept to someone on woozle. Hopefully other people will find them useful, too. +* [Dirtbags DJ Setup](dj.html) * [How to make the game of Monopoly suck less](monopoly.html) * [Reply-To Munging Still Considered Harmful](reply-to-still-harmful.html) * [Converting .docx files to text using unzip and sed](docx.html) * [Introduction to TCP Sockets](sockets.html) * [3-Minute HTML Tutorial](html-tutorial.html) * [How DNS Works](DNS.html) - ---- - -The rest of these are old, and probably irrelevant, but I'm keeping them -here on the off chance that someone still needs the information. - -* [Debian on the Digimatrix (2004)](digimatrix.html) diff --git a/src/pysieved.mdwn b/src/pysieved.mdwn index 4b11a30..84e771b 100644 --- a/src/pysieved.mdwn +++ b/src/pysieved.mdwn @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ Title: pysieved: Python Managesieve Server pysieved is a GPL managesieve server. It is now hosted on gitorious, at - +. diff --git a/src/ubk/parts.sh b/src/ubk/parts.sh index cf1332c..5c0f60d 100755 --- a/src/ubk/parts.sh +++ b/src/ubk/parts.sh @@ -2,13 +2,15 @@ GIT_DIR=$HOME/projects/ubk; export GIT_DIR +echo "
    " git ls-tree HEAD | while read mode type sum fn; do case $fn in *.ps) base=${fn%.ps} desc=$(git cat-file blob $sum | sed -n 's/^%.*Description: //p') - test -n "$desc" || desc=$base - echo "* [${desc:$base}](${base}.pdf)" + [ -z "$desc" ] && desc="$base" + echo "
  • ${desc:-$base}
    • " ;; esac -done \ No newline at end of file +done +echo "
"