Live from Austin!

Found on freshmeat.net:

Snd is a sound editor modelled loosely after Emacs.

Fantastic. I can see it now:

             ################                       ################                   ###########################             ###########################           ###############################         ###############################            #########################               #########################                     ##############                         ##############                                #######                                ####                             ####################                       #############                              ########                               ########                           ####################                   ####################                #############################           #############################           ##############################         ##############################               ######################                 ######################                         ##########                             ##########                                   ########                            #####                               ##########                                    ####                                 ############                           ############                       ########################               ########################             ###############################         ###############################           ############################           ############################                  ##################                     ##################                            #######                                 #######                               ###########                           ################                             #####                                   #####                              ################                       ################              --|--  sound.wav          (Wave)--L39012--04%---------------------------------   

How to convert RealAudio streams into WAV (which you can then encode to MP3):

1. Install mplayer. It’s available for OS X and Linux.

2. Put the following definitions in your .bashrc file:

   function radownload {   if [ "$1" = "--help" ]; then     echo radownload [url or .ram file] file.ra   else     mplayer -dumpstream -dumpfile $2 $1   fi } function ra2wav {   if [ "$1" = "--help" ]; then     echo ra2wav file.ra file.wav   else     mplayer -ao pcm:file=$2 -vc dummy -vo null $1   fi } 

3. Start up a new shell and convert away:

   % radownload rtsp://www.suckysite.com/media/foo.rm audio.ra
   % ra2wav audio.ra audio.wav

Adapting the instructions for Windows is left as an exercise for the reader.

If you listen to portable audio equipment a lot, you’ve probably noticed that most portable units can barely drive a set of headphones. You have to crank the volume all the way up, and even then the sound is either distorted beyond recognition, or feeble and lacking in‘kick’. This is particularly an issue with MiniDisc units and very small MP3 players.

The solution to the problem is simple: you need a headphone amplifier. Unfortunately, they’re generally big and expensive. Either that, or you have to build them yourself. So, how would you like an audiophile-grade headphone amplifier that’s barely larger than the 3x AAA cells that power it, yet features a carefully designed headphone crossover circuit to expand the soundstage and avoid that “voices in your head” effect?

Would you like it to have plenty of power to drive even a set of electrostatic headphones or high-end Sennheisers? Would you like it to be super-efficient and run for 120 hours on one set of batteries?

If the answer to these questions is ‘Yes’, pick up an XIN Super Mini Amp.

You can now get a motherboard with a built-in tube amplifier.

Today I saw a loudspeaker demagnetizing CD.

Yup, the idea is that you play it, and it sends special digital signals through your loudspeakers, removing residual magnetism and hence improving sound quality. A bargain at £11.99

.

I swear you can sell hi-fi nuts anything if you can come up with a Star Trek explanation of how it might work.