Copper


Every Picture Tells A Story, Or, How I Recreate...

Issue 145FEATURED

Today’s renaissance of vinyl as a chosen physical music format represents an opportunity for baby boomers to recapture their collective youth. In the 1970s, record stores were the place to hang out...

Self-Help Before YouTube: More Records to Impro...

Issue 145FEATURED

Have you ever wondered how we learned to do things (repair/install/build/develop skills, etc.) before smartphones and YouTube came along?  Well, back in ancient times, before “there’s an app for that,”...

Mister Mister and the Misses

Issue 145THE MINDFUL MELOPHILE

This month the Melophile suggests music by composers who either deserve better recognition or are already well-known but have written major works that were overshadowed by their own “biggest hits.”...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part Three

Issue 145NEW VISTAS

  Part One and Part Two of this series appeared in Issue 143 and Issue 144. I felt emancipated as I pulled into the highway and away from the renegades. I’d miss Candy...

Lyle Mays – Composer, Arranger, Producer and Ke...

Issue 145FEATURED

Part One (Issue 144) covered Lyle Mays’ recordings as a leader and as part of the Pat Metheny Group. The series concludes here. In the last installment, we looked at Lyle...

Lefty Frizzell: Country Music Bedrock

Issue 145OFF THE CHARTS

Everybody knows who Hank Williams is, but somehow Lefty Frizzell is not a household name. In the early days of country music, however, the two men were equally important in...

Stuff Smith: Black Violin

Issue 145TRADING EIGHTS

Leroy “Stuff” Smith, born in 1909, helped turn the violin into a jazz instrument. His dad taught him classical violin when he was growing up in Ohio, but when Louis...

An I²S Follow Up…And More Steven Wilson Remix/R...

Issue 145TO BE DETERMINED

In my article in Copper Issue 141 I talked about my new setup using a Douk Audio USB digital interface to get an I²S output signal fed to my PS Audio GainCell...

Issue 145

Issue 145Opening Salvo

Recently we received an e-mail stating that “Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) as we have all known it will be no more.” I felt sadder and more disappointed than I...

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Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part Two

Issue 144New Vistas

Part One of the story appeared in Issue 143. Recap By the time I got my helmet and jacket off, the warlord was standing next to me – a big...

What Exactly is Classic Rock? Part Two

Issue 144Twisted Systems

In Part One (Issue 143), Jay Jay talked with FM DJ Joe Rock of Long Island’s radio station WBAB, and asked the question: just how, exactly, do we define classic...

Moving to Computer Audio: A Comprehensive Overv...

Issue 144

An Individual Approach to Computer Audio Mention the words “computer audio” and it is likely to mean different things to different people. To traditional audiophiles, it could mean convenient access...

Martin Theophilus of The Museum of Magnetic Sou...

Issue 144Revolutions per minute

Martin Theophilus is the Executive Director of the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording (MOMSR), a private collection of recording machines, tapes and other materials, along with a companion website. The...

Diamonds and Rust

Issue 144Audio Anthropology

Point taken: yes, you could get a Grado XTE+1 cartridge for $19.95 in the 1970s ("the free nickel bag of high-end audio," as my late friend Bob Reina called it),...

The Psychedelic Supermarket

Issue 144True-Life Rock Tales

In issue 141, Issue 142 and Issue 143 Ken wrote about his late 1960s relocation from New York to California. The story continues here. At this point I was over...

Magic and Loss

Issue 144Opening Salvo

I and so many of us are saddened by the passing of Nanci Griffith at 68. Some singers are good, some are truly great, and the rare few can move...

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The Future of Jazz Clubs: a Crossroads and a Co...

Issue 144Featured

For some time, many music industry critics and pundits have postulated that jazz is dead. Even the great Wynton Marsalis wrote a song called “The Death of Jazz.” Some of...

More SACD Reviews of New Releases

Issue 144To be Determined

The Doobie Brothers – What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits I’ve always had this kind of love/hate relationship with the Mobile Fidelity record label, and that goes all the way back...

Nanci Griffith: Sometimes a Rare Music

Issue 144Sitting In

A master of songcraft is silent now, passing on Friday, August 13, 2021. Nanci Griffith, singer, songwriter and proponent of “folkabilly”: her unique combination of folk and country is gone at 68. Griffith was born in...

Lyle Mays – Composer, Arranger, Producer and Ke...

Issue 144Featured

It’s been a year and a half since we lost the brilliant composer, arranger and keyboardist Lyle Mays. While he had avoided the limelight during the last phase of his...

Some Notable Analog Recordings, Part Three

Issue 144Featured

As I mentioned in my previous article (Issue 142), I recently installed a new cartridge. Even though it is the exact same model as the cartridge I had used for...

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Kings of Swamp Rock

Issue 144Off the Charts

They’re known for singing about the bayou with a Louisiana twang, but the members of Creedence Clearwater Revival all came from a suburb of San Francisco. But that’s showbiz, and...

Cassette Multitrack Recorders: the Original DIY...

Issue 144Deep Dive

During the 1960s and 1970s the notion of a personal studio for an artist to record demos or possibly masters of their songs was still an expensive prospect, involving reel-to-reel...

Ragtime World by Augustus: New Rock from Octave...

Issue 144Octave Pitch

Octave Records’ latest release, Ragtime World by Augustus, offers the band’s distinctive blend of melodic indie, alt-rock, post-rock and other not-quite-categorizable music. Since 2014, Augustus has toured the US and...

Singing His Praises: Bach Cantatas

Issue 144Something Old/Something New

Among the 95 suggestions for improving Catholicism that Martin Luther nailed to the door of a Wittenberg church in 1517 was the radical idea that worshippers should be able to...

Up In the Cheap Seats

Issue 144Parting Shot

The Coronado Performing Arts Center, Rockford, Illinois, Row NN, Seat 13. Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick was an honorary member of the committee to restore the theater, and donated an...

Special Delivery

Issue 143PARTING SHOT

This photo was taken on historic Allen Street in Tombstone, Arizona near the O.K. Corral.

Big Macs

Issue 143AUDIO ANTHROPOLOGY

More rarities from The Audio Classics Collection: a pair and a spare of McIntosh MC 3500 hybrid mono power amps, atop a pair of McIntosh ML4C loudspeakers. Not only were...

Jo Quail: An Eclectic Approach to the Cello, Pa...

Issue 143THE COPPER INTERVIEW

In Part One of our interview (Issue 142), cellist Jo Quail discussed her creative processes, and what has inspired her unique approaches to playing the cello and composing. Here, we explore how she is...

The Hong Kong High-End Audio Visual Show 2021

Issue 143INDUSTRY NEWS

August 6 – 8 was the weekend of the 2021 Hong Kong High-End Audio Visual Show, organized by Audiotechnique magazine. This show has been an annual pilgrimage for local audiophiles since 2003,...

An Exploration Into Digital Audio File Compression

Issue 143TO BE DETERMINED

  I first got into digital file streaming about eight years ago at the insistence of my brother, who wouldn’t shut up about it until I got somewhat involved. Of...

Stanley Clarke: Taking the Lead on Bass

Issue 143TRADING EIGHTS

Before Stanley Clarke, most jazz fans thought of the bass as an instrument that kept the rhythmic and harmonic foundations of the music together, and maybe got the occasional solo....

The Audio Butterfly Effect

Issue 143FEATURED

The best-fitting suit is a well-tailored one. You likely would never expect to try on a garment in a store and have it fit perfectly, if taken randomly from just...

Classic Rock Reissues: Real Value or Sonic Head...

Issue 143FEATURED

In the consumer packaged goods biz, it’s common practice for manufacturers to reposition brands as “new and improved.” We’ve seen brands like Tide, Jell-O and Bounty do this time and...

10 Great Music Documentaries

Issue 143FEATURED

A lot of people turned to binge watching during the pandemic lockdowns. Although I wasn’t binging, I did take the opportunity to check out a number of documentaries about bands,...

The Giants of Tape, Part 10: The Telefunken M15...

Issue 143REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE

Part One, Part Two and Part Three of J.I. Agnew’s look at the Telefunken M15A tape machine ran in Issues 140, 141 and 142. His series on the M15A concludes here. One of the...

Garbage: Staying Fresh for Decades

Issue 143OFF THE CHARTS

The number of successful bands that have lasted at least twenty years and never changed personnel is very small. Garbage is one of them. The band is also rare for...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part One

Issue 143NEW VISTAS

It’s a long way to Sturgis, South Dakota; it’s a long way to go. Even for the Black Hills Motorcycle Classic. The temperature was flirting with the ton by mid-day...

Spending Time With the SOTA Escape Turntable

Issue 143FROM THE SWEET SPOT

In Issue 117 I wrote a feature about turntable manufacturer SOTA Sound Inventions, focusing on their history and philosophy as well as their current company direction and product line. After the article was published...

What Exactly Is Classic Rock? Part One

Issue 143TWISTED SYSTEMS

First, a note: Jay Jay’s book, Twisted Business: Lessons From My Life In Rock ‘n’ Roll will be out on September 21 on RosettaBooks. You can hear his podcast, The Jay Jay French...

A Little Knight Music

Issue 143THE MINDFUL MELOPHILE

The Middle Ages lasted from the fall of Rome (c. 500) to the start of the Renaissance (c. 1400 – 1500). It’s a span also referred to as the medieval...

The Music Revolution

Issue 143TRUE-LIFE ROCK TALES

In issue 141 and Issue 142 Ken wrote about his late 1960s relocation from New York to California. The story continues here. Monday just before noon I park my bike at 8709 Santa Monica...

Joshua Radin, The Ghost And The Wall: No Bounda...

Issue 143DISCIPLES OF SOUND

Singer-songwriter Joshua Radin has recently released “Goodbye,” a single from his new record The Ghost And The Wall, which came out on July 23. This gold-selling singer-songwriter’s ninth studio album explores the...

Seeking Clarity About Transparency

Issue 143FRANKLY SPEAKING

Back in the 1980s or maybe earlier, “transparency” became the buzzword in high-end audio. Harry Pearson of The Absolute Sound was a big proponent of the term, and soon many reviewers and sycophants jumped...

A Visit to Capitol Studios

Issue 143DEEP DIVE

“7 Audio Wonders of the World” was a series of virtual recording studio tours created by the Audio Engineering Society (AES) as the star attraction for its AES Fall Show...