Copper

Sam Cooke: Legendary Soul

Sam Cooke was only two years old in 1933 when his family moved from Mississippi to Chicago. Lucky for us that they did, since it gave young Sam plenty of...

The Virtual Audio Dealer

Wendell Diller is the marketing manager for Magnepan. Located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Magnepan is the manufacturer of Magneplanar loudspeakers. In the 1970s and 1980s, if you bought a...

A Little Traveling Music

Point Taken

I met and fell in love with this succulent at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden. He's gorgeous, sturdy and logical, but just a little prickly.

Our Staff

Staff Writers:J.I. Agnew, Ray Chelstowski, Cliff Chenfeld, Jay Jay French, Tom Gibbs, Roy Hall, Rich Isaacs, Anne E. Johnson, Don Kaplan, Don Lindich, Tom Methans, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic,...

On or Off?

Should you leave your hi-fi gear on or turn it off? Everybody knows, of course: if it’s solid-state, leave it on. If it’s tube, shut it off. A couple weeks...

Issue 136

Guy Michelmore: Film and TV Composer and Educat...

In Part One (Issue 140), Guy Michelmore revealed many insights into what it takes to be a successful composer for TV and for film. Here he tells us more about what contributes...

AES Show Spring 2021, Part Three: Recreating Au...

As a result of COVID-19, AES (Audio Engineering Society) Show Spring 2021, named “Global Resonance,” was conducted online from Europe. This afforded me the rare opportunity to view a number...

Streaming Digital Audio Via the I²S Connection

I’ve talked a lot in recent articles about ditching the digital disc playback model and moving towards a strictly streaming-based setup for all my digital playback. I haven’t gotten rid...

Taking Control: A Personal Journey

In issue 140, I told the story of Carter, a Texan who seems to have beat cancer by means of changing his environment. The reason it had such an impact on me is...

I Hear Music…

This is an attempt to describe how I experience one of life’s greatest sensory pleasures – music. I don’t listen to songs. By that, I mean I don’t really give...

Art Farmer: A Trumpeter for Every Style

Art Farmer was unusual for his time for loving swing and bebop equally. His work as a small-group innovator – in particular, with his Jazztet – was no less important...

The Giants of Tape, Part Eight: The Telefunken ...

In the previous episode (Issue 140), the Telefunken M15 and M15A machines were introduced. Time to look at them under the microscope. The M15A transport was available in 1/4-inch, 1/2-inch, 1-inch and...

Erykah Badu: The First Lady of Neo-Soul

Born Erica Abi Wright 1971 in Dallas, by her teens Erykah Badu was performing hip-hop on live radio shows. She chose the name “Badu” after her favorite syllables in jazz...

I Bought It for the A-Side

In the days before streaming; in the days before CDs, cassettes and LPs; back in the days of dance parties and portable phonographs there were 45s – little black records...

Art Dudley: A Tribute

On July 11, 2021 at Brown’s Brewing Company in Troy, New York, a memorial event was held to celebrate the life of Art Dudley, who passed away on April 14,...

Will Van Dyke: From Broadway to Solo Breakout

For my money, Ted Lasso is the best show on television today. Starring former Saturday Night Live cast member and staff writer Jason Sudeikis, it tells the story of a successful college football coach...

Radios, Radios

I bought a new radio last week. I did not need a new radio, but here’s the thing: I like to buy radios. They were my first fetish objects. I...

Sustaining Creativity

Many years ago, I owned and ran a UK guitar shop, which my family and I had purchased as a going concern. It was a very successful and happy business...

Some Notable Analog Recordings, Part Two

In Part One (Issue 141), Adrian looked at vinyl versus tape playback, the record-manufacturing process, and one of his favorite recordings, the Lyrita Recorded Edition LP of Malcolm Arnold and the London...

Confessions of a Record Collector, Part Two

In Part One (Issue 137) I noted that many of us have made the transition from mere purchasers of record albums to hopelessly hooked vinyl collectors. For example, my friend Alex, who...

Stephen Duffy: Flying Beyond Duran Duran With t...

“Rock royalty” is perhaps an overused term these days. But there are those who have applied their creative hand to so many pieces of music over time that it’s impossible...

Finding a Place for Bass

In our previous article, “The Audio Butterfly Effect” (issue 143), we looked at some options for the placement of multiple subwoofers to achieve a smoother in-room low-frequency response. In this article we’ll...

London “Decca” Cartridges: Unique Design, Timel...

Decca cartridges are unique transducers with quite a bit of interesting history behind them, starring with the Decca company itself. From their 1929 beginnings as a British record company and...

Heart’s Ann Wilson: Wandering Through the Wonder

For a musical genre known to favor male vocalists, there are few men or women who have made the kind of impact that Ann Wilson has on rock n roll. As co-founder...

Paul Brett: Guitarist, Designer and Collector o...

Paul Brett is a renowned guitarist, performer and recording artist. He’s also an instrument historian and designer, a journalist, and a collector. Paul has played with the Strawbs, the Crazy...

Down the Rabbit Hole of SACD Ripping and DSD Ex...

I’m a firm believer in fair use when it comes to audio media — if you bought it, you own it, and you’re free to do with it as you...

Deko Entertainment: Moving Rock's Legacy Forward

When Gene Simmons of the band KISS said that “Rock is dead” in 2014, it sent shock waves throughout the industry. He later clarified his comments by saying that new...

The Dawn of Digital and Film Sound Sync: Tales ...

1986 seems like ancient history but at the same time, it also seems like it could have been only last week. It was a time when digital sound was a...

Moonlight Feels Right

Found inside a fortune cookie: "Because of your melodic nature, the moonlight never misses an appointment." Well, OK then! I try not to miss any either. in this issue: Ray...

The Yamaha Influence, Part Two

In Part One (Issue 134), we looked at Yamaha as being both a musical instrument maker and a manufacturer of audio components, and how each of those sides of the...

Sonny Rollins: Tenor Colossus

Known as the Saxophone Colossus, tenor sax master Sonny Rollins worked tirelessly in the jazz scene for over 70 years. Retired now at age 91, he’s one of the few...

Roy Acuff: Country Music Originator

It’s fair to say that singer Roy Acuff was one of the inventors of country music. He was among a handful of innovators who shifted the sounds of old-time mountain...

Unconscious Power

Holes in the Story

The 8-Track Mind

A shrine to 8-track tape! Taken at The Telegraph record store, New London, Connecticut. Photo by Ray Chelstowski. We can't think of a better Mother's Day gift. Philips ad, 1950s?...

Our Staff

Staff Writers:J.I. Agnew, Ray Chelstowski, Cliff Chenfeld, Jay Jay French, Tom Gibbs, Roy Hall, Rich Isaacs, Anne E. Johnson, Don Kaplan, Don Lindich, Tom Methans, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic,...

Reclamation Project

A commercial building in Lake City, Minnesota, near the Mississippi River. The foliage is slowly reclaiming the building.

Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul

It’s been said that the way people respond to your death is the best indicator of how you were regarded in life. When Aretha Franklin passed away in 2018 at...

Eric Clapton and The Lady in the Balcony

In 1992, when Eric Clapton recorded an episode of MTV Unplugged at Bray Studios in London, the series featuring artists playing acoustic instruments was already well into its third season, having started...

Issue 135

Issue 134

Only Two More Days Till Tomorrow

With Copper’s new format, long “Opening Salvo” intros take up a lot of space when viewed on a phone, so we’ll keep them short from now on. This line from...

Hey Jude

Music can bring you back to a certain time and place. I recently dug out and played Marche Militaire No. 1 by Schubert. This was my first record. I had heard it...

Living With Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: D...

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are all around us. We’re constantly bombarded by low-level EMF from computer screens, Wi-Fi, cell phones and other devices. However, since EMF is invisible, most of us...

The Yamaha Influence, Part One

Is a music instrument manufacturer that also makes home audio gear, such as Yamaha, uniquely poised or best equipped to faithfully reproduce music to a high quality in their stereo...

Streaming Audio and Other Rants

First off, I hope many of you are listening to my new Podcast called The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music (available on Spotify, Apple Music and Podcastone.com) Great topics, great guests, and my new...

Small Town Charm, Big Town Music: My Father’s P...

Bruce Springsteen frequently sings about the grit and hardships of growing up in Freehold, NJ. His emotional writing makes it easy to visualize the life experiences he encountered in a...

Rita Indiana and Her Magic Blender

My obsession with Rita Indiana began when I read a profile of her by Daniel Alarcón in The New Yorker. It seems like I read the article years ago, because Indiana’s music...