martes, 1 de mayo de 2007

Karlheinz Brandenburg and The Secret History of MP3


Early History

Brandenburg first came to wrestle with the problems of compressing
music as early as 1977. Professor Dieter Seitzer had the idea of
creating a method of transferring music over a standard phone line.
His ideas were ahead of their time and he was initially refused any
research money to develop them, but nevertheless established a
group of technicians and scientists that had an interest in the
subject. Brandenburg's interest in mathematics, electronics and
off the wall ideas made him a natural ally.
Basic compression techniques and theories were formed long before
the pre-computer era, but not a lot was known about applying them
to set mediums such as sound. Today, Brandenburg has expressed
surprise that so few projects had explored the area previously;
especially when it had a huge commercial potential.
With little previous research to build on, the team had to create their
own methods, theories and research. They used quiet tracks such as
Susan Vega's 'Tom's Diner' as their test bed. Here the compromises
and faults would be easier to pick up. Therefore Vega can claim to be
the first artist of MP3.
.
.

Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega

Tom's Diner
Suzanne Vega

  • I am sitting in the morning at the diner on the corner.I am waiting at the counter for the man to pour the coffee. And he fills it only halfway and before I even argue, he is looking out the window at somebody coming in.
  • It is always nice to see you says the man behind the counter to the woman who has come in. She is shaking her umbrella. And I look the other way as they are kissing their hellos. And I'm pretending not to see them, and instead I pour the milk.
  • I open up the paper, there's a story of an actor who had died while he was drinking. It was no one I had heard of. And I'm turning to the horoscope, and looking for the funnies, when I’m feeling someone watching me and so I raise my head
  • There's a woman on the outside looking inside. Does she see me? No, she does not really see me cause she sees her own reflection. And I'm trying not to notice that she’s hitching up her skirt. And while she's straightening her stockings, her hair has gotten wet.
  • Oh this rain it will continue through the morning as I'm listening to the bells of the cathedral, I am thinking of your voice and of the midnight picnic once upon a time before the rain began. And I finish up my coffee, and it's time to catch the train.

Phonetic Work

/I/
ship NOT sheep
sitting
in
fills
it
is
window
instead
milk
inside
notice
hitching
listening
midnight
picnic

/r/

straightening
umbrella
trying
train
turning
skirt
story
argue
corner
diner
counter
for
pour
before
other
paper
actor
heard
rain
raise
really
reflection


/th/ +voice

the
they
there’s

/th/ -voice

through
thinking
cathedral

/w/

waiting
window
woman
way
while
was
when
watching
wet
once
no one
someone

Tomado de: http://shelwyn.com/pronunciation/toms_diner/TomsDiner_web.htm