Mic cable rip-off

Am partway through one final task before bed:  finally repairing some microphone cables and instrument cables that I've been meaning to do (one mic and one instrument cable from church, about 6-9 months ago; two mic and two instrument cables of my own, that have needed repairing for maybe 2-3 years).

One mic cable (mine) I'd marked "BAD - THIS END".  Upon disassembly I realized that only two of the three pins were connected: the shield (ground), and one of the "live" pins. (All three pins are supposed to be connected -- one pin to the braided "shield" that goes around the interior of the cable, and each of of the other two pins to each of the wires that runs down the centre.  So I looked at the other end:  same thing.  So maybe I was using a device that relied on one of the non-standard pins -- and that's why it didn't work for me?  (Dunno -- it's been too long.)

Regardless:  that's a rip-off (IMO) to sell a "microphone" cable that doesn't connect all the pins -- because it doesn't have the "noise-suppressing" capability that two interior wires (connected properly) would provide.  Clearly the manufacturer couldn't spring for a slightly better cable that had two wires in the core.

 

It's analagous to selling a car that has some of the bolts that hold the car together:  yeah, it'll work -- but it's not as robust, and you're not getting what you think you're paying for.

I've salvaged the two ends of the mic cable (perfectly decent), and have labelled the cord as a future instrument cable.  I have some extra 1/4" jacks -- but, no hurry, as one of my recent projects was to build a mega cable rack (will remedially post pics at some point), and consolidate all of my cables (mic; instrument; RCA) -- years of accumulation; some in use, but most in various boxes.  Turns out that (including the short cables that go between f/x pedals) I have more cables of each type than I actually need:  I'm glad that when I sold my last two electric guitars (both to beginners) I gave each buyer a few (inexpensive) instrument cables, just to get them started; and, will post a message at work that I have extra cables.   

 

So -- no hurry to build yet another instrument cable:  I have enough.

Still disappointing, though, that someone would sell a "microphone" cable that doesn't meet the minimum standard. 

--GG

 

 

P.S.  I've written this blog entry (and also e-mailed the above to a few musician-y friends) -- so I might just wrap it up rather than getting out my soldering gear:  another night.  :)

Taylor swift sings like Suzanne Vega

Am listening to Taylor Swift's Folklore album on YouTube (I don't "do" Spotify; considered getting the album on LP, but it's AU$80, which I can't justify).  

He vocals sound a lot like Suzanne Vega's.

Most of the songs aren't as immediately catchy ("hook-y") as her more well-known work.  Some good lyrics in there, though.

I'm pleased that she's found some good co-writers -- and maybe I'm just wishing that **I** had people to collaborate with, as well -- but it would be good if she would go back to writing her own stuff.

That said:  if she was in a band (e.g. The Beatles), then I wouldn't have this issue about solo-songwriting.  It's probably about being a "pop" (and before that, "country") artist -- both of which have strong traditions of people writing songs for the performer.  My assessment is that writing the song is the hardest part: once you have a good song, it's hard to mess up the "interpretation".

Which is why cover songs as an artist's "breakthrough" release are a bit of a "cheat":  if the song was a hit once, it's pretty easy to make it a hit again.

--GG

Going through a cheese phase

If a book is well-written, I'll tend to read it -- even if it's not about a topic I'd usually be interested in.  Thus, about a year ago (Oh!  July 23, 2018 -- I wrote inside the front cover) I bought a "Cheeses of the World" book (A First Course in Cheese).  I've always thought cheeses were nice, but I was never "into" them.  But, after reading the book, I bought a few "fancy" cheeses from the "fancy cheese" section of the supermarket -- one or two per trip.  That lasted a few weeks -- but then I drifted away.

For some reason, though, a few months ago I came back to cheese.  I had two or three at work (I sometimes mix it in to my microwaved veggies, for added flavor), and a few at home as well (just for nibbling).  And this morning I started a notebook, and sat down and methodically tasted each of my cheeses -- logging the (approximate) date of purchase, the type, the location I bought it and the cost per kilo, and my impressions.  At the moment I have nine recorded (and seven in the 'fridge [I finished off two, which were just lingering -- small little pieces]).

I logged the cheeses because I have a poor memory -- especially for names -- so I knew that I'd lose track of which I'd tried... and more importantly, which ones I really liked (so that I could come back to them!).  My favorite thus far is the Meredith Dairy chevre goat cheese:  soft, creamy, full flavor; would be good on toast; niiiice!  (Noting that I bought it in mid-October (it's currently January 7th), but it got pushed to the back of the 'fridge -- so it may have continued to age more than if I got a "new" batch. 

The prices of the cheeses range from AU$38-AU$60/kg -- but because I'm the only one in the house that likes cheese (except for The Girl -- and she'll only eat mild cheddar -- I get the smallest little pre-cut wedges I can find -- which usually comes to around AU$3.50-$6.00 per purchase.  And then because I tend to only eat little nibbles, they last me a few weeks.  

The one I'm least enamored with is the Swiss gruyere:  nothing wrong with it -- but because I have a somewhat dull sense of taste, it just tastes like cheddar to me.  And at $52/kg, I'm better off just buying cheddar. 

I haven't ventured into the "stinky" or blue cheeses yet:  I tried one a few months ago, but it was too strong for me and had to give it away to a co-worker.  But I've just put into the microwave some veggies with an over-ripe (i.e. bought it three months ago) Tasmanian Heritage double brie:  it's getting a little "tangy" -- but I anticipate it being good on veggies.

--GG