The Record The Crystalume Caper

JCAllison

Hey MarkE,
Your acquiescence is VERY much appreciated. Sometimes worry that what is conveyed might be considered off-topic, and might not be considered proper or acceptable. BUT, am quite gratified by the response AND results that this "Caper" thread has received so far. There is SO MUCH MORE to it than what has already been proffered.

WOW! Didn't even know that THAT existed. Am going to go lurk&haunt there for a bit. Then will, most likely, have lots to ask. And IF they are as good as the AVF-ians HERE, we should have the MIDI stuff up and running as good as is the DTV stuff.

An anecdote: As you might or might not have yet discerned by the rather incidental mention, but there is a side of ~~~AllisonWonderland~~~ (BTW, that's me) that is heavily involved in a couple of quite rare, classic (read that "OLD") Vehicles (Ms. American 3.14159, and Lorrie Van Haul).

They both have become "world famous" (at least to those interested) by having BOTH been (I hesitate to use the term) "touted" on The "FordMuscle Forum", The" DodgeTalk" Forum, and most recently (since FMF and DT were taken over by a company from Canada), The FordForumsOnline".

Both Ms. American, and Lorrie were each the subjects of their OWN multiple "Caper" threads, which came to be the most read, and the most responded to threads ever on those three forums.

And in the same manner, am endeavoring to do the same thing here on AVF with The Crystalume .

So NOW, with the very kind approval and permission, will start that process for not only The Crystalume, but for Lumia, Vusic, and a little noted subject called "Synaesthesia".

Also, as you may or may not know (though it is mentioned in my Profile) JCAllison is also a writer, and has an Adult Urban Fantasy Trilogy on WordPress that is FREE to be read just for the clicking. BTW, none of the stuff that is being shared here is being done commercially.

For those who would be interested in reading, here is the URL for the trilogy of books titled "The Grasp of Wraiths":

THE GRASP OF WRAITHS

A good friend has permitted me to publish them to WordPress under his name: M.E.Lenns.

A bit of a heads-up, this is an ADULT Urban Fantasy, and as such, sometimes gets a bit... well, I hope you know what I mean.

Anyway, yesterday was almost a total ZERO as far as The Crystalume was concerned because of having to have a blood test, having to run errands, and do shopping. In the process got over-heated and over-extended, and it took the rest of the day to recuperate. "Aging is NOT for sissies!" (Bette Davis).

Strangely, today has been similar as the BT results were in, and had to be retrieved, my rich uncle (who has in infinite supply of funds) sent me the usual and paltry monthly stipend, and it had to be dealt with at the Bank.

Am not quite as beat as yesterday, but am way past being able to deal with The Scalder, the Panasonic Camcorder, the Sceptre X32 TV, and The Crystalume.

But tomorrow morning will be different. And will keep you all updated if, when, and as progress occurs.

Thanks again for the "Green Light". Take care.

JC

JCAllison

Hey All,
Had a very nice lunch, and found the energy&focus was amplified to the point that was able to move the Crystalume to a better location in the TV Studio, and then the Arrays were gotten out of their storage case, and put in The Crystalume. Got the Panasonic Camcorder, and Sceptre X32 TV turned on, and focused the Camcorder on the Rear Projection Screen.

Booted The Scryer, and just to make sure that everything was still working, went through the process of putting Windows Movie Maker into capture mode. The image that the Camcorder was seeing came up in the Preview Window. So it is all working, and even the Time/Date Display is STILL functional even though the system hadn't been turned on since last Sunday.

No recording was attempted because that will be done tomorrow when we give the system its first test with The Crystalume.

It's about time for to take my meds, have a bedtime snack, and head for the couch! Am generally up between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. That's when E-Mails are answered, News headlines noted, though the stories are not read (because the mass media's effusions will do to one's brain what cigarettes do to one's lungs). Then work on the second Washington Jefferson Roosevelt Lincoln Trilogy, titled "Senescenses End" is done. Am about half way through the second book.

Anyway, it's supposed to rain here this evening. Hope it does. That will cool everything off. Hope this finds YOU all doing well, and having a GREAT day. Take care.

JC

JCAllison

Hey All,
Just finished the first major test of The Crystalume, and The Scryer Audio/Video Production System.

Am sitting here in a state of semi-exhaustion trying to figure out what to tell you all.

First, The Crystalume still does what it does. So THAT'S good.

The Image (Colors and Shapes) on the Sceptre TV is as it should be. So there's NO problem with THAT.

Next, comes the matter of Production Sequence. By that is meant: How to get everything functioning simultaneously.

There is the Audio Playback.
There is the Video Capture.
There is The Crystalume.

All have to be coordinated so that The Video Capture, and The Crystalume ARE working WHEN the Audio starts to play.

Getting THAT "situational condition" accomplished is going to take a LOT of coordination, which, sorry to say, was NOT the case here today.

We were NOT ready!

It's harder than it looks.

Even though the equipage is all there, the necessary preparation of the Sound, Sight, and Talent is TOTALLY and WOEFULLY lacking.

Am thinking that the Audio is going to have to have a LONG, blank, lead-in so that it can be started, but won't actually make any sound for as long as it takes to:

1) Get the Capture started.
2) Get The Crystalume turned on.
3) Get the Arrays properly in hand. And
4) Be ready when the Audio starts.

This wouldn't be difficult if there was ANOTHER person involved, but for just ONE person to handle doing ALL those functions is going to take not only quite a bit of preparation, but a lot of practice to acquire the expertise to do all this stuff in EXACTLY the right sequence, and duration.

Then there is the matter of: After doing all that is necessary to record in what seems to be a MAD FRENZY, the Crystalumist has to SUDDENLY be in the right mood, and calm mental state to NOT be just thrashing MINDLESSLY about!

Am assuming that by doing this over and over, that the doing of it will eventually get to the point of it being a "smooth" enough routine to accomplish it all efficaciously.

And even though we MAY get to THAT point, there is STILL one LAST consideration, and that is: Being practiced enough to be "virtuoso" at playing The Crystalume.

After not doing it (except occasionally showing someone WHAT The Crystalume does) since the  last time that it was actually done "In Concert", which was in 1996(!), am a "little" out of practice! Read that as: "Am virtually a beginner again".

When we recorded the Sensatiation program in 1972, Kenan Doyle Branam ran the Video Recording, and later did the editing. Pat Fant handled the Audio. All I had to do was be prepared (and practiced) enough to calmly, and with sufficient virtuosity make the Images with The Crystalume. THAT all took a week to get together for the six to ten hours that it took to produce a half-hour program.

There is another factor: The amount of energy available to do all this. In the hour that it took to come to the above realizations and conclusions, I am almost completely WIPED OUT!

Didn't think that it was going to be this hard. BUT, what the hell, it's what I want to do, and so we're going to just continue.

First thing: Am thinking that what we need to do about the audio is to just (however it is done) loop the selection so that it plays over and over.

Next: The Scryer has a HDD with 3.5 TB Free. A couple of minutes of Video is about 50 GB. So it's not like we can't just record for a half hour at a time.

Then there is the most IFFY, and SERIOUS consideration. ME! Am I going to be able to survive all that it is going to take to do this, not just once, but over and over? "A man's got to know his limitations." (Dirty Harry)!

Let me rest on this for a bit. Then we'll see. This first time was a train wreck. It's GOT to get better, AND easier.

Take care everyone.

JC

JCAllison

Hey All,
This is a bit of a commentary on the test that was done two days ago.

The Audio is in MP3 Format. It is not editable. Putting a "count-in" at the beginning of the Audio selection should have been done when MAKING the Audio Track. When the ORIGINAL Audio gets converted to MP3, everything except just the Audio that is going to be used is deleted.

Actually, what needs to be done is leave a LONNNNG no-sound, dead-zone ahead of the count-in, which should be long enough to be able to get the Video Capture started, the lights turned off, the Crystal Arrays in hand, The Crystalume turned on, and get calmed down enough to do a virtuoso performance. It's NOT going to be impossible, but it isn't something that can be done perfectly the first time it is done. It's going to have to be choreographed!

BUT, there IS an easier way!

There is in Windows Media Player a click-on Button that will "loop" the Audio. It will play over, and over, till it is told to stop! So it will be possible to start the Audio, get the Video to capturing, get the lights turned off, get the Arrays in hand, get The Crystalume turned on, and wherever the Audio is at that time is unimportant. Will just start performing.

Eventually the end of the Selection will come, and it will start over.

THAT'S when the REAL recording begins.

Will do maybe four or five Video Recording passes with the Audio looping.

Will then put down the Arrays, shut down The Crystalume, stop the Capture, and the Audio playback. It will then be but a matter of editing from what was captured.

It was naive of me to think it was going to be EASY PEASY! By the time everything was going, I was worn out, and totally stressed to the point that what was done on The Crystalume was worse than useless!

Am in virgin territory here. The fantasy of doing what was intended turned out to have a HARSH reality.

It had been twenty-two years since I last played The Crystalume in 1996! In the interim, Lorrie Van Haul had sat comatose for sixteen years. I got diagnosed with this autoimmune Liver disease twenty years ago in 1998. Then Lorrie got rebuilt, Ms. American's Front Suspension got rebuilt.

Then it was decided that what was wanted was to get the Video System together. That had a lot of stuff involved, and took quite a few months to get things to where they are presently.

But imagine that I am a concert pianist, and I last played piano in 1996. Then sat down to play again after twenty-two years. The result would be miserable. It just isn't going to happen like that.

So here we are, Have spent most of yesterday listening to three, two-minute selections of Audio. Getting to know each beat, each change, each characteristic sound. Watching the music in my head, deciding which shape and color to make each of the Audio elements. Then the next thing to do is to rehearse (reseese?). It is going to have to be done over and over till the "chops" return. THEN, and only then will we be able to record.

BUT, have to say that while the first test was discouraging, It was ALSO encouraging.

Discouraging because what was done was so WOEFULLY miserable.

Encouraging because even though it was HORRIBLE, the Light, Colors, Shapes, and Motions are just EXQUISITELY GORGEOUS! It never ceases to amaze me when I see THAT kind of BEAUTY!

So the realization is: It isn't going to be EASY PEASY. But it will get done, and can only get better.

A note about 1996: Jeane Z. Champion, and I had just finished doing six performances a day, six days a week, for six weeks. We did the same program 216 times in a row. It got to be sooo good. Best it had ever been. It was AMAZING! If all works out, am going to try to get back to that level of expertise and virtuosity.

The trepidation now is that back then I was only 57 years old. I'll be 80 next January 30th. Don't have the energy and stamina today that I had back then. But what the hell, I have nothing better to do.

This may be like rebuilding Ms. American's Front Suspension. By the time it was finished, I was in better physical shape than I was when it was started.

Anyway, everything happens when it's supposed to happen. Will just take it bit-by-bit, little-by-little, step-by-step, and if it get done, GREAT. If it doesn't, then at least I'm doing something that I LOVE to do!

Will just have to wait and see.
What will be will be.
Time will tell.
Be well.

JC

PS: A not of mention to MarkE. Have posted over at the Pro-Audio & Musician's Forum. Have had a few hits, but no response yet.

JCAllison

Hey All,
File this update in the folder labeled "Why Can't Anything Be Easy?"

Have just finished a second practice session (which actually went quite well).

When turning the Spindler Sauppe Slide Projector ON, one moves the Three Position Switch UP, which turns on the Sylvania BRN Bulb, the Internal Cooling Fan, AND the External Cooling Fan.

When turning the SSSP OFF, one moves the Three Position Switch all the way DOWN, which turns off the Sylvania BRN Bulb, but leaves the Internal Cooling Fan, AND the External Cooling Fan running.

To turn OFF the Internal Cooling Fan, AND the External Cooling Fan, one moves the Three Position Switch to the Middle Position.

So when the practice session was finished, the Three Position Switch was moved from the UP Position to the DOWN Position, BUT the Sylvania BRN Bulb didn't stop burning! NOT GOOD!

Don't know WHY this happened. It has never happened before.

The External Cooling Fan is electrically connected to the Projector, and if that Connection isn't plugged in, the Sylvania BRN Bulb will not light when the Switch is turned ON.

So, when the Sylvania BRN Bulb didn't stop burning when the Switch was put into the DOWN Position, in order to get the Bulb to stop burning, the External Fan's Electrical Connection was pulled out of the Projector, which made the Bulb stop burning, but also stopped the External Fan from Cooling.

Fortunately the Internal Fan was still running which helped a bit, but it's still NOT GOOD.

What to do?

Am going to have to take the Projector Module off of the Crystalume, take the SSSP out of the Projection Module, Take it apart to see WHY the Switch isn't turning off when in the Down Position.

"It's always something." (Roseanne Roseannadanna)

Will let you know how it goes.

JC

MarkE19

I'm sure we can simplify the starting & stopping of the audio playback and video capture. One way would be to use an app on your mobile phone (I know you said it is old, but maybe it will work) such as one of these - 5 Best Apps To Control PC From Android via Bluetooth, Wifi Or Remotely Over The Internet

Also adding blanks sound at the start of an MP3 is fairly easy - Add silence to MP3 beginning
Plenty of other options on Google, I just did a search for 'add silence to start of mp3'

I'm sure things like remote controlled power sockets or light switches could also make life easier for you.
Remote Control 120v Switch: Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_12/131-9332970-8112139?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=remote light switch&sprefix=remote light,aps,220&crid=1UQ93JI7Z1DFY

So hopefully you can put more of your energy into the actual performance.

Mark.

JCAllison

Hey MarkE,
While an old Samsung Galaxy S3 was gifted me, it is not used for anything other than taking JPGs  (which it does VERY well), and it HAS, on a couple of occasion used to make short videos, not so much for the visuals, but for the audio. Some of the guys on the FordForumOnline wanted to hear the exhaust sound of Ms. American's Police Interceptor Engine.

I don't have a mobile phone account as no one ever calls me, but also, I am so seldom out and about that the Land Lines that are in the house is all the phone service that is needed. Besides the ability of The Scryer's Windows Media Player to loop the MP3s is NOW preferable to starting the music remotely.

Did the search, and found "MP3 Direct Cut", a free program with which to edit MP3 files. It never crossed my mind to see if there was such a program. Am sometimes not too bright.

The lights in the Vusic Studio are all on Wall Mounted Toggle Switches. In getting used to what all has to be done in the recording process, have found that it isn't all that difficult after all. It was just that the first time was chaotic, and then over-thought when imagining what had to be done.

The main problem now is that the Projector Bulb won't go OFF with the External Cooling Fan running. Am going to see if that can be fixed tomorrow.

As the procedure becomes more refined, am sure that this will be the eventuality.

Anyway, it has been a pretty good day. Thanks for the thoughtful response. Will be in touch.

Take care.

JC

JCAllison

Hey MarkE, and All,
The thought occurred last night that it would be nice to have a Head-Worn Microphone connected to the Panasonic Camcorder's 3.5mm Microphone Input. The problem with doing that is that it cuts the Camcorder's External Microphone.

So then the next thought was to have a Microphone for each of the Three Speakers (Left, Right, and Center (Bass)) that would also be connected where the Head-Worn Microphone is connected to the Camcorder's 3.5mm IN port.

Thought to do this, would have to have a Four Channel Mixer.

Each Microphone would be connected to the Four-Channel Mixer, and then it would be connected to the Camcorder.

Have done a couple of searches to see if there is anything available to accomplish the getting of the Stereo Sound, plus a Head-Worn Microphone into the Camcorder, but didn't find anything. Suspect it is just that I don't know WHAT to ask for.

First question: Is there an easier way to do this?

Second question: What would be the proper terms to use in a search for such an item?

Anyway, all is well here. Am going to be doing some work on the Lumpit today. Had a kind of epiphany about it last night. Am going to see if what was envisioned will actually work.

Thanks in advance for any assistance. Take care.

JC

Terfyn

Do you need to mic up the speakers?
Could you take a tapping either at the amp running the speakers or from the Line In to the amp?

There are a great range of mixers, my preference would be the Behringer range. (I have some Behringer stuff and like it) The advantage of a mixer is that you can pan any of the inputs to your preferred location in the stereo field. I still suggest you use an attenuator between any mixer and the camera mic input.

MarkE19

How about searching for '4 channel microphone mixer', it found this for me
SCM268 4-Channel Microphone Mixer | Shure Americas

But as Terfyn says you should be able to take a line out from the audio system to feed directly into the camcorder. Or you can mix in your microphone using a cheaper mixer such as this
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-502-BEHRINGER-XENYX/dp/B000J5UEGQ/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_267_bs_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2ZWH9M72C8MH1238KC1W

Mark.