Dream or nightmare?: "jbl sessions" tracks, can we use them?

[hjames]

Of course, life has intruded a bit - but I did get the additional superdrive (CD/DVD burner)
and do have it loaded in my computer. and I've burned a half dozen coasters trying to dupe the disc ...


I did rip the Audio files, but not consistantly. The disc is a hybrid that plays like a CD, yet has pictures and data files in other directories.
What I am trying to do is create an ISO file from the disc that can be easily burned to create exact copies,
but it seems to trigger DRM and request a password to dupe exactly.

I believe ZTreeWin is just another version of my old favorite XtreePro - but all that did was show you what is on a disc -
I can see the contents of the disc and what is in what directory, but making a playable disc-copy that acts just just like the original is a bit more complex.

Give me a few more days and I'll get back to you ...

Hello HJ, any progress or new information?

I don't know what software/hardware Drew used to make the CD's, but I did notice that all the tracks would play consecutively as in a "jukebox" mode. I've never seen that before.

Now I wish I had looked at the files with ZTREEWIN, where one can display the innards of a file, which is more often than not useful in analyzing such mysteries.

Does anyone have access to a high quality analog to digital converter? If you have a good soundcard the analog output could be digitized and a format selected (or not?)

Didn't someone make CD recorders with analog inputs? I am really drawing a blank on this, as it is a new set of gremlins.

Thanks though, HJ, for trying.

[Robh3606]

Hello Heather

If you just want the audio take a look at Total Recorder.

Rob

[hjames]

Hello Heather

If you just want the audio take a look at Total Recorder.

Rob

Thanks Rob!

[Doctor_Electron]

I believe ZTreeWin is just another version of my old favorite XtreePro - but all that did was show you what is on a disc -
I can see the contents of the disc and what is in what directory, but making a playable disc-copy that acts just just like the original is a bit more complex.

Give me a few more days and I'll get back to you ...

HJ, Yes, ZTREEWIN is the ultimate development of the XTREE, et. al. file manager programs. Basically freeware written by a private non-commercial individual as a labor of love.

http://www.ztree.com/html/ztreewin.htm

XTREE was sold to Symantic, who had not a clue what it was about They let it die on the shelf, so ZTREE's programmer took it up to a high level. Its power and capabilities are awesome. Not for the unfocused or weak of heart though... If you execute a command or function it will be carried out with little of the "are you sure" crap as in the Windoze progs.

I had referred to using the "File View" function where a file is selected ans its internal hex coding line by line can be examined and even edited in hex. Additionally the "mask/unmask" function displays or hides hidden texts and some (unknown to me) sort of coding hyroglyphics.

I mentioned this a just another tool available in learning about many of a file's attributes... and lots of mysterious coding but often it is possible to glean otherwise "hidden" internal info.

Hope to hear more from you soon.

P.S. Here is a look at but a very small portion of an MP3 of 1962's #1 Hit Tune "Sukiyaki".

[hjames]

Just upgraded to VMware Fusion 5 - I tried to create an older Snow leopard partition but it doesn't seem to want to let me - even tho I own the install CDs.
So I set up an older Win2000 partition on the macPro and tomorrow I'll see what I can do with the drives and the files in there ...
Its old, but should be safe if I don't go online with it ...

HJ, Yes, ZTREEWIN is the ultimate development of the XTREE, et. al. file manager programs. Basically freeware written by a private non-commercial individual as a labor of love.

http://www.ztree.com/html/ztreewin.htm

XTREE was sold to Symantic, who had not a clue what it was about They let it die on the shelf, so ZTREE's programmer took it up to a high level. Its power and capabilities are awesome. Not for the unfocused or weak of heart though... If you execute a command or function it will be carried out with little of the "are you sure" crap as in the Windoze progs.

I had referred to using the "File View" function where a file is selected ans its internal hex coding line by line can be examined and even edited in hex. Additionally the "mask/unmask" function displays or hides hidden texts and some (unknown to me) sort of coding hyroglyphics.

I mentioned this a just another tool available in learning about many of a file's attributes... and lots of mysterious coding but often it is possible to glean otherwise "hidden" internal info.

Hope to hear more from you soon.

P.S. Here is a look at but a very small portion of an MP3 of 1962's #1 Hit Tune "Sukiyaki".

[SEAWOLF97]

IMHO ...don't think its worth all the effort. I've had the vinyl
copy since the 70's ....lots of sweeps , IDing instruments , faux
studio chatter ..etc . Nice version of Hoyt doing "Joy to the World" ,
but nothing that I'd listen to more than once a decade. ASSUMING that this is a rip to CD from the vinyl. (I guess it has to be, since CD came in much later) . those expecting super dynamics and sounds to demo speakers will be disappointed ...IMHO

If it came from master tapes, well the dynamics are better, but still dull content.

I recorded it to an 80 minute MD ...the LP sides were 23-24 minutes times 4 sides ...so some of it had to be cut in order to fit an 80 minute CD.

Besides, I think that it was copyrighted.

[Doctor_Electron]

IMHO ...don't think its worth all the effort.

If it came from master tapes, well the dynamics are better, but still dull content.

I recorded it to an 80 minute MD ...the LP sides were 23-24 minutes times 4 sides ...so some of it had to be cut in order to fit an 80 minute CD.

Besides, I think that it was copyrighted.

Ahoy SeaWolf,

The smoking lamp is lit; the fantail is open. That is all.

Sometimes it's more about I guess not having something from one's past than it is about having it. The fact that Drew went out of his very busy way to made them for me adds some allure. The fact that he is sadly no longer with us brings it up another notch.

I'm sure the CD's were made from vinyl, as from what was said in an earlier thread the tape archivist dept. at Capitol wanted a fair chumk of change just to check on the matter of whether the "Sessions" #1 master tapes were in residence there. (Which, of course, they are.)

There's no doubt that EMI + EMI Capitol in L.A. have made some of the finest quality recordings ever... but I know from personal experience that money-wise they are tight enough to squeak when they walk. Which ain't a totally bad thing, as they are still in business.

And, as of last count, no one kew exactly who owned the content. It is a Ghost.

The "secret" nature of Drew's mastering alchemy presents a challenge to overcome, some new production software facts to learn about, and a bit more allure.

Now, Had Drew access to the top-generation master tapes, considering the technical & quality aspects of the original production... He could have made a truly significant audio-wise gem. Too bad. There were was than one effort made to facilitate that process, but when you find yourself beating your head against the walls of such a music industry giant as EMI Capitol USA, it doesn't take long to wear one out.

My previous experince with them, back in 1994 or so was just as tough, until Randy Bachmann stepped up and guaranteed to underwrite the issuance of two 1960s Howard Roberts albums on cd. (min. $350K USD). But that's another story.

Oh, and BTW, the sonics of those are truly incredible. The state of the art in recording had for all truly practical purposes had been reached at Capitol Hollywood by 1963, and it ios astonishing how good they were by then. But... that's another story.

I still have confidence that HJ et al. will beat the secret codes and anyone whos desires one can get a copy, FWIW.

I would really like to join forces with other Lansingers and come up witha project to get some outstanding piece of music done by & for us. For example the GRP Jazz original digital multrack masters, ca. the early 1980's, among the earliest made (Digital Multitrack was claimed untenable by some engineers, and they are sonically as good as it gets).

Anyone with a pair of clean L100s to Everests could derive some serious enjoyment from that. A modern-day "Sessions" of a sort with the sonic qualities we really do deserve to hear.

Dream, or nightmare?

Cheers to all, "dE"

[hjames]

I won't make a comment on content, but from what I have heard so far, the fidelity is quite good.
Its the only reason I am going through all this to get it freed from these discs ...
And agreed, its probably not something I'd play a lot ...

I did find an old copy of Nero-Burning and will install that on my Win2K partition
and see if that allows making a bit-by-bit disc copy -
DRM was a bit different in 1999 ... and when the discs were made.

[brhalltx]

Just upgraded to VMware Fusion 5 - I tried to create an older Snow leopard partition but it doesn't seem to want to let me - even tho I own the install CDs.

VMWare Fusion 5 doesn't allow that (unless you're using Snow Leopard Server, which you can buy from Apple for $19.99), but there are mods/tricks that are supposed to allow it. I tinkered with it a little a while back but couldn't get it to work.

There were versions of VMWare Fusion 4 that allowed installing Snow Leopard; a .1 version came out soon after which disabled it.

[brhalltx]

I won't make a comment on content, but from what I have heard so far, the fidelity is quite good.

Did you have any luck with this project?

[hjames]

Did you have any luck with this project?

Holidays have eaten my time ... tho I did get the VMware updates installed, Win7 as well as win2k -
added the second Superdrive to the tower (althought VMware seems to only allow one optical drive at a time),
but there is something funky with the way these discs were "authored" so they have data as well as CD tracks
- nothing I've tried so far lets me make bit by bit exact copies of these discs.

Anyone have any ideas?

[brhalltx]

You should be able to copy with Toast on the Mac side, or possibly make a disk image with Disk Utility.

You can add a second CD/DVD in VMWare Fusion; what version of Fusion do you have? I've used 3 DVD drives in VMWare Fusion on a Mac Pro.

[brhalltx]

there is something funky with the way these discs were "authored" so they have data as well as CD tracks
- nothing I've tried so far lets me make bit by bit exact copies of these discs.

I wonder if they're CD-I format... It sounds a little like a DVD format.

[hjames]

You should be able to copy with Toast on the Mac side, or possibly make a disk image with Disk Utility.

You can add a second CD/DVD in VMWare Fusion; what version of Fusion do you have? I've used 3 DVD drives in VMWare Fusion on a Mac Pro.

How exactly do I enable/add multiple optical drives in VMware -
All I'd been able to do in the past is switch from the upper drive to the lower drive -1 at a time.
I'll look into this tomorrow if you can provide specifics for 2 optical drives in VMware 6.0.2

[brhalltx]

I'll look into this tomorrow if you can provide specifics for 2 optical drives in VMware 6.0.2

Shut down your virtual machine.

Go to Settings for your virtual machine (Settings under the Virtual Machine menu).

Click on the "Add Device" button at the top right of the Settings window.

Click on the "CD/DVD Drive" icon, then click on the "Add..." button.

Pick the drive you want to use from the pull down menu.

Close settings, and start your virtual machine. Windows will see and configure the new drive.