New Jim Solo Track - "Take Care of You"

[kotchishm]

good tune but some of that vocal stuff he has been doing is starting to wear on me. 
I thought it was a phase but
he continues to do it more and more.

What do you mean? Reverb? What other tracks are you comparing to?

It's that like deep voice thing. I can't explain it. Assuming this is what he's talking about

[CC]

[johnnYYac]

Thanks, CC!

I saw this yesterday.  Including action-packed scenes, some dialogue and sound, detracts from the gentle quality of Jim's song, but good to see his work reaching a broader audience.

[touchingmept2]

good tune but some of that vocal stuff he has been doing is starting to wear on me. 
I thought it was a phase but
he continues to do it more and more.

What do you mean? Reverb? What other tracks are you comparing to?

It's that like deep voice thing. I can't explain it. Assuming this is what he's talking about

I'm getting the same vibe from it. @justbecuzido, it reminds me of the beginning to A New Life starts. I'm not too high on it.

[gardenparty]

good tune but some of that vocal stuff he has been doing is starting to wear on me. 
I thought it was a phase but
he continues to do it more and more.

What do you mean? Reverb? What other tracks are you comparing to?

It's that like deep voice thing. I can't explain it. Assuming this is what he's talking about

I'm getting the same vibe from it. @justbecuzido, it reminds me of the beginning to A New Life starts. I'm not too high on it.

yeah, I'm pretty sure we are on the same page here.

cool song though

[Angelo]

I really like it. Video is cool too.

[Mr. White]

Jim's part of the video (and I guess the actual audio track) was recorded at La La Land in Louisville, Kentucky. I immediately recognized it when Jim's part came on. I was lucky enough to have been able to spend a little more than 3 hours there a few weeks ago (August 1, 2015) when my wife and I attended STRIVEFEST. We saw performances from Appalatin, Small Time Napoleon, and Howell Dawdy. (Cheyenne Marie Mize - one of the organizers and leaders of Strive - also sat in for a song with Appalatin. They performed "All Along The Watch Tower".)

I took all kinds of photos of lots of the cool things and equipment inside La La Land that day. (I knew how much music I love was recorded there and how much more will be recorded there in the future that I had to see the place for myself. I'll post more of my pictures later...maybe in a separate thread about the place...)









Appalatin


Small Time Napoleon






Howell Dawdy

[Mr. White]

I finally purchased this track from the Pono Store.

https://www.ponomusic.com/ccrz__CCPage?pageKey=product&oId=of%3A47dc8eb60d954e33aca54c29dd869a7a&type=Album&artistId=undefined

https://artcdnsecure.ribob01.net/images/126abf1bd7a14e76883beefd83098272?_accept=image/jpeg&height=600

[Fully]

Do you notice a huge difference when you listen to your pono, Mr. White? Just wondering. I have no intentions of purchasing one.

[Mr. White]

Do you notice a huge difference when you listen to your pono, Mr. White? Just wondering. I have no intentions of purchasing one.

Yes, I do see/hear a difference. However, it really depends on a variety of factors. The Pono Player can play any type of file you can think of. It will play the simplest MP3 out there in the lowest form/quality, and it will make it sound pretty good (as long as the source material is of good quality). What I mean is, if you made a copy of a YouTube video and converted it to an MP3, it will sound as good as the source recording (but a little better than it does on most MP3 players). You can convert that same file (don't know if it came from a good source or not - may be in MP3 form already), but if you try to "up-convert" it to a higher/larger form (WAV, FLAC, etc.), it won't sound any better than the original MP3 quality file, but it will take up more space on your computer and/or your micro SD memory card (and that would simply be a waste of space, resulting in no better of a sound experience). With all that being said, the key is to have a combination of 1. the highest form/quality source material - like downloading the FLAC versions of MMJ concerts from Livedownloads or even from Internet Archives, instead of settling for the cheapest/smallest form of MP3, 2. a quality playback method - like a Pono Player or one of the competition devices from Sony or the like, 3. quality headphones, earphones, or home stereo. When it comes to the Pono Player being far ahead of the competition, I have read that it is a little better than the rest. That is due to the Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) that is in it from Ayre. The people at Ayre produce and sell high end audiophile equipment, but Neil Young talked them into making a simpler/smaller DAC that fits inside the triangular prism shaped Pono Player (hence the odd shape that many don't think is too portable or attractive - I have no problem with mine). I use it almost daily on my 45 min. one way commute to work, when I am shopping alone at stores, and on my home stereo from time to time. The sound really seems to pack a particular punch, when you compare it to just playing a CD, when using the same amplification system (stereo or headphones). My newer car has a mini plug input for AUX input, so I simply hook it up, select my album, and start jamming. You can feel the difference in the depth of the bass and the crispness of the treble. My home stereo isn't the best, but it's not too bad either. It really jams, if I want to crank it up. I have gotten two pairs of mid to high end headphones to use with it. I have some Sennheiser On-Ear Momentums (on sale for $100) and some Audio-Technica ATH - M50x's (the same ones used in many recording studios for professional monitoring - Jim and the rest were using them in the documentary of making the Lost on the River sessions). Those cost me around $140 on a big sale on Amazon. The biggest thing is how some have described the actual experience as to being inside the room where the music was recorded/performed. You can almost hear and pick out if the piano is on the left and a bit behind you to noticing how the lead guitar may be positioned a bit up front and to the right. They also describe the sound as having "air" or "space" between the notes. I guess it all sounds a bit generic when describing audio experiences with music, but I do believe it to be true enough for me to try my best to avoid MP3's, if I can ... for the sake of the music and my listening pleasure - not wasting my time if I don't have to on inferior material. I even got my brother one for Christmas (plus some ATH-50X headphones). Some people think the whole Pono system is a scam trying to trick you into re-purchasing all your musical collection in FLAC from them. This is untrue. You can purchase your files from anywhere (like Livedownloads and many other sources). You can also "rip" your CD's to 44/16 quality FLAC files all by yourself. You can use a program you purchased (I use Nero Burn) or one of several free programs to rip your CD's. The quality isn't the top of the heap, but even Pono sells FLAC files that are 44/16 (they do this for ones that haven't been recorded at the higher quality and for the ones that aren't re-mastered yet by the artists/record companies). I have been using my Nero program for months and months converting my CD collection. I usually only purchase FLAC's from Pono when something new comes along or there is something that I only had in MP3 format that I know I want for sure in FLAC, like this song, "Take Care Of You".

Hope this long winded response isn't too much.
Take care,
John

[justbcuzido]

Great Response Mr White! I have been on the fence with a Pono myself. For audiophile systems, I think it always boils down to your sound will only be as good as the weakest link. You can have the best Speakers/Amp/Preamp, but use a crappy turntable or not so great stylus (or any variation of this) and you will be limited to what the worst thing is. This is especially true with the files (MP3 vs FLAC etc).

Also, I love the ATH-50X headphones. I use them when I listen to vinyl or playing guitar. They are really popular with musicians I know. Also, for the price, I personally think they better than any in the class they are in ($200-$300 price range). I also use a headphone amp and it takes my listening experience to the next level, though I only use the headphone amp for at home listening.

[Fully]

Interesting to read, Mr. White. I had wondered. As I'm starting to notice that my hearing isn't as great as it use to be, I have my doubts that I would be able to notice the difference enough to make it worth it, but if you have the ears for it, it sounds lovely.