Comment by rahimnathwani

Comment by rahimnathwani 3 days ago

I find the overall approach fascinating, but I chuckled at this part because CDs are digital:

"I've developed a analog->digital path for my kids. Before they can get a music player, they get a CD player."

If anyone wants to start with analogue, perhaps start with vinyl, then cassette tape, and then CD. I had a cassette player before a record player, but vinyl seems easier to grok because you can use a steel needle to hear the sound, instead of the cartridge and amplifier.

j7ake 3 days ago

I , of course, allow them to only sing music with their voices. Later we introduce percussive instruments, violin, and harpsichord.

By 18 they will be introduced to the piano forte.

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javier123454321 3 days ago

The generous interpretation of analog in this case refers to the physicality of the CD, not the encoding of the information. It's about creating habits that instill presence and intentionality, not being a Luddite.

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rahimnathwani 3 days ago

Yeah that point wasn't lost on me.
Maybe it's due to my age, but CDs don't seem that analog to me.
A few things CDs don't have that tapes and/or vinyl do:
- gradual degradation from repeated use
- need for maintenance (e.g. cleaning vinyl with a brush, or occasionally splicing a broken tape[0])
- time and effort needed to move to the next song or replay the current one (and my first tape deck didn't have a rewind button, so I had to eject the tape, flip the cassette, forward, then flip back and hope I had gotten to roughly the right point)
- the ability to directly manipulate the medium, e.g. using a hand to move the record slightly faster, or using a pencil to wind a tape
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXx2nq6dmpg

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stephenhuey 3 days ago

I get what scop meant. Family vehicles had cassette or 8-track players when I was a kid and I figured out how to use my parents' record player, but for the purposes of what he was getting at, CDs are a more "analog" experience than streaming music, and give you a feel for what playing an album is like. You have to physically put in and remove the disc to change the music, whereas streaming gives you any song at your fingertips.

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kridsdale1 3 days ago

I think it’s fair enough to call a CD analog because the data stream is nothing for than wave amplitudes. It doesn’t use a Fourier transform or compression or require “software”.

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- jedmeyers 3 days ago
  
  It does require a digital to analog converter, though.
  
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lifefeed 3 days ago

I like the idea of vinyl for kids too, because of how tactile it is, but man, begin with a cheap player and cheap records. No matter how old they are, they will play with it like a toy.

The good news is my father's old slightly warped prog rock records are finally getting a lot of use.

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Dwedit 3 days ago

Would not suggest vinyl for kids. That's a needle on the record player, it scratches everything up. Not easy to aim the arm to the beginning of the track.
Tapes are more foolproof. If you put them in the wrong way, the player won't close. And even though you can damage the actual tape part by mishandling it, you're not all that likely to do so.

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- Carrok 3 days ago
  
  Buy some cheap records and let them have fun. Many turntables have a push button start, no need to aim anything.
  
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scop 3 days ago

Heh, you’re indeed right. I use analog in a very loose sense, perhaps better said as “tactile”. As in “I take a CD out of the case, I open my player, I put the CD in the case, I use physical buttons to move one track at a time”.

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