Drews Sound

I love 3d audio, Binaural recordings! Earbuds have always been less than life when it comes to binaural reproduction, and unfortunately, over the ear cans give me headaches, and very quickly, because the headband, and the earcups pressure.

It got to be, I can’t listen to these recordings, the way I once did with my Airpods max. I can’t use my Dt770’s. It was depressing. I had researched binaural reproduction on loud speakers, and it’s always, no, not gonna work, but what if I put speakers right outside my ears? With my research on earbuds, it’s that the pinna the outside of your ears, help with localization, earbuds bypass the pinna, because they are in your ears. I used Chat GPT to come up with the right speakers, and, the best way to mount them? would it work?

Creative Pebbles, are small computer speakers, USB powered. I picked them up from Amazon, the Pebble pros, and set them on barstewls, beside my ears, and you know what? it worked! as I nealt on the floor! It was more spacial than earbuds, by probably 20 percent, they are not as good as over ears, but still very convincing. Ok, so how to mount this setup, around my desk chair, hang them some how? was my first thought, from the boom of a mic stand? I went around and around with Chat about clamps ways to hang, baskets, bags, and I was not satisfied.

Then, finally I came across small 10 inch platforms, that mount to mic stands! The speakers sit on the platform! Yes! lets do it!

What you will need!

The creative Pebbles:

Creative Pebble Pro, 2.0 USB-C… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXW25R3D?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

2 straight mic stands:

On-Stage MS7201B Round-Base Mic… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002MJTZ8?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

2 platforms that mount to the mic stands:

OnStage MSA6000 Platform for Mic… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078YM729Q?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Velcro strips with adheasive backing, to mount the speakers so if you bump the stands platforms, they don’t fall off, slide:

VELCRO Brand Heavy Duty… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BNPX3XJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

So what is it like? It’s not like waring headphones, it’s like sitting in a close range 5.0 system when listening to a binaural recording, or binaural processing! Not waring headphones, it really feels like a surround sound speaker system. Yes, sounds go in front of, and behind you.

If you can’t ware headphones for any reason and want binaural 3d audio, this is something you should think about!

I have something very cool coming, very soon, for working with Binaural audio processing in Reaper, it is very fucking awesome!! Stay tuned!

So, Amazon has released the new Amazon Firestick 4K this week. I believe it’s the, 3rd Generation. It features a new OS, Vega, new remote, and USB C for power. It’s also supposed to draw less, power, as it states it can be powered by most TV’s onboard USB ports. All of this? brought back to mind something I wanted to build now for the past couple years, a battery powered firestic… So, lets dive in.

You will need: Firestick 4K 3rd gen,

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (newest… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G4XRP464?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

An Hdmi Audio extractor, prefirrably one that draws power from the HDMI plug on the Firestick. This one’s cheep, work’s and offers eighth inch Output!

HDMI Audio Extractor… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2M99RGP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

A Battery backup, power bank. I’ll let you choose.

Velcro if you want this thing to be one device.

The pros are that the Firestick connects to it’s remote via Bluetooth, so, you don’t need to be anywhere near the unit when your driving it. It reconnects to Bluetooth audio devices on startup, It works well with Apple Airpods, The remotes volume controls Bluetooth devices volume level.

And, if your thinking, well, if we got Bluetooth, why do we need the HDMI audio extractor? It’s because the Firestick running on Vega with not boot, run without being connected to HDMI.

The only downside, if their really is one, is you do need to have the firestick connected to Wifi, and, I know that seems obvious in the confines of being plugged into the TV, but really something to think about when taking it out into the wild, mobile.

All and all, we now have an audio box, battery powered, that streams both music, and video, without having to have, video if we don’t need it as we’re using Voice view blind.

So, I’d say, 200? dollars depending on if you need to buy a battery bank, if you have one, 40-75 bucks depending on if you can pick up the firestick on sale. That’s, not bad at all for an up to date, brand new, mobile audio streaming device!

Booking the ride, Riding to and from our destination. Ride to, I was in front passenger side. Ride back, back passenger side. Binaural audio.

Holy shit! Wow! 50 people! Largest crowd I’ve ever played for! Thank you all so much for coming! God Damn!! Room micd up, 23-24 songs! All the Full band tracks sounded amazing! this sounds live! because it is! This will come to streaming services within the next month or so! Of course you get to be the first to experience! Listen to audio below!!

How appropriate of a way to end Audio from Alaska. This is a small bridge on a creek. _Moved to where the water would be wide stereo, and expected that calming would be all I got. There was this point right in front of me with a huge .5 to 1.5 second slapback delay. Then? a train came through! Wow!!!

Some amazing recordings of trains. Captured with the Smart ambio headset. Some clipping. My mics are broke and I can’t put them on low input, even with the app.

Train horn right next to us

Train horn further away! listen how this sounds like A minor 7 ish when blow, and resolves around you in reverb tail in major! wo!

Train pulling up on return trip, these breaks sound like an orchestra from a horror movie scene!

Finally, this is standing on an uncovered deck as the train drives. The horn is more audible in the recording, than it was in personal as far as the musical tone, when I was up their it just sounded like noise, someone with this honting metal scream! It’s still a bit distorted in the fucking best way posible with doppler etc! Also just crazy hear the cars move across the tracks!

A very cool tour! hopefully makes you want to come here, even more! I edited out all the stops when we got off, so don’t let that confuse you.