Mark E. wrote:

Jeff, I think Gene was stating that we are not actively or regularly playing
our vinyl collection. It would seem that ripping it to CD-R would lead to
even less need to play the vinyl versions.

I say:

Absolutely understood, Mark, and you're quite right. I replied too quickly
without fully considering the context in which Gene posted. Indeed, once I've
committed the vinyl rip to CD-R, there's no need to play the vinyl anymore,
since, hopefully, I've captured that sound on the CDR. Then again, there's no
chance of the vinyl deteriorating any further because I won't be playing it
anymore. Thanks for straightening me out, kind sir.

and Randall wrote:

 Do you have a scanner large enough to handle an album
cover?  I don't, and I'm not skilled enough to merge a
few scans together seamlessly.

I answer:

No, I have to do two scans, but Photoshop does allow for an easy meld of the two
images. Then I shrink it down to cd jewel case size. Not really as hard as it
all sounds, and tons of fun, for me, anyway. I enjoy this stuff. I guess it's
pretty much become another hobby of sorts. Once you get rolling along, it's
really not all that time-consuming.

Randall also wrote:

That Sam Phillips album could very well sound better
your way.  I *love* "The Indescribable Wow" and have
only ever had the CD, but when I listened to it
recently, it sounded kind of . . . harsh.

I reply:

Yes, it really does sound great, and I, too, thought the disc sounded harsh
(although it is mixed "high" to begin with). What a
way-ahead-and-out-of-it's-time recording. I'd gladly send ya one, but I didn't
make an exact copy, as I've got some "rare" Sam and other stuff that I've kinda
been mashing together over a series of discs. I could send ya an mp3 though, via
email, so you could check it out. Let me know off-list which track you want.

Randy and Stewart:

both wrote to tell me that Dead Letter Office is MOST DEFINITELY out on cd and
has been since the beginning. Man, where have I been? I just completely missed
that somehow. I swear I thought it hadn't been released on CD (or I wouldn't
have embarassed myself by asking the questions!) Thanks, guys. I'll figure out
how it is that I didn't know this. Geez, what an obviously big hole in my
cranial database. My vinyl record doesn't contain the Chronic Town EP, just 15
b-sides. Okay, I'm learning here ...

Finally, I just really want to go to Skip's house and visit his attic full of
turntables!

All meant in good fun and, really, self-deprecation, as it seems my strange life
has left me in a position to do nothing (at times, for right now, anyway) but
mess around with all this viny to digital stuff. I finished ripping and burning
all my irreplaceable cassette stuff last year (now THAT was hard). There are no
longer any cassettes (nor a deck) at my house. Now if I could just get down to
digitizing my VHS collection <grin>.

Jeff T.
De.