Episode: 1739
Title: HPR1739: Theater of the Imagination: Part 07
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr1739/hpr1739.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-10-18 08:28:28

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This is HDR Episode 1,739 entitled Theatre of the Imagination, Part 7 and is part of the
series Theatre of the Imagination. It is hosted by Lost Bronx and is about 28 minutes long.
The summary is Episode 7 of Lost Bronx as series about dramatic audio media.
This episode of HDR is brought to you by Ananasthost.com.
Get 15% discount on all shared hosting with the offer code HDR15. That's HDR15.
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Hello, this is Lost in Bronx, also known as David Collins Rivera. Welcome to Part 7 of Theatre
of the Imagination, my ongoing series about dramatic audio media, past and present,
and my own exploration of it. If you've heard my previous episodes,
then you already know the kind of thing you're in for here.
If not, let's just say I like to talk about what I've learned concerning dramatic audio
in its various forms and what you can do to create some of your own.
Now this is a massive subject and I'm as breezy as a hurricane concerning it,
but it just might be enough to wet your appetite. So let's get started.
Today's hardware segment is going to cover my solid state recording device and how I use it.
It's a Tascam DR40. This is a handheld recorder with a similar form factor to the popular Zoom
H4N, which many podcasters are already familiar with. I used to own a Zoom H4N, but I broke it.
I was dead in the middle of a project at that point and needed a replacement right away,
but the Zoom was too expensive there and then. The Tascam DR40 was about half the price at that
time and, again, designed along the same lines, so that's what I went with. The Tascam was cheaper
and it sounds it. Compared to the Zoom, I have to do more post-production work on my audio files in
order to get a clean sound. I admit that part's fairly subjective. In the same circumstance,
you might have come to a different conclusion, I don't know. The price was not subjective.
I purchased mine a few years ago, since then, the Zoom H4N went out of production,
then I think it went back in production or something at any rate for a while it was hard to find.
In preparation for this episode, I did some current research and they are once again
available new for about the same price I paid a couple of years ago. The Tascam DR40 seems
to have gotten a bit more expensive. Check the show notes for some links. So yes, I loved my Zoom
and no, I still can't afford another one, especially not when the Tascam is working just fine,
and it really does do everything I want. And what is that you ask? Well, the simple answer is
just one thing, and it does it fairly well. It records audio. That's it. It's much simpler to
use than a laptop or desktop computer, and simpler is betterer when you have work to do.
The Tascam comes with twin cardioid condenser microphones built into the top. Unlike the Zoom,
which also has twin mics, the Tascams can be adjusted for direction. I haven't played with
that aspect much, but it does work and can create a wider or narrower sound, depending upon how
you use them. The mics themselves are very nice, or they sound good to my ears anyway. They are,
like most such, highly prone to wind or breathing noises. Because of where they're placed,
you'd need a specially designed windscreen of some sort to fit over the end of the entire device.
Such a thing can be purchased or even made at home, but if you intend to use those mics for
voice work, you will need something because the issue is a big one. The DR40 is battery powered.
It takes three AA batteries, or an optional AC adapter, which the chislers over at Tascam do not
include in the basic package. A separate purchase, it is, in fact, only a regular AC to many USB
power adapter. Maybe this very universality is the reason they didn't think you'd need a new one
from them, but it still seems like a cheap move to me. Be that as it may, yes, you can also power
the Tascam via USB. The batteries last a few hours. The Tascam website lists ridiculous numbers
like 17 to 20 hours, but that's just a fairytale. I can count on four to six anyway, which is
plenty for me. It can record single or multi-track audio in either mono or stereo. It records to wave
or MP3. This device, like the zoom before it, has no onboard data storage of any kind. Instead,
it uses an SD card slot on the side. The website maintains a long list of compatible cards,
pretty much anything modern and name brand will do, up to a storage capacity of 32 gigs.
It comes with a 2GB card, which, frankly, has been enough for my purposes.
On the bottom of this device are two XLR microphone line-in sockets, one for left channel and
or mono recording, and one for right channel. It can also take quarter inch jacks into the same
sockets for external mics or instruments that use such. I don't use such and never have so I
don't know how well this aspect works, but it's kind of cool anyway.
On one side of the device is a standard one eighth inch line-out for headphones,
allowing you to listen live or to the recorded files. This device can provide 48 volt
phantom power to microphones that require it, but I've noticed a hiss or hum on the line when I use
it, so I've instead gone with an external phantom power source, which I like better.
The use, or not, of this device's phantom power is through a physical,
slighty switch on the side, and it's vital you select the correct setting because running
phantom power through microphones that don't need it can damage or even destroy them.
There are a lot of other little options and features with this device, some of them clever,
others less so, but these I've described are the big ones for me.
The way I use my Tascam DR40 to record my voice is like this. I have my CAD XLR microphone,
which I profiled in part five of this series, plugged into the left XLR line-in socket on the
bottom of the device via an XLR cable, providing a mono signal that the device then records.
Mono is plenty for the kind of work I do. I have my mic hanging from the rafters down in front of
my face. From the microphone, the cable goes to the phantom power supply and then on to the Tascam.
Some people complain that pressing the hardware buttons on this device makes a lot of noise
on the recorded file, but I haven't noticed this myself. Nonetheless, if you so choose,
you can use a remote switch that plugs into a tiny dedicated socket on the device and control it
that way. And yes, this is also a separate purchase. And that's about it! I follow the directions,
press the appropriate buttons, speak into the mic, and I get my file. Personally,
I like to record to wave format because it's lossless. That way, I'm starting with the best
possible version of the recording, which I can then choose to transcode down to Ag or NP3 or whatever
later on during the editing phase. The micro SD card stores all the recorded files, as stated before,
and can be easily accessed and ejected from the device. I usually just plug the Tascam into my
computer via the Mini USB port. The SD card shows up on my desktop as a USB mass storage device,
and I'm able to drag and drop to my heart's content. I'm on Linux, and it has worked flawlessly
for me under Slackware, Debian, Ubuntu, and their various derivatives. If you're on Windows or Mac,
it should probably work just as easily, but I can't talk from experience.
Now then, if you were to go back and listen to the previous episodes in this series,
you'd hear my entire recording process, at least the hardware I use.
I have recorded with a computer before, of course, but a dedicated device is something I'll never
do without again, because it makes the process much, much easier. Anyone out there on a Linux
distribution that uses Pulse Audio, which is most of them now, I'm talking to you.
Turn on the Tascam, press record once, and that button begins flashing.
This is a sort of live mode, which allows you to test sound levels, listen through the headphone
jack, make sure everything is working, all that, before you actually commit to recording a file.
Press the same button again, the flashing turns to a steady light, and you are now recording.
Press it again in your paused, press it again in your unpaused, press stop, and you stop recording.
Boom, done, you have a file. While you are recording, the device is continually
writing to the SD card. If anything happens, such as your batteries die or the card fills up,
you still have everything you recorded up to that moment. You do not lose the entire file.
That is a sweet, sweet feature that has saved my bacon more than once.
Now, as I said, there are a lot of other options you can take advantage of, but essentially,
the Tascam really is that simple to use. If you are going to record your voice on a regular
basis, I highly recommend you get a dedicated device, like the Tascam DR40 or the Zoom H4N
or something else of the like. There are a lot of choices today, so get out there and get
choosers.
Loveliness was gracing my card. Loveliness in the form of the Emeralds Lockered around
Mrs. Donaldson's neck and loveliness in the form of Amy Collins. She was Mrs. Donaldson's
hired companion. She had red hair and eyes to match the Emeralds, and she liked me.
I think she liked me. I have seen her off my catcher eye, and she'd turn away as if she
were guilty of something. After the success of the 1949 motion picture, the third man,
written by screenwriter and novelist Graham Greene, a fellow by the name of Harry Allen Towers,
of the UK production company Towers of London, yeah, he went there, learned that Greene
never sold away the rights to an important character by the name of Harry Lyme when the rights
to the story were sold to make the film. The owning and selling of intellectual property or pieces
thereof in show business is labyrinthine and convoluted, but in this case, it paid off.
In the film, Lyme is portrayed by Orson Wells, who stole every scene he was in,
and legend has it even wrote some of his own dialogue. Somehow, Towers was able to lure
Wells back to the role. Really, no one else could have played the character then or now,
and thus was born one of the finest old-time radio shows ever. The Adventures of Harry Lyme
distributed in the USA as the lives of Harry Lyme, which I rather prefer.
The radio show takes place long before the film, in a timeless, almost mythical period between
the world wars, when adventure, romance, and mystery could still be found in exotic parts of the
world, just like in the old days, except now you could get there by plane or fast steamer.
Harry Lyme's moral compass in the radio show seems pretty far afield from the despicable
direction he displays in the film, so one can only assume that the horrors of World War II later on
drove Harry fully to the dark side. Whatever the case, he's superbly likeable here,
as he cheats and lies and, as often as not, fails to make a profit. In the royal courts,
classic casinos and nasty back alleys of the world, still brilliant, still a skimmer,
but decidedly not a beast this time around, Harry is out to make a buck and to look good doing it.
His Adventures take him everywhere, and he rubs shoulders with the wealthy and despondent alike,
and is, himself, both of these things by turns from episode to episode. A con man supreme,
and a dangerous thug when he needs to be, Harry Lyme is witty, cultured, and smooth with the
ladies. Making friends and enemies with equalees, indeed, they're often one in the same. He plots
big scores, butters up foolish marks, engages in witty repartee, and occasionally, faces and defeats,
even bigger rogues than himself. Always on the go, but never quite getting there,
Harry Lyme, as portrayed on radio, is quick to save a damsel in distress, even if he has to
loot her purse to do it. Check the show notes for a link to the complete series on archive.org,
load them up and listen, but, uh, keep your hand on your wallet.
It can't be real. I'm sorry. I turned and out of the night, it came.
Now, towers of London was one of many independent UK producers of radio drama back in the old days,
but that tradition is not dead, and the BBC isn't the only game in town over there.
The wireless theater company is an independent for profit. That's right, you have to pay for
their content, professional organization, alive and kicking today, dedicated to producing high
quality audio drama for the download generation as the about page on their website states.
Covering every genre you can think of, wireless is a multi-award winning production company
that offers a very modern adult take on what audio drama can be. They have far more content
than I can describe here, but one property that stands out as being of interest to hackers and
geeks alike is the thrilling Springheel Jacksaga. Several series worth of this tale let the wireless
theater portray Victorian England with superlative immediacy, outstanding actors combined with an
immersive audio landscape to create a creepy, massive adventure spanning years and asking more
questions than it answers. Is Jack a man, a monster, a fraud, or something much more? Find out for
yourself and be prepared to fall into the past with the wireless theater company's explosive,
tremendous mind-bending adventure, the Springheel Jacksaga.
That said, the apprehension of the mysterious Springheel Jack is entirely in your hands.
This is the soapbox portion of the show, and today I want to address a question I've been wrestling
with lately, and one I talked about extensively with my friend Julie Hoverson in the last
installment of Theater of the Imagination, one you may be sick of in which case I apologize,
but press on anyway. Namely, what's dramatic audio media worth to you, dear listener?
I'm talking dollars and cents, pound sterling, euros and pesos, rubles and rupees, the blooms,
and pieces of aid. Yeah, it's that ugly talk about that ugly word, money.
Now, many people would likely answer that they wouldn't pay anything for dramatic audio media
because they don't place any value on it. They don't like audio drama, they don't like
audiobooks, and they really don't like anything to do with storytelling through the audio medium.
Can't argue with that, I don't like most of it either. There are tons and tons of real crap
out there. There are also tons of wonderful stuff that I just don't happen to care for,
not my cup of tea. No one should pay for the crap, and I wouldn't pay for any of that wonderful
stuff I don't like. But someone would, I'm convinced of it. I'm convinced that dramatic audio
media is worthy of support, and that there's something for, well, not everyone, not everyone likes
it remember, but for a lot of people. People who commute every day, who are laid up or convalescing,
who are doing chores, or who just like to sit and relax with a good yarn. The stories come in
all shapes and sizes, as do the fans, and the storytellers, and they both have to eat.
The fans have bills, the artists have bills. The difference is that the artist is supplying
something to the fan, something which takes time, skill, energy, and oftentimes money in order to
produce. Unless the fan offers something back, the relationship is one-sided. Now many times that's
fine, most of the time in fact, but it can't go on forever as the pace of artist production can't
usually keep up with the pace of fan consumption, especially if the artist has to do something else
in order to eat because the art itself isn't paying. Now, people who know me know I'm a big believer
in free culture and the creative commons. I give my content away and allow free copying and
sharing of it. Creative commons can easily allow an artist to charge for their work, but it's no
magic pill. It doesn't guarantee that the artist will eat. It doesn't guarantee that anyone will
pay for it. It offers no assurance whatsoever that the artist will ever see a return on investment,
investment in this case, meaning time, effort, and sometimes money. But here's the thing.
If you do like an artist's content, you really should consider supporting them. Not much,
no one can afford much, but something. You shouldn't do it to say thank you. Thank you says thank you
and believe me. On the dark days, that matters almost more than eating, but you should support your
favorite artists as an investment. If an artist eats an artist lives, and only living artists
make art. Now, I'm being troll here, but it's to make a point. Never in history has it been
easier to make a living in the arts. Well, some of the arts anyway, interpretive dance has yet
to storm the internet. It's also never been easier for people who are not very good to spread
the word about their not very good content. There's a lot of noise, a lot of signal too,
but there's so much noise cut through the noise by supporting the people you like.
I'll be trying all sorts of ways to monetize my own artistic efforts in the coming days,
because I want to keep offering it. I want the opportunity, like any artist, to express my thoughts
and feelings in my chosen medium and to get my work into the hands of people who might enjoy it.
I want to show by example that a person can produce a thing they only saw in their heads,
and I want to tell stories that mean something to me. I want to do all these things,
but guess what? I also want to eat.
So that's another one down. I want to thank all the people who've contacted me about
previous installments of theater of the imagination with questions and comments. They are greatly
appreciated. Please add your own voice, dear listener, either in the comments for this episode on
hackerpublicradio.org or by writing me at lostinbronksatgmail.com. That's L-O-S-T-N-B-R-O-N-X at Gmail.
You can also check out my site at cavalcadeaudio.com. The music for this episode was a piece called
The Game Has Changed by My Free Mickey featuring Camilla Mia and is available at dig.ccmixter.org.
The preview clip for the Spring Hills saga was courtesy of the wireless theater company.
Check them out at wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk and remember that's the Queen's English so
theater is spelled R-E at the end, not ER. And finally, please remember that HPR is your show
as much as anyone's. You know things, you like things, and we want to hear about them.
HPR is community-driven and community-supported. Anyone can create a podcast episode. It really
isn't that hard. If it seems overwhelming or you don't know where to start, drop me a line.
I'll be happy to help you as best I can, even if it's only to point you towards someone more
knowledgeable than myself, which is pretty much everyone but whatever. I mean, if I can do it,
anybody can. Anybody like you. This has been Lost in Bronx. Thank you for listening. Take care.
You've been listening to Heckapublic Radio at HeckapublicRadio.org. We are a community podcast
network that releases shows every weekday Monday through Friday. Today's show, like all our shows,
was contributed by an HPR listener like yourself. If you ever thought of recording a podcast,
then click on our contribution to find out how easy it really is. Heckapublic Radio was found
by the digital dog pound and the infonomicum computer club and is part of the binary revolution
at binwreff.com. If you have comments on today's show, please email the host directly, leave a comment
on the website or record a follow-up episode yourself. Unless otherwise status, today's show is
released on the creative comments, attribution, share a like, 3.0 license.
You've been listening to HeckapublicRadio at HeckapublicRadio.org. We are a community podcast
network that releases shows every weekday Monday through Friday. Today's show, like all our
shows, was contributed by an HPR listener like yourself. If you ever thought of recording a
podcast, then click on our contribution to find out how easy it really is. Heckapublic Radio was
founded by the digital dog pound and the infonomicum computer club and is part of the binary revolution
at binwreff.com. If you have comments on today's show, please email the host directly, leave a comment
on the website or record a follow-up episode yourself. Unless otherwise status, today's show is
released on the creative comments, attribution, share a like, 3.0 license.