The Next Track

What is pitch? How do instruments play in tune with each other? How do instruments tune, and what is temperament? Andy Doe explains all this. Show notes : Pitch (Wikipedia) Bach: 6 Suites for Cello Solo, Peter Wispelwey Music tuning (Wikipedia) Musical temperament (Wikipedia) Pythagoras (Wikipedia) Pythagorean tuning (Wikipedia) Meantone temperament (Wikipedia) Online recordings with unequal tempe...

As the new year rings in, we take a look at our music listening habits and think about how we may want to change them. Show notes : Swinsian Roon Plex Tidal Qobuz Essential Bollywood playlist The A-List: K-Pop Our next tracks : Kirk: Daniel Lanois: For the Beauty of Wynona Doug: The Bryan Ferry Orchestra: The Jazz Age If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, a...

As we amass music in our physical or digital libraries, it can reach a point where it doesn’t make sense to keep adding more music. How much really is too much? Sponsor : ChronoSync, by Econ Technologies. Whatever your backup or sync scenario, ChronoSync has got you covered! Download a free 15-day trial version, and get 25% off ChronoSync on the Econ Technologies website . Show notes : Play Random...

We answer a few listener questions about Apple’s AirPods, how to rip optical discs (other than CDs), and moving and merging iTunes libraries. Sponsor : ChronoSync, by Econ Technologies. Whatever your backup or sync scenario, ChronoSync has got you covered! Download a free 15-day trial version, and get 25% off ChronoSync on the Econ Technologies website . Show notes : Apple AirPods Sennheiser PX 10...

We welcome Daniel Spreadbury to discuss the software that composers use to put their notes onto virtual paper. This week’s guest : Daniel Spreadbury, Dorico Dorico Show notes : Sibelius ARM processor An original score of a fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach A score by William Byrd German organ tablature French-style lute tablature Bach’s unfinished fugue Real book Newzik A shakuhachi score Our next tr...

As winter closes in, and the holiday season approaches, we discuss the strange ritual of listening to Christmas music for just one month a year. There’s got to be a German word for this. It’s that feeling, that first second, when you heard Jingle Bells in the middle of summer. Show notes : Episode #58 – David Weigel on the History of Progressive Rock Trio Mediaeval: Folk Songs Bruce Springsteen: S...

We bring back our regular guest Andy Doe to discuss some of the technical terms we read about with audio equipment: Ω and dB, also known as ohms and decibels. This week’s guest : Andy Doe Proper Discord Show notes : Ohm (Wikipedia) Resistor color code chart Episode #73 – Kirk Wants to Buy an Amplifier Decibel (Wikipedia) Comparative Examples Of Noise Levels dB SPL dBFS (Wikipedia) Episode #35 – Mu...

We welcome Laura Kuhn, executive director of the John Cage Trust, to discuss the life and legacy of composer John Cage. “I am most interested in music that doesn’t say anything.” John Cage, 1991 This week’s guest : Laura Kuhn, executive director of the John Cage Trust Show notes : The Selected Letters of John Cage John Cage Unbound: A Living Archive (New York Public Library) Episode #69 – Brian Br...

Doug and Kirk look at how 1977 was a watershed year for popular music. Show notes : ECM Records Now Available on Apple Music Eagles: Hotel California Billy Joel: The Stranger Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols The Clash: The Clash (UK version) The Clash: Give ’em Enough Rope The Clash: The Clash (US version) Four Manchester bands we owe to the Sex Pistols’ Lesser Free Tra...

Conductor Alexander Joel talks about the profession of conductor for operas and orchestras. This week’s guest : Alexander Joel Repertoire Show notes : Alexander Joel’s Wagner Ring cycle, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden Alexander Joel on Operabase ARTE TV story about Alexander Joel (in German) Video of Alexander Joel conducting Verdi’s La Traviata Conductor killed by conducting staff: The ironic...

Doug and Kirk discuss Apple Music, how it’s changed the way they listen to music, and how to get the most out of the service. Show notes : Chris Breen Bach: French Suites, by Murray Perahia Our next tracks : Kirk: Cage / Lutoslawski: String Quartets, Lasalle Quartet Doug: Greta Van Fleet: Black Smoke Rising If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast app, and please r...

Doug and Kirk were teenagers when disco hit. They didn’t care for it then, but has their opinion change after 40 years? Is it time to reevaluate disco music? Show notes : Chic: Good Times (12″ version) The Joy of Disco – BBC Documentary Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On Saturday Night Fever New York City blackout, July 13, 1977 Son of Sam Jumping the shark Why ‘Disco sucks!’ sucked Disco Demolition Nig...

Doug and Kirk discuss their favorite music documentaries. Show notes : Synth Britannia (YouTube) Synth Britannia (BBC) Rock Family Trees (BBC) Episode #58 – David Weigel on the History of Progressive Rock Rock Family Trees (book) Sinatra: All or Nothing at All Long Strange Trip History of the Eagles No Direction Home: Bob Dylan Bob Dylan: No Direction Home, The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 The Wrecking C...

We welcome Jeffrey Norman, who has been mixing, mastering, and restoring Grateful Dead recordings for more than 35 years. This week’s guest : Jeffrey Norman: Mockingbird Mastering Jeffrey Norman’s project list Show notes : Mid-side (MS) recording technique Owsley Stanley (Bear) What’s Become of the Bettys? The Fate of the Long-Lost Grateful Dead Soundboards Episode #67 – The Grateful Dead’s Legend...

Andy Doe helps Kirk and Doug understand “make louder boxes.” This week’s guest : Andy Doe Proper Discord “You are experiencing audio ennui.” Show notes : Yamaha R-N301 network receiver Recommended Components: Fall 2017 Edition Integrated Amps & Receivers Richer Sounds Grado headphones Episode #71 – Hi-Fi Separates, Part 1: Network Streamers Bentley Continental One note about the musical Girl F...

Doug and Kirk take a close look at changes Apple has made to iTunes in its latest version, 12.7. Sponsor : Rogue Ameoba’s Audio Hijack. If you can hear it on your Mac, you can record it with Audio Hijack. Download the free trial from Rogue Amoeba, then save 20% with coupon code NEXTTRACK. Check out Audio Hijack now . Show notes : This Is Where iTunes Is Bloated What’s New in iTunes 12.7 Here’s Why...

Chris Connaker joins us to talk about hi-fi separates. Today, we discuss the network streamer. How does it work? Do you need one? This week’s guest : Chris Connaker, of the Computer Audiophile website Show notes : Yamaha R-N301 network receiver Episode #32 – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about DACs (Digital-Analog Converters) Auralic Aries Mini Chris’s review of the Auralic Aries Mini Bosch,...

Doug and Kirk chat about their favorite movies about music, and some that they don’t like. This is the first of three parts; the other parts will be released in the next couple of months. Show notes : Almost Famous (The Bootleg Cut) The Almost Famous Stairway to Heaven scene Almost Famous: the Tiny Dancer scene 24 Hour Party People Control High Fidelity Still Crazy Amadeus (I said I saw the play M...

We talk with Brian Brandt of Mode Records about releasing recordings of avant garde music, and the difficulties of the music business. Apologies for the audio quality of this episode. We had endless Skype issues for this interview. This week’s guest : Mode Records Show notes : John Cage Edition Morton Feldman Edition Morton Feldman: String Quartet No. 2 Episode #66 – Minimalist Pianist R. Andrew L...

Andy Doe joins us to discuss hi-fi snake oil. In part one of a two-part series, we look at cables. This week’s guest : Andy Doe Proper Discord Show notes : A Gift for Music Lovers Who Have It All: A Personal Utility Pole UL Listed Hospital Grade Receptacles How Hi-Fi Magazines Write about Cables, Part 14: Ethernet Cables Ethernet Our next tracks : Kirk: Iron & Wine: Beast Epic Doug: Big Audio...

Author Peter Conners tells us the story of the legendary 5/8/77 Grateful Dead concert at Barton Hall, Cornell University, and its legacy. A technical note: you may have noticed that your podcast app re-downloaded a bunch of old episodes last week. We moved the server that hosts The Next Track to HTTPS, and this seems to have treated all existing episodes as new. So we’re very sorry for any extra b...

Pianist R. Andrew Lee joins us to discuss the minimal, and often very long, works of music he performs and records. (Sorry about the audio quality; there were some problems recording this episode.) This week’s guest : R. Andrew Lee Show notes : Irritable Hedgehog Records Episode #18 – New Yorker Music Critic Alex Ross Discusses Listening to Classical Music Tom Johnson: An Hour for Piano, performed...

Doug and Kirk express frustration about the number of complexity of remote controls they use. Show notes : All 165 Pink Floyd Songs Ranked, From Worst to Best – Bill Wyman Episode #64 – Album Artwork in Digital Files Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote Philips Hue lights The Clash – Remote Control Our next tracks : Kirk: Theatre of Hate: The Live Albums Doug: John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat: Hooker...

Doug and Kirk tell you everything you ever wanted to know about album artwork in digital files. Sponsor : Rogue Ameoba’s Loopback. For cable-free audio routing when recording and playing audio on your Mac, use Loopback. Download the free trial from Rogue Amoeba, then save 20% with coupon code NEXTTRACK. Check out Loopback now . Show notes : Doug’s AppleScripts for iTunes Size of Artwork Sort by Ar...

Author Will Romano discusses his new book, Close to the Edge, How Yes’s Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock. This week’s guest : Will Romano Show notes : Close to the Edge Close to the Edge: How Yes’s Masterpiece Defined Prog Rock Mountains Come Out of the Sky: The Illustrated History of Prog Rock Prog Rock FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Rock’s Most Progressive Music Episode #58 – David Weigel on th...