The Mike Moffat (#2 at Schiit) Blog

You tune the snare of a drum set to 440 usually.

 

Random thought on my run: while this does alter pitch it should leave the harmonic series intact, and overtones will also be shifted proportionally. Basically, temperament does not change. Or so I infer/assume. Theoretically this leaves timbre intact but it's still making my brain itch.

 

I was under the impression that the whole point of the device was to change the temperament, precisely because typical equal temperament is NOT in tune with the harmonic series.

 

I guess we will have to wait and see exactly what this device does. Hopefully somone buys my TH-X00 so I can think about getting one of these...

 

I thank Mr. Ginathom above for his correction on the reference pitch in a classical orchestra originating from the oboe, generally, as a source as opposed to the A4 string on a fiddle (oops, violin). That erroneous information was based upon my being a spectator at dozens of orchestral and opera season seats where it appeared to this musical insophisticate that the concertmaster was leading the tuning ritual. Perhaps understandable, given that my own experience has been performing in a bluegrass band, where the majority of musicians are missing teeth and the singers have obvious scant experience with harmonies and musical virtuosity.

Other statements in that post bring to mind the sort of comtempt before the fact and mental "un"-biases proper to sound science forums. As I posted in the sound science thread of a much more straight laced headphone forum which I paraphrase here:

It seems you all could f**k different sexual partners in complete darkness and not be able to tell them apart. Congratulations on missing out on so much of life.

Amazingly, they let it stand without censure, and I have formed a bond with @castleofargh, their moderator. But I digress.


More on the Gadget:

Inputs are one USB and one S/PDIF. The output is one S/PDIF. Both S/PDIFs are coax. Oh, God, I hear the groans from the AES/EBUers from here. So spend another $80 or so and get a pair of AES/EBU (to/from) transformers. Perhaps you only need one ($40). They are available from a variety of sources and are available with the gender appropriate connectors. (Shameless plug – the Sennheiser branded ones are the best.) This is what I use with my Yggdrasil. The reason is to make the Gadget available for <$200.00, it had to be in the small chassis with the wart. The reason the USB is on it is to give it appeal to more users. The USB incorporation is Gen II to keep it under two hun, and since the majority of USB users are convenience oriented, it gives the thing a more universal appeal for a new genre of product. The quality oriented USB user would prefer Eitr > Gadget > (If needed) S/PDIF to AES/EBU transformer. Of course, spinners are catered to with the S/PDIF.

The Gadget is designed to facilitate the pitch but not tempo change from A4=440ish to C=256. There is a light to tell you you should be close. The chillgasm and skingasm will inform. It is not designed to fix incompetent performances, like almost all new autotuned pop music. If the singer is sharp or the guitar is mistuned, they will still be AFU, only in a different overall pitch. If you use it with autotuned pop music, the music will still sound like autotuned pop music dreck. All natural slides and vibrato disappear. The result is a desire to projectile vomit reduced to an acidic burp-up.

There are a number of plugins for various software musical editors and players that one may procure free – sound like open running sore hemhorroidal ass. Try 'em. Besides that, it is a heap of fun processing a sound file and then playing it back again. Perfect for the dyspeptic such as our friend above and practicing sound sciencers who endlessly complain about everything and buy nothing. That is why we needed Ivana to sort through this and implement it in a manner which preserves not only good sound, but mood as well.

Buyers are good – whether they buy our stuff or competitor's stuff. Indirectly all are helped in the end as no customers mean no manufacturers, no websites, no fora, and no shows.

 

So there will only be a global shift in pitch, and no change to temperament? Or does the shift to C=256 effectively change the temperament. (Thinking about well vs. equal temperament hurts my brain, so excuse my naive question.)
Link to @Garns' excellent explanation earlier in this thread.

I'll be making a purchase in February, so now I'll have to wait for impressions on USB>Gadget>Modi Multibit vs. Eitr>Gadget>Modi Multibit.

Edit: Link/explanation incorrectly credited to @Gaspasser, corrected.

 

hahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahaha

and you got away with it as well…
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaha

JJ

 

I realise this doesn't fit in with the Norse naming theme, but please consider releasing a future product with this exact name.

 

I wish I was as intelligent as @Garns about any of this stuff, the link and compliment are his. I'm just a dumb guy more into bluegrass. Hey @baldr, at a concert, Tim O'Brien told a joke "What's the difference between a violin and a fiddle? You can spill beer on a fiddle."
I look forward to twiddling knobs and having fun with the gadget

 

Dang, what about those who got Gen5 boards installed? Should've gotten Eitr...

 

They'll have to wait for the next gen device which includes Eitr Technology™. But that would make their Gen5 boards unnecessary. It's always a waiting game: now or later?

 

Of course some instruments can't be tuned. Those who play with them, whether it is a drinking-hole band or an international-status orchestra have to accommodate that. There is far more to it than A=N

There is no need to be rude: your status in the worlds of commerce, technology, hifi, music etc does not grant you that privileged. Nor are you the only person to have seen, and even played music. And yes, I play an instrument which has to be tuned: an Indian version of the jews harp called the morsing. And India never bothered with what A equals: No standard pitch in Indian classical music. Although, electronics is informally changing that. Strictly audience these days, I attend live performances, on average, two to three times a week.

I'm actually a little sad that I did not take more advantage of London's western-classical availability in my thirty years there. Well, there I go. Or went only occasionally, at least. I think you'll find that the rest of the violins take their tuning from numero uno. By the way, on internet-revisiting this topic yesterday, what the brass players had to say was very interesting. Also the oboe players, who unmythed a few things as in, of course an oboe can be tuned or played out of tune, so why the oboe? The best reason seems to be... tradition.

A much more practical reason given for orchestral tuning, apart from subjective preference, is that their home hall has an organ, and they are bound to tune to it. And pipe-organ tuning can be all over the place.

I have nothing against your gadget. Weird yes, but, also a deadhead, I never minded some weird. I doubt that I am in the market for such a thing. Wish I could get to play with it anyway. As mentioned, though, my ears are past being able to hear many a difference, even the real ones.

 

I've been intrigued by The Manhattan Project ever since Mike and Jason started mentioning it. The basic model as described is pretty much what I had visualized. I'm not one to buy audio gear upon initial release mostly because the discretionary income isn't there. So I probably won't buy the entry model but will go for the big one when it comes out. That also gives me a chance to read all the impressions from people with different systems before I buy. Of course I told myself that I wouldn't upgrade my Bifrost to Multibit while saving for a Yggdrasil, and I did it anyway which I do not regret. I still haven't put Gen 5 USB boards in my D/A's either, but will probably do both eventually.I'm really looking forward to seeing the products coming out in the next few months.

 

I think that this may be a tough sell for audio nuts types, myself included. Personally there is just so many questions. It's not easy to get my mind around the process of creating such a "gadget." Bottom line though, if the implementation is great then there is the potential for something special here. Can schiit get this correct right out of the box and on the first try...I hope so.

 

I have the impression that The Gadget is not something whose effect on me will be fully grasped with words. It seems like something I will have to experience. If I like it great. If I don't like it, there is the return period.

Edit: That doesn't mean that I don't want to read more words about it. It strikes me as very interesting.

 

So is the knob position a personal thing or wouldn't a simple preprocessed flac do all the necessary marketing? But I guess it wouldn't convey the "mood" thing, getting up from the sofa to fiddle a knob everytime the track changes, sure way to get some blood pumping. Maybe the deluxe version will have a remote!

 

Rude? It seems to me he was being direct which is usually appreciated here. When I read your post stating what wasn't hifi, I felt you were being dismissive without having full knowledge of the device. This last post of yours is just a bit too self-righteous for me to let go. If Mike's status does not allow him to be direct, yours doesn't allow you to preach.

Now, I am also intrigued by the gadget. I will want to hear it before I pass any kind of judgement. This kind of device is a tough sell for me because I am always striving for my system to reveal the music as it was recorded. I try to avoid tone controls, EQs, room correction, etc., if I can because they all alter the music and make it less original. So the gadget seems to go against what I am trying to get my system to achieve. How can the gadget do what it does and find a place in my setup? I don't know that it can but I am sure willing to see what it does before I dismiss it out of hand. Why? Because Mike's track record has earned him that!

 

My question is whether or not it will have some kind of pass through switch to bypass the device for listening to music that doesn't play nice. I would prefer to not have to remove it physically from my chain.

 

I would hope that it's as simple as keeping the knob all the way to the left.

 

Rude VS Direct? I'd say there is a bit of a spectrum here and he may have been just a bit too rude for my taste but that is my problem. He certainly was direct and he is standing up for his product. I don't want to go all "three toes" here but its pretty cool that the gents at Schiit appear to be equal parts enthusiast, scientist, music lovers etc. Their track record has earned them some allowances within this community but that shouldn't mean that they should not expect some healthy skepticism.

Let's all be honest and say that if a member of the trade from Audioengine, Audioquest or IFI had come on here discussing the merits of a like product things would get ugly real fast.