This is Stefano Bertoncello's Blog (ステファノ・ベルトンチェッロ - トゥーグッドイアーズ − ブロガー、オーディオ＆ミュージック・コンサルタント) devoted to pacific topics like Music - live and reproduced - i.e. discs, audio, guitars - both vintage and new, concerts, workshops, and related stuffs. Furthermore: travelling - as a mind-game and real globetrotting, and books, movies, photography... sharing all the above et al. and related links... and to anything makes Life better and Earth a better place to stay, enjoying Life, in Peace.
Sometimes you strongly wish you studied German instead of French 😵💫😱😏😢😀
Such an AMAZING magazine 💫🥇💫💎💫
Some friends asked if I bought some audiophile record at MOC 2024….
The reply is: yes, only one and no, it’s not an audiophile record 😀😵💫😀
I bought a Mint copy of the only Amon Düül’s record missing in my collection and it’s not “only” audiophile: it’s much more!
It’s… Super Stereo Sound 😏😵💫😀😏😵💫💫💫💫🥇🥇🥇
Here some more pictures:
… and: yes! I paid less than the Discogs’ weirdness 😏
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The examination by electron microscopy of X-ray diffraction, EDAX, in Cremonese old stringed instruments, which identified certain mineral substance known as “pozzolana”, probably collected in a quarry near the Vesuvius, or in more distant events, at sites of Etna or Stromboli volcanos, which was being used as a sealant or cement mortar alloy, since the Roman Empire, opened a new possibility of research for the acoustics of old bowed stringed instruments.
The “pozzolana”, is nothing more than volcanic ash, a rock too acidic, porous, and lightweight, with high presence of silica that contains the leached and deposited pumices resulting from the micro-crystallization of exhaust gases through the volcanic cone phenomenon which is caused by sudden atmospheric impact.
The properties of low density particle size of the mineral, with corroborating these same features found on spruce, taken by radial cut of the log used to chop the belly and back of the violin, which, when put into vibration, could undo the spurious resonance frequencies of the audible spectrum, driven by increased mass with the same specific weight, and homogeneous resonance, in line with the ff holes (not wanting to say this, that the resonance box of the violin will function as a bass reflex, whose principle is rooted in Helmholtz resonators).
As for the sealing properties of this mineral, and this gray glassy it is waterproof, which, in addition to homogenize the surface of the wood allowing honing an incomparable, against implementation of several coats of a varnish more soft and thick, slow drying because it contains linseed oil, and dye naturally red or yellow, but with characteristics of high brightness, this technique, which this was already known by the Cremona masters, are strongly identified in all his makers, mostly Stradivari and Del Gesù,
It's like our geologists say allegorically: “If there was, or if there was no effusion of basalt on the Botucatu desert; sandstone appeared cooked”. Not known whether there are other components in this preparation, as mentioned above, and if he truly represents key role in the tonal quality of old Cremonese instruments.
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The last May, 9th or the first day at MOC 2024 was an octogenarian parade, Elysium-style - i.e. - average age of participants (press/visitors/whoever) was 70+ years old!
Average listening bandwidth available? Say: 10khz?
Average spending capability? Say: € 100 x discs, € 500 per reel to reel tape, € 10,000.00 per turntable, etc. etc…
Age of MOC hostesses and stewards at booths and rooms at the show was between 20 and 35/40 years old.
I saw an old Japanese gentlemen with Gold credit-card buying 30 cm thick piles of ultra-expensive discs without batting an eyelid… and the most attentive listeners, already well seated in the most exotic and sought-after brands rooms… all these people were 60/65+ years old.
The long-awaited generational change is beyond the realm of possibility, as larger slices of youngsters are penny-pinchers, short of money like church mice.
To an expensive elusive first -pressing of a classic disc they are content of Spotify, at best.
This way, audio industry is like a fat cow milking itself… no, better: a money greedy always milking that poor, once fat and wealthy “cow”.
The faces at the show are more or less the same of last years; you could say who’s not here or he cured of the terrible disease of audiophilia or passed away.
… kidding, exaggerating?
Maybe!
… yet the feeling is those (myself included) “octogenarian apprentices” asking for infos and details to young (mostly) bored and incredulous stand-standers subjected to questions about this or that product from people older than their grandparents… and it’s disturbing!
Facts!
Then, suddenly… the usual miracle of MOC, happens!
This year, a big loss was the absence of Silbatone’s shrine, with their loads of Western Electric’s gears and chatting and… some old friend was - sort of - walking almost without a destination and a certain direction, with his eyes wide open, missing Silbatone’s safe harbor.
Luckly, talking about the above mentioned “MOC miracle”, music healing power begins to work… people queuing for free-coffee begins to socialize, experiences are shared back and forth.
Zoran Mihajlovic, arm-maker extraordinaire
Masashi Miyake of Vinyl Audio Laboratory (Japan)
In my humble case: I had a two days full-agenda of must-see/listen to… I cleverly accomplished all the rooms I wished to visit and - in between - I lived the moment, in a fractal-mood: missing old friends, meeting new friends, teaching and learning, chatting, almost fighting with someone annoyed by my compulsive chatting (my fault, Jeroen 🙏), shortly after having most lovely and relaxed of conversations… because, you know: Music is Love.
Same mishap, at a soccer match, it could have easily turned into a fight… not at MOC.
The bier-garten I went so many times all the times I was at MOC in the past years, is always a pleasant break from show-frenzy… and MOC restaurants prices (€ 30 for a pasta 😵💫) and at the end of the day you - really - feel richer, tired, broken, but inexplicably happy.
That’s the “MOC miracle” 💫 - people and music (and those bulky, expensive, boring gears and ancillaries) mixed together makes an always refreshing and rewarding experience.
Highly recommended also to rampant youngsters of good spirit who (God forbids me!) an iPhone and Earbuds is the only way to enjoy music 😏.
Hopefully, that’s my most sincere wish for the future… of humanity and - why not - audio industry: less greedy people and more empathy and love for music.
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