Day: December 16, 2009

"What type of problems are you having with the unit?"
"There is a sort of drift between channels."
"Drift? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."
"The stereo image isn't stable."
"Stereo image? Again, you'll need to explain that a little better."
"The panning isn't fixed. One channel will suddenly get louder and the other softer."
"That is not a known issue with this unit. Did you [check all the other things that might be contributing to a wavering audio signal]?"
"Yes. It's only the analog outs that are a problem. I can ADAT the signal into another sound card and get perfect stereo from that card's analog outs. According to the specs there is some sort of 'servo-controlling' of the pan. Could that be out of whack?"
"No, no. That would be a hardware problem."
"I think we're talking about a hardware problem."
"OK, what about this? Is there corrosion around the output jacks?"
"Yes, I think there is."
"OK, here's your job number. Send the unit back to us for inspection, and write the number on the outside of the box."

From the previous post:

Most attempts by net artists to break the fourth wall and reveal their studio environment are as banal as those environments: webcam feeds, grinning avatars, etc.

And then there's this strategy, from a Salon-hosted blog, the "it's not really me, it's some guy's eye" graphic:

Have always disliked this kind of arty cropping. It's especially obnoxious in ads for politicians. Eliot Spitzer and Geraldine Ferraro both hired some art director genius to do this for them--or am I thinking of an old Pepsi ad with Ferraro? But that's another rant.