Coming toward a crossroad

CURRENT MOOD: Good

Since leaving TAFE in November 2008, I have been busy working on a large digitising project, in the effort of moving 2PR FM from a pre-recorded radio station, into a live streaming service.

This has involved the conversion of all my CDs and Vinyl into wave files. When processing, all the files have to be normalised at the same volume output, so that programming material will flow more easily.

Many CDs have a silent gap at the start of every track, while some don't have it at all. This portion of the track also has to be uniformily the same, so automatic mixing can take place without any gaps or dead air, while at the same time, preventing premature mixing. This is when one track starts, when another song hasn't quite finished yet.

Initially, the entire project seemed quite daunting. Having so much music to convert meant that I had no idea where to start. This issue was soon resolved when I decided to compile tracks by era.

The first part of the project was gathering every charting track from March 1983 through to August 1984. This first part of the project resulted in over 500 tracks on five DVDs. The second portion of the project is gathering all the smaller hit makers of the 70's. This has taken the best part of three months, and so far has resulted in 1200 tracks on eleven DVDs.

Over the last month, I've been gathering all the charting tracks from March 1989 through to September 1990, something I seemed to be at the tail end now. They were a few gaps in my CD collection, so I had to by some CD singles from Chris Rea, The Hoodoogurus, Boris Grebenshikov, Stevie Nicks and Al Green. Though I've got most of them, I'm still awaiting some to arrive. I should have this section wrapped up by the end of this week. I can then burn some back-ups off, and then get it off my hard-drive in readiness for the next era of tracks.

At this stage it's looking like compiling all the charting tracks from September 1979 to March 1983.

Though this project is going to continue, I feel I'm coming to another crossroad where I may have to change my priorities. It seems that commercial radio is about to go digital, meaning that they will be able to broadcast extra channels, parallel to their current radio services. I hope with the experience of my recent digitising project, certificate acquisition, and similar goals, that the people in the Australian Radio Network can consider me for a program director for their new digital radio service.

Though I like to keep an open mind, that a miracle can happen, I somehow already know the conclusion to this one. I guess its fingers crossed and see what happens.

If they accept my proposal for a new digital service, then I will fast-track the digitising project. I guess though if it falls through, then this project will have to take a back-seat to the continuation of my earth two novel.