A PINCH OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

So I tried the eeePC idea I mentioned last time, and I tried loading the 
module on the Debian machine.  Puppy Linux was not up to the challenge.  
I really didn't expect it to be, because one of the ways they keep the 
small size of that distro is by not including a bunch of the kernel 
modules that larger distros have the luxury of doing.  I've heard about 
USB issues with it before, though it's important to point out that Puppy 
is simply awesome for older hardware.  Anyway, my luck being what it 
usually is, I didn't hold out much hope for the Debian machine, but lo 
and behold, it actually worked!  At least, with some prompting.  And 
with a system restart to get the module loaded properly.  (I dunno what 
the hell that was all about...I thought I'd left that sort of crap 
behind with Windows, but whatever, it worked.)

So, I plugged in the M-Audio device to the computer, then I plugged in 
an XLR cable to it and ran that out to its full 10 foot length.  This 
got me to just inside my office.  I plugged this into an AT8801 Audio 
Technica Phantom Power Supply (which was plugged into a convenient 
outlet in the wall), then I plugged in a second XLR cable, and ran it 
out to my microphone.  And there I had it: a "recording booth" (with 
really dreadful acoustics, truth be told, but it's all I've got right 
now), with a "sound engineering station" in the room next door.

In order to test it, I turned off the box fan I have in the window; 
turned off that darned Zareason lawn mower; fired up Audacity in the 
other room; came back; shut the door; knocked the mic off my makeshift 
clip-on stand thingie; futzed with it for a bit; dropped the mic AGAIN; 
and then finally read a blurb off the back cover of a book on my desk.  
After removing all the extraneous crap from that test file (because I'd 
also recorded all my comings and goings and droppings and swearings), I 
had a piece of really clear audio.  My voice still had that same whiny 
depressive tone it always has, but there was no background noise now.  
My proof of concept worked!

So, I need to continue editing an old script of mine, turning it from a 
stage play into an audio play, and I need to do some more sound 
experiments.  One problem though: I'll need to actually print my 
scripts/stories off on paper, and we don't have a printer.  I'm used to 
reading this sort of stuff off the computer screen, but, of course, I 
can't do that with this situation.  Maybe the eeePC could come in handy 
after all?  I could read off of that thing.  It's not silent, but it's 
pretty quiet.  Guess I need to do more sound tests, more audio checks.

Feels nice to have projects.

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