Pistos's recent activity
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Comment on Custom LED light frames in ~creative
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Demand is booming for new no tech, repairable tractor
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
Pistos Link ParentSure, but, in this case, there's a bit of a relationship between parties insofar as the one proposing this particular feature is a participating member of the community. Also, an analogy: other...Sure, but, in this case, there's a bit of a relationship between parties insofar as the one proposing this particular feature is a participating member of the community. Also, an analogy: other people around me looting stores during a street riot doesn't justify me doing so ("the stores are getting robbed right now anyway").
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
Pistos Link Parent(I'm not whom you're replying to) Careful with that, re: piping people's Tildes content into an external LLM API without consent versus running a local (on Tildes server) LLM.(I'm not whom you're replying to) Careful with that, re: piping people's Tildes content into an external LLM API without consent versus running a local (on Tildes server) LLM.
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Comment on What change would make you quit Tildes? in ~tildes
Pistos LinkI'd quit if too much of the population became too hostile towards people with different opinions than them on polarizing topics, especially if the differing opinions were expressed in a...I'd quit if too much of the population became too hostile towards people with different opinions than them on polarizing topics, especially if the differing opinions were expressed in a well-reasoned and respectful fashion. (I don't think this is the case right now to a tangible degree.)
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Comment on Tildes Survey #7: What is your gender identity? in ~talk
Pistos LinkSomething to consider: Perhaps another checkbox can be "prefer not to say". Now, in response to this, one might ask "well, why not just not participate the survey?". This might be a mild form of...Something to consider: Perhaps another checkbox can be "prefer not to say". Now, in response to this, one might ask "well, why not just not participate the survey?". This might be a mild form of selection bias, where only those who willingly share their gender identity are included in the results. I'm not saying including or not including this option will wildly alter results or anything, but it could reveal some interesting data.
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Comment on There's a hundred illegal erections in the hills behind my parents' house in ~hobbies
Pistos LinkThanks for taking the time to write and share this. I don't mean to devalue your post, or the cultural phenomenon it describes, but: I'm reminded of the natural scenery in the Kingdom Come:...Thanks for taking the time to write and share this. I don't mean to devalue your post, or the cultural phenomenon it describes, but: I'm reminded of the natural scenery in the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series (game), which is set in 15th century Bohemia. Even seeing the structures and wood piles reminds me of it.
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Comment on Any sound engineers on Tildes? Help! in ~hobbies
Pistos Link ParentWell, the end-to-end signal chain is (probably) something like this: Audio file volume levels Device's player's volume (sometimes independent of device volume, like in VLC) Device's volume level...Well, the end-to-end signal chain is (probably) something like this:
- Audio file volume levels
- Device's player's volume (sometimes independent of device volume, like in VLC)
- Device's volume level (what you control with the device buttons and/or OS controls)
- Device's signal strength/level (which is usually low for consumer devices like your tablet and chromebook; and you can't change this)
- Mixer's pre-amp gain for the channel (usually fixed for an RCA input, though)
- Channel signal processing chain (whether digital, physical, or combination)
- Channel fader on the mixer (and possibly more downstream processing)
- Mixer master output level (controlled with fader(s))
- Amplifier(s) level
- Speaker(s) level
At the moment, it seems that you can only control the first 3 stages. If you can get full or more access, the things you want to change, in priority order are:
- Channel fader
- Master output level (of mixer)
- Amp level
Be cautious when raising amp levels, though, as it is possible to have an amp drive a speaker beyond what it is designed to produce, which can cause physical damage, and you don't want to be liable for that.
Now, as for your questions:
When you say downstream amplification, what do you mean? Is the source downstream or the speaker?
Even if everything is set up well upstream of amplification, having a low amp setting would just stifle the final output level. If the mixer is not a combination mixer-amplifier, then it will only provide a certain (weak-ish) output level, and the sound system relies on an amplifier (separate device) to take the weak signal and boost it so that the physical PA can produce an acceptably high level (i.e. loud enough). On top of that, in some setups, the speakers themselves might have level/volume controls.
So, when I talked about downstream, I meant lower on the (longer) list, above. So, you would check both (a) the amp(s) (first), and (b) the speakers for controls that you can operate to make things louder.
Do you think you can tell us brands and model names of the devices in the signal chain? Particularly the mixer, the amp(s), and the speakers. Though, by the time you get close enough to find this out, you'll also be close enough to see any obvious controls, and you could solve your problem already before even getting back to this Tildes thread.
One more thing: about when I said gain is fixed for an RCA input: another option here is to try to plug the device into a "regular" mixer channel (not the RCA) by using a physical adapter. Could be a single stereo adapter (note the two black rings, not just one), like this or this; or a dual/split one, like this (note the single black ring on each of the 1/4" connectors). The point with this approach is that you'd have a little more control because you could use a pre-amp gain on that regular channel (which could be absent on an RCA channel). This gain would be the first thing to try before my little 3-item list, above.
Getting more advanced now, but: the places above where I mention signal processing are other places that can be lowering your signal. Plugins/effects like compressors, EQ. If you've tried everything else, then the plugin stack is one more thing to investigate.
If you can get to test things out in person before your event (i.e. when the venue is empty, and no event is happening), that would help you a lot. Much better than stressing about fixing this during or just before your event, with lots of people turning to stare at you, or the event manager getting on your case and pressuring you, etc.
Oh, one more thing (sorry, I keep saying that, heh): Take pictures of everything you fiddle with before you fiddle with them! I always do this when dealing with equipment that doesn't belong to me, or to whatever organization I am representing. i.e. when I'm just a visitor to a venue that has a sound system in place already. This way, you can put things back to the way they were before you got there, and it also provides you a reference to reset back to if you want to start over with a given control.
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Comment on Any sound engineers on Tildes? Help! in ~hobbies
Pistos LinkThere are a bunch of possible variables at play here. I don't have a lot of time right now to give a fuller comment, but, off the top of my head: These are opposing statements. :) My...There are a bunch of possible variables at play here. I don't have a lot of time right now to give a fuller comment, but, off the top of my head:
I was in charge
no possibility of adjustingThese are opposing statements. :) My recommendation for a first step would be to ask if you could get some access. It's a bit like asking someone to cook a good meal, but locking them out of the kitchen. Dun work that way.
There are two parts to this: the signal going in to the channel (the RCA port), and what the channel is sending downstream to the master/main outputs. If the input signal is weak, and you try to crank the channel's volume, you would hear some hiss because of low signal to noise ratio. Ideally, you want a strong enough signal coming from your device, then you use the mixer to temper the channel's volume relative to everything else in the overall mix. (If there is nothing else going on in this event except your single input device, then there is no "mix".)
If you can open up your audio files on a computer, you can ensure they have a good level of volume. For modern music (I'll assume you're not playing classical at a sporting event), it should look pretty stuffed. Nearly completely filled from top to bottom at the choruses. A lot of modern music is filled through the entire song. Random Internet example to look at: The blue one is what I mean by "filled", whereas the red is not. If your track looks like the red or purple ones, then you can treat them on your computer ahead of your event. Audacity can do this, or ffmpeg. The tools you'd use would be compression (compressor) and/or normalization.
You mentioned getting an app. Some things like that can dynamically do compression, etc. on a laptop or mobile device. That's fine, as long as the settings are not poorly configured (which would make things sound bad while making them louder).
Assuming you can get the audio files in good shape, and your source device is outputting at a good, strong level, then the next thing to fiddle with is channel fader. Push it up till it's either loud enough, or sounds bad (clipping, distorted, etc.). If it sounds bad, but is not loud enough, then the master output level could be too low.
The mixer could be all good, but downstream amplification could be set too low. That's another thing to check.
It could be that, if everything is locked down, and you're not allowed to touch anything, they set it up so that nobody can do things unsupervised with the system which they wouldn't like, such as pushing the PA too hard (could cause physical damage), or making things "too" loud (subjective), or messing with settings that would make their job harder or more time consuming when they come back to the desk.
Anyway, I hope you get this sorted out. It's tough when you are asked to do a job, but are not given what you need to do it right. Been there.
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Comment on Tildes Survey #6: Vote for the next four surveys we do! (Results) in ~talk
Pistos Link ParentLet's not pre-empt the great (or not so great) discussion that would ensue when the question is officially asked in a Tildes Survey. :)Let's not pre-empt the great (or not so great) discussion that would ensue when the question is officially asked in a Tildes Survey. :)
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Comment on Signal, NordVPN, Proton to leave Canada over C-22 in ~society
Pistos LinkRelated post that isn't paywalled:...Related post that isn't paywalled:
Supporters of then-Bill C-18 dismissed warnings from Meta and Google
But by the end of summer 2023, Meta had stripped news links from Facebook and Instagram, an approach that continues to this day.
[Yet,] [the government] is again convinced that the companies are bluffing, that the critics are misreading the bill, and that everything will somehow work out fine in practice.
Canadians [would] lose access to tools the rest of the world will continue to use, while replacement services with less privacy protection fill the gap.Disappointing. SeraphicSoul: You're not alone in what you think of this.
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Comment on Google Search as you know it is over in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentHere's a recent reaction which seems to express a sentiment similar to mine (with a perhaps more aggressive tone).Here's a recent reaction which seems to express a sentiment similar to mine (with a perhaps more aggressive tone).
Your work, your writing or art do matter a bit still: As (unpaid) raw material for their synthetic text extruders. You get to work for free so Google can have tight control
The web is being fully hidden behind a Google-controlled surface.
It’s about monopolizing access to information. -
Comment on Google Search as you know it is over in ~tech
Pistos LinkNot entirely surprising. Frankly, I think the UX of natural language conversation is just better than old school search engine querying, particularly the refinement you get as you go back and...Not entirely surprising. Frankly, I think the UX of natural language conversation is just better than old school search engine querying, particularly the refinement you get as you go back and forth with the LLM. That said, I do concede that it's a bad thing for much of the Internet to get centralized into just a few interfaces and companies, by way of people flocking to LLMs rather than actually visiting the broader Internet. I'm dissuaded from putting any content of worth on the Internet, because it'll just get slurped up into LLMs, and I'll get neither traffic, nor attribution, nor recognition, nor revenue from visitors. Not that I'm against occasional altruism, but for these few centralized traffic hubs to get benefits and profits from my and other people's altruism... well, that's just no good.
That all said, I'll admit my hypocrisy. I use LLMs much more than search engines these days.
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Comment on The boy that cried Mythos in ~comp
Pistos Link ParentRecently, from Cloudflare: https://tildes.net/~comp/1u94/project_glasswing_what_mythos_showed_usRecently, from Cloudflare:
https://tildes.net/~comp/1u94/project_glasswing_what_mythos_showed_us
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Comment on Utah's shrinking lake: a scientific asset and a crisis in ~enviro
Pistos Link ParentI think this is very peculiar interpretation and phrasing. Do you have sources that say this is the messaging that Christians in general are receiving? Or maybe you're referring to some very...everything bad is your fault and if you just tried harder everything would be fine
I think this is very peculiar interpretation and phrasing. Do you have sources that say this is the messaging that Christians in general are receiving? Or maybe you're referring to some very specific group(s).
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Comment on MP3 player recommendations in ~tech
Pistos LinkI think I need an explanation as to why your phone can't do the job here. (Or is it because the seventh grader doesn't have a phone yet?)I think I need an explanation as to why your phone can't do the job here. (Or is it because the seventh grader doesn't have a phone yet?)
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Comment on How I feel about LLM (AI) writing in ~tech
Pistos Link ParentI found this an interesting read (or skim): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writingI found this an interesting read (or skim):
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Comment on Tildes Survey #3: What country were you born in? (Results) in ~talk
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Comment on The boy that cried Mythos in ~comp
Pistos Link ParentLikely this: https://hacks.mozilla.org/2026/05/behind-the-scenes-hardening-firefox/ I forgot that I read this Mozilla post. I'm still piecing together whether that counts towards what the OP...Likely this: https://hacks.mozilla.org/2026/05/behind-the-scenes-hardening-firefox/
[we fixed] the 271 bugs identified by Claude Mythos Preview in the 150 release
I forgot that I read this Mozilla post. I'm still piecing together whether that counts towards what the OP article is complaining about.
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Comment on The boy that cried Mythos in ~comp
Pistos LinkI note that this piece was published April 13, a week after the release of the things it is criticizing, and is now a month old. I don't see any obvious "Updated:" block. I wonder if anything's...I note that this piece was published April 13, a week after the release of the things it is criticizing, and is now a month old. I don't see any obvious "Updated:" block. I wonder if anything's changed since then (such as publication of some of the missing things the author was looking for). I did a (very) little bit of research, and there doesn't seem to be anything made public so far.
Same for me. I opened browser tools, though, and saw that the transfer rate was quite slow. Several seconds per MB. My guess: hosting on a residential connection.