Sunday of my Life

I miss my music whilst I’m working. Last night upon plugging in my headphones at home and settling down to get some work done I discovered my music to be garbled and incomprehensible, with many a-missing frequency and other such things. Completely forgetting everything I’ve learnt about checking on the simplest problems first — since they will inevitably turn out to be the correct answer — I assumed a fault with my sound card. This seemed a safe assumption as various parts of my computer have been falling apart as of late. Uninstalled the hardware and drivers I proceeded to reinstall them, noticing finally that the most vital of the low-level hardware driver components, the Multimedia Audio Control, appeared to be Missing, Presumed Uninstalled. I haven’t found the driver set I need for it yet, although the hunt continues.

Now, as I said, this seemed to be the safe assumption as to the problem, but you know what they say about assumptions. So, as it turns out, I have uninstalled my sound hardware for no reason at all; my headphones are the actual problem. It appears the DSP¹ in the controller unit has gone haywire and is eating up portions of every audio signal that passes through it.

I always learn better with music. Don’t really know why, I just do. It makes me comfortable, I suppose, and when we feel comfortable in our working environment we work better. Quid Pro Quo². I miss my music. I’ve been taking my headphones and a CD packed with music to classes with me whilst I’ve been studying, to try and make myself more comfortable (and to block out the noises of everyone else and, admittedly (with a slight shame at the fact I feel I need to do it), to block out everyone else’s requests for help. To signify that I’m closing myself off from the world and concentrating solely on what I’m doing. I do so love to help people, but I can’t really afford the time it takes to help others out until after I’m done with my exams.

But I do so hate to say no to others. It’s a failing. I’m trying, really I am.

1. Digital Signal Processor, for those not up on their TLAs

2. Quid Quo Pro? Quid Pro Quo? I can never remember which it really is.

Addendum: We have successful restoration of sound and thus music. All is right with the world.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 25th, 2005 at 10:20 am and is filed under Musicality, The Learning Me. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.