Hey, Les!
Yesterday (Friday March 27, 2009) we enjoyed the first ChucK internet streaming broadcast on electro-music.com. Kassen was there in the chatroom and he had a fun exchange with my friend Carroll who was here in my studio for the broadcast. I think they were talking about her fingernails for some reason. Whatever. All had a blast!
It was great! The nailpolish came from Carroll jokingly "complaining" about how monotonous and noisy some things were and how she would go paint her nails instead. I didn't think things were that hard to listen to but I've been listening to abstract electronic music for a while, it might be different if you're suddenly thrown into the deep end of generative pieces :¬).
There was a tiny bit of dead air, but for the most part things went well.
I thought it went great for a first time making radio, especially as you were on your own. With the little station I'm with (also all enthusiastic amateurs) we make sure there is somebody with a bit of experience around for a new guy's first time. Especially considering that you didn't have that support I thought you did a commendable job. In my humble opinion professional "polished" radio is mostly very boring anyway.
I played some of kijjaz's stuff and some of mine as well. We improvised and I coined the phrase "Jack Noise!", referring to the sound that my puter makes when I unplug or replug the jack to switch from ChucK to mic or revverse.
A little mixer would do the trick, of course, but in this case, if that's all you need you might be able to get away with just a passive cross-fader? I'd arrange a old one for you if it weren't for postage; it makes no sense to send a old mixer in the mail across the pond; postage would be more than the thing would be worth. Have a look at some of the smallest (new) Behringer ones or scout flea markets; I think that in the 80's people liked to have a small mixer next to their stereo, those things (provided they don't crackle too badly) should be fine for just switching a signal like this. Why not ask people to send in their generative pieces of code that they might have to spare? Anyway, this is a lovely project, I think, and I hope you keep it up. I very much enjoyed your broadcast. Yours, Kas.