Here's Mark Kirby's latest e-mail. It's a response to my question as to =
what aspects of my father's work interested him and his wife, Linda.

I thought the last sentence of the first paragraph was very funny. Which =
is, "So for our anniversary she asked for a supply of Rainbow Foil and =
Cream Electret."


Chris,

It became apparent to me early on that the PWB treatments, although they =
originated in audio, were more concerned with making the "modern =
environment" friendlier to the sensuous human creature.  Mechanically =
reproduced music is a readily repeatable experience through which you =
can gauge your success in removing a sort of miasma of fear from an =
environment.  Both Linda and I recognized the validity of the concept; =
neither of us understands how the devices achieve their effects.  Linda, =
after hearing my car radio, and seeing how much more relaxed I arrived =
in Cleveland after the six-hour turnpike drive, wanted me to Belt some =
of the house, and her car.  I did.  She liked the increase in ease the =
spaces afforded - whether she was working on her MAC or reading or =
driving.  The computer room was a particularly vivid transformation - =
from a space with a dark red, constipated energy flow to one that has =
more light and optimism. The spaces, transformed, made it seem less like =
work just being alive.  We both found particularly dramatic the increase =
in depth and color and liquidity a mirror acquires after being polished =
with the Cream Electret.  So for our anniversary she asked for a supply =
of Rainbow Foil and Cream Electret. =20
I have since treated much of the kitchen, and a corner of the stairwell =
where she had placed a long mirror.  The latter got a special kind of =
magic.  We are both turned on by Sheldrake.  We are both baffled about =
the connection between his work and your father's.  Neither of us is =
inclined to deny the evidence of our senses.  I'm sure even you can =
still be surprised by the disproportion between the largeness of the =
sensuous effect and the modest size and the evident physical irrelevance =
of the PWB device that causes it.  Please send along the information; =
we're both interested.
By the way, I tried creaming my 12ax7 tubes this weekend.  They did not =
explode or burn out.  My amp, a Jolida 502 integrated, has eight tubes.  =
I foiled the base of the kt88's, creamed the 12ax7's, but not the =
12at7's.  I have Pearl tube coolers around all the tubes, so I creamed =
and foiled all of them, and while the tubes were out creamed the whole =
top surface of the amp, and foiled and creamed the transformer covers.  =
I liked the results a lot.  Since I creamed my speakers, and began =
"torching" my "'x26'x" markings before I start listening, the PWB effect =
has been consistently there - before it seemed to come and go.  Treating =
the amp deepened the effect, and made the amp involving from the =
turn-on; before it took about an hour for the amp to warm up and become =
itself.  This makes me wonder if there is something else going on in =
what we generally consider the warm-up stage of a tube amp.
Mark

The Christmas 1999 Newsletter is now online at
http://www.belt.demon.co.uk/newsletter/vol0203/vol0203.html

Chris.

Kris,

You asked about 'treating' plants. You might want to try out the =
following things suggested by my mother.

"A quick, fairly effective treatment for plants in plant pots and =
flowers in vases is to place a plain piece of Blue paper (no printing) =
under the plant pot or under the vase.

A more effective treatment is to apply some Cream-Electret to the plant =
pot or vase, but an even more effective treatment is to attach a strip =
of Blue Z Morphic Message Foil to all plant pots and vases."

If you order some Foil for Christmas presents, ask for a sample of =
Cream-Electret and Blue Z Morphic Message Foil. It is Christmas after =
all!

You also mentioned that you put some Foil on an audio cassette but heard =
no difference. I would highly recommend that you also freeze the =
cassette using the process Greg weaver and Jimmy Hughes described.

Chris.
=00

thanks chris
that ones better than the first.
                     mike

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Belt [mailto:chrisbelt@...]
Sent: Friday, December 03, 1999 9:34 PM
To: 'PWB@onelist.com'
Subject: [PWB] Another Link for Mike


From: Chris Belt <chrisbelt@...>

Mike,

O.K. If you like that sort of link. Here's another one for you. It's a bit
more 'metaphysical' then the "Sound Chamber".

Check out http://mindwings.com/astm.htm

Chris.

Mike,

O.K. If you like that sort of link. Here's another one for you. It's a bit more
'metaphysical' then the "Sound Chamber".

Check out http://mindwings.com/astm.htm

Chris.

very cool link .

I've just received the following letter from a new customer who has
recently been sent a sample of Foil. It includes a very interesting link
that people might want to check out.

Chris.


Hi Chris
I have heard of freezing cd's before and that it produced favorable
results.  I think Stereophile had some articles on it a few years ago.
I'll have to try it.
Thanks in advance for the foil. I'll be sure to let you know my
comments. I just came back from Sedona, AZ. and tried out a thing called
the Inner-Dimensional Sound Chamber. Very powerful. The sound wasn't
exceptional but the experience was. Check out http://www.soundheal.com

Regards
Ken

Greg,

Greg, I owe you thanks for introducing me to PWB products.  Since I =
realized you were not fooling in your April column, and since my last =
email to you, I too have been in touch with May and the crew, and have =
gotten some of the mailings you have.   I've been freezing discs =
steadily for a couple of months.  I froze the discman and headphones I =
listen to at work.   And Cream Electret and Rainbow foil are =
necessories; I PWB all discs before freezing.  I've also tried some of =
the magic with freezing photographs and marking cd's and treating =
lightbulbs and surfaces in the environment.  They have not lied to me =
yet.  My problem has been trying to describe the changes; they seem to =
help the equipment disappear.  When I scrape eighty bucks together, my =
next purchase will be the Red X-Pen.  =20
My (creamed and rainbowed and frozen and thawed) turntable and amp are =
floating on innertubes - your column has been a favorite of mine for a =
while.  It is the best friend of the financially challenged audiophile.  =
I think it took some guts to go public on PWB.  But the result, with me =
at least, is absolute credibility.
Thanks,
Mark Kirby

Dear Mark

Oops, I forgot to talk about the PWB cream...!

I sadly did once "kill" a tube after putting some cream electret on it.
Looks like the heat is too important, and the glass needs to be really
clean.

You might try the cream on tubes, but DO use Pearl Coolers ( or similar
items ) around them.

Hope this is of some help.

Best regards

Regarding the note from Jean-Francais: it's good to know you can freeze
tubes.  My question, though, addressed smearing the glass with Cream
Electret.  I haven't tried it yet.  I intend to cream and freeze just
about everything.  I have had great results with the stuff I've done so
far.  As far as tubes, if I do it, I'll start with the small tubes
(they're relatively cheap), and if that is not a disaster, I'll think
about power tubes.
Mark

For a bit of amusement, I made the following posting on some discussion
forums/lists. As you should all know by now (from the PWB December
Update), it is from Greg Weaver's latest article at
http://www.soundstage.com/synergize/


Ok audio experts! I have a bit of a competition for you. Who can
accurately guess what the Canadian audio journalist Greg Weaver has just
reviewed in his latest article on the Soundstage online audio magazine.
Here is part of his article giving a comprehensive account of his
findings (or at least subjective opinion).

"The overall character of the change was that of a higher degree of
clarity and focus, as if somehow the noise floor had been lowered. I'm
not suggesting that ... actually did lower the noise floor, only that
the resultant sonic effect can be best described in that manner. Space
within the soundstage was better resolved and differentiated. Low-level
detail and subtle spatial queues were more readily apparent. Higher
frequencies were reproduced more cleanly, with less "tizz" and
"whiteness," while bass and midbass seemed to have extra punch and
better control....

Listening to the tenor sax from the title track on Gaucho was even more
of a treat ... It was more robust and present. The descending bass run
from the opening of "Airhead" on Aliens Ate My Buick had more power and
had greater weight and detail. The feeling of space and air surrounding
the opening to "Telegraph Road" from Love Over Gold had been enhanced
noticeably. The ride cymbal on "Reelin' In the Years" from Can't Buy A
Thrill was more "bronzy," better focused and localized in space...

But the most evident change was manifest on the Vivaldi piece. Violins
and cellos rose to new heights. Their string sound, even the bowing of
those strings, became much more focused and took on bloom and body that
were stirring. Space between instruments wasn't so much enlarged as it
was better demarcated, fleshing out the instruments in a more realistic
fashion. Instruments all seemed more individualized and separate within
the sonic landscape, yet didn't seem the least bit unnatural in their
distinctiveness. The solo violin that opens the Largo was just more
"there"; it reconstructed so effortlessly by comparison that I was
really taken."


Here are some replies:

Based on Greg's description and my experience with it, my guess is the
PS Audio P300 Power Plant.

It has to be the Bybee Quantum speaker cable filters that cost around
$600 American. And I didn't even go to the site to check but seem to
remember reading this BS a while back. So what do I win? ;)

I'm no expert, but it sounds a lot like a couple of SACD reviews I've
read lately contrasting 16 bit with Sony's new 2-channel super audio.

Your first go around here some time back was not enough? Back with the
silly foils again? Greg Weaver and soundstage is your credibility? Your
newly discoverd force fields should be written up in a science journal,
not on the web or soundstage, or here.

Your daddy invented the freezer to improve CD sonics-- but some jokers
decided to use Freezer to store food instead ! what heresy ! Humour
aside Greg Weaver is right about a lot of things - but he goes over the
top too much to have real credibility, however the notion of freezing
Cd's has been around for years.

Bose, they are small and invisble. Life like and invisible.... using the
finest audio grade lamp cord...terminated with Radio Shack high end
SPADE lugs, crimped with teh authorized crimp tool, to warranty proper
sound.

That's all so far!

Chris.

I've been meaning to write for some time now with my results but my
personal life has been really hectic lately.  I recieved the rainbow
foil samples and I tried them as prescribed on a cassete tape.  I didn't
notice any difference with the sound quality but that does not surprise
me as I am not a music buff.  I was not discouraged and tried it in some
other applications.
One night I was watching TV and had a terrible headache and my eyes
throbbed.  It is common for me to get a headache like that when I watch
TV and asprin doesn't usually help.   On a whim, I put a slice of the
foil on the back of the television where the wires go in and out and in
as little as two or three minutes my eye ache was completely GONE.  Then
I put a strip of the foil on the TV screen and in two or three minutes
my headache was GONE!  I left the foil on the TV and my headaches have
been dramatically reduced.  Since then I've put strips on my computer
monitor and have had the same results.  These results could be
coincidental but I think not.  I used the strips another way and got
visible results.
I have a television and one day the color was all messed up for no
apparent reason.  All the colors were being portrayed but in the wrong
places.  The picture was clear so I just lived with it.  Over a couple
weeks it gradually began to correct itself but it was nowhere near to
looking normal.  I put five little strips on the front of the screen and
the color was immediatly improved by at least 80%!  I have a witness to
the "before" and "after" results and he stresses the improvement was AT
LEAST 80%.  We were both amazed.  I don't know how this worked because I
am not excessively familiar with the technicalities of a working TV
screen but it did happen and I saw it with my own eyes plain as day.
You are welcome to quote or paraphrase my results for your mailing list
or web site if you want.
  As you know I had postive results when I placed a magnet under a
growing plant so I want to see what happens with foil.  I havent decided
just how I will do it and am open to suggestions.
I am going to buy a pack or two of the foil for Christmas gifts and will
keep you informed as to their results.  As always, I appreciate the
interesting information and links!
Take care!
Kris

Dear Mark

Regarding tubes to be frozen and treated, do be very careful. You will do no
harm to your precious "bottles" if you use gloves. Do however be very careful
when unfreezing : I was doing the thing years ago on a weekly basis being a
retailer with thousand of things to try and treat, and noticed that you must
really wait a day or two before using them again. If not, you are stressing the
glass and all is lost soundwise. Never be in a hurry when using the " freezing
trick " !

Hav you tried it on cables, fuses , batteries, remotes, aside CDs ?

All the best

Jean-François

The following article has just appeared on the Salon online magazine.
I've reprinted the article in full, but it can also be found at
http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/11/23/sheldrake

Rupert Sheldrake: The delightful crackpot

Put your paws together for the master of morphic resonance.

BY DAVID BOWMAN

If you've seen Rupert Sheldrake plugging his book "Dogs That Know When
Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals"
on your television, you may assume he's just some new-age Dr. Dolittle,
exploring your pooch and kitty's potential as mind readers. There's much
more to Sheldrake than animalistic ESP. He is as brilliantly "out there"
as Wilhelm Reich or Ludwig Wittgenstein. Nearly 21 years ago, Sheldrake
postulated in his first book, "A New Science of Life," that there is no
such thing as natural "laws." What the universe is, in fact, is an
evolving system of habits.

And habits can be broken.

Before we examine Sheldrake's theory, know that he was born in
Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, in the English Midlands. He went to an
Anglican boarding school and then took biology at Cambridge, studying
"life" by killing animals and then grinding them up to extract their
DNA. This was troubling. Rescue came when a friend turned him on to
Goethe. This old German's 18th century vision of "holistic science"
appealed to the young Brit very much. Sheldrake used Goethe to
investigate how the lilies of the field actually become lilies of the
field.

"The instructors said that all morphogenesis is genetically programmed,"
Sheldrake says now. "They said different species just follow the
instruction in their genes. But a few moments' reflection show that this
reply is inadequate. All the cells of the body contain the same genes.
In your body, the same genetic program is present in your eye cells,
liver cells and the cells in your arms. The ones in your legs. But if
they are all programmed identically, how do they develop so
differently?"

Sheldrake discovered that around 1920, three biologists -- Hans Spemann,
Alexander Gurwitsch and Paul Weiss -- independently proposed that
morphogenesis is organized by fields. (Albert Einstein extended this
field concept to include the gravitational field that holds the universe
together.) After Sheldrake took several extended trips to India, he
developed his theory of "morphic resonance." He put forth the notion
that morphic fields influence everything from plant growth to migration
patterns to what C.G. Jung called the "collective unconscious." He
wrote, "As time goes on, each type of organism forms a special kind of
cumulative collective memory. The regularities of nature are therefore
habitual. Things are as they are because they were as they were."

He discovered data that backed him. For example, when mice in a research
facility in London were taught to improve their maze-running skills,
"unschooled" mice in a Paris lab began better navigating their mazes as
well. On a South Pacific island, a gourmet monkey discovered that
washing the dirt off his raw potato was healthy and made the spud taste
better. On islands throughout the archipelago, monkeys simultaneously
began washing their potatoes. This means the truism that ideas are "just
in the air" has validity.

"The whole point about morphic fields is that nature as we know it is
probabilistic," Sheldrake says. "It could go one way or it could go
another. Anything which influenced or imposed pattern upon chance could
bring about a causative influence in nature not violating any law of
physics." He then mentions how a flock of day-old chicks can imprint a
random-movement robot and then will it to stop moving randomly. Indeed,
he tells how a random noise generator ceased producing random noise
during the five minutes the O.J. Simpson trial verdict was broadcast.

If Sheldrake sounds like a crackpot, he is. But delightfully so. Mad
scientists are a thing of the past. Sheldrake makes an off-the-cuff
comment that he discovered from old radar records that the speed of
light slowed during the 1940s. Then he points out that it was Francis
Bacon who believed scientists should be the new priesthood. And that's
how science has functioned ever since -- most of our modern priests are
"busy doing genetic research for Monsanto." Indeed, the former editor of
Nature, John Maddox -- "the 'pope of science,'" Sheldrake laughs --
called Sheldrake a "lapsed Jesuit attacking the church of science."
Maddox advocated literally burning Sheldrake's books as heresy, yelling,
"He deserves to be condemned for the exact same reasons the pope
condemned Galileo."

It figures that California became a haven for Sheldrake in the early
1990s. His views were embraced by Terence McKenna -- co-author of "The
Invisible Landscape: Mind, Hallucinogens, and the I Ching" -- a man who
believes Mother Earth (aka Gaia) speaks to us through hallucinogenic
mushrooms that came as spores from outer space. Privately, Sheldrake
enjoyed partaking in a chemical trip or two himself, so he was
sympathetic to McKenna's ravings. But publicly, the Brit always seemed
stiff whenever the two shared a podium (or toadstool).

In the mid-1990s, Sheldrake began to distance himself from the
California scene and just studied the pooches. After being urged for
years to find more "empirical evidence" of morphic fields, he became a
Captain Kangaroo of sorts, encouraging hundreds of schoolkids worldwide
to document how the family pet tuned into morphic fields. He's collected
irrefutable evidence that Lassie almost always knows when her master is
returning home. Spot can sense forthcoming epileptic attacks. Rover
sniffs out cancer. Canines even forecast earthquakes. "In China, the
government monitors earthquakes by dogs," Sheldrake says. "But when I
ran this by the American insurance industry, they said, 'You know, you
could maybe save lives with earthquake-sensing dogs, but we're a general
insurance company. Go talk to the life insurance people.'"

In 1996, Sheldrake paused in his dogged research to hook up with
renegade priest Matthew Fox and hold public discourses on God (which is
you-know-what spelled backward). After all, the Almighty seems to be
where the larger implications of morphic resonance head. What if morphic
resonance encompasses the narrative direction of our lives? Perhaps
destiny is more than just some literary conceit. Maybe karma is not only
instant, but real as well. Perhaps we can even actually influence God
herself as easily as chicks can stop random-movement robots.

Ah. These ideas just bounce off Sheldrake. He doesn't bite. After all,
his God is, well, British. "I belong to the Church of England," he says.
He talks about his beliefs, and he buys the whole thing -- Father, Son,
Holy Ghost. Rupert Sheldrake is only a heretic in the Church of Science.

But in the end, Sheldrake successfully defends the profundity of his
current animal work. "The thing about dogs," he says, "although some
people might think this is trivial from a scientific point of view, it's
actually exactly the opposite. Science believes animals and plants are
all just unconscious automatons. The whole of nature is unconscious
except for human beings. We're the only smart guys in the whole universe
and somehow figured out how everything works. And that means through
science we can manipulate nature and improve products for corporations."

Then Rupert Sheldrake pauses and says, "Descartes believed the only kind
of mind was the conscious mind. Then Freud reinvented the unconscious.
Then Jung said it's not just a personal unconscious but a collective
unconscious. Morphic resonance shows us that our very souls are
connected with those of others and bound up with the world around us."

salon.com  (Nov. 23, 1999)

The following is from Mark Kirby who is having trouble finding a =
suitable method of accessing the list. Any comments that people have =
will be forwarded to him.

"I have had very good results with my freezing experiments.  I hope to =
do some equipment soon.  Has anyone frozen vacuum tubes?  And although =
I've always handled my tubes with rubber gloves, I wonder - is that =
precaution just a superstition?  Is there any reason not to use the =
Cream Electret on tubes?  After all, I smear it on light bulbs and those =
glass enclosures get pretty hot."

Sincerely,
Mark Kirby

The following comment was made by Jean-Francois, and might be of =
interest to anyone who doesn't have a freezer full of food.

"Just a short message to let you know that indeed, turning the freezer =
control to maximum is a good thing. It is not a night and day =
difference, but it is worthwhile."

Mike,
You wrote," well all i just did a comparison of a frozen and foil =
treated cd and a standard copy i made 2 copys of patricia barbers =
companion cd i used the same copy speed and listened to both and was =
convinced that they sounded the same.then i did the freezing technique =
on one and applied the foil.well all i can say is WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  =
the bass is lower.the vocals more natural.and everything is more focused =
and much easier to listen to.i checked it 4 or 5 times to make sure i =
wasnt hearing things.its amazing stuff now i need more of it and ive got =
a load of cd,s to freeze.thanks Chris and thank your father.im ordering =
more tommorrow.what do i need to add for shipping?i think ill order some =
of the cream also."

I am really glad that you were able to hear the initial changes. =
Obviously this is only 'the tip of the iceberg'. One thing that you said =
though needs clarifying. It seems that you froze the CD disc first and =
then added the Foil. We recommend that you add the Foil BEFORE freezing =
the object. Also please see my reply to Fabio for ideas on other thing to freeze
not just CD discs.

You don't need to add anything to cover the costs of 'shipping'. For some
strange reason, my parents don't charge for that!

Chris Belt.

Fabio,

You wrote, "Hi Chris, I'm Fabio Sorrentino from Rome, Italy. Do you =
remember me? I knew the freezing of cd's 2 years ago. I think it works =
and I hear the differences. The sound is more focused and tangible. But =
I have a suspect. I'm not sure that the effect lasts for ever. The cd is =
soon stressed by the laser and the change of temperature. Must we freeze =
it each time? The structure of the matter changes during the freezing, =
but then? I saw at the TV a florist that use to freeze flowers, "to =
stabilize them" she said, to do lasting compositions of flowers.

Regards=20

Fabio =20

P.S.
The foil works well on main cables!



It's nice to hear from you again Fabio. You made a very good point about =
the possibility that freezing is not as permanent as we had previously =
thought. This could very well be true with objects that get hot when in =
use. One possible experiment that someone could do to see if this is =
correct is to use two identical CD's. Both can be treated with Foil and =
then checked to make sure they sound the same. One of them could be =
frozen, whilst the other was left unfrozen. They should then be compared =
again to check that the 'frozen' disc has improved. After different =
lengths of time, the two discs could be compared to see if the disc that =
had been frozen had 'returned' to being the same as the disc which had =
not been frozen. Obviously, this could be done with any identical =
objects being frozen (see below).

I have never heard about flowers being frozen but I don't dispute that =
it works. It's a shame that nobody else contributes their experiences =
with freezing. We might all pick up some good ideas.

I recently froze my personal stereo. Normally I just do the batteries as =
I think I might do damage to the whole personal stereo if I freeze it. =
However, as I am learning a new foreign language, I had recently bought =
a very cheap one for listening to dialogues, and so I wasn't so =
interested it its quality. Anyway, I put Foil only on the two batteries =
and then froze the whole personal stereo. (Of course Mike, as I have =
just written in my reply to you, I should have put a strip of Foil on =
the personal stereo itself before freezing it!). After freezing it, I =
let it come back to room temperature really slowly and the difference =
was amazing. Most of the hardness, that had made listening to music on =
it excruciating, had disappeared.

So from this experience, I'd say that anything that will fit in the =
freezer will benefit from the freezing technique. For an audio system, =
you should definitely do; batteries in remote controls, batteries in =
everything, remote control units, CD discs, audio cassettes, video =
cassettes, DVD discs, interconnect cables, speaker wires, mains cables, =
adapters, plugs, sockets, and drive units. For musical instruments, if =
you can't get the whole instrument in the freezer then just do parts of =
it. For example, the stings of a guitar, or the valves of trumpet.

Has anyone tried turning the freezer control (if your freezer has one) =
to maximum 'coldness'? I know it won't go down to temperatures found in =
cryogenic freezing, but it might make a difference.

Chris Belt.

well all
i just did a comparison of a frozen and foil treated cd and a standard copy
i made 2 copys of patricia barbers companion cd
i used the same copy speed and listened to both and was convinced that they
sounded the same.then i did the freezing technique on one and applied the
foil.well all i can say is WHAT A DIFFERENCE!
the bass is lower.the vocals more natural.and everything is more focused and
much easier to listen to.i checked it 4 or 5 times to make sure i wasnt
hearing things.its amazing stuff now i need more of it and ive got a load of
cd,s to freeze.thanks Chris and thank your father.im ordering more
tommorrow.what do i need to add for shipping?i think ill order some of the
cream also.
                                                         mike(spaaaz)

> Has anyone had any good results from freezing
> objects?
Hi Chris,
I'm Fabio Sorrentino from Rome,Italy.
Do you remember me?
I knew the freezing of cd's 2 years ago.I think it
works and I hear the differences.The sound is more
focused and tangible.But I have a suspect.I'm not sure
that the effect last for ever.The cd is soon stressed
by the laser and the change of temperature.Must we
freeze it each time?
The structure of the matter changes during the
freezing,but then?
I saw at the TV a florist that use to freeze
flowers,"to stabilize them" she said,to do lasting
compositions of flowers.
Regards
Fabio
P.S.The foil works well on main cables!


=====

For anyone who might be interested, here is an abridged version of a New York
Times article dated November 2nd 1999. Of course, my father believes that a
normal domestic deep-freeze will suffice for this kind of treatment. The secret
being to bring the frozen object back to room temperature very slowly. We also
recommend attaching a strip of Foil to the object before freezing it for optimal
results.

Has anyone had any good results from freezing objects?

Chris Belt.


For the Musical Alchemist, a New Tack: Cryogenics

By TERRY H. SCHWADRON

It was a chance meeting. Dr. Joseph Markoff, a Philadelphia ophthalmologist and
a classically trained trumpet player, was entertaining at a family party when
one of the guests made a startling proposition: would Dr. Markoff consider
having his trumpet frozen?

''I thought he was some kind of nut,'' Dr. Markoff said. ''I could not imagine
what he was talking about.''

But the guest, Steven Wasser, a flute manufacturer, was perfectly serious. As
president of Powell Flutes, in Maynard, Mass., he had been experimenting with
deep-freezing techniques, and had become convinced that something musically
interesting occurred as a result. Cryogenics had a lot to offer musicians, he
said.

Dr. Markoff, who knew of the uses of cryogenics in the operating room, was
intrigued. He agreed to send Mr. Wasser an old trumpet.

It was not a valued instrument, said Dr. Markoff, who described it as ''best
suited for a lamp.'' But when he played it after it had been frozen, Dr. Markoff
found the instrument had become ''one of the freest-blowing'' and most superbly
focused trumpets he had ever owned.

Mr. Wasser said he had experienced such success with the freezing process that
he now regularly included that step in the flute-manufacturing process. ''I
don't publicize cryogenics because I can't prove it scientifically,'' he said.
''But almost everyone who has tried a blind test picks the treated instrument.''

'All that soldering, bending, banging causes actual stress in the metal
itself,'' said Andrew Naumann, director of development for trumpets at Edwards.
Mr. Naumann, who himself builds models of historical trumpets, explained that
stretching and soldering ''can make an instrument blow 'tight' rather than
freely. It is that free sound that most professionals want.''

Enter cryogenics.

Stretching metal into the contortions that make up the average trumpet or tuba
may upset the alloy's molecular structure. What was a discernible arrangement of
molecules becomes less orderly, and stressed. Heat may make metal more
malleable, but it may also spread the molecules. Supercooling treatments appear
to return the molecules to a more orderly arrangement, relieving stress in the
metal.

Or so goes the theory.

Almost all the scientific work on supercooling metal has involved ferrous
metals, steel mostly. Brass has received little attention, relatively speaking.
In fact, a dozen or more companies around the country offer to deep-freeze a
variety of steel products, including razor blades, golf clubs and drill bits.
They display performance charts assuring greater longevity and hardness in metal
after cryogenic treatment.

So why not musical instruments? Those who have tried the deep-freeze say there
is a difference in ease of playing and in the range of ''color'' in the tone.

Wayne Tanabe, owner of the Brass Bow music repair shop in Arlington Heights,
Ill., has a cryogenics tank big enough to hold a tuba.

For about $200, Mr. Tanabe cleans an instrument with ultrasound, then he wraps
it, and, over 35 to 50 hours, he gradually lowers its temperature to about 325
degrees below zero Fahrenheit, well above absolute zero (459 degrees below zero
Fahrenheit).

As Mr. Tanabe explains it, the extreme cold can accelerate what seems to happen
to brass instruments as they age. Sound quality improves, he said, because
resonance is clearer. He believes that his is a once-in-a-lifetime treatment,
and that the effects last indefinitely.

Mr. Tanabe offers testimonials from musicians, including several from the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But his advertising is by word of mouth.
''Otherwise, people think you're talking about voodoo,'' he said.

Because there has been little scientific research on the effect of extreme cold
on musical instruments, several of the larger manufacturers have decided not to
pursue such techniques. ''We've heard about it, but we cannot show that it
works,'' said Mr. Breske of United Musical Instruments. Fred Powell, who directs
brass instrument development for United, said that the techniques might relieve
structural stress, but that there was no evidence that the metal changed.

Scientifically, Dr. Markoff said, ''I believe that cryogenics stabilizes the
brass and reduces extraneous vibrations and harmonics. It dampens whatever
interferes with resonance and eliminates obstacles between the musician's lips
and air column and the instrument. But the bottom line is that it makes me sound
better.''

thanks Chris
im going to do some comparisons on the foil this weekend
instead of buying to identicle cd,s i just burned two identicle copies on my
pc one is in the freezer as i write this.come on people lets do some serious
chatting,throw your two cents in lets go.we know your just dieing to
participate.have a good one
                                                        Spaaaz(mike)

Here is a letter from someone who responded to the Greg Weaver article and
kindly contributed his thoughts for publication in the upcoming Newsletter. I
thought it would be a good idea to use it as an example of how personal
experiences can help others by providing incidental information about what
products and techniques they use which others might pick up on.

In his letter, Mark mentions that he is reading about Rupert Sheldrake's
theories. That reminds me. I have some audio cassette tapes of interviews
Sheldrake made for the New Dimension radio program. If anyone would like copies
I would be very happy to send them out.

By the way, the deadline for the Newsletter is in nine days, if anyone wants to
contribute anything.

Chris Belt.


Dear May,
Nice to hear from you.
I may not be the right person to write about my experiences with the PWB
products or even the freezing techniques.  I am not especially scientific about
listening to music.  If I hear a difference, I take it as a fact and proceed
from there.  I have just begun reading Sheldrake, and while my intuition tells
me his morphic fields come a lot closer to describing reality than current,
mechanistic paradigms, my senses are what I'm paying attention to when I listen.
I followed the instructions for freezing and slow thawing for compact discs
contained in some of the enclosures you sent me.  The difference was significant
enough that I determined to freeze all my discs.  The difference was a deepening
of what I've come to think of as the PWB effect: a relaxation where it all
becomes clearer - musical lines and interrelationships, vocal and instrumental
textures, details, words - the gestalt.  Oftentimes a song I have been listening
to for years takes on a new color and I understand its emotional argument
better.  Usually I will foil and cream a disk and its case, and listen to it
before freezing it.  The initial improvement from that treatment is dramatic
enough that I can still be surprised at how much better the disk can sound after
freezing: how much less mechanical, how present the musicians can be.
I have also done the experiments outlined on the website under the heading "What
a Mess - an alternative view of reality."  So all my treated discs, a lot of my
equipment, my mirrors are marked with " 'X 26 'X ".  Getting this done is a
certain amount of trouble.  I would rather be listening to music.  I wouldn't
bother if the procedures didn't allow me to hear a lot more music from the
recordings I play.  My next PWB purchase after this homework is done, when the
budget allows, is the red x-pen.  I keep thinking I'll stop being surprised by
the improvements.  But I haven't yet.
I froze the cd player and headphones I listen to at work, after treatment with
rainbow foil and cream.  Wonderful.  My old AR turntable that I just had
rehabbed, along with the maple slab and innertube it rests on, I treated and
froze.  Likewise wonderful.  As time allows, I intend to freeze all the
equipment I can fit into the freezer including the wood blocks and ceramic cones
I use for resonance tuning.
Techs can worry about the reasons why these things work, and, if it results in
further improvements, I hope they do.  Meanwhile I will gratefully enjoy the
fruits of Peter Belt's labor.
May, if any of the above reflections are of use to you or the newsletter, you're
welcome to them.
By the way, when I was last in Cleveland, I treated some of the environments
there.  Linda and I continue to be pleased.  Thank you.
Sincerely,

Mark Kirby

Since my last posting we've had about five new people join. We now have about
twenty people on the list. There were only two people who responded to my
initial welcome message. One was new to PWB and asked for advice on what to do,
and the other asked for explanations of how to use PWB products. Nobody replied
to these messages. I have posted another message today which outlines some very
basic uses of Rainbow Foil, Electret Cream and the freezing technique in
treating CD players and CD discs.

Would anyone please add to my instructions if they know of alternative ways to
treat the said items? Would people also please post their experiences of
treating these two items?

Thanks,

Chris.

For anyone who's interested, this is the text of a letter to Paul Butterfield on
the High Fidelity ONElist (this is a bunch of die hard engineers who go on and
on and on about objective measurements etc.). He is setting up some listening
tests at his societies next meeting. I assume that everyone treats their CD
players and CD discs in the manner described. If not, I would like to hear how
you do. I'll post the results when I get them.

Chris.

For the listening tests you propose to do on November 13th with the Central
Florida Audio Society I suggest the following two procedures.

CD Players.

You said that you would have available two identical CD players. Thus it will be
possible to do at least a double blind A/B listening test. One of the CD players
can be treated in such a way as its appearance will be the same as the untreated
CD player. Thus people listening to the two CD players side by side will have no
idea which has been treated. Also the person switching the CD disc between the
CD players will be unaware which CD player is treated. This will therefore
facilitate a standard double blind A/B test. It will exclude any possible
'placebo effect'.

Here are some suggestions for the treatment of a CD player. You will receive
some of my father's Electret Foil and Electret Cream. To apply the Foil to an
object simple cut the piece of Foil along its width, cutting small strips
between 1mm and 3mm wide. I usually cut them 2 mm wide 'by sight' without
bothering to measure each one. Remove the backing thus exposing the adhesive
surface and then attach the strip to an object. Take the Electret Cream, and
using your finger smear a tiny amount around the attached strip of Foil so that
a tiny bit gets into the interface between the Foil and the surface it is
attached to. Any excess cream can be removed using a soft cloth (not a paper
tissue!). This is the basic Foil and Cream treatment.

When treating equipment internally there are a couple of things to remember.
First, always unplug the equipment from the main's electricity supply. Second,
you take full responsibility for any damage that might be caused to the
equipment. Having said that though, all you are doing is attaching small strips
of foil and applying some non corrosive cream, both of which can simply be
removed any time you wish.

Things to be treated with both Foil and Cream include, transformers, capacitors,
printed circuit boards, metal cooling plates, equipment casings, support bars,
strengthening rods, motor housings, CD disc tray and mechanisms, fuses and fuse
holders etc. Anything that is too small (or awkward) to attach a strip of Foil
to should be treated with the Cream only. These might include resistors,
capacitors, fuses, wires, front display panel, mains cable and plug, and the
interconnect cable. The more individual and separate items you treat, the
greater the improvement achieved.

CD Disc

To treat the CD disc, carry out the Foil and Cream treatment as above attaching
a strip of Foil specifically over the 'disc' logo and another strip on the label
side in an area without printing on it. Place the CD disc in its case and then
put in into a self sealing plastic bag. Place the CD disc in the freezer
compartment of the refrigerator (or freezer) overnight. In the morning remove
the frozen disc and wrap it in a small towel. Place it in the fridge for a few
hours and then, whilst still wrapped in the towel, leave it in a cool room until
it returns to room temperature. The important thing to remember with the
freezing process is to return the object being frozen to room temperature very
slowly. We recommend the freezing process should be carried out twice for
optimal effect.

(I noticed your recent posting in which you say that you think the Foil and
freezing process are two different treatments. I suggest they are two aspects of
the same treatment. If you do not wish to follow my recommendation then the
results will not be 'as advertised'. I state that the Foil and Cream treatment
outlined above, followed by the freezing process (twice) will produce a marked
and noticeable improvement in the perceived sound of a CD disc. If you do not
carry out the treatment as suggested you will NOT get a 'marked and noticeable'
improvement. You also state that you do not wish to freeze a CD disc because it
"has the potential to compromise the shelf life" of the disc. If your society
cannot scrape together enough money to buy a CD disc for a listening test I
would be prepared to send you the money myself.)

As the treated CD will have two strips of Foil attached to its label side it
will not be possible to do a double blind listening test as the person switching
the treated disc with the untreated identical disc will be aware which is which.
However, a standard single blind test (both A/B and AB/X) can be carried out if
precautions are taken so that listeners cannot see the discs being switched.

From an 'adverse energy pattern' point of view, I can't think of worse
conditions to carry out a listening test than an audio society meeting. A large
number of people (with electronic watches, mobile phones, pagers etc.) together
with a room full of odds and ends of equipment is an 'energy pattern' nightmare.
For this reason, I wouldn't at this stage worry too much about perfecting AB/X
listening tests. If the standard double and single A/B tests provide positive
results some more controlled tests can be carried out at a later stage.

> ok folks im new to this electret foil stuff
> what should i put it on besides my cds.what other products are usefull
> besides the foil?also were on any devices should it be placed.im reading
> through the documents that came with my sample now.
>                                                     mike
>

Mr. Belt,
Don't get dissapointed, usually start low then get better and better.
I feel a good point will be starting disscusions on the first subject of
your proposal below.
Regards,
Mario Morales.

I'd like to welcome everyone to the PWB ONElist discussion group. We have about
fifteen members so far, which is a bit disappointing considering the number of
customers we have, but is sufficient to start up some good discussions.

I would like to start by asking everyone, if they want, to make a brief personal
introduction stating for example, what kind of things they'd like to see
discussed, and what PWB products they find the most beneficial and why.

I have a few suggestions of possible topics for discussion.

Uses of PWB devices and treatments on specific audio equipment.
Uses on other electronic equipment.
Possible applications outside audio.
Personal experiences (with PWB devices and treatments!).
Background information about Peter Belt and the development of his theories.
Rupert Sheldrake and morphic resonance.
Anomalies in Nature.
Anomalies in Science.
Conservative reactions to new ideas.
Ideas for expanding our group.

Let's get the discussion group up and running!

Chris Belt.

I wonder whether this mailing list works... or is not started yet

Alberto