I Drink

[scott2000]

It's a hard thing to put your finger on and ear on.  Hard thing to talk about here too.  But, please do.

I really don't think anyone is implying it's hard to hear or understand from what I've read.  I get the impression that there are some that feel the one size fits all approach in regards to listening or (whatever other things) quality isn't the best way to look at things. Maybe it's not the point but I can see where it would seem that way.

I'm sure Brian wouldn't stand behind playing back tapes through a tv or some budget amp as superior to even a modest setup playing back a cd or digital download.

So much of a rabbit hole to go down imo when it comes to a nice sounding experience , which would include the actual experiences that can affect the enjoyment of any track.

I've had wonderful experiences (sonic and emotional) in the past, listening on a rigged up playback system with records that ,in my experience today, sound less than great.  Today I couldn't  re-create that experience no matter how hard I try because the recording can't be had anywhere that has the quality I've grown used to since and,  maybe more importantly, the experience of that specific time and space, can't be played over again.

I guess inversely you could put me in some hi-fi nirvana room and I may be too stressed about some argument earlier with the wife or how I'm going to make my next mortgage payment to fully appreciate or even enjoy whatever may be playing.. Taking weed out of the equation anyhow.... But I suppose that could make it even worse in some cases....lol

Too many angles and thoughts to sift through to get any point across that may fit this particular discussion and I'm fearful of getting off the beaten path with others but, it's a win-win anyhow. Good company all around as far as I can tell ....

I do understand the concept that we should be able to enjoy sound at high spl without that urge to turn it down but, I've always attributed this to many more things than just digital/analog . Sources vary for any particular song and I would expect some tv station could have invested in good sources and some other station maybe procured worse.

I'm not convinced that a simple thing as a proper DA converter from a tv (if that's an option) to an ample powered amplifier to keep it in it's sweet spot, to some decent speakers wouldn't increase the listening experience greatly from an audio perspective.
Could even throw in some sound panels around the living room...

But, the tv station source may prove that to be futile I suppose..

All I know is I have heard some cds that would rival some vinyl playback and it's too much of a rabbit hole there as well to the reasons for this... and then I suppose it could come down to system specifics past this. Then the mood of the experience once again....

Brutal accuracy is especially important in those times when you've finally gotten that soothing sound you've searched so long for and want it to be archived and played back... nothing more frustrating than having no way to  do this or know you're doing this.

 

[ruairioflaherty]

Come in with something about the bigger picture I'm talking about.

I've read and re-read your posts and I don't doubt your passion but your questions and arguments are a jumble of thoughts and conflations.

I've spent my whole adult life, 26 years working in music, trying to figure out why things sound the way they do.  You're making assumptions about who we are collectively because of the answers you are getting. Ask a better, more focussed question and I think you'll get better answers.

If the community here was interested in cheaper and easier we wouldn't be doing DIY, we're interested in better.

The bigger issues you are driving at are serious and have a massive impact on our ability to engage emotionally with music and with each other.  I work in a money no object mastering room, with the best gear we can buy/build and better clients every day.  The number one challenge I face is focusing my attention so I can really hear in a deep way.  My phone does more damage to the listening experience than the amplifier THD, but it's a somewhat necessary evil to be connected to my clients. 

Older cats here will all have fallen in love with music through terrible sounding systems, music is resilient.  I think attention is less so.

Good luck.

 

[Winston OBoogie]

Just reading Analag's thread from the beginning and trying to keep up.  Personally,  I quit drinking.

Edit:  Sorry, that last bit should have read:  "I quit, drinking..."

 

[Gold]

I like listening to records for most of the reasons mentioned. I can listen for longer without fatigue. It has a certain quality that draws you in.

As someone who makes them I know that because of the technical limitations great care is required to make a great sounding record. These limitations tend to correspond to what the ear likes to hear in recorded music. I like to say its weaknesses are its strengths.

The kids dig vinyl. At least the super nerd music kind. I wonder how much tastes have changed? If all you hear is current common playback systems will other types sound wrong to those growing up now?

 

[ruairioflaherty]

There's that word better again.
What's better?

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen people here give the advice to use a IC because it's "better," or because it's cheaper.  Or telling someone that a capacitor dielectric doesn't impact sound, etc, etc, etc.  Did you see my PS. in my last post?  You're exhibiting trolling, higher than thou, condescending behaviour.  I'd like to think you're better than that.

Point out good digital.  Point out a solution.

I honestly could care less what studio room you work in, but I do appreciate it when people stop by for conversation without telling people they are imagining things, or they need to ask better questions, or ... fill the blank.  You can come back and try to look cool, and talk about your long career and hunger for better.  Define it.  This isn't just an attention issue, and the sibilance on some of these precise designs are enough to make your eyes bleed.  Transfer of energy practically non existent.

Good luck?  Yeah, okay.  If you weren't so dismissive I'd probably show you a little more respect.  You think I'm some hobbyist that doesn't know what he's talking about.  I'm not asking you to educate me.  I could teach you a few things.

Adam

Hey man,

My wishing  you good luck was genuine, good luck on your search.

If you actually want to engage, rather than arguing with who you think I am or we are as a forum then PM me, let's get on the phone.

Cheers,
Ruairi

 

[pucho812]

while you guys are arguing, I just watched a person on you tube consume 6 liters of gatoraid in 4 minutes.  Gatoraid  for those that don't know is a sports drink.
At any rate 6 liters of this stuff at once cannot be good for a person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbBzXKN32Sk

 

[Tubetec]

Holy hell ,
If someone was shooting up junk or smoking crack they'd get banned from youtube instantly  , yet apparently someone doing themselves harm with overindulgence in sugary drinks to get millions of hits and its all fine and dandy ,
Social media is a f**king freak show , 15 minutes of fame for all the wrong reasons and then you die , its amounting to a hijacking of the human spirit.

I'm steering clear of the other discussion , too devisive

I will however raise a glass to diversity of thought ,
Cheers all,

David.

 

[Tubetec]

I remember thinking as I first got involved in sound and music recording ,would the simple pleasure of non critical listening to music and just enjoying it as is be spoiled by the technicalities  .Back in the days when I got my first tape player and copied my friends brothers records from vinyl over to cassette tape , clearly tape wasnt as good but it really didnt diminish my enjoyment all that much. A badly squarewaved low bandwidth MP3 is much more objectionable to either a crusty record or even a slightly wonky tape.
In subsequent years I did record a 'Workshop Blues' tape consisting mostly of the music of Robert Johnson played by a buddy , the vocal is fuzzled on the peaks but I still wouldnt change a thing about how it was done , there was naggins of vodka involved on the part of the performer too ,again it lent something to the selected takes ,didnt take away .

 

[Scodiddly]

You know what?  A lot of younger people are accumulating memories of this very pivotal time, and what they're hearing is going to include a lot of nasty videoconferencing issues.  That'll be part of the memory, though - that living room solo livestream from a favorite performer, poorly recorded and squeezed through a lot of very lossy compression.

 

[Tubetec]

Yeah many performers are getting hood winked into doing free performances via social media , or donating proceeds to charity , meanwhile 'Screwtube' runs clean away with advertising revenues generated,
I heard an interview with an English/Irish punk rock musician lately where she was continually asked to do charity gigs at venues in NY , when she asked if the bar staff were getting paid and if any profits made by the house were being donated ,she got 'um ,no' as the answer ,it was only the performers were expected to do it for free .Poor video streaming is an order of magnitude worse again than any form of hardware or software playback , are we just getting softened up for even more shittier quality than we've become used to ?  double jobbing as musician and sound engineer ,not to mention the limitations of internet streaming ,sounds like s**t to me.
Of all lines of artistic endevour music has been the most badly hit by covid , either by design or co-incidence this lockdown bears a striking resemblance to Stalinist totalitarianism.

 

[user 37518]

A lot of people love the Rachmaninoff recording because it was played by the master himself so there is a matter of musicality over sound quality, however, I think that the performance would have achieved more if they had available the recording technology of today, its just a fantasy I know, but let me tell you, I prefer more modern recordings of the same piece, even if they weren't played by the master himself, just because its easier for me to listen to a good piano recording with out the hiss, the lack of bass or the honky sound of the Rachmaninoff recording.

 

[scott2000]

co-incidence this lockdown bears a striking resemblance to Stalinist totalitarianism.

And the Matrix sorta...lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL9Y24ciNWs

 

[abbey road d enfer]

public has spoken.  sales of new classical (digital) are nearly non-existent. 

Sales of any genre of records are non-existent, period.

meanwhile, Brian's friends in Salinas, Kansas have been selling vintage vinyl, including classical recordings for years.

Are you aware that a very large proportion of these records never get played? About 1 out of 4 vinyl buyers do not have a record player...

 

[CJ]

well the Fairchild 670 was designed for classical music,  Rein wanted something that would handle those huge peaks you get from a live orchestra but at the same time not lose the detail of the quiet passages.  those different time constants are for all the different types of cymbals they use,

alcohol is a temporary solution to a long term problem. 

 

[justinheronmusic]

I am currently building a Poor Man 670. I started it 4 years ago. COVID-19 isolation has helped me prioritize my time, and I'm currently wiring everything up.

Cheers to Analag for designing some of themost legendary builds on GDIY!