<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">I have tried to stay out of this as
it could become old guy vs young guy, but then again I am no longer young.....</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">As an ex muscian I have recorded about
25 original songs and the interesting thing is that my recording time frame
spans the cross over of analog to digital, that is 1985 to about 1995.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Led Zeps "Whole Lotta Love"
is not record groove bleed over, but is called tape print through. That's
where a freshly recorded magnetic impression transfers through the back
side of the tape onto a place it does not belong-one reel revolution. To
alleviate this tapes are to be stored "tails out" which the recording
engineer obviously forgot to do...in 1969. So that has to be the coolest
recording accident of all time. </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">I have known many home listening "audiophiles"
in my life, some I would call friends. I was always amazed at the money
that they spent on their home systems that was at times more than what
it would cost to put in a "studio" system. As a professional
musician and a professional sound man, the entire idea of recording in
a studio was to make your guitar or the drums sound like YOUR guitar, or
your drums. When I stood in front of my Marshall tube amp cranked up to
11, I wanted that sound on my final product-be it a record or digital recording.
(Pehaps I will discuss guitar tube amps and the reason for their existence
at a later date). I cannot begin to explain how difficult that task actually
is. I will say it is much easier now days.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Analog recoding studios really sounded
good. 2" wide 24 track tape spinning at 30 inches per second. That
is what it took to keep the tape noise level low and to get the most accurate
reproduction AND each machine and tape brand had to be calibrated before
each recording session to ensure accuracy. Remember, what you are listening
to is what the muscian wants you to hear, so audiophiles and listeners
do not even get a vote yet on sound quality.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The 2" tape 24 track "Master"changed
my guitar sound a bit. Then that was mixed down to stereo 1/2 track 1/4"
tape format called "Half Track Master". That change my guitar
sound a bit more, but still okay. The Half Track Master then is sent to
a pressing plant to make the actual vinyl record. First you had to find
a pay an expert "Master-er" to get to vinyl. This guy held you
and your recording by the Nards. Why? Because analog vinyl technolgy was
so screwed up. The Half track master that sounded great in the recording
studio had to be Re-equalized by this record master-er to compensate for
his equipment and how he knew it would change your recording-that you just
spent $5000 on. It also had to be compressed (musically not like MP3-more
later) so it would not violate groove and needle physical capabilities.
If the Master-man sucked or did not care, so did your record. If you were
a big time rock star (I was not), then you could hire Bob Ludwig, and he
would make 5-6 wax pressings so the musician could hear what he changed
and choose what they liked best. Me I had to take what I could get. In
reality very few muscians ever approved of their vinyl recordings because
they sounded so different from what they put down in the studio.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> Yet old audiophiles with their
Harmonically distorted tube amps and super crappy damping factors, needles
that once again change the sound and wear the grooves down, changing the
sound, and worst of all "colored" speakers tailored so any fool
got a decent balance of bass and highs, claim superiority-calling this
"warmth".</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Digital Mixers, with digital recording
and digital media by far produce the truest reproduction of what the muscian
intended. What I discovered when I recorded digital was that what used
to sound "full-warm" was in fact much less accurate. The "full-warm"
sound that was missing was harmonic crap that filled up the spaces in the
mix. What you could then do with digital is add more musical parts to fill
the gaps and you could hear all the detail. Listen to Led Zep records,
then listen to a Led Zep CD which was taken straight from the Half Track
stereo master. One thing that you will notice right away on CD is how much
reverb is present on the CD that you cannot hear on a vinyl record. I used
to think as I bought CDS that the CD has reverb added on top of the original
recording. Not so, it is just that it is 2X louder because the vinyl cannot
reproduce such a subtle sound.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Digital compression like MP3 .....is
DATA compression that is uncompressed before it becomes ear capable analog.
Records "Squashed" compressed music volume for needle physical
reasons, Radio uses "infinite" volume compression-to appear louder
than other stations and to keep from violating broadcast bandwidth-even
worse....but hey, my brother thinks radio sounds great...he must be an
audiophile..... </font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Also...On Monday I am going back to
the recording studio..first time in 12 years. I am making the studio pull
out and dust off their antique 1/2 track analog machine (an the studio
had to calibrate it-as usual). I have about 10-11 songs that were mastered
a on 1/2 track tape and guess what..I and going to burn some digital copies.
My first album was so F-up by the vinyl record that I look forward
to hearing what I actually recorded in 1985......</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Merry Christmas Pattern dudes........
<br>
<br>
<br>
Gray Fowler<br>
Senior Principal Chemical Engineer<br>
Radomes and Specialty Apertures<br>
Technical Staff Composites Engineering<br>
Raytheon</font>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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<td width=40%><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>Bob Richards <bob@toprudder.com></b>
</font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">12/12/2007 08:41 PM</font>
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<div align=center><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Please respond to<br>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">cc</font></div>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Subject</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Gov'ment Job.......was:
Re: Off topic</font></table>
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<br>
<br><font size=3>IMHO, although the "warmth" of a tube amp is
desireable to most people, it is, in fact, a type of distortion.</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<br><font size=3>I have a collection of vinyl, but prefer to use CDs. Kinda
hard to keep the needle from skipping while driving to work. :-)</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<br><font size=3>Remember the one Led Zepplin song where the adjacent grooves
"bled" over when the album was pressed? Never would have happened
with digital. ;-)</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<br><font size=3>Bob R.</font>
<br><font size=3><br>
<b><i><br>
twtaylor <twtaylor@ftc-i.net></i></b> wrote:</font>
<br><font size=2 color=#000080 face="Arial">You’ve obviously never heard
a good system then Matt. </font><font size=2 color=#000080 face="Wingdings">J</font>
<br><font size=2 color=#000080 face="Arial"> </font>
<br><font size=2 color=#000080 face="Arial">Vinyl is still MUCH better
than any CD. Also one must have tubes for the warmth that transistors can
never match.</font>
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