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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Once again... Gray bends the envelope on his vast
infinite wealth of useful knowledge.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for that audio bit of brain food.... now
back to my $99.00 12 Gauge practice amp. (Wishing that I had a full blown
tube amp from the 70's)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>WG...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=gfowler@raytheon.com href="mailto:gfowler@raytheon.com">Gray E
Fowler</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org
href="mailto:nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org">NSRCA Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 13, 2007 10:18
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Gov'ment
Job.......was: Re: Off topic</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=2>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
face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=2> 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 face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=2>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 face=sans-serif
size=2>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 face=sans-serif size=1><B>Bob Richards
<bob@toprudder.com></B> </FONT><BR><FONT face=sans-serif
size=1>Sent by: nsrca-discussion-bounces@lists.nsrca.org</FONT>
<P><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>12/12/2007 08:41 PM</FONT>
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<DIV align=center><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>Please respond
to<BR>NSRCA Mailing List
<nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org></FONT></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR></P>
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<DIV align=right><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>To</FONT></DIV>
<TD><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>NSRCA Mailing List
<nsrca-discussion@lists.nsrca.org></FONT>
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<TD>
<DIV align=right><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>cc</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV align=right><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>Subject</FONT></DIV>
<TD><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>Re: [NSRCA-discussion] Gov'ment
Job.......was: Re: Off topic</FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR>
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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 face=Arial
color=#000080 size=2>You’ve obviously never heard a good system then Matt.
</FONT><FONT face=Wingdings color=#000080 size=2>J</FONT> <BR><FONT
face=Arial color=#000080 size=2> </FONT> <BR><FONT face=Arial
color=#000080 size=2>Vinyl is still MUCH better than any CD. Also one must
have tubes for the warmth that transistors can never match.</FONT> <BR><FONT
face=Arial color=#000080 size=2> </FONT><FONT
size=2><TT>_______________________________________________<BR>NSRCA-discussion
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