TheLizard Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 The conversation in the Top Ten Albums thread reminded me of this important issue that needs to be addressed. The sound quality of modern recording, is, for the most part, crap, on account of the sheer LOUDNESS of the production. Much of this is because, now that we're in the MP3 age, songs are compressed into files and then forced out of tiny computer speakers, so producers deal with that by pumping up the volume and therefore destroying subtlety and causing listeners what's known as noise fatigue, that is, literally feeling exhausted after listening to an album that just doesn't ever pause to breathe. The Arctic Monkeys, while a great band, are an example of one group that is definitely guilty of this. Their albums are unrelenting, and not in a good bang-your-head way, but in a bad even-the-quiet-moments-are-loud way. When Nirvana came out, they were accused of being loud, but the difference is, there are varying noise levels in their production, so when Kurt finally lets loose and screams it has emotional impact. Not all artists are guilty of this. The last albums by Bob Dylan and Robert Plant (with Allison Krauss) don't fall into the loudness trap. But at the same time, you have a classic rocker from Bruce Springsteen, who let Brendan O'Brien pump up the volume and suck out the musicality, which may have kept Magic from being another Born To Run. Hopefully with more complaints from the public, this issue will be resolved, but as we go further into the digital age, and with a main listening audience that has become used to being bombarded with noise, that seems doubtful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 haha- good to see someone else still reads Rolling Stone, you can accuse it of going 'corporate' and being 'outdated' all you want- but it's still one of the only sources of music and real-world journalism that I trust. But yeah, MP3s are crap- see with digital music (as no one does analog anymore) most high end studios record with 24 bits or even 32bits, but a CD only uses 16 bits- so thru a very complicated process, those bits of recorded sound are partitioned down to 16 bits, which ultimately works out to pretty decent sound, but with mp3s, you're taking that 16 bits (or if it's straight from the studio 24) and compressiing it down to even less than 16, which leads to the highs and the lows being less powerful, which leads to a boring 'flat' sound- so to compensate, producers turn every frequency as high as it can go... to try and give the mp3s 'punch' That is why I still listen to vinyl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLizard Posted January 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 haha- good to see someone else still reads Rolling Stone, you can accuse it of going 'corporate' and being 'outdated' all you want- but it's still one of the only sources of music and real-world journalism that I trust. I've tried defending the magazine here before, but it's pointless. That is why I still listen to vinyl. My mother gave away our turntable and records when I was about two, a deed for which I will never forgive her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 You guys are, simply put, smart. I've "heard" what you mean, but I'd never have been able to put it into words, let alone explain why. It amazes me sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I recommend picking up a turntable as soon as you can you can grab a decent one for bout 50 bux, then shop for records either locally, or check ebay for some sweet deals, you can grab old beatles lps for $5 sometimes less. The quality of sound is just sooo good, the bass comes in strong, and drums! oh the drums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLizard Posted January 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 By August I'll be off at college somewhere, and that's probably where a turntable would serve me best, if I can fit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 dude... lo-fi. that's all i have to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Lo-fi is great, but many lo-fi bands eventually went on to embrace hi-fi recording, as it is not inherently evil. One should also note that there is a difference between lo-fi recording and lo-fi listening, as while it may be recorded minimally it still sounds best on a high fidelity sound system, as my Crooked Rain Crooked Rain- a lo-fi album, sounds best on my hi-fi system, and the vinyl is pressed in a way to get the best hi-fi listening experience... music is always so complicated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edna Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I recommend picking up a turntable as soon as you can you can grab a decent one for bout 50 bux, then shop for records either locally, or check ebay for some sweet deals, you can grab old beatles lps for $5 sometimes less. The quality of sound is just sooo good, the bass comes in strong, and drums! oh the drums. I would also recommend listening to the old Beatles Lps in mono too... and compare the sound when in stereo... though I guess a Beatles mono lp would be a collector´s item by now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farin Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I love discussions on SF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I don't have much vinyl, but I definitely prefer CD's over ipods. I've never had an ipod and I probably never will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenacious_Peaches Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 I love discussions on SF Me, too. I never know what the heck anyone is talking about, especially our wise young Batman, but it is always tres entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLizard Posted January 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 music is always so complicated. It wouldn't be art if it wasn't, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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