5121cdd@houxm.UUCP (C.DORY) (03/29/84)
Let me pose a question: Are the differences that Bob Carver found between
the analog CD faults with the digital recording process, or faults that
we've become accustomed to hearing on analog recordings?
I ask this in light of my experiences with digital recording. I'm
absolutely convinced that an overwhelming majority of the those criticizing
recordings (and particularily digital recordings) have never actually
recorded live music. Without that experience, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to
comprehend the various decisions (and their consequences) that must
be made. Good microphones and mike techniques that preserve the stereo
image AS PERFORMED are so much more important than Litz wire, Monster
Cable, and Wonder Caps. I find it amusing that on a net full of
"engineers" and "scientists" that we see so little in the way of
creativity and objectivity towards our goal (I assume) of preserving
and recreating musical performances.
Back to the original point, I can't speak for or against the CD --
I don't own a CD player. I'm sure I could ramble about the theoretical
advantages, but we've heard them a hundred times. I am familiar with
digital recording, however. Some of the recordings that I have made are,
frankly, scary in their sense of realism. I have never heard analog records
project a sound stage as these recordings do. I say "some" recordings
because, as I said before, there are many decisions and tradeoffs made
in recording music -- sometimes you make mistakes -- sometimes your
mistakes become records. Very few recording engineers use the best
microphones; moreover, even fewer engineers use stereo microphony.
While one might be able to identify some deficiencies in digital recording
that are audible some of the time (remember, we are talking about digital
master recordings, not the CD) I can cite numerous audible problems
with analog recordings that are ALWAYS present. Namely: modulation
(sometimes called asperity) noise, low frequency head bumps, low
frequency roll-off, low-frequency phase errors, phase error
between channels, tape skew, wow & flutter, scrape flutter, drop outs,
print through, hiss, high frequency compression, transient compression,
increasing distortion with increasing fluxivity, noise reduction
mistracking, tape roll, static discharge,...need I continue?
It seems to me that many of the "audiophiles" who have just become
comfortable with their analog playback equipment (MC cartridges,
high-end head amps, and VTA adjustments, etc.) are now faced with
a technology that (they feel) has no room to tinker with. This is
absolutely false. Many of the (valid) complaints that are made
about digital recording (PCM) and playback equipment (CD) can be
corrected with simple opamp circuits. An all-pass filter network can,
for instance, provide enough delay of lower frequencies to provide
linear phase response to beyond 16K Hz. on CD players! In fact,
some CD players (and even digital recorders namely the Sony PCM-F1)
are phase inverting devices -- this means that, on playback, drums
suck. The effects of phase inverted playback are, sometimes,
dramatic.
I would think that the members of this net (given their backgrounds)
could make SIGNIFICANT contributions to the art in both recording
and playback. As an active recordist, I would be more than happy to
try new ideas that might make my products better and my clientele
happier. It would also prove educational for the audio enthusiasts
who have little experience in the recording process to actually make
some recordings. Nearly everyone has at least a cassette recorder
(while not adequate for serious recording -- they can do quite well).
Microphones are not always easily available, however. If you are
seriously interested, I recommend three models in this order:
+ Neumann KM-84
+ Shure SM81
+ AKG 451
with the Shure being the "best-buy". One important point -- remember
how much you spend for the rest of your system, the microphones are
MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than any single piece of equipment. As for what to record,
there are a million church choirs that like to hear what they sound like.
Don't forget the community orchestras and municipal bands either.
Craig Dory
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Holmdel, NJlabelle@hplabsc.UUCP (WB6YZZ) (04/04/84)
Has it ever occurred to you that the "golden ear" nuts have poured thous- ands of dollars into now antiquated analog equipment, and now have to justify their setups until they can afford to switch over?