Has DSP turned us into audio neurotics? [rant]

[Timcognito]

Exactly. Essential characteristics of the music and production come through on any number of sound systems.

The rest often involves audiophile virtue signalling.

I’ve been reading a book on how ABBA created the recordings of many of their famous songs. Early on they became infatuated with the Phil Spector sound and tried to replicate it. Did they only hear the Phil Spector sound through The Most Advanced And Accurate equipment of the time? Of course not. They heard it on their radio. At the beach. In the car. Spinning records at home. Just like everybody else.
And they said “ we want to sound just like that !”

Nobody needed state of the art equipment to hear what Phil Spector was trying to get across . The distinctive music and production techniques in music has always translate through many different playback scenarios.

You may like these guys they have Spector's wall of sound.

Artists You Have Discovered Lately

belgian act Dan San - Awake Dan San - Tomorrow (Radio Edit) Dan San - Dear Friend (Official Video)

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Robin L]

I’ve been reading a book on how ABBA created the recordings of many of their famous songs. Early on they became infatuated with the Phil Spector sound and tried to replicate it. Did they only hear the Phil Spector sound through The Most Advanced And Accurate equipment of the time? Of course not. They heard it on their radio. At the beach. In the car. Spinning records at home. Just like everybody else.
And they said “ we want to sound just like that !”

Nobody needed state of the art equipment to hear what Phil Spector was trying to get across . The distinctive music and production techniques in music has always translate through many different playback scenarios.

There would be no point in using state of the art equipment to listen to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" productions as they were sonically atrocious. Of course, they were mixed to sound their best via the speaker of a car radio.

 

[Wesseling Audio Lab]

All great speakers coupled to acoustically controlled room should measure and sound basically the same. Transparent that is, just like good amplifiers and dacs!

No effects boxes for Hi Fidelity

 

[Wesseling Audio Lab]

I will accept the sonically atrocious "wall of sound" and any less than ideal recording if my system is reproducing it accurately and if I enjoy that music.

 

[Robin L]

I will accept the sonically atrocious "wall of sound" if my system is reproducing it accurately and if I enjoy that music.

Here's the thing - that music wasn't intended to be reproduced "accurately". That makes it sound much worse.

 

[Wesseling Audio Lab]

Here's the thing - that music wasn't intended to be reproduced "accurately". That makes it sound much worse.

Interesting! I have to check it out. I know I heard it ages ago.

 

[Timcognito]

 

[Timcognito]

 

[Timcognito]

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[Robin L]

Interesting! I have to check it out. I know I heard it ages ago.

It's got a loads of peak distortion that overwhelms the sonorities of the instruments. Those recordings involved having a ton of musicians playing simultaneously in a small space, so the room acoustics themselves were overloaded. But when played back over gear of limited frequency response and dynamic potential in a noisy environment, everything sorts out. It's like an early example of brickwalling.

 

[mhardy6647]

I don’t think I have ever heard a pair of loudspeakers where I couldn’t recognise the song although a pair of Zu’s and Linn Kan’s came pretty close.
Keith

Oh, I think some of the "heritage" Klipsch offerings just might be, could be on your list, too!

 

[Timcognito]

Now that I think about it "The Wall of Sound" might be great example for the Over Engineered thread.

 

[mhardy6647]

Did they only hear the Phil Spector sound through The Most Advanced And Accurate equipment of the time? Of course not. They heard it on their radio. At the beach. In the car. Spinning records at home. Just like everybody else.
And they said “ we want to sound just like that !”

At the beach... dude. Sweden.


I have,in full disclosure, been to Sweden numerous times, but 1) only Stockholm and environs and 2) never in the summertime. Can you tell that I'm a bit bitter on that latter point?
I am sure that there are beaches in Sweden and they may even be survivable in good weather. So... yeah... maybe. But the juxtaposition of Scandinavia and hanging out at the beach just struck me as wry.

 

[Wesseling Audio Lab]

It's got a loads of peak distortion that overwhelms the sonorities of the instruments. Those recordings involved having a ton of musicians playing simultaneously in a small space, so the room acoustics themselves were overloaded. But when played back over gear of limited frequency response and dynamic potential in a noisy environment, everything sorts out. It's like an early example of brickwalling.

I played a little. Wow , its bad! Very interesting about the brickwalling!

 

[Timcognito]

I played a little. Wow , its bad! Very interesting about the brickwalling!

Yes but the music was very popular, made many a Pop Star, millions of followers and dollars and that is Matt's point.

 

[Robin L]

Yes but the music was very popular, made many a Pop Star, millions of followers and dollars and that is Matt's point.

I listen to a lot of music (Classical and Jazz) from the 1930s. Definitely Lo-Fi but still worth listening to.

 

[MattHooper]

You may like these guys they have Spector's wall of sound.

Artists You Have Discovered Lately

belgian act Dan San - Awake Dan San - Tomorrow (Radio Edit) Dan San - Dear Friend (Official Video)

www.audiosciencereview.com

Cool, very nice stuff thank you!

Here’s some stuff right back at you that you might like;

And I’m sure you’re probably familiar with these guys:

(all of them sound frigging amazing on vinyl too )

 

[MattHooper]

At the beach... dude. Sweden.


I have,in full disclosure, been to Sweden numerous times, but 1) only Stockholm and environs and 2) never in the summertime. Can you tell that I'm a bit bitter on that latter point?
I am sure that there are beaches in Sweden and they may even be survivable in good weather. So... yeah... maybe. But the juxtaposition of Scandinavia and hanging out at the beach just struck me as wry.

Well, ABBA did spend a great amount of time boating around the islands in Sweden and staying at their own island/cottage. I’m sure they had some radios with them

 

[MattHooper]

Yes but the music was very popular, made many a Pop Star, millions of followers and dollars and that is Matt's point.

Or to put it more precisely , the individual musical choices including engineering and production choices that gave each artist their sound, it all translated quite well through neutral and non-neutral gear.

 

[goat76]

At the beach... dude. Sweden.


I have,in full disclosure, been to Sweden numerous times, but 1) only Stockholm and environs and 2) never in the summertime. Can you tell that I'm a bit bitter on that latter point?
I am sure that there are beaches in Sweden and they may even be survivable in good weather. So... yeah... maybe. But the juxtaposition of Scandinavia and hanging out at the beach just struck me as wry.

We have beaches in Sweden that are usually crowded in the summertime, I even have a small beach 50 meters from the building where I live here in the north of Sweden. We have the midnight sun, so when it's up the longest it is daylight 23 hours a day. Usually, it's around 20-25 degrees, and sometimes even up to 30C.

But in the wintertime, it can be as cold as -30C and sunlight only 3 hours a day!