Tortuga TPB.V1 Tube Preamp Buffer Review

[dasdoing]

synths really synthing

what does that mean?

 

[m8o]

Whether our ears are ready for absolutely clean sound, our recording transducers are not, and the only way to dodge microphones is with synths really synthing, not playing back the samples derived from the flawed outputs of microphones. There's no "perfect" possible, it's simply a matter of choosing which faulty simulacra one prefers.

Counterpoint. Then there is this:

lol

 

[Robin L]

what does that mean?

A synthesizer deriving its sound from oscillators. Like the original Moog synthesizer. A sampling synthesizer works from "sampled" sounds, sounds initially captured with microphones, microphones being transducers and all transducers being limited in physical design, said limitations guaranteeing they will not be "perfect".

 

[Robin L]

Counterpoint. Then there is this:

lol

This is not the sandwich I ordered.

 

[m8o]

This is not the sandwich I ordered.

I kid. I have a lot of vintage tube gear and I wouldn't be surprised if they [all?] measure worse.

 

[dasdoing]

A synthesizer deriving its sound from oscillators. Like the original Moog synthesizer. A sampling synthesizer works from "sampled" sounds, sounds initially captured with microphones, microphones being transducers and all transducers being limited in physical design, said limitations guaranteeing they will not be "perfect".

I still don't get where you are going here. you say we need saturation to mask microphone imperfections? I never heard saturation make anything cleaner. it can mask bad resonances (of a guitar for example), but there are better tools for this

 

[Robin L]

I still don't get where you are going here. you say we need saturation to mask microphone imperfections? I never heard saturation make anything cleaner. it can mask bad resonances (of a guitar for example), but there are better tools for this

No, I'm saying that microphones have built-in imperfections. Tape saturation isn't the issue, the point is that all transducers are flawed. There isn't a remedy. I didn't bring up saturation, someone else did.

 

[dasdoing]

No, I'm saying that microphones have built-in imperfections. Tape saturation isn't the issue, the point is that all transducers are flawed. There isn't a remedy. I didn't bring up saturation, someone else did.

we must be clear on the terms here. when people in the production chain talk about saturation, they mean "good sounding distorsion". distorsion and saturation is the same

 

[Robin L]

we must be clear on the terms here. when people in the production chain talk about saturation, they mean "good sounding distorsion". distorsion and saturation is the same

And I wasn't talking about saturation.

My point is about the nature of transducers. Transducers turn one type of energy into another. A microphone takes variations in sound pressure and turns sound into electrical impulses. A phono cartridge takes the squiggles in a record and turns them into electrical impulses. A speaker turns electrical impulses into sound. All these transducers distort, to one degree or another, all have resonances, all have frequency response limitations. These are inherent flaws I'm pointing to.

I know using something like a tube buffer for what you're pointing to as saturation is a "thing", particularly in the realm of electric guitars. I also know about tape saturation and soft clipping in analog recording.