Kids don't like CDs ??

[SEAWOLF97]

Kids don't like CDs: iTunes Store now #2 music retailer (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080226-kids-dont-like-cds-itunes-store-now-2-music-retailer.html)

By Jacqui Cheng (http://arstechnica.com/authors.ars/eJacqui) | Published: February 26, 2008 - 10:03AM CT
iTunes has officially eclipsed Best Buy in music sales and now comes in as the number two music retailer in the world. That's not just digital music either—that's all music, including CD sales. iTunes now sits just behind Wal-Mart, according to new data from the NPD Group that accounts for the amount of music sold during 2007. The trend shows once again that digital music sales are exploding at the expense of physical CDs, but the increase has yet to offset the decline in physical media sales.


whole story at:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080226-kids-dont-like-cds-itunes-store-now-2-music-retailer.html

[edgewound]

Just like mowing the lawn or any other chore...CDs are too much work for most of today's kids.

[4313B]

Just like mowing the lawn or any other chore...CDs are too much work for most of today's kids.No joke! Can you imagine if they had to clean a record before playing it? :p I would imagine RTR's are completely out of the question too.

[Robh3606]

I would imagine RTR's are completely out of the question too.

Are you kidding!! You have to thread the leader and start in on the empty reel. Then you have to turn it over and do it again. Geez man you can send 10 text messages in that time and download a dozen 128kbt MP3's. And worst of all you have to make your mix tapes in real time and you can't shuffle:biting:

Rob:banghead:

[AdamimAdam]

Pretty soon kids will just be downloading newer titles.

Hahahhahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa:barf:

[Charley Rummel]

I had the pleasure of trying to explain to a friend of mine who's right around 30 years old how they were able to record and mix 'Dark Side of the Moon' (among other classic titles) without computers. I really don't think he will ever be able to wrap his mind around it. I think he's now ready for a trip to the shrink.

Regards,
Charley Rummel

[Shane Shuster]

I had the pleasure of trying to explain to a friend of mine who's right around 30 years old how they were able to record and mix 'Dark Side of the Moon' (among other classic titles) without computers. I really don't think he will ever be able to wrap his mind around it. I think he's now ready for a trip to the shrink.

Regards,
Charley Rummel

I just turned 30 a month ago. How did they record those back then? I know they used Multi track magnetic tapes but how did they work? I know about the principles of magnetic storage, I mean what did the recording engineer do to operate the machine.

Record everything separately and fix what you needed to and then mix the tracks together again right? To fix a track you would just move back to before the mistake and record over it then stop before you got to an ok part?

Did they just keep a written log of what was on each track and then punch a button to switch tracks? Lead guitar track 1, drums track 2. ect.

Did the actual tape player have multiple physical heads or could one head read all the tracks?

Isn't modern recording roughly the same except a small magnetic disk replaced the tape, and you don't have to use a pencil anymore?

[CONVERGENCE]

Multi track analogue recording used 3 heads one for recording and playback on the same head so that one track could be used for recording and the second track for listening at the same time . This function was called sel sync it was devised by LES PAUL . this WAY YOUR VOCALS could be synchronized with your instruments. If you missed your vocals you would simply restart on the 3rd track. So most studios had 2 24 track machines. The recordings were EQ after.



http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q18/CONVERGENCE_2006/margoulefA800.jpg

[hjames]

I just turned 30 a month ago. How did they record those back then? I know they used Multi track magnetic tapes but how did they work? I know about the principles of magnetic storage, I mean what did the recording engineer do to operate the machine.


Did the actual tape player have multiple physical heads or could one head read all the tracks?

Isn't modern recording roughly the same except a small magnetic disk replaced the tape, and you don't have to use a pencil anymore?

Anyone interested in how they recorded a classic album should see at least one of the DVDs from the Classic Album series ... for DSOTM, check -

Classic Albums: The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon (1997) (http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Albums-Making-Dark-Side/dp/B0000AOV85/)

or, my favorite - Classic Albums - Steely Dan: Aja (2000) (http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Albums-Steely-Dan-Aja/dp/6305772649/)

these show the whole process and, in the case of the Steely Dan DVD, they even get back together in the recording booth with the original master tapes and play back various tracks so you can hear various combination that might have been.

I've rented a number of them through Netflix, and wound up buying the AJA one later on.

Word of warning, some are less good - the Hendrix one wasn't very informative - I think it had just been too long ...

[Shane Shuster]

Thanks CONVERGENCE and hjames, I will see if I can rent those DVDs.

I would say this to those teasing the younger folks, do you remember when you had to get up to change the channel or volume on your TV? Would you give up your remotes or is it a nice feature to have? Its the same thing with digital music, once you use it for awhile the old way still works, but its more of a pain than it was.

I put a 250gig hd in my PS3 and ripped my cd collection into wavs. I got rid of my standalone cd player and dvd player. Less clutter, cd quality and lots of songs sorted and available instantly. I don't miss the single loaders at all.

[CONVERGENCE]

Most studios still have those tape decks but rarely use them. The 24 track hard disk drive is less costly and has one more feature. You can edit parts of the vocals seamlessly. All post production facilities have been using this system since early 90's.

Some directors prefer doing the final mix with an 8 track analogue machine "film application".

[Skywave-Rider]

Hey Convergence, are you one of the 2 in the shot with the twin Studers? Nice.

I teach my students to edit sound on open reel before they touch a workstation. Because you have to hear it first, not look at a waveform on a computer monitor, as they tend to "see" the sound, initially, on computer based systems.

They HATE it.
:applaud:

Hahaha.

Let me add this doc as probably my favorite in illustrating the process of recording and producing, through pre war to the modern era, with a most interesting man, Tom Dowd:
http://www.thelanguageofmusic.com/synop.htm

[CONVERGENCE]

No that is not a picture of me . It was taken from Le Mobile site.http://www.lemobile.com/

I started with Ampex multitrack AG 440 4 track up to 24 track deck.

With both unit . You need a computer to keep them in sync. You also have time code on the track.

As in most rock music recordings you start with the beat . It's easier for the musicians to keep up than the drummer to follow. Many tracks are used for the drums for later mods.

Then instruments followed by vocals.

..................................

[Skywave-Rider]

Convergence,
Sorry if it's OT, but do u still have your 24 track machine?
Guess you know Quantegy's gone again.
We'll switch to Emtec....

[CONVERGENCE]

Nope all gone. Sometimes I visit local studios and wonder if it was my 24 track or in other cases my 4 track. Some studios had Dolby added to the 24 track Ampex.


..........................

[geaugafletcher]

I overheard a couple pre-teen girls talking at Border's the other day...

"...you could just get the CD," one said, almost apologetically.
"Hunfh, CD's are so..." said the other, and she shook her head dismissively.

I'd be more interested in 'media-less' listening if there were no DRM and associated silliness and there were more and widely supported options for 'hi res' formats. As it is, FLAC is supported by only a handful of good devices (I've never listened to Apple's lossless, whatever it's called).

Gimell records (http://www.gimell.com/) offers downloads of Tallis Scholars recordings in various formats, bitrates, etc. _That_ looks good, but of course I can get the benefit on my computer, but not on my Cowon iAudio T2.

SACD is still alive in the classical world, but there's no 'media-less' way to listen to that, AFAIK.

[SEAWOLF97]

"...you could just get the CD," one said, almost apologetically.



"Hunfh, CD's are so..." said the other, and she shook her head dismissively.


as someone who has had harddrives die (50,ooo hours MTBF) heard of pods dying, lost files etc etc , I wud rather have a "hard copy" ..I can rip it in any format at any bitrate that I desire and move the disc to any number of players. And then I have an archive go back to. And all 3 of our vehicles have players.

Anyone tried to read the liner notes on an iTunes download ?