Quality of Recorded Music

[scott fitlin]

The Levelling amp!

Hey Oldmics, you got a Fairchild in there somewhere?

What do you NOT have?

[PSS AUDIO]

... What do you NOT have?

A xxx amp!

[SteveW]

I just get off a good rant - thinking that I successfully got off my box, don't see any bullets coming my way.....and BOOOM your dead!

Oldmics, you are cruel.
Please add me to your will.

[alskinner]

Sorry Folks
But I couldn't resist. There is a Fairchild 670 stereo tube compressor on e-bay. Starting bid is only $30,000.00 and the seller has zero feedback. Don't know how to paste an e-bay link but the item number is 3770837548. I just know someone wants to jump in and bid on this. Also I promise to write 100 times that I will post in the marketplace Forum from now on. Just felt that since compression was in the thread might as well do it right with the right compressor.


AL

[SteveW]

Are you paying attention Oldmics?

[Oldmics]

I did have one of them awhile ago.You might be surprised where they can be found.(think jukebox equipment)

Now the one that I had was sold for stupid money but the real reason that I sold it was that it just was not magical in its preformance.

Some of this old stuff sounds fabulous and some once it is rebuilt sounds great.

No two true vintage pieces sound quite identical-thats the problem with vintage.

Oldmics

[Steve Schell]

Fascinating thread! Thanks for all the enlightening, informed posts so far.

I think it has to do with the skill and attitude of the engineer more than the era or the equipment used. I used to service a piano in the recording studio of a masterful engineer. He could make a recorded instrument or a mix sound any way he wanted with a few deft movements of his board controls. If an engineer gives a high priority to natural timbre and dynamic range, he'll find a way to capture it with accuracy.

Since I'm a tube fan, I can't help but think that the studio equipment of the 1950s and into the '60s gave engineers a leg up on getting good sound. Pop recordings seemed to die of strangulation in the early to mid '70s, which I suspect is due in part to those shiny new consoles with their complex circuits and multiple op amps. This was also the era where recordings started having to be so damn polished and perfect. I don't know much about studio recording, but have read that heavy compression is one way of making a lame instrumentalist who can't control his volume sound fairly decent. Anyway, so much of the music I grew up listening to has been hammered so flat that it is not much fun to listen to on good equipment.

Seems to me that many classic recordings of the early stereo era must have gotten a great sound down on the master tape, but much was lost in the disc mastering process. Many modern reissues simply blow away the original LPs, even with a 40 year old master tape. Collectors love the early Mercurys and RCAs, but many of them sound thin and screechy to me compared to the reissues.

One way to gain a perspective on recording quality is to make some yourself. I used to do quite a bit of of amateur recording years ago, on a pretty decent heavy JVC portable cassette machine, later on open reel. With a decent mic and machine anyone can make recordings that embarass most of what you can buy in terms of sheer naturalness.

[SteveW]

I posted these links in another thread running in off-topics, but thought I should stick them here so you guys don't miss this. Check it out, it's quite good! If the links don't work go to the DVD out thread.

http://users.bigpond.net.au/christie/comparo/index.html
http://users.bigpond.net.au/christie/comparo/part2.html
http://users.bigpond.net.au/christie/comparo/part3.html
http://users.bigpond.net.au/christie/comparo/part4.html