*Audio Geek in residence* - ask away

Okay, if there is stuff about recording/mixing/mastering that you're curious about or need explained, feel free to ask away and I'll try to explain it.

Why did Rick Rubin start the loudness war?

I'm not sure who actually started it, but it goes back much farther than most people think.

I've found CDs as far back as 1994 with the same type of issues. All the RUSH remasters from 1997 are way too loud and squashed to the point where there is no dynamic range.

Shawn D. wrote:

I'm not sure who actually started it, but it goes back much farther than most people think.

I've found CDs as far back as 1994 with the same type of issues. All the RUSH remasters from 1997 are way too loud and squashed to the point where there is no dynamic range.

My buddy has the original CD of "A Show of Hands" and I remember years ago he played the beginning of "Big Money" and it literally shook the house. The 1997 version won't even come close.

Here are two different mastering examples of 'TOM SAWYER" by Rush. The first example is the US 1997 version, the second is a 2010 Japanese remaster.


The 1997 version is highly compressed (though not quite brickwalled).


Here is the same section of audio from the 2010 Japanese SHM-CD release. You'll notice there is more variance in the peaks in the wav form. That is a visual representation of the dynamic range. The Japanese version is "quieter" then the US version, but sounds more realistic and is far less tiring on the ears.

What's a quadrophonic mix?

Akeldama wrote:

What's a quadrophonic mix?

Quadrophonic was a early version of surround sound, it came out in the early 70's and was designed for special stereos that had 4 channels instead of 2. When surround came out later they added the center channel for dialogue (not important for just music) and a subwoofer.

the only way to accurately hear a quad mix is for it to be released on DVD and played through a surround sound system. The deluxe edition of Black Sabbath's Paranoid contains a DVD with the quad mix.

The first couple ELO albums were recorded for quad, so was Nektar's Remember The Future.

Shawn D. wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

What's a quadrophonic mix?

Quadrophonic was a early version of surround sound, it came out in the early 70's and was designed for special stereos that had 4 channels instead of 2. When surround came out later they added the center channel for dialogue (not important for just music) and a subwoofer.

the only way to accurately hear a quad mix is for it to be released on DVD and played through a surround sound system. The deluxe edition of Black Sabbath's Paranoid contains a DVD with the quad mix.

The first couple ELO albums were recorded for quad, so was Nektar's Remember The Future.

Floyds Dark Side Of The Moon Immersion Edition(ie lotsa moolah edition) has the Alan Parsons Quad mix on the DVD. I wish that they would just release that seperately.........

SpectreFate wrote:

Dear Detuned,


Is there a way to add bass to an album? Most of Husker Du's stuff is really tinny and has no bottom end. I could do a bass boost in Audacity but that seems to always go overboard.

Bamboozled in Bartow

Upload a single track, wav file and send me the link. I'll see what I can come up with.

Shawn D. wrote:

Upload a single track, wav file and send me the link. I'll see what I can come up with.

Here ya go:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GOI2DZ4F

SpectreFate wrote:

Shawn D. wrote:

Upload a single track, wav file and send me the link. I'll see what I can come up with.

Here ya go:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GOI2DZ4F

I should be able to improve it. The high-end is boosted way too much as well.

Sweet.

SD, can you make some Snoop tunes into instrumentals I can jam over?

Upload something, I'll take a look at it.

The only thing, is that it takes a really long time to chop up songs so it could be awhile before I can get to it.

I need to get some paying gigs going.

Kewl, I was thinking maybe 3 songs so as not to overwhelm you. I can also try doing it w/my Sonar Cakewalk.

Why do people in the know say vinyl has the best sound quality?

Generally I would say that *analog* sounds better than *digital*. Not necessarily LPs per se.

The best analog sound quality comes from stereo 1/4 inch reel to reel tape running at 30 ips. The next best thing is to master onto LP from that source.

But there are SO many other factors to consider.

1. Was the music originally recorded on analog or digital?

2. What pressing is it? The metal parts used to press LPs degrade over time, so later pressings generally are of slightly lesser quality.

3. What quality is the vinyl used? Modern vinyl honestly isn't as good, neither is late 70's/early 80's vinyl. Vinyl from the 50's through the mid 70's is your highest quality usually.

Now, if the album was originally recorded in digital then it's a crapshoot which version will sound better. It all depends on the mastering at that point. Sometimes "sterile sounding" digital recordings can actually be improved by pressing them on vinyl, which tends to add some extra warmth.

The best Digital sound is definitely not compact discs. Right now Blu Ray is easily the best sounding format, though few bands have bothered to explore the medium.

The reason is because the sample rate is so much higher. CDs are 16bit/44.1khz, Blu Rays can vary but the max is 24bit/192khz. Bit rate is the "bandwidth" that the sample can capture, the actual number refers to the number of samples (digital pictures is one way to visualize it) taken per second. CD sample rate means it takes 44,100 samples per second, blu rays by comparison take 192,000 samples per second. The higher the sample, the better the sound.

Yo SD - would this be worth purchasing? Would it sound better than the CD?

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theJOKERiv wrote:

Yo SD - would this be worth purchasing? Would it sound better than the CD?

Yes, it would sound better. Modern recordings are at least 24bit/96khz (sometimes 192khz). The maximum bit rate/sample rate for a CD is 16bit/44.1khz, thus recordings have to be dithered down to match that, significantly reducing the quality of the original recording.

24/96 lets you hear the recording in it's full fidelity. It's equivalent to blu-ray.

S.D. wrote:

theJOKERiv wrote:

Yo SD - would this be worth purchasing? Would it sound better than the CD?

Yes, it would sound better. Modern recordings are at least 24bit/96khz (sometimes 192khz). The maximum bit rate/sample rate for a CD is 16bit/44.1khz, thus recordings have to be dithered down to match that, significantly reducing the quality of the original recording.

24/96 lets you hear the recording in it's full fidelity. It's equivalent to blu-ray.

Nice! I may have to buy it. Thx for the info - I couldn't remember the bit rate/sample rate for a CD

What's a good recording software comparable to garage band for Windows 7? My pc gave out and Sonar 7 isn't guite compatible.

Akeldama wrote:

What's a good recording software comparable to garage band for Windows 7? My pc gave out and Sonar 7 isn't guite compatible.

Are you looking for something that has all the built in effects and stuff like Garage Band?

S.D. wrote:

Akeldama wrote:

What's a good recording software comparable to garage band for Windows 7? My pc gave out and Sonar 7 isn't guite compatible.

Are you looking for something that has all the built in effects and stuff like Garage Band?

It's preferred but not a necessity, I just want an easy-to-use software. I have the Sonar producer edition and that was just too much for me to wanna learn.

Honestly, I'm out of touch with Windows software, I haven't looked at any PC based stuff for the past 4 years. When I use Windows the only thing I have are old versions of Cool Edit Pro and Soundforge, each dating back probably 7 or 8 years. Sorry I don't have any current recommendations.