The Steve Hoffman's Opinion Appreciation Thread

Yesterday in this thread: http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=48613&highlight=astley+ludwig Steve expressed a bit of frustration at some forum member hanging out at this forum even if they don't like the sound that Steve likes. Specifically what he said was:

Now, I may not agree with everything Steve says all of the time. But my assumption is that Steve knows a hell of a lot more than I do, and whenever he says something or expresses an opinion it gives me a chance to learn. If his opinion runs counter to what I had assumed then it gives me a chance to reflect and to reassess. Not to take his opinion as gospel, but to investigate, reflect, and eventually learn something new. If, by some fluke, I agree with him 100% it gives validation to what I had thought and it may flesh out my knowledge on the matter.

So I would think that all of us would appreciate any opinion that Steve might give regardless of whether or not we agree. What do you think?

 

I thought that was the reason most of us are here... to get the opinions of others, especially Steve.

 

I know that's why I'm here.

 

I value everybody's opinion here. Of course I am interested in Steve's opinions, but even people who know little about the technicalities often have interesting things to say. I've learned a lot hanging out here from a wide variety of people.

 

I made a left at Albuquerque and wound up here...how about that?

I guess everyone has their reasons for hanging at message boards...mine is to relax and, if possible, learn something, or offer up something for others. What's the point otherwise?

 

The most valuable part of this forum is Steve's opinion. I have not been disappointed in any recommendations Steve gave. I bought the Santana Legacy Gold on Steve's recommendation and was very pleased, that disc sounds amazing. This is just one example in many.

I am not trying to kiss Steve's butt here either, but it would be very disappointing if he decided no to opine on this forum.

 

I value Steve's opinions and those of others - and I am am learning a lot of things as a result! Long may it continue, and thanks

 

Steve also expressed that because this forum was created to 'extend' the DCC forum, he was of the opinion 'everyone' would be a fan of the DCC sound.
Of which, most are.
What Steve may not fully realize, is that his site is no longer the DCC, or as hard it is too believe the Steve Hoffman Forum, any more.
It is now, the greatest music forum on the web. Drawing in people from around the globe, with or without prior knowledge of DCC or Steve's work. I welcome, the diverse opinions, as long as there educated ones. And look forward to those dropping in from 'parts unknown', to becoming part of the fold that relishes Steve's work.
Although, I have been made fully aware that this is not a smooth conversion. I hope Steve still takes great pleasure & pride, in offering the greatest musical education the world wide web has too offer.

 

Originally Posted by Jamie Tate
I thought that was the reason most of us are here... to get the opinions of others, especially Steve.

Originally Posted by billh
I know that's why I'm here.

Me, too.

 

Lots of great advice from Steve and others here, some of which I can use today and some of which I file away for later whenever I get around to upgrading my equipment

 

IMO, if anything, Steve holds back too much. There are many times when Steve won't say anything out of professional courtesy, etc.

Without his opinions and knowledge I wouldn't spend any time here.

I'd like Steve to participate more, not less. There are MANY times that Steve makes statements about master tapes without telling us his background with the tapes. I'd like to hear more about how Steve knows what he tells us. For example, Steve never remastered The Beatles, yet he speaks about their master tapes as if he has intimate experience with them. I'd like to know about that experience.

 

The reason I hang out here is because I do learn a lot about music, recording and consumer level audio. I respect Steve Hoffman's opinion because of his experience. To tell you the truth, I came here before I ever heard about DCC or Steve Hoffman's work, but I stick around here because I feel that I learn things on a daily basis. The whole thing is:
I RESPECT STEVE'S OPINION BECAUSE HE HAS A LOT MORE EXPERIENCE IN THE RECORDING INDUSTRY THAN ANYONE ONE ELSE THAT I HAVE EVER ASSOCIATED WITH.

The cool thing to me is that he shares his experience and inside information with us. I really feel that if we, as forum members, begin to lose respect for the purpose of this forum then we may lose this forum all together, which would be a loss because I feel that our opinions are read by other industry folks. The whole world can be populated by compressed CDs and MP3s, but when you put on the Analouge Productions SACD of WILLIE AND THE POORBOYS, then you know that there is hope left for us bleeding hearts.

 

I totally understand where Steve is coming from. And I hope he won't hold back from giving his opinion -- I've never regretted buying anything he recommended.

But I certainly welcome opinions from everybody -- even those whose tastes in mastering don't align very well with Steve's. Indeed, such opinions can be very useful -- just as I've learned not to waste my money on any film that my mom recommends , there are several people here (no names! )whose mastering preferences differ from mine (eg, they like things a lot brighter), and when they praise or pan a recording, I know that I'll probably feel differently. That's valuable data!

 

I could not possibly agree more. I'll never take his participation for granted.

(I too bought the Santana Legacy on his recommendation. It's the only non-Hoffman Gold CD I've heard that sounds as good as his own stuff)

 

Perhaps Steve's knowledge of Beatles masters comes from his experience working on the McCartney DCC titles and the aborted George Harrison All Things Must Pass project. He may have had the opportunity to listen to tapes that came out of the same cabinet as tapes that were directly related to those projects. Perhaps the stereo master of Pepper is in the same room as ATMP?
Bob.

 

Steve's forum is whatever he wants it to be. For me, it's an excellent information resource with friendly people who answer my occasional questions. If it becomes something else, I'll probably leave.
Bob.

 

I think this thread is not necessary.

 

*sigh* Since my earlier thread seems to have inspired this one, I guess I have to rebut. For the record (not that anyone cares ):

1. I deeply respsect Steve Hoffman's work, his experience, his knowledge and his opinion. Period.

2. I *love* this web site and the people who hang here; whoever it was that said this was the best music site on the web has it right. The knowledge base here is jaw-dropping and the musical taste of the membership closely matches my own, which means it's excellent! I've racked up a serious post count in a relatively short time which is a measure of how much I like it here, not how much I hate it. OK?

3. I've become a better, more discerning listener as a result of hanging out here, and much much more knowledgeable about the recording and mastering arts (as I'm sure we all have). You can't help but learn through osmosis.

4. I have never dissed Steve' opinion or said he should retreat to the sidelines, as this thread seems to suggest. That would be patently absurd. I don't think there's a big movement afoot to silence Steve Hoffman and banish him from the Steve Hoffman forums!

5. I don't disagree with the general consensus of opinion on the board on every single thing. At all. I don't want every single CD re-mixed every which way but loose every time it's re-issued. But I do think it's *possible* that a particular re-mix of a *particular* piece of music *could be* preferable *to some people*. Is that heresy? I bet most people would agree with what I just wrote. So where's the controversy?

6. I don't want 100% maximized blaring buzz-cut CDs for every title. I have however found that *on balance* I prefer some of the modern CD remasters that take a whipping in some quarters when compared to the original releases. I think there are other aspects to sound quality than merely looking at the graph charting its loudness level that one has to take into account when evaluating a particular remaster. Like, I don't know, maybe listening to it. Again, that doesn't mean that the louder CD is ALWAYS better; far from it (of course), but it does leave the door open to the *possibility* that *on balance* the louder CD might just be preferable to the quiet one. I know that most people would agree with that statement. We can all think of examples where that's the case. I don't think the expression of that opinion really flies in the face of Steve's or anyone else's basic philosophy here or that feeling that way means you have to pack your bags and leave here.

So, again, where's the controversy?

And again, I know, who really cares about my whining, I didn't want to have to type this any more than you wanted to read it, but since Steve originally replied in this thread re-hashing what he wrote to me in the other thread, I felt I should clarify. Steve's post in this thread now seems to have been removed, but anyway...

 

Most of us are here because we appreciate "good sound". However, we all hear things differently, and none of us will ever have the exact same opinion on everything. It's part of being human. But in general, we all have the same basic objective that Steve does down at the core of it: we want our music to sound natural with that "breath of life", not have it processed to death, which unfortunately is the current trend in a lot of mastering today. If you leave here at the end of the day and take away something of value that enriches your musical listening experience and enjoyment, that's all for the better, and is one of our objectives in having this forum online in the first place.

 

...which I was able to do last night for the first time. My, did I enjoy it. Even my vinyl of Steve's Cosmo's Factory didn't really prepare me for how much better his Willie (stop snickering) is than any other version I've heard.

And lest you think I am wandering too terribly far off topic, I probably would have never heard of this SACD without the help of this forum, and I only discovered this forum following leads from Steve's comments and opinions elsewhere on the net!

Shalom, y'all!

L. Bangs

 

I initially came here in order to learn more about mastering from a Steve as a respected mastering professional. Over the years, I have come away with much more than increased knowledge of mastering and recordings. I can never learn enough. Life is a life-long learning experience. We have a largely healthy community here. We increase our knowledge via sharing information with each other, we learn a lot from Steve, and most of all, we learn from listening and actually thinking about the other viewpoints expressed here even if we initially disagree with those viewpoints.

I would observe that a few members [some no longer here] struggle with this last concept. They either believe they already "know it all" or they are so self-righteous in their beliefs that they simply cannot tolerate viewpoints other than their own or those who agree with them even if those viewpoints are expressed by a respected music industry professional. I think such folks would naturally struggle on a forum that requires civility and treating everyone with a level of mutual respect, which is a pre-requisite of membership on this forum and this is not going to ever change. If one wants a no-holds barred, post-whatever-you-want flamefest there are venues for this type of cyber behavior. Thankfully, most of our members come here because this forum is not like this.

Steve, post on! Most of us are listening...

Bob

 

My listening matured as a result of Steve's work, posts and the posts of others here. I'm a happy camper.