SH Spotlight I'm asked stuff: Favorite mastering engineer, best BOSTON CD, best TRAVELING WILBURYS CD, etc..

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Oct 3, 2018.

  1. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Not at high bitrates it doesn’t.
     
  2. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    It's less suckful, but lossless is always better. Presuming we're talking about the same recording of course. A well-done MP3 will stomp a badly done WAV of course.
     
    2trackmind likes this.
  3. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Lossless is always preferable, but most people couldn’t tell the difference between that and a 320 kbps AAC file.
     
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  4. TheSeldomSeenKid

    TheSeldomSeenKid Forum Resident

    Moro Bay is actually a Fishing Village with a Tourist Shopping Area, and not a Beach Town. There are Fishing Boats docked in Morro Bay. The Morro Rock was originally considered a Landmark for Boats to help find their way back to Morro Bay(I assume during Foggy Days).

    Yeah there are Beaches around Morro Bay being a Coastal Area(I can just envision the ominous waters off the Beach Area of Montana del Oro Park just South of MB on gloomy days filled with White Sharks), but Morro Bay is not like Pismo on the Southern Coastal Side of SLO, which is a Beach Town with a Pier and Volleyball Courts. Giovanni in Morro Bay has awesome Clam Chowder, if one likes Clam Chowder(same for Splash Cafe in Pismo). Gotta love the Giant Chess Board in Morro Bay, if one is into Chess.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2020
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  5. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Fair point. But if you can, always go lossless! Why sacrifice quality - no matter how insignificant - if you don't have to?
     
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  6. BZync

    BZync Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Thanks for the info. I’m going to sue Morro Bay for pretending to be a beach town. I feel so foolish now for enjoying myself while there. :)
     
  7. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    Steve, a buddy said he recently purchased a test pressing for a Speakers Corner aborted release of Tumbleweed Connection. He added that only 30 test pressings were made. I know you recommend against buying test pressings. Beyond that, when I said this seemed like a scam and why would anybody need 30 test pressings, he replied that number was done all the time. What do you think?
     
  8. broshfab4

    broshfab4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Still sucks, my friend. Analog best but CD audio beats MP3's and day of the week easily!
     
  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    25-50 is the usual number, yes. Some companies (not mentioning any names) will order up 100-500 TP's to sell to silly audiophiles.

    A TP usually sounds much WORSE than the actual released pressing. I can state that from personal experience..
     
  10. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    What accounts for the difference? Seems like that would defeat the purpose of a test pressing.
     
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  11. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Test pressings are for listening to the music quality, song order, level, etc. Chances are your TP will have more noise than a regular pressing, be warpy and/or possibly off-center. Sometimes not, but usually only good for approval of mastering/song order/song levels, etc.
     
  12. supermd

    supermd Senior Member

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    In a proper blind test, the majority of this forum would not be able to tell the difference. Just don't tell that to anyone! :shh:
     
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  13. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    Incorrect, my friend.
     
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  14. Jack_Straw

    Jack_Straw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wichita, KS
    Hey Steve -

    What the heck is a “Recording Producer” as credited on a CD compilation? I know what a “Record Producer” is, obviously, but I’ve noticed the former on some of my Time-Life compilations - mostly the mid to late 90’s ones it seems, and usually the “Recording Producer” is one of their mastering guys (Joe Sasfy, Dennis Drake, Steve Carr, Bill Inglot, etc.). Sometimes there is also a mastering credit, but usually it’s one or the other.

    Does this mean that there was no actual mastering and they just used other sources? Just another name for mastering engineer? Or is it something else entirely?
     
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I have no idea what it means, sorry.
     
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  16. mdm08033

    mdm08033 Senior Member

    Now that my iThingy deleted the headphone jack I’ve backed off my lossless only pledge. To compensate I’ve purchased a Bluetooth adapter for my car and Bluetooth headphones that offer AAC decoding to play back 256 KB AAC files from my phone. With the road / engine noise if my 2009 Mustang or ambient noise, 256 KB AAC sounds good enough.

    It was certainly good enough for my children to ask why the London Calling tracks on Clash On Broadway sound so good in the car. “Thanks dad, you’ve ruined Spotify,” quipped Matthew.

    In my ears, mastering trumps bit rate.

    Please save your rotten vegetables for composting.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2020
  17. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I believe Bill is often credited as “Sound Produced By”. As far as I know, that means he works with a mastering engineer, and the rest of the package (art, liner notes, etc) may be handled by someone else, but he is responsible for tape research, deciding on mixes, and directing the mastering.
     
  18. TheSeldomSeenKid

    TheSeldomSeenKid Forum Resident

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. somnar

    somnar Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC & Amsterdam
    Agree with both of these - I'd guess that fewer than 10% of forum members (probably a lot less than 10%) would be able to reliably identify a 320K AAC (vs a non-lossy file). “Reliably” as in 9 out of 10 times. And less than 1% of the general public of course.
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2020
  20. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I think 10% is quite generous if we're talking about a true blinded level matched A/B comparison.
     
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  21. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I use 128k MP3s on my phone for when I'm walking or at work. I have so much music that I wouldn't have enough space at higher quality - even as the smallest format available, my library takes up nearly 50 GB! And I probably shouldn't admit this, but I would probably fail a blind test with 128k MP3 versus lossless 50% of the time (provided the comparison tracks are mastered well, otherwise it's obvious). I'm a newborn audiophile and my days before I was probably shot down my hearing by a good amount.

    But whether I can reliably tell the difference or not doesn't change the fact that lossy audio sucks. :agree: Convenient? Yes. Acceptable? For many. Good? No!
     
    supermd likes this.
  22. FrankenStrat

    FrankenStrat Forum Resident

    I have a pair of Spendor LS3/5As hooked up to a Pioneer receiver, the combination is used for watching television and Blu-Rays. In my studio/study/spare bedroom I have a pair of Spendor BC-1 speakers mounted on custom-made stands to raise them higher than the original steel stands. Those Spendor speakers have a well-deserved reputation for lack of colour and for their accuracy. Unfortunately, one of my cats used the LH speaker grille for sharpening his claws. Naughty Milo!
     
  23. somnar

    somnar Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC & Amsterdam
    I agree.
     
  24. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    No.
     
  25. rock4ev

    rock4ev Forum Resident

    Location:
    CA USA
    Hello Steve,
    I've read many different answers to there is no difference in CD sound if made from same master or has the same mastering. My question is....
    Wouldn't different pressings plants and equipment make a difference?
    Thank you for your time and all your work.

    I hope this isn't a rabbit hole question though I've read many answers and opinions.
    Cheers, and thanks again :righton:
     

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