Interesting Article

Now, I'm not wishing to start a flame war but have a look at this article I found whilst looking for info on Sacd and DVD-A
formats.

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/CurrentFormatTrends.php

I have certainly found at least one CD recorded at about 8dB higher than usual but not exhibiting the destortion artifacts discussed here (Jools Holland - Hop The Wag)

What do you think? Is the quality of audio CD's on a downhill trend?


Regards all,

Gordon

 

A more rigorous presentation can be found here:

http://www.studio-systems.com/audio...cle/0DBFS+ LEVELS IN DIGITAL MASTERING/78.htm

 

Thanks Gerry,

Working in TV we have long ago found that the amont of "safe headroom" available, for video as well as audio, has become more important as digital processing and transmission has become the norm. I guess CD's are not immune either.

I do find though that digital destortion artifacts become more objectional sooner than analog. But I can't believe that any mastering engineer worth their salt would deliberately sacrifice quality for volume.

How do you pro mastering engineers out there handle the monitoring of the higher levels and how much allowance do you make for the medium?

Regards,

Gordon

 

I'm in the thick of both articles now and they look very interesting indeed. The first is indeed less rigorous than the second, but even at that its relative accessibility will help explain the problem(s) at an introductory level. I do wonder what happened to the end of the Bob Katz interview at the end of page one--perhaps I missed something?

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that the current trend of "hotter&louder" (i.e., digitally compressed and limited to the max) is ruining popular music CDs, both new releases and, increasingly, remasters as well. Eventually the effects will be felt throughout recorded music, and something of great importance--good sound--will be lost.

I do think trends like this can be reversed, but it takes time and a lot of effort. Occasionally, a well-placed lawsuit can have good effects, but since in this case the distortion comes at the behest of the artist I'm not so optimistic about legal routes.

Many thanks to both of you for these links. We really do need a "links library" on this subject. Gorts?

 

You'll find Bob Katz's thoughts on a variety of subjects (including the article excerpted in the original link) available at his website: www.digido.com

I think that some here tend to overestimate the degree of autonomy that audio engineers enjoy. If the client wants it louder, the engineer that wants to continue engineering will make it louder. Hopefully, the tradeoffs incurred in doing so will be discussed; but ultimately, the engineer is there to facilitate the vision of the client. Certainly, there are those who will do more damage in the process than others; but the customer gets what they want or they go elsewhere.

 

Good points, and a good link. Thanks. I'm particularly interested in what Bob has to say on the "CD Honor Roll" page. His comments match a lot of what folks say here on this forum, which is nice, and his descriptions of specific CDs and their mastering virtues is very informative. (I do believe there was more jiggery-pokery in the mastering of Citizen Steely Dan than Bob does, however.)

 

Great link. Anyone who is interested in HiRez or is already into it owes it to themselves to read the above link...

I haven't see the Blue Lazer products out yet, but with 27 gigs worth of storage, what kind of DAC processor could crunch that much information for a 100 min disc?? That's a LOT!