Re: Audio CDs
- Original Message - From: "Kevin Tarr" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 9:06 PM Subject: Audio CDs > I know the underlying science for representing analog sound in a digital > format but I'm missing something important. More than a few new and older* > CDs are quiet. *(Stuff originally recorded back in the 70s, i.e. not new > music). If I go from the radio to a CD, I have to turn the volume up to get > the same (seemingly) sound level. This is in many cars, or home players. > That may be bad example; but I also notice different sound levels when I > take songs from different CDs and make my own collection. > > So the question: is there a reason this is so? Do they figure on better > sound reproduction if the amplifier is producing the volume, rather than > the source? Or is it to have more head room, space for loud crashes? > Something else? > Maybe someone can verify this, but I seem to recall that most people use Goldwave to normalise home made recordings. (Among other things). Goldwave was used in the making of Cyberian Khatru and will be used on The Second Intention and the Revelation X project. (These are the music projects I am involved in.) xponent AMYCD.com Maru rob ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Audio CDs
On 5 May 2004, at 3:06 am, Kevin Tarr wrote: I know the underlying science for representing analog sound in a digital format but I'm missing something important. More than a few new and older* CDs are quiet. *(Stuff originally recorded back in the 70s, i.e. not new music). If I go from the radio to a CD, I have to turn the volume up to get the same (seemingly) sound level. This is in many cars, or home players. That may be bad example; but I also notice different sound levels when I take songs from different CDs and make my own collection. So the question: is there a reason this is so? Do they figure on better sound reproduction if the amplifier is producing the volume, rather than the source? Or is it to have more head room, space for loud crashes? Something else? CDs only use 16-bits per channel. This is enough to please most of the people most of the time but is largely an artifact of the technology available when the format was introduced (20 years ago). Radio (non-digital) has even less bandwidth, so compression is used to narrow the dynamic range. --But recording studios go up to 11 (well 24-bit :)) -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." - Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949 ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Re: Audio CDs
Kevin Tarr wrote: > So the question: is there a reason this is so? Do they figure on better > sound reproduction if the amplifier is producing the volume, rather than > the source? Or is it to have more head room, space for loud crashes? > Something else? I've heard anecdotally that the reason for this is generally due to recording companies attempting to make their tracks more noticeable on radio play. Radio stations are likely to keep their levels pretty even, and if you produce a CD for a band that's mastered slightly higher than the other competing music played before and after, the song will stand out more, and (presumably) move more units. I've also heard that this trend is actually quite detrimental to the overall quality of music on the CDs because the audio format being used is capable of a very impressive dynamic range, and when the baseline level keeps on getting raised, there's hardly any opportunity to actually effect dynamic shifts in the music (classical CDs, I've noticed, have been better at resisting this trend). Of course, for the sort of music which has probably been driving the trend, dynamic variation isn't exactly a focus, but still. All that's just stuff I heard, though, can't really vouch for its validity... -CJ -- WOW: Kakistocracy| "The ships hung in the sky in much the same apocalyptech.com/wow |way that bricks don't." - Douglas Adams, [EMAIL PROTECTED] | _The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy_ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
RE: Audio CDs
From: Kevin Tarr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I know the underlying science for representing analog sound in a digital format but I'm missing something important. More than a few new and older* CDs are quiet. *(Stuff originally recorded back in the 70s, i.e. not new music). If I go from the radio to a CD, I have to turn the volume up to get the same (seemingly) sound level. This is in many cars, or home players. That may be bad example; but I also notice different sound levels when I take songs from different CDs and make my own collection. I don't know how the radio stations keep the volume level relatively constant between songs (I'm guessing the guy operating the equipment does it partially by hand, or at least used to before modern digital equipment), but definitely different CD's are recorded at different volume levels... The CD .wav->.mp3 batch conversion script I use has a setting to normalize every song to around 75% so of max volume, which helps a lot in keeping the levels constant on my mp3's and mix CD's. So the question: is there a reason this is so? Do they figure on better sound reproduction if the amplifier is producing the volume, rather than the source? Or is it to have more head room, space for loud crashes? Something else? My guesses: - With less noise on CD's (vs tapes/albums), the music doesn't need to be as loud to be heard over that noise. - Less noise (and arguably better modern stereo equipment) also allows for a greater usable dynamic range for the music (ie: more head room as you say). - There's probably no standard, so the level for any given CD might just by what the producer/sound engineer chose it to be. _ MSN Toolbar provides one-click access to Hotmail from any Web page FREE download! http://toolbar.msn.com/go/onm00200413ave/direct/01/ ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
Audio CDs
I know the underlying science for representing analog sound in a digital format but I'm missing something important. More than a few new and older* CDs are quiet. *(Stuff originally recorded back in the 70s, i.e. not new music). If I go from the radio to a CD, I have to turn the volume up to get the same (seemingly) sound level. This is in many cars, or home players. That may be bad example; but I also notice different sound levels when I take songs from different CDs and make my own collection. So the question: is there a reason this is so? Do they figure on better sound reproduction if the amplifier is producing the volume, rather than the source? Or is it to have more head room, space for loud crashes? Something else? Kevin T. - VRWC *^%$ Red Wings ___ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
