Interesting article here by Ian Shepard who apprarently investigated the dynamic range on a CD and LP version of the same (newly released) Red Hot Chilli Peppers album. I also do recall a huge difference between a CD and LP version of Jeff Buckley's (RIP) 'Grace' album in favour of the LP when I did a comparison a few years ago.
Here's the link:-
Don’t Blame the Format for Bad Sound, Blame the Suits - CE Pro Blog Article from CE Pro
Here's the link:-
Don’t Blame the Format for Bad Sound, Blame the Suits - CE Pro Blog Article from CE Pro
I think part of the issue here is that it is just too damn easy to compress music when it's in the digital domain. On an all analog signal chain, that's a different story though, although I doubt the album mentioned above was recorded in this way.
I would surmise that record execs know that LP is 'branded' as audiophile quality and therefore don't compress the hell out of them. Great Pity because CD is also capable of great performance.
I would surmise that record execs know that LP is 'branded' as audiophile quality and therefore don't compress the hell out of them. Great Pity because CD is also capable of great performance.
Hi,
Any guy into Vinyl KNOWS that LP has better dynamic than CD. Now we have proof...
Funny story.
One of the extremely few recordings that I had a hand in and that achieved release outside East Germany (and what we did in East germany had very limited runs) went onto a compilation CD.
The West German record company asked us to remaster for CD release with much less dynamics than we had on the East German version, they claimed it would otherwise not work on CD, if we did not they would just put a compressor on the thing...
That was probably in 88, maybe early 89, I can't remember now.
Ciao T
Any guy into Vinyl KNOWS that LP has better dynamic than CD. Now we have proof...
Funny story.
One of the extremely few recordings that I had a hand in and that achieved release outside East Germany (and what we did in East germany had very limited runs) went onto a compilation CD.
The West German record company asked us to remaster for CD release with much less dynamics than we had on the East German version, they claimed it would otherwise not work on CD, if we did not they would just put a compressor on the thing...
That was probably in 88, maybe early 89, I can't remember now.
Ciao T
Hi,
We would have loved to, but in 1988 there was no 192/24 release media. I have no idea what happened to the master tapes after the East German regime collapsed, probably ended up in a landfill somewhere, like so much else...
Ciao T
put it on 24/192 .... no problem ....
We would have loved to, but in 1988 there was no 192/24 release media. I have no idea what happened to the master tapes after the East German regime collapsed, probably ended up in a landfill somewhere, like so much else...
Ciao T
Hi,
I guess the record company executives have already decided that everyone who buys CD is incapable of appreciating quality.
Just as they have decided that everyone who wants to buy Classical, Jazz, Blues and other forms of music that cannot be covered by formulaic Boy/Girl/Mixed Teen bands, Rapping Gangsters and strangely dressed and made up heavy metal bands is not their customer.
Ciao T
I guess the record company executives have already decided that everyone who buys CD is incapable of appreciating quality.
Just as they have decided that everyone who wants to buy Classical, Jazz, Blues and other forms of music that cannot be covered by formulaic Boy/Girl/Mixed Teen bands, Rapping Gangsters and strangely dressed and made up heavy metal bands is not their customer.
Ciao T
the original CD specification (red book) was rushed out too early using old (out of date) computer processing power from the 1970s.
It would have made better sense for us consumers to have waited just a few years until the technology had developed to allow at least 20bit performance or the full 192/24 to become a practicality.
But the greed of the manufacturers was allowed to take over.
So have high end reviewers. In one high end webzine (I think you might be a contributor there) I recently read a review of a CD by a former Stereophile guy. This album is one of the worst examples of compression and bad EQ that I've ever heard, I use the dynamics analysis from it as my "bad example" in any comparisons, but the sonics got a rave. Go figure.
The worst I have heard was Accelerate from REM. Terrible.
I name and shame the bad ones here:-
Music Reviews | hifisonix.com
I name and shame the bad ones here:-
Music Reviews | hifisonix.com
Perhaps musicians and sound engineers assume the material will go thru media sources in mp3 format, and therefore simply produce recordings ready for the compression?
I know bands can send in mp3 files to vinyl pressing shops and get back vinyl records to sell as merchandise (the usual way bands pay for their existance is thru merch sales during shows these days since no one buys CDs anymore).
What good is a vinyl record if the format it is made of is mp3? Can they use expanders and get back the dynamics?
How can we know that when we buy a record it is not already compressed for digital social networks? There should be some listing somewhere of how each and every album was made.
I know bands can send in mp3 files to vinyl pressing shops and get back vinyl records to sell as merchandise (the usual way bands pay for their existance is thru merch sales during shows these days since no one buys CDs anymore).
What good is a vinyl record if the format it is made of is mp3? Can they use expanders and get back the dynamics?
How can we know that when we buy a record it is not already compressed for digital social networks? There should be some listing somewhere of how each and every album was made.
IMO, there isn't much market for quality anymore. I don't know anybody personally with the slightest interest in good sound, and I work with a lot of technically bright people.
When I transfer an LP to CD all the "magic" is still there. If a CD sounds bad you can only blame the people that made it. The format was and still is, very good.
The absolute worst sounding CD I've ever run across was the reissue of Lara Nyro's Eli album, the LP of which can be excellent. Absolutely unlistenable- I made of copy of the LP and put that in the jewel case instead.
When I transfer an LP to CD all the "magic" is still there. If a CD sounds bad you can only blame the people that made it. The format was and still is, very good.
The absolute worst sounding CD I've ever run across was the reissue of Lara Nyro's Eli album, the LP of which can be excellent. Absolutely unlistenable- I made of copy of the LP and put that in the jewel case instead.
Bonsai,
I enjoyed reading your reviews...our taste in music and recordings is quite similar - nice work!
For every one of us audio nuts straining for the nuane in music there are: 200 young guys in ricers or old pickups trying to overcome the doorseal compression with the thump-thump of overdriven woofers; 1,500 teens with iWhatevers with factory earbuds simultaneously texting, chatting and "listening"; and countless everyones in a car with 78dB background noise using music to drown out the screaming tires on concrete. It is entirely amazing there are any good quality recordings left.
That's terrible. Looks like nothing is immune to the 'crushers'. There should be a DR grading system for recorded material.
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