Sound Advice: New Deal for Acoustic Recordings in the Age of Headphones?
By MIKA POHJOLA"I really like it right there in your face with that open dynamic airy touch." Ever heard that before? Well, you actually may have. However, that statement is a sonic oxymoron.
Before the digital age, a reasonable amount of overdrive, i.e. the volume going slightly above the sane level, was a desirable-turned-fashionable goal in sound production. The artifacts caused by this phenomenon created the sound which today is considered nostalgic, sort of the audible equivalent for sideburns. But recordings in that age generally included a wide variety of dynamics, and they all worked out very well in the stereo systems of the day, from Blaupunkt to Nordmende, not to forget Fisher. The stereo system was a center for home based enjoyment of music, a kind of third generation direct descendant of the player piano. Big speakers which produced the full frequency range, were a must, and speaker placement in the room was of the essence.
In the 1980s, the early days of the digital sound, the CD player was merely another component in the established stereo system. The amplifier and most importantly the speakers were still the same. While the techniques for manufacturing a CD changed dramatically, the philosophy and sonic goal largely remained the same. Early on, the praised new feature was a scratch and noise free sound, and for the audiophiles a poorer sound quality, often caused by cheap digital-to-analog converters.
Fifteen years later, in the mid-late 1990s, the desktop computer with a CD burner pushed away the impractical cassettes, eventually making the stereo components obsolete. The digital (or CD) music collection moved from the stereo system to the computer. Not much later, computer software made it possible to store music in smaller file formats, such as MPEG Layer III (or mp3) and later AAC, FLAC and Apple Lossless. And to the dismay of the major label executives, Napster started providing free mp3 downloads via the internet, inventing a whole new approach to finding music. What started as primary head-scratching, and a constant lawsuit lingering aggrevation for the baby boomer chiefs, eventually became a first-choice method for the millenium generation to buy music.
In this transformation of the listening source - from the CD stereo component to the computer, internet and finally the portable devices - something else also changed, namely the listening environment and the disappearance of the home stereo speakers. What the discman never achieved in the 1980s due to the impracticality of carrying multiple CDs (with or without the heavy jewel cases), the portable devices in the 2000s made a revolution. What used to be a quiet listening experience at home, became an available-anywhere-anytime lifestyle, reflecting the overall 24/7 hysteria of the internet age. Unfortunately, most headphone manufacturers left the listeners entirely at the mercy of their new array of listening environments, often making listeners pump up the volume to health hazardous levels. Only the most recent high quality noise canceling headphones barely compete with the silent room experience of yesteryear.
Amidst all this sound environmental turmoil, it is embarrassing to witness the disconnect and stubbornness of the sound practices advocated by the jazz and classical music industry. Producers and engineers have continued with mastering practices in favor of the big home stereo speakers and the quiet living room environment. The argument is "reality", i.e. the acoustic live concert environment as a role model. It is true that these genres have a longer tradition in a live concert setting compared to genres based on electronic instruments and automated rhythm devices, known as sequencers. But it is regrettably old fashioned to continue producing a nonessential dynamic spectrum for iPod headphones, where the dynamically quietest portions will be barely audible. A continuance of the traditional sound aesthetics, will inevitably lead to losing the younger listening generation altogether, a high price for lagging behind. It is moreover irresponsible to allow an iPod listener turn up the volume of the pianissimo sections of a symphony, only to get a sudden loud attack intrude the ear canal with a risk of acquiring tinnitus.
While some consumer software has functions which balance the sound levels, the quality is often far less satisfactory compared to a properly mastered album for reasonable loudness. It may be time for the record producers and mastering engineers in the acoustic oriented genres to reinvent their sound ideals, as music-on-the-go is here to stay.
Blue Music Group has optimized its entire digital catalog for portable listening devices, while successfully maintaining a realistic-like dynamic experience.
Sound Advice is a series of articles about sound, ranging from simple listening advice to serious whistle-blowing.
Keywords: Technology,Internet,Music
Genre: Music
Published: Saturday, May 29, 2010
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