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Blaming Vinyl for squashed dnamic range

jeffn

jeffn

Mid-Fi Crisis
I read this from a web page today.

Most popular music releases are compressed to about 20 - 30 dB, regardless of the dynamic range the format is capable of handling. In the days of vinyl, this was done for the purpose of getting the sound acceptably recorded onto the records. Too much dynamic energy was detrimental to these discs; it messed up both the recording and the playback, because it made the needles jump out of the grooves. Due to this, the stereos that were made to play these records were designed to handle no more than this narrow dynamic range...anything more would have been unnecessary. (It never occurred to them that one day we would develop a format which could handle a wider range -- namely, the CD). Today, we have several formats which are capable of HUGE dynamics, yet we still use with stereo systems that have narrow dynamic range capability. Why? Because we have become so accustomed to hearing highly-squashed music, most of us are turned off by recordings with natural-sounding dynamics.

human ear capacity: Dynamic range = 100 dB. Frequency response = 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
DVD: Dynamic range = 106 dB (* see note). Frequency response = 0 Hz to 20 kHz.
CD / DAT: Dynamic range = 96 dB (* see note). Frequency response = 0 Hz to 20 kHz.
MiniDisc: Dynamic range = 96 dB (* see note). Frequency response = 0 Hz to 20 kHz.
12-inch vinyl: Dynamic range = 20 dB (* see note). Frequency response = 50 Hz to 22 kHz.


Thoughts.......?
 
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Let me be the first to call BS !
 
12-inch vinyl: Dynamic range = 20 dB (* see note). Frequency response = 50 Hz to 22 kHz.
Click to expand...

So why is it when playing a track off an LP, i can hear a difference with the sub sonic filter on vs off; but playing the same track on a CD (from the same era) It seems as though the sub sonic filter is always on?
 
I guess we need to find out who wrote the article , so we can all line up and
slap him with our squashed dynamic range vinyl :yes:
 
ShaneC said:
So why is it when playing a track off an LP, i can hear a difference with the sub sonic filter on vs off; but playing the same track on a CD (from the same era) It seems as though the sub sonic filter is always on?
Click to expand...


Rumble/feedback more than likely.
 
Of course we all know that many CDs are very bad mastered regarding usage of the possible dynamic range.
But that there is a connection with vinyl can not be true.
The CDs are mastered that way so it fits radiostations needs.
In many aspects I believe the original vinyl to be better than a remastered CD.
/gusten
 
ShaneC said:
So why is it when playing a track off an LP, i can hear a difference with the sub sonic filter on vs off; but playing the same track on a CD (from the same era) It seems as though the sub sonic filter is always on?
Click to expand...

Shane,

Rumble from the turntable itself. This is what the subsonic (or sometimes called rumble) filter was for. Cleans up the sound amazingly just getting rid of the artifacts from the turntable mechanics.
 
Just because a CD has greater dynamic range doesn't mean the person mastering the recording will actually take advantage of it. More likely, the opposite. Loudness war, etc...

This guy's got a point about how if LPs were mastered like CDs, the needle would jump the groove and how the public is accustomed to hearing "highly-squashed music," but he's putting the cart before the horse in insisting that bad mastering habits have carried over from LP and that, I guess, engineers haven't gotten in the swing of using the dynamic range provided by CDs. It shows an appalling lack of industry insight from someone trying to come off as an expert. FAIL!

Actually the whole OP has the feel of an "Ask Dr. Science" skit on NPR, where the scientician gives some hilariously pseudo-scientific explanation of an everyday phenomenon.
 
Hey, crappy dynamic range predates the LP. If he looked hard enough he might be able to blame the loudness wars on the edison cylinder, that's the real culprit right there......
 
Yeah, but right now I'm sitting in my office listening to AFF files on my iPod, through my earbuds. Now it doesn't get much more squashed than that.

But Van Morrison is still phenomenal...

Tim
 
cfranz said:
Shane,

Rumble from the turntable itself. This is what the subsonic (or sometimes called rumble) filter was for. Cleans up the sound amazingly just getting rid of the artifacts from the turntable mechanics.
Click to expand...

No, in fact it is not rumble at all in most cases. I have heard CD's that do not suffer sonically even when you apply a 100hz cut.
 
You have got to be kidding! These people! Where do they come up with this stuff? They obviously aren't able to play a record on thier IPOD, or they would hear the difference...
Whatever.
 
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