Re: Harmonizer question?

Nil expounded in news:Xns9B8B8539D3AC0nilch1@xxxxxxxxxxx:

On 06 Jan 2009, Charmed Snark <snark@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in
alt.guitar.beginner:

Compression was pretty much forced upon the Music industry when
16-bit sample CD was the new medium. Sound samples put into a
16-bit domain, do not enjoy a lot of dynamic "range". I forget the
actual numbers, but I suspect that the old LPs had a much greater
dynamic range than CDs have.

I think they don't. Maybe under controlled lab conditions they might,
but I believe all commercial LPs were/are restricted in dynamic range
to keep them playable on the average consumer turntables. And I've
heard some CDs with dynamic rage FAR greater than any LP I own. It's
too much sometimes - too much dynamic range can work against the
entertainment factor in home listening.

When we had small children, it was such a pain when movies
switched to commercials. TVs should really include a audio
compressor for that situation. You'd turn the program up
so you could hear the wispered lines in a movie and then
be blasted by a highly compressed series of commercials.

There's a more practical middle
range where there's a sense of loud and soft, but not to the point
where you have to strain to hear something and then get blasted out of
your seat. It's not the same situation as live performance.

A live performance has no dynamic range limitations imposed by the
environment (only in the amps that produce the sound, the air and your
inner ear). That is one of the reasons that live sound is so wonderfully
better than the stereo in your living room (or car).

I believe that any audio engineer will tell you how severely the CD
quality sound is handicapped. I've certainly read enough references of
this type (and not from wikipedia ;-)

As for LPs, I need to do some research. I remember doing this once for LPs
and tape but the brain-cells holding that information have missed the
refresh cycles they need.

Snark.
.

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