Rated
Aug 25 2007
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1 review
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audio, music, recording
• performancerecordings.com
An excellent, concise discussion of one of the main challenges facing the audio industry today: the prevalence of engineering work behind the technology we use to capture and reproduce music, which does not involve any actual listening! The engineers who design all of this technology virtually never use their ears as a tool for evaluating what they are creating. They are removed from the true objective of 'good sound' by a set of tenuous assumptions, upon which rests a vague, abstract model of what the technology is supposed to achieve. As a result, the vast majority of audio technology which reaches the hands of consumers, is (IMO) of abysmal quality.
My own view is that, since "Most music, heard by most people most of the time, is recorded", the buying public is largely unaware of what they are missing. Thus, there is a lack of impetus to drive the audio industry toward better quality reproduction. Is ignorance bliss?
This article discusses some of the basic difficulties faced by the audio design engineer. Well worth the short read, if you're at all interested in music, and the technology behind what you hear.