Re: [ARSCLIST] Libraries disposing of records

[Scott Phillips <scottp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Quite right ! In its own way an effect, neither wrong or right, as long
as you like how it sounds. Then again, clearly you have hear both sides
of that coin..!

I was listening the night before last to 60's / 70's / 80's rock and it
suddenly struck me how many of them were adventurous with instruments
and playing styles, say a sitar (insert your favorite instrument) played
in a non-traditional way. Where is anything like that now? Was there a
sudden black plague that killed all the non classical musicians ? I
missed it some how, but I miss them.....

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steven C. Barr(x)
Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 10:06 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Libraries disposing of records

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard L. Hess" <arclists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> As to preferences for recording media, you'll note that the classical 
> crews who were looking for output=input switched quickly to digital.
> The pop/rock recordists missed the distortions and the unique limiting

> curves of analog tape and other vintage equipment and have continued 
> to use it as an effect (in my opinion).
> 
Speaking as a (sometime) performing musician, I can personally vouch for
the above! I use a vacuum-tube amplifier for my harmonica, because I'm
trying to recreate the vintage sound of low-fidelity "dispatcher"
microphones fed into inexpensive tube amps turned up WAY too high!

There is a long and complicated technical explanation for this,
involving transient response and the variety of harmonics that make up
the distortion in different types of amplifying circuitry...but, to make
it simple, an overdriven solid-state amp has an edgy, nasty sound that
is hard to listen to...while overdriven-tube distortion is pleasant, or
at least acceptable, to hear.

In fact, I think this phenomenon has a lot to do with the "warm"
sound of vacuum-tube gear...a distortion-free amplifier is all but
unknown, and tube amps distort more acceptably than do solid-state...

Steven C. Barr