#vinyl vs digital

[tabileaks]

Rediscovering the Timeless Charm of Vinyl Records

[audio-luddite]

Battle Lines.

Many conflicts occur from misunderstandings. Those lead to opinions and different opinions lead to taking sides. Criticism of what I think is criticism of me. Wanna fight? I just watched an interesting You Tube video on digital recording. (see below) They talk about sample rates and bit depth and well stuff which engineers deal with in audio. Interesting they relate bit depth directly to tape noise.

The consumer or audiophile listener has to take a side right? I mean I have said many times I prefer my analog source of LPs to Streaming and CDs. The fight between digital and analog is very similar to the solid state versus glass conflict. You wanna fight?

But recently I have gone on about how I have some really good CDs. There are true audiophile CDs even with the limits of 16 bit and 44 khz.

My CD player is good, but not high end. It costs less than my current phono pickup. But good can be pretty good.

I am beginning to lean on the idea that it is the recording and processing of the disc (either shiny clear, or big black type) that is the big difference. A poorly done recording and a ham fisted mastering will make a poor playback no matter how fancy and expensive your music spinner is. Or for that matter if it is digital or analog.

And there is a direct parallel between how a digital signal can go bad and how a solid state or tube amplifier can sound good or bad. Clipping is a word used when a signal exceeds the capacity of a medium to portray it. In a power amplifier tubes are always praised for how they clip. Overdrive them and they keep pretty calm and if you are a guitar player they make nice distortion sounds. A solid state amplifier reacts dangerously with nasty harmonics and even gobs of DC to blow speakers. Personally in audio I think if you are clipping an amp you have got something seriously wrong.

I get frustrated when people go on and on about how tubes clip nicely or better. Why clip anything at all? It can explain why a relatively small tube amplifier, say 60 Watt, can sound as good as a much bigger solid state one of 240 Watts. But generally clipping is something to be avoided. Don't do it!

In digital recording if you clip a signal it generates harmonic artifacts that sound very bad. So much of poor CD sound can be from bad recording or conversion from analog to digital at the front end of the process. Done right it sounds fine.

The debate about bit depth is also a distraction. A CD has much more Dynamic Range than an LP, but an LP is adequate for almost all music. Sound effects maybe not.

In one of my discussions with the Tube Guru he used the analogy of hearing a bee buzzing on the other side of the garden then it gets hit by a lightning bolt. That is about the DR that a CD is capable of. Need that much?

The real application is in the recording and studio mixing phase where more bits give you lower noise so layering tracks will not lose everything into hiss. Higher bit rates are to facilitate analog input filters of easier slope to prevent frequencies above the Nyquist limit from getting in. That is a problem at the front end.

I like reasoned factual discussion. You can still like this or that, but lets not fight. There still is no best, just preferences. Enjoy the sounds.

[lichtecht]

i love you physical media i love you cds i love you dvds i love you cassettes i love you vinyls i love you landline telephones i love you physical books i love you handwritten letters and notes

[100sofaliens]

order of the triad ita bag ....

[the-axe-and-flail]

A Love Letter to the Future, My Dear

Some modern Hashira headcanons that have been banging around my head for a while:

WARNINGS- none

Tags- SFW, all hashira, future AU

Kyojuro-

• I feel like he's got a little food blog on the side. Nothing super flashy or anything, just him talking about his favorite places to eat and giving recommendations for his most loved meals/bites.

• He's a good outdoorsy person. Hiking 10 miles into the mountains just to set up camp for 2 days and then hike back? Heck yes sign him up! Kayaking in whitewater conditions? He's there. Just don't ask him to fish, he'd much rather build the most intricate firepit/fuel formation he learned in Scouts.

• Definitely an "Early to bed, early to rise" kinda guy. His version of 'sleeping in' is 7 a.m. at the latest. He's also the type to brush his teeth first thing in the morning, before he even eats breakfast. He just hates the feel of fuzzy or grimy teeth and can't stand to wait any longer.

Shinobu-

• Walking pharmacy. She'll be the one to pull a first aid kit or a little travel pill bottle/keeper out of nowhere the moment someone even mentions being in pain or uncomfortable. She's also the one to remind her friends that sites like WebMD can't be used to diagnosis and to stop freaking themselves out by reading it. Always has chapstick or gum/mints when you need them.

• A bit of a prankster. She's the one that will discreetly hide someone's shoe, or replace the hand soap with mustard. Nothing malicious for the most part, but she'll ramp up the intensity if it's someone she dislikes/hates. One time she even made a very convincing parking ticket to put on a car that was blocking her into her parking spot.

• She's an unaware trendsetter. She's not out there picking clothes or styles because they're fashionable, she's just wearing whatever she feels comfortable in that makes her happy. Her cool, bold personality just makes people want to emulate, including her own personal style.

Gyomei-

• Is a huge fan of radio dramas. He listens to a lot of drama podcasts, but nothing quite beats the old shows like "The Lone Ranger". He has a small collection of vintage radios as well that he likes to use when he's in the mood for a full, authentic experience. He's also a big vinyl collector and swears the music sounds 100× better than digital.

• Very musically inclined. He can play several instruments, mostly self-taught, and the vast majority of his repertoire is by ear. He plays the piano, and Shakuhachi most notably, but also can play the flute, tenor sax, oboe, and trumpet. He also frequents concerts and orchestras, and loves opera, with Giulio Cesare being his absolute favorite. He enjoys the pacing and delicate balance of plot and characters.

• Due to his size, he's not exactly comfortable on most public transit spaces. If he's getting home late (past rush hour) he's more likely to take it, but most the time he'd prefer to just walk. This means he knows the city like the back of his hand, and has all the deets on shops/restaurants/spaces that are opening or closing. This also makes him a regular face, so lots of shop and eatery owners and staff know him really well and love to give him freebies when they can.

Giyuu-

• Knows all the best park trails in the city. He likes to spend a lot of time at parks, either bird watching or even people watching. Something about just being in nature really soothes his soul, but he's not big into camping at all. He likes nature, but he also likes not sleeping on the ground.

• Has a very strong (but internal) opinion on showers vs. baths. He has a whole custom shower in his apt/home that has the giant rain pan over the entire thing, with two spray nozzles that have LED RGB lighting. He even can hook it up to music so the colours change with the beat. Takes two showers a day (morning/night) and considers it his favorite place in his home.

• Falls asleep every night to either ocean or rain sounds. His bedtime routine is very detailed, and he tries his hardest to never miss a step. He likes to keep his bedroom on the chilly side so he can wrap himself in 2 or 3 blankets and become the blanket cocoon. Has trouble sleeping if it's not totally 100% pitch black, so he also has a little eye mask to help shade him from the sun.

Tengen-

• The human embodiment of "the night life". Has a standing reservation at many of the elite clubs in the city and enjoys just living in the moment at them. Something about the colourful lights and deep, rhythmic music really makes him feel alive. Excellent dancing skills also just make him a sight to behold when he's in his element.

• Has an opinion on everything, even the stupid stuff. Pineapple on pizza? He has a strongly worded monologue for that. Cats or dogs? He could write a whole book series. Don't even get him started on deeper topics like politics or social standards because no one has the time to listen to that tirade. His social medias are just 80% photos of him and 20% his hot takes.

• Very fashionable, to no one's surprise. He has a favorite tailor that is used to all his wild requests, and considers himself to be the pinnacle of "fashion forward". Due to his very opinionated nature, he has a fashion blog that he updates religiously. Spends gobs of money to make sure he's always attending Fashion Week, and always stays ahead of the curve.

Mitsuri-

• Has her own pet sitting gig that she does to save up money for a new place. She's so good with the animals that it's easy for her to find work, and even has a hefty waiting list for clientele. Definitely pet CPR certified. Knows the name of every single pet she's ever pet-sat and will go apeshit with joy when she sees one of them out and about with their owners. Remembers their birthdays and everything.

• During a really gloomy winter a few years back, she decided to take up baking and got hooked. She started out simple with cookies and cakes but quickly progressed to making her own sourdough starters and pie crust by hand. Sometimes, she gets a bit carried away and will bake way too much, so she makes sure to make plates for her neighbors and drops them off.

• Fancies herself a crafter, but is a little too adhd about it. She'll hyper fixate on buying all the cool shiny supplies she needs for X craft, but once they all arrive, she gets a bit overwhelmed and ends up only using them 3 or 4 times before her sights get set on a new craft/project. Her craft room is a mix between heavily organized and absolute chaos. And yes, there is glitter everywhere

Sanemi-

• To no one's surprise- a big fan of tattoos/body mods. Has his left ear pierced I a couple places, and has one full tattoo sleeve, and working on another. He takes great pride in how he's incorporated some of his scars into the artwork, and has a fantastic relationship with his artist. At one point he considered a lip piercing until he realized how it could impact his teeth.

•Has a standing appointment every Wednesday to take his mom out to lunch. Sometimes Genya or one of his other siblings will tag along, but typically, it's just the two. She enjoys getting to see the updates on his tats, and hear about how his schooling is going. He always lets her pick the restaurant, so they've tried a lot of new foods.

• He would have the smallest, fluffiest little dog, as his apartment wouldn't allow anything bigger (not that it mattered, he likes the small dogs best of all). He takes it with him on his motorcycle rides, and even has a little safety helmet, vest, and goggles combo for it. Despite Sanemi not being a ray of sunshine, his little dog is extra friendly and often gets him into unintended social situations.

Obanai-

• Was 100% a zoobooks kid, who grew into a very animal knowledgeable adult. Enjoys spending time at the zoo (always accredited with the highest care standards, of course), taking photos of the animals with his ridiculously expensive camera and massive telephoto lenses. Has had many of his photos win awards, and has even been credited in natgeo a few times.

• Hates traveling, but is very good at it. He's the guy with all the carry on items in perfectly portioned bottles, all in sectioned ziplocs. Never forgets to bring the neck pillow or charge the headphones, and has his home airport down to a science so he never arrives too early or too late. Also knows where the best and cheapest food is.

• Is incredibly sensitive to temperature changes. Obanai is the guy who always wears layers so he can either shed or don them. It could be middle of summer and he'll still always carry around a light jacket, zip hoodie, or scarf, just in case they become necessary. He keeps his home a constant 75° year round, and anyone who dares to touch his thermostat will suffer the curse.

Muichiro-

• He and his twin brother Yuichiro have a college podcast about all the goings-on at Uni. Sometimes they'll play a song from a local uni student's EP, other times they'll discuss some faculty drama, or maybe even financial advice for anyone applying or attending. It originally started out as just for their friend group, but the back and forth, good cop-bad cop stylings of their banter made them an overnight sensation.

• Stays up until 4 am, wakes up at 12pm. The most night owl of all night owls, he finds it more peaceful to study in the early hours when everyone is sleeping and social media is relatively quiet. Has a little bit of adhd and a caffeine addiction that definitely play a part in that as well. Is useless at group projects simply because of his schedule, but he does as much as he can on his own, and always buys snacks to make up for it.

• Reality TV connoisseur. He doesn't like them, per-say, it's just that the drama is so terribly entertaining. He enjoys trying to key into who is the worst/most toxic person on the show in the first episode, and how they're going to completely ruin everyone's life by the end. He particularly enjoys the survival variety, and loves picking apart where they went wrong.

[portrait-of-the-jaded-dawn]

My preference for vinyl vs. CD is wholly dependent on the genre, quality of pressing, and year of its release. Anything before the 80's, 100% preferred on vinyl. Black metal? Vinyl. Old school death metal? 50/50 split. New death metal? CD. Newer, digitally produced music? CD. I also like to own copies on both formats if I really love the album. Vinyl is a more engaging music experience, whereas a 5 disc CD player is my easy-going listening.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (October 23-29, 2022)

Marvel published Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven #3 (of 5) on Wednesday. Kaiju-Ultra combat dominates this one, with Hayata and Ultraman debating how to handle the out-of-control Ultraseven as well. I've fallen off with a lot of Ultra Series stuff, including the post-Z shows (hence Decker's absence from these reviews), but this reimagining of the classics continues to impress. Watch for the Pestar cameo!

Rumble has finally come to Blu-ray and DVD in the U.S. Made for theaters (the first trailer played before Sonic the Hedgehog) but banished to Paramount+ last December, this kaiju wrestling comedy went completely overlooked by genre fans. Maybe now it'll get its due. I quite enjoyed it—as a sports movie, it's pure formula, but as a monster movie it's something new. And yes, the wrestling organization has the same name as the old fanfic series on Godzilla Tower. I actually bought the artbook as prep for a podcast episode I recorded last year that never aired, so expect more posts on this one soon.

By the way, this is actually last week's news—I just didn't know about it until I found the DVD on a cart of new materials at my library.

Godzilla vs. Kong won the Saturn Award for Best Film Visual Effects, beating out a crowded field thanks to an almost two-year eligibility period. This is familiar territory for both monsters: Godzilla (1998) and King Kong (2005) were among the previous victors. Deserved over Top Gun: Maverick? Probably not, but I dunno why Maverick was one of the nominees to begin with. It was also nominated for Best Science Fiction Film, losing to Nope.

Varan won a remarkably intensive Godzilla Store poll earlier this year to become the next Movie Monster Series figure (Super Mechagodzilla placed second again after losing to Gorosaurus last year), and said figure has finally been revealed. It'll go on sale November 3. Other Godzilla Store-exclusive vinyls can be ordered through Buyee, so I expect this one will be too.

The upcoming CG short Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex is also getting MMS figures. No details yet that I could find, but since the film premieres November 3rd, I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped that day too.

Godzilla Battle Line is teasing Evangelion Unit 01 as the next new Battle Piece, a rare EvaGoji collaboration that won't require traveling to or importing from Japan to experience. That would cover three of the four films in the Shin series... can a giant Kamen Rider be far behind?

Godzilla's 68th birthday is next Thursday, and since reporting on all the U.S. tie-in screenings after the fact won't do anyone any good, I'm going to list them all now:

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - Limited release nationwide through Fathom Events; check if it's playing near you here

Godzilla (1954) - Alamo Drafthouse locations; will use Toho's 4K restoration

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) - Roxy Cinema in NYC; 35mm print

Godzilla (1954); Rodan; Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster; The War of the Gargantuas - hosted by John Carpenter on various digital channels from November 3 to 6

Licensing International also has a list of all the non-film collaborations planned for that day. Nothing jumps out, to be honest, but I figured I'd include it.

But if you're like me and already have commitments that evening, why not check out @spacehunter-m's reconstruction of the 1956 German theatrical version of Godzilla instead? It premiered in West Germany just a few months after Godzilla, King of the Monsters! opened in the States, but it's actually based on the Japanese cut (just 13 minutes shorter). English subtitles are included.

[arbitrarygreay]

Imagine the sheer amounts of insufferable music discourse in the witch communities. Because, like, by definition, most all of the witches have ears more sensitive to sound frequencies than humans, so probably even the less talented vocalists still have perfect pitch in the human context. What do they think of Electro? Dubstep? Hyperpop? Heavy metal? Psychadelic? Thrashcore? Do they relate to Hip Hop at all, and do they think some strains of it are easier to listen to than others? Who do they think are the best instrumentalists? The best guitarist (and how do they feel about distortion-heavy electric guitar playing)? The best trumpet player? The best violinist? Is the piccolo anathema to them? Who makes the best pianos? Do they loathe equal temperament with the fire of a burning sun? Are they perturbed by the Vocoder, Autotune, or Vocaloid? (We only see landlines in the show, not mobile phones.) Are the Loudness Wars an abomination? Is John Chowning a witch? Are there deep unbridgeable feuds over opera style singing vs. R&B style belting vs. more nasal type practices in other cultures? Do they have conflicted feelings about the Gospel genre? Is America's patriotic music still even remotely the same? What happened to John Philip Sousa in this world? 2x5, of course, featured Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique as diegetic music, which premiered in 1830, so he was unaffected by historical divergence. Sousa's heyday was from the late 1880s through the 1920s. Meanwhile the melody of the Star Spangled Banner was a British song published in 1780, but was there a War of 1812, much less a Battle of Baltimore, for Francis Scott Key to write a poem about, and why would witches give a shit about it? Besides which, it wasn't even adopted until 1931, whereas Hail Columbia and My Country Tis Of Thee are late 1700s, and so more likely to be uninfluenced by historical divergence, given Alder's presence at the crossing of the Delaware River.

Imagine the sheer obnoxiousness of witch audiophiles debating speakers, microphones, sound systems (in theaters and in homes), headphones, amps, digital formats. (Conflicting information in show about the tech levels. On Fort Salem we mainly see vinyl players, but the Camarilla are doing advanced sound synthesis in S3, so.)

[greensparty]

Album Reviews: Bruce Springsteen / Pearl Jam

This week I got to review a compilation album from one of my favorite musicians and a new studio album from one of my favorite groups!

Bruce Springsteen Best of Bruce Springsteen

51 years since Bruce Springsteen released his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, he has consistently made great albums with his brand of rock for decades. Here at Green’s Party, I’ve been lucky enough to review his 2019 album Western Stars, 2020′s Letter to You, the 2021 live album The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts and 2022's Only the Strong Survive. As much as I have enjoyed his studio and live releases, this marks the first time I have had the opportunity to review a compilation album with Best of Bruce Springsteen which drops this week from Columbia.

album cover (from the same photo shoot as Born to Run)

The 1995 compilation Greatest Hits is one of my favorites. It covers his career up to the mid-90s and included some new songs. Over the years since then there's been some other compilations including 2003's The Essential Bruce Springsteen. This new compilation is being released in a few different formats. The one I got to review is the double album on vinyl featuring 18 songs from 1973 to 2020. With only 18 tracks (not to be confused with his rarities collection Tracks and 18 Tracks) there's bound to be plenty of songs and eras left off. I suppose it's a good problem to have to have so many solid songs in the catalog that you can't include them all on a double album. But still I couldn't help but be surprised that Lucky Town, Devils & Dust, Working on a Dream, and Wrecking Ball (my #5 Best Albums of the 2010s) weren't included, even though songs from those albums were included on the digital release. I can understand We Shall Overcome, High Hopes, and Only the Strong Survive not being included since they were all or mostly cover songs.

Bottom line: if you're a fan of The Boss you most likely own all of these songs already. While I think there's been far better and longer compilation albums from him, this is good as a succinct sampler of some of his best songs. I, personally, would have added some other songs, but in terms of hits or fan favorites, this does the job.

For info on Best of Bruce Springsteen

4 out of 5 stars

Pearl Jam Dark Matter

Through this blog, I have been fortunate enough to cover Pearl Jam multiple times over the years: their live album and DVD Let’s Play Two, their 2018 concert at Fenway Park in Boston, their last studio album Gigaton, last year's 30th anniversary edition of Vs. and their numerous solo and side projects (too many to namecheck here). Now the band is back with their highly anticipated 12th studio album Dark Matter from Monkeywrench / Republic Records. It was produced by producer-of-the-moment Andrew Watt, who produced singer Eddie Vedder's best solo album Earthling as well as The Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds. Talk about a meeting of the musical minds!

album cover

It is impossible to not be in awe of Watt as a producer. Sure he has produced a ton of pop stars, but in the last few years, he has been a good luck charm for numerous rock albums and in the case of Earthling and Hackney Diamonds he actually co-wrote some songs with the artist and here on Dark Matter he co-wrote all of the songs. He is truly a music geek whose love for PJ is showing through on this album. There's some songs like "Wreckage" that remind me a lot of the Yield-era. Other songs feel like they are swinging for U2-level stadium sing-alongs.

Bottom line: While Gigaton was a serious comeback album (their best since the 2006 self-titled album) for the band, this album is sustaining some of that magic. It's also an album, like a lot of the best PJ works, that gets better with each listen!

For info on Dark Matter

4 out of 5 stars

[hedorahtheblogmonster]

Got a new figure!! Found a good deal on the Godzilla vs Kong Mechagodzilla SH MonsterArts! I had a pre-order waaaay back when that got cancelled by the vendor, and I jumped at the chance to get this for a reduced price so I could complete my MonsterVerse shelf.

Unfortunately I wouldn’t reccomend this figure unless you really love this particular Mechagodzilla. The detail is astounding- it has moving pistons in it’s legs, some sort of shredder in the lower jaw, and a bunch of smaller missile batteries concealed in it’s shoulders and torso. You get the feeling that this figure must have been heavily referenced from digital files from Godzilla vs. Kong. This is a double edged sword, as MechaG’s industrial robot-esque design makes it hard to pose. Because of the aforementioned chest missiles, this figure has no ab-crunch or any flexibility in it’s chest, making it feel stiff. There’s also various die-cast parts along with molded plastic, which gives it a good heft but I can imagine increases the figure cost significantly. There are also no accessories for this figure, aside from open/close alternate claw parts.

Still, I do like this figure along with the other MonsterVerse SH MonsterArts. I liked re-using my lighting crackle effect pieces to give it a Frankenstein’s Monster feel to it, and to tie Mechagodzilla back to it’s King Ghidorah origin. This satisfies my MonsterVerse shelf for now, any others I get will likely be displayed separately. If you look closely, you can also see a vinyl final wars Xillien figure I got recently as well!!

[petewentzisblack1312]

ok so after some academic research through my university library i found that there is no research on the color vs black vinyl debate at all and it's entirely word of mouth, meaning it's a rumor and we should all just do whatever we want. also, i now know a little bit about the science of how to make pvc, and the powder dye particles you mentioned are so small that the difference shouldn't be audible to the human ear unless they put literal chunks of glitter or something in there or the process gets messed up.

lol but seriously, i saw someone make a really good point which is that we have digital music which is obviously gonna be the best quality, so audiophiles need to make peace with the fact that their physical formats (especially vinyl) are going to sound imperfect. obv that easy for me to say as a non-audiophile, but still, records are naturally imperfect and that's why we love them!

i'm still curious about this experiment to see if color vinyl actually makes any difference at all but the upshot is i'm still gonna by color vinyl if i want cause it's pretty <3

thank you for looking into it!!! my biggest hurdle is that i dont have access to jstor so its good to know that there for real isnt a study on this and its just word of mouth. its good to know that i can rule out particle size as a variable too! as i was looking into it it did seem like it was probably negligible. my research did indicate that conductivity does affect static levels on plastics though, and static does contribute to sound, and therefore theoretically black is the absolute best when it comes to conductivity because carbon black (the dye used) is very conductive. but if thats the case, then using an anti static brush or one of those anti static guns should fix any issues!

its so true that audiophiles are like objectively wrong that vinyl sounds better in any way btw like physically it simply does not and thats whats so good about it. and we have to enjoy the time we have here on earth with beautiful things like the blue and white splatter in clear pressing of fall out boys 2008 studio album infinity on high <3

something i should note is that if i design this experiment, i may not be able to actually carry it out! im just one dyke with no resources. ill hold onto it for if i get an opportunity, but its not something thatll happen anytime soon!

[audio-luddite]

Digital Stuff.

My steam powered stereo is predominantly analog. I have more than a few CDs and I audition new artists or recordings with Apple Music. But the serious side is pure analog.

Contrast that with another hobby of mine, photography. 100% digital that is. Is this ironic? I do not think so. Digital photography is self expression and documentation of my experience. Film cameras give you a product that depends on the type of film, the lab that develops it and many many technical fiddles that are far beyond my control.

Digital lets me adjust the image to match either what I saw or what I wanted to see in the image. I live on the west coast near the water so sunsets are a big part of my experience. I always adjust the color and intensity to fit my memory of the experience.

Digital lets me do that so easily. Film is much harder and needs gobs of equipment and toxic chemicals. Oh and knowledge I do not have.

Being a nerd I also know that film is actually a non-linear not analog thing anyway. Those photons bang on the film grains until they go on or just stay off. Each color grain is a binary artifact. Resolution depends on the size of film grain as much as anything else. Digital sensors are rather linear with the bit numbers recording the intensity of color at the site. Nothing is pure.

OK all that is silly nerd talk. But it is illustrative. In my photos I can adjust things to the way I like. 100% esthetic values are involved. I like things just so.

In my stereo I am listening to someone else's efforts. I want as accurate a reflection of their work as I can manage. Yet the choice of equipment will adjust the results. I hope that my system is quite neutral. Comparing my CDs of albums to the LP of the same I find that they are really similar. Differences are subtle if they exist at all.

Some audio equipment will really change the sound. Some preamplifiers or amplifers will add sonic effects that make a track sound more vivid and alive. Others will add depth and qualities that simply are not there. When I loaded those microphonic vacuum tubes in my old ARC SP12 the sound was amazing. I heard textures and things I really liked, but like an acid trip it was not real. There were bad things too so out the buggers had to come.

My favorite whipping boy for nice distortion is the moving coil cartridge. They have a fundamental resonating character that can lay a wonderful but totally inaccurate effect over the music. Even reading between the lines of glowing golden ear reviews of such reveals they know it aint real, but they like it. Tribal knowledge and accepted wisdom prevail. But should not what comes out of your system be the intent of the artist?

I have a few phono cartridges that have a strong character. My Grado Green is "nice" and has incredible Bass, but has little depth in recordings I know is there. It sounds a bit dull, but all the instruments are there more or less as they should be. Its upper tier wood bodied brother has no such limits. Not house sound is it? Lighter construction of the pointy end and better damping as more money is spent. My squad of ATs have differences and I have a hard time putting my finger on them beyond knowing they are different. Something is missing or at least is missed here and there.

Tube amplifiers have similar effects. Vividness, space, and aliveness or whatever they call it at the time. But I cannot hear that tiny detail in the back. Masked by "aire."

I can't help but think of some of those videos where the color is boosted to unnatural levels. A singer with eyes glowing blue like Chernokov radiation does not reflect reality, but if that is the intent of the artist well then fine. But it is not the quality or settings of my video screen that should determine that. I calibrate my displays to reflect the best accuracy I can get from them.

Digital stuff is amazing it works as well as it does. Lots of hard work went into getting it there. Still for sound I like a simple clean LP spinning on my deck with a beautiful voice appearing to come out of the wall of my living room.

[dustedmagazine]

Madhuvanti Pal — The Holy Mother: Madhuvanti Pal Plays the Rudra Veena (Sublime Frequencies)

The rudra veena is a South Asian string instrument that differs from the better-known sitar in being historically earlier and in aspects of its construction (e.g., fixed vs. movable frets), but, to the untrained ear, the shimmering tones are similar. In the hands of Madhuvanti Pal, the rudra veena sings, hums, cries and purrs, creating complex layers of sound that evolve slowly and with a kind of inevitability that, for those outside the tradition, makes the listening experience something like hearing a vividly told story in an unknown but wonderfully melodious language.

In a review earlier this year of a recording by the Hindustani artist Debashish Bhattacharya, I acknowledged that I have no understanding of the place of the music in South Asian culture and that my assessment of it is entirely aesthetic, and I repeat that caveat here. Sublime Frequencies is marketing The Holy Mother to English speakers in this country, so the people who write for and read Dusted and, like me, are ignorant of the cultural context, are presumably among the target audience. And it is for them (rather than those who know the culture) that this review is intended.

This recording consists of two compositions of 40 to 50 minutes in length. Each is divided into two parts, which is a necessity for the vinyl, but the fade in and out is a bit distracting for the digital version. In any case, the scope of the compositions allows for the long-range development of musical ideas. I say “compositions” with some caution since the liner notes do not indicate how much improvisation is involved or how traditional Pal’s approach is.

The first composition, “Todi,” begins, as might be expected, with a drone, specifically, a mid-range drone. Around it, higher- and lower-pitched tones emerge and fade. The nature of the instrument is such that there is no truly empty space, but, as on many stringed instruments, various voices are identifiable. The notes are often extended, as if with a slide, though the images of her show Pal playing with only her fingers. The tempo is fairly slow and deliberate until around the halfway point (for which reason the fade in and out is especially unfortunate), when the pace and intricacy of the phrasing increase, making for a thrilling moment. The tempo then abates a bit until the last five minutes, when the lower-pitched voice becomes increasingly insistent only to yield to the higher-pitched voice before all fades away but the drone.

The mood and feeling of “Bhairavi” are similar to “Todi,” but the lower-pitched voice remains dominant through most of the first half, and the higher-pitched voice seems sweeter. Again, there is a notable quickening of the pace near the midpoint and a transitional moment about three-quarters of the way through. This time, the higher-pitched voice comes to dominate in effortless displays of great dexterity by Pal as single notes combine and contrast with stabbing strums. Once more, resolution arrives in the final minutes as the voices switch off, and the ending delivers the dynamics of an anthem.

Pal takes listeners willing to devote their attention to her playing on two thrilling journeys here, though I suppose the music would also make for a pleasant background. Notably, she is a music educator and builder of instruments and, apparently, a pioneer in terms of being a woman performer on the instrument. Those of us on the outside looking in will have no doubt of her mastery of the rudra veena, and, though the relationship of the music to the Holy Mother remains undefined, its spiritual power seems to transcend cultural boundaries.

Jim Marks

[klirk-hammurton]

100 Music Questions

Favorite Genre?

Last Album You Bought

Play An Instrument

Instrument You Would Want To Play

Favorite Live Performance

Latest Band You Got Into

First Ever Band You Liked

Own Any Merch

Least Favorite Band

Last Song You Listened To

Been To A Concert

Been In A Band 

Loud of Quiet Music

Favorite Band Member(s)

Song(s) You Know All The Words Too

Number of Songs On Your Phone

Favorite Lyrics

Ever Wrote A Song

Favorite Song Title

Favorite Album

Song You Can Dance To

First Band Member Crush

First Song Downloaded On Your Phone

Do You Write Fanfiction

Song That Motivates You

Timeline/Era of Bands You've Discovered

Favorite Music Video

Favorite Song Written For A Film

Favorite Soundtrack 

Favorite Guitarist 

Favorite Bassist 

Favorite Vocalist

Favorite Drummer

Current Band Member(s) Crush

How Often Do You Listen To Music 

How Do You Discover Bands

Song That Makes You Cry

Fall Asleep Listening To Music 

Funniest Song

Originals or Covers

Favorite Song To Sing

Band Member You Look Up To

Song That Cheers You Up

Favorite Cover

Song That Calms You Down

Song That Amps You Up

Ever Met A Band

Opinion on Moshpits

Music Taste Influenced By Anyone

CDs, Vinyls or Digital 

Any Band Posters

Gotten Any Autographs

Opinion on Crowdsurfing

Have Dreams About Bands

Beat Guitar Solo

Instrument You Want To Play

What Instrument Would You Love To Own

Does Your Life Revolve Around Music

Do You Use Music To Express Yourself 

Does Music Effect Your Mood

Lyrics You Want As A Tattoo

Best Album In Your Opinion 

Worst Album In Your Opinion 

First Concert Experience 

Latest Concert Experience

Music Festivals or World Tour

Musician You Can't Stand

How Do You Feel About Bands Experimenting With New Sounds/Genres

Saddest Artist Death

If You Could Meet Any Artist, Who Would It Be And Why

Favorite Film Based On An Artist/Band

Least Favorite Genre

Favorite Male Vocalist

Favorite Female Vocalist

Underrated Artist You Wish More People Listened To

How Important Is Music To You

What Does Music Mean To You

Best Era Of Music

Artist You Think Is Overrated

Artist You Think Is Underrated

What Song Would You Show To Get Someone Into Your Favorite Band

Band You Regret Liking

Band With The Best Fanbase

Band With The Worst Fanbase

Favorite Foreign Band

Favorite Band From Your Country

Funniest Misheard Lyrics

Lyrics You've Sang Incorrectly

Music Taste As A Child vs Now

Opinions on artists that sample music

Favorite Piece of Merch

Any Bands On A Bucket List You Want To See

Most Anticipated Upcoming Album

Do You Like Movie Soundtracks

Favorite Musical

Opinions on Musicals

Opinion on music kids listen to now days

What would you do if you met your favorite band member

Opinions on Fanfiction on bands

Would you ever consider being a roadies or groupie?

[ravenkings]

not to be That Guy but i really do think there is a difference in the experience of listening to music via streaming on a digital device vs via physical media and it’s not even mainly the sound quality. i think when you listen to a cd or vinyl, you’re kind of forced to pay more attention to the music itself and actually listen whereas when it’s via a phone or a laptop, it often kind of gets reduced to background music to whatever else you happen to be doing. and even if you are trying to actively listen while on a phone/laptop/tablet etc. there’s always going to be some part of your brain that distracted and thinking about other things you could be doing on the device. 

[tokyorecordstyle]

I met Yuto 22-year old outside Coconuts as I was rolling up on the motorcycle and he was heading out, holding in his hand a recent core. I killed the engine and grabbed his attention before he could dash away. As I began to explain to him that I was a photographer and wanted to make his portrait, rather than initial suspicion, he was nothing but good vibes and warm smiles. A can badge on his jean jacket caught my eye – “Have you hugged a mutant today?” Then I noticed one untied Chuck Taylor, then a flannel layer, a sorta ‘67 Beatle-y haircut, and a general slacker posture/strut (which I say very endearingly), dare I say there was something about him that instantly reminded me of, perhaps, a Japanese version of myself 20 (or 25) years ago. When I asked Yuto what he scored, and he very proudly pulled out Kaneko Ayano’s new album “タオルケットは穏やかな” (which is incredibly good - I just listened - Yuto has great taste). “Are you new to records?” I asked Yuto. “I just got a record player and started collecting! This is about my 10th record!” NIIIICE. Yuto and I talked about hi-fi’s, about analog vs. streaming, file bitrate and DACs (Digital Audio Converters) and I could just tell, he had the exact same enthusiasm that I had when I started seriously collecting when I was about his age. And though my excitement for records and record stores has never really waned, I’m noticing that as I get older, I get really excited when I see young people just starting out. Their interest makes ME more interested. Its cool that way. I hope I bump into Yuto again out there. He mentioned that he also is a surfer. So if you don’t bump into him at the record, you might see him catching waves in Ibaraki where he surfs! One last friendly reminder too - tomorrow is the first edition of Tokyo Record Style Day in Shimokitazawa at Flash Disc Ranch from 2pm. Check a few posts back or the event page on Facebook :-) #Tokyo #record #style #tokyorecordstyle #records #music #recordcollector #recordstore #vinyl #vinylcollector #vinylrecords #vinylrecord #rock #Pop #PopRock #Folk #Country #Japan #coconuts (at ココナッツディスク 吉祥寺店) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn9lcopP6rD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=