Rescuing Recordings, Take 2: Unscrambling an Audio Egg

[fas42]

Okay, Bill, that helps to achieve a common denominator of understanding. Sorry I didn't get back earlier but my system was playing up for a day or so (that volume control!) and it's just come back to life. I hadn't really noted the tracks the first time round, so needed to link the names to the sound.

Those tracks you mentioned are all driving, high energy tracks, in a rich, deep acoustic, with a very full mix. Now I have spent considerable time in tweaking my system, so that minimal distortion comes from the audio components, you get the raw sound of the actual music playing. And I don't have a problem with those tracks: they create a very big sound, extremely textured because there is a lot of echo captured, but there's no distortion. Intense, powerful, high energy, but not shrill or paint peeling.

I'm certainly aware that most hifi systems would have problems with those tracks, and that dumbing down the sound on a mid-fi would make them more palatable for most; but my shtick for quite some time has been to get past those limitations. So, I appreciate you would have set up your monitors to work with your ears, and methods, and that that arrangement didn't suit those tracks. However, the tracks worked perfectly for me, with my current system.

Cheers,
Frank

 

[fas42]

Just an addendum about the "Human Touch" album, I had it running at "room pressurising" levels just now, and it wasn't quite right, Bill's comments would have sense to someone listening. Especially regarding the "Real Man" track. However, there turned out to be a subtle problem with a cable, and that made all the difference. That track, very heavily mixed, with a deep, deep acoustic, then unraveled acoustically and everything was in its correct place, all the instruments and vocal were in their own, separate spaces. The sound quality variation of that track replayed with the system just slightly out of kilter is dramatic, especially at high volume, so I can appreciate many people not understanding where I'm coming from ...

Frank