Videos of Acoustically-Coupled Audio Recordings

[R Johnson]

Here are the results of our two different approaches:

Enough said!

I prefer the first video (1:20)

 

[Carlos269]

I prefer the first video (1:20)

Great, good for you. You are the one with the $25 Radio Shack desktop speakers correct?

 

[Wavetouch]

Alex, answer this, if the original recording is the best possible, why do record companies issue remastered editions and claim better sound?
These type of exchanges do not reflect well on your understanding of the music mastering process.

All originals and remastered should be made from master tapes. Many remastered are made from pirate or unlawful copies. Remastered are not always better sound quality. I more like many older original recordings. Your works are from a copies (or copies of copies).

 

[Carlos269]

All originals and remastered should be made from master tapes. Many remastered are made from pirate or unlawful copies. Remastered are not always better sound quality. I more like many older original recordings. Your works are from a copies (or copies of copies).

For the record, my source files are from Tidal. The videos that I have recorded and submitted on this thread were streamed from Tidal. What do you have to say to that?

 

[Wavetouch]

For the record, my source files are from Tidal. The videos that I have recorded and submitted on this thread were streamed from Tidal. What do you have to say to that?

That confirms your source is not a master tape.

 

[Carlos269]

That confirms your source is not a master tape.

Alex, I wish you well. Maybe one day you will realize that most of the masters are not on tape, they are achieved digitally because digital does not degrade. We are not in 1970’s anymore. Many recordings as early as the 90’s were mastered in DAT, Digital Audio Tape, and since then most recordings are captured and stay digital throughout. Any way, I hate to say this but I don’t have time to educate you. Read up on this on Wikipedia. It’s all there. Times have changed a long time ago and record companies have had the ability to distribute the master mix to organizations like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and Tidal for a while now. What we get from them is essentially the digital master. Again, these types of exchanges do not fare well for you and Here is your exit ramp. Good luck!

 

[Al M.]

Al, the argument that some make is that it is possible under the right circumstances to get a good original LP on a superior vinyl front end to present more resolution/information (and sound more natural) than a digital version of that original analog recording through the system. It then follows that the resulting iPhone recording replayed over YouTube sounds better. If starting from a better sounding original presentation, the result in the end should also be better.

I understand that both are now digital recordings over YouTube, but one started out at a higher level, and some of that superiority is retained and heard through subsequent comparisons. That is the argument.

Peter, more resolution/information and more natural sound preserved through a cheap iPhone mic and a $1 ADC, presented through the digitally compressed AAC format as used by YouTube?

Sorry, this does not make any logical sense.

It is obvious that none of the videos posted comes close to the resolution/information and level of natural timbre heard from a good high end system in person, be it based on analog or digital source.

 

[R Johnson]

Great, good for you. You are the one with the $25 Radio Shack desktop speakers correct?

Yes indeed. Here's a Hilary Hahn video on YouTube. It sounds like a real violin on my modest speakers.
Hilary Hahn - J.S. Bach: Partita for Violin Solo No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002 ----

 

[Carlos269]

Yes indeed. Here's a Hilary Hahn video on YouTube. It sounds like a real violin on my modest speakers.
Hilary Hahn - J.S. Bach: Partita for Violin Solo No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002 ----

I don’t hear much wood on the Hilary Hahn video. Thanks for posting it. Very nice skill and flow. Will let others more akin to Classical music comment on the violin’s sound qualities on the video.

 

[Wavetouch]

Carlos269
I will tell you this, the sound on my videos sound great and every time you post one of your videos with mine, they make mine sound even better. You are in business you should consider stopping the damage of the self inflicted wounds.

I want you to succeed in audio field. Make $Billions. I want you to make an audio products which every one (includes women) enjoy. I really do.

 

[PeterA]

Peter, more resolution/information and more natural sound preserved through a cheap iPhone mic and a $1 ADC, presented through the digitally compressed AAC format as used by YouTube?

Sorry, this does not make any logical sense.

It is obvious that none of the videos posted comes close to the resolution/information and level of natural timbre heard from a good high end system in person, be it based on analog or digital source.

Al you do not seem to understand.
No one is claiming that an iPhone recording sounds better than the original on the main system, but if what is being recorded is a good original LP and it starts out sounding better than the same music on an official YT video, then the resulting iPhone recording will sound better. Simple as that. Otherwise is faulty logic. The better sounding source will sound better over YouTube, all else being equal.

 

[morricab]

I don’t hear much wood on the Hilary Hahn video. Thanks for posting it. Very nice skill and flow. Will let others more akin to Classical music comment on the violin’s sound qualities on the video.

You are not listening closely Carlos...there is plenty of wood on this video.

 

[Al M.]

You are not listening closely Carlos...there is plenty of wood on this video.

Oh yeah. Plenty.

 

[Carlos269]

You are not listening closely Carlos...there is plenty of wood on this video.

Oh yeah. Plenty.

This is awesome. Since there is “plenty” of wood sound in this recording, let’s post some videos of our systems playing this track so we can evaluate how they compare to each other and to this video, of the Hilary Hahn recording. Al you go first, let get a video of your system playing this track. I will get a video during my next listening session.

 

[PeterA]

Now if we start sharing videos of musicians playing their instruments live “acoustically coupled” to a real space, we are getting closer to a proper reference for these system videos. As with the Shostakovich live concert video, we can hear here how our videos of violin recordings played on our stereo systems compare, and fall short.

of course sitting in front of our systems will sound better as will sitting in front of Hilary Hahn. These videos are simply a representative approximation packaged for us for easy sharing and a basis for discussion.

 

[Al M.]

Al you do not seem to understand.
No one is claiming that an iPhone recording sounds better than the original on the main system, but if what is being recorded is a good original LP and it starts out sounding better than the same music on an official YT video, then the resulting iPhone recording will sound better. Simple as that. Otherwise is faulty logic. The better sounding source will sound better over YouTube, all else being equal.

My original statement,. from which this discussion originated, was:

The argument is often that vinyl sounds better than digital -- through a *digital* medium!

There are people who want to prove through a YouTube video that vinyl sounds better than digital per se.

In other words, there allegedly is something in the digital process that destroys some of the goodies that are specific only to vinyl (or analog in general). Yet if that were the case, then it cannot be proven through iPhone/Youtube. Because then the vinyl playback goes through the very same digital process (actually, a qualitatively far worse one than through a digital high end source) that allegedly destroys the goodies that are specific to it.

Now to your point:
If a vinyl source sounds better than a digital source through YouTube, then it can only be something different in the mastering process or in the way a system presents the recording, possibly modulated through the iPhone recording process (which, for example, often adds a sense of reverb that by some is perceived as pleasant and can be mistaken for “hall information” or “liveliness”). Or, in the worst case in terms of fidelity of vinyl, it is due to a nice coloration from the vinyl source that is not on the original recording. It cannot be inherent to vinyl vs. digital, for the reason given.

 

[morricab]

This is awesome. Since there is “plenty” of wood sound in this recording, let’s post some videos of our systems playing this track so we can evaluate how they compare to each other and to this video, of the Hilary Hahn recording. Al you go first, let get a video of your system playing this track. I will get a video during my next listening session.

I am still trying to wrap my head around how it is you don't hear what is in the video. I don't have a way to play YouTube videos through my system...I will see what I can find in Qobuz.

 

[wil]

This is awesome. Since there is “plenty” of wood sound in this recording, let’s post some videos of our systems playing this track so we can evaluate how they compare to each other and to this video, of the Hilary Hahn recording. Al you go first, let get a video of your system playing this track. I will get a video during my next listening session.

A great example of what a solo violin sounds like

 

[Carlos269]

I am still trying to wrap my head around how it is you don't hear what is in the video. I don't have a way to play YouTube videos through my system...I will see what I can find in Qobuz.

I heard the wood, if you go back to read my post, I said “not much wood”. Don’t try to playback the video. Use the Qobuz track. I will be using the Tidal track for my system video.

A great example of what a solo violin sounds like

Good, then this a great test track.

 

[Carlos269]

in the way a system presents the recording, possibly modulated through the iPhone recording process (which, for example, often adds a sense of reverb that by some is perceived as pleasant and can be mistaken for “hall information” or “liveliness”).

Al, I have never heard of an iPhone recording enhancing recordings with “hall information” or “liveliness”. Can you expand on this? Can you point us to academic or technical articles that explain this phenomenon?