2 thoughts on ““Mary Had a Little Lamb”: The Birth of Audio-Recording

  1. Jason S. Ganz says:

    as a former disc-jockey (DJ) on a radio station, this struck a chord with me as a very nicely written article. However, I think a few things need to be added in. First, there has been a massive resurgence in the interest in vinyl due to its fuller, more defined sound (with an analogue signal there is no sampling rate, everything is there), and with the advent of modern technologies in turntables and needles, these incredibly nuanced sounds there were at one time imperceptible are now audible. Such is the reason there are now virgin vinyls and heavier weight vinyls that can handle not only higher quality renditions, but also more playtime as well as more intense sound abilities.

    Second, there is music beyond the CD. There have been niches of SACD (Super Audio CD) which reads at 1-bit level samples at 24-bit / 2.8 mbps (vs. cd’s 16-bit / 1.4kbps). The intent of this was that users would have a return to a more vinyl-like sound quality with a surround system and an SACD player, without having to spend thousands on a new quality turntable and monitor system. SACDs however, are expensive to produce and have become a niche relegated primarily to classical (LSO, Berlin Philharmoniker) and Jazz (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Reissues) recordings aimed primarily at the listener.

    Lastly, Blu-Ray Audio, or an entire disc full of blu-ray quality music (48-bit at 19 mbps) is on the forefront with some work from trondheim solistiene. The purpose of BD-A is to provide an even more analogue-like listening experience (152,000,000 samples per second) without going to a vinyl format… it’s still in its infancy, but if Bluray video is a sign of a format’s success, BD-A may be next to succeed. It all comes down to what listeners want, are willing to pay for it, and what the market is willing to bear in changes. (Are people willing to move up in price for better quality stuff when many cannot tell the difference between a 128kbps mp3 and a 1,411 kbps CD).

    NB: definitions
    kbps: kilobits per second
    mbps: megabits per second

    (more is better)

    Just a brief addenda, but otherwise GREAT article.

    Jason

     
  2. Kane K says:

    That was a wonderfully written article, excusing the sentence or two that began with a conjunction. =D Nice work, Shangas – an interesting addition to our conversation the other day.

    PS: I told you I’d read this blog =P

     

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