(idm) (fwd) 12" vs. CDs (from akin "irdial music" )
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quoted 3 lines What we want is a switch over to the next generation of audio>What we want is a switch over to the next generation of audio
>equipment that is not driven by the '2 pounds of baloney in a one pound
>bag' mentality (Mini Disc / DCC).
I spent a while poking around the net to find info about Mini-disc as an
alternative to the CD Discman I carry with me on the subway everyday.
Needless to say I was not surprised to find out that the technology is
pretty crappy. Sony limits the capability of the consumer recorders to give
you compression that is better than a cassette, but not nearly as good as
their $1000 + pro decks. It's not such a bad idea, you get random access to
your music with some pretty cool editing functions that allow you to relocate
tacks into a certain order - probably just edits some kind of File Allocation
Table. In any case, they are also small and are self contained in a
cartridge, which is something that really pisses me off about CD's. I have
scratched my share of discs, it's rediculous that they continue to use such
fragile plastic in CD's. More importantly, there are aparently
distiguishable artifacts that can be heard on MiniDisc. For me, I am not a
pro and don't need really hi fidelity sound as some of you musicians and
sound engineer types. However, I refuse to spend money on a format that has
so many obvious flaws, not to mention media that isn't cheap - $7 -$9 per 74
minute disc.
quoted 1 line with home video it was a choice between betamax and VHS>with home video it was a choice between betamax and VHS
It is interesting to note that Betamax went on to evolve into a professional
format known as Beta SP.
The need for clean signals during the mastering process is self evident.
However the vast majority of your audience will not come close to having the
capability to reproduce verbatum what you spend so much time to create. I
work at an animation/ effects company. All of our equpment is Digital,
including the video tape machines - we use D1. Most people look at TV's that
aren't calabrated for optimum viewing anyway (likewise with consumer sound
systems), then there is additonal noise that comes in from broadcast via
cable or airwaves. In the end it is suprising to see beautiful D1 video be
dragged trough shit to come out on the TV looking little better than a VHS
tape.
Where Sony and the other manufacturers are concerned, they are not in the
business to give us more than they see a need to give. The technology for
DAT, MD, and even D1 are extremly old. D1 for example, started out as a data
backup solution in the 70's. The longer they can milk their existing tech,
the more money they make on it. Essentially their is also a lot of
propaganda that originates with the manufacturers themselves, so it is no
wonder that there are 8 different ways you can skin the Digital v.s. Analogue
cat.
MD is touted with the capability of making a "clone" of your CD's. This is
quite false, but is not know by the vast majority of people. "It's digital,
so it's perfect" is the message. The same is true with CD's, they don't tell
you that the sample rate, if it was higher than 44khz, (or whatever it is)
would give you even better sound. I have heard music played back from a
Digital setup, to the master DAT and the subsiquent CD's, and was amazed at
the difference between all of them. Let's face it, CD's really suck when
compared to DAT, te difference between DAT and Vinyl, I have no idea -
however I have been considering buying a turntable for the very reasons I
have heard mentioned before.
It will be interesting how it all plays out in 5 years or so. What is the
general consensus where DVD is concerned when it comes to music? Will it
surpass the capabilites of a CD considerably and will this higher capacity
allow for higher sampling rates for higher fidelity? regardless, a standard
video and sound format is really an idea that has been needed for a while.
Eric