My first forty years (first ten pre-digital)

Posted by Bill Way (A) on October 22, 2014 at 14:40:34

In Reply to: Got something positive to say about computer audio posted by Old Listener on October 20, 2014 at 08:29:06:

Pre-digital 1970's
Double Advents, Maggie 1's, KLH nines, Braun tri-amps, Philips David, Infinity Servo-Statik, various Klipsch, lots of tube amps, various turntables, Revox, Braun, Crown, and Ferrograph tape decks. (The Crown decks, from the end of their production run, failed early, often, and consistently. A sad end to what had been a great line.) Lots of Mac and Dyna tube gear. Had a couple hundred LPs.

1980's
Early gritty "perfect sound forever" CDs arrive, played on some pretty good Sony player. As I spent the first years of the decade living on various boats in the Florida Keys, not much gear to report, other than an Icon single side-band.

1990's
Marantz 8260 player, CAL Delta/Sigma - all good. Sequerra Met 7-II speakers (shoulda kept those.) Spica TC-50's (still running, modded.) CDs get gradually better, though vinyl and tape trounce them for emotional response, and that's what it's all about.

2000'S
HHB CDR-630 CD player/burner, which still sounds good, and an Oppo, also good. Started downloading late in the decade, and assisting in a studio (still there.) Heard Doug Sax at an AES convention demo the Jellyfish "Bellybutton" CD during an AES seminar. That CD sounds very good, and was released in the dark gritty days of 1990. So everything from back then didn't *have* to be bad after all. Started learning Pro Tools (still learning) and got a Metric Halo ULN-2 interface, which I still like. Ah - rebuilt an Otari MX-5050 BII-2 for half-track playback and occasional slap-back reverb on projects for friends.

2010's
Still assisting. Got to do the transfer of "Suzanne Vega," "Solitude Standing," and "Shawn Colvin" from the two-inch multitrack master to digital on the Studer A-80 that made the recordings in the first place, and with the original engineer. Goosebumps. Spent several hours A/B-ing tape vs. digital; no one could consistently identify which was which. Still, a bittersweet project, as it was the end, for us, of two-inch tape smell, and "assuming the position," on our knees, to set it up. (For playback, it's 96 adjustments. And, as you are on your knees, it behooves you to be accurate *and* fast.) Assisted on a couple Steve Berkowitz projects, a few A-list performers, and lots of little-knowns and unknowns, many of whom are wonderful. LP collection up to 1,950, and CD/files about 500. Visited a friend with Vandy Quatros, c-j Premier 12s, and a Sony XA3000ES that just blew away what I've been able to achieve. Just Blew It F***ing Away. Also did lots of A/B listening to various sample rates and word lengths in the studio. Most of us can identify 44.1 vs. 48-or-above, but that's about it.

Now
I am enjoying the biggest benefit of the digital music: hearing and seeing so many historic performances which have been put up on the web. For the first time ever, we can access the vast bulk of recorded performances, and do it in an instant. This *is* the golden age of music reproduction, and, though I'm listening to the mono Blonde on Blonde LP right now, which sounds magical, it is digital that has enabled us to unearth and share uncountable treasures from the last century.

WW
"Put on your high heeled sneakers. Baby, we''re goin'' out tonight.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Got something positive to say about computer audio - Old Listener 08:29:06 10/20/14 (21)

RE: Got something positive to say about computer audio - George Wes 17:13:49 10/27/14 (0)

My first forty years (first ten pre-digital) - Bill Way 14:40:34 10/22/14 (0)

RE: Got something positive to say about computer audio - Hi-Fi Hokie 11:43:57 10/22/14 (0)

SBT User Here - jec01 11:05:12 10/22/14 (0)

Started doing this 7 years ago - LWR 05:32:01 10/21/14 (0)

First good CD player lasted 17 years - G Squared 16:19:46 10/20/14 (0)

I now have a 20 Million Track Library........................... - Cut-Throat 15:51:11 10/20/14 (6)

RE: I now have a 20 Million Track Library........................... - Old Listener 12:56:05 10/21/14 (1)

RE: I now have a 20 Million Track Library........................... - Cut-Throat 12:55:40 10/23/14 (0)

A 20 Million Track Library...of MP3s - soundchekk 00:06:24 10/21/14 (3)

RE: A 20 Million Track Library...of MP3s - Cut-Throat 10:40:00 10/27/14 (0)

Or 20 Million tracks of Lossless FLAC... - Ivan303 08:59:24 10/21/14 (1)

WOW !! --- Thanks for this - great News...... - Cut-Throat 12:50:40 10/23/14 (0)

Transformational - E-Stat 12:59:34 10/20/14 (0)

Me too! - Goober58 12:33:34 10/20/14 (0)

RE: Got something positive to say about computer audio - Mercman 11:40:26 10/20/14 (3)

RE: Got something positive to say about computer audio - Scrith 21:09:03 10/20/14 (0)

RE: Got something positive to say about computer audio - Old Listener 12:56:31 10/20/14 (1)

RE: Got something positive to say about computer audio - Mercman 13:03:53 10/20/14 (0)

Me, too - riboge 11:34:18 10/20/14 (0)

RE: Got something positive to say about computer audio - John Elison 10:32:36 10/20/14 (0)

Follow Ups

My first forty years (first ten pre-digital) - Bill Way 14:40:34 10/22/14 (0)

My first forty years (first ten pre-digital)

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