The vinyl illusion ?

[Arkless Electronics]

And of course you are a top mastering engineer with vast digital audio knowledge?

Vastly better than that! An EE with electronics knowledge that applies to all forms of electronic signals and who could design the electronics for a studio R2R

The stuff you quote is both techno babble and impossible.

[Jimbo]

Vastly better than that! An EE with electronics knowledge that applies to all forms of electronic signals and who could design the electronics for a studio R2R

The stuff you quote is both techno babble and impossible.

Maybe you need to update your technical knowledge. Some of the scientific research being done at the moment into how our brains work suggest there are more neuro transmitters between our brain and ears than between our ears and brain.

Back to R2R and digital recording, so tell me from you immense knowledge how there can be no difference how the brain responds to analogue waveforms and digitally recorded waveforms?

[Arkless Electronics]

Maybe you need to update your technical knowledge. Some of the scientific research being done at the moment into how our brains work suggest there are more neuro transmitters between our brain and ears than between our ears and brain.

Back to R2R and digital recording, so tell me from you immense knowledge how there can be no difference how the brain responds to analogue waveforms and digitally recorded waveforms?

Ah a different subject eh? I'm talking about transients, rise time etc which is what you originally posted about...

[RothwellAudio]

One Theory put forward by one of the worlds top mastering engineers was that analogue tape actually slows down the transient speed of high end frequencies in particular...

If transient speed equals the squareness of a square wave - ie how sharp the corners are - then it is directly related to bandwidth. The higher the high frequencies go, the sharper the corners of a square wave.

All complete hogwash I'm afraid.

Yes, as stated, it did sound like hogwash because you can't "sharpen up" just the top end - transients are all top end.

[magiccarpetride]

Interestingly Alex I have actually heard a digital system recently that sounds very close to mastertape. I used to listen to quite a lot of 24 track mastertape when I did some contract work for Island records back in the very early eighties and have heard plenty of R2R over the years so know very well how good it can sound. Trying to describe the sound of mastertape recordings is a bit tricky but one aspect I feel is very prominent is the smoothness of the sound,it feels effortless and very natural.

If you want to hear a DAC that can sound like this try and listen to a Chord DAVE.

Thanks James. I've never had the privilege to experience the sound you describe, but I'll seek that DAC.

I would totally not be surprised if it turns out to sound quite different form the vinyl playback, though. I feel that vinyl playback is the kingdom unto its own, for some reasons that I cannot articulate.

[Arkless Electronics]

If transient speed equals the squareness of a square wave - ie how sharp the corners are - then it is directly related to bandwidth. The higher the high frequencies go, the sharper the corners of a square wave.


Yes, as stated, it did sound like hogwash because you can't "sharpen up" just the top end - transients are all top end.

Pretty much yes. In the design of Y amplifiers for oscilloscopes virtually it's entire merit can be discerned from just it's step response and settling time! These are pretty much the fastest amps known to man in their ultimate expression in analogue high end Tektronix scopes which are electronic art in its purest form. Look up "T coils" if you want to boggle your mind... Shear wizardry and black magic Should have been a Noble winner IMHO but the technology was kept secret for decades and only explained to the wider world by Tektronix in the early to mid '80's IIRC!

[Haselsh1]

Should have been a Noble winner IMHO but the technology was kept secret for decades and only explained to the wider world by Tektronix in the early to mid '80's IIRC!

Would that be Noble or Nobel...?

[narabdela]

...so tell me from you immense knowledge how there can be no difference how the brain responds to analogue waveforms and digitally recorded waveforms?

What makes you think there can be a difference? Are we straying into technobabble territory again?

[Jimbo]

What makes you think there can be a difference? Are we straying into technobabble territory again?

Because the brain is extremely sensitive to digital sampling even information lost in milliseconds can be detected by the ear and brain. Even if you sampled at 100 times the current rate for CD your brain could still detect the difference. Analogue waveforms are infinite and exactly what the brain uses to compute information which is where digital sampling falls down. The theorists can argue technically that digital audio is good enough but the brain can detect the difference. It likes the infinitely smooth waveform of analogue.

[struth]

An interesting take on Digital here i bookmarked a while ago

http://productionadvice.co.uk/no-sta...digital-audio/