Ghosts and the machine

[mikmas]

Digital technology and philosophy move forward relentlessly by all accounts

…. just say, in a future not too far away, you have a computer … this computer is linked to a power amp and speakers, all capable of delivering the total harmonic and dynamic sound spectrum required. The OS and software are equipped to deliver the necessary waveforms to this set up that will emulate convincingly any combination of source, pre/power amp and speakers you care to throw at it based on a data set of analytical algorithms the computer can access online to model them. It will even account for different virtual interconnect cables (take it as a given that this set up will include the optimum for its requirements)

If this was also affordable – would you chuck out all your clunky gear and replace it with this super whizz bang music box?

[Audio Al]

Sounds wonderful , instant everything , I could email my Quad setup or Albarry or Audio Innovations

:)

[Audio Advent]

Nope. Surely the aim of all is to find the power amp and speakers you say you'd also have?

[RichB]

Digital technology and philosophy move forward relentlessly by all accounts

…. just say, in a future not too far away, you have a computer … this computer is linked to a power amp and speakers, all capable of delivering the total harmonic and dynamic sound spectrum required. The OS and software are equipped to deliver the necessary waveforms to this set up that will emulate convincingly any combination of source, pre/power amp and speakers you care to throw at it based on a data set of analytical algorithms the computer can access online to model them. It will even account for different virtual interconnect cables (take it as a given that this set up will include the optimum for its requirements)

If this was also affordable – would you chuck out all your clunky gear and replace it with this super whizz bang music box?

This has been happening in music tech for years. Take for example the modelling bass combo I use as my amp of choice, it supposedly can model any combination of head and cab from an ampeg svt and stack to an Eden traveller and bassman cabs. It does a reasonable imitation of these but theres no way it give the same wall of sound at my back on a stage as the head and stack of cabs does.

[awkwardbydesign]

Would this be like CDs? Perfect sound forever?

[Spectral Morn]

No



Regards Neil

[Macca]

I'd have one if it really did work. But my experience with hearing heavily processed sound to date has been that it sounds a bit un-natural.

[lurcher]

Yep as Rich said, its been going on for years in the musical instrument amplifier market. But there its possible to measure and characterise just what it is that makes an AC30 and a Twin Reverb different.

Your situation involves having a signal processing unit followed by a perfect amp and speaker, if you had that, we could just use the perfect amp and speaker and forget the processing. The goals are different. an MI amp is part of the instrument, its designed to add its own quality to the result. Why would we want that with HiFi if we actually had perfect?

[anthonyTD]

+1


Your situation involves having a signal processing unit followed by a perfect amp and speaker, if you had that, we could just use the perfect amp and speaker and forget the processing. The goals are different.
an MI amp is part of the instrument, its designed to add its own quality to the result. Why would we want that with HiFi if we actually had perfect?

[struth]

Digital technology and philosophy move forward relentlessly by all accounts

…. just say, in a future not too far away, you have a computer … this computer is linked to a power amp and speakers, all capable of delivering the total harmonic and dynamic sound spectrum required. The OS and software are equipped to deliver the necessary waveforms to this set up that will emulate convincingly any combination of source, pre/power amp and speakers you care to throw at it based on a data set of analytical algorithms the computer can access online to model them. It will even account for different virtual interconnect cables (take it as a given that this set up will include the optimum for its requirements)

If this was also affordable – would you chuck out all your clunky gear and replace it with this super whizz bang music box?

That would suck all the fun out of the hobby. all the distress when we get it wrong and thus all the bliss and smugness when we get it right...;)

SO, NO!

[technobear]

No.

DSP is a crime against music.

My route to musical nirvana, after many years of hearing just about every alternative, is a non-oversampling player/DAC with no DSP whatsoever, analogue tone control when needed and single driver transducers (maybe with a supertweeter but no crossover).

A computer is fine as a bit source. The DAC should be external and well isolated from the computer.

[mikmas]

Nope. Surely the aim of all is to find the power amp and speakers you say you'd also have?

Not the case for two reasons IMV:
1. Our ears and brains are subjective devices, what we like to hear is not necessarily the 'straight line' that is the alleged goal of perfect reproduction.
2. Are we really after that perfection in the first place rather than the joy of exploring all the differing 'signatures' kit combinations bring to the source

The hypothetical scenario I put forward would acknowledge 1. and allow 2. to happen at a much reduced cost of time and money

[mikmas]

This has been happening in music tech for years.

Exactly..... big difference being that the market is much bigger for those kinds of emulations - and of course musicians have other goals.

[mikmas]

Would this be like CDs? Perfect sound forever?

No, this is a different game in so many ways and not a question of 'perfect sound' - just infinite possibilities of modelling....

As to CDs - that was a format with enormous potential ruined by an industry that believed it knew what people wanted (and was probably right in many respects and for many people...)

[Macca]

Not the case for two reasons IMV:
1. Our ears and brains are subjective devices, what we like to hear is not necessarily the 'straight line' that is the alleged goal of perfect reproduction.
2. Are we really after that perfection in the first place rather than the joy of exploring all the differing 'signatures' kit combinations bring to the source

The hypothetical scenario I put forward would acknowledge 1. and allow 2. to happen at a much reduced cost of time and money

point 1 I agree with
point 2 I don't since I don't like kit with 'character' I want to get as close to the studio as possible.

Of course the main drawback to that is speakers which add the most distortion. But mainly in the bass and you can already digitally process the bass. Although I have not head it done I know there are at least a couple of folk here already doing that.

[Rothchild]

Convolution processing is an amazing thing, plugins like 'Nebula' (http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan12/articles/nebula.htm) have been around for quite some time now. I guess it would be interesting to shoot some esoteric hifi gear and see what those convolutions sound like (I've got a bunch of impulses shot from the super high end Bricasti reverb unit and they sound amazing).

Of course the failing with the hypothetical 'perfect system' is that it needs a corresponding 'perfect room' to ensure that what is being played is objectively the same (so that we can all enjoy it subjectively differently!)