'AAD' vs. 'DDD' CD test

[nat8808]

From The Grave

I reckon there could be some interesting discussion and discoveries to be had from some adventures around this topic.
Anyone heard the recent Neil Young with Crazy Horse album 'Psychedelic Pill' on vinyl & compared it to the CD? The vinyl is all analogue, I think.

Almost treated myself to that whilst christmas shopping. Waited in case it was bought for me... hope it's still available!

[nat8808]

I've just found an AAD recording from a charity shop I think. First time I've listened to it.

David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees.

Sounds excellent actually ! Very 80s. Recorded 83/84 Virgin Records. £1.50 I think.

Never heard of him but went by the photo and the 80's-ness. was one of those risk purchases that turned out very well.

Edit: Ah... He was in Japan. Thought I recognised his voice.

[nat8808]

Anyway, hearing the difference between AAD and DDD is surely just a much vaguer version of recognising the signature sound of the limiter used or desk or microphone that a studio geek might be able to do.

It's nothing more than that. Analogue equipment I think does have a definite style of sound to it in general and digital equipment does too, even if that style of sound is a lack of the analogue sound..

Still, it's hard to separate out the sound of the gear from the fashionable,intentioned choice of sound of each recording era by the artist, not to mention the limitations of recording techniques of each previous era upon the sound. You can't go back to '84 for example and offer them the sound of 00's DDD and see if they would actively choose the sound of DDD, which they may well might to get a sound they couldn't get with the analogue gear, striving for something new.

And can we say for sure that modern DDD recordings aren't made to sound as they do simply because the artists and engineers have become so used to a certain sound via influential contemporaries' CDs that subconsciously they just fall into the trap of replicating the same signature sound?

What I'm trying to say here is that perhaps it is perfectly possible to replicate the AAD sound via DDD but simply that no-one is actively striving to do so.