Music is not dead… At least to me
Today I read an interesting article (and Gizmodo’s take on it) detailing an interesting audio study. Apparently, a music professor at Stanford conducted a study with the aim of determining students’ tastes in music compression methods. Long story short, the students preferred the compression of MP3s (particularly rock at 128 kbps) to to higher quality codecs or uncompressed songs. Gizmodo humorously jabs that young people have “utterly destroyed music.”
Maybe it’s a perfect storm of digital audio compression, the loudness war, and the portable music set of generations? Think about it. In under a century’s time (don’t check the dates on this, I’m just thinking mainstream inventions, widespread acceptance, etc.), we’ve gone from music being exclusively live or performed, to being readily and cheaply available, at whatever volume we like at whatever quantity we like. That boils down to badly mastered, badly compressed music being piped into tinnitus wracked ears on crappy iPod earbuds. For hours a day. I guess it’s better than radio quality.
As a race, maybe we’ve become desensitized to music, leaving us wanting it louder, quicker, more convenient… but not caring about the quality?
I hate to think that that’s true.
CMOY Headphone amp, Grado SR-80s, iAudio X5
My setup doesn’t look the prettiest, nor is it the most high end, but I can hear flautists inhale, and I can tell that the clipping on certain NIN tracks is on purpose. I end up listening to Happy Hardcore and Industrial on it most of the time, ironically.
I know a few audiophiles of my generation that indulge in noise-canceling headphones (particularly the Audio-Technica variety), high quality surround sound systems, FLAC encoded albums, mild flirtations with vinyl (I have a couple of my favorite trance tracks), not to mention my whole involvement with non-mainstream MP3 players. I remember a certain back and forth I had with Klipsch over their 4.1 Promedia speaker set, the subsequent upgrading of my pre-amp, and my eventual surrender to getting a set of Logitech Z-540s.
Are we special or elitist? I wouldn’t say so, wanting good quality music is something that’s just a higher priority to us. Or maybe the rest of my friends are just as finnicky as I am about good sound. What I do know is that we clearly aren’t the majority (at least according to the Stanford study), and this is disheartening. I haven’t seen an MP3 player as suited to my needs since the Rio Karma as my current iAudio X5, and that’s almost 3 years old now (two new batteries later… Thanks for soldering that, Chris!). Maybe that’s because the public just doesn’t care about audiophile sound, and the audiophiles will find their own ways to get by. Oh well.
At least I can tell the difference between a 128 kbps, 256kbps, and uncompressed file… Most of the time.
The Loudness Wars and Dynamic Range
Ever wonder why popular music CDs have no trouble piping out of your stereo/iPod, but when you watch movies you really have to crank your system to hear the quiet parts (not to mention that you get blown away by loud parts)? Well, it has to do with something called dynamic range compression. In a nutshell, if you were to apply this technique to an audio clip of someone whispering quietly and screaming their head off, you’d have most of the qualities and textures of the sound preserved, but the two voices would sound close in volume and power. Conversely, that DVD you’re watching is not as compressed, so whispers sound appropriately quiet, and explosions startlingly loud.
This concept has weighed heavily on the music/audio mastering industry, and more than a few voices have been heard arguing about it. I just stumbled on an interesting site, Turn Me Up! | Bringing Dynamics Back To Music, which details the “loudness wars” in published music and the like.
This video briefly explains the difference between a typical popular song published in 1989 and its theoretical counterpart published in 2006. What this video details is a difference in audio dynamic range, or essentially the range between quiet and loud within a recording. From what I’ve read and heard about the Loudness Wars over the last decade or so, music is being cranked up to the maximum (just shy of clipping) to get the biggest bang for the buck out of your stereo/headphones. On the surface, it seems to satisfy consumers and people seem to want it.
However, in this case (via Mastering Media Blog), Metallica has been accused of compressing the hell out of tracks in “Death Magnetic” and distorting them. Interestingly, the problem doesn’t show up in Guitar Hero 3. Ian Shepherd notes that blame most likely falls on “800 pound gorillas” of the recording industry, which isn’t much of a surprise. I don’t think Metallica appeals to the audiophile demographic anymore anyway.
I know when I balance audio, I typically push it to within a comfortable range as far as it will go before clipping. But I’m usually working with dialog with a musical bed and not the music itself… And it’s usually a corporate market that’s listening on tiny, tinny weak laptop speakers. Or so I’ve heard. Sometimes there are board room presentations and trade shows.
It makes you think, though. The industry seems to be struggling to strike a balance between what pleases the masses and what has integrity. I know that’s been argued about for decades in terms of what’s popular versus what’s worth listening to… But the fact that it gets down to an issue of how it was mastered is amazing to me. I guess having that “popular music sound” isn’t just an issue of beat, chord progressions, and subject matter, but which technician was in the studio?
It’s time for a new beginning!
Interesting thing happened to me recently. At SIGGRAPH2008, I won a copy of Cinema 4D Release 10.5 in the Student Volunteer giveaways. Awesome. But unfortunately, because of my work load and the hectic nature of finishing up my schooling for the foreseeable future, I didn’t get a chance to install it.
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago when I crack open the box and look for a serial during installation. Uh oh. No serial, and I needed to register within 90 days to get a valid code for installation. Great. Now I’m out $900 of free software because I didn’t install it in time.
So I send off the registration anyway, hoping that the people at Maxon could find it in their hearts to spare a key anyway. I hear nothing for about a week. I figure that they just ignored me because my code was expired anyway. It’s understandable I guess.
Then I stumbled over a package left on the front step of my apartment complex as I left for the night. Out of chance I checked the name on it (I wasn’t expecting anything) and saw “Brian Lee” on there. Weird. I opened it up and found a new commercial copy of Cinema 4D Release 11!
So not only did Maxon go out of their way and respond to my late request, they sent me the newest version! What great people. I wonder if they know what a boon this is to me; I’m going to be starting out with my motion graphics career this year and this is going to be a huge asset.
So thanks to you Maxon, and the SIGGRAPH2008 committee as well for awarding me this amazing prize.
So this is my first blog posting in a while. A few things happened since here and there: I graduated with my 2nd degree (BA in Communication with a Digital Media focus) from NCSU, signed up with The Creative Group, and have been job/freelance hunting ever since December. Oh, and I just updated the theme on my blog here, so some of my old postings may be a little broken.
At any rate, it’s a great time for a lot of new beginnings: new software, new careers, new position in life, no class, no homework… Lots of interesting changes. And hopefully I’ll get a chance to post and update here more often.
Macgyver’d
I brought Guitar Hero 3 into CapStrat today, along with my PS2 and one guitar controller. After hooking it up to one of the widescreen monitors, Carson warned me that the audio input/output didn’t work on the monitor. Essentially, we needed to get the audio signal directly to the speakers, from two male RCAs to a standard miniplug. We found an adapter which would turn the miniplug into another two male RCAs, but that didn’t get us anywhere… So I cooked this up.
Front view
Top view
Using nothing but a paper clamp and the clip from a Pilot Uniball, I was able to get one channel going for Guitar Hero. Needless to say, I’m pretty happy with the solution… Because it was free and it works.
Chrome Metropolis Review
Around a half a year ago, I purchased a Chrome Metropolis messenger bag. Since items like these are not only judged on looks, function, and feel, but endurance, I figured I’d wait a bit before posting a review.
Logo and buckle
I have to admit, the thing that really caught my eye about the Chrome bag was the buckle and the overall sense of style. After doing more research, I found that they had a lot more than a shiny clasp to offer. The buckle setup is very functional; that triangle shaped piece on the end lets you adjust the tightness of the shoulder strap one handed. Pull it up to loosen the bag, and pull the loose remainder of the strap to tighten. Very convenient. It’s an improvement on the old d-ring setup some of the older Chrome bags have.
The bag
According to the Chrome website all Chrome bags have 18 oz. weatherproof truck liner, 1000d Cordura shell, and nylon 69 thread. What this adds up to is an incredibly sturdy bag that water will never seep through. I’ve worn my bag through a few rain showers, and nothing inside ever gets wet.
The shoulder strap has “anatomically correct EVA foam” in it too, which means that it’s incredibly comfortable to carry. It seems like the weight of the bag is distributed more evenly than with most messengers, so it takes longer to cause strain and fatigue. I’ve carried my bag with the below load around campus for hours at a time with no discomfort. The foam is showing no sign of wearing out, either.
Fully loaded
This bag holds a lot of stuff. My standard loadout is my Macbook Pro in its Axio Hardcase, Macbook charger, my iAudio X5 with its charger, my Sennheiser PX200s, standard and small sized Moleskines, pens and pencils, and a large sharpie. I’ve also got a few shirts in there that I just picked up.
The chargers and headphones go in side pouches to the sides of the zippered compartment, and the laptop and other large items go in the huge main compartment. It’s big enough to fit a 14″ by 17″ Graphics 360 pad, in addition to my laptop and large sketchbook. When fully loaded, the main compartment will hold about 2-3 gallon jugs of milk, or at least a couple six packs.
Overall, it feels like the bag was meant to hold a few odds and ends consistently, but to have a large, flexible compartment for carrying various items. Since it was designed with bike messengers in mind, this makes perfect sense.
Front compartments
The front zippered pouch has a huge zipper and pull on it, and has a satisfyingly solid feel to it. Doesn’t feel like it will go off track with any reasonable amount of use. All the other stitching on the front pouches feels solid and hasn’t shown wear after all the months I’ve used it. If I had one complaint about the bag, however, it would be that this is a relatively spartan setup for gadget freaks. In comparison, Timbuk2 bags easily have twice as many compartments and pouches for various items.
Attachments
You have a couple options when it comes to securing it shut. You can either use the generous rows of Velcro on the front to hold the flap down, or use the plastic buckles to really lock it in place. I’ve never had the Velcro fail me, but the buckles are always reassuring to have locked in. The redundancy here is impressively dependable.
Clasps
If you go the Velcro route, there’s an extra buckle next to the adjustable straps you can use to strap other things to your bag, like a poster tube or an umbrella. I’ve found this to be extremely handy, like when I lugged 3 tubes of posters back from SIGGRAPH through LAX with all my other luggage.
Interior view
This gives you an idea of what this bag can carry, and the size of the compartments on the sides.
Sealed up, fully loaded
Here’s the bag with the huge load of books, closed up with clasps fastened. The straps adjust to keep the bag closed even when it’s too full to use the Velcro effectively, which isn’t often.
What’s inside
Here are all the books that were in the bag. All the paperbacks in the top row were in the side pockets.
Frayed buckle
The only wear and tear I can find on the entire bag after half a year of use is a small fray in the seat belt fabric attached to the buckle. It looks as if I could take a lighter to it and seal it off, but I think I’ll just leave it alone. I’m not sure if it will continue to wear at this rate. If this is the only damage its taken so far, I’m sure it will last for years to come. All over the rest of the bag, the Cordura hasn’t frayed, and the truck liner only shows minor scuffs.
I should also note that the way you wear this bag isn’t quite the same as other messengers. It hangs diagonally across your back, which could be awkward for some. Check out the Chrome website for some examples of this. I thought this was strange at first, then I realized that, unlike other messengers, it effectively puts the weight of the bag on your back, not your shoulder. It’s not quite as convenient if you want to grab something out of your bag while you’re wearing it, but with some practice it gets easier.
Overall, I’ve been extremely satisfied with this bag. After considering Timbuk2, North Face, and a lot of other bag brands, this one fits me extremely well. I can carry all my daily college supplies and books with me comfortably. If I need to head somewhere for the weekend, I can throw my overnight junk and some clothes in there no problem. This bag will take anything you throw at it.
However, if you’re looking to carry a lot of gadgets and are looking for a dozen small compartments, this bag isn’t for you. It has its share of spaces to stow things, but the focus is really on sheer volume for the larger items you carry.
Also, if you’re looking to carry a laptop in it, consider that the bag has no hard support in it whatsoever. While this extends its flexibility and makes it very thin when it’s empty, it also means that nothing you carry is protected from bending against your back.
This bag suits me well, and I’d buy it again in a heartbeat. I’d give it a 9/10.
Note:
I looked up a couple reviews before I bought my bag, and if you’re considering it, you should take a look at them as well. They touch on a couple features I breezed over. They get a little more in depth, while I’m giving you the opinion from a long time user.
It begins
Just got Wordpress working for a simple blogging website on the new domain, Wondershock.com. I hope to put some great stuff up here, and eventually have a real website for my portfolio up and running.