Stratman, that's a very interesting site. I can tell you for a fact that most radio stations run their on-air signals through compressors, so the 'uber-compression' used in many recent recordings is totally unneccessary from a broadcasting standpoint.

Topsscore, I'm no audiophile, but in my experience, mp3s almost always sound kind of thin and tinny compared to vinyl and even many CD recordings. They're great for what they are, but digital downloads definitely have their limitations.

I agree headphones are a great way to listen to music, particularly recordings that make good use of dynamic range and stereo effects. I've got a pretty decent set of Koss phones I bought for work and enjoy using them whenever I have time for a more in-depth listening experience.

And yes, TG is a pretty awesome band -- definitely the antithesis of the 'homoginized pop' we've been discussing in this thread. 'Hamburger Lady' could very well be the creepiest (in a good way) track I've ever heard!

Mortalengines, it's true that vinyl records encorage people to listen to entire albums in a way that digital recordings do not. Which can be a good thing, since many of my favorite artists and songs were ones that took several listens before I really started to like them.

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Well, I keep thinking about this topic a lot lately, we have an almost 16 year old daughter!

While I agree with lots of the statements above, I'd like to add one more thing but without knowing the age of my previous posters:

I think we have reached one of those generation changes as well. Remember what happened, when Elvis or the beatles showed up? It was new, it was provoking, it was catching hordes of teens and it even was condemned and considered to "come out of hell"!

This happens in fairly regular periods of time and I think we have reached one of those "landmarks" in music again.

We "old farts" (I'm 47) just have our problems to cope with these changes. I hardly listen to the new stuff, even though there's really good music out there. I've grown up with 70's/80s/90s rock music and that's where I go back to if I want to listen to music. There are exceptions (Satriani, Vai, Chickenfoot, Petrucci and some others) but I hardly have anything newer than maybe 1995. Can't remember when was the last time I bought a record coming out NEW! I guess that must have been Metallica's album with the Philharmonic Orchestra (S&M). Everything else after that were kinda "time machines", meaning: I bought older recordings.

I bought the first Chickenfoot live DVD, though and I'm going to buy Petrucci's "Suspended Animation" album.

There were changes in my reasons for buying music as well: while I bought music for pure listening joy when I was young, I now buy stuff/listen to stuff as a guitarist, looking for inspiration and for a push to become better.

It's different with the young generation today. They are spoiled and lazy! Biking? No! Climbing trees? No! Exploring the neighborhood, woods? No! Hobbies? Hardly!
What counts is: getting entertained with the least effort (TV, internet, game consoles).
Pleeeaase! Don't make me move!!! I'd better be sitting here, consuming everything that is thrown in front of my feet without asking!

This behaviour is surely reflected in the music business! It's way more important how cool or hip or fashionate a star is, rather than seriously questioning the artist's talent or the recording's quality.

Our society grows into a consuming wolverine, lead and tempted by marketing strategies to sell an undefined mash of homogene items.

Time flies and society changes, sometimes to the better, sometimes to the worse.

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

Outstanding, Smokin!
I'm going through this and have been going through this with kids, nieces & nephews.
Four more years till the last one get's booted out at eighteen to get a job or a degree

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I hate to make a 'generational generalization,' but I think there's something to your argument. Saw a story not all that long ago that discussed how teens are waiting longer than ever to get their drivers licences.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01339.html

I remember signing up for my learners permit at 9am on my 15th birthday and getting my licence within a couple months -- I couldn't wait to experience the freedom and opportunities that came along with getting that licence. Seems kind of lazy to me that teens would be satisfied to let their parents drive them around everywhere.

Thanks for the tip, sir! I'll be sure to keep that info in mind the next time I download some tunes.

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I don't think this is a valid argument about teens. You have to keep in mind how expensive things have become. It's difficult for a kid to go to school, get good grades, and be able to afford a vehicle. These days teens almost need a full time job just to be able to afford gas and insurance! In my opinion price is the bigger issue here, not laziness.

About music now. I like mp3. I like being able to listen to music on my phone at any given time. Obviously the sound quality isn't the same, but you have to give to get. It's much more convenient to use an mp3 then a vinyl record. Yes, you lose certain aspects of the sound, but you have music at the tip of your finger no matter where you are. I'm OK with that trade off, personally.

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Pitch correction yes, drum machine no. Someone has to program that beat. I've created many drum beats for original music. Some are easy and some are hard.

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How about adding reverb and vibrato?
These are stone-age dynamics that change the source original music.
What do you think about that? Toppscore

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Sometimes theres nothing like Lo-Fi.

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