Interesting Sonic Perspectives

Bill Nelson · **Joined:** Sun Apr 03, 2005 4:40 pm **Posts:** 8551

I tend to agree with swampboy on this...I still have a fairly large collection of vinyl, (despite having to sell a lot of it in the early '90s, simply to survive,) but I hardly ever play it. I'm kind of sentimentally attached to some of it, I suppose, particularly the ancient, scratched singles that I bought from the end of the '50s and through to the late '60s. I wouldn't want to part with the latter as those singles represent my music choices as a very young man.
But CD's work for me in that they sound better than mp3s, are tangible, 'art objects' to some degree and frame the music physically in interesting, sensual ways that downloads can't compete with. Oh, yes, I burn lots of CDs to iTunes and shoot them to my iPod Classic but it's rare that I listen to music in that format. Emi and I have CD players in our cars and that's where we listen to music the most.

Digital recording was a challenge to me when I first got my Mackie digital system in 2000. It took me quite a while to get used to the way it behaves as opposed to analogue, but I gradually got my 'ear around it' and can now record my music digitally whilst retaining some warmth and feel. I haven't felt the need for 'analogue tape' simulator plug-ins, I just use eq and compression to get some body and texture into the music. I don't aim for commercial pop slickness, just for some reasonable semblance of solidity.

MondoJohnny · **Posted:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:36 pm

Do you feel like the fact that you are self taught is what allows you to do that Bill. I've long thought that the fact that your skill is unfettered by traditional teaching is at the core of your strength and creativity.

Bill Nelson · **Joined:** Sun Apr 03, 2005 4:40 pm **Posts:** 8551

I just try to get as close as I can to the sound in my head. Or, to paraphrase something John Leckie once said to me, many, many years ago when we sat beside each other at an imposing mixing desk in Abbey Road Studios: "Don't worry about eq frequency numbers or all that science stuff...just grab hold of the control knobs and f**k about with them until it sounds right." :wink:

felixt1 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:27 pm

Bill Nelson wrote:

I just try to get as close as I can to the sound in my head. Or, to paraphrase something John Leckie once said to me, many, many years ago when we sat beside each other at an imposing mixing desk in Abbey Road Studios: "Don't worry about eq frequency numbers or all that science stuff...just grab hold of the control knobs and f**k about with them until it sounds right." :wink:

MondoJohnny · **Posted:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:41 pm

Bill Nelson wrote:

I just try to get as close as I can to the sound in my head. Or, to paraphrase something John Leckie once said to me, many, many years ago when we sat beside each other at an imposing mixing desk in Abbey Road Studios: "Don't worry about eq frequency numbers or all that science stuff...just grab hold of the control knobs and f**k about with them until it sounds right." :wink:

Ha!

Well it seems to work out ok.

MG · **Posted:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:49 pm

I still have over 500 33rpm's and probably a thousand 45 rpm singles. It is my intention when I have more time and have settled into late middle age ( :lol:

) to get a decent turntable and put them to use.

I haven't had a working turntable since the 90's and I haven't even looked at my vinyl collection in any meaningful way lately.

As much as AAD and DDD have their sonic drawback I do like the convenience of use and technical features (I remember the first time I heard a CD the fact that there was no surface noise or needle rumble was astounding).

Also you can get more songs on a CD.

People said vinyl would disappear and it has a strong market still, they are now saying the same thing about CD's.

I wonder if the internet will disappear.......

market · **Posted:** Tue Jul 03, 2012 11:29 pm

Indeed.. the Internet will go in it's present form..... in the future music will be streamed directly into our brains and the Global Squid Mind Controllers will determine what we listen to........ :shock:

MG · **Posted:** Wed Jul 04, 2012 8:57 am

market wrote:

Indeed.. the Internet will go in it's present form..... in the future music will be streamed directly into our brains and the Global Squid Mind Controllers will determine what we listen to........ :shock:

felixt1 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 04, 2012 12:18 pm

About 6 years ago, when I first opened the workshop, I purchased a £20 Phillips cd/radio cassette player so that I could listen to music while I work.

It's interesting how some of the older jazz music I listen to actually sounds better on this cheap machine than it does on my fairly high spec system at home

For what it's worth, I am a cd man. I love the warmth of vinyl but the impracticality of using and preserving it has become too much of a handicap.

I actually tend to load my new (Bill Nelson in particular!) cds into my PS3 which is linked through the hifi. The downside of doing this is of course the inevitable compression, as I want to store as much music as is reasonably possible in the system. However, in the sacred moments of peace where I get the chance to just sit and listen to the music properly, I will then play the actual cd................and enjoy looking at the cover/booklet

www.billnelson.com

Interesting Sonic Perspectives

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